Yes, now peace negotiations can continue! 
- — Black X
Smash Comics #12 is an issue of the series Smash Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1940.
Synopsis for Espionage Starring the Black X: "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"
February 1940: "Almost six months of the Second World War had gone by ... six months of tense waiting for the real conflict that would destroy Europe. (...) Winter slows operations ... the military machines halt ... wait for the spring ... but war is not such a game, it spreads." The U.S. President sends Ambassador Blank to Europe, to meet with all the heads of state, to set up yet another peace conference. "The famous secret agent Black X" gets assigned to protect Blank against any "accidents" getting caused by a so-called friendly country. Two days later the superliner "Gull" embarks with Venerable Ambassador Blank and his valet Hawkens, shadowed incognito by Black X and his valet Batu. Two evenings into the crossing, Blank obliviously strolls around on deck as ambushing assassins get stealthily dealt with by Black X and Batu. Later at a smart cafe in Paris, Black X meets-cute with Madame Doom, who seems to now be working for the pre-Vichy French government, and is also interested in Ambassador Blank. That night she sends her killer, an unnamed hunchback descended from Quasimodo of Notre Dame, to the Hotel Beaumont, where he kills the wrong guy (Hawkens the valet), then stupidly returns and tells on himself. Madame Doom has been transmitting coded espionage messages, or progress reports, to somebody else in Paris, via the bells of N.D. cathedral. She has been controlling this nameless drooling tool of a hunchback by playing the role of Esmeralda; he snaps when he sees her vamping up to Black X. There's a dramatic battle in the bell tower at the end of which the hunchback dies, partly from a clipful of Black X ammo, and mainly from a long shrieking fall from the tower. And by that time Madame Doom has bluffed her way to an escape by waving Black X's empty pistol. And Black X later tells Batu that he knew it was empty.
Appearing in Espionage Starring the Black X: "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Madame Doom, her 4th appearance
- an unnamed hunchback
Other Characters:
- Venerable Ambassador Blank
- Hawkens, the Ambassador's valet
Locations:
Synopsis for Abdul the Arab: "The Plot Against Beni Abou II"
Appearing in Abdul the Arab: "The Plot Against Beni Abou II"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Hassan
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Hassan
- Beni Abou II
- Anitra
- Rahdiz
- Mahmoud
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Chic Carter: "Killing in Chinatown"
Appearing in Chic Carter: "Killing in Chinatown"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Fu Chang
Other Characters:
- Sun Yen (Dies)
- Toy Lin
Locations:
- Chinatown
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Flash Fulton: "Himalayas Uprising"
At a remote British outpost in the Himalayas, the turban-topped, caped, loin-cloth-wearing, cannibalistic, Morro tribesmen are throwing an uprising, and Flash Fulton is sent to India to get some footage of it. This takes a series of airplane flights over several days. On arriving at the outpost, Flash and Andy get briefed by Sir Lawrence, the commander, and accompany his horseback patrol out to the freshly-massacred village of Madeira. When he sees the gruesome scene, and the axe-wielding Morros spring an ambush, Flash abandons his camera, borrows some guns, and goes wild. The Morros have rifles but the soldiers have grenades, and the patrol wipes out the ambush squad. Andy catches most of this action on film, and when it's over, he and Flash are ready to return to America.
Appearing in Flash Fulton: "Himalayas Uprising"
Featured Characters:
- Flash Fulton (Final appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Gabby, newsreel boss
- Andy, sound man
Antagonists:
- 50 or more Morro cannibals
Other Characters:
- Sir Lawrence
- Tommy Wilson
- Steve Malone
Locations:
- New York City
- Acme Newsreel Office
- Himalayas
- village of Madeira
- village of Madeira
Synopsis for Bozo the Iron Man: "Lippy Largo's Gold Robbery"
Appearing in Bozo the Iron Man: "Lippy Largo's Gold Robbery"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Lippy Largo
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Invisible Justice: "Death At the Panama Canal"
Appearing in Invisible Justice: "Death At the Panama Canal"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Professor Dixon
- Girth
- Peeper
Other Characters:
- Doctor Gray
- Mrs. Gray
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for John Law, Scientective: "Death Model"
James Rowan, "the Avenger," sits in jail, awaiting a sanity hearing, while his nemesis John Law, attorney and scientist, returns to work on perfecting a radio-controlled airplane. One gas-powered model is working pretty well when a car full of thugs shows up at the testing field, looking to steal the model. There's a fistfight, in which John gets head-konked unconscious with a blackjack. Bad guys get away with the small plane and its control unit.
