National Comics #68

When carnival barker Carnie Callahan encounters Leo, the Lion Man, and his fierce companion Nero joining Colonel Lane's Mammoth Circus, he quickly discovers that Leo's arrival has stirred up dangerous secrets—particularly with the renowned animal trainer Guido. As tensions simmer between Leo and Guido, and trouble erupts throughout the circus, Carnie finds himself caught between mirth, mayhem, and a mystery that demands solving before more blood is spilled.

Detective Sally O'Neil investigates the apparent suicide of poet Ernest Kent—but a riddle in verse left at the scene suggests foul play, and suspicion falls on his daughter Linda, who's secretly infiltrated the offices of publishers Best and Hanger to uncover theft of her father's work. As Sally digs deeper, cryptic death threats penned in poetic couplets begin arriving, and the body count rises, forcing her to separate genuine clues from elaborate misdirection to expose the true killer.

Jo writes a heartfelt poem for Uncle Balty to read, only to watch him panic when he thinks it's a love note from the married woman next door—so he packs up and flees the country, convinced he’s in danger from her husband.