National Comics #5 is an issue of the series National Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1940.
Synopsis for Uncle Sam: "The True Story of Uncle Sam--Who He Was and How He Came To Be"
- In 1777, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, an American patriot remembered only by his first name, Samuel, was shot dead by some Hessian soldiers. In his last moments, he saw and talked to the spirit of Uncle Sam, and was reassured that America would be free. Sam became Uncle Sam, or united with Uncle Sam, and invisibly provided guidance to the USA during its turbulent history.
One day Uncle Sam, gigantic and invisible, passes through a small Midwestern town, and listens in on a conversation. It's about the Black Legion, and the one voice advocating standing up to them has a white beard and is also named Sam. That night, Unc appears in Sam's home, and they have a conversation, similar to the one in 1777. Sam trims his beard and changes his clothes, taking on the persona of Uncle Sam himself.
In a barn on a farm not far from town, the hooded and robed Black Legion, all six of them, are deciding on a strategy. They need to get control of this town, Glen Valley, and they're ready to use automatic weapons to get it. The next morning, they ride into town on motorcycles, wielding machine guns, and inflict a lot of civilian casualties, both in town and in the surrounding countryside.
Uncle Sam attacks them, at the county creamery, locking them inside with himself, then wades into them. Bullets are useless against him, and he snaps rifle-barrels in half with one hand, like they were pencils. One Black Legionnaire manages to whack him on the head, hard enough to bend a thick iron bar, and it DOES squash his hat, but not his cheerful approach to dealing out the fisticuffs. Very soon the Black Legion, all still alive, are hanging from hooks on the creamery wall, waiting for the police to arrive.
Appearing in Uncle Sam: "The True Story of Uncle Sam--Who He Was and How He Came To Be"
Featured Characters:
- Uncle Sam (Origin)
Antagonists:
- The Black Legion
- Hessians
Locations:
Concepts:
Synopsis for Sally O'Neil, Policewoman: "The Bonritz Murder"
Appearing in Sally O'Neil, Policewoman: "The Bonritz Murder"
Featured Characters
Supporting Characters:
- Captain, Sally's boss
- Barry Gilmore
Antagonists:
- female shoplifter
- store detective, murderer
- two henchmen
Other Characters:
- Barbara De Van, divorcee (Dies)
Locations:
- New York City
- Bonritz Department Store
- Police HQ
- Westchester, delivery address
Items:
- expensive diamond clip
Synopsis for Kid Patrol: "The Capture of "William Shakespeare""
Appearing in Kid Patrol: "The Capture of "William Shakespeare""
Featured Characters:
- Kid Patrol
- Teddy
- George Washington Abraham Lincoln "Sunshine " Jones
- Porky
- Spunky (Mentioned only)
- Suzy (Mentioned only)
Supporting Characters:
- Officer Pat Malone
Antagonists:
- City Asylum Officials: Lem, 2 others
Other Characters:
- William Shakespeare, lunatic
Locations:
- Lower East Side, New York City
- old house in the woods
Vehicles:
- black sedan
Synopsis for Pen Miller: "Nipper's Drug Mob"
Appearing in Pen Miller: "Nipper's Drug Mob"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Wonder Boy: "Cheatum the Crooked Landlord"
Appearing in Wonder Boy: "Cheatum the Crooked Landlord"
Featured Characters
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Cheatum
Other Characters:
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (Behind the scenes)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Quicksilver: "Presenting Quicksilver"
A small, evil, insane scientist named Von Lohfer invents a means of gaining vengeance on the industrialist, J.B. Rockland. Posing as a police doctor, he injects half of the NYPD with a will-paralyzing hypno-fluid, and sends them out to wreck Rockland's factories and buildings.
