Star-Spangled Comics #34 is an issue of the series Star-Spangled Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1944.
Synopsis for Newsboy Legion: "From Rags to Ruin"
Gabby gets his hands on a book with advice on making "Big Money" which he uses as inspiration to find a job that pays out 50,000 dollars a year. He's out of luck with the usual businesses, until he meets Mr. Mitt, who makes him CEO of the "Accident Insurance Company".
Meanwhile, back in Suicide Slum, Gabby's friends, the Newsboy Legion, find a trio of thuggish "insurance agents" beating on a helpless citizen. With the timely assistance of the Guardian, the boys start scrapping until the dirty dealers can take no more. The Guardian and the boys take the insurance crooks back to the crooked agency that sent them, only to be surprised to see Gabby sitting behind the desk! When he hears what the three roughed up agents did, Gabby fires them on the spot. He tells the Guardian that he wants to keep his insurance business "on de level". Mr. Mitt stands behind him, assuring the Newsboys and the Guardian that Gabby has been made president of the company to make sure it remains legitimate. The Newsboys seem satisfied, but the Guardian isn't so sure.
Over the next few days, Gabby advises people who see him to invest their money into his company, and they oblige. Mr. Mitt asks him if he knew of any more young blood they could bring into the firm. Of course, Gabby knows the perfect youths, and Tommy, Big Words, and Scrapper are all hired on as well. In his civilian guise as officer Jim Harper, the Guardian's been doing some investigating. The Accident Insurance company hasn't been paying out any of the money to its clients even though they filed a claim. Jim returns to the company as the Guardian and tells a disappointed Gabby that he was being used as a patsy for crooks. One of the goons overhears them talking and rushes to get the boss, Mitt. Soon, the Guardian, Gabby, and his friends have another fight on their hands. Gabby's anger at being made to help criminals fuels his fists as he pounds on one of the goons before heading to the phone to call the police.
The Insurance scammers are rounded up into the police van, and the boys each receive a reward of five thousand dollars for the capture.
Appearing in Newsboy Legion: "From Rags to Ruin"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Manny Mitt (Single appearance)
- Hippy (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mr. Giltrocks (Single appearance)
- Mrs. Mary Smith (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for Star-Spangled Kid: "A Greek Tragedy"
Baldy Burke enters the office of Putney Pressure, both of them involved in a criminal plot to rob a series of bank, loan offices, and jeweler. Putney wrote out a schedule which he is about to hand over when a gust blows the paper out of his hands and out the window! Out on the city street walks Anaximander Bacigalupos, a Greek foreigner, who picks up the list excitedly, thinking the "Jobs" were actual employment opportunities rather than marks for robbery. Baldy and his henchmen confront the confused immigrant who shows that he has some fight in him. It's by sheer coincidence that Pat Dugan, in his Stripesy getup, spots the thugs attacking Anaximander and steps in to help out. Together, they fight Baldy and his goons off. Anaximander shows Dugan the list they were after, both thinking it's just a list of employment jobs. Pat gives him the list back along with directions to the first location before they part ways.
Later that day, while riding in their car, Pat's telling Sylvester all about the encounter. Sylvester knows that the word Job is used by the underworld to mean "stick-up", meaning the paper could be a list of crimes. An announcer on the radio confirms his hunch; a robbery was taking place at Acme Jewelers, the first name on the list! Sly and Pat switch into their Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy garb, push a button to turn the car into the Star Rocket Racer, and speed up towards the Jewelry store. They arrive too late, the store's already been robbed, and Anaximander is lying in a daze out front with a black eye. He tried to fight them off, but they beat him up, took the list back, and all Anaximander remembers is their next location was a place that would "Lend money with smiling." Sylvester tries to think where that could be; Service with a smile? Cheerful Lending? Or-- Cheerful Loan! That had to be it, the Cheerful Loan Company!
The Rocket Racer gets them there seemingly before Baldy and his crew. It looks empty when they enter, but this was apparently part of an ambush by the gang who pop out of hiding! the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy take hits to the head, knocking them out cold! Meanwhile, while visiting the pharmacy for some soothing cream for his eye, Anaximander reads a sign mentioning the Cheerful Loan Company and recognizes it as the place mentioned on the list. He heads over to help, though it takes him awhile to find his way there. The Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy are already tied up in the back room. He quickly sneaks over to help them while the gang is busy holding up the store. They don't see Anaximander make a run for the exit, because the fighting Kid and Stripesy grab their attention. Anaximander was waiting outside for Baldy to try to escape, so he can hit him with a solid punch on the noggin!
The disgruntled criminal confesses that the jobs came from Putney Pressure, an underworld crime boss operating out of an office in the city. The Kid and Stripesy pay him a visit, giving a hard uppercut to the man's jaw! No more schedules for this kingpin, except for the strict one all the crooks in prison must adhere to.
