Star-Spangled Comics #9 is an issue of the series Star-Spangled Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 1942.
Synopsis for Newsboy Legion: "The Rookie Takes the Rap"
Officer Jim Harper has finally gathered enough evidence to raid the parlor hideout of "Sure Thing" Kelly. The gang is rounded up and Kelly put into a patrol wagon, but he vows revenge on Harper. When Kelly makes bail, he has a pickpocket plant a bribe on Harper to make it look like he's taking money from criminals. The inspector takes Jim's gun and badge pending trial. But the newsboys don't believe that good cop Jim would take any bribe, so he must've been set up! What's more, if Harper goes to jail they'll be released from his custody and sent to reform school. The boys gather information at Kelly's parlor by pretending to sell papers. Sure Thing was in hiding until the trial, but they overhear one of the guys talking about Dippy, a known pickpocket, so now he's their next lead.
Dippy is led to a small cave near a construction site that the boys would use as a hideout. He talks, after a bit of pounding, about the check he slipped into Jim Harper's pocket by order of "Sure Thing" Kelly. Tommy and Scrapper tie him up, but he slips out after the newsboys leave. He heads to Kelly's hideout in an old tenement building, but the boss isn't happy to hear he snitched, and shoots him in the chest. Kelly sends his gang out to catch the nosey kids before they tell Harper what they found out.
Big Words suggests they split up to find Jim. Instead of Jim, the boys find trouble as they are taken one by one to see Kelly, tied up and helpless, all except for Scrapper, who struggles against his bonds until he slips free. But the small Scrapper is no match for Kelly, who knocks him through the window and down to the street below! As for the others, the gang takes them back to the cave where they had Dippy. They are placed at the back of the cave. One of the men pulls down a pillar causing a cave in! The entrance is completely covered, Big Words, Tommy, and Gabby are trapped!
Scrapper is tougher than he looks and was not killed by the fall. He hurries to their cave to find it collapsed. His friends are gone, forever! He searches for help and finds the Guardian. Together, the two of them are able to move the rocks and get to the other newsboys, who are badly hurt, but not dead. The Guardian takes them to the city hospital. Then he goes to pay Sure Thing Kelly one last visit. He crashes through the skylight and beats the surprised gangsters back so he can have their boss to himself. A few well placed punches lays the gang leader out flat.
Later that day, newspapers are reporting Jim Harper cleared of charges. More importantly, doctors reported that the kids are going to survive and be fine after just a few days in the hospital.
Appearing in Newsboy Legion: "The Rookie Takes the Rap"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- "Sure Thing" Kelly (Single appearance)
- Dippy the pickpocket (Only appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Inspector James Bevins (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for Star-Spangled Kid: "Crime By The Chapter"
An author finishes his latest crime novel. Then he starts acting out the murders from his book on crime leaders, in an attempt to rule the underworld. The Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy protect some old foes from this "Chapter Killer," all the while making sure those same foes don't get the best of them. The Chapter Killer is eventually caught, after the Kid lures him out by rewriting the next chapter before it gets published.
Appearing in Star-Spangled Kid: "Crime By The Chapter"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Moonglow (Final appearance)
- Needle
- Doctor Weerd
- Pat Nesbit (Only appearance; dies)
- P.D. King (Single appearance)
Locations:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Tarantula: "Storm Over Souciyan"
On the small island of Souciyan, a warning of an incoming hurricane reaches the radio operator. But instead of raising the signal flag, he and the island's richest resident, Mr. Girby, plot to commit robbery on all the villagers who get blown away by the storm. Their possessions will be left behind for the taking. It would work out, if not for John Law's timely visit. He figures out the plan when he notices that nobody else is preparing for the hurricane. As the Tarantula, he manages to get the signal flag raised to warn the islanders, while webbing up the two conspirators to the flag pole to face the full brunt of the storm.
Appearing in Tarantula: "Storm Over Souciyan"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mr. Girby (Single appearance)
- Moller (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Gooma (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items
Synopsis for Penniless Palmer: "Case of the Warbling Worm"
Penniless walks Bunny home from a date at the hamburger joint, which she had to pay for, when they come across a man being attacked by thugs. Pen fights them off, saving the man, who introduces himself as Professor Dean. The professor had an invention he called "Winnie the Warbling Worm." A device that amplified the noises a tiny worm made, that he meant to broadcast on the air tonight. For whatever reason, there are some people that don't want that to happen. Professor Dean gets the idea to hire Penniless Palmer to protect him and Winnie the worm until their show airs. Pen is always in need of money, so he happily accepts.
