"The Case of the Purple Blackout" (writer and artist unknown) appeared in America's Greatest Comics #4 (Aug-Nov. 1942). Though dealing with home-grown gangsters and not mentioning the war, I have a vague theory that the idea for the tale might have arisen from war-imposed blackouts.
Whether I'm right about that, it's a fun story. A scientist invents a purple mist that blinds anyone caught up in it unless you are wearing special goggles. Immediately, a gangster named Honest John Black (he conveniently introduces himself during the robbery) steals both the mist and the goggles.
Soon, Honest John and his gang use the mist to pull off large-scale robberies. They are wearing the goggles. The cops--and eventually Bulletman and Bulletgirl--try to stop them but are stymied by the mist-induced blindness.
It seems like the thing to do would be to go to the scientist who invented the mist and ask him to make a few more goggles. But they don't and, during a second robbery, Bulletgirl is captured.
Bulletman then draws on his own scientific abilities and whips up an anti-mist mist. The next time the gang strikes, the purple mist is counter-acted. With the good guys able to see, Bulletgirl gets free and the bad guys are quickly rounded up.
It's a fun yarn, with effective art that moves the story along quickly. There's a nice parallel between the brutality of the crooks and the determination of both the Bullets and the cops to protect the innocent.
You can read this one online HERE.
Next week, we'll visit with Dullwit, a fox who definitely ISN'T as clever as a fox.
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