The Final Fate Of The Big Bad Wolf!!

Hey, kids, it's time for another adventure with...

See, Little Red Riding Hood is in trouble!

Meanwhile...

"CLANG CLANG DANG"!!

So...

Ah, but the Big Bad Wolf ain't finished yet!

If that's his weakness, maybe he should wear a helmet?

So the Wolf hijacks Cosmo's spaceship...

See, Cosmo doesn't need a ship to fly through space. I guess he was just being like Abin Sur or something.

So you know how this story is going to end, right?

NO YOU DON'T!!!

Wait.

WHAT THE FRAK?!?! Wha--Huh? How--who...?!? WHAT????

I know some of you are wondering if I left something out, or monkeyed with the panel order, or something.

Nope. Enjoy the comic flow of the final page in its entirety:

Umm...well...wait...

WHY DID WE JUST WATCH A SUPER-POWERED CAT DRIVE A CARTOON WOLF TO AN OFF-PANEL BUT OBVIOUS SUICIDE AND HE JUST SHRUGS AND WALKS AWAY?!?!?!

And what comic book did this appear in?

Hilarious and nutty, indeed.

LOOK, KIDS--COMICS!!!

From Nuttylife #2 (1946)

Gaze Upon Bruce's Ass, Ye Mighty, And Despair!!

How to relax after stopping a crime?

Why, there's nothing like a rousing game of handball, followed by basking under ultra-violet lights!

But then...

Wait a minute...

Wait a minute...

You will never unsee that.

Let's not forget Dick:

Goddamn, Wertham was right...

From World's Finest Comics #59 (1952), as reprinted in Batman Annual #3 (1962)

Manic Monday Triple Overtime--Maybe If He Had A White Gold Ring...?

Now, I've read a lot of crime comics in my day. But I've never read one where the crime was...well, we'd best wait for the reveal.

We begin with NYC Detective Mark Fabian receiving an anonymous tip (appropriate for a comic called The Informer):

Well, they go there, and bust down the door...but Mike Reeves doesn't seem like much of a threat!

A search of his crib produces nothing!

Reeves' brother shows up!

Well, despite  lack of any evidence of actual crime, they haul Mike Reeves down to the station, and thanks to the miracles of modern communications...

And then Fabian notices the vital clue:

And so, with an intuitive flash:

Leper! Outcast! Unclean!

Yup, in 1954, leprosy was a police matter!!

Well, the local health department alleviates most of their worries...

But wait...who was the anonymous informant?!?

So you turned him in to the police!! What a good brother!!

Let's see Dragnet do an episode about leprosy!!

From The Informer #5 (1954)

When Every Page Would Kill You!!

In the early 1950s, Fawcett was fully on board the lurid crime comic bandwagon.

And talk about your hard sell--check out the covers, and especially the scare-you-to-death blurbs!

Dude, I don't think I'm old enough to read these "every page will cause you terror" comics!!

It wasn't just the covers--they kept up the pressure on the inside--with the house ads!

Oh, and there were other titles, too:

All pretty grisly stuff...but the 5 issues of Suspense Detective really poured on the terror/hype.

The last issue of Suspense Detective was in early 1953. This was shortly before Fawcett folded their comics business--thanks, DC!--so it managed to avoid being singled out in upcoming anti-crime comic furor.

Still:

Watch out for these comics if you have a weak heart!!