Which Obscure Supporting Characters do you want to read more about on this blog?

This has easily been the most interesting poll for me to follow on the blog to date, and the first which allowed multiple choice-- points which I suspect are connected. I cast the first ballot, for everyone except Department of Extranormal Operations agent Cameron Chase. This is in no way an indication of any dislike of the character, only that I already covered most of the relevant issues of her solo series (#1, #2-3 & #6.) You folks seem to disagree, as Chase performed consistently well throughout the poll. I guess this means I'll be tracking down more back issues, and finally taking a closer look at what I felt was the abysmal John Ostrander scripted ongoing Martian Manhunter series, in which Chase frequently appeared.

Unsurprisingly, Jemm: Son of Saturn took an early and commanding lead, and ended up with at least twice as many votes as everyone but Gypsy. When I originally conceived the poll, it wasn't going to be multiple choice, and Jemm was the only character option that had ever held his own series. I'm glad I switched gears, or I'd have likely not seen near as many alternate results. Jemm fans will be rewarded handsomely in the very near future for their overwhelming support.

Gypsy was also left off the original ballot, as I knew she was dear to many a Manhunter fan's heart as his surrogate "daughter," as well as a modestly popular super-heroine in her own right. Gypsy's strong second place showing confirms my belief in her, and it seems like I'll have to get around to returning her presence to the Idol-Head blog sooner rather than later.

I'm more than a bit disappointed in Zook's middling performance, tying for third place, as I adore the weird little otherdimensional pet from the Silver Age. Whether this is because I've written a synopsis for most of his appearances already, or because there's distaste for the character among more serious-minded modern fans, I'll leave to ya'll in the comments. In the future, I'll get around to filling in some blanks, and inevitably post a spotlight profile.

I threw Captain Harding in to represent the 1950s, but didn't expect him to perform, and he met those expectations. In truth, Harding was more of a reoccurring narrative device than a character, so I suppose his lack of popularity reflects that. He'll continue to show up whenever I do a 1950s synopsis.

Patrolwoman Diane Meade made a weird little journey. For a while she was neck-and-neck with the other ladies on this list, but as the month progressed she lost ground to heroines who were far more visible in modern times. I think Diane is the bee's knees though, and I've mostly held off on covering her appearances until I had better material to scan from. Her time will come before long.

Saul Erdel is another serious oddity. The 1988 revision of Martian Manhunter's origin saw the name and liveliness of the scientist responsible for bringing our hero to Earth changed radically, though this was never followed up on. For most of the month, Saul's dismal poll showing reflected this, hovering around 2-3 votes. Then, in the final week, his profile more than doubled, tying Diane Meade for fifth. What happened there, I wonder? Anyway, Saul will show up in the imminent mini-series coverage, then vanish again.

Finally, poor Glenn Gammeron. I was pleased to see him receive notice in the first several votes, only for him to be ignored entirely for the following three weeks. At the finish, Glenn got the "Saul Erdel Pity Bump," presumably from readers who voted once for everybody. I'm afraid the alien bounty hunter with undisclosed ties to J'Onn's life on Mars goes back on the shelf for a while.

Thanks to everyone who voted, and made this the most popular poll since we've started them, by a Jemm-like margin.

Results of a poll conducted among 44 readers of THE IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU, A Blog for J'Onn J'Onzz, the Manhunter from Mars conducted throughout the month of May, 2009.

Total Justice in Total Teamwork Coloring Book First Group Shot (1997)

TOTAL JUSTICE
in
TOTAL TEAMWORK

Written by Richie Narvaez
Art by Steve Crespo, Mike DeCarlo, Mini Kim, Joe Orlando, and Joe Rubinstein
Cover Art by Dick Giordano and Digital Chameleon

Featuring Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, Wonder Woman, Steel, Superman, Batman, and fractal armor.

1997 Dollar General Total Justice Jumbo Coloring & Activity Book

Cover Art by Dick Giordano and Digital Chameleon

In 1996, Kenner spun a general DC super-hero action figure line out of their popular Batman series. This was the first major DCU offering since the awful short-lived Toy Biz line of the early '90s, which was itself mostly just badly recycled '80s Super Powers Collection molds anyway. While the Total Justice sculpts were all new, the story premise of the line was also essentially recycled from Super Powers: Darkseid using the forces of Apokolips and the villains of Earth in a bid for conquest. The major difference was our heroes would now require "Fractal Techgear" to combat these forces, a.k.a. translucent armor and other accessories.

