Fran Frazer, Girl Reporter - an Archie Comics girl detective

It would seem the Golden Age of comic books actually had more interesting characters than I ever believed.  I'm aware there were some female characters from back in the first half of the 20th Century who were popular enough to headline their own titles, no matter how short lived - such as Jane Arden and Brenda Starr, just to name a couple.  And while I knew there are any number of male detective characters who made their comic book debut back in the '30 and '40s, I was not aware that there were some female detectives who also appeared back then, as well!  One of those happens to be a young photographer named Fran Frazer.  I was completely unaware of this until I glanced at one of those Archie digest-sized comic books in the grocery store recently (World of Archie Jumbo Comics no. 136, to be exact!).  The very first page of the first story inside was a tale belonging to Fran Frazer!

"One Shot Worth a Million" is a five page story written by Ian Flynn and drawn by Holly G! (yes, with an explanation point after the "G"), and it introduces readers of the 21t Century to the red-headed freelance photographer / journalist, Fran Frazer.  I was intrigued enough to pick it up.  The story obviously plays into the fun and humor that is Archie comics, but it also tells a brief, not too complicated mystery of how a crime syndicate is raiding Lodge industry shipments.  Archie is aiding Fran in her investigation (with hearts in his eyes), when along comes Veronica Lodge, who is assisting a reporter named Hal Davis, who is following up on the same scoop.  Of course, Archie and Veronica fight it out, since they each cancelled their date to "help" their respective reporters, and while they have a lovers' quarrel, Fran and Hal uncover the identity of the one helping the crime syndicate.  Again, it's a short, fun story, but it piqued my interest in this character, and I wanted to know if she is someone new, or if she were perhaps an old character being brought back into the limelight (such as Archie Comics did not long ago with Young Dr. Masters, who has been making appearances in various Archie digest comics).  

As it turns out, Fran Frazer is not someone knew; rather, she made her first appearance back in the October 1940 issue of Top Notch Comics, no. 9.  In an untitled story beginning on page 28 of that issue, Fran Frazer is described as a beautiful girl photographer who "lives in a constant whirl of romance, excitement, and danger ... caught in a maelstrom of Europe-at-war, Fran is given a roving assignment, by the famous magazine 'Strife,' to cover the tumultuous events of future history!"  Speeding into a war zone aboard a train that gets derailed, the fearless young woman jumps out with determination, telling herself, "I"m going to get some shots of this!"  As she stands amid the explosions and fire-fights around her, she snaps shots with her camera, reveling in the fact that "Sure as I'm a foot high, I'll get a bonus for these pix!"  A reporter by the name of Hal  Davis happens to be on the scene, and he hurls himself at Fran, knocking her out of the way of oncoming danger - to which she responds with indignation, of course, because he ruined one of her best pictures of the year! She tricks a local into driving her into town, leaving Hal behind, in the hopes she can scoop him - but instead finds a telegram waiting for her, telling her if she does not come through with "sensational news," she can find another job! In quick fashion, she sends a report that the troops have stormed a castle - something that has not yet happened!  Yet, with her womanly wiles, she convinces the general to "storm the palace like the knights used to do," and soon enough, that's exactly what they do, giving Fran a sensational scoop (even if her story was sent in BEFORE the storming actually took place!).  The credits for the four-page story are given to Irving Novick and Joe Blair.  Interestingly, the writer actually receives secondary credit, as Blair authored the tale. He was a regular writer for MLJ Comics (the publisher), and he created some popular Archie super-hero characters such as Fox and Inferno, besides his co-creation of Fran Frazer.  Norvick, who received the top credit, was a comic book artist who apparently worked for more than 50 years in the industry, serving as the primary artist for MLJ's superhero characters, such as the Shield, the Hangman, Steel Sterling, and others. 

