Police Comics #23
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freePolice Comics #23 holds a meaningful place in Quality Comics history as the final appearance of Phantom Lady (Sandra Knight) under the Quality banner — she would not surface again in any comic until Fox Feature Syndicate revived her four years later as a standalone title. That exit, paired with Jack Cole's ongoing Plastic Man feature and a reprint of Will Eisner's formally inventive 'Ebony's X-Ray Eyes,' makes this issue a quiet inflection point in the anthology's lineup: one headliner bows out while the other two demonstrate why Police Comics was one of the most creatively ambitious Golden Age titles. The issue also illustrates how Quality used Spirit reprints to give readers early Eisner strips that had only previously appeared in newspaper inserts, broadening their reach to a dedicated comic-book audience.
In "The Ghost Train," a mysterious twist unfolds when Sandra and the Senator return home to find their servants replaced by strangers—escapees from a nuthouse who hold them captive. Just as the situation grows dire, it’s Don who steps in to turn the tide, though how he does so remains a mystery. The story, illustrated with sharp, expressive art by Rudy Palais, is a standout in the early run of Police Comics, featuring a cover by Jack Cole that captures the eerie tension of the tale.
When a mysterious figure boards the Ghost Train—the notorious Pottsville Line now back in service—Plastic Man and his pal Woozy discover that escaped criminal Snout and a sinister gang have infiltrated the passenger cars with a scheme far darker than superstition. As the train rumbles through the night, ghostly apparitions begin to terrorize passengers and crew, but the real danger lies hidden in a private compartment where the true mastermind reveals far deadlier plans than simple hauntings. With the Army payroll aboard and time running out, Plastic Man must outsmart the criminals before the Ghost Train reaches its final destination.
In "null," Ma Drip runs the Drip Inn, serving up roadside snacks to curious tourists. When a couple asks for a "quaint, native dish," Pappy’s clumsy attempt to catch a hog leads to a chaotic scene that leaves the visitors convinced Ma’s cooking might be more personal than planned.
In "The Four Maniacs," Jo and the Senator return home to find their servants replaced by four unsettling strangers—escaped patients from a nuthouse—locking them inside. When the situation grows dire, it’s Don who steps in to rescue them, proving his courage in a tense, unexpected showdown.
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Police Comics was published by Quality Comics under the 'Comic Magazines' imprint, with Everett M. Arnold as publisher; by issue #23 the book had settled into a rhythm in which Jack Cole's Plastic Man dominated the cover and lead position while a rotating cast of backup features filled the remainder. The Spirit content in this issue was not new work — 'Ebony's X-Ray Eyes' was a reprint of a September 15, 1940 Register and Tribune Syndicate newspaper strip — a common editorial practice Quality used to give Eisner's material a second life in the comic-book format. Cole is also credited in this issue under his 'Ralph Johns' pseudonym for the one-page Burp the Twerp humor strip, a behind-the-scenes detail that underscores how heavily Cole's hand shaped the entire Police Comics package during this period.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: October 1943; published by Quality Comics under the 'Comic Magazines' imprint.
- The Phantom Lady story ('The Maniacs') drawn by Rudy Palais is the final Phantom Lady appearance published by Quality Comics — the character did not appear in any comic again until Fox Feature Syndicate's Phantom Lady #13 in 1947.
- The lead Plastic Man story, 'The Ghost Train,' was written and drawn by Jack Cole and features Eel O'Brian (Plastic Man) and Woozy Winks foiling a gang that fakes hauntings on a train to steal an Army payroll.
- The Plastic Man 'Ghost Train' story was later reprinted in DC's Plastic Man Archives Vol. 2 (2000), which collected Police Comics #21–30.
- The Spirit story in this issue, 'Ebony's X-Ray Eyes,' is a reprint of an Eisner newspaper strip originally published September 15, 1940 by the Register and Tribune Syndicate — featuring Ebony White as the focal character when a lab accident temporarily gives him X-ray vision.
- Jack Cole is also credited in the issue under his 'Ralph Johns' pseudonym for the one-page Burp the Twerp humor strip, in which Plastic Man makes a cameo — that cameo was later reprinted in Ron Goulart's Focus on Jack Cole.
- The Plastic Man story introduces minor new characters Caprice Corbett, and villains Snout and J. Noble Wopps, per the Grand Comics Database index.
- Woozy Winks, who had debuted in Police Comics #13 (November 1942), appears alongside Plastic Man as his established sidekick — this issue is well into the Cole-era run in which the Winks partnership was a fixture of every adventure.
Cast · 5 characters
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints The Spirit #9/15/1940 (1940)
Reprinted in Plastic Man Archives #2 (2001), Jack Cole and Plastic Man Forms Stretched to Their Limits #[nn] (2001), Roy Thomas Presents Classic Phantom Lady Softee #1 (2013), Roy Thomas Presents Classic Phantom Lady #1 (2013), DC Finest: Plastic Man: The Origin of Plastic Man #[nn] (2025)
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