Later, Bunny gets kidnapped while Pen and the Professor are at the broadcasting studio. If Warbling Winnie goes on the air, the kidnappers say they'll kill the girl! Pen tells the Professor to stay on schedule, while he and Oxie go after Bunny. Pen figures out they would most likely be in the nearest building to the First National Financial Offices. They find Bunny and her "hosts" there, as well as a freshly dug tunnel. After pounding some crook heads and rescuing the girl, Pen returns to the studio to tell Professor Dean the news. The crooks weren't after Winnie the worm, but the machine itself, because they were worried its amplifiers would catch the sound of their digging into the national archives next door and tip off police.
For his help, Penniless gets a reward check, which he uses to buy defense stamps and bonds to help the war effort.
Appearing in Penniless Palmer: "Case of the Warbling Worm"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Slats (Single appearance)
Other Characters
- Professor Dean (Single appearance)
- Winne the Warbling Worm (Single appearance)
Synopsis for TNT & Dan: "Mystery Of The Mother Goose Mob"
A criminal dressed as Mother Goose, and her three dwarfish cohorts, begin committing crimes based on verses in the nursery rhyme "One For the Money". TNT and Dan the Dyna-Mite face off against Mother Goose and her boys, tracking the gang's next move by using the clues in the rhyme. Mother Goose is eventually unmasked as George Ready, a millionaire who recently lost his fortune and was using crime to try and get it back.
Appearing in TNT & Dan: "Mystery Of The Mother Goose Mob"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Mother Goose Mob
- Mother Goose (George Ready) (Single appearance)
- Benny (Single appearance)
- Butch (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Charley (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for Robotman: "Case Of The Vanishing Millions"
A bunch of diamond jewelry disappear from the display cases at the shop, as a large furniture truck drives past. The same thing happens to stacks of gold bullions being transported by security guards. The gold and jewels find their way into the back of the truck, where a man wearing a magnet strapped to his body sat examining the haul.
The newspapers all have similar headlines talking about the bizarre thefts. Bob Crane, aka Robotman, investigates these crimes. He finds the furniture truck speeding down the road, but he's able to catch up to it by running. However, the man inside points his chest magnet at the robot and repels him away onto an incoming police car! The metal hero isn't beaten, he's still able to track the truck using his eye-lenses to follow the almost microscopic trail from the vehicle's tires.
The truck is parked out front of an old warehouse. The crooks are inside with over a million dollars of stolen loot from only a single day. Their boss the Magnet Man, notices the reflection of Robotman climbing up the gutter pipe. He and his boys open the window and heave, forcing the pipe loose as their pursuer falls to the ground. Undeterred, Robotman grabs the broken pipe and pole vaults up through the window. The gang scatters! But then, the Magnet Man turns and activates his magnet. The repelling waves are too much for him, Robotman collapses near a strange apparatus. That machine, Magnet Man explains, is something he'd been experimenting with, that helped him develop the portable device he now wears. While the villain gloats, he doesn't notice a metal hand flipping a switch on the machine. Robotman feels his body become magnetized, as the portable magnet becomes attracted towards him. It flies off the crook's body and into Robotman's hands. He switches the device and the apparatus off, then charges and tackles the former magnetic fiend.
Back at their lab in Bob Crane's house, his assistant Chuck wonders if Bob had enough crimefighting and was ready to get back to scientific research. Bob replies that he is... until the next case comes along.
Appearing in Robotman: "Case Of The Vanishing Millions"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Human Magnet (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items
- powerful portable magnet
Notes
- Published by Detective Comics, Inc.
- Robotman's chronologically prior appearance was in All-Star Squadron #6, and his chronologically next appearance is next issue, in Star-Spangled Comics #10.
- Star-Spangled Kid's chronologically prior appearance was in Leading Comics #2, and his chronologically next appearance is next issue, in Star-Spangled Comics #10.
- Tarantula: Jonathan Law gets head-konked unconscious, with a pistol butt.
See Also
