Detective Comics #18
Detective Comics #18 marks the debut of Steve Malone, District Attorney, the first comic book work written by Gardner Fox — a lawyer-turned-writer who would go on to co-create the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and the Justice Society of America, making this issue a quiet but genuine origin point for one of the medium's most consequential careers. The cover spotlights the licensed Sax Rohmer villain Dr. Fu Manchu — the only Fu Manchu cover the title ever ran — distinguishing it as a rare moment when a pre-Batman DC anthology book turned to a pulp-fiction property for marquee appeal. The issue also stands as a snapshot of the Golden Age anthology format at its most expansive, packing ten separate features across 68 pages with contributions from Bob Kane, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Fred Guardineer, and others, demonstrating how much creative talent was already orbiting what would soon become the Batman title. Creig Flessel, who had defined the visual identity of early Detective Comics with his run of covers, stepped away from that assignment with this issue, closing a formative chapter in the series' visual history.
In "The Hilton Diamond," Slam and Shorty stumble upon a mysterious rocket-shaped plane piloted by a daring girl, leading them into a high-stakes clash between two scientists vying for control of a revolutionary invention. Written by Jerome Siegel and illustrated by Joe Shuster, this early Detective Comics tale blends pulp adventure with sci-fi intrigue, all framed by Creig Flessel’s striking cover.
In "In the Stratosphere," Slam and Shorty stumble upon a mysterious rocket-shaped plane piloted by a daring girl, leading them into a high-stakes clash between two rival scientists vying for control of a groundbreaking invention. The story unfolds with a blend of early aviation wonder and classic mystery, as the duo navigates the skies and secrets above Gotham.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 16 grades ▾
Find on ebay
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was published in August 1938 by Detective Comics, Inc., edited by Vin Sullivan, who had recruited Gardner Fox into comics after Fox found his law practice struggling during the Great Depression. Fox later confirmed in an interview published in Alter Ego #20 (June 2003) that the Steve Malone story in this issue — 'The Lavalle Case' — was the first comic script he ever sold, submitted to Sullivan in March 1938; the strip drew directly on Fox's own legal background, casting Steve Malone as a District Attorney who fought crime far outside the courtroom. The Fu Manchu interior story was adapted from the Sax Rohmer newspaper strip originally drawn by Leo O'Mealia for the Bell Syndicate (which ran 1931–1934), here reprinted with art attributed to O'Mealia, though the cover itself was painted by Flessel — a credit that was misattributed to O'Mealia for decades before Flessel confirmed his authorship to researcher Scott Bonagofsky in 2007.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Steve Malone, District Attorney, written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Don Lynch — Fox's own debut as a comic book writer, a story he confirmed was his first script sold to DC, in March 1938.
- The cover, depicting Fu Manchu, was penciled, inked, and colored by Creig Flessel — the only Fu Manchu cover in the series' history; the cover credit was misattributed to Leo O'Mealia for decades until Flessel personally corrected the record in 2007.
- This is one of the final covers Flessel produced for Detective Comics; he had drawn the large majority of the title's first 18–19 covers, giving the pre-Batman run its signature pulpy visual identity.
- The Dr. Fu Manchu interior story ('The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu,' Part 2 of 12) is a reprint of Sax Rohmer's licensed newspaper strip from 1931–1934, adapted and drawn by Leo O'Mealia; Detective Comics licensed the strip for issues #17–28 (July 1938–June 1939).
- Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster contributed two stories: 'Death's Ruby' (starring Spy/Bart Regan) and 'In the Stratosphere' (starring Slam Bradley and Shorty Morgan), making this one of the few pre-Superman issues to feature the Superman creators twice in the same book.
- Bob Kane — credited as both writer and artist — contributed the one-page 'Oscar the Gumshoe' humor strip, one of his lesser-known early DC anthology contributions predating his Batman work.
- The Slam Bradley story ('In the Stratosphere') features a rocket-plane plot and includes an internal note from the DC Database that Slam and Shorty are implied to be based in Cleveland.
- The issue runs 68 pages and includes ten separate features, spanning Speed Saunders (Gardner Fox/Fred Guardineer), Cosmo the Phantom of Disguise (Sven Elven), Larry Steele (Will Ely), Bruce Nelson (Tom Hickey), and a prose text story by Vin Sullivan writing as Paul Dean — an unusually dense anthology even by the standards of the era.
Cast · 9 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes #[nn] (1995)
Key issues in Detective Comics
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.