Appearing in Star-Spangled Kid: "A Greek Tragedy"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Anaximander Bacigalupos (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- Putney Pressure (Single appearance)
- Baldy Burke (Single appearance)
Locations:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Penniless Palmer: "The Haunted Hunter"
Famed fearless hunter, Tiger Trappar, has lost his nerve! The mounted animal heads in his home have been flying and snarling at him, making him afraid of even the smallest feline. Pen Palmer and his friends take on the case for a big reward. They found that it was Trappar's taxidermist, Stuffy Stern, who had installed moving parts and recorded growls to place in the heads, to scare the once-great hunter away so he could steal his entire collection! Once Stuffy and his goons are dealt with, Trappar hands each of the detective trio a reward; stuffed animals to place in their homes!
Appearing in Penniless Palmer: "The Haunted Hunter"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Stuffy Stern (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Tiger Trappar (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Taxidermized Animals
Synopsis for Robotman: "The Man Who Collected Crimes"
When the Pincher Bank gets robbed, Paul Dennis helps investigate the method the crooks used. From the burned edges of the vault door, Paul figures out a new kind of acetylene torch was used; one with a lot of power to burn through thick steel. When he informs Mr. Pincher of this, Pincher invites him back to his house tonight.
Pincher tells Paul to work for him, and he's not asking. Pincher's home is well-guarded, so no one leaves without permission. He's collecting scientists to work in his laboratory, to design powerful inventions for him, and Paul Dennis will be his latest addition.
Just then, a slight electrical current travels through the floor, that only Paul, with his steel robot body, can detect. Pincher continues to gloat, completely unaware to the electrical signal pulsing in morse code. Decoded, it was an S.O.S... someone was trapped in a hidden room beneath the house! Paul manages to trick Pincher by pretending to comply, letting him lead the way to his new prison. Suddenly, Paul pushes Pincher through a door and closes it, then smashes a window to make it look as though he escaped outside. With the guards and Pincher searching the grounds, Paul could now switch to Robotman and sneak downstairs to find whoever is sending the electric signals.
In a dank basement room, Professor Santey continues using his makeshift wireless communication device to send a message. Two tough-guy guards come in and start beating him for his trouble, but luckily Robotman finds them and steps in to fight off the thugs. He puts them in a corner while he talks to their victim. Professor Santey was kidnapped by Pincher months ago and is being forced to make weapons and other tools to help Pincher commit crimes. Recently, for instance, he invented a new kind off acetylene torch that was powerful enough to burn through anything. That's what Pincher used to rob his own bank! Unnoticed by Robotman, the two thugs press a hidden button to alert Pincher. A moment later, Pincher appears in the doorway with the new torch, and fires it at Robotman, severing the hero's leg! He leaves Robotman with the warning to either join with him or be destroyed like so much scrap metal. A severed leg is no problem for a robot body. Using a welding iron, Robotman fixes himself. Several acetylene torches poke out from the ceiling with Pincher's voice saying time was up! Robotman bends one of the torches to aim for the steel door, burning through it and giving him and the professor a way out. Santey knows where Pincher's control room is and takes the lead; when they find the banker with his two henchmen, Robotman immediately knocks them all out while Professor Santey contacts the police. Pincher is soon arrested and taken away to jail.
Appearing in Robotman: "The Man Who Collected Crimes"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Professor Santey (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- Mr. Pincher (Single appearance)
- Mike (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Acetylene Torches
Synopsis for Super-Sleuth McFooey: "Father Neptune"
McFooey is sent out to sea to find out what happened to the sunken S.S. Caraway Seed and its cargo of gold. Aboard the boat of Cap'n Glum, he is sent down in a diving suit to investigate the wreck and finds a Nazi plot happening within to steal the wealth for their Fuehrer. Using a torch to cut a hole in the ship's hull, he pulls the Nazis out one by one and send them up to be netted by Cap'n Glum and his crew.
Appearing in Super-Sleuth McFooey: "Father Neptune"
Featured Characters:
- Super-Sleuth McFooey
Supporting Characters:
- The District Attorney
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Cap'n Glum (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Diving Suit
Vehicles:
- The S.S. Caraway Seed
Synopsis for Liberty Belle: "The Colonel and the Clown"
Appearing in Liberty Belle: "The Colonel and the Clown"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Slick Fadden impersonator (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Colonel Williams (Single appearance)
- Slick Fadden (Single appearance)
- Droopy Dugan (Single appearance)
- Carol Crane (Single appearance)
- Ugly Jones (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Camp Bixby Army Base
Vehicles:
- Tank
Notes
- Other features appearing in this issue include:
- "Handy Andy", a one-page humor strip by Jack Farr.
- "Molly", a one-page humor strip by Ray Houlihan.
- "Jungle Battle", a two-page text story by Bill Ware.
See Also