In 1954, St. John comics issued Approved Comics as a means of testing possible titles and former titles. You wouldn't know that if you just saw the cover; with one exception, each of the twelve issues had a different title on the cover. Few of these comics made to their own series (or, some cases, to have their series renewed..
The issues:
#1 The Hawk ("Fighting Marshal of the Wild West" -- includes "Six-Gun Showdown" "Blood Brothers") Went on for 11 issues in 1955
#2 Invisible Boy (includes "Terror in the Streets") A flop.
#3 Wild Boy of the Congo (includes ""The Witch Doctor") Six issues published previously.
#4 Kid Cowboy ("Boy Marvel of the Wild West" -- includes "Six-Gun Justice" "Crisis in the Valley") Picked up by Ziff-Davis for 14 issues
#5 Fly Boy ("Thrilling Adventures of Flying Cadets" -- includes "The Killer Instinct" "The Big Buzz") Picked up by Ziff-Davis for 2 issues
#6 Daring Adventures (includes "The Son of Robin Hood" "Frog Men Against Belzar" "Devil's Arena") One previous issue (in 3-D!); a flop.
#7 The Hawk (the only title to appear more than once -- includes "Claim Jumpers' Curse" "The Devil Horns In") See #1, above
#8 Crime on the Run ("Startling Cases of Men who Defied the Law") A flop,.
#9 Western Bandit Tales (includes "Death Valley Double-Cross" "Assassins of the Ozarks") Three issues published previously
#10 Dinky Duck ("A Terrytoons Comic") Fourteen issues published previously; the character appeared sporadically from other publishers through the 60s
#11 Fightin' Marines ("Action Stories of the Devil Dogs in Korea!" -- includes "Leatherneck Jack") Twelve previous issues; picked up by Charlton Comics for 162 issues
#12 Northwest Mounties (includes "The Snow Sirens [sic] Secret") Four previous issues
Crime on the Run follows the same template as Lev Gleason's Crime Does Not Pay and other crime comics of the 1950s.
"A Tough Beat" pits an honest cop against his hoodlum son.
"Durable Mike Malloy" was an alcoholic tramp who proves hard to kill when a syndicate tries (and tries, and tries) to kill him. Even after they succeed, Malloy has the last laugh.
"The Squealers" has a defiant killer trick into a confession.
"Kill-Crazy John Dillinger" tells the story of you-know-who.
In "The Dream Horse Winners" has Horace Fraser, a man who knows nothing about horse racing, able to somehow pick winners in his dreams. His brother, a gambler from the git-go, uses these dreams to make a bundle. Then a couple of gangs try to get in on the action.
Bullets are blazing in this issue and neer-do-wells get their due! Enjoy.
http://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=70834&b=i
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