The unstoppable photographer appeared again in the very next issue of Top Notch Comics, cover dated December 1940.  In another untitled tale, which begins on page 29 of this issue, this time attributed to Irving Norvick and Harvey A. Biern, Fran is described as having "proven that, in spite of her sex, she is a better man that any of her male revivals."  For this story, Fran is sent off to Murania to get a picture interview with King Farol, only to discover that her competition, Hal Davis, is also heading to Murania - "for his health," he claims.  By pure coincidence, Fran saves a dog from being run over by a plane taking off, and it turns out the dog is the favorite dane of the crown Prince Miklas.  Upon meeting the prince, he offers her a ride to the palace, leaving a frustrated Hal behind!  At the palace, the prince confides in Fran that one Madame Mupescu has been wrongfully influencing the king to turn over his country's oil fields to the Nazis! Before you know it, Fran finds herself kidnapped, right along with Hal - but through a fortunate hole in the floor of the cell where she is being held, Fran manages to snap some pictures of the enemies plotting against the king!  She tosses the film out the window, where Prince Miklas' dog is waiting - who then carries the film to the prince, who shows the photos to his father, and the criminals' plans are thwarted!  All thanks to Fran Frazer and her photographs!  Once again, she saves the day in a simple, four-page story that packs more story in it than four issues of today's comics!  As far as the writer goes, I could not find much information on Biern, other than the fact that he is credited with writing a number of stories for Top Notch Comics, and at least one story in Blue Ribbon Comics (another MLJ title of that time).

Fran Frazer continued to take photos and stop criminals in every issue of Top Notch Comics from October 1940 through issue 25, published with a cover date of March 1942.  This final four-page story starts on page 25 of this issue, and it provides no credits as to writer or artist.  The art, however, is plainly different from that of the earlier stories, leading one to believe that Norvick was no longer providing the art by this point.  This tale opens with a German military man parachuting down behind Russian lines - where, it just so happens, Fran Frazer and Hal Davis are bicycling back from the war front, where they failed to get any story.  Hal spots the parachute, and the two race to intercept him.  Sadly, they don't find him, but wehen they report the incident to general headquarters, Fran is observant enough to spot the mud on the general's boots - and soon enough, the two are being arrested! Thinking quick, Fran tricks the general, and she and Hal sneak into the general's office, where they find a secret staircase into the cellar - where they discover a German about to do away with the real general! Hal dukes it out with the German, and Fran uses her wits, and a pair of tongs to pull a coal from the furnace and drop it into the back pocket of the German's pants, giving him a real hot seat!  Hal and the real general quickly overcome him, where Fran reveals it was clear the German intended to kill the general and take his place!  This last story ends with no final caption and no tagline as to seeing Fran Frazer in any future issues.  Thus, Fran Frazer's career seemingly ended in 1942...

Flash-foward 82 years (literally! from March 1942 to March 2024!), and Fran Frazer was given new life (and a fresh new look, to boot!), as she was brought into the modern world in that issue of World of Archie Jumbo Comics discussed above.  But she did not stop there.  The very next month, Fran Frazer made her second modern appearance in the April 2024 issue of Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics issue no. 322.  "Only Mysteries in the Building" is the name of the story, obviously a take-off of the popular television drama, Only Murders in the Building.  The writer and artist for this second modern tale are not the same as the first, as this time, Tom DeFalco provides the story and Bill Golliher provides the pencils.  DeFalco is a long-time comic writer, usually associated with his tenure and work at Marvel Comics, having written long runs on titles such as Amazing Spider-Man, Thor, and Fantastic Four.  I did not realize he did work for Archie Comics, but doing a bit of quick research reveals that he has provided stories for Archie going back as far as 1974!  Golliher is an unknown to me, but apparently he has been doing work for Archie for several years now.  His art is definitely the standard Archie-style, with the characters looking like what you would imagine Archie and his gang to look.

Strangely, DeFalco changes Fran's occupation from a freelance photographer to a young woman who "beautiful, brave, and resourceful, she lives in a whirlwind of excitement, solving mysteries for her true crime podcast."  Which is quite odd, considering the history of the character as a news photographer, and her appearance just one month prior as a freelance journalist and photographer.  The change is jarring, but the story is still full of silliness that is Archie Comics.  The mystery begins when Ms. Grundy is unable to find her English final exam - who took it and why?  Betty and Veronica trail along with Fran as she questions suspects - Reggie Mantle, Simon Silverstein, Principal Weatherbee, Coach Clayton, and even Big Moose!  But none of them have any information on the missing final exam - leaving the girls only one final suspect, Mr. Svenson, the school custodian, who happens to be dumping trash that he has collected from all of the classrooms into the garbage compactor.  It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it, and Fran Frazer is never afraid of getting her hands dirty if it means solving a case!  Of course, digging through all that garbage leaves them with quite a mess to clean up after.  

I haven't seen any indication of any Fran Frazer stories in any of the upcoming Archie Comics releases, but I'm holding out hope that this is not the last we've seen of Fran Frazer.  In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing an entire comic devoted to our intrepid journalist / photographer / podcaster!  This is too good of a character for Archie to let fall by the wayside.  After all, they brought her back after 80 years, so surely she deserves more than just two stories!  (And let's see some friendly competition between her and Hal Davis - after all, he's had 80 years to sit around and think about all the times she scooped him on stories back in the early 1940s!)

