u/Imok2814

Napoleon makes a return?

Writer: Alfred Bester

Art & Cover: Paul Reinman

"Napoleon And Joe Safeen" - Small time gang leader Joe Safeen has had one too many run-ins with Green Lantern, so he's grabbed his crew and are heading out of town where GL can't get them. At the train yard however, they come across a peculiar man spouting a lot of mathematics. After speaking with him they figure he is just the genius they need to pull off their theists, but as they leave two security guards walk by looking for that same man who goes by Napoleon as they two mention they need to get him back to the insane asylum. Doiby was also tailing them to make sure Joe and his crew actually skip town and when he sees them go back into the city, he signals for GL. The pair meet at the current heist location, where they attempt to take down the gang but GL is knocked out by Napoleon accidentally when he sees the guards outside looking for him. The gang escapes, cheering on Napoleon for the save but the heroes teack them down to another location. This time they split up with Doiby going in the back and GL waiting out front to give Doiby time to enter. Doiby does so and is ambushed by the gang and beat up. He tells for GL but that goes unheard as GL was tackled by the two guards who thought he was Napoleon until they looked at the description in their notes and realized their mistake. GL runs into the shop only to get ambushed as well. The gang take GL to a secure place and tie him down, cover him in gasoline and leave a candle on his head. Doiby meanwhile, was tied up by Napoleon and after seeing the guards outside the shop, demands they switch clothes. He then runs off to meet with the gang. Doiby gets loose and tries to follow but is found by the guards who chase him down the street. Doiby ducks into a house and by pure luck finds GL tied up. He puts out the candle and the Duo head off to stop Napoleon once and for all. They overgeard the gang talking about a certain building earlier so they fly towards it but to find the exact spot GL starts singing the French national anthem to goad Napoleon put. It works and they fly in the window, take down the gang as quick as possible and bring Napoleon back to the insane asylum where the nurse thanks him for bringing back the doctor. Much to their surprise, Napoleon is not a patient but the eccentric head of the facility out for a day of adventure.

Conclusion: Another fun Napoleon tale, fairly straight forward. The crime spree was cookie cutter, Napoleon was fun. The twist at the end was perfect. I just don't get why the guards were looking for him if he took the day off? Otherwise, not much to talk about that I haven't said before. It was a simple crime story in its bones, but I'll give it the Safeen gang for the idea to skip town. Not many crime bosses do that for some reason.

7.5/10

A few interesting adventures that leave a few interesting questions

Writer: Alfred Bester (1st & 2nd stories), Henry Kuttner (3rd story)

Art: Martin Nodell

Cover: Paul Reinman

"The Man In The Moon" - Alan and Doiby are at a local circus (Haley's maybe?), where they an sideshow of odd people. One such attraction is a man, Harry Danvers, born with one eye. That very same night the moon is undergoing an eclipse which Harry took as a sign that he needs to get revenge. He grabs a sword from a sword swallowed and chases after people, threatening death. Alan ducks out to change whole Doiby engages and as GL returns he finds Doiby with a sword pointed at him and Harry on top of him. As GL uses his ring to stop Harry, all three are pulled away to the moon after some weird energy caused by the eclipse gave the ring a super charge and magnetically drew the ring. After landing inside the moon, all three are attacked by weird creatures that speak an odd English but Harry escapes. GL and Doiby are almost dead to rights but are able to escape and run off to a tunnel. They hit a wall but something scares the creatures off. The Duo turn around to see an image of Harry. The wall slides away and they enter a chamber containing many one eyed people called Selenites. They briefly knock out the Duo and after they come to, GL is ready to fight and not listen. However, Harry steps in and calms them down. He explains that the Selenites are friendly and that he wishes to remain there. He guides the Duo to the moons surface as the eclipse is ending and the ring is being drawn back to earth. The Duo crash back at the circus, falling right through the big tent, leaving the audience to believe they are part of the act.

"The Lizard Of Fire" - Doiby gets a call to arms as he's part of the volunteer firefighter brigade. As he arrives at the scene of a blaze he discovers it was started by a man calling himself The Lizard, an arsonist that uses salamanders drenched in kerosene as weapons and blakcmails rich owners into giving him money or he will burn their properties down. Doiby signals GL who arrives on the scene. They hunt The Lizard down to a theatre as he begins to start a fire. GL uses an asbestos curtain to put out the fires and captures The Lizard, unmasking him and finding he uses an asbestos suit to protect himself from the flame.

