Centaur Publications, Inc. was a Golden Age comic book publisher from 1938 to 1940, issuing 21 titles for a total of 140 issues. Its most popular title was Funny Pages, which ran from March 1938 to October 1940 for 42 issues. Other long-running titles were Amazing Mystery Funnies (24 issues), Keen Detective Funnies (24 issues), and Star Comics (23 issues). None of the titles issued by Centaur appear to be significant. When Centaur limped to its final end with its December 1940 issues, there remained only three titles -- all last-ditch efforts to gain sales, or (more probably) to use up inventory; The final three titles were Detective Eye (three issues), Masked Marvel (two issues), and Wham (two issues)
The first -- and penultimate -- issue of Wham features "Craig Carter and His Magic Ring," a ten-pager written and drawn by Eddie Robbins. Archaeologist Craig Carter is bored with his career. He decides he wants action. He wants to be a crime fighter! Returning home one night, Craig frinds a small box on his table. In it is a ring, along with a note of appreciation from Aben Toumaj, the fellow whose life Craig saved in Egypt. Craig gets a phone call from his girlfirend Nikky. Her father has been hurt and Craig rushes to be with her, totally unaware that he's wearing the ring. Two thugs had jumped Nikky's father and stole the formula for a powerful acid he had invented. Wondering what to do, Craig rubs his chin, and -- accidentally -- also rubs the ring. Poof! Appearing in a cloud of smoke is Zeus, King of the Gods. (Zeus is an old graybeard wearing a not-very Greek blue robe and a pointed crown. I'm not sure why he came out of what I assume is an Egyptian ring.) Because Craig wears the ring, the gods must help him. Zeus tells Craig where the thugs are hiding. He rides Pegasus to the hideout and, with Zeus's help, regains the formula. But the crooks have already copied the formula and use if to rob the local bank. Again, Pegasus flies Craig to where the crooks are hiding. This time, Mercury helps Craig corral the bad guys. It looks like Craig had found his career as a crime fighter.
Red Morgan is "The Sparkler." He has this nifty suit of light-resisting material that can make him invisible. When he becomes visible once again, sparks leap out of his body for several minutes. Red find himself in a small city where two gangs are vying for control -- with bullets. The Sparkler first appeared in Centaur's Super Spy.
"Copper Slugg" is a bit too eager to use his fists. When he knocks out the police chief's son-in-law, thinking him a purse grabber, he is suspended from the police force for ten days, with a warning not to hit anyone in that time. That's going to be hard to do when the senator's niece is kidnapped and Slugg is the only one on nthe trail.
Lin Wade is the top waddy of the Lazy Y Ranch. When a crooked gambler is shot and killed, Lin is accused. A lynch mob takes him and begin to string him up. The lynching is stopped by the masked "Phantom Rider," who then takes it upon himself to prove Lin innocent. Who is this Phantom Rider? Who knows? He's ridden off into the sunset. This is The Phantom Rider's last appearance; he was last seen in Centaur's Funny Pages.
"Speed Silvers" is a railroading man, the number one engineer of the railway. Today, Speed is riding with Mike Muldoon, an oldtimer who is currently the Southern District manager for the railroad. Muldoon reminisces about the old days, when dangers lurked from Indians and from outlaw gangs. What Speed and Mike don't realize is there are three thugs on board intending to rob the train. Speed Silvers had previously appeared in Centaur's Amazing Adventure Funnies; this was Silvers' last appearance. (The last panel looks as if it were designed for a "Watch for More Adventures of Speed Silvers" blurb, but it is ompletely blank. The end is one the horizon for Centaur.)
"Jon Linton" is a young scientific adventurer and flyer.of the year 2000. He has been aiding Alpha-712, an agent of Quinton, in their battle with the Nogos in the Fifth Dimension. Previously (in Centaur's Amazing Mystery Funnies), Alpha-712 materialized a herd of dinosaurs to defeat the Nogos. This time, it is the Nogos who materialize the dinosaurs to attack Quinton. Jon helps Alpha-7121 to materialize cannon and tanks to defeat the Nogos once again. Now Jon, his aged assistant Dr. Kane, and Kane's daughter Lisa are ready to return to the 3rd Dimension and Earth, but interdimensional travel is tricky and the three find themselves in 1940, where they are believed to be alien invaders and are seized and jailed. Alpha-712 breaks them out of jail, and... And nothing. The to be conintued box at the end of the story is blank. There are no more adventures. **sigh**
"Speed Centaur" is just that, a centaur. Speed takes his friend Reel, a newspaper photographer, to view the ruined sity of his people, only to find that hostile humans have taken over the empy, once-magnificent city. To free themselves, Speed must first defeat three Siberian polar bears. Speed Centaur had previously appeared in Amazing Mystery Funnies. This was his last appearance, despite the fact that another adventure was promoted for the next issue.
"Detecto, the Wonder Beam" was invented by Jack Strand, who installed it in his car. Detecto can 1) receive and send short wave radio calls, 2) stop any motor, 3) set up a resistance beam that is impervious to bullets, and 4) paralize all living things it touches. Detecto gets its first (and last) tryout against "Killer" Blaze and his gang.
Enjoy this blast from the past.
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