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| for some reason, this book won't display in the CB+ reader, yet when I download it, it works fine in cdisplay. |
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| The Arrow was interesting to me for many reasons: a) the small frames at the tops of pages which seemed purely decorative, not diegetic; b) the pre-code violence in which a comic hero not only kills bad guys but fires arrows into a crowd of them; and c) the discovery of the work of Claire S. Moe, a pioneering female comic author and artist.
Whereas the initial story in this volume, "Boss Kidnaps D.A.," seems relatively straight-forward, it didn't cause me to briefly have to suspend my disbelief as in the "Episode of the Daring Escape." Admittedly, there may have been a need to conserve pages an be economical in storytelling, but it was jarring to start the story thinking that this was a gang working from the outside of the penitentiary to bring about the escape and realize (not really until the battering ram car bursts out the gates from the inside) suddenly that the characters were the escapees themselves. It definitely made me wonder how the leader got his gat while inside.
Another problem with suspension of disbelief occurred in the otherwise intriguing "Dragon's Face Bank Robbers." SPOILER ALERT: If you don't want a key scene revealed, skip to next paragraph. In the scene aboard the ship, I don't understand how on earth even a character like The Arrow could possibly remove those huge chains which attach to the rudder of a big ship. It just strained my credulity, to say the least (and I am usually pretty solid in suspending my disbelief in order to let a few things go by).
One last observation about The Arrow stories. I was amused to note that, at least in these stories, The Arrow crashes through windows as often as The Hood (in another title from another publisher) gets bopped on the head. But I get it. It's like Hollywood special effects. It looks extra-dramatic!
The Dan Savage of the Mounted didn't grab me so much via John F. Kulb's art, but because of my fond memories of both watching Sgt. Preston of the Yukon on television, but also listening on the radio. I didn't care for the pasty, white, largely undefined faces of the characters, but I enjoyed the story.
Signals in the Sky was another back-up or ancillary story in this issue. The hero, not recognized by me, seems to be a woodsman, mountain man. When a kidnapped boy uses Morse Code to ask for help, the woodsman comes running. Seeing that he can't do anything directly without risking injury to the boy, he comes up with an interesting use for his "pet" skunk. However, because of a coloring error, it looked more like a squirrel than a skunk when she or he first appears and takes on correct coloring when the boy is holding her or him.
My favorite story in the "back of book" section was Claire S. Moe's "Poison of the Jungle Flower." A cross between Tarzan or Jungle Jim and a Weird Tales pulp adventure, I was fascinated enough by the premise to put it in my "memory bank" as a possible sidequest in a Dungeons & Dragons-type adventure sometime in the future.
Harold Hughes Death from the Skies and Pursuit (a two-part episode) was interesting, but nothing about that adventure stands out in my mind.
All in all, I'm looking forward to devouring the other two issues hosted here on cbp. |
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| Some data on Claire Stander Moe.
https://womenincomics.fandom.com/wiki/Claire_S._Moe
Cheers |
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| A) how does the Arrow see to shoot his arrows? By the next issue he has a cowl but his face isn't covered, in issue 3 he's got a standard mask; I guess he's just very lucky in this issue. B) The Arrow could be called "Green Arrow" because his arrows are green. |
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| Additional Information |
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| Publication | October 1940 | Price: 0.10 USD | Pages: 1 | Frequency: monthly |
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| Content | Genre: Superhero | Characters: The Arrow [Ralph Payne] |
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| Advertisement | Announcing the Sensational New Daisy Red Ryder Carbine (1 page) |
| Credits | Letters: typeset |
| Content | Characters: Red Ryder; Little Beaver |
| Notes | Illustrated advertisement from the Daisy Manufacturing Company for the new 1000-shot Red Ryder carbine, for sale at the cost of $2.95. Also pictured and available is the 500-shot lightning-loader carbine for $2.50. |
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| Synopsis | The Boss kidnaps the District Attorney, primarily because he was tough on his boys over the years, and intends on rubbing him out.....until the Arrow steps in. |
| Content | Genre: Superhero | Characters: The Arrow [Ralph Payne]; District Attorney Nolan; unnamed crooked Judge (villain); The Boss [Dutch Henson] (villain, death); Henson's henchmen [Trigger; rest unnamed] (villains, some die) |
| Notes | Reprint of the 5th Arrow story.
The splash panel and all of page five displays the Arrow in a yellow costume, not red.
