As we’ve covered in the past, it was a relatively rare thing during the Golden Age of Comics for the heroes of two separate strips to meet one another. Despite the success of the Justice Society of America in ALL-STAR COMICS, no other company ever fielded a super hero team comprised of all of their top characters. One firm that was a bit more open to the notion of doing crossovers (as well as serialized stories) was Fawcett Publications. Their big bread-and-butter character was Captain Marvel, their own take on a Superman figure. But they also had a bevy of other secondary lights, including Spy Smasher, a feature that ran for years and which also got a movie serial made adapting it.
Spy Smasher was an overtly patriotic feature, even in the days before the United States had officially entered the war. And for the first fifteen issues of WHIZ COMICS, the lead character had contended with his arch-foe, The Mask, a master enemy spy whose identity was concealed behind a simple cloth mask. Speaking of secret identities, Spy Smasher’s own real name and face were concealed even from the readers throughout his first year. Though in Spy Smasher’s case, there was only one truly viable suspect within the series’ cast–and indeed, he proved to be the person behind Spy Smasher’s goggles, as was finally revealed in this story in WHIZ COMICS #15.
As opposed to most comic book features of the period, Spy Smasher had a relative heavy amount of issue-to-issue serial continuity to it. Last month, Spy Smasher’s recurring foe the Mask was seemingly killed by Grotto, a monstrous giant that the Mask has hypnotized in order to make him an agent of destruction. And this month, Grotto is on the move and the subject of Spy Smasher’s story, at least the opening few pages.
Like most super heroes of the period, Spy Smasher wouldn’t kill his enemies deliberately, but he had very little remorse when they came to met their end accidentally, as they often did.
So here, the Mask reveals that Spy Smasher is actually Alan Armstrong, the wealthy sportsman who is also the fiancĆ© of the strip’s leading lady, Eve Corby. But the Mask isn’t finished quite yet.
Now needing another hook for the series, and perhaps inspired by the early Sub-Mariner stories in which Namor waged war against mankind, creators Bill Parker and Pete Costanza have the Mask use a hypnotic device to transform Spy Smasher into a hate-fueled enemy of democracy. In fact, Spy Smasher becomes so homicidal after this treatment that the Mask himself becomes his first victim.
The now-brainwashed crusader embarks on a flight of terrorism and sabotage, and nothing that the conventional forces of the military can do can halt his devastating rampage.
And certainly inspired by the recent and popular battle between the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch over in the pages of Timely’s MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS, as Senator Colby and his daughter wonder who can possibly bring down the now-evil Spy Smasher, a voice rings out from the next panel: it’s Captain Marvel, the big gun of WHIZ COMICS, and he vows to halt the former hero’s reign of terror, starting in the next issue. This chapter is pretty much all lead-up–although it finally confirming Spy Smasher’s true identity was a definite status quo change–but things get down to action in the following issue, as we’ll see shortly.
The Tom Brevoort Experience 
What with IMITATION IS THE BEST FORM OF FLATTERY it is odd that no other Golden Age company chose to imitate the Justice Society of America. I wonder if DC’s ( or was it known as National Publications back then ) law suits against the Superman imitators had anything to do with it? The closest Timely Comics came to the JSA ( not team-up but more a gathering of friends ) was The Human Torch#5b ( Fall 1941 – page 2 ) when The Human Torch, Toro, The Patriot and The Angel ( Namor sadly couldn’t make it – his mother sent a message saying he was needed in his kingdom ) gathered to say goodbye to new war correspondent Casey ( reporter for Consolidated Press ) — Human Torch, Toro, Angel, The Patriot, Sub-Mariner, The Vision, Ka-Zar & Terry Vance gather for their monthly meeting and adopt a resolution that the heroes would do all in their power to preserve the sacred principles and ideals of American democracy, and to crush the fiendish efforts of the underworld for all time [ Marvel Mystery Comics#25 ( November 1941 ) “Marvel Get-Together” by Stan Lee ( text story ) — was suppose to continue next issue but didn’t. THOSE HEROES appear again on the last page of a Marvel Mystery Comics#37 ( November 1942 ) Patriot story page 6 last panel with Jimmy Jupiter ( singing, “Buy War Stamps and Bonds!” ) — then most of them in Avengers#97 ( March 1972 ) summoned by Rick Jones ] or the unnamed team on the inside front cover made up of new member Citizen V, Ruby the Robot ( & Lil’ Professor ), Blue Diamond, Silver Scorpion, The Fin, Captain Daring 1 ( one from the future ) & The Thunderer ( Daring Mystery Comics Ad ).
