National Comics #65 is an issue of the series National Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1948.
Synopsis for The Barker: "Aces Beat A King" or "King Looey of Numforia"
A new member of the circus is "King Looey", a fortune teller who the Barker praises as working for a salary instead of demanding a percentage of the take. The reason for this is that King Looey claims to his female customers that soon he's going to leave to reclaim the throne of his kingdom of Numforia, and his crystal ball shows each of them as his queen. If they come up with $1000 to cover the travel arrangements. When the Barker and his posse head into town to cash a payroll check, the find the bank mobbed by King Looey's victims, there to withdraw the money he asked of each of them. The group of carnies save the distraught bank president and begin to suspect something's afoot.
Investigating Looey's tent, the Barker finds a trick mirror under the crystal ball that projects the face of his client onto a stock image of him with a queen. Meanwhile, a brawny woman who was taken in by Looey's act, but wasn't able to raise the grand, has just decided a clever king like Looey will be able to figure things out without it and comes to run away with him anyway. When she sees the stacks of cash sticking out of his pockets, she realizes she and other women have been conned, and drags Looey to the train station where every woman he talked to is waiting for him to run away with them. The Barker's posse aren't sure whether to save him from being torn apart by the angry mob or let him suffer his just desserts.
Appearing in The Barker: "Aces Beat A King" or "King Looey of Numforia"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- "King" Looey
Other Characters:
Locations:
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Synopsis for Lassie and Laddie: "Lassie's Museum"
Appearing in Lassie and Laddie: "Lassie's Museum"
Featured Characters:
- Lassie
- Laddie
Supporting Characters:
- Roberta
- Roger
Synopsis for Steve Wood: "The Black Pearl"
"Oyster pirates" Captain Carty and Slades meet to share dinner. Slades opens an oyster and finds a black pearl. Carty argues that it belongs to him since it came up in his catch, but Slades runs off with it, before being gunned down. Carty and two other suspects are being held by the police, but Steve Wood comes in and produces judicial writs demanding they be freed for lack of evidence. He explains to Inspector Flanagan the idea's to let them go free and have the three watched for suspicious behavior. All three suspects know what Steve was really up to and come by his office to say so.
Carty and his first mate start fighting in the hall, but this convinces Steve neither one of them stole the pearl or they wouldn't be attacking each other to steal it. This leaves Carty's moll, Laphia, who stayed well out of the way during the fight. And Steve's secretary shows why by ripping down her elaborate hairstyle: the black pearl was hidden in it. After handing the three pirates over to Flanagan, Steve's given the black pearl as a keepsake for solving the case. He promises to have it put in a pendant for Sally, who secretly wishes he'd put it on a ring.
Appearing in Steve Wood: "The Black Pearl"
Featured Characters:
- Steve Wood, Waterfront Detective
Supporting Characters:
- Sally, secretary
- Inspector Flanagan
Antagonists:
- Captain Carty
- Laphia
- Botchy
Other Characters:
- Slades (Dies)
Synopsis for Quicksilver: "Biggsby's Magnetic Ray"
Appearing in Quicksilver: "Biggsby's Magnetic Ray"
Featured Characters
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Adrian Biggsby
- Gratt
Other Characters:
- Businessmen's Association president
- People's Bank and Trust Company assistant manager
- Police commissioner
- Randall
- Sam Snider
Locations:
- New York City
- Biggsby Light and Power Company
- People's Bank and Trust Company
- Police Headquarters
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Sally O'Neil Policewoman: "The Murder of Wiliza Farlon"
Appearing in Sally O'Neil Policewoman: "The Murder of Wiliza Farlon"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
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Vehicles:
Notes
- Last issue for now of Al McWilliams art on Steve Wood, until National Comics #75. Next issue, Alice Kirkpatrick takes over.
See Also
Links and References
