Detective Comics #2 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1937.
Synopsis for Slam Bradley: "Skyscraper Death"
A friendly bout of fisticuffs between Slam Bradley and his friend, the construction worker Pete Graves, ends with Slam as the victor, and Pete telling him he'll get him next time. Later, while he is walking home, the police arrest Slam for Pete's murder. At the police station, a mouthy accuser, claiming to be Pete Graves' attorney, barges in and makes some rude remarks to Slam, who energetically kicks him out of the room. Slam sends his pal Shorty to follow the shifty lawyer, while Slam sticks around and answers a lot of questions, then is released, on the condition that he doesn't leave town.
At his apartment, Slam is ambushed and shot at by a pistol-packing young lady. He grabs her pistol and lifts her up onto a sturdy hook in the closet. She is Betty Graves, Pete's sister, and she believes that Slam was the one who murdered her brother. Betty is not buying Slam's claims of innocence, and she has brought along a second hidden handgun. When Slam turns to answer his telephone, she aims it at the back of his head!
Shorty meanwhile follows the shyster to his garage, gets hit on the head, and gets captured by the "attorney's" gang. They torture him for a while, but Shorty outsmarts and outfights one of them, and escapes. He telephones Slam and tells him what's what, then two shots are heard, then two more!
Betty shoots and misses four times before Slam escapes from his own apartment and onto the fire-escape. Betty is left fuming on the coat hook, while Slam hurries to the address he got from Shorty, but his partner is already gone when Slam arrives. But one gangster has been left there, of whom he makes short work, and then he finds that Shorty has managed to hide a note, on the clothing of the thug that was left behind. Slam beats some information out of this punk, and learns that Shorty was taken to the Jinx Tower. The tower is still under construction, and already the site of a dozen unexplained deaths. Slam is able to ride the elevator cable to the top, where Shorty is about to be pushed off. He IS pushed off, but Bradley catches him by swinging into position on a cable. The two detectives then clamber onto the scaffolding with the gunmen, get missed by half a dozen more bullets, and knock one of the racketeers off the structure. Soon they find the racket boss, the phony lawyer, clinging desperately off the end a girder. He promises to confess to the murder of Pete Graves, and describes his whole crooked racket, before Slam helps him back up onto the girder.
Soon the surviving villains are in custody and Slam is cleared of all charges, and receives a kiss from Betty as an apology.
Appearing in Slam Bradley: "Skyscraper Death"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- fake attorney
- his fake labor union
- Nick (Single appearance)
- Tony (Single appearance; dies)
- his fake labor union
Other Characters:
- Sgt. Kelly
- small army of cops
- Pete Graves, steelworker (Single appearance; dies)
- Betty Graves (Single appearance)
- Bradley's irate neighbors
Locations:
- Cleveland
- vacant lot
- Police HQ
- Bradley's apartment
- Churchill Garage, 5323 Shaw Street
- Jinx Tower, half-constructed
Vehicles:
- Bradley's Small Racing Car
Synopsis for Buck Marshall, Range Detective: "The Sage City Bank Holdup"
The Sheriff tells Buck about the Circle B Ranch, owned by Jim Bower, which was just foreclosed on by the local banker, and adjoining ranch-owner, Mr. Taft. There had been an unexplained explosion, at the beginning of a recent drought, which had busted Bower's dam and drained his ranch's water supply, which led to the Circle B going bust and defaulting on the mortgage. Buck Marshall rides out to investigate.
Along the trail, Buck finds a young, dead cowboy, shot in the back, and his pony, grazing nearby. On the pony is a money belt, with $2000 in it, belonging to J. Taft, Sage City. Buck brings the money belt and leads the pony but leaves the body there, and rides toward Sage City. He spots a rider, who as soon as he is spotted turns and rides away. Buck doesn't chase him, but follows the same trail, soon arriving at the site where the rider had been. Buck realizes that he had been spied on for a long time, long enough for the rider to roll and smoke a cigarette, in brown paper. Buck rides on to Sage City, and gets there in the late-afternoon. He calls at the bank to meet Mr. Taft, but inside the bank both men are jumped, and Buck is knocked unconscious. When he recovers, the money belt is gone, his six gun is still on him, and Taft is nearby, tied up. He frees the banker, and they converse. Taft blames the robbery on Red Jack and his gang, someone Buck knows from Arizona. Sure enough, across from the bank, as Marshall is mounting up to leave town, Red Jack himself shows up and quietly advises Buck to meet him, outside of town.
