Story title: "Nate Devlin Crashes the Movies"
Cover Date: December 1936
By: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
So, back to New Comics and Federal Men, let's see how Steve Carson does in a one-part story after the insanity of the last time.
This story starts after the action: a bank has been robbed and the perpetrators are fleeing, leaving a trail of blood behind. Of course, the FBI is after them, and after some pursuit, the criminals hide in an abandoned farm.
After a few days, they are forced to come out, but after a gunfight, they manage to escape.
And this is where Steve Carson springs into action: he and Ralph have found a clue on the whereabouts of this gang. Apparently, there was a robbery at a gas station and the tire prints match the records from the previous bank robbery... I didn't know tire print records were a thing... So cars didn't have number plates yet or something?
Also, it's nice to see Ralph again. Not because I particularly like him, but because it shows that Siegel and Shuster care at least a little about the continuity of the title. I just hope the cast keeps being built over time.
We get the obligatory transition panel, which would be confusing (because they're shooting a car) if I hadn't realized yet that these aren't actually transition panels, but more like, banner: part 2 thingies.
So, after "almost establishing a new aerial record for speed", which might be a slight exaggeration, they get to the place and find the gang's car completely wrecked. Upon closer examination of the vehicle, they find some hair strands and a mask (with fingerprints), which they send to a chemist. I don't think these tests are as simple as "sending them to a chemist", especially the part with the hair, and especially back in 1937. But anyway, they get a name: "Nate Devlin".
Meanwhile, Nate is telling his partners in crime about his latest bright idea: They'll become actors. Because no one would think about looking for wanted criminals in showbiz! Never mind how hard becoming a successful actor is in the first place, I'm sure there are better ways to hide than becoming famous!
But alas, since this is 1930s comics, they do manage to get some good parts on a gangster flick.
So, there's an electrocution scene and the wanted murderer says "It just comes natural to me"? Was that a death penalty joke? Nice one! Dark humor is not exactly what I expected to find when I got into the order.
Anyway, they're doing a bank robbery scene inside the movie and the gang wants to turn it into a real one (which is also funny, but a bit dumb because props exist). However, Nate has other plans: he likes this new gig, so he wants to stay.
This got me thinking. Wouldn't this whole thing be a lot more interesting as a redemption story? Like, Nate found his true passion so he's leaving crime behind. Maybe we could also have Steve Carson questioning his morality ("Should I still turn him in if he's not going to do any more harm?"). Of course, though, I realize a redemption arc might be too much for a four-page story, and a moral dichotomy might also be too much for a 1930s comic book hero.
My hope is lost immediately because the next thing that happens is that Steve and Ralph discover Nate by pure chance because they happened to just be visiting the studio. So Steve explains the situation to the director and sets a plan in motion:
During the aforementioned electrocution scene, Steve tells Nate that he's turned the fake electric chair into a real one. Man, I hope he's bluffing, because otherwise this whole thing is pretty messed up.
Nate doesn't believe him at first, so (get this) Steve prickles him with a needle, and Nate mistakes this for a jolt of electricity... Sure.
This plan is really dumb and probably illegal, but it works out and Nate reveals the whereabouts of the rest of the gang. They are just finishing up their "fake" bank robbery, but the police, warned by Steve, catch up to them.
The entire gang is caught, Nate Devlin is only posing for prison photos now, and that's the end of the story.
Federal Men of Tomorrow huh? It'd be really cool if Steve Carson went to the future! I wouldn't mind a generic story like this one once in a while if they are interspersed with crazier stuff like The Invisible Empire!
So, let's see the ratings:
Quality/Enjoyment: 2/5
You know, there's nothing especially wrong with this story. In fact, it's better and more enjoyable than most generic gangster stories of the time. The thing is, I've already said that I mostly rate stories on how I feel about them, and less on how "objectively" good they are ("objectively good" or "objectively bad" are oxymorons anyway, but let's not get into that lol). And the truth is, after reading how three giant robots fought an epic battle for the fate of Washington (or whatever city it was) and possibly the world, going back to this kind of stuff is a bit disappointing. I'll try to be fairer with future stories of its kind though.
Historical/Cultural/Narrative Significance: 1/5
Alright, that's it for now. Next time, Scribbly comes back, and he'll be with us for a while!. Until then, thanks for reading, and have a nice rest of your day!
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