 

 ***A special acknowledgement to The Digital Comic Museum, who has preserved the Golden Age issues of Top Notch Comics and made them available for readers like me who could otherwise never read the stories contained therein!  You can find the Fran Frazer stories in those issues at their website (Fran Frazer in Top Notch Comics).

RATING:  9 episodes of a true crime podcast out of 10 for breathing new life into a Golden Age character that deserves a second chance in the comic world - and introducing new readers to a female crime-solver worthy of attention!

Short Lived Comic Series #21 - The Adventures of Young Doctor Masters (Archie Comics)

 More and more, I find myself getting into and thoroughly enjoying a lot of the old "romance"  and "career" comics of the '50s, '60s, and '70s, particularly those from independent publishers other than DC and Marvel.

 

Published in 1964 by Archie Comics, with cover dates of August 1964 (issue one) and November 1964 (issue two), The Adventures of Young Dr. Masters is a two-issue series that tries to cash in on the romance and "doctor" comics that were hitting the spinner racks back in that time.  DC Comics had Young Love, Young Romance, Heart Throbs, Falling in Love, Secret Hearts; Charlton Comics had Love Diary, I Love You, First Kiss, Teen Confessions, Career Girl Romance; Marvel Comics had Patsy Walker, Kathy, Modeling with Millie; and many others!  Meanwhile, around the same time, there were medical drama comics such as Dell Comics' Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey; Dell had previously published a series of comics about Nurse Linda Lark; Marvel had published a series about Linda Carter, Student Nurse from '61 to '63; Charlton published its own nursing series about Nurse Betsy Crane, as well as a series about The Young Doctors and Doctor Tom Brent, Young Intern in 1963; and, of course, there were others.  So, it only stands to reason that Archie Comics, who already had their own romance comic in the form of Katy Keene, would take a stab at the medical drama comic, with a little romance thrown in for good measure.

The first issue of The Adventures of Young Dr. Masters serves as an introduction of the main cast to readers.  David Masters if the "young" Dr. Masters, who shares a practice with his father, Walter Masters, who is referred to as the "old" Dr. Masters.  The story certainly starts off with a bang, as Young Dr. Masters is asked by the police to provide emergency medical attention to two people who were shot in a hold-up, as well as the criminal himself, who was also shot.  Masters shows some great courage in confronting the crook and ultimately tricking him so that the police can come in and arrest him!  But, by the fifth page, the internal conflict comes to light as Masters returns to his office where a patient is demanding to be treated by "old" Dr. Masters, and not the son!  From there, readers quickly discover that David Masters is more interested in the research side of medicine and not at all confident when it comes to examining and diagnosing patients; however, his father is determined to force him to follow in his footsteps, as is his fiance, Brenda Moore, who has made it clear to the young Dr. Masters that she won't marry him until he makes a choice - either follow his father's path to become a practicing physician and give up the lab work, or she will never marry him!  (Hence, the romance drama!).

The lead in to the second story introduces readers to the fourth member of our cast, a young nurse named Sally Redmond, who falls for young Dr. Masters without realizing he is engaged.  Masters and Redmond are called to a construction site, where two men have become trapped under a girder on the 19th floor of the building under construction!  Once again, young Dr. Masters puts his life at risk to save the men, much to the admiration of Nurse Sally.  Of course, upon returning to the office, "old" and "young" Doctors Masters get into yet another argument about his career, which ends with old Dr. Masters falling ill and ending up in the hospital.  It is revealed that in destroying his son's lab, old Dr. Masters released a virus that he has now contracted, and it's up to young Dr. Masters to save his father's life!

The stories are fast-paced and definitely worthy of your typical soap-opera, medical drama.  Interestingly, though, it is not the young female lead who is being pushed about and forced into a life she doesn't want; rather, this comic gender-switches the standard fare and gives us a young male who is in a quandary about his life and what career he should pursue and whether he should get married or not.  Yes, despite all of his wavering and emotional outbursts, there is nothing "feminine" about young Dr. Masters at all.  He shows strength and fortitude as he faces down an armed criminal and climbs out on a teetering girder 19 stories high to save lives.  He shows just what he's made of and definitely endears the reader to his character.