"The Jewel Of Hope" - Alan gets word from his radio station that one of the transmitters stationed on a remote African island is giving off a weird signal. He is tasked to investigate and drags Doiby along with him as GL. When they arrive they find a tribe attacking a man named Kaveu. After they drove off the attackers they bring Kaveu back to America where he promptly drops a smole bomb and disappears. Luckily for our heroes he dropped his passport so GL asks Doiby to track him down while he tends to things at the radio station. Doubt finds Kaveu in a warehouse leading a group of crooks in a meeting about stealing something called the Jewel of Hope. He recognizes Doiby and a fight ensues but after Kaveu suddenly hides his face, the others go to make sure he is okay, giving Doiby the chance to escape. He signals for GL and they meet at the museum where the heist is taking place. The crooks find the Jewel of Hope and it shows each of them something they desire that will give them happiness and hope. Just after, though, an a steal projected image of one of the tribesmen appears and warns Kaveu of his transgressions against the Shark Society. GL and Doiby arrive in time to see all of this and Kaveu once again turn to hide his face. GL pulls him over to discover tribal markings and a shark tattoo on his forehead. In the midst of the fight, many of the crooks run off or get captured but Kaveu escapes to an aquarium where he somehow got eaten by a shark that appears out of nowhere. The Jewel of Hope gets lost in all the action but nearby a young boy finds a toy badge he's always wanted and walks away happy.

Conclusion: There's a lot to unpack here. Firstly, we've seen the Selenites before back in Green Lantern (Vol 1) #7, a little over two years prior to this issues release. That story was written by Bill Finger and gave the Selenites much more depth and better back story but maybe the biggest issue here is they look completely different. How did they all get one eye? Why do none of them remember GL and why do neither GL nor Doiby remember going to the moon, meeting moon people and then travelling to the future shortly after? It was easily one of, if not, the best issue of the Golden Age so far. Not even an editors foot note as a callback. It drove me a little nuts because I was really excited to see them go back there and have another adventure but this was just disappointing.

Secondly, The Lizard was cool. Not super powered but a costumed gimmick villain nonetheless. Alan Scott is surely lacking in those right now and even if this is The Lizard's only appearance, it was still a welcome one. The story may have felt short but it was satisfying enough to read.

Third, the Jewel of Hope. Just interesting. A little mystical and mysterious. Enough to give it a good feel as a sci-fi story. Fits Alan very well. Definitely felt like a one and done story too, I doubt we will see that Jewel again and that's okay. It did its job. I'd like to know more about the Shark Society though. There was much more story with them, but maybe that just lends to the mystery of it all.

Scoring this will be difficult because two stories were enjoyable enough to have no real negatives but the first one was so disappointing that I honestly would have scored that very low if it was alone. Finding the aggregate is a little difficult here. I might just say it's a

6.5/10

I was browsing EB Games in Brampton Ontario just now and saw this on the shelf. Take your chance to check now.

First (and only) appearance of "King" Shark, ^no not that one

Writer: Alfred Bester

Art & Cover: Paul Reinman

"Death Unavoidably Detained" - Long time crime boss "King" Shark, also know as the greatest criminal mind in Gotham, is sitting on death row awaiting his electric execution at midnight. His dame, his goons and many other watch the clock and drink a solemn drink to their lost compatriot. Just after midnight, Shark walks into a bar where some his guys are waiting and tells them he escaped to finish one last job. They all get scared thinking he's a ghost and run off. Doiby overhears some guys talking about the ghost and runs to tell Alan. He gets suited up and they head out to figure out what's going on. Along the way they find Shark walking around the city and question him on his motive. He says just before midnight he was given a 24-hour reprieve due to some new evidence so he is taking his chance to set his guys straight as the reprieve was a wake up call for him. GL and Doiby believe him for now and set out to help him. They go to his secret hideout to pull evidence from his safe but are ambushed by some of Shark's old crew who attack all three of them. The trip are able to fight them off but GL exclaims that his ring is almost out of power, which it isn't really but he wants the goons to think that. He leaves a trail of green energy along the road for the goons to follow, all the way to his own trap, where the trio are able to capture them all. With his mission complete and his 24 hours almost up, Shark returns to jail to face his final frontier, thanking GL for helping him set his life on right path even if it was too late. Doiby doesn't feel right about this and says to GL they need to do something to help him. GL agrees and gets on the phone with the Governor to tell him to halt the execution but the Governor has some surprising words for GL: Shark died the night before from a heart attack when he was told about his reprieve.

