Police Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1943.
Synopsis for Plastic Man: "The Rare Edition Murders"
Woozy decides to buy a book to help him stay in at night and control his impulses. However the proprietor of the establishment proves to have been knifed in the back. Woozy calls Plastic Man to report the murder, but before the partners can meet up, Woozy's shoved into the back of a car by a pair of rough types looking for something. Arriving at the book store, Plastic Man sees a regular man emerge surreptitiously from a secret passage and seize a package, but when he tries to find out what the man's after, the lights go out and he's been knifed too.
At the hideout of Woozy's kidnappers, they mention they think he's someone named Simpkins, there to sell a valuable book. The real Simpkins shows up to make the agreed upon exchange, but Woozy takes advantage of the distraction to purloin the book and make his getaway. He runs into Plastic Man, who catches Woozy's pursuers, but then the heroes find themselves held at gunpoint by the sinister masked Number Seven. Someone who was disfigured in WWI, and unable to show his face in public, his only joy is in collecting rare books, like the one the others were sent to collect for him. However he's so distraught when he realizes all this has been, not for a copy of "The Life of Thomas Quince" but "Quinn", Seven is so distraught he loses the will to fight. Ultimately it turns out Woozy had the book Seven was after the whole time, disguised as a low-grade mystery novel that'd appeal to his salt-of-the-earth sensibilities.
Appearing in Plastic Man: "The Rare Edition Murders"
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Antagonists:
- Sykes Mob
- Mike
- Sam
- Louie
- Number Seven
Other Characters:
- Lester G. Simpkins (Dies)
Locations:
Items:
- The Case of the Blue-Eyed Mackerel
- The Life of Thomas Quinn
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Synopsis for Flatfoot Burns: "The Victory Garden"
Appearing in Flatfoot Burns: "The Victory Garden"
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Synopsis for Destiny: "The Darson Twins"
The old Darson twins have reputations as misers, with kids jeering and throwing rocks as one returns to their mansion. A pair of crooks have verified the Darsons don't have money kept in any bank in town, and presume their fabulous wealth must be hidden in the mansion itself. They try to torture the location out of the brothers, prompting Destiny to appear and come to the rescue. In the excitement one of the brothers keels over dead, but an autopsy reveals he died of starvation. The surviving brother explains they have no money anymore, and didn't ask for charity out of pride.
Appearing in Destiny: "The Darson Twins"
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Synopsis for The Spirit: "Dr. Prince Von Kalm"
Slavian expat Dr. Von Kalm is confronted by members of his home dictatorship's secret police. He doesn't fear them, as they can't hurt him in America. They reply, however, that his daughter who's due on the next ship is not so safe. Von Kalm is about to surrender himself as per their demands to secure his daughter's freedom, but the Spirit refuses to let him be cowed by tyranny. By forcibly shaving Von Kalm's beard and making him up to look like the Spirit himself (who, the genuine article points out, is not on the best terms of the police to make sure he stays put), the Spirit makes himself up to look like Von Kalm and infiltrate the dictatorship to rescue his daughter. Not only does he manage to make a daring rescue of the scientist's daughter, they capture the prized World Domination Document while making their escape.
Appearing in The Spirit: "Dr. Prince Von Kalm"
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Supporting Characters:
- Dr. Prince von Kalm
Antagonists:
- Axtrol
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Synopsis for Human Bomb: "The Lock-Solving Liquid"
Roy Lincoln develops a chemical that can open any lock. Hustace borrows some that he uses to escape from handcuffs and a locked trunk at a party that night. A pair of crooks are in attendance and kidnap Hustace. He sends Roy a letter saying he's being held hostage for the secret of the lock-opening formula, but he uses some chemical analysis to determine which publishing house in the area the crooks are using for a hideout. He heads there as the Human Bomb, escapes from an attempt to bury him in cement, but is trapped when the crooks lasso his wrists so he's trapped too far to touch anything. The villains are done in when they try to torture the secret of the formula out of Hustace by tickling his feet, just setting off his own explosive powers that blow them back out the door. Bomb vows to destroy the formula, seeing how far unscrupulous people were willing to go to get it.
Appearing in Human Bomb: "The Lock-Solving Liquid"
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Antagonists:
- Mixie
- Vulcan
Other Characters:
- A cop
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Items:
- Lockpicking liquid
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Synopsis for Manhunter: "Manhunter Unfair to Organized Crime"
Manhunter captures some of Rocks Hannigan's muscle, and after some pondering, Rocks decides to call a convention of crime bosses who've also been harangued by Manhunter's operations. By pooling all their wits, they're sure to come up with a master plan to get rid of the hero that can't possibly lose!
Rocks lets word get around that he's holed up in Beach City, and in costume Manhunter and Thor head out to see what he and the other notorious crooks in town are up to. They try to set a trap for Manhunter with their sensory talents, but Manhunter soon gets the best of them and has the entire convention of cons arrested.
Appearing in Manhunter: "Manhunter Unfair to Organized Crime"
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Antagonists:
- Spike
- Rocks Hannigan
- "Eagle Eyes" Connor
- "Ears" McSorley
- "Bone Crusher" Wilson
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Locations:
Notes
- The Rare Edition Murders is reprinted in Plastic Man Archives Vol. 2.
- Manhunter remains unmasked throughout the issue.
- Also featured in this issue of Police Comics were:
- Dewey Drip by Bernard Dibble
- Burp the Twerp: "Joining the Scouts" by Ralph Johns
- Dick Mace: "Cut Him Off" (text story) by Robert M. Hyatt
- Dewey Drip by John Devlin
See Also