The second issue of The Adventures of Young Dr. Masters features two more stories, "Operation Plane Crash" and "A Case of Bad Blood."  Oddly enough, this second issue features some glaring changes - "old" Dr. Masters makes no appearance at all, and in fact, he's not even referenced.  In addition, Masters' fiance, Brenda Moore, is also suddenly off-canvas.  Also gone is Masters' uncertainty regarding his ability as a doctor; in fact, in the first story, Masters finishes up an appendix operation when the news comes in of a plane crash where medical attention is needed immediately, but the only way to get to them is by parachute - which, coincidentally enough, Dr. Masters is fine with, having been a medic in the 82nd Airborne in Korea! (Why wasn't this mentioned anywhere in the first issue, where Masters made it seem like he barely had any experience with practicing medicine?)  However, like in the stories of the first issue, Masters jumps into danger (literally!) as he must help save the lives of a desperate killer who has already taken the lives of three people in the plane.

In the second story, it's clear that Masters and Nurse Sally Redmond have become a lot closer since that first issue, so when she reveals to him her concern for her uncle and a bitter rivalry he has with a director of the construction site, he immediately jumps in to give aid when news comes in that there was an accident at the construction site.  It seems a crane has fallen on Sally's uncle and his rival, Mr. Roper (Three's Company, anyone? Oh, wait, this is a decade before that show came out....) have become trapped under the crane and are both injured (gee, doesn't this sound somewhat similar to the second story of the first issue, where two men were trapped under a girder at a construction site?).  Young Dr. Masters' compassionate side is seen here, for he leads the men to believe the only way one of them can be saved is for the other to provide a transfusion of blood, thus tying the men together in a unique way!  Will the men allow their feud to cost one of them his life, or will they put aside their differences so that they both can live?  Definitely a question worthy of any good drama!

While neither issue provides credits for the author or artists, a search on line reveals that the stories were written by Robert Bernstein, with art by John Rosenberger and Sal Contrera.  I'm not really familiar with any of these creators, but I did find online that Rosenberger helped co-create the character of "Lady Cop" for DC Comics in 1975 (which comic I reviewed for this blog some time ago).

Sadly, this series only had two issues, so readers were not able to follow any further adventures of the Young Dr. Masters.  Yet, the character was certainly not forgotten by Archie Comics, because just this year, the character appeared in a five-page short story in Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics #305, published with a cover date of August 2022.  In a story titled "The Doctor is in Vogue," Betty and Veronica are watching their new favorite online celebrity, Dr. Masters, live-stream his international adventures on his travel vlog, when they discovered he is at the beach in Riverdale - the same beach where they are currently sunbathing!  It is revealed that Betty is the president of the local Dr. Masters' fan club, while Veronica helped sponsor the doctor's travel vlog.  Soon enough, two boys are in danger out in the water after their jet skis crash, and it's up to young Dr. Masters to save the day!  I give artist Jeff Shultz props for making young Dr. Masters look very similar to his 1964 incarnation, making him stand out from the "standard" Archie-style art of Betty, Veronica, and the other characters in the story.

 

 

Now, we are all left to wonder - when will our young Dr. Masters appear next?

RATING:  9 therapeutic trial treatments out of 10 for some good, clean, fun stories filled with drama, romance, and adventure - all the makings of a great comic!

Katy Keene - Restless Hearts (a Prequel Novel of the CW TV Show)

I was never a "Katy Keen" fan before the CW television show.  I knew she was an Archie comics character, and I knew that she was involved with the fashion world - but that was literally all I knew about her.  I was never into romance comics, so "fashion" comics held very little interest for me.  And after watching just the first episode of Riverdale (the CW show based on the Archie characters), I never watched another episode of that show.  So, for reasons still unknown to me today, I did watch the first episode of Katy Keene on the CW back in February 2020 just to see what it was like.  And you know what?  I loved it!  So much so, that I watched that entire first season and was totally disappointed when it did not get picked up for a second season.  However, I did pick up the prequel novel written by Stephanie Kate Strohm when it was published in 2020 - and I just know finally got around to reading it.  I'm so glad that I saved it, because it was a thrill to re-enter the world of Katy Keene, even if it was for only this one book...

Restless Hearts was the only CW tie-in novel written in connection with the TV show, and it is a prequel novel that gives some background on the four main characters leading up to that first episode.  Strohm provides readers with alternating points of view, the chapters rotating between the four characters - Katy, Jorge, Pepper, and Josie; then back to Katie again for the rotation to repeat.  Had I not gotten so used to these rotating points of view with the Hardy Boys books over the past decade (has it really been that long?), it might have bothered me here.  As it is, I was able to enjoy it for what it was and not let the changes in points-of-view bother me so much.  Besides, it allowed Strohm to really delve into some of the characterization that the TV show did not have sufficient time to reveal.

