Wow Comics #1 is an issue of the series Wow Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1940.
Synopsis for Mister Scarlet: "The Coming of Mr. Scarlet"
When Councilman Donelli's murdered, special prosecutor Brian Butler assumes his Mister Scarlet guise to finish Donelli's task of uncovering the identities of the evil men leading a powerful crime combine. After a daring raid on their secret headquarters, evidence confirming the criminals' illicit dealings lands in Butler's possession which he presents to men of great influence, a few of whom he unmasks as the masterminds behind the syndicate.
Appearing in Mister Scarlet: "The Coming of Mr. Scarlet"
Featured Characters:
- Mister Scarlet (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Miss Cherry Wade (Butler's secretary) (First appearance)
Villains:
- Brownie Connors
- Rocco Zarra
- Jonas Ludwell
- Big Mike Shannon
- Mickey Nolan
- Warren Crane
Other Characters:
- Councilman Donelli (dead)
- Officer O'Mahoney
Locations:
- Gotham City, on Earth-S
Synopsis for Atom Blake: "Enter: Atom Blake"
Appearing in Atom Blake: "Enter: Atom Blake"
Featured Characters:
- Atom Blake, Boy Wizard (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Homer "Dusty" Davis (Atom's friend) (First appearance)
- Professor Joe Page (Atom's legal guardian) (First appearance)
- Nora Page (Atom's legal guardian) (First appearance)
Villains:
- Andy Grimm (school bully) (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Principal Merrick (Single appearance)
- Stuart Blake
- Atom's mother (Mentioned only)
- Janey Smart (classmate) (First appearance)
Locations:
- Collegeville
- Lincoln High School
- Pages' house
Items:
- Atom's Sunergy Ring (First appearance)
Synopsis for Atom Blake: "The Mad Scientist"
Appearing in Atom Blake: "The Mad Scientist"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Homer "Dusty" Davis
- Joe and Nora Page
Villains:
- Andy Grimm (Final appearance)
- Godfrey Calkins (Single appearance)
- henchmen: Arty and Pig (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Janey Smart (Final appearance)
Locations:
- Collegetown
- Lincoln High School
- Pages' house
- Oakdale, Delaware
- Douglas High School
- Calkins' lonely hilltop mansion
- Delaware Water Gap
- Old Stone Bridge
Items:
- Atom's Sunergy Ring
Vehicles:
- "Silver Bullet" streamlined train (crashed)
- Calkins' Stratoglobe Spacecraft (captured)
Synopsis for Jim Dolan: "The Rocks Bossi Case"
Appearing in Jim Dolan: "The Rocks Bossi Case"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Sally Alden
Villains:
- Rocks Bossi
- his gang
Locations:
- New York City
- waterfront warehouse (Destroyed)
- Daring Detective Magazine offices, on Main Street
Synopsis for Diamond Jack: "Terror Valley"
Appearing in Diamond Jack: "Terror Valley"
Featured Characters:
- Diamond Jack (Final appearance)
Villains:
- Kruger (Single appearance; dies)
- Vulture-Men (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Ruth West (Single appearance)
- Dr. West (Ruth's brother) (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Western United States
- Terror Valley
- power plant
- sanitarium
- Terror Valley
Items:
- Diamond Jack's magic ring (Final appearance)
Vehicles:
- Jack's big touring sedan
Synopsis for Rick O'Shay: "The Rescue of Major Cambon"
American soldier of fortune Rick O'Shay, with his Arab servant Mekki, is serving with the Franconian Army, in Central Africa, against the fanatical sheiks of the desert. The unit's commander is abducted from his own quarters in the fort. Rick and Mekki track the kidnappers on horseback, but they get captured also. Their captors place them in a cell, with the missing Major Cambon, and set up the room for some deadly fumes to fill it, then leave. While unsupervised, Rick frees himself and the others, and they almost escape, before a squad of Arab riflemen run into the room. Against seemingly overwhelming odds, the three fight their way out of the enemy stronghold and escape on horseback.