Conclusion: SPOOKY. I loved this one. At first I was skeptical, being a modern comic fan reading this some 81 years too late, knowing a different King Shark exists and, I'll be honest I was ready for disappointment. It was bound to be another crime boss story, but it was also a little more than that. It's a tale of redemption, of loss, of loyalty and ultimately supernatural elements. I was genuinely shocked by that last page reveal and also somewhat nostalgic as it's also a very classic ghost story that we've all heard a dozen times (more if you lived in Canada and watched Freaky Stories as a kid). I know not every story can be this intriguing, but damn I wish they were.

9.75/10

A pair of shoes cause a big ruckus.

Writer: Alfred Bester

Art & Cover: Paul Reinman

"Soles Of Manhattan" - A man walks into a cobblers shop to get his shoes, but when the cobbler retrieves them, he finds them still tattered and suddenly speaking to him. Despite being extremely bewildered, he listens to their tale of four people that were granted their deepest wish simply by wearing them.

First, Mary Grace, a Stage singer that wants to have a memorable show, dons the shoes before a big performance and they made her start to dance during it. Except she isn't a dancer. However, the audience loves it and her performance is remembered for her eccentric dance moves. Before the show she is proposed by two men she knows, author Ralph Penn, who wants to make headlines with his writing, and Bill Stronge, an athlete that wants to make sports history. She rejects them both, but after the show she is kidnapped by Ambitious Adolph, a gang leader that wants to find treasure at the end of a rainbow. Adolph takes her to get back at Bill who refuses to throw a game for Adolph. Ralph sees this but trips over his own broken shoes in an attempt to stop them. He sees a fresh pair of shoes, the ones Mary wore now suddenly looking like men's shoes, and he puts them on and they give him great speed to chase after them.

Alan Scott and Doiby were backstage during the performance and witnessed everything, so GL is already on the scene to get Mary back. Ralph, gets in the way, allowing Adolph to escape. Ralph gets arrested and when GL visits him in jail he reveals that Adolph is Bill's brother so he couldn't let him take the fall. He slips Doiby the shoes to conceal a message to Bill about the kidnapping. With the shoes on, Doiby takes off in a high speed thanks to the shows practically leaving GL in his dust. They get the message to Bill who knows he has to do something but needs to wait until after his football game. He puts on his game shoes, that are secretly the magic shoes and gets on the field. After the game begins, they run a play with Bill taking the ball but it's shot in the air by Adolph just as Bill catches it. He knows who did it and runs in the wrong direction of the field straight to his brother. GL gets onto the field causing the gang to storm the field while Adolph knocks out Bill and steals his uniform, shoes included. He runs out of the stadium, right into a paddy wagon.

The story ends with the shoes explaining that Mary got her wish of a memorable performance, Ralph made headlines from his writing, which is only about a note he left the cops after Mary was taken. Bill is remembered for running toward the wrong side during a game and Adolph is stuck in jail, digging up rocks with a rainbow appearing inside the walls. Now, back at the cobbler shop, the cobbler gives the shoes to the man that asked for them, think he's a ventriloquist, but he reveals that he isn't, his name is simply Mercury.

Conclusion: Despite the story title including Manhattan, this still takes place entirely in Gotham City. Maybe it's a reference to something I'm not getting? The shoes straight up changing shape but nobody notices that some shoes were missing is a litlle weird. Doiby was just left without shoes at one point and it's was never mentioned. Beyond that, it was a fun story with a curious appearance from a certain messenger of the gods. Left me wondering if Mercury ever appeared to Jay Garrick this early on or even in this continuity. I wonder if we will see him again. Finally, how did the shoes get to the store, how did the shop owner know Mary Grace need it and how did they end up at the cobbler? I get it was stated that a different story but it's bugging me.

9/10

Finally, super powers kinda!

