Smash Comics #25 for Sale - First Appearance of The Ray - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Smash Comics (Quality Comics, 1939 series)
Issue: #25
Publication date: August 1941
Key date: 1941-08-00
On-sale date: 1941-06-20
Indicia publisher: E. M. Arnold
Price: $0.10
Pages: 68

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

First appearance of The Ray - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Happy Terrill - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Midnight - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Dave Clark - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Jester - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Chuck Lane - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Black X - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Richard Spencer - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Bozo the Robot - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Wings Wendall - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Rookie Rankin - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Wildfire - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Carol Martin - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Hugh Hazzard - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Tiny Todd - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Rocky Hill - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Warren - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Invisible Hood - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Ken Thurston - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	-	cover	1	pencils: Gill Fox; inks: Gill Fox	Black X First, Bozo the Robot First, Dave Clark First, The Jester First, Chuck Lane First, Midnight First, The Ray First, Richard Spencer First, Happy Terrill First
2	Mitch Mouldin	comic story	9	pencils: Reed Crandall; inks: Reed Crandall	The Ray First, Happy Terrill First
3	-	comic story	1	script: John Devlin; pencils: John Devlin; inks: John Devlin	King Archie O'Toole; Jerk
4	Liver-Lip McGaw	comic story	5	script: Jack Cole; pencils: Jack Cole; inks: Jack Cole; letters: Jack Cole	Dave Clark First, Midnight First
5	Captain Krawl	comic story	6	script: Vern Henkel; pencils: Vern Henkel; inks: Vern Henkel	Wings Wendall First
6	-	comic story	5	script: Art Pinajian; pencils: Art Pinajian; inks: Art Pinajian	The Invisible Hood First, Ken Thurston First
7	Sabotage at the Navy Yard	comic story	5	script: Paul Gustavson; pencils: Paul Gustavson; inks: Paul Gustavson; letters: Paul Gustavson	The Jester First, Chuck Lane First
8	Basil's Gang	comic story	6	script: Dick French; pencils: Witmer Williams; inks: Witmer Williams	Black X First, Richard Spencer First
9	First Night	comic story	6	pencils: Kenneth Julian; inks: Kenneth Julian	Rookie Rankin First
10	-	comic story	1	pencils: Jack Cole; inks: Jack Cole; letters: Jack Cole	Wun Cloo (detective); Poison Allity
11	Introducing Wildfire	comic story	5	script: Robert Turner; pencils: Jim Mooney; inks: Jim Mooney	Carol Martin First, Wildfire First
12	The Pall of Terror	text story	1.5	script: Robert M. Hyatt	Jimmy Christian; Jed Haggard; Professor Hervey
13	Who's Missing from This Picture?	activity	0.34	letters: typeset
15	-	comic story	6	pencils: Alex Blum; inks: Alex Blum	Rocky Hill First, Tiny Todd First, Warren First
16	-	comic story	7	pencils: George Brenner; inks: George Brenner	Bozo the Robot First, Hugh Hazzard First

Plus 3.16 pages of advertisements and other matter across 4 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Special Edition Series #2	1974	On eBay ›
Men of Mystery Comics #82	2010	On eBay ›
Divas, Dames & Daredevils #[nn] ISBN 978-1-935259-23-7	2013	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Golden-age paper is brittle. Ask about page suppleness and check edges for chips in the photos.
Check for trimmed edges, married covers, and clipped coupons - all common on books this old.
Confirm the indicia matches this plate; many golden-age titles changed names mid-run.

Series context

‹ #2425 of 85#26 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com