Katy's story picks up after her mother's death, as she tries to cope with living alone.  She gets the chance of a lifetime, however, when Veronica Lodge (Archie cameo number one!) manages to finagle her a spot in a fashion show being held at Lacy's, sponsored by none other than fashion icon Rex London!  Katy is excited at first, but as the time draws closer and she can't seem to find her groove with a design that will actually be worth showing, she finds herself more and more lost without her mother...

Jorge, meanwhile, is dreaming of making it on Broadway!  He's been faithfully taking dance classes, and when an open casting call for a new show comes up, he waits in the long line of hopefuls to get his chance at stardom.  In that line, he meets up with Kevin Keller (Archie cameo number two!), who is also hoping to land a spot in the show.  Jorge's chances seem to get better when he gets called back not just once, but twice!  The only problem is, in order to clinch his place in the show, he will have to man-up and be something that he's not.  Just how much is Jorge willing to give up for his chance to be on Broadway?

Pepper's tale is about her arrival into New York City.  While Katy and Jorge are already friends, Pepper has not yet come into their lives.  Instead, her arrival is met with pomp and circumstance by all of the social media glitz, as everyone seems to want to know what is next for this shining social media celebrity's life.  But Pepper herself is not seven sure of that, as she goes from fling to fling, idea to idea, hoping to find something that will put her on the right course...

Finally, Josie is on the road with her father, singing alongside him for the experience of what it is like to be a traveling musician.  But his rules are strict, his criticism harsh, and his over protectiveness smothering.  When she meets a country singer who is on his own tour, and she gets the chance to sing away from her father, Josie finds that perhaps she really can make it on her own, away from her father, and be the star she always knew she could be.

 

Needless to say, KO is in the book, always supporting Katy (when he's not at the gym boxing alongside Jinx - Archie cameo number three!); Jorge's parents are in the book, trying to find their place in his life now that he is back home after being kicked out when he came out; Molly's Crisis is the bar to be for Katy and Jorge to sort out their problems; and Gloria Grandbilt makes her appearance before the story is over, ready to offer Katy the chance she has been waiting for.  Strohm provides readers with the perfect introduction to these characters, while giving fans a beautiful way to remember the cast from the show.  As I was reading the book, I could not only see each of the actors in their roles once again, but I could literally hear their voices speak each line and picture the settings of each spot - from Jorge's apartment to KO's gym to Lacy's store to Molly's Crisis.  It was almost like being transported right back onto the CW show once again!

Before I sign off for this post, I do have to give Strohm double kudos for managing to sneak in a Nancy Drew reference on page 90 when Jorge is talking to his mother about the way she sneaks him audition notices so his father won't see:  "You leave me secret audition notices like we're in some kind of Nancy Drew mystery..."  Gotta give props to any author who manages to put a reference to my favorite female detective!  Just a shame that this is my last time I'll get to enjoy the CW cast of Katy Keene...

RATING:  10 squashed bouquets of roses out of 10 for giving me one final chance to enjoy some time with Katy and her friends as they were brought to life so perfectly by the CW!

Adventures of the Dover Boys - an Archie Comics One-Shot (1950)

As a huge collector of children's mystery series, while I may not collect ALL of the series that were put out back in the day, I still recognize the names of many of those series - particularly those published by Edward Stratemeyer and his Stratemeyer Syndicate.  One of the earliest series he published was The Rover Boys, written under the pseudonym of Arthur M Winfield.  The series was published from 1899 to 1926 and originally featured the three Rover brothers - Tom, Sam, and Dick.  And the whole reason I mention this historical information is to give you some background on why I ordered from Amazon this reprint comic from UP History and Hobby (whose website, www.goldenagereprints.com is no longer viable, as a quick search brought up a message that indicates the owner of the website failed to pay invoices for the domain use, and thus, it was suspended).  Oh, and what would that reprint comic be, you ask?

Adventures of the Dover Boys #1, published in 1950 by the same company who was publishing Archie Comics and all of their related titles.

