Smash Comics #23

In "The Beetle and the Tongs," set amid the tensions of Chinatown’s rival clans, The Ray equips Bud with a ray ring capable of emitting a blinding beam—just as the stakes rise and old grudges threaten to erupt. Written by a team credited in the original issue, the story unfolds with quiet tension, where a single device could tip the balance between peace and chaos.

Detective Wun Cloo springs into action when two bumbling crooks armed with a boomerang-bullet gun attempt to rob the streets, but his efforts to recover a stolen wallet lead to an unexpected chase. As the crooks make their getaway, Wun Cloo must outwit their peculiar firepower to bring them to justice in this lighthearted romp from Smash Comics.

In "Enter: Doc Wackey," Midnight confronts the bizarre menace of a mad scientist who uses mind-altering pills to regress people to infancy—himself included. When Gabby risks a dangerous antidote to save Dave, the unexpected twist comes not in punishment, but in a second chance: Midnight offers the doctor a path to redemption, teaming him with Gabby to channel his brilliance for good.

In "The Blue Death," the enigmatic magician Caglio finds himself locked in a deadly rivalry with the Crystal Queen over a mysterious and deadly blue gem. As their clash escalates, the gem's power proves too much to control, leading to a fatal confrontation that ends in sudden destruction.

Detective Carter pieces together a deadly puzzle when a mysterious killer calling himself the Black Death begins executing wealthy citizens with poisoned darts, leaving calling cards at each murder scene. Racing against time and the killer's vendetta, Carter digs into the victims' past to uncover a connection to Holt Industries—and realizes the Black Death may be the vengeful son of a man his targets once framed. With Dr. Parker's life hanging in the balance, Carter must reach the old Holt mansion before the killer completes his twisted revenge.