Total Justice offered three waves of figures in stores, including JLAers Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner and the hook-handed Aquaman. The Martian Manhunter villain Despero appeared in the second wave, but J'Onn J'Onzz himself didn't make the set. The line was then canceled, although figures intended for the fourth wave were reworked into two-packs titled simply DC Superheroes. Despero was also repackaged individually as part of DC Superheroes, and sold exclusively through the Warner Brothers Store. You can see the gorgeous Brian Stelfreeze packaging here by clicking on any of the links under Warner Brothers Store Exclusives: DC Superheroes - 2001, though I couldn't find a picture of Despero himself carded.

There are two strong indications Martian Manhunter was intended for a fourth or fifth Total Justice line. The first is that in 1998 Hasbro New Ventures took the Total Justice molds, repainted them, discarded the tech armor, and offered them under the name JLA through KB Toys. The second is this coloring book, offered through various outlets, including Dollar General stores. Both prominently featured the Martian Manhunter, and at over 150 pages, there's plenty of Martian scans in the coloring book to offer ya'll in the coming months!

"Total Justice in Total Teamwork"
First Group Shot
Inferno
Fire Extinguisher
Mission Team
Landing
Fear To Tread
Martian Maze
Dark Backside
Blasted by Darkseid

Bloodwynd Custom JLU Action Figure by Bottleimp

Although he never appeared on the Justice League Unlimited cartoon (or likely anywhere related,) someone decided he ought to have played a role there...

Bloodwynd
What an awful name. Sounds like a digestive condition one would get after eating too much fast food. Anyways, I know next to nothing about him, but I thought that the JLU could use some more minorities on the team. And at least this guy doesn't have to suffer the insult of having "black" before his name (Black Lightning, Black Vulcan, Black Panther, etc.). Anyways, I used a Green Lantern for the base, and added a craft store jewel for his blood gem and a Batman cape with a sculpted Dracula collar. I left out the jewels on his arms and the gem-studded garter belt because I liked the more streamlined look. Plus, what's with the guys wearing garter belts thing? That was a disturbing trend in the characters of the early '90's...

For more of Bottleimp's great custom JLU figures, including Marvel characters like Captain America and Power Man, Charltons like Thunderbolt, and even Steve Ditko's Killjoy, visit here.

You know, I've been arguing with a friend about Bloodwyd's near absolute lack of merit as a character, but he looks good here, and it occurs to me you could tweak him into "Bloodgem" or "Bloodiamond" to make him suck somewhat less. Jettisoning all connections to Martian Manhunter couldn't hurt either, or a number of levels.

Showcase Presents: Martian Manhunter Vol. 3 TP Fan Mock-Up

Idol-Head reader Tom Hartley submitted his above mock-up cover for a highly unlikely third Showcase edition. It's based on Luke McDonnell's cover for Justice League of America #248 (3/1986), and he offers an alternate Chuck Patton cover here from J'Onn's final confrontation with The Marshal! Tom also offered his choice of reprints for the hypothetical volume:

Even though a Vol. 3 probably won't happen, I've been thinking about what the contents would be. Here's what I've come up with:

Justice League of America #71
World's Finest Comics #212
Justice League of America #115
Adventure Comics #449-451
World's Finest Comics #245
Justice League of America #144, 177, 178
DC Comics Presents #27
Detective Comics #500
Justice League of America #228-230, 248
Action Comics #595
Martian Manhunter #1-4
Secret Origins #35
Martian Manhunter: American Secrets #1-3

That would be 575 pages of material. I know American Secrets deserves to be reprinted in color, and in hardcover, but a black & white reprint would be better than nothing.

I'd throw JLofA #200 into the mix, but take out #248, since the John/Gypsy subplot dragged on for months. In fact, it even merged with a separate Zatanna subplot which preceded and overwhelmed Manhunter's. You'd have to include pages from #249, #255, #256, and #257, but in the end it still wouldn't make much sense. I'd also want to see 1987's Justice League Annual #1 and "The Man I Never Was" from the '89 JLI Annual, as well.

