Small House of Everything

Small House of Everything

Saturday, October 8, 2022

711: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION -- FROM POLICE COMICS #1-15 (AUGUST 1941 - JANUARY 1943)

 Justice moves fast in Comic Book City.  Two days after agreeing to take the place of his best friend for a criminal rap, attorney Daniel Dyce is sentenced to life in prison.  His friend, the morally weak Jacob Horn, was a two-time loser who was charged with this thrid offence, meaning life in prison if convicted.  Horn's wife Mary was due to give birth in a few days and Horn wanted to be there for her.  Since Horn and Dyce closely resembled each other,  he asked Dyce to take his place for a few days; then, after the baby was born, he would turn himself in.  Dyce, being the smart up-and-coming lawyer he was, agreed.  But after Dyce, as "Jacob Horn," was incarcerated as Prisoner 711, the real Jacob Horn was killed in an automobile accident.  Now Dyce iss faced with life in prion with no way out!

Of course he could have escaped through the many plotholes George E. Brenner included in 711's origin story, but...no.  Dyce does actually tunnel his way to freedom, but then, "-- but - I'm forgotten by now.  I'm no longer Dan Dyce, I'm #711 -- and my place is back behind these walls!"  So the moke crawls back to his cell, leaving the tunnel so he can come and go as he pleases...and when he goes it's as711, with a full body maroon (or is it purple?  can't tell with the comic book coloring) suit, complete with gloves and shin-high boots, a green (sometimes -- depends on the colorist) cape, and a purple hat that kinda-sorta hides his unmasked face.  As 711, he dispenses justice.  I mean, someone's gotta do it, right?

In the first episode, he recovers  a quarter million dollars swindled from widows and orphans.

SPOILER ALERT!  In 711's final episode, he is killed by gangseter Oscar Jones.  "He was no super-human being.  He was alive -- so the day had to come when he would die - - - but little did he think that his life would be cut short at the evil hands of Oscar Jones, racketeer - - but it was his fate, his DESTINY -- and if you look back to the preceding panel, you will SEE DESTINY in the background, that daring new character who starts in where 711 left off and thrills you in the next issue of POLICE COMICS....."

Sic transit gloria 711.

Enjoy Daniel dyce's brief career as an agent of justice.


https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=83004&comicpage=&b=i


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