That night, while one team is smashing up one factory, out of nowhere streaks a laughing whirlwind of violent action, subduing the hypnotized cops. It's Quicksilver, and he races outside, and does some high-speed stunts to get himself aboard a subway train, which whisks him to Rockland Center, where more of this mischief is afoot. A swarm of hypnotized cops are in the building, and Quicksilver makes some amazing progress against them, pummeling masses of fistfighters and easily dodging pistol shots, until they pull out some submachine guns. He retreats, into some extremely dangerous factory machinery, which almost kills him four times before he emerges and beats down the rest of the cops.
Picking themselves off the floor, the police regain their wits and personalities. Quicksilver rallies them to defend the offices of J.B. Rockland, and races there ahead of them. He races up the side of a big building and bursts into Rockland's office just as a hit team arrives. Quicksilver snatches Rockland out thru the window, and maneuvers them down the wall to deposit him onto a sofa, in an open-topped passing truck. He then races to the living quarters of the scientist, Von Lohfer, bursts in, beats him back and forth for a minute, then hands him over to the cops.
Appearing in Quicksilver: "Presenting Quicksilver"
Featured Characters:
- Quicksilver (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Von Lohfer, scientist
Other Characters:
- J.B. Rockland, industrialist
Locations:
- New York City
- Police HQ
- Times Square
- Rockland Center
- Rockland's Office Building
Items:
- Von Lohfer's mind-control formula
Synopsis for Kid Dixon: "Slugger Mike To Fight Champ"
Appearing in Kid Dixon: "Slugger Mike To Fight Champ"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- B. Galsworthy "Bottle" Topps, Dixon's Manager
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Slugger Mike
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Paul Bunyan: "The Parachutists"
Appearing in Paul Bunyan: "The Parachutists"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Prop Powers: "Americans Trapped In France"
Appearing in Prop Powers: "Americans Trapped In France"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
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Synopsis for Merlin the Magician: "Dr. Morbidd's Zombie"
Appearing in Merlin the Magician: "Dr. Morbidd's Zombie"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Elaine
Antagonists:
- Dr. Morbidd
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- Merlin's Magic Cloak
Vehicles:
Notes
- Uncle Sam
- This story necessarily takes place before the events described in National Comics #1 (July 1940). Sam has not yet met and hired his assistant, Buddy Smith.
- Quicksilver
- We are not told who Quicksilver is or where he came from. We are also not told how he decided that Von Lohfer was the culprit, or how he knew where he lived.
- Also featured in this issue of National Comics were:
- "Yankee Doodle Boy" (text story) by Anthony Lamb
- Windy Breeze by Bill Newcombe
Trivia
- Bill Newcombe signed his "Windy Breeze" strip as "George."
- Charles Nicholas signed his Kid Patrol art as "Dan Wilson."
- Dan Zolnerowich signed his Merlin art as "Lance Blackwood."
- George Tuska signed his Kid Dixon art as "Bob Reynolds."
- Henry Kiefer signed his Cyclone art as "Tony Rawlins."
- Herman Bolstein and John Celardo signed their Paul Bunyan story as "Storey Weaver."
- Jack Cole and Chuck Mazoujian didn't sign their Quicksilver story.
- Klaus Nordling signed his Pen Miller story as "Klaus."
- Toni Blum signed her Yankee Doodle Boy text story as "Anthony Lamb."
- Toni Blum and Chuck Mazoujian signed their Sally O'Neil story as "Frank Kearn."
- Toni Blum and John Celardo signed their Wonder Boy story as "Jerry Maxwell."
- Witmer Williams signed his Prop Powers art as "Lynn Bird."
- Will Eisner signed his Uncle Sam story as "William Eisner."
- The art was long thought to have been by Dan Zolnerowich, but recent research indicates that it was by Lou Fine.
- Unlike most golden age comic story titles used here and elsewhere, "The True Story of Uncle Sam--Who He Was and How He Came To Be" was applied by the author, Will Eisner. It seems to include a hat-tip to Bob Kane's title for the Batman origin story in Detective Comics #33.
See Also