However, this is all pie in the sky business. As explained by Bob Greenberger, "DC pays a royalty based on a percentage of the cover price to writers, pencillers,and inkers to all material published prior to 1976 and after 1997. For the period in between, the vouchers that were in use called for a set reprint fee to be paid. In some cases, the amount of contractually obligated reprint fees makes the budget for a proposed collection unprofitable." Creators have the option of waving the set fee, but just tracking down and negotiating with everyone involved (or their estates) in the issues Tom suggested would be a Herculean effort no one's going to make for the Martian Manhunter.

On the plus side, Volume Two was finally released this month, so you can thrill to every confrontation with the magnificent Professor Arnold Hugo, every emission of the Diabolu Idol-Head, plus the first appearances of Zook, Marco Xavier, Mr.V/Faceless, Vulture and many more!

2006 "DC Icons: Justice League Unlimited" Fan Art by Israel S. Algarin

Here's the last Manhunter related piece from Israel S. Algarin's comicartfans.com gallery. Sorry for all the filler over the holiday weekend, but I'm still bushed, and I hadda make endz. At least this one features Detroit Leaguers Vixen and Aquaman, along with fellow JLAers the Flash, Fire (a.k.a. the Green Flame,) Green Lantern John Stewart, and Hawkgirl. Aquaman's wife Mera is also on hand, as everyone is coupled up-- J'Onn curiously with Alan Scott's daughter and Kyle Rayner's ex-girlfriend Jade. Martian Manhunter only made her acquaintance in any significant fashion in the JLA: Scary Monsters mini-series, during which J'Onn only made time with Kishana Lewis. This is what happens when you matchmake by the least discriminating of criteria ("You're gay! I know someone else who's queer too! I should introduce you!")

Click Here to Enlarge.

2007 "Martian Manhunter: Lost World" Fan Art by Israel S. Algarin

For more, check out Israel S. Algarin's gallery at comicartfans.

2007 "DC Icons: Might & Raw Power" Fan Art by Israel S. Algarin

For more, check out Israel S. Algarin's gallery at comicartfans.

2007 "Grundy for Superman" Fan Art by Israel S. Algarin

For more, check out Israel S. Algarin's gallery at comicartfans.

Martian Manhunter Kids' WB Online Graphic

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm kind of exhausted this weekend, so my posts will be inclined toward low hanging fruit. For instance, Rob at The Aquaman Shrine recently posted an image of the Sea King offered by the Kids' WB web site. I followed Rob's link and found this spiffy Martian Manhunter graphic, based on the design from the Justice League cartoon. I love the high contrast profile and use of the "pie" symbol. You'll note the lack of an official logo, but the understated look is a major reason I like this image, and it recalls the type of the outstanding American Secrets mini-series. If you'd like to see more, visit the Graphics Library.

Munching Martian Manhunter Sketch by Kevin Maguire

You may say Oreo, or you may say Choco, but regardless, isn't this a divine depiction of a Martian's love of COOKIES! I love Maguire! Click here to enlarge this undated sketch, which I assume from the brow was done sometime after 1997. One of the two pieces of original J'onn J'onzz art I own is a full body shot by Maguire, but I'd gladly trade it in a heartbeat for this piece!

I bit off more than I could chew, myself. I've been doing my periodic "Martian Manhunter through the decades" posting weeks where I write a story synopsis a day from J'onn J'onzz's entire publishing history. I'd hoped to do this for two straight weeks. That would have gotten me that much closer to finally closing out the '70s stuff, or wrapping up the storyline in JLI I started covering in January, or getting Bloodwynd regular coverage again, and so on. Unfortunately, I also started a new job that's fantastically demanding of my time and energy, plus I'm juggling a bunch of personal stuff to boot. I couldn't even start writing a synopsis for an Adventures of Superman annual until after nine o'clock. I soon realized it involved dozens of characters who would need external links, a probable secondary post for my Justice League Detroit Blog and basically hours of life I don't have to spare. I tried to substitute a biography of the character Siv from Haven: The Broken City, only to realize I'm only three quarters done with it.

Something in my brain kinda snapped, and I've given up on continuing this week as planned. There's no reason why I can't keep doing the blog in some capacity, but I need a few days to work out exactly how. In the meantime, I'll toss random stuff ya'll's way, and I hope you'll forgive the interruption in the various continuing stories in the meantime. Thanks for visiting, and I hope you enjoy yourself.

