Wow Comics #8 is an issue of the series Wow Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1942.
Synopsis for Mr. Scarlet: "The Gangsters from the Grave"
The Croaker convinced the court system that he had resurrected three notorious dead gangsters, by using plastic surgery to replicate the faces, fingerprints, and death wounds, of Francis "Two-Gun" Crowley, Gerald "Killer" Chapman, and John Dillinger himself. Their murderous crime spree was overly prolonged by their legal status as dead men, but eventually they were pursued by Mister Scarlet and Pinky, with each meeting a fatal accident. Binks/Chapman was chased by Scarlet into a forest, caught his neck in a loop of vine, and strangled, replicating Chapman's original execution by hanging. Larch/Crowley was punched by Pinky off a subway platform onto a third rail, replicating Crowley's execution in the electric chair. And Crumm/Dillinger dropped his tommy gun, which bounced and spun and riddled him with bullets, replicating the original Dillinger's fate.
The Croaker was arrested, and was reported to have killed himself in his cell, by taking poison.
Appearing in Mr. Scarlet: "The Gangsters from the Grave"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- The Croaker (First appearance) (Apparent Death)
- Butch Binks, disguised as Gerald "Killer" Chapman (First appearance) (Dies)
- Monk Crumm, disguised as John Dillinger (First appearance) (Dies)
- Droopy Larch, disguised as Francis "Two-Gun" Crowley (First appearance) (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Gerald "Killer" Chapman (Appears only as a corpse)
- Francis "Two-Gun" Crowley (Appears only as a corpse)
- John Dillinger (Appears only as a corpse)
Locations:
- Gotham City, on Earth-S
Synopsis for Commando Yank: "Only Those Are Fit to Live Who Aren't Afraid to Die"
Yank meets with his contact, the beautiful Yvonne, who tells him about a mission to rescue POWs from a Nazi concentration camp. Where she's taken herself after a surprise raid by a contingent of Nazi soldiers. Leading a team of commandos, Yank attacks the camp and rescues the prisoners, including Yvonne, before the RAF bombs it off the map.
Appearing in Commando Yank: "Only Those Are Fit to Live Who Aren't Afraid to Die"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- his Commando Squad
Villains:
- German Troops (many die)
- Mueller
Other Characters:
- Yvonne
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Occupied France
- Belleaux
- English Channel
- England
- Dover
- Secret Commando Base
- Dover
- Occupied France
Vehicles:
- German Staff Car
Synopsis for Spooks: "Rudolph the Assassin"
Appearing in Spooks: "Rudolph the Assassin"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Bensonhurst, Heavenly Messenger Boy
Villains:
- The Squire (Dies)
- Rudolph (Dies)
- Coco
- Rudolph (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Robert Lykes (Dies)
- Arnold Lykes
- Rosalinde
Locations:
- Heaven
- Central Europe
- Slavonia
- City of Kimbark
- City of Kimbark
- Slavonia
Synopsis for Phantom Eagle: "Defeats the Flying Radios"
Appearing in Phantom Eagle: "Defeats the Flying Radios"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Sergeant Flogg
Villains:
- Luftwaffe
- Herr Gorman
- his troops (some die)
- Herr Gorman
Other Characters:
- U.S.Army Airmen (some die)
- Base Captain
- Ned Bates
Locations:
Vehicles:
- German radio-controlled robot fighter planes (Destroyed)
- Malone's home-made fighter plane
Synopsis for Mr. Scarlet: "Mr. Scarlet Hooks the Hook"
Brian Butler's eccentric old millionaire friend Enos Barclay decides to use his Last Will and Testament to teach his greedy quarreling relatives a valuable lesson in the value of cooperation, by leaving to each of them 1/5th of a torn-apart treasure map, leading to the hidden location of his assembled wealth. He leaves his yacht to his only true friend, Captain Jones, and Brian is the estate's executor; the money is hidden on Lonesome Island, on Lake Eerie. Still laughing over his own cleverness, Barclay chokes and dies.
The relatives scheme and connive against each other, and one of them is murdered early on, by a hook-handed, peg-legged, patch-eyed criminal calling himself the Hook. This happens while he is on the telephone to Brian Butler, for whom the crook has a taunting message. Changing to Mister Scarlet and accompanied by Pinky, Butler acts on a hunch and hurries to the mansion home of another relative, Broadway actress Yvonne Peters. They arrive just in time to interrupt the Hook's attempted murder of Miss Peters, but in the scuffle the Hook gets away.
The remaining relatives reluctantly attempt to cooperate, and combine their 4/5ths of the treasure map. They insist that trusted attorney Butler should accompany them to the island, and amid a windy storm, they go there in Captain Jones's inherited yacht. Uninvited Pinky Butler has also stowed away. Also aboard is the Hook, planning to terrorize the crew and imprison the passengers; he murders the yacht's First Mate en route to the island. Then he goes after Brian Butler, and gets ambushed and chased, but again the Hook gets away. After the First Mate's body is found, Butler has Captain Jones assemble the relatives in the yacht's lounge, and there for their benefit, he reviews the known facts. The three main suspects at this point are Jordan, Bullard, and Stone. While they are conversing, elsewhere on the yacht, Pinky encounters the Hook, who attempts and fails to murder him, then gets away.
Next morning they reach the island, and Brian and Pinky go inland to find the treasure trove. As soon as they are out of sight they change identities. The Hook ambushes them and there's another fight, which the Hook loses. His prosthetic hand and leg devices turn out to be props, and the Hook himself is Captain Jones, a double-jointed former sideshow freak. The "treasure" turns out to be only a mocking note from old Enos Barclay, who turns out to have been bankrupt, owning only his big house and his big yacht at the time of his death.
Appearing in Mr. Scarlet: "Mr. Scarlet Hooks the Hook"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
Other Characters:
- Enos Barclay (Dies)
- Captain Jones
- Yvonne Barclay Peters
- Sleek Jordan
- Bruce Bullard
- Chuck Crane (Dies)
- Simon Stone
- First Mate (Dies)
Locations:
- Gotham City, on Earth-S
- Lake Eerie
- Lonesome Island
Items:
- treasure map, in five pieces
Vehicles:
- steam-powered yacht
Notes
- Published bi-monthly.
- Commando Yank shoots five soldiers dead.
- Mister Scarlet:
- At the end of "The Gangsters From the Grave", the Croaker is reported to have died, by taking poison, in his cell. So he'll be back.
- At the end of "Mr. Scarlet Hooks the Hook", there is no possible way for the Hook to fail to figure out that Brian and Pinky are Mr. Scarlet and Pinky.
- Spooks's villain, the swinish Rudolph, wears a monocle.
- Also appearing in this issue of Wow Comics was:
- "If You Win You Lose" (text story)
See Also