This is the very first title to be issued by Harvey Comics, a firm that started in August 1941 (the January 1942 date is the off-sale date). Whereas the typical comic book of the day was 68 pages, Pocket Comics had 100 pages -- and still cost only a dime. Pocket Comics was also a smaller digest size, designed so a kid could fit a copy in a pocket -- this may not have been the best marketing ploy because kids would stash the book in their pocklets and walk out of the store without paying. (Every innovation has some design flaws.)
Pocket Comics #1 starts off with Satan, mad dictator of the underworld. Born with a deformed body and a warped mind, this Lord of Evil exists to spread death wherever he can. This fang-toothed, taloned baddie is buddies with Hitler and is systematically destroying Uncle Sam's munition ships. Private Air Cadet Jim Brady and Camp Nurse Patricia Randall spot Satan and his minions setting explosives to blow up Camp Porter and its arsenal. Jim stops the plot but Satan escapes in a stolen bomber with Patricia as his captive. Jim lands his plane on the bomber while in flight, enters the bomber, knocks Satan to the floor where Satan is bitten by a deadly tarantula (don't ask) and Satan leaps out of the plane to his supposed death -- until next issue.
The Red Blazer is Jack Dawson, a young cowboy who comes across Dr. Martin burying an alien body next to a spaceship. Dawson helps the doctor bury the extraterrestial and, tired and thirsty from the labor, accepts a drink which knocks him out. He wakes up in the spaceship, obiting just over Earth's "Heaviside" layer. There's a note from Dr. Martin saying that Jack is being exposed to "AstroPyro radiation," which will give him superpowers. Clad in a very dorky costume and a domino mask, Jack becomes the Red Blazer, able to fly and to generate and control heat and flame. Jack understands that Dr. Morgan did this because he wanted Jack to crusade against all evil. Gang leader Doc Brennan has organized a deadly prison escape and begins a reign of murderous terror. Seems that's just the type of evil the Red Blazer is crusading against.
West Point Cadet Gary Blakely is the Spirit of '76.' When war breaks out, he is a student at Oxford. He attempts to enlist in the R.A.F. and is rejected due to influence from his family, who want him to follow tradition and serve in the Army. Headed home, he commandeers a French armored car and breaks through enemy lines. He enters West Point and discovers fifth columnists working against Uncle Sam. Donning the army uniform of his great-great grandfather and a domino mask, he becomes the Sprit of '76'! With fists, sword, and scabard he stops a plot to blow up West Point. Gary realizes that the role for the Spirit of '76' must be to protect West Point.
Movie star and former stunt girl Linda Turner is bored. Then she suspects that he director is a Nazi agent. Designing costume she designs herself -- complete with mega cleavage -- she becomes the Black Cat, and trail Garboil, the director, hoping to discover the mastermind of the Nazi spy ring. Also on the trail of Garboil is ace reporter Rick Horne. The two meet, join forces, and foil a plot to secretly send instructions to Nazi agents. Black Cat lets Garboil escape, hoping that in future issues he will lead her to the mastermind. The Black Cat was popular enought that she eventually got her own comic book.
The Great Amron has been revived after 6000 years of hypnotic sleep as a mummy to use the magic of ancient Egypt for the good of all mankind -- he is the Phantom Sphinx! Reanimated by the use of the Pebble of the Nile which had been placed on the mummy's forehead, the Phantom Sphinx's first task is to rescue reporter Nancy Taylor from bandit leader Red Norton. Magic happens. Ancient Egyptian magic. A lot of it.
Hollywood star Alan Douglas returns to his native England. With his mastery of disguise and knowledge of foreign language he is a natural to join the British Secret Service and become British Agent 99. Nazis want to hold the Sultana Zaida hostage to disorganize the loyal Liyans who are working with British forces in Libya. Agent 99 is sent to protect the Sultana, but he is waylaid and German agents kidnap the Sultana while also arranging for the Yogoslave military police to arrest 99 as a spy. What the Nazis forget is that Alan Douglas is not only a Hollywood star but he is also an action star!
Zebra is by-lined "Ellery King." (Why do I think that's a pseudonym?) John Doyle has been convicted of a murder he did not commit. Two days before he is to be executed, Doyle manages to escape and later convince guards that he had died in a pool of quicksand. Knowing the injustice that had been done to him, Doyle vows to devote his freedom to combat all crime and evil where justice fails. And so the Zebra was born -- wearing his striped prison outfit, red cape and boots, yellow gauntlets, a wide red and yellow belt emblazoned with a "Z", and a (you guessed it) domino mask. he sallies forth to do justice. Political boss Happy Mike thinks Doyle's girlfriend Mary Sewell may knoww ho the real killer is, so he sends his thugs to take care of her. The Zebra shows up and makes quick of them. Mary doesn't know who the real killer is, but Happy Mike does, so you just know the Zebra is going to go after him.
"Ellery King" returns with a four-page text story illustrated with comic panels -- "The Zebra's Murder Case."
The issue closes with a tale featuring Spin Hawkins, ace air adventurer and famous author. Spin finds a small uncharted island in the South Seas and decides to land to check it out. Suddenly another plane roars out of the sky to attack his. Spin manages to land his plane but is captured by oriental sailors armed with machine guns. The island is being used as a secret submarine base. Instead of killing Spin right off, his captors vow to execute him at dawn, giving Spin enought time to escape and find a large cache of demoliton bombs. Spin flies off and drops a bomb on the arsenal. KA-BOOM!
A lot of action for your dime, some of it pretty damned silly. Kids back then didn't care about silliness; they cared about heroes beating the pants off Nazis and other enemies. They got that in spades.
Enjoy:
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=25734
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