A kind of British cousin to Detective Comics, SUPER- DETECTIVE LIBRARY (aka “Super-Detective Picture Library”) never strayed too far from its roots as an anthology of comic stories featuring detectives, even if it did occasionally feature stories of war, espionage, adventure, fantasy and even science fiction.
The magazine was one of those popular British pocket-sized comic anthologies in the forties and fifties that ran a complete sixty or so page story every couple of weeks, usually featuring one of their regular cast of heroes. others included Thriller Picture Library and Buster Adventure Library.
Initially Super-Detective featured well-known detectives and adventurers drawn from English, Canadian and American sources, such as The Saint, Bulldog Drummond, Fu Manchu, Dick Barton, Harry Lime (from the movie The Third Man), Ernest Dudley (“The Armchair Detective”), Sexton Blake, Rip Kirby and Buck Ryan. Eventually, though, they developed some of their own recurring characters– John Steel (a “Special Agent” who later became a private investigator), Lesley Shane (a female eye), and “space detectives” Rod Collins and Rick Ransom (who became the magazine’s most popular recurring character).
The pulpy covers were painted and in full colour, while the insides were, in true pulp fashion, black and white. It was originally published by Amalgamated Press, and ran for 154 issues, before it was taken over by Fleetway, which kept it going for another 34 issues.
The series editor was Edward Holmes, and the quality was generally quite high in its seven year run, featuring some pretty impressive art by the likes of Alex Raymond (Rip Kirby), Ron Embleton (Panther’s Moon and The Golden Salamander), Ernest Dudley (Bulldog Drummond and The Armchair Detective), Ron Turner (Rick Random), Luis Bermejo ( John Steel) and Jack Monk (Buck Ryan).
COMICS
- SUPER-DETECTIVE LIBRARY
(1953-60, Amalagated Press)
Bi-weekly digest
64 pages, B&W
154 issues
Editor: Edward Holmes
Writers: Oliver Passingham
Artists: Bill Lacey, Ron Turner, Roland Davies, Oliver Passingham- “The Case of the Contraband People” (March 11, 1953; #1; The Saint)
- “The Riddle of the Frensham Will” (March 29, 1953; #2; Ernest Dudley)
- “Bulldog Drummond (#3; Bulldog Drummond)
- “The Return of the Third Man” (#4; Harry Lime)
- “The Great Flying Saucer Mystery” (#5; The Saint)
- “The Door with the Seven Locks” (#6; by Edgar Wallace)
- “The Treasure House of Martin Hews” (#7; by E. Phillips Oppenheim)
- “The Case of the Sinister Castle” (#8; Ernest Dudley)
- “The Island of Fu Manchu” (#9, Fu Manchu)
- “The Black Abbott” (#10; by Edgar Wallace)
- “The Menace of the Poison Pen” (#11; The Saint)
- “City Under the Sea” (#12; Dick Barton)
- “The Final Count” (#13; Bulldog Drummond)
- “The Men from the Stars” (#14; Rod Collins)
- “The Vanishing Policemen” (#15; The Saint)
- “The Riddle of the Race Gang” (#16; Lesley Shane)
- “The Phantom of the Fun Fair” (#17)
Based on the story “The Dead Ringer” by Fredric Brown - “The Mystery of the Hooded Man” (#18; Ernest Dudley)
- “The Last Jerst of Angelo Yates” (November 23, 1953; #19; Lesley Shane)
- “Menace from the Moon” (#20)
- “The Rocket Racketeers” (#21; Black Shadow)
- “The Secret of Lessinger’s Loot” (#22; Ernest Dudley)
- “Kidnapped by Martians” (#23)
- “The Phantom of Dracos Island” (#24)
- “Diamonds to Burn” (#25)
- “The Phantom of the Flying Fort” (#26)