Justice League #6 (10/1987)

The Justice League gazed at the malformed town of Stone Ridge, Vermont. Mr. Miracle declared "It's... informed madness. Like something out of my childhood on Apokolips." Martian Manhunter observed, "If you grew up in an environment like this... then my heart goes out to you." Scott Free warned, "Don't worry about me, Manhunter-- worry about Captain Marvel! He's down in the middle of that mess!" Shortly thereafter, Blue Beetle asked rhetorically "...weird, huh?" J'onn J'onzz replied, "'Weird' is a relative concept, Beetle." Kord thought, "Sheesh! Sometimes this guy acts like he's from Mars!"

Captain Marvel was in the clutches of the Gray Man, levitating motionless alongside the similarly compromised Dr. Fate. The Gray Man was disdainful of Dr. Fate's silence and his having brought the Justice League to Stone Ridge. The Gray Man decided to show his displeasure by taking control of Captain Marvel's body and assaulting the League.

Black Canary and Booster Gold were the Gray Marvel's first victims, picked-up and hurled through the air at deadly speed. The Manhunter from Mars warned his team's leader, "I can feel his mind, Batman-- he's being controlled--" The Dark Knight commanded, "Booster'll be all right. He's got a Flight Ring! Miracle-- you retrieve Canary! J'onn-- you nail Marvel! Don't hold back, do you hear me?"

"...Marvel-- I can feel your mind struggling against him! If I can telepathically bolster your efforts--" The Martian Manhunter was unable to complete his sentence, as the Gray Marvel backhanded J'onzz, who skidded face first along and through the ground. From his trench, J'onzz grimaced, "I'm not amused."

"Oh, but I am! This is exhilarating! This is fun! I could incinerate you with a single spell, but I much prefer it this way." As the Martian Marvel batted the possessed Captain Marvel away with a boulder, he confessed, "So do I."

The League began to regroup, wondering what had become of the
the Creeper. Batman ordered, "Forget the Creeper for now! The Gray Man's our problem! We've got to find him!" Mr. Miracle asked, "What about Marvel?" The Caped Crusader dismissed the concern with, "J'Onn can handle it." Booster Gold snorted, "You hope." Batman countered, "J'Onn J'Onzz has been at this game longer than I have, Booster! He's the only member of this team I don't feel I have to nursemaid!"

The Alien Atlas continued to trade blows with Captain Marvel, as the Gray Man whined, "Fall, damn you! Why won't you fall?!" The puppet master sweated and strained at his bijou hideout, as Dr. Fate eroded the Gray Man's confidence further. "Not as easy as you thought, is it? Captain Marvel's power is mystical in origin. Even in his comatose state, his mind resists you. And the Manhunter is a formidable telepath. With each physical blow, he strikes at you psychically. The strain is beginning to show." The Gray Man was on his knees, cradling his head in his palms. "I said it's-- effortless!"

Outside, the Martian Marvel was procumbent, an upturned palm and a tensed arm the only signs of a rally to come. The Gray Marvel stood over the shrugging Alien Atlas, raring his fists behind his head in preparation for a crushing blow. "Do you see, Fate? He's down! And now that he is, I'm going to-- to... to...?" The gray in Captain Marvel's hair darkened to its natural black, and the ominous glow in his eyes dimmed to confusion. "Hey-- what's going--" As the Big Red Cheese struggled with his surroundings, the Manhunter from Mars pulled himself up and delivered the mother of all haymakers. The Power of Shazam planted his posterior against the ground, his head put through a stone wall.

"Captain Marvel?"
"Uh-huh."
"Is it really you?"
"Uh-huh."
"I'm sorry. I was dazed... I didn't notice the shift in minds at first. Did I hurt you?"
"Uh-huhhhh..."

The Creeper called out to the rest of the Justice League, as he had tracked the Gray Man to the bijou. Inside, he and Dr. Fate were engaged in a sorcerous duel. "You're finished! Marvel and the Manhunter put too much pressure on you-- weakened you... allowed me the opportunity to break free! You've overextended yourself!" Not so much that the Gray Man couldn't defeat all the heroes inside, except Dr. Fate, who then took off the kid gloves. "Gray Man-- I pity you. I've tried and tried to get through to you-- to make you see the foolishness of what you've done... Do you really think that absorbing dream-essence can make you equal to the Lords of Order--? --Can make you equal to me? You pathetic little man-- I've been holding back in order to help you! But now I see that you're beyond help! And so I do what must be done to rid the world of you!"