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Tom, under related you should have put a link to the Phantom Lady-Spider Widow crossover ( From Feature Comics to Police Comics ).
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This crossover event of the 1940s [ Daredevil Comics#1 ( July 1941 ) Chapters 1 to 6 ]: Daredevil teams-up with Silver Streak, battles The Claw, teams-up with Lance Hale, Dickie Dean, Boy Inventor, Cloud Curtis and Pirate Prince.
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I first read about this story in a book in my city’s library ( It was during my search for more information on Timely Comics heroes ) and besides the Angel, Captain America, Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel ( Billy Batson ), Spy Smasher there was Mandrake, the Phantom and others. I do wonder how Captain Marvel wasn’t able to easy capture Spy Smasher ( I love his Gyrosub ). He appeared in Justice League Unlimited “Patriot Act” where he is seen during WW2 stopping a Nazi “Professor Reinstein” from injecting a Nazi “Steve Rogers” with a “Super-Soldier Serum”.
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Headline Hunter foes Herr Leader: The first Herr Leader ( Perry Reginald ) has a white mask similar to the Mask except it has a hole for the mouth [ Captain America Comics#7 ( October 1941 ) – Fritz & other Nazi operatives ] and the second Herr Leader( unnamed hotel manager )’s white mask is identical [ Captain America Comics#9 ( December 1941 ) – Hans & Fritz ( Herr Leader was flipped off a mountain by Headline Hunter, but the Red Skull was blown-up in a zeppelin in Marvel Premiere#30 ( June 1976 ) & Baron Strucker was crushed in a Dragon of Death escape pod by a giant squid in Marvel Universe#3 ( August 1998 ) ].
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MLJ ( Archie Comics ) Crossover- The Shield, Keith Kornell ( The West Pointer ), The Wizard ( Blane Whitney ), Lee Sampson ( The Midshipman ), : Pep Comics#4 ( May 1940 ) The Shield -“The Mosconian Menace: Part 1” ( Keith Kornell, The Shield & The Wizard ) & The Midshipman – “The Mosconian Menace: Part 2 ( Lee Sampson & The Wizard ) ]-[ Top-Notch Comics#5 ( May 1940 ) The Wizard – “The Mosconian Menace: Part 3” ( Keith Kornell, Lee Sampson, The Shield & Wizard ) & The West Pointer – “The Mosconian Menace: Part 4 ( Keith Kornell & The Wizard ) ] – [ Pep Comics#5 ( June 1940 ) The Shield – “The Mosconian Menace: Part 5 ( Shield & Wizard ) ]. Plus the Shield is a guest star in Top-Notch Comics#7 ( august 1940 ) The Wizard story “The Mosconians Attack California” ( comics.org )].
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Corporal Collins & Sergeant Boyle MLJ ( Archie Comics ) crossover: Blue Ribbon Comics#9 ( February 1941 ) Corporal Collins story ] – [ Pep Comics#12 ( February 1941 ) Sergeant Boyle story ]. Plus Sergeant Boyle & Captain Twerp guest star in Blue Ribbon Comics#10-11 ( March-April 1941 ) Corporal Collins story.