Letterer credit courtesy of Terry Gustafson, son of Paul Gustavson. |
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| Comic Story | Daring Escape (7 pages) |
| Synopsis | Bendix and a group of criminals escape from the State Penitentiary and head for the city where they hope to track down the Judge that sent them up the river. But the Arrow is already on to their plans and deals with him in his own way. |
| Content | Genre: Superhero | Characters: The Arrow [Ralph Payne]; Judge J. Thomas Gordon; Jane Gordon (the Judge's daughter); gas station attendant; Bendix (villain); group of convicts [Curley; rest unnamed] (villains); Rogers (villain) |
| Notes | Reprint of the 6th Arrow story. |
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| Comic Story | Dragon's Face Bank Robbers (6 pages) |
| Synopsis | The Dragon's Face Gang has robbed the National Bank and are making their getaway, but hot on their trail is the Arrow, who stifles their flight to South America and into the hands of the Coast Guard. |
| Content | Genre: Superhero | Characters: The Arrow [Ralph Payne]; The Dragon's Face Gang [The Boss; Smiley; Trigger; Wong] (villains, banker robbers) |
| Notes | Reprint of the 7th Arrow story. |
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| Comic Story | Killer Hogan (7 pages) |
| Synopsis | After breaking up a fight between Blackie and Tom, Savage is called by his chief and informed that two killers, being brought back by a Corporal McKay, have escaped and are heading his way. |
| Featuring | Dan Savage of the Mounted |
| Content | Genre: Adventure | Characters: Dan Savage (member of the RCMP); Mary (Savage's girl); Devil (Savage's horse); unnamed Chief of the RCMP; Blackie (villain); Tom (villain); Killer Hogan (villain, a murderer); Slate (villain, a murderer) |
| Notes | Script credit by Craig Delich |
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| Comic Story | Signals in the Sky (7 pages) |
| Synopsis | A pair of thugs kidnap a young boy, but the boy uses his talents and intellect to find a way to tip off Rip Burns of his peril by the use of a kite and Morse Code. |
| Featuring | Rip Burns |
| Content | Genre: Adventure | Characters: Rip Burns; Johnson (kidnapped youngster); Oscar (a skunk); Butch (villain, kidnapper); Joe (villain, kidnapper) |
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| Text Story | Date with Death (3 pages) |
| Synopsis | Dick is called in by the chief and alerted that the remaining two members of the old Scarelli mob have surfaced and have been raising havoc for the police by pushing narcotics in factories in town. |
| Credits | Script: Larrie May (credited) | Letters: typeset |
| Content | Genre: Adventure | Characters: Richard Archibald Ward [aka Dick Ward] (detective); Police Chief O'Connor; Walter Gilmore (factory owner); Joe Scarelli mob [Bob Crawley; Jack Nanetti; others unnamed] (villains) |
| Notes | Artist credits by Craig Delich
Page two of the text story has the Statement of Ownership. The interesting part is that it is the statement of ownership of Star Comics. |
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| Comic Story | The Poison of the Jungle Flower (14 pages) |
| Synopsis | A film director, getting ready to take his cast to Africa to film a movie, is notified that a crystal gazer, performing at his home, died in the middle of a seance. Unknown to the cast members, the director and his assistant have in their possession a strange jungle goddess that can bring death. |
| Content | Characters: un-named crystal gazer (death); Ann (actress); Nils (actor); ship's captain; ship's mate (death); Jones; Stero (pseudo villain, film director); Kailo (villain, assistant to Stero) |
| Notes | Script credit by Craig Delich |
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| Comic Story | Death from the Skies (7 pages) |
| Synopsis | Terry is ordered by his boss to take a trip on a luxury ship bound for Bermuda and keep his eyes open since some $450,000 worth of gems are on board. And, sure enough, Terry spots three known criminals on board, and, getting no help from the ship's Captain, decides to forstall the jewel thieves escape, but gets blamed for the crime in the process. |
| Featuring | Terry Conaway |
| Content | Genre: Adventure | Characters: Terry Conaway; ship's Captain; "Pinky" Dallas (villain); "Rat" Halloran (villain); Joe Gabiccano (villain); Cutey (villain) |
| Notes | Two of the criminals die in the story, but it's hard to ascertain which ones they are.
Storyline continues in the next story. |
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| Comic Story | Pursuit (7 pages) |
| Synopsis | Having the rest of the jewel thieves in custody aboard ship, Terry learns that a notorious international jewel thief still awaits their return with the gems they were supposed to have purloined aboard ship. Terry gets permission from the Captain to use the ship's motor launch to go after this man. Arriving at the island in question, they discover the crook has made a getaway in a sloop and take a plane after him, and round him up. |
| Featuring | Terry Conaway |
| Content | Genre: Adventure | Characters: Terry Conaway; ship's Captain; Fritz (ship's sailor); Gabby (villain); Von Helsinger (villain, international jewel thief); Von Helsinger's assistants [Blackie; other un-named] (villains) |
| Notes | Story line continues from the previous story in this issue. |
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| Cartoon | Shoot the Ump! (1 page) |
| Content | Genre: Humor; Sports |
| Notes | Five separate gags about baseball umpires. |
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| Advertisement | Act Now! On This Bargain Offer. (1 page) |
| Credits | Letters: typeset |
| Notes | Found on the inside back cover.
Illustrated advertisement from Remington Rand in Buffalo, offering readers a nice desk for $1 when they purchase a portable typewriter. Offer also includes a 24-page booklet on how to type plus a carrying case for the typewriter. |
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| Credits | Letters: typeset |
| Notes | Found on the back cover.
Illustrated advertisement from the Johnson Smith and Company, offering readers a variety of items to purchase, such as fish hooks for 15 cents, telephones for 20 cents a pair, a live turtle for 35 cents, a mounted Police suit for $4.25 and much more. |
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| The data in the additional content section is courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under a
Creative Commons Attribution License.
More details about this comic may be available in their page here |