Writer: Alfred Bester

Art: Martin Nodell

Cover: Paul Reinman

"One... Two... Three... Stop Thinking" - A bookkeeper named Albert Zero gets hit in the head by some falling books but something got knocked loose or knocked active as he instantly manifests the ability to create anything he thinks of, even turning night into day and back again. This freaks out his co-workers and himself, so he thinks he should take a cab home as he then instantly appears in the back of Doiby's cab. He awkwardly explains what's been happening, even proving it by turning Goitrude into a horse drawn carriage and then back into a cab. Doiby is perplexed and annoyed but doesn't think much of it for seom reason. After arriving home, Albert gets worried about this potential ability, still not fully believing it yet. He thinks about all sorts of disasters in Gotham City which end up happening unbeknownst to him, but very much aware is GL and Doiby who are running as much crowd rescue as they can, saving one woman in particular from being crushed by bricks. Doiby half mentions this seems like something Albert did so GL demands to be taken to him right away. They pull Albert out of his home to find the city practically destroyed. All he wants to is disappear, worried what would happen if the world found out it was him, but that thought comes true as shortly after the army arrives to take him out as well as some thugs who want his power to commit crimes. GL protects Albert from the hail of gunfire from the army but instead, Albert thinks everyone should just be somewhere else. The thugs end up in Egypt, the army in a jungle and GL and Doiby appear in the Arctic. GL flies himself and Doiby back to the city as fast as he can but notices a giant wave heading for the city, caused by the shockwave of Albert using his power. He tries to get Albert to stop the wave but he gets frustrated, fixes the whole city and then makes himself disappear. Feeling like he has no place in the world he heads for the thugs and says he will help them so he can at least take what he wants. GL follows the trail of money flying through the air all the way to Albert. GL is able to talk him down enough to use the ring on his head, giving him some of his own ability. Albert has a clearer mind now and heads off to find peace, and master his powers.

"Carleton Congo Will Hoo-Doo You" - Doiby has a rival cabbie in town as he is so good at his job, he ends up taking fares away from other cars. His rival is surprised with a mysterious man appearing in his car, so he drives the man to his destination, the entire time grumbling silently about Doiby. After the drop off, the man offers to help him with his problem if he follows him inside, claiming he read his mind. The driver goes along to find out he is a doctor of sorts. He goes by Carleton Congo and claims to be a witch doctor. He pulls out two wax figures, one for the driver and one for another man, also there for some help. After reciting a chant, he melts the figures and says their enemies will disappear by the end of day. After the two men leave, Carleton calls in some thugs and tells then to go after the two enemies, one being Doiby. Meanwhile, Doiby is sick with a cold after a heavy rainfall with Alan taking care of him while still dressed as GL. The thugs break in to capture Doiby but GL is able to chase them off, however outside Doiby's home he runs into the other driver, ridden with guilt and explains what he did. Doiby chases him, leaving GL alone. He decides to head home but just as he arrives he is attacked by some thugs in the dark. He is able to avoid them for a while before they mention Carleton Congo, so Alan let's himself get captured to follow this through. He gets wrapped in a curtain and dragged out to a car where they say the name Scott, which makes Alan realize they don't want GL and if he doesn't change clothes his identity will be discovered. By the time they reach Carleton, Alan is in his underwear and wrapped the costume up in the curtain. Just after, the cabbie and the other man enter the room but the cabbie is Doiby in disguise so the fight begins. Alan changes quickly back to GL and takes down the thugs and Carleton, and after a closer look at him, reveals that he can't read minds but lips instead as he is deaf. Also the reason Alan was captured is due to the other man being Alan's assistant at the radio station because he wants Alan's job.

Conclusion - Finally got a proper meta-human in GL except the origin is rather weird. Some books fell on his head and now he can create things like he's Franklin bloody Richards? Like, I'll take it but I wouldve liked a better explanation. Also, what is it GL gave him exactly that showed him how to use his power? Will? Self control? A lobotomy? It's unclear. The entire middle of the story was much fun but the beginning and end left more to be desired. I do hope Albert Zero returns some day, he's pretty cool. A man that can create or do anything he thinks of could save a lot of trouble later down the line. Let's see Anti-Monitor fight that.

Carleton Congo is a little tricky I'll say. On one hand, I'll be honest, I don't know how racist this is, if at all. He was drawn like a normal human unlike certain characters in Golden Age Wonder Woman stories and on the surface this seems fairly normal a plot for a crook. Apart from all that, it was an interesting story with a satisfying ending. Though, I wonder how he read the lips of people he was standing/sitting behind?

8.5/10