Red Jack owes Buck Marshall a life-saving favor, from an earlier encounter, and when they meet, Red tells Buck to get out of town before he's dead, for the kid he found was Jim Bower's son. Red rides off and Buck, after riding one more mile north, circles back to town, arriving after dark. He dismounts and walks thru town, until he spots Mr. Taft's assistant, from the bank, arguing with a Mexican cowboy. They go inside the bank, and from a window, Buck eavesdrops on them. After hearing the Mexican mention the money belt, and seeing him roll a cigarette in brown paper, he bursts in. He's got both of them covered and disarmed, when Taft bursts into the room, pointing his revolver at all three of them, and gloating. But right then, the town Sheriff shows up, and fires a shot thru the window, to put Taft on the spot and arrest him.
Buck and the Sheriff reconstruct Taft's scheme, and the Sheriff reveals that there's a reward due to Buck, for capturing Taft's Mexican henchman, the notorious Black Pete.
Appearing in Buck Marshall, Range Detective: "The Sage City Bank Holdup"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mr. Taft, rancher and banker (Single appearance)
- his bank assistant
- his Mexican assassin, Black Pete (Single appearance)
- his cow hands
Other Characters:
- Sheriff of Sage City
- Jim Bower, Circle B Range Owner (Single appearance)
- young Bower, Jim's son (Appears only as a corpse)
- Red Jack (Single appearance)
Locations:
- American Old West
- Circle Bar 8 Ranch
- Bar S Ranch
- Sage City
- Sage City Bank
- Circle B Ranch
- Taft's Ranch
- Arizona (Mentioned only)
Synopsis for Gumshoe Gus: "The Disappearing Duck"
Gumshoe Gus, police detective, is on the case to find Old Man Beekman's pet duck Gloria. After searching high and low, he finds a note, from Gloria, attached to an overhead light. She has gone to Hollywood to be with Donald Duck.
Appearing in Gumshoe Gus: "The Disappearing Duck"
Featured Characters:
- Gumshoe Gus
Other Characters:
- Old Man Beekman (Single appearance)
- Cumming, Beekman's nephew, a twin (Single appearance)
- Goeen Beekman's nephew, a twin (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Police HQ
- Beekman's Mansion
- Hollywood (Mentioned only)
Synopsis for Bret Lawton, International Detective: "The Peruvian Mine Murders (Part 2 of 2)"
Ten days have gone by and the mysterious murders continue; now eight mine workers are dead, and the remainder are ready to flee the place. The ninth victim, Tanta, dies right next to Bret Lawton, with no clue whatsoever as to how. Bret hunts relentlessly for the stealthy killers, and old Pedro, an Inca mine worker, guides him. Out in the bush, Pedro is stung by something, he can't see what, but thinks it's a spider; Pedro pulls a big knife and lops off his own finger right there on the spot! Lawton helps him tie up the wound, and examines the severed finger with a magnifying glass. But whatever he finds, it's suddenly moot as a squad of spear-wielding Inca tribesmen emerge from the bushes to surround and capture Bret and Pedro.
Bret and Pedro are buried up to their necks and daubed with honey, to be devoured by jungle ants, but Bret has poured a ring of cyanide, from his chemical kit, in a ring around the spot where they are placed so the ant attack is stymied. Luckily the tribesmen haven't stuck around to watch the deaths of Pedro and Bret, and also luckily Tom Bradley soon finds them and digs them out. They track the tribesmen to an old ruin in the jungle, where their leader is alone, and Bret punches him out. He turns out to be Spider Malone, an expatriate American gangster, who had been using a blow gun and some very strong venom to terrorize the mine workers.
