The Hundred Comic Monthly #13
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Hundred Comic Monthly #13 (1957) is a significant node in the rapid Southern Hemisphere diffusion of the DC Silver Age, packing early adventures of Barry Allen's Flash, J'Onn J'Onzz the Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow and Speedy, Roy Raymond, Tommy Tomorrow, and Tomahawk into a single 100-page Australian reprint volume. For Australian readers of 1957, this omnibus-style package was the primary — and often only — way to encounter characters who were simultaneously reshaping superhero comics in the United States. The sheer density of Silver Age and transitional-era DC characters indexed in one issue makes it a representative snapshot of how expansive K.G. Murray's DC licensing arrangement was in the series' founding years.
In "The Secret of the Empty Box!", Sheriff Walt faces a test of courage when storekeeper Wayne is kidnapped, leaving the young townsfolk stunned by his hesitation to draw his gun. With Ross Andru’s dynamic art and Mike Esposito’s sharp inks bringing the tension to life, Walt’s quiet resolve and daring rescue unfold in a gripping tale of duty and justice. The cover by Carmine Infantino and Frank Giacoia captures the moment’s intensity, making this 1957 classic a standout in the monthly series.
In the fog-drenched streets of Central City, a mysterious giant box materializes overnight, drawing crowds and police alike. While authorities focus on cracking it open, a trio of clever thieves slips through the chaos, striking at targets across the city. The Secret of the Empty Box! unfolds with suspense and clever misdirection, as the true threat hides in plain sight.
In "Space Dreams for Sale," two off-world bounty hunters, Tommy and Brent, infiltrate a hidden base on a forgotten asteroid, uncovering a bizarre device that broadcasts vivid dreamscapes directly into the minds of sleeping victims. What begins as a routine raid quickly spirals into something far stranger, as the line between reality and illusion starts to blur.
In "Code of the Trigger Twins!", Sheriff Walt faces a test of principle when storekeeper Wayne is kidnapped, forcing him to choose between duty and restraint. With the kids watching, Walt’s hesitation shocks them—until he moves with swift precision, using courage and cunning to outmaneuver the bandits. The story captures a tense, grounded moment of frontier justice, where bravery isn’t just in the draw, but in the choices made in the shadows.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Hundred Comic Monthly launched in 1956 as K.G. Murray's flagship 100-page anthology reprint title, published through the company's Colour Comics imprint in Sydney. Murray had been building its DC reprint empire since 1947 and by the mid-1950s had settled on the 100-page giant as its signature format. The series ran until approximately issue #39, at which point it was retitled The Hundred Plus Comic with issue #40, and the line continued to evolve through further title changes into the 1960s. Because Australian import restrictions on American comics remained in force until 1959, Murray's locally-printed reprints were the only legal route by which DC's newest characters reached readers on the continent.
Trivia · 8 facts
- The issue reprints early DC Silver Age and late Golden Age/transitional material, with Barry Allen (The Flash) and Iris West appearing — characters who debuted in Showcase #4 (October 1956), written by Robert Kanigher and drawn by Carmine Infantino under editor Julius Schwartz.
- J'Onn J'Onzz / John Jones (Martian Manhunter) is indexed, placing early Detective Comics stories of the character — who first appeared in Detective Comics #225 (November 1955) — into this Australian anthology.
- The roster also includes Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) and Steve Trevor, Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), and his sidekick Speedy (Roy Harper) — representing multiple DC feature strips condensed into a single 100-page volume.
- Additional features indexed include Roy Raymond (TV detective strip from Detective Comics), Colonel Tommy Tomorrow (science-fiction feature), Tomahawk (frontier/western strip), and The Wyoming Kid — illustrating the anthology's genre diversity well beyond superheroes.
- Published by K.G. Murray through its Colour Comics Pty. Ltd. imprint in Sydney, the series ran from 1956 to approximately 1960, at which point it became The Hundred Plus Comic.
- Australian government import restrictions on American comics, in force until 1959, meant Murray's locally-printed reprints were the primary legal source of DC material for Australian readers during this period.
- The Hundred Comic Monthly #13 falls in the series' first year-and-a-half of publication, meaning its Flash content would draw from the earliest Showcase try-out stories featuring Barry Allen — among the first reprints of the Silver Age Flash anywhere outside the United States.
- The issue also features humor and non-superhero backup characters (Allergy Biggs, Binky Biggs, Fraidy Cat, Susie, Shorty, Lime, Lem), consistent with Murray's practice of mixing DC humor strips alongside action features in its anthology titles.
Cast · 28 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Detective Comics #149 (1949), Leave It to Binky #17 (1950), Movietown's Animal Antics #48 (1954), World's Finest Comics #76 (1955), Wonder Woman #87 (1957), All Star Western #94 (1957), Action Comics #228 (1957), House of Secrets #4 (1957), Showcase #8 (1957), Strange Adventures #80 (1957), Adventure Comics #237 (1957), Adventure Comics #238 (1957), Detective Comics #245 (1957), House of Secrets #5 (1957), Western Comics #64 (1957), World's Finest Comics #89 (1957)
Key issues in The Hundred Comic Monthly
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