Now I tell you somedings! --- Any man who succeeds in getting to Mars and back vill have fame and fortune in his grasp! But the chances are 100 to 1 against him! 
All-American Comics #1 is an issue of the series All-American Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1939.
Synopsis for Red, White, and Blue: "Canal Zone Intrigue"
Red Dugan, Blooey Blue, and Whitey Smith became fast friends growing up together in the town of Oakville, each joining a different branch of the service after graduating high school. Red enlisted in the Marines, Blooey signed aboard a ship in the Navy, and Whitey volunteered for duty in the Army.
Several years after the three men join the service, Red Dugan arrives in the Panama Canal Zone to reunite with his old friends. He heads for the docks to meet Blooey, serving aboard the USS Florida. Unfortunately, Blooey has been thrown in the brig. Red persuades the Commander to release his friend, and the two head for the El Porto cafe to wait for Whitey. While waiting, they witness a beautiful woman enter the cafe. A rough-looking man quickly accosts her, and Red heads over to rescue her. He punches the man in the face, causing a full on brawl in the cafe. Whitey finally makes it to the establishment to join in the fight, and the three pals make quick work of the local thugs.
After the fight, the trio discover to their dismay that the woman has left. They examine the purse she left behind and find her name, Doris West, along with an address, Flying Breeze, Pier 18. Red also turns up illegal photographs of sensitive areas in the Canal Zone, confirming that Doris is an international spy. The men hear the MPs arriving on the scene and beat a hasty retreat. They resolve to head to the pier and confront the spy.
Red, Whitey, and Blooey force their way onboard the Flying Breeze and meet Doris West face-to-face. She refuses to remember their encounter in the El Porto cafe but changes her tone when she realizes they have her pocketbook. In order to get back her purse, she reveals that she was visiting the cafe on impulse. Red hands it over, but Doris looks dismayed; Red then confronts her about the photographs. He threatens to turn her over the police, but Doris pulls a gun on the trio. She fires a shot into Whitey's hat to show that she means business and orders the ship down the river
Away from the Canal Zone, Doris reveals that she is a G-2 agent, also known as the US Secret Service. The man in the cafe that accosted her was the real spy, and the boys ruined her rendezvous. The same man arrives on board for the photographs, but Doris declares she will only deal with his boss. Doris and the boys take a rowboat to the spy's ship and meet the boss. He reveals that he knows Doris' identity as a US agent. As the heroes fight for their lives, Red runs to the radio room and wires for help. As the rest of the party are captured and about to be killed, Red makes a triumphant entry to save his friends. The Coast Guard arrives, and the foreign spies are arrested.
Red expresses his sadness that he won't see Doris again, but she reveals that Red, Whitey, and Blooey have been made special agents to help root out spy activities, as members of G-2. They all head back to Secret Service headquarters.
Appearing in Red, White, and Blue: "Canal Zone Intrigue"
Featured Characters:
- Red, White, and Blue (First appearance)
- Red Dugan (First appearance), USMC
- Whitey Smith (First appearance), USA
- Blooey Blue (First appearance), USN
Supporting Characters:
- G-2 chief (First appearance)
- Doris West (First appearance), G2
Antagonists:
- Head of the spy ring (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Canal Zone Base Captain (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Panama Canal Zone
Vehicles:
- USS Florida
Synopsis for "Mutt & Jeff"
(reprinted newspaper strips)
Appearing in "Mutt & Jeff"
Featured Characters:
- Mutt
- Jeff
Supporting Characters:
- Mrs. Mutt
- Cicero
- Gus Geevem
Synopsis for "Reg'lar Fellers"
(reprinted newspaper strips)
Appearing in "Reg'lar Fellers"
Featured Characters:
- Jimmy Dugan
- Puddinhead Duffy
Supporting Characters:
- Pinhead
- Angie Riley
- Bullseye (the dog)
Other Characters:
- Curley
Synopsis for Hop Harrigan: "Hop Leaves the Farm"
Appearing in Hop Harrigan: "Hop Leaves the Farm"
Featured Characters:
- Hop Harrigan (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Ikky Tinker (First appearance)
- Prop Wash (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Silas Crass (First appearance)
Vehicles:
- Hop's dad's biplane
Synopsis for "Scribbly"
Appearing in "Scribbly"
Featured Characters:
- Scribbly Jibbet (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Daphne (First appearance)
- Sylvester (First appearance)
- Butch (First appearance)
- Eppie (First appearance)
- Gladis (First appearance)
- Brother (First appearance)
- Mother (First appearance)
Locations:
Synopsis for Adventures in the Unknown: "The Mystery Men of Mars" (Part 1 of 6)
Professor Lutyens invents a means to reverse gravity, builds a spaceship, visits the Moon, and hires two student assistants, Alan Kane and Ted Dolliver, to accompany him on a trip to Mars. The transit takes over a month. The atmosphere of Mars is breathable.
Appearing in Adventures in the Unknown: "The Mystery Men of Mars" (Part 1 of 6)
Featured Characters:
- Alan Kane (First appearance)
- Ted Dolliver (First appearance)
- Professor Lutyens (First appearance)
Locations:
- Amityville, quiet college town (See Notes.)
- university
- Mars
Vehicles:
- Lutyens' "Wanderer" spaceship
Synopsis for Ben Webster's Career: "The Strange Instructions"
(reprinted newspaper strips)
Appearing in Ben Webster's Career: "The Strange Instructions"
Featured Characters:
- Ben Webster (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Briarsie, Ben's dog (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Prof. Matt Mattix (First appearance)
- Toby Baxter (Mentioned only)
- Mary Jane (Mentioned only)
- Chippo (Mentioned only)
Synopsis for "Bobby Thatcher"
(reprinted newspaper strips)
Appearing in "Bobby Thatcher"
Featured Characters:
- Bobby Thatcher (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Tubby (First appearance)
- Bowers (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mysterious man (First appearance)
Synopsis for "Wiley of West Point"
(reprinted newspaper strips)
Appearing in "Wiley of West Point"
Featured Characters:
- Bob Wiley (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Baxter (First appearance)
- Bob's roommate (First appearance)
- Mr. Knox (Single appearance)
Locations:
Notes
- Published monthly by All-American Comics, Inc.
- First issue for Adventures in the Unknown, which will run in this title until All-American Comics #25, April 1941.
- The quiet little college town of Amityville isn't actually named until All-American Comics #13, April 1940.
- Aboard the "Wanderer" spacecraft, cooking of pancakes and other foods is done on an electric stove, because a gas range would use up too much oxygen.
- First issue for Hop Harrigan, which will run in this title until All-American Comics #99.
- The villain Silas Crass drops out after this issue, not to reappear until All-American Comics #13.
- First issue for Scribbly, which will run in this title until All-American Comics #59, July 1944, and will then receive its own title, starting with Scribbly #1, Sep 1948, which then would run until Scribbly #15, Jan 1952.
- Also appearing in this issue of All-American Comics were:
- "Tippie" (reprinted newspaper strips), by Frances Edwina Dumm
- "Always Belittlin'" and "Skippy" (reprinted newspaper strips), by Percy Crosby
- "Spot Savage" by Harry Lampert
- "Daisybelle" (reprinted newspaper strips), by Gene Byrnes
- "Cicero's Cat" (reprinted newspaper strips), by Bud Fisher
- "Toonerville Folks" (reprinted newspaper strips), by Fontaine Fox
Trivia
- First appearances of Scribbly Jibbet and Ben Webster in DC Comics; their previous appearances were in Dell comics.
- Russell Cole is credited as Edwin Alger.
See Also
Links and References
