Zip Comics #32
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeZip Comics #32 (December 1942) sits at a fascinating crossroads in MLJ's Golden Age output, capturing the publisher's wartime anthology model at its most diverse — superhero action, war propaganda, crime detection, and teen humor all sharing the same 68 pages. It carries what the Grand Comics Database identifies as an early, unverified Joe Kubert art job (the 'Zoom O'Day' story), which — if confirmed — would place the future Hall of Fame artist doing formative professional work here at roughly age 16. The issue also holds the final appearance of the Zoom O'Day feature, marking the steady contraction of Zip's adventure roster that would accelerate in 1943 as MLJ pivoted toward humor titles. As a document of home-front ideology, its 'Zip's Hall of Fame' tribute to Soviet partisan hero Maria Baida reflects the remarkable Allied-unity messaging that American comics briefly embraced during the war's middle years.
In "The Werewolf of France," a 1942 Zip Comics standout, pilot Zoom finds himself stranded in occupied France after a crash-landing with vital medical supplies bound for Russia. With time running out, he adopts a daring disguise—posing as Adolf Hitler—to steal a plane and complete his mission. Art by Joe Kubert brings the wartime tension to life, while Bob Montana’s cover captures the story’s eerie, high-stakes atmosphere.
In the heart of wartime Chinatown, the murder of rug merchant Ah Kim shocks the community when twenty thousand dollars meant for China’s war relief vanishes—leaving only a single playing card signed by Sergeant Murdock. With the trail cold and suspicion rising, Black Jack and his allies must untangle a web of deceit before the stolen funds fall into the wrong hands.
In a daring 1942 adventure, Zoom O'Day finds himself stranded after a forced landing with vital medical supplies bound for Russia—only to pull off a wildly improbable ruse by disguising himself as Adolf Hitler to steal another plane and keep the mission alive. With Liverlips caught in the chaos, the stakes rise as one man’s bold impersonation becomes the only hope to deliver the cargo.
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Zip Comics ran for 47 issues between February 1940 and Summer 1944 under MLJ Magazines Inc., the company that would eventually rebrand as Archie Comics. Harry Shorten served as series editor throughout, and issue #32 follows the formula he had established: Steel Sterling headlined with a script by Joe Blair and art by regular series artist Irv Novick, surrounded by rotating supporting features. Bob Montana — already drawing Archie Andrews for Pep Comics — provided the cover, one of several he contributed to the title in 1942. The issue was produced deep into America's first full year of World War II, and its contents lean heavily on wartime subject matter across nearly every strip.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Published December 1942 by MLJ Magazines Inc. (precursor to Archie Comics), edited by Harry Shorten; cover art by Bob Montana.
- Final appearance of the 'Zoom O'Day' aviation feature, which ends with Zoom disguising himself as Adolf Hitler after a forced landing while delivering medical supplies to Russia.
- Steel Sterling story ('The Werewolf of France'), scripted by Joe Blair with art by Irv Novick, pits Sterling against a fake werewolf harvesting French civilians to supply surgery for wounded German soldiers.
- The Web story features John Raymond (The Web) tangling with a German U-boat crew that lands at a peaceful island for provisions, written with art by Sam Burlockoff.
- Wilbur (Bob Montana art) appears in a comedic skinny-dipping story — an early showcase for Montana's teen-humor style on the character he co-drew before Archie Andrews became MLJ's flagship.
- 'Zip's Hall of Fame' nonfiction feature profiles real-life Soviet partisan Maria Baida, who received the Order of Lenin for bravery against the German invasion — part of Zip's documented series of Allied wartime hero tributes running from issues #28–38.
- The GCD tentatively attributes the Zoom O'Day art to a teenage Joe Kubert (later Hall of Famer, best known for Sgt. Rock and Hawkman at DC), based on stylistic comparison to his signed work in Blue Beetle #13 (Holyoke, 1942) — though this credit remains unverified.
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Reprinted in Gwandanaland Comics #1068 (2017)
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