Smash Comics #7

In "The Suicide Torpedoes," the Pan-American Congress defends the Western Hemisphere with the towering Caldwell Line, a naval barrier meant to starve the landlocked Axis powers. When Madame La Coquin lures Black X to a high-society Washington party under false pretenses, her true aim is assassination—yet Batu’s illusion tricks everyone into believing the hero is dead, opening the way for a dangerous sabotage campaign against the line.

Abdul and his faithful servant Hassan infiltrate a den of smugglers to expose a gun-running operation, only to discover that the mysterious villain known as The Masked One is far more dangerous—and far more connected—than they bargained for. When their cover is blown and Abdul is captured, Hassan must use his wits and quick reflexes to turn the tables on their captor and uncover the truth about Webb's operation.

Archie O'Toole fancies himself tough after everyone once took him for a pushover, and when King Crunch insults him over the phone, our hero accepts the challenge to meet him in the ring—only to discover that words are one thing and actually throwing down with the self-proclaimed toughest king in the world is quite another. This two-page romp by Bud Thomas is pure 1940s cartoon humor, complete with exaggerated brawling and the kind of bruising comeuppance that makes for perfect comic book comedy.

Philpot Veep and his companion Waldo think they're doing a good deed when a mysterious basket arrives at their door containing what appears to be an abandoned baby—but their charity takes a dangerous turn when the "infant" reveals itself to be a murderous midget impostor with a sinister tattoo and a taste for violence. As Philpot and Waldo scramble to survive the creature's attacks, they must figure out who sent this malicious mite and why before it's too late.

In "The Arson Robberies," a series of mysterious hotel fires leave police stumped—until a safe vanishes from the wreckage. Kent Thurston, as the Invisible Hood, steps in to uncover the truth behind the blaze, tracking down a gang masked by asbestos suits and burning their way through the city's secrets.

Red Dutton has traded his wartime service with Canada's Princess Pats regiment for a new arena—as the shrewd manager of the New York Americans hockey team, where his legendary eye for talent and skating prowess remain as sharp as ever. This sportrait celebrates a former player who proves he's still a formidable competitor on the ice, even as he shapes the game from behind the bench.

John Law, the lawyer-scientist, faces off against the mysterious criminal known as the Avenger, who has targeted wealthy men across the city—and now sets his sights on Albert Lewis with a pair of deadly traps. When Law arrives at Lewis's estate to investigate a threatening note, he discovers the Avenger has rigged the cellar with fiendish devices, including a stroboscopic light contraption designed to hide a moving rod from human eyes. As Law navigates one death trap after another, June Carter—worried for his safety—arrives at the estate just as the Avenger makes his presence known, setting the stage for a desperate race against time.

In "The Master Plan of Rudolf Hitz," Jarmanian spies Rudolf Hitz and Olga team up with Public Enemy #1, Scar Pipalle, to kidnap a general's son and force a ransom from the gold hidden at Fort Adam in Kentucky. When Hugh Hazzard and his Iron Man Bozo the Robot intervene, the twist comes not from the villains—but from Pipalle himself, who, in a moment of unexpected loyalty, turns against Hitz to protect his country, taking a bullet meant for another.