Smash Comics # 38 (December 1942)
Midnight feature (The Riddle of the Cave Man Menace)
We pick up the story from three weeks ago, where Dave Clark (alias Midnight) has just returned to his secret crime-fighting lair with Zor the Caveman. Big City is in an uproar searching for the supposed hominid. Though the latter-day polis is convinced Zor is a clear-and-present danger, Midnight suspects there's more to the story.
These skepticism is vindicated for the reader when we drop in on the avaricious Squinchworth meditating on how much money he will make when he re-captures and sells Zor.
Unfortunately for Squinchworth, one month passes...then two...and Zor never turns up. Eventually, the potential buyer concludes that the story was nothing more than "fake news."
Just as the buyer (a "Mistah Dingling") is about to take his money and abandon Squinchworth, however, a special delivery announces Zor has been re-captured and is being held at the zoo.
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| I am continually amazed at the lack of editorial attention to detail. Two panels earlier, Squinchworth addresses this man as, "Mistah Dingling" yet here our (presumably) omnipotent narrator calls the man "Dingly." |
Once at the zoo, however, Squinchworth spies no sign of Zor. He approaches a figure in a green suit to ask if he might know where the notorious cave man is being kept, he is shocked to discover that the besuited chap is Zor!
At this, Mr. Dingling (or Dingly) walks away, convinced the whole story has been nothing but a swindle.
Once he's gone, Zor rolls up his sleeves and announces to the still-shocked Squinchworth, "Now Zor beat you!!"
The would-be human trafficker, however, manages to lay a guilt trip on the inexplicably gullible Zor.
While crocodile tears might work on the gentle giant, Midnight is not so easily dissuaded. He emerges from the bushes, to give Squinchworth a thrashing. At this, the villain bounds away.
Though Midnight fires the vacuum gun after Squinchworth, he misses and instead seizes our unnamed friend who, again, asks if Midnight has a spare moment.
Once again, Midnight puts the diminutive fellow off.
Midnight tracks Squinchworth to the latter's mountain ranch, where we learn Squinchworth is not so much a criminal mastermind as the cuckolded assistant to a woman who appears to be of a similar age, but whom he consistently refers to as "Mama."
When Midnight & company suddenly bust through the door, Squinchworth cowers behind "mama" who, for her part, pulls a sidearm and prepares to kill our azure-hued hero.
Unfortunately for the murderous mama, Zor is not exactly up to date on 1940s social conventions about men hitting women.
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| One wonders how Midnight's implied support of traditional gender roles would be received in the halls of major comics publishers today. |
Midnight, Gabby, and Zor pursue Squinchworth to an adjacent room where he downs a bottle of pills in a suicide attempt. When Gabby hears voices emanating from behind another door, our heroes discover the true depths of Squinchworth's and mama's depravity.
It turns out that they were financing their lifestyle by kidnapping, torture, and human trafficking. In a vain attempt to cleanse his conscience, Squinchworth confesses to selling his victims to circuses.
Just as the reader is sensing a resolution to the story, however, Lady Squinchworth reappears brandishing a handgun and ordering her husband(?) to lock Midnight and his pals up in a strong room.
Next, Lady Squinchworth reveals her dastardly plot to restore their criminal fortunes: Squinchworth will masquerade as Midnight and go on a crime spree. Once the reward is sufficiently high, the Squinchworths will deliver Midnight to the authorities and collect the cash!
Though too squeamish to do the deed himself, Squinchworth recruits an underworld thug named Cueball to carry out the plan.
The murderous spree has its intended effect and "Midnight" seems on his way to becoming Public Enemy #1, when the perennially overconfident matron of mayhem leans in to mock our hero. This is all the opening Zor needs.
With Lady Squinchworth out cold again, the heroes (somehow--the mechanism is never really explained) free themselves from their bonds and divvy up responsibilities for bringing in the three criminals.
Midnight sets off to intercept Cueball (who's been dispatched to destroy the Sterling Oil vats in his Midnight disguise). On the way, our hero is again accosted by the unnamed stranger.
Meanwhile, Gabby--who's been sent to retrieve Sir Squinchworth--makes a brief side trip by the zoo, where he enlists the help of the zoo monkeys to "make up for letting Midnight down before."
Dave arrives at Sterling Oil just as Cueball is dousing the place in gasoline and proceeds to beat the bad guy senseless.
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| While Jack Cole is often recognized for his (for the time period) atypically dynamic artwork, Midnight's coup de grace on Cueball is so over-the-top it's endearing. |
With Cueball safely put away, we're treated to some comedic schadenfreude as the reader learns how Gabby and the monkey squad will make amends.
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| Even though Gab is standing next to a fruit bowl, you'll notice that it's not obvious that he's holding any fruit, nor do any of the splats on the wall or Squinchworth's face look particularly fruit-like...at least, not like undigested fruit. 😀 |
In the final line of the comic, our little unnamed chap finally gets to talk with Midnight. Turns out, he's not an autograph-seeker, like Midnight had assumed but a messenger...and an ominous one at that!