Five minutes later June shows up, wakes up John, and tells him that the Avenger has escaped from jail. With her is Mr. Arms, who has received a threat: his munitions factory will be blown up at 4:00 tomorrow! Arms has his security officers do a thorough search of the factory; a large amount of the powerful new DXZ explosive is missing, but no bombs or wiring are found.
At 2:00 on bomb day, Law has a hunch, borrows Arms' airplane, and flies around above the factory. At 3:45 he spots a small airplane flying towards the plant, too small to have a pilot. It's the radio-plane stolen from Law himself, earlier, and most likely packed with the DXZ explosive~ Using the airplane's directional loop antenna, Law finds the plane's control station, in a roadster on the highway below. He swoops down and lands on the highway; the car stops to avoid a crash. In the car are the Avenger and his crew; Law deplanes and attacks them on foot. He punches out two thugs while a third one operates the remote control and the Avenger runs to the nearby plane and steals it. John wrests the control unit away from the thug, steers the drone away from the factory, and flies it into the Avenger's escaping aircraft. It explodes and no parachute is seen.
Appearing in John Law, Scientective: "Death Model"
Featured Characters:
- John Law, Scientective (Final appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- June Carter
Antagonists:
- The Avenger (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Mr. Arms
- Dugan, security boss
- security guards
- Dugan, security boss
Locations:
- New York City Area
- John Law's Law Office / Laboratory
- Law's testing field
- Arms MFG Co. Factory
Items:
- DXZ Explosive
Vehicles:
- Arms' Executive Airplane
Synopsis for Captain Cook of Scotland Yard: "The Rocket Murder Mystery"
Appearing in Captain Cook of Scotland Yard: "The Rocket Murder Mystery"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- The Chief
Antagonists:
- Kelton
Other Characters:
- Zenah
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Clip Chance at Cliffside: "The Cole College Track Meet"
Appearing in Clip Chance at Cliffside: "The Cole College Track Meet"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Spud
- Coach Barr
- Chuck
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Wings Wendall: "Invasion!"
Appearing in Wings Wendall: "Invasion!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Commander Zergoff
- Mongolian military forces
- Captain Hardt (Dies)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- Bozo
- In this issue, Bozo the Iron Man flings one robber and his car into the river, and quite literally scares a second one to death, and ensures that a third one gets blown up. Bozo's body count is now not less than 22.
- Espionage
- At the start of this issue's episode of "Espionage": "Almost six months of the second world war had gone by." In real history, WWII started on 1939-Sep-03; that plus "almost six months" would be circa Feb 1940.
- Caption: "In Black X's apartment, the famous secret agent lounges before a radio."
- Last issue for Flash Fulton by Paul Gustavson.
- Last issue for John Law, Scientective by Harry Campbell.
- John Law gets a cranial concussion in this episode, the second and final one of his 10-episode career.[1]
- Also appearing in this issue of Smash Comics were:
- Archie O'Toole: The Movie Stars' Dinner, by George Tuska
- Small Stuff, by John Devlin
- Wun Cloo: "The Eel", by Gill Fox
- Sportraits: "Arturo Godoy", by Gill Fox
- Philpot Veep: "A Droll Tale of Double Deception", by John Devlin
- "Music For Murder" (text story, featuring Jimmie Christian), by Robert M. Hyatt
See Also
Links and References
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