A few interesting things to note about this particular comic.  The story itself is actually 30 pages of story and art, with very few ads (being pretty much the last two pages of the comic, as well as the inside and outside of the back cover).  The story is broken up into six chapters, each chapter varying in length from 4 to 6 pages - and each chapter ends with a cliffhanger note, as well as a third-of-a-page advertisement for a various Archie comic title (such as Archie, Wilber, Super Duck, Suzie, etc.) - only the first and last chapters have no ad at the end.  The comic is also not numbered, per se; rather, with no issue number on the cover, the publishing information located at the bottom of the first page merely labels this as "Adventures of the Dover Boys, 1st edition, published by Close-Up, Inc., 420 DeSoto Ave., St. Louis, Mo."  No future issues were specifically planned, although the last panel of the comic, after the story ends, gives out the call: "Adventure-lovers! Would you like to see more breath-taking stories about the Dover Boys? If so, drop us a postcard right away and cast your vote...and we will get right to work on another jam-packed yarn of deep mystery and intrigue!" Thus, we can only be left to guess that not enough readers wrote in to request further adventures, as no second issue of the comic was ever published.  There is no specific credit given to the creators of the comic, although research reveals that Harry Lucey provided the art for the book (nothing I could find revealed the author of the story).  Unlike today, many comics in the past did not feature credit boxes, listing the writers, pencillers, inkers, letterers, etc., so trying to locate the creators for offbeat titles like this is not so easy.

Anyway...getting back to the comic story and the characters.  The inside front cover gives readers the necessary information they need to know about the Dover Boys and their supporting cast so that whey they are dropped into the story on page one, they don't have to worry about tons of exposition to bring them up to speed. The Dover Boys are Dan and Tim Dover (instead of Tom and Dick Rover...), who are 18 and 17, respectively, with dark brown and blond hair, respectively (similar to Frank and Joe Hardy). Their parents disappeared on an expedition, so they are living with and being raised by their Uncle Bill Dover and his wife, Martha.  Silas Croombs is the town miser, and his son, Claude, is a thorn in the Dover Boys' side.  And with this information, readers are ready to read the first comic adventure of the Dover Boys, "The Dover Boys and the Treasure of Death."

The mystery centers around an ancient Inca treasure for which their Uncle Bill was searching.  He came back to obtain more funding, and Silas Coombs pretends to be interested in sponsoring the trip (but in reality, was simply tricking Bill into drawing the map for him so he could find the treasure for himself!). As with your typical children's series book, each chapter ends with a cliffhanger, and this comic is no exception - as Uncle Bill is attacked by a shadowy figure and the small part of the Inca treasure he had brought home is stolen! Needless to say, the Dover Boys are soon on a trip to Peru to continue their uncle's search for the lost treasure. Their plane is nearly shot out of the sky, they and their guide are attacked by tribesmen, the daughter of a university professor in the jungle searching for the treasure is kidnapped and readied for sacrifice, the boys are captured and must face down the Indian chief, and they race against time to avoid being killed in an exploding volcano! All the while, they must avoid and stay ahead of Claude Coombs and his cohort in crime, Mike Foster.  Unlike your standard children's mystery, however, the comic is not afraid to show some of the characters being killed (I won't spoil the fun by revealing which ones); but, otherwise, it is a very clean-cut, fun-filled adventure that reads very much like a fast-paced mystery that might have been put forth by the Stratemeyer Syndicate or one of its competitors.

The art is not too bad - with backgrounds that are fairly simplistic and not overly detailed, and colors that are vibrant while the Dover Boys are in their hometown, but which darken when they head into the jungles of Peru. Some of today's comic readers might find the characters a bit roughly drawn, but for me, I liked the standard art of having people look like people (unlike some of today's comics, where the artist's "style" renders people who look far from human at times).  The artist had a pretty good handle on expressions, such as Tim's shock on page 5 when his Uncle is stabbed, or the boys' glee when they are told they can head down to Peru on page 9 - although I think Tim's shock/surprise on the middle panel of page 18 is probably the best in the entire issue!

An interesting side note - while searching for some information on this comic online, I discovered that this comic is not the only version of "The Dover Boys" out there.  Apparently, WB's Merrie Melodies cartoons did their own "Dover Boys" take on The Rover Boys series back in 1942 with a cartoon short called The Dover Boys at Pimento University or The Rivals of Roquefort Hall. The title of the cartoon is interesting, as a lot of series books back in the early 1900s had double titles like this, so it gives it an even strong feel of one of the children's mysteries of that era.  The cartoon was closer to The Rover Boys books, as it featured three brothers: Tom, Dick, and Larry, who attend Pimento University.

I wish the demand had been enough for Archie comics to do a follow up, or even several follow-ups, to this one adventure of the Dover Boys.  Having my two favorite things (comic books and children's mystery) come together like this is always a true joy for me!

RATING:  10 craters of a live volcano out of 10 for everything that makes a children's mystery book exciting, only in comic book form!