Outside, Martian Manhunter saw the bijou vanish. "Gone. All of them-- gone. But gone where? With Fate and the Gray Man involved-- it's surely no place on Earth... or any other world. Which means that, for now, I'm utterly helpless. Yes-- for now. But I'll find a way to reach them. I have to. Still, there's Captain Marvel to think of. The strain of his possession... our battle... has caught up with him. I need to get him home. And, after I'm sure that he's all right-- I'll be back."

On a side note, Maxwell Lord IV met with Hal Jordan, who expressed his serious reservations about a Justice League employing his fellow Green Lantern, "that psychopath" Guy Gardner. Lord dismissed them.

I know super-hero battles are a dime a dozen, but b'gosh this one was swell-- though I may be just a tad biased. The rest of the story wasn't too hot, though. The Gray Man looked like Harlan Ellison, a plenty ornery novelist, but not a credible threat. The schism between the bleak mystical pretensions and screwball comedy was glaring, and you never want to have the League upstaged by guest-stars. The Creeper had way too much impact, and even Dr. Fate turned his teammates into sidekicks by the end. People hate magical super-heroes for exactly the shenanigans Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis pulled in this script. No fault of Kevin Maguire though, whose pretty picture helped the medicine go down. Bob Lappan was mostly back to form, aside for another rocky title lettering.

Back to Justice League #5 (9/87)

Forward to Justice League International #7 (11/1987)

1978 "The DC Explosion!" Ad by Joe Staton

Between 1975 and 1978, DC Comics chose to fight against Marvel Comics' market dominance and rampant inflation by offering more titles with greater page counts than any other publisher around. This was a great time to be a new creation or well-regarded b-lister, as series were being handed out like Halloween candy during the "DC Explosion." Aquaman had spent years as a back-up in Adventure Comics before finally graduating to cover featured star status in 1975. Now he was offering his old back-up space, so Adventure hosted shorts for a few members of the Seven Soldiers of Victory before settling on three issue trials for a potential permanent feature. The Creeper followed up his brief stint in Detective Comics there with such a run, then hopped on board World's Finest Comics for about half a year in '78 and The Flash in '83. J'onn J'onzz should have been so lucky. The Manhunter from Mars followed Aquaman for three issues in Adventure, and both performed well enough to consider revisiting the pairing. Aquaman himself left Adventure to pick up the numbering of his old solo title right where he had left off at its 1971 cancellation. After some book-length adventures and a few Aquafamily spotlights, Aquaman was set to offer J'onn J'onzz a regular back-up slot. That was, until what became known as the "DC Implosion," which saw the DC house of cards collapse in a bloodbath of failed titles. Superboy and Aqualad had taken over Adventure Comics, until luckless Garth was booted for Eclipso less than a year in. Superboy soon suffered the same fate, though he had other books to fall back on. Adventure then became an extra-sized dollar comic anthology to which Aquaman returned late in '78 for a series of short stints until the book's cancellation in 1983. Like Superboy, Aquaman always had another title to shelter him, this being World's Finest Comics. J'onn J'onzz? Not so much. Unlike the characters the Martian Manhunter shared space with above, J'onzz had no actual pages of material in production when the ax fell. Guys like OMAC saw their produced pages burned up as back-ups in surviving titles before fading into obscurity. Others, like J'onn's Detroit League acquaintences the Vixen and Steel, only saw print through a 35 copy run of xeroxed art pages dubbed the Cancelled Comics Cavalcade, created only to secure DC's copyright on the material. Martian Manhunter was refused even that small grace, and didn't make a substantial appearance again until some guest spots in 1980. You can read more about the DC Explosion through a great article at Dial B For Blog.

Detective Comics #280 (June, 1960)

"One night, as Capt. Harding and his ace detective, John Jones, go speeding to the waterfront," they spotted Biff Benson. Harding had a tip Benson was hired to intentionally go to jail to facilitate a crime. Harding figured if Benson didn't go to jail in their district, another unknown hood would just be hired to replace him. Detective John Jones was tasked with keeping Biff out of the pokey until the actual plot could be uncovered.

