Police Comics #41

When a storage facility owner's desperate plea lands on Plastic Man's desk, the elastic hero gets official leave to investigate a ring of high-class shoplifters led by the mysterious Mask—but first he has to drag his reluctant partner Woozy Winks into the case, despite Woozy's uncomfortable history with the criminal underworld. As Plastic Man closes in on Louie the Lift and his crew mid-heist, he realizes this organized operation is far too calculated for a simple street thief, and hatches a clever trap to flush out the real brains of the operation. With department store shelves as their battlefield and Woozy providing unexpected help, Plastic Man takes on a criminal empire that's stealing far more than just merchandise.

Detective Flatfoot Burns gets called to the Acme Theatre to stop a robbery—only to discover that Rollo the Hypnotist is using his stage act as a cover to put the audience to sleep and steal their wallets. When Burns arrives to shut down the scheme, Rollo commands his hypnotized subjects to capture and destroy the detective, leading to a wild chase where Burns must outmaneuver both the mesmerized crowd and Rollo's increasingly desperate attempts to put him under a spell. It turns out the unflappable detective has a simple defense against mind control that Rollo never saw coming.

Patrolman Dan Richards discovers a major theft ring operating from a warehouse near the docks—the same criminals responsible for the city's recent string of systematic robberies. When Richards is ambushed and knocked unconscious by the gang's leader, The Gnome, he recovers and becomes Manhunter, enlisting his faithful dog Thor to pursue the crooks to their getaway barge. With quick thinking and Thor's help, Manhunter outsmarts the gang and tips off police to intercept their escape, bringing The Gnome and his crew to justice and solving the case that had stumped the entire police force.

When The Spirit discovers that jewel dealer Belabaruk has his sights set on the legendary Jewel of Death—a cursed gem currently held by the dancer Shellah Gregg—he finds himself racing against time to protect her and her husband Dr. Gregg from a curse that has already claimed eight lives. Caught between ancient prophecy and a dangerous criminal plot unfolding in an exotic locale, The Spirit must navigate betrayal, supernatural warnings, and increasingly desperate odds to prevent another tragedy. A thrilling 1945 tale that blends mystery, danger, and the supernatural into eight pages of pure pulp adventure.