Appearing in Bret Lawton, International Detective: "The Peruvian Mine Murders (Part 2 of 2)"
Featured Characters:
- Bret Lawton (Final appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Tom Bradley (Final appearance)
Antagonists:
- Spider Malone (Final appearance)
- Tribal Incas
Other Characters:
- Tanta (Single appearance; dies)
- Pedro (Single appearance)
Locations:
Synopsis for "Room Fifteen"
On a bet with a hotel manager, one man enters as Mr. White, checks out, then enters as Mr. Gray, checks out, enters as Mr. Brown and then exits through the window, entering as Mr. Green, Mr. Blue, Mr. Black and many others who are "guests" of Mr. Brown's. When the Day Clerk and Night Clerk get talking their descriptions of each of the characters is the exact opposite. Things are settled when the manager reveals the entire thing to the clerks.
Appearing in "Room Fifteen"
Featured Characters:
- One man who is Mr. White, Mr. Gray, Mr. Brown, Mr. Green, Mr. Blue, and Mr. Black
Other Characters:
- Hotel Manager
- Day Clerk
- Night Clerk
Locations:
- Hooper Hotel
Synopsis for Bart Regan, Spy: "The Balinoff Case (Part 2 of 5)"
While Olga is pouring the drinks, (into one of which she has slipped a pill), Bart Regan, (disguised as Captain Markham), slips a little bronze statue into his pocket. After they toast, they hear the continuing fight of Sally and the Cabby on the street. Bart runs out to stop the fight and Olga realizes the statue is missing. She runs downstairs to stop Bart, but he and Sally are riding off in the cab. Sally confronts him and he again says he has no feelings for her. Meanwhile, Olga finds out that Captain Markham is a spy.
Bart drops Sally off at her apartment. She, in a fit of anger goes upstairs and calls Philip Marsden, and tells him to come over. When he gets there she tells him that she wants to get married the next day. Meanwhile, Bart spends hours trying to figure out the Bronze statue. It looks Egyptian with hieroglyphics all over it. Then he reads the newspaper and sees the marriage announcement. He attends.
Appearing in Bart Regan, Spy: "The Balinoff Case (Part 2 of 5)"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Olga Balinoff
- her unidentified boss
Other Characters:
- Phillip Marsden (wears a monocle) (First appearance)
Locations:
- Washington, D.C.
- Balinoff's apartment
- Marsden's mansion
- big church
Items:
- little bronze statue
Synopsis for "Mail Order Murphy"
Murphy gets a mail order G-Man kit and starts snooping around. While sitting on top of a lamp post he spots a freshly baked apple pie in the window of a home, and while he goes to snatch it, he gets caught by the police and put in jail. He throws the mail order G-Man kit out the cell window.
Appearing in "Mail Order Murphy"
Featured Characters:
- Murphy (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mail-Man
- Police Officer
Items:
- G-Man Kit
- Apple Pie
Synopsis for "Mr. Chang and the Narcotic Ring"
Inspector Daniels, Chief of Detectives, has been making no headway against a dangerous narcotics ring, which has kidnapped two newspaper reporters and murdered at least one of his detectives. He calls in the famous private detective, Mr. Chang, who graciously accepts the case. With assistance from his valet, Wu, Chang conceals on his person a revolver, a dagger, and a hatchet, then sallies forth to choke some information out of a dope-addicted laundryman. From there he follows a white gangster to an old battered house in a deserted part of the city, and there he finds the drug gang, just then preparing to bump off their two kidnapped newspaper reporters. Mr. Chang interrupts this murder by shooting the gunman dead with a conventional revolver, and frees the reporters. Then a squad of gangsters converges on him, and Chang scatters them with his own secret stunning ray. The effect is only temporary, and the gangsters rally for a fight, and Chang gives them one, exerting herculean strength to fling them about the room. Meanwhile Wu has tipped off the police, so right then Inspector Daniels and a squad of cops charge in, guns barking, and drop enough thugs for the rest to give up.
Appearing in "Mr. Chang and the Narcotic Ring"
Featured Characters:
- Mr. Chang (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Chief of Detectives, Daniels (First appearance)
- Wu (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Narcotics Ring (at least eight gangsters) (some die)
Other Characters:
- Sing Lo, laundryman, dope fiend (Single appearance)
- Two Reporters
- police detective (Mentioned only)(Dies)
- Daniels' squad of cops
Locations:
- deserted part of the city
- old battered house
Items:
- Chang's secret stunning ray
Synopsis for Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise: "The Olive Oil Counterfeiters"
In order to catch a band of counterfeiters who have already killed a policeman, Cosmo disguises himself as an old hoodlum, and infiltrates the gang.
