Daring Mystery Comics #3

Jul 27

Jul 27 Daring Mystery Comics #3

Dale of the FBI

Red Corker escapes from prison and reunites with his old gang, having planned dozens of jobs while housed in jail. Ace investigator, Dale, is dispatched from Washington D.C. to Dream Island in San Francisco to try and rescue Helen Dean, daughter of oil magnate George Dean, who has been kidnapped by Corker. Tracking him down to the desolate Dream Island, Dale would shoot Corker down and his men would soon be captured by the FBI who would swarm the area. With Helen Dean rescued, Dale would be congratulated on a job well done.

Recurring Characters

J. Edgar Hoover

In the Miracle City

In 1945, Breeze Barton would be shot down over Africa by the Japanese army, crash landing in the desert. Wandering the waste land he would pass out through the barrier into the City of the Mirage in a dimension that has an access portal from Earth. Being cared for by Ann Barclay she explains that those who wander into the Mirace City are trapped and takes him to see the great scientist Zanoba. Zanoba explains that this is a timeless realm that nobody can escape.

Just then a prehistoric creature attacks the city, and Breeze helps the soldiers fight the creature into retreat. During the battle he comes up with the idea of using magnetism to try and reverse the polarity of the portal to allow them to travel back to Earth. When he tries to share this idea with Zanoba they are attacked by the Demon People, ruled by Mubahn who kidnaps Zanoba to steal the information from his mind.

Breeze Barton leads an army into the realm of the Demon People and slay Zanoba in combat, and frees their slaves. With the battle over, Barton takes Zanoba back to the Mirage city where they begin working on the magnetism device. When he asks Ann if she will join him when he returns to Earth, she agrees to go with him.

Recurring Characters

Breeze Barton, Ann Barclay

Continuity Notes

This story takes place in an alternate reality. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #2 designates it as Reality-4040

Purple Mask

Dennis Burton meets with Commissioner Herrick and learns that the police are working on a case with Mr. Swabert, whose home plans were stolen recently in order to learn the location of his late fathers hidden money, hoping that the plans would reveal the secret passage. When this plot failed, the thief would start calling Swabert constantly making death threats if he did not reveal the location of the money. Despite his insistence, Swabert cannot convince the man threatening him that he does not know where the money is.

Looking over the planes Dennis decides to go into action as the Purple Mask to investigate the situation and try and stop the crooks from murdering Swabert. Purple Mask arrives at the Swabert mansion just in time to prevent the man from being doused with poison gas rigged into his phone when the midnight deadline hits and then begins searching the secret passage ways for the crooks.

During the ensuing gun fight, a secret switch is activated from a ricocheting bullet revealing a secret room where the fortune has been hidden. Surrounded by a drawbridge and surrounded by a moat of acid, the money is soon covered by two of the mobsters. Gunning down the rest of the men, the Purple Mask rushes into the room, frightening one of the crooks so bad he jumps into the acid, finding nothing but painful death. Threatening to throw the remaining crook into the acid as well, he forces him to surrender and confess to the crime.

Recurring Characters

Purple Mask

Continuity Notes

No explanation is provided for why Dennis Burton changed his identity from Laughing Mask to Purple Mask. He will go back to his original identity in the Twelve series. One possible explanation is that he was avoiding the legal repercussions of murdering Lester Deeks last issue, this makes sense when you consider that he was later arrested for that murder in the Twelve #5.

The Phantom Reporter

After a series of home invasions and murders in the East Side of the city, the Daily Express editor sends his "slacker" cub reporter Dick Jones to investigate the crimes, because even though Jones is a terrible reporter mysteries seem to get solved whenever he investigates them.

Dick is warned by the Parks Commissioner not to follow the story and to leave the problem to the police. However he decides to continue going with it. When his boss is threatened to drop the story he refuses. Later when the editors home is broken into Dick, in his identity of the Phantom Reporter, beats up the thugs come to rough up his boss. When rival papers the News Telegram and the Record beat the Daily Express leading the editor to believe that they are in on it.

Dick decides to hang out in front of the home where the last attack happened attracting the attention of some thugs who beat him and tell him to get lost. Changing into the Phantom Reporter, Dick chases after them and beats them all into submission learning that the whole plot was orchestrated by the parks commissioner, chief of police, plus the publishers of the Record and the Telegram to influence people to move out of the East End of the city so that they can buy up the property cheaply and convert it into park land for a hefty profit. With the conspiracy revealed, the Phantom Reporter tracks down all those responsible and beats them into submission, leaving them for the authorities.

Later, the editors words are come true and Dick gets the scoop into the paper, and the mystery is solved.

Recurring Characters

Phantom Reporter

Continuity Notes

This is the only Golden Age appearance of the Phantom Reporter. Years later he would become the central character in the Twelve limited series.

Trojak the Tiger Man

When a prehistoric monster attacks the tribe that had adopted the white jungle man known as Trojak, they ask him for help. Agreeing to see what he can do, Trojak and Balu confront the creature and find their weapons have no effect on it. However, their confrontation frustrates the creature enough for it to leave the scene to find easier game. Convincing his tribes people to be brave, Trojak leads them to the monsters cave and crush it with a log.

Trojak is then visited by Sator the eagle who tells him his female friend Edith Alton has been captured by strange white men. Communicating with other tribes via drum beats, Trojak learns that Edith's ship was stopped by a Nazi U-Boat and she was taken prisoner and brought to their camp inland. Furious, Trojak rushes to the girls rescue. Initially freeing her, they are both surrounded by Nazi soldiers and surrender.

However Trojak frees himself and using the Nazi's own cannon destroys the U-Boat before freeing Edith and fleeing into the jungle. Once in safety, Trojak vows to destroy the Nazis that have invaded his jungle.

Recurring Characters

Trojak, Balu, Edith Alton, Nazis

Marvex the Super Robot

Bolo, a fifth Dimensional scientist has become intrigued by the human race and decides to create a race of robot slaves modeled after human beings. His first creation, Marvex would have enough free will to revolt against his master and slay them. Destroying his masters machines an explosion would knock Marvex into the Earth dimension.

There, the robot would earn money helping tow a mans car to a service station. Finding that people look at him strangely, the robot would purchase some clothing. Noticing a burning building, Marvex would go to the aid of the people trapped inside, saving Clara Crandall and her father. Unfortunately her father would die anyway and Clara would explain to Marvex that they were attacked by spies who stole her father’s new armor coating formula.

Marvex goes after the spies and slays them, taking back the formula and turning it over to the authorities. Clara is smitten by Marvex, however he tells the girl that they can only be friends and reveals to her that he is a robot.

Recurring Characters

Marvex, Clara Crandall

Continuity Notes

It is stated in this story that Marvex comes from the so-called 5th Dimension.This realm should not be confused with Reality-6212, also known as the 5th Dimension which first appeared in Strange Tales #103.

Captain Strong of the Foreign Legion

Captain Strong and his men of the Foreign Legion have been dispatched into the deserts of Algeria to investigate a series of caravan robberies and install an outpost in the area. They are attacked by Ali Hassan and his band of thieves the ones responsible.

In the initial fight, the thieves are unprepared for the soldiers guns and flee, but not before Captain Strong can disguise himself as one of them and sneak into their camp. Overhearing Ali planning to attack their camp at night while they sleep, Strong rushes back to camp to warn his fellows. They set up a trap for their enemy and when Ali and his thieves attack the camp, they are fooled into attacking dummies. They are then mowed down by the Foreign Legion, and Ali is taken prisoner, ending the theft problem in the region.