Comic Crime

AS YOU probably already know, comic books didn't confine themselves only to graphic arts; a lot of them inserted very short text stories as well. Here are seven of them from those controversial crime comics of the Fifties, a few of which are of the perfect crime variety:

(1) "Be Careful, Killer!"

By Ric(hard White) Hasse (1916-94).

First appearance: Crime Smashers No. 5, July 1951.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 26).

(Note: Faded but readable text.)

   "'Uncle Linton paid for that library,' he said aloud to himself, 'and now it's furnishing Uncle Linton's only nephew with a perfect alibi for the time of Uncle Linton's murder'."

Resources:

- Ric Hasse produced a good deal of short pulp fiction outside of the comics. Here's the FictionMags list for him (ss = short story):

 "The Merry Wives of Murder," (ss) Big-Book Detective Magazine, April 1942

 "Cupid Has Nine Lives," (ss) Gay Love Stories, December 1942

 "You Can’t Hang a Corpse," (ss) Thrilling Detective, March 1943

 "No Rest for the Wicked," (ss) Mammoth Detective, October 1946

 "Nitro at Midnight," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, November 1946

 "I’ll Never Die Again," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, December 1946

 "Claim Your Own Dead," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, January 1947

 "Too Old to Die," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, February 1947

 "Whistle While You Slay," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, July 1947

 "Death Lights the Way," (ss) Thrilling Detective, October 1947

 "An Empire Crashes," (ss) Street & Smith’s Detective Story Magazine, October 1947

 "Frame for a Flatfoot," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, November 1947

 "Suicide Swag," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, February 1948

 "Too Dumb to Live," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, October 1948

 "Not by Blood Alone," (ss) Dime Detective Magazine, January 1950

 "Two Must Die!," (ss) New Detective Magazine, March 1950

 "Time to Throw Lead," (ss) Blazing Guns Western Story Magazine #3, February 1957.

(2) "Beast of Crime."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime-Fighting Detective No. 18, March 1952.

Short short short story (1 page).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 23).

(Note: Text faded but legible.)

   "Midnight doesn't eat much and one never knows when a cat will come in handy."

(3) "Pattern for Murder."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime-Fighting Detective No. 18, March 1952.

Short short short story (1 page).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 10).

(Note: Faded text but readable.)

   "His fingers began to pick nervously at the burnt-out butts in the tray."

(4) "Clue in the Cab."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime Detector No. 1, January 1954.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 22).

   "If it weren't for a case of insomnia and a dough-hungry hacker, I don't know what might have happened to the Big Town!"

(5) "Dead Give-A-Way."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime-Fighting Detective No. 15, June 1951.

Short short short story (1 page).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 18).

   "I had it planned so good."

(6) "The Hidden Witness."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime-Fighting Detective No. 16, September 1951.

Short short short story (1 page).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 24).

(Note: Text very faded but legible.)

   "At the gun's flat report, the white head within the study fell forward."

(7) "Time Will Tell."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime-Fighting Detective, March 1951.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 18).

(Note: Some text very blurry but readable.)

   "At one side of the room lay old Mark Baylor, a tall grandfather clock smashed across his back."

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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