Appearing in Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise: "The Olive Oil Counterfeiters"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mr. Batini, counterfeiter (Single appearance)
- Guiseppe (Single appearance)
- Tony Morini (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Police Chief
- Inspector Flint (Single appearance)
- Officer Benson (Single appearance; dies)
- squad of cops
Locations:
- London
- Batini Importing Company Warehouse
- 18 Lake Street
Synopsis for Bruce Nelson: "The Claws of the Red Dragon (Part 2 of 8)"
After a long car ride, and hearing several words in Chinese being spoken, the blindfolded Bruce Nelson is pushed out onto a countryside road, then the sound of the car travels off into the distance. When he removes the blindfold, Bruce is uncertain where he is, only knowing that a long hike back to the city awaits him. His attempts to hitch a ride with passing cars futile, Bruce walks until he finally reaches a gas station. The owner allows him to use the phone to call police lieutenant Casey, and to order a car to pick him up.
Back at the Red Dragon restaurant, the police are now searching for any clues they could find, though the Chinamen that worked there are nowhere to be seen, and much of the evidence seems to have been cleared out as well. Bruce greets Lieutenant Casey on the scene, and Casey reveals that the couple who had been taken were retired German importer Erick Von Holtzendorff, and his daughter Ingrid. The reason why was still unknown, though Casey believes they might find further clues at the hotel room where they stayed. Questioning the hotel staff reveals one interesting piece of information: a Mr. Joseph Stucchi, who had visited the hotel several times before, had been seen talking to the couple about a half-hour before they were kidnapped.
In his apartment the next morning, Bruce Nelson reads in the paper that Joseph Stucchi was charged with larceny but never convicted. The events of yesterday flash back into his mind as he recalls the Chinese whispering amongst themselves. Some words he was able to understand, particularly when they spoke of a house behind a guarded gate with lion sculptures. He knows of a place like that on Long Island, so off he goes to investigate.
The walls around the home prevent easy entry for Bruce. But after circling the property, he finds an unlocked gate and enters into the main yard, where suddenly he comes face-to-face with a man with a dark mustache, pointing an automatic pistol in his direction!
Appearing in Bruce Nelson: "The Claws of the Red Dragon (Part 2 of 8)"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Hong Ah Kay (First appearance) (not yet named)
- Sing Dock (First appearance) (not yet named)
- Joseph Stucchi (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Lieutenant Casey (First appearance)
- Sigrid von Holtzendorff (In dream sequence only)
Locations:
Notes
- Published by Detective Comics, Inc. Cover date is April, 1937.
- At this time, More Fun Comics and New Comics were still being published by "Nicholson Publishing Co., Inc." However neither of those titles published an issue that month.
- Last issue for Bret Lawton, by Creig Flessel.
- Bret's old friend is named "Tom Bradley" in this month's episode, and was "Tim Morgan" last issue.
- This issue, Bruce Nelson has his adventure in New York City, Flushing, and Long Island, New York, as noted in panel 14, Bruce's dialog, and panel 17, caption. Last issue, everything happened in San Francisco, as noted in page 1, panel 2, caption.
- Buck Marshall gets head-konked unconscious with a pistol butt.
- After this issue, comedy filler feature Gumshoe Gus by Bill Patrick drops out, to return in Detective Comics #6.
- First and last Detective Comics issue for Mail Order Murphy by Pete De Angelo, the feature continues in New Adventure Comics #18
- The strip has no dialogue and no captions.
- First issue for Mr. Chang by Ed Winiarski, which next appears in Detective Comics #4, then skips #5 and returns in Detective Comics #6.
- Mr. Chang shoots one gunman dead.
- Slam Bradley's story "Skyscraper Death" is reprinted in DC's Greatest Detective Stories Ever Told.
- Slam Bradley's sidekick Shorty Morgan gets head-konked unconscious with a car-trunk lid. He seems to have amnesia afterward, but is faking.
- Also appearing in this issue of Detective Comics was:
- Silly Sleuths (gag cartoons) by Whitney Ellsworth and Vincent Sullivan
Trivia
- Russell Cole signs his "Room Fifteen" story as "Alger".