Scheming crews of corrupt politicians plan a foolproof big haul — but they’re in for some unexpected opposition when Tony Quinn, the nemesis of crime, takes a hand in Haverford’s tangled affairs! Follow the Black Bat as he pits himself against a mighty machine of murder and plunder!
Even though other characters with a darkness theme came before him, The Black Bat struck a different chord with readers than his predecessors. Although he had a team like The Shadow, Tony Quinn’s mission was much more personal, a desire for revenge turned to a fight for justice. Where The Spider had darker adventures and higher body counts, The Black Bat stories showed a hero who brought evil to bear and made sure criminals paid their dues, but also showed restraint and control. This likely allowed readers to connect with him in a way they could not with other fictional pulp heroes.
The Black Bat debuted at a time when The Great Depression was ending and before World War Two truly began. Pulp readers were still stinging from poverty, unemployment, essentially the complete upheaval of their lives. They were also living in a world where crime was more prevalent and publicized than before. It is no surprise, then, that many latched onto a hero who not only went after crime with a deadly passion, but who most notably had been knocked down, defeated in his own way. The fact that Tony Quinn overcame his blindness to be one of the longest running features in Pulp Magazines owes quite a lot to this touch of humanity added to the character.
Thrill to The Skeleton's Secret, originally published in Black Book Detective #64 Winter 1944 and read with two fisted excitement by award winning voice actor Milton Bagby.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Neatly Done
Chapter 2: Murder Attempt
Chapter 3: Council of War
Chapter 4: A Night Call
Chapter 5: The Reluctant Sergeant
Chapter 6: Two Visitors
Chapter 7: Locker Room Murder
Chapter 8: The Missing Million
Chapter 9: Letters from the Black Bat
Chapter 10: Escape
Chapter 11: The Black Bat’s Strategy
Chapter 12: Gas Chamber
Chapter 13: Hidden Room of Death
Chapter 14: The Key to Guilt