Appearing in Rick O'Shay: "The Rescue of Major Cambon"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Mekki (Final appearance)
Villains:
- Abdul Fassar (Single appearance)
- his army of fanatics
Other Characters:
- Major Cambon (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Central Africa, 1940
Synopsis for Shipwreck Roberts: "The Submarine Detector"
Appearing in Shipwreck Roberts: "The Submarine Detector"
Featured Characters:
- Shipwreck Roberts (Final appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Deep Sea Doodle (Final appearance)
Villains:
- H.D. Thomas, President, Floating Dock Co. (Single appearance)
- Mr. Patten, Construction Foreman (Single appearance)
- Poncho, henchman (Single appearance)
- Juan, radioman (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Senator Pierce
- Captain Andrews (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Floating U.S. Naval ASW Base, 400 miles at sea
Items:
- Sub Detector (range = 500 miles)
Vehicles:
- Roberts' red submarine (Destroyed)
- Foreign Submarine (Destroyed)
- Trans-oceanic Clipper Airliner
Synopsis for White Rajah: "The Lost Treasure of Ruma"
Appearing in White Rajah: "The Lost Treasure of Ruma"
Featured Characters:
- The White Rajah, of Ramistan (Final appearance)
Animals:
- Sin-Gee the elephant
Villains:
- Prince Ishmar, of Ruma (Dies)
- Kamran, his aide
- Asaf, his spy
- Zimbo Chief
- Zimbo spearmen
- Zimbo medicine man
Other Characters:
- Mildred Jenkins (Single appearance)
- Jack Jenkins (Single appearance)
- Wallang Chief
- Wallang spearmen
Locations:
- India
- Ramistan Province
- Ruma Province
- Zimbo tribe village, in Secret Valley
- Wallang tribe village
Synopsis for Lucky Lawton: "The Capture of El Diablo"
Appearing in Lucky Lawton: "The Capture of El Diablo"
Featured Characters:
- Lucky Lawton (Final appearance)
Animalss:
- Pal, Lawton's Collie (Final appearance)
Villains:
- El Diablo (Single appearance)
- El Diablo's raiders (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Rosita (Single appearance)
- Mexican Federales
Locations:
- American Old West
- Texas
- Rim Rock
- Texas
- Old Mexico
- Laredo Mountains
- Shady Pass
- Laredo Mountains
Notes
- Atom Blake:
- Atom Blake's ring is made of All-Elements Metal, constantly generating "Sunergy", developed by Stuart Blake.
- Atom can run 100 yards in 3.4 seconds, high-jump 15 feet, and crush a small rock in his bare hand.
- The Diamond Jack feature previously appeared in Slam-Bang Comics #1-7. This issue marks its final appearance.
- Caption notes that Jack has returned to the U.S. from his prior adventure among the tombs of Egypt.
- Premise: "Diamond Jack, in possession of a ring, given him by an old magician, becomes mentally and physically strong beyond mortal limits." The ring also can transmogrify a rampaging Vulture-man into a saguaro cactus, or a rabbit. It also can cast mirages, flash blinding light, or conjure a flaming sword out of mid-air.
- "ADKHEL!" might be a magic word; Jack says it as he is using the ring to explosively destroy a dam.
- Diamond Jack deliberately kills all of the Vulture-men, and Kruger their creator.
- The Jim Dolan feature previously appeared in Slam-Bang Comics #1-7 and Nickel Comics #8.
- The Lucky Lawton feature previously appeared in Slam-Bang Comics #1-7. This issue marks its final appearance.
- In the Mister Scarlet feature, Miss Wade's first name is "Cherry." For almost three years, after this issue, she's never called anything but "Miss Wade", until Wow Comics #16, Aug 1943, when her name changes, without explanation, to "Donna Wade".
- Brian Butler's love for Miss Wade is declared, and she also learns his secret identity.
- In his first adventure, Mister Scarlet packs two full-size .45-cal hand guns, in military-style holsters, and makes nonlethal use of them in the story. After this issue, he packs only one gun, in a much smaller holster, and seldom if ever makes use of it.
- Page 7, panel 7, Mr. Scarlet operates in Gotham City.
- The Rick O'Shay feature previously appeared in Master Comics #1-6.
- Mekki makes his last appearance in this story.
- The Franconian Army in Central Africa looks exactly like the French Foreign Legion in North Africa.
- At the end of this story, Rick promises Cambon that he and Mekki are going to revisit Fassar's base, and maybe they do, but that's not what happens in next issue's story, which is set in Egypt, at the Suez Canal.
- The Shipwreck Roberts feature previously appeared in Master Comics #1-7. This issue marks its final appearance.
- The White Rajah feature previously appeared in Master Comics #1-6 and Nickel Comics #8. This issue marks its final appearance.
- The villain, Prince Ishmar, gets boiled alive by cannibals.
- Also appearing in this issue of Wow Comics were:
- "Puzzlettes"
- "Who 'Da Thought It?"
- "Our Strange Planet"
See Also