More Fun Comics #64
More Fun Comics #64 represents a mature, mid-run installment of DC's preeminent supernatural anthology, showcasing both the Spectre and Doctor Fate at the height of their early Golden Age power fantasies — two characters who would go on to become founding pillars of the Justice Society of America and DC's entire tradition of supernatural heroism. The issue marks the debut of the Lance Larkin adventure strip, a short-lived but distinctive addition to the title's ensemble of globe-trotting action features. It also documents a key storytelling moment in the Spectre's run, exploring the moral complexity of ghostly vigilante justice in a story where even Jim Corrigan cannot fully control a murdered cop's vengeful spirit. As a concentrated example of the anthology format that built DC's Golden Age universe, the issue captures the full breadth of the publisher's 1941 output: occult superheroes, colonial-adventure strips, police procedurals, and jungle action all sharing the same masthead.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Published by Detective Comics, Inc. under editor Whitney Ellsworth, the issue continued the well-established creative partnerships that defined More Fun Comics in its supernatural peak period: Jerry Siegel — co-creator of Superman — scripting the Spectre opposite artist Bernard Baily, and Gardner Fox writing Doctor Fate with Howard Sherman on art. Fox's Doctor Fate stories drew heavily on pulp horror influences, particularly H.P. Lovecraft and Weird Tales, giving the Fate stories a distinctively grim, atmospheric quality that set them apart from most contemporary superhero fare. The Lance Larkin feature was new to the title with this issue, drawn by artist Harold Wilson Sharp, replacing the Lt. Bob Neal of Sub 662 strip that had ended the prior month with issue #63.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: February 1941; published by Detective Comics, Inc.; on-sale date approximately late December 1940.
- First appearance of Lance Larkin, a globe-trotting adventurer strip drawn by Harold Wilson Sharp — the series debuted here and ran through More Fun Comics #70.
- The Spectre story is titled 'The Ghost of Elmer Watson,' written by Jerry Siegel and illustrated by Bernard Baily; it features a murdered policeman whose ghost refuses the Spectre's authority and independently kills his own murderers, raising explicit questions about justice versus vengeance.
- The Doctor Fate story is titled 'The Menace of Mayoor,' written by Gardner Fox and drawn by Howard Sherman; it sees Inza Cramer lured into the ancient Yucatan prison of a powerful Mayan entity named Mayoor, who uses her as bait to free himself.
- O'Toole the chimpanzee, Congo Bill's animal sidekick, makes his third and final appearance in the series in this issue's Congo Bill story.
- The Spectre story 'The Ghost of Elmer Watson' was later collected and reprinted in DC's The Golden Age Spectre Archives Vol. 1.
- The Doctor Fate story 'The Menace of Mayoor' was later collected and reprinted in DC's The Golden Age Doctor Fate Archives Vol. 1.
- Editor Whitney Ellsworth oversaw the full issue; other contributors include Joe Donohoe (Detective Sergeant Carey), George Papp (Congo Bill), Ed Winiarski (Captain Desmo), Jerry Siegel and Fred Ray (Radio Squad), and a text story 'The Wildcat Strikes' by Rex Gilbert.
Cast · 16 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Dr. Fate and Inza visit an ancient temple and run smack into Mayoor, the ancient evil Mayan god, who puts Inza under his evil spell.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).