[crashryan]

Interesting collection. I can't help wondering if this inspired the title character of the long-running Whistler radio series (premiered 1942) or if it's just coincidence. Probably the latter. A whistling character isn't that hard to dream up and there was no similarity between the comic and the radio show. The radio Whistler was just the narrator of a crime anthology show. He took no part in the stories.

Link to the book: Whistler Complete Collection

[FraBig]

I don't think so, mainly because this character debuted in 1945, so the radio series pre-dated him. I think there isn't any relation between the characters, they are just named in the same way.