Flash Comics #36
In "Tale of the Treasure Hunt!", a down-on-his-luck carnival performer named Pete Merkel takes a dangerous turn, disguising himself as a life-sized rag doll to pull off a daring heist in a department store. Written by Gardner F. Fox and illustrated by E. E. Hibbard, this 1942 Flash Comics tale introduces a surprisingly clever criminal who’s more puppet than predator—only to find the Flash is just as intrigued by the act as the police. The cover by Lou Ferstadt captures the eerie charm of the moment, making this a standout in the early Flash series.
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When a carnival closes its doors, many of its key performers find themselves without jobs, including Pete Merkel, a contortionist by trade, so he decides to try his hand at theft. Disguised as a life-sized rag doll, he hides in a department store stock room until closing, then robs it overnight. However, when he adopts the criminal identity of the Rag Doll, the Flash discovers this is one toy that interests the Police more than it will children.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).