Don't look so shirty, my man! I'm only paralyzing him, to teach him manners, what! 
- — Sir Blatherskite Surry
Police Comics #41 is an issue of the series Police Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1945.
Synopsis for Plastic Man: "The Shoplifting Spree"
Grabbett, co-owner of the Grabbett and Runn department store, pleads with the chief of the FBI for help: rampant shoplifting is driving him to ruin. The chief's reluctant, since such minor crimes are outside their bureau's purview, but agrees to let Plastic Man look into it when he mention it seems to be the work of Louie the Lift, who the FBI's looking for. Plastic Man drags a very reluctant Woozy along, deducing that Woozy's afraid of running into someone he used to know as a crook and the humiliation of it getting around that he's gone straight.
After many chases, Plas catches Louie's gang, but also a masked man who was the real mastermind: Runn, the store's co-owner. He was having Louie's underlings rob the stock so he could buy the store for cheap and become sole owner, while the items were actually hidden in the basement so he wouldn't lose any merchandise.
Appearing in Plastic Man: "The Shoplifting Spree"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mask
- Snatch (Dies)
- Louie the Lift
- Fingers (Dies)
Other Characters:
- I. Grabbett
Locations:
- Mammoth City
- FBI headquarters
- A department store
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Flatfoot Burns: "Rollo the Hypnotist"
Appearing in Flatfoot Burns: "Rollo the Hypnotist"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Rollo the Hypnotist
Synopsis for Human Bomb: "Sir Blatherskite's Paralyzer"
England's greatest scientist, Sir Blatherskite Surry, arrives in town, and demonstrates an amazing paralyzing ray on Hustace when the little sidekick dares to say he doesn't look much like a distinguished scientist. Unfortunately this is overseen by a gangster named Trevarr, who thinks the incredible ray would be useful in his criminal pursuits. He steals it while Roy and Blatherskite are discussing an even more terrible weapon, and paralyzes them next. By then Hustace's dose has worn off, and he awakens Roy with a touch of his charged toes. Roy becomes the Human Bomb, the heroes pursuing Trevarr. The crook tries to take care of Bomb by turning the paralyzer up to full power, but is vaporized by a failsafe meant to keep the ray out of the wrong hands. Bomb destroys the paralyzer to keep such a dangerous power from causing any more harm.
Appearing in Human Bomb: "Sir Blatherskite's Paralyzer"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Trevarr (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Sir Blatherskite
Items:
- Paralysis Ray
Synopsis for Candy: "Eureka Gold Mining Stock"
Appearing in Candy: "Eureka Gold Mining Stock"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Synopsis for Manhunter: "Port of Missing Goods"
Officer Richards is chloroformed so him hanging around outside a wharfside warehouse doesn't throw off the timetable of some thieves planning to rob it. He was actually holding his breath and switches to his Manhunter togs as soon as his assailant turns his back. He captures the men in the warehouse, but is attacked from behind when the loading crew they hired shows up. The crooks plan to move their loot from one boat to another out in the harbor to eliminate any trail. However, Manhunter switches the bulbs on the boat's running lights, which tips off a police launch to something strange, and soon the crooks are under arrest.
Appearing in Manhunter: "Port of Missing Goods"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for The Spirit: "The Jewel of Death"
The Spirit arrives in Damascus, looking for Fred Gregg, a doctor living in exile. He's the only one who knows how to cure a virulent disease that's killing hundreds now, but he refuses the Spirit's offer to come back to America and heal the afflicted. Mainly because he's just married the beautiful dancer Shellah, who angrily warns the Spirit to stay away from her husband. The hero realizes she wears the jewel of death on her forehead, and she's the subject of a prophecy he'd heard in the bazaar about a woman whose husbands always die after a day. Shellah herself gets worried, as this same prophecy mentions a man with a masked face will be her own downfall. She tries to fight fate by having a pair of brawny minions jump the Spirit, with all three tumbling out a window.
Meanwhile, Dr. Gregg has several brushes with death before a brick wall falls on him. The Spirit tries to rescue him, but Gregg's already mortally wounded. He managed to find his conscience and tells the Spirit the formula for the cure he came to find. While Shellah tries to flee the city, a jewel smuggler who'd tailed the Spirit murders her for the Jewel of Death. Just before there's an earthquake that swallows him up, as if at the whim of some vengeful supernatural force. The Spirit departs unaware, having accomplished his mission.
Appearing in The Spirit: "The Jewel of Death"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Dr. Fred Gregg (Dies)
Antagonists:
- Shellah (Dies)
- Jewel smuggler (Dies)
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Will Eisner's The Spirit
- Damascus, Syria
Items:
- Jewel of Death
Vehicles:
Notes
- "The Shoplifting Spree" is reprinted in Plastic Man Archives Vol. 4.
- "The Jewel of Death" is reprinted from The Spirit newspaper supplement of 7/20/1941
See Also
Links and References