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Johnny Rebel, Yankee Boy & Dandy ( the sidekick of Yankee Doodle Jones ) team-up [ Yankee Comics#3 ( January 1942 ) “Guardians of Freedom” 3 page text story ( Chesler/Dynamic ) ( don’t know if they called themselves that — comics.org ) ]. Black Cat & Spirit of ’76 team-up [ Pocket Comics#4 ( January 1942 )U.S.A. 2 pages text story ( Harvey ) ] & Alan Douglas ( Agent 99 ) & Black Cat team-up [ Pocket Comics#4 ( January 1942 ) British Agent 99 story ( Harvey ) ].
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Fawcett did manage to give us the Crime Crusaders Club for a single story in 1943, and Timely convened the All-Winners Squad after the war for two adventures. I suppose “The Marvel Family” counts as a team of otherwise-solo stars, but since they share a common origin it doesn’t quite seem the same. Same for “Captain Marvel’s Squadron of Justice,” except I’m not sure the Lieutenants ever had any solo series.
And DC even did it twice — the Seven Soldiers of Victory would seem to demonstrate that the idea was replicable.
Bucky and Toro could team up, but their mentors? Not until sales started slipping.
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Comics.org: Introduction and origin of Harvey Comics’ unofficial hero team [ Speed Comics#23 ( October 1942 ) Black Cat story ]- Black, Cat, Shock Gibson, Ted Parrish, Girl Commando ( Pat Parker ), The Girl Commandos ( Tanya, Mei-Ling, Penelope Kirk & Ellen Billings ) & Captain Freedom. U.S.A. Heroes [ USA Comics#2 ( November 1941 ) “When U.S.A. Heroes Meet” – text story by Stan Lee — Captain Terror, Defender, Rusty, Jack Frost, Major Liberty, Rockman, Vagabond & Whizzer ] & [ All-Winners Comics#1 ( Summer 1941 ) “All Winners” by Stan Lee –The Angel, Bucky, The Black Marvel, Captain America, Human Torch, Sub-Mariner & Toro — ( Johnny Blake wished he could meet the heroes found within the pages of Marvel Comics in person and sure enough, he gets his wish! ) & All-Winners Comics#2 ( Fall1941 ) “Winners All” by Stan Lee — Destroyer, Whizzer, Captain America, Human Torch, Bucky, Toro — ( Stan Lee vs. Slug & Lew ) ] — its like Stan Lee keeps dancing around wanting a team at Timely Comics but never commits or Timely Comics to the shared Universe ( Other than the Timely Comics issues that I pointed out where some of its heroes are seen together, it is either more Human Torch-Toro-Sub-Mariner stories or Buck-Toro-Young Allies stories or the one Angel-Sub-Mariner story[ Human Torch#5a ( Summer 1941 ) “Blitzkrieg of the Living Dead!” – vs. The Nazombies ( fake zombies ) ]. The Angel’s foe the Python is the only shared Timely Comics Villain ( Fought the Angel, Human Torch-Toro-Sub-Mariner & Young Allies. Red Skull vs. Young Allies doesn’t count because they began in the pages of Captain America Comics minus Toro ).
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Comics.org: [ Prize Comics Vol.2#12 (24) (October 1942 ) Frankenstein story “Utter Failure!” – Bulldog Denny, The Black Owl, Green Lama, Dr. Frost, Yank and Doodle, The General, The Corporal vs. Frankenstein, Tovo (a bat) & Gor (a owl)]-[ in an early issue Frankenstein shared Black Owl’s enemy Dr. Devil ].
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Fantastic cover. Perfect Cap figure.
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Wow, that’s pretty intense! Readers must’ve been freaking out over the 1-2 punch of Spy Smasher’s identity reveal, and his sudden heel-turn. Seems like Captain Marvel would be a little above Spy Smasher’s weight class, but no doubt the writers will contrive a way to make it an even fight…
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Thanks for the e-mail updates when you write these Tom.
thank you as well for getting Betsy Braddock out of that terrible CB outfit and onto X-Force.
Her new costume isn’t my fave color scheme for her, but it is 100 times better than that other outfit.
I am still hoping she gives CB back to Brian & goes back to her signature pink & purple colors like her amazing Dissasembled outfit.
Lastly thanks for keeping her psychic Butterfly.
I hope to see her use it much more.
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