Midnight vs. the Deadly Damsel Darla Dee -- Smash Comics #53 (MAY 1944)

Well...that's not something you expect to hear Midnight saying!
Smash Comics #53 (MAY 1944)

Smash Comics #53 introduced the most-intriguing antagonist Midnight has faced to this point (at least in my opinion).  The tale begins with Dave Clark and his buddies after a hard day at work.  When they get to the apartment, they're shocked to find a beautiful brunette calling herself Darla  lounging in the living room.

Contrary to what Gab, Wackey, and Sniffer assume, however...Dave's never met this femme fatale.  Announcing she's going to "take over this town," and Darla demands Dave reveal the secret identity of Midnight (presumably so that her henchmen can bump him off).

I found Darla's ease and willingness to use sudden violence on her own minion a very
Joker-esque quality.  This, combined with her beauty, makes her quite an unusual
and striking villain for Midnight.

After bandaging his impaled mano, Moxie puts on a little show for some beat cops.  He spins a tale of being attacked by the murderous Dave Clark.  Assuming Moxie is sauced, the officers tell him to go sleep it off.  The tragically naive Moxie ambles back to Darla's hideout to report that he's carried out her orders...though the police didn't believe him.

The cold-blooded vixen reassures him that's nothing to worry about.  Whereupon, another henchman knifes Moxie to death.  The gang then leaves the corpse with a message--written in their victim's blood--fingering Dave as the murderer.  Darla then calls the cops, who burst into Dave's bedroom to arrest him!

Sniffer, Wackey, and Gabby visit Dave in jail and vow to "tear the town apart" digging up evidence of his innocence.  Dave thanks them, and wonders why Moxie would've fingered him as he barely knew the guy.  Darla sashays in announcing that she can explain that.  She repeats her demand that Dave reveal Midnight's identity, and in exchange she'll, "get this frame-up broken."  Of course, our hero replies, "I wouldn't even tell you the time, baby!"  She retorts that Dave's friends better get busy if they plan on proving his innocence, as she's already sweet-talked the judge into moving the trial up.  It will commence on the morrow!

In what has got to be a record miscarriage of justice effected by sex appeal and sympathy, the jury returns a guilty verdict in two minutes, 15 seconds.  Dave is sentenced to the chair...or noose...or firing squad. (The newspaper headline is a bit confused).  Despondent, his pals decide that just because Dave's locked up that's no reason Midnight should be.  Each in turn, Gabby, Sniffer, and Doc don domino masks and fedoras and set out about the town to right wrongs and clear Dave's name.

Meanwhile, in the jail, Dave is making a bold play of his own.  A passing guard is shocked to find his prisoner an apparent victim of suicide.  When he enters the cell to check the "corpse," however, our hero springs the trap seizing his jailer in a scissors lock, knocking him unconscious, and escaping by wearing the jailer's uniform.

Once outside, Dave changes back into his Midnight outfit (no explanation on where he had that stashed), hops into a car (even less explanation of how that came to be),  and drives off to Darla's home.

Can you imagine the outcry if the heroes in modern comics went around
addressing--even the bad girls--as "baby"?  Talk about a different time!

Despite Midnight's forethought, the good intentions of his fellows threaten to scuttle his trap.  Each has independently broken into Darla's home searching for evidence, and while bumbling around they come across the dictaphone.  Thinking it's a bomb due to the mere fact that it's making, "a funny sound," they toss it out the nearest window.  (Seriously?  Nobody bothers to question why this criminal mastermind would want to blow herself up?) 

Having destroyed their pal's only hope to get a recorded confession, the terrible trio spot Dave from behind and conclude (apparently without bothering to eavesdrop on any of his conversation with Darla) that this must be, "an imposter [Darla's] gonna send out to commit crimes!"  Thus, in order to defend their pal's honor...they bum rush him.  In the midst of the scuffle, Darla decides flee.  Fortunately, Gabby both: (A) realizes the Midnight he's attacking is the real Midnight, and (B) spots Darla in time to tackle her before she makes it out the door.

In one of the best final-page-wrap-ups I've read in the Midnight corpus, our hero bluffs Darla into confessing, by convincing her that there's "no way" she'll beat the rap for five crimes...but if she confesses just enough to clear Dave Clark, Midnight will destroy the evidence on her remaining crimes.  

Honestly, though, if Darla is as savvy as the rest of the story has presented her, you'd think
she might be a little suspicious of this deal.  After all, why would Midnight need her
confession if he already had it on tape?