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"Doctor 13: "I Talked with the Dead"": Dr. Thirteen is the Ghost-Breaker: a man dedicated to exposing supernatural hoaxes. This mission was given to him by his father and the two made a pact that five years after the latter's death, son Terrence would head to Do

Star-Spangled Comics #122 is an issue of the series Star-Spangled Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1951.

Synopsis for Doctor 13: "I Talked with the Dead"

Dr. Thirteen is the Ghost-Breaker: a man dedicated to exposing supernatural hoaxes. This mission was given to him by his father and the two made a pact that five years after the latter's death, son Terrence would head to Doomsbury Hall at midnight on New Year's Day to see if the veil between the living and the dead would drop and they could communicate. As he enters, his fiancee Marie pleads with him to reconsider but he insists on honoring their pact and enters the purportedly haunted mansion.

While he waits for the clock to strike midnight, he thinks back to the time that he broke into his father's study as a youth: he saw paintings of several of his ancestors being lynched and murdered due to superstition. His father made Terry to swear that he would never live a life ruled by superstition and always seek to know the truth. He gave him a set of instructions to try to contact him from beyond the grave once he dies. The day came three years later, when the elder Thirteen's car skidded off the road. Terry was considered an outcast and others considered him cursed by his family name but he insisted on exposing charlatans and proclaiming the truth.

In the present day, Terry recites the questions on the paper his father gave him upon the stroke of midnight and hears his father's voice respond. Skeptical, he checks the grandfather clock that has a record player with the answers pre-recorded. Marie reveals that she also had a pact with Terry's father. She planted the record to test his detective skills and commitment to the scientific method and he passed. The duo leave to dispel the "Curse of Thirteen".

Appearing in Doctor 13: "I Talked with the Dead"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Mr. Thirteen (First appearance) (Flashback only)
  • Marie Leeds (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
  • Nanny (First appearance) (Flashback only)

Other Characters:

  • Benjamin Franklin (Mentioned only)
  • Lord MacDowal (Mentioned only)
  • Daniel Thirteen (First appearance) (In a photograph only) (Cameo)
  • Rachel Thirteen (First appearance) (In a photograph only) (Cameo)
  • Raphael Thirteen (First appearance) (In a photograph only) (Cameo)

Locations:

  • Doomsbury Hall (First appearance)
  • Glowry Castle (First appearance) (Flashback only) (Cameo)


Synopsis for Robin: "The Bad Boy of Gotham City"

Robin takes an interest in juvenile delinquent Floyd Wood and asks the courts to remand him to the hero's custody temporarily to help him find an honest path in life. The two go camping in the woods as a method of reform, but Floyd is actually working for mobster Willy Blane to unmask Robin. The boy takes a photo of Robin's face while he sleeps and goes back to bed until a wildfire awakens them both. Robin saves the boy's life and he apologizes for the betrayal. Robin explains that he knew Floyd was working for Blane and had a second mask to cover up his true face. He accepts the boy's apology and encourages him to continue being honest and upright.

Appearing in Robin: "The Bad Boy of Gotham City"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Willy Blane (First appearance)

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Synopsis for Tomahawk: "The Clue of the Redman's Dog"


Appearing in Tomahawk: "The Clue of the Redman's Dog"

Tomahawk completes a mapping expedition for the United States government with his companion Dan Hunter and they bid farewell to their native guide Loping Bear who is immediately murdered by someone in his village. Tomahawk hears his death cry and runs back to find the dead body. He tells local arrow-maker Many Talons and Loping Bear's brother Taconic that he will investigate after dropping off his maps but that will take at least two days. Taconic insists that Tomahawk take Loping Bear's companion dog, lest the canine die of loneliness.

Tomahawk, Dan, and the dog intercept some military men and the dog goes berserk. Some white men try to kill him but Tomahawk urges them not to. The next day, as he drops off his maps to his major, the dog attacks again but Tomahawk realizes that it is only because the men he leapt toward had been handling meat. He becomes convinced that whomever killed Loping Bear also had the smell of meat on him and that is why the dog is attacking: to get revenge for his master's slaying.

Tomahawk takes Dan and the dog back to the village, where he announces that Taconic was the killer: he is in charge of the smokehouse and had the scent on him. Taconic almost kills Tomahawk but the dog leaps in at the last minute and Taconic and the dog fall over a cliff to their deaths. Many Talons is given some solace knowing that he will be reunited with his master after dying a hero's death.

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Taconic (First appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Loping Bear (First appearance) (Dies)
  • Dr. Breen (Mentioned only)
  • Osakee (First appearance)

Locations:

Notes

  • The interior cover is a one-page Superman story encouraging children the world over to learn about different cultures and sciences.
  • Bob Kane is credited for art on the Robin story.
  • Before the Tomahawk story, there is a half-page Honey in Hollywood strip from Henry Boltinoff where she informs a director that his house burned down. This is followed by a one-page text story from B. Baker about the history of college fashions "From a King to College Campus". The comic wraps up with a half-page Quick Quiz by H. T. Elmo that informs us bamboo is the quickest-growing tree, the United States has 2,200 gold mines, the tail of Halley's Comet is 37,000,000 miles long, and loons are intelligent birds with a crazy song, followed by another Boltinoff feature: Private Pete's mother visits him on base and he gets her the recipe for the local chef's chocolate cake made up of 500 eggs, 100 pounds of flour, and 75 pounds of chocolate.



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