When Biff tried to smash the window of a jewelry store with a rock, the Manhunter from Mars caught it faster than the human eye could see and relaunched it at Biff's belly. Good Samaritans passing by helped Benson up and off to shelter for the night. The next day, Mike and Joe were driving an armored car flagged down by Biff. The Martian Manhunter simulated a falling meteorite, and Benson was hailed as a hero for getting the truck to slow down before it struck them.
"Too bad there aren't more public-spirited citizens like you around!"
"Oh, shut up!"

Biff next attended a charity costume ball, allowing J'onn J'onzz to arrive as himself. The Space Sleuth caught Benson in the midst of a hold-up, and with unerring aim threw a flower into his gun barrel. The Martian Manhunter next inhaled deeply enough to draw the bullets Biff fired toward his impenetrable chest. Benson figured he'd fired blanks, and tried to grab the crown jewels. Manhunter made Biff "dance" by "drumming on the same floor boards he's standing on, at supersonic speed," causing Benson to collapse. The Super-Sleuth listened to the half-conscious crook mumble an incrimination of Sam Spooner, and a phone call to Capt. Harding confirmed Benson must have been set to kill a witness set to testify against the gang boss. Harding had the witness removed to a safe place, while Detective John Jones finally arrested Benson.
"Y-you mean you really believe I'm a crook-- and you're taking me in? Great!"
"I hope you feel that way when you reach prison, Biff!"

"Bodyguard to a Bandit" was by Jack Miller and Joe Certa.

Meanwhile...

• The Brave and the Bold #29 (5-6/60)
• Space Adventures #34: "The 2nd Man in Space" (June, 1960)
• Wonder Woman #115: "Graveyard of Monster Ships!" & "Mer-Boy's Undersea Party!" (July, 1960)

Detective Comics #237 (11/1956)

An off-duty Detective John Jones happened to notice a severed burglar alarm cable as he walked past a jewelery store, and spied thieves inside through the walls with his "Amazing Martian Eyesight." However, he failed to notice the pair of goons sneaking up behind him, and was knocked unconscious. At the dawn of the new morning, Jones awoke inside "some sort of underworld prison... a gang of thugs operating a jail for rival gangsters!" Jones was locked up, and the warden dictated, "Treat him like the other prisoners who've tried to double-cross us! He stuck his nose where it didn't belong!" Jones at first thought to use his alien aptitude to quash this nefarious (and rather impractical) undertaking, but his "Martian Ultra-Hearing" picked up a line regarding "the Chief." Jones wanted to net the kingpin of this operation, and chose to bide his time.

Intent on provoking a visit from "the Chief," Jones demanded roast turkey from the guard delivering gruel to his cell, "or I fetch it myself!" True to his word, he stepped through the walls and picked some up from a nearby restaurant, attracting the "warden's" attention. The Warden assumed a trustee was responsible for the unauthorized poultry, and sentenced Jones to laundry detail. Once there, Jones imbued the clothes with "Martian Mental Energy," excerpting "Mind Control Over Matter" to make the clothes wash themselves as swiftly as possible. Once again, a disbelieving guard called the warden down. "This bird must be using some sort of crazy hypnotism on us! Put him on the rock pile till I can figure this out!"

Outside, in lieu of his sledge hammer, "powerful alien currents swirl through the ace detective's brain," causing rocks to spontaneously combust! "Again and again the potent force penetrates the boulders," and then, "a vacuum created by a wind bouncing off that wall should load these pulverized boulders nicely..." allowing "Super-Lung Power" to finish the work.

By this point, the Warden figured Jones for a magician, and sent him to stoke coal in the boiler room until he could get the Chief on site. Jones was happy about this development, until the "Master Earthbound Detective" found himself near power-disabling open flames. The guard threatened, "I don't know how you're tricking us... but bullets don't like jokes-- so keep shovelin' pal!" The guard remained until fire had sapped away all of John Jones' virility, and the Chief later discovered the clown lying prone on the floor. From this position, "every muscle of the Martian Man" strained to focus ocular "Martian Power" at a nearby water tower until it collapsed. A deluge of water doused the boiler room's flames. "Now I won't even need secret Martian stunts to trap this gang... steam and water are my pals!"

Jones clobbered the bad guys and called in the police. Captain Harding congratulated Jones, and assumed of the water tower supports, "looks like somebody took a blowtorch to it... lucky break..." Jones covered himself by suggesting another convict did the deed to "reveal this place and get himself out of stir!"

"The Sleuth Who Went to Jail" was written by Jack Miller and drawn by Joe Certa.