National Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1949.
Synopsis for The Barker: "The Barker Breaks the Bank at Donte Marlo"
The circus arrives in the foreign country of Donte Marlo, where everyone has a gambling addiction and lots of people have lost everything at the prince's high-stakes casino. After attending the show, the prince invites the circus performers to the casino themselves. Colonel Lane gets caught up in gambling fever at the roulette table, until he's gambled away all his money and the circus itself. He can't understand what happened, as the prince lost bets too, until Carnie points out the prince owns the casino, so any money he lost went right back to him. The performers sneak into the casino that night and investigate, finding out the casino games are rigged, as they suspected.
Coming up with a plan, Carnie approaches the prince asking for a chance to win back the circus with the performers' own money. With Spudo the spider-man casually leaning on the table, but secretly holding back the roulette table's lever with one of his extra hands, Carnie breaks the bank. After reclaiming the circus's money, he hands over the rest to the peasants of Donte Marlo, who overthrow the prince and establish a democracy. As the circus moves on they see the prince is cleaning up again, but literally this time, with his new job as a sanitation worker.
Appearing in The Barker: "The Barker Breaks the Bank at Donte Marlo"
Featured Characters:
- The Barker (Final appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Colonel Lane (Final appearance)
- Lena (Final appearance)
- Major Midge (Final appearance)
- Spuda the Spider-Man (Final appearance)
- Tiny Tim (Final appearance)
Antagonists:
- Prince of Donte Marlo
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Sally O'Neil Policewoman: "Riddle in Rhyme"
Appearing in Sally O'Neil Policewoman: "Riddle in Rhyme"
Featured Characters:
- Sally O'Neil (Final appearance)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Lassie: "Adopting Dogs"
Appearing in Lassie: "Adopting Dogs"
Featured Characters:
- Lassie
Supporting Characters:
- Roberta
Synopsis for Steve Wood: "Professor Oxton"
After wrapping up a case in Cuba, Steve catches a ship home and makes a bad first impression with an explorer-type he finds out from the steward is called Professor Oxton. At the captain's ball on the last night before pulling into port, the passengers find out Professor Oxton's ransacked their cabins and stolen most of their valuables, and holds them at gunpoint demanding the rest. After Oxton slips away, the captain has his crew search the entire ship, but find nothing.
Steve starts a search of his own and finds nothing but bricks in Oxton's luggage. He also grabs copies of the fingerprints off the ship's steward and finds them everywhere in Oxton's cabin. Steve goes to check the steward's cabin and finds a disguise that'd make him look exactly like Professor Oxton. Which explains why the crew didn't find him, because they didn't realize they were really looking for one of their own. Once they get into port, Inspector Flanagan and Sally are on hand to meet Steve, but storm off when they find out he solved a case on his own, and gets a kiss from a grateful female passenger, respectively.
Appearing in Steve Wood: "Professor Oxton"
Featured Characters:
- Steve Wood, Waterfront Detective (Final appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Sally, secretary (Final appearance)
- Inspector Flanagan (Final appearance)
Antagonists:
- Professor Oxton (wears a pith helmet and a monocle)
Other Characters:
- Liner crew
- Liner passengers
- Gloria
- Liner captain
Locations:
Vehicles:
- Luxury Liner, from Havana to NYC
Synopsis for Honeybun: "Miggs' Mother's Suitor"
Appearing in Honeybun: "Miggs' Mother's Suitor"
Featured Characters:
- Honeybun
Supporting Characters:
- Miggs
- Miggs' Mother
Other Characters:
- Miggs' Mother's Suitor
Notes
- Final issue.
- Honeybun next appears in The Spirit #19, Jan 1950, published by Quality Comics, under license from Will Eisner. DC Comics does not own the rights to this feature.
Trivia
- Steve Wood smokes cigarettes. Flanagan smokes cigars.
See Also