The Mummy Ray - The Black Clown - The Laughing Skull (Wow Comics #3)

Our first of three tales involves a crackpot inventor who invents a powerful weapon he labels a "mummy ray". Why? Well, as he zaps a poor carousing cat outside his window, it turns into a lifeless skeletal mass. Excited as to he prospects of this new deadly device, the inventor.. Phineas Cox... approaches Henry Hewitt, manager of the Defend America League (whatever that is). Hewitt chases his volatile visitor away, impelling Cox to cry out that he will show the country the power of his device.

Later, we see a poor damsel strolling on the way to who knows where, and gets zapped by the mummy ray, held by the masked marauder known as the Black Thorm. Why her, why there, why at that time... none of these questions are answered. However, this makes him a threat which Brian Butler hears broadcast over the radio. Through some unspecified detective work, the prosecuting protector of the powerless tracks Black Thorn first to a bank housing defense funds and an armory, each guarded by the next victims of the Ray. In the first confrontations, Black Thorn uses his headpiece to knock the wind out of his adversary. It appears during their next encounter that Black Thorn has slain the crimson crusader, but in actuality it was a spare costume draped on one of the former guards which Scarlet uses to lure the villian out in the open. A rematch leads to Mister Scarler knocking out his opponent. Unmarked, the Thorn is revealed as Hewitt, who stole Cox's ray to use against America. This will be the core concept of Black Thorn's return, alongside other freakish foes.

The next malevolent maniac that Mister Scarlet faced would remind one of another caped crusader's arch-enemy. This tale begins with, could it be, Brian and his sassy secretary Miss Cherry Wade on a date at the circus. There, the couple meet its owner, Harry Parish after which the pair see some slithering snakes that get under Miss Wade's skin.

Jump to the home of banker George Reardon, who while going over financials gets a big slimy python gives him his last ever hug. When news of this is broadcast on the airwaves, Butler changes into his ever handy superhero spandex and races to Reardon's bank, where a couple of hoods of making off with some funds therein. Battling the dastardly duo, he faces their boss the Black Clown, who has a python... perhaps the same one that made George's acquaintance, to likewise show our colorful crusader some animal affection. Instead, Scarlet bursts from its grasp, and tracks the Clown and his minions to the apartment of Petrie, business associate of Reardon.

Foiling these plans as well, Scarlet still can't corner the slippery Black Clown who lunges out of the window into the night air. Suspecting that the snakes which his foe uses originated from the circus, Scarlet calls Miss Wade to inform her of this to likewise let the authorities know. Instead, she shows up at the circus and becomes a captive pawn of the Black Clown, who sends out his muscleman from Borneo to tackled Mister Scarlet. Our hero beats this bruiser, then acrobatically grabs his secretary whom the villain threw down from above as a distraction. Overpowering the Black Clown, Mister Scarlet discovers he was really Parish. Miss Wade ascertained that Parish was going bankrupt, sought a loan from the bankers and when failing to get it, hatched this scheme. He is the fifth of six returning rogues who will plague Scarlet again.

This last man to vex Mister Scarlet is the so-called Laughing Skull. He first appears tormenting a man named Jones with threatening letters, then kidnaps him, burying him alive! Somehow, word of this gets out into the newspapers, catching our legal eagle's eye and attention. Brian Butler is on the case.

However, before that can happen, a "queer nut" according to dutiful dotting damsel Miss Cherry Wade bursts into the special prosecutor's office, admitting to Mister Butler, Esq. and his secretary that he is fact that mastermind behind this crime. Escorting him out, Brian and Miss Wade discuss the need for Mister Scarlet to enter the fray. And so, later that evening, it is that caped crusader who is copping a squat on top of a tombstone in Hillside Cemetery, where Jones disappeared, and witnesses Skull and his thugs to push their next victim Henry Mize into a grave. Inexplicably, Scarlet hides behind one tombstone in front of two hit-men, then reappears behind them!

Though Mister S. makes short work of these two thugs, their boss chucks a brick from above at Scarlet's head, knocking him out, then get away. Waking up, our colorful crimefighter is once more approached by the odd man stating he is the Laughing Skull, although Scarlet asks questions of a nearby owl as to "who" is the Skull rather than inquire further of this strange fellow.

Returning to his office the next day after the police apparently save Mize, he is notified by Miss Wade that John Dodd has also been threatened by the Skull. Dodd is a banker. Apparently, Gotham is an unsafe place to live if you are a banker. Donning is cape and cowl, Butler heads over to Dodd's home and is confronted by the Skull, then shortly thereafter yet again by the weirdo once more professing guilt. Our Laughing larcenist and is men get the drop on Scarlet, and when he regains consciousness he if face to face with the Skull. However, a hand from an open window... another open window in this city... passes him a knife allowing Scarlet to tear free from his ropes. Oh and catching the plummeting body of Miss Wade, who adopted her employer's modus operandi and breaking in open windows but not keeping her balance.

Meanwhile, back at the cemetery, Skull and his men are planning to abscond with their "third victim" (wait, wasn't Dodd the third one?) named George Brown. Before they can do this, Mister Scarlet overwhelms the crooks and unmasks the Laughing Skull... as the strange fellow who kept approaching he and Miss Wade. Turns out, he was Dodd who was blackmailing his victims into helping him out of debt.

• Supporting Scarlet: This is the last solo tale of Mister Scarlet, as he will soon be joined by another caped crusader. Wanna guess his age? Remember, this is the age of Robin, Speedy, Sandy, Bucky, Dusty... boy wonders all.

• Red Romance: At least now we have Brian and Miss Cherry going to the circus together, presumably on a date (their first?). Butler is on his best behavior lately, not bursting into her apartment unannounced. Mister Scarlet chastises her for following him to Dodd's digs as a "disobedient secretary", worried for her safety. Her reply? "Oh, just wait till I get my breath back!"

• Menacing the Mister: We now have six costumed creeps from the last three tales and these three: Doctor Death, the Ghost, Horned Hood, Black Thorn, Black Clown and the Laughing Skull. When we see them, and their enemy, again... we will see their tenacity.

• Crimson Capabilities: So Mister Scarlet seems to glide effortlessly through the air, though not a solid indication of his rumored "flying abilities" as yet. Definitely has a sturdy skull, to absorb multiple flows to the head without losing a step.

• Fawcett Facts: Soon...the above sinister six will assemble... on October 15, 1941. A landmark issue and historical first as we will discuss.