- “Jungle Manhunt (#27; Lesley Shane)
- “You Can’t Stop The Saint” (#28; The Saint)
- “The Planet Of Peril” (#29)
- “The Riddle of the City In Space” (#31)
- “The Case of the Secret Archer” (#32; Lesley Shane)
- “Danger – The Saint At Work” (#33; The Saint)
- “Jet Scott And The Sword Of Fire” (#34; Jet Scott)
- “Revolt On Venus” (#35)
- “Crime Under The Ocean” (#36)
- “Crime Rides The Spaceways” (#37)
- “The Saint Plays The Joker” (#38; The Saint)
- “The Stolen Crown” (#39; Lesley Shane)
- “The Case of the Hunted Man” (#40)
- “Meet the Mastermind” (#41; Lesley Shane)
- “Dictator of the Deep” (#42)
- “Meet Captain Dack” (#43; Captain Dack)
- “Kidnappers from Space” (#44; Rick Random)
- “Crime From The Sky” (#45)
- “The Man Who Made Gold” (#46)
- “Baghdad Manhunt” (#47)
- “The Riddle of the Vanishing Spacemen” (#48)
- “The Man Who Owned The Moon” (#49)
- “Lost Underworld” (#50)
- “The Mystery Of Table 13” (#51)
- “Who Killed The Ghost?” (#52)
- “The Case of the Space Bubble” (#53)
- “The Riddle of the Blue Men” (#54)
- “Mystery Of Peril Island” (#55; Captain Dack)
- “Despot of the Underworld” (#57)
- “Panthers’ Moon” (#58)
From the story by Victor Canning - “The Saint’s Sunken Gold” (#59; The Saint)
- “The House of the Seven Flies” (#60)
- “The Toff At Butlin’s” (#61)
From the story by John Creasy - “The Hush Money Riddle” (#62; Lesley Shane)
- “The Riddle of the Paintings That Came to Life” (#63; Lesley Shane)
- “The Five Lives Of Mr. Quex” (#64)
- “The Mystery of the Red-Headed League” & “The Case of the Greek Interpreter” (#65; Sherlock Holmes)
- “The Gold-Rush Planet” (#66)
- “Paul Darrow and The Crime King” (#67; Paul Darrow)
- “Sexton Blake’s Diamond Hunt” (#68; Sexton Blake)
- “The Riddle of the Bull-Ring” (#69; Lesley Shane)
- “The Mystery of the Moving Planet” (#70; Rick Random)
- “Mystery In Baghdad” (#41; Inspector Chafik)
- “The Golden Salamander” (#72)
From the novel by Victor Channing - “Peril Beneath The Earth” (#73; Paul Darrow)
- “The Thames Afire” & “A Scandal in Bohemia” (#74; Sherlock Holmes)
- “The Secret of the Ocean Planet” (#75; Rick Random)
- “The Mystery Of Chinaman’s Island” (#76)
- “The Phantom Racehorse” (#77; Vic Terry)
- “The Hound of the Baskervilles” & “The Missing Heiress” (#78; Sherlock Holmes)
- “The Planet Of Lost Men” (#79; Rick Random)
- “Crime Takes The Stage” ((#80; Lesley Shane)
- “The Golden Horse” (#81; Blackshirt)
From the story “Blackshirt Passes By” by Roderic Grame. - “The Man Who Broke The Bookies” (#82; Vic Terry)
- “The Invaders From The Ocean Planet” (#84)
From the novel by Victor Canning. - “The Java Wreckmen” (#85; Dirk Rogers)
From the story by Frank Crisp. - “The Girl Who Never Was” (#86; Lesley Shane)
- “The Mystery of the Missing Merchant” & “The Case of the Frightened Man” (#87; Inspector Chafik)
- “Blackshirt’s Treasure Hunt” (#88; Blackshirt)
From the novel Salute to Blackshirt by Roderic Grame. - “The Horse With The Cloven Hoof” (#89; Vic Terry)
- “Manhunt Through Space” (#90; Rick Random)
- “Mystery In The Milky Way” (#91; Rick Random)
- “The Mystery of the Fatal Photographs” (#92; Lesley Shane)
- “The Riddle of the Haunted Reef” (#93; Dirk Rogers)
- The Mona Lisa Mystery” (#94; Temple Fortune)
- “Jewel Smugglers” (#95)
From the story “The Man from the Turkish Slave” by Victor Canning. - “The Riddles of the Ring” (#96; Vic Terry)
- “Time Travellers” (#97; Rick Random)
- “The Mystery of the Dream Crimes” (#98; Lesley Shane)
- “The Battleship Mystery” (#99; Dirk Rogers)
From “The Manila Menfish” by Frank Crisp. - “The Monte Cristo Riddle” (#100; Temple Fortune)
From the story by T.C.H. Jacobs. - “The Riddle of the Vanishing People” (#101; Rick Random)
- “The House Of Mystery” (#102; Lesley Shane)
- “The Mystery at the Mardi-Gras” (#104)
From “Appointment in New Orleans” by Tod Claymore. - “The Man Who Put Out the Sun” (#105; Rick Random)
- “Unknown” (#106)
- “Unknown” (#107)
- “The Mystery of the Blazing Cottage” (#108)
From “Reunion in Florida” by Tod Claymore. - “The Oasis Of Mystery” (#109)
From “Oasis Nine” by Victor Canning. - “The Missing Millionaire” (#110; The Toff)
From the story by John Creasey. - “Sabotage From Space” (#111; Rick Random)
- “Unknown” (#112)
- “Unknown” (#113)
- “The Jungle Treasure” (#114; Lesley Shane)
- “S.O.S. From Space” (#115; Rick Random)
- “The Photo Finish Mystery” (#116; Vic Terry)
- “Unknown” (#117)
- “The Mystery of the Masks Of Manton” (#118; Lesley Shane)
- “Unknown” (#119)
- “The Man Who Stole A Million Dollars” (#120; Rip Kirby)
- (#121 Blackshirt And The Island Of Fear” (#121; Blackshirt)
- “Duel with Danger” (#122; Rip Kirby)
- “The Planet Of Terror” (#123; Rick Random)
- “Desert Fury” (#124; Rip Kirby)
- “Jungle Adventure” (#125; Blackshirt)
- “The Runaway Lady” (#126; Rip Kirby)
- “The Space Pirates” (#127: Rick Random)
- “The Fatal Target” (#128; Rip Kirby)
- “Perilous Mission” (#129; Rick Random)
- “The Race Of Death” (#130; Rip Kirby)
- “The Secret of the Devil’s Ravine” (#131; Blackshirt)
- “Terror Island” (#132; Rip Kirby)
- “The Mystery of the Frozen World” (#133; Rick Random)
- “The Clue of the Vanishing Gun” (#134; Rip Kirby)
- “The Secret of the Sahara” (#135; Blackshirt)
- “Dangerous Manhunt” (#136; Rip Kirby)
- “The Mystery of the Robot World” ((#137; Rick Random)
- “The Trail Of Terror” (#138; Rip Kirby)
- “The Mystery of the Knights Of Space” (#139; Rick Random)
- “The Mystery of the Prisoner Of Doom Castle” (#140; Rip Kirby)
- “The Jewels Of Death” (#141; Blackshirt)
- “The Case of the Man From Nowhere” (#142; Rip Kirby)
- “The Terror From Space” (#143; Rick Random)
- “Invitation To Danger” (#144; Rip Kirby)
- “The Case of the Murdered Matadors” (#145; Blackshirt)
- “Design For Murder” (#146; Rip Kirby)
- “Dangerous Waters” (#147)
From the story by Jack Cox. - “The Devil’s Henchman” (#148; Rip Kirby)
- “The Haunted Racehorse” (#149)
- “The Case of the Crooked Mile” (#150; Rip Kirby)
- “Unknown” (#151)
- “The Playground Of Fear” (#152; Rip Kirby)
- “The Threat From Space” (#153; Rick Random)
- “Unknown” (#154)
- SUPER-DETECTIVE PICTURE LIBRARY
(1953-60, Fleetway/IPC)
Biweekly
68 pages, B&W
Digest-sized
34 issues- “Marked For Murder” (#155; Blackshirt)
- “Appointment With Danger” (#156; Buck Ryan)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (September 1959; #157; John Steel)
- “Funfair of Evil” (#158; Buck Ryan)
- “Unknown” (#159)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#160; John Steel)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#161; John Steel)
- “Unknown” (#162)
- “The Kidnapped Planet” (#163; Rick Random)
- “Unknown” (#164)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#165; John Steel)
- “The House Of Fear” (#166; Buck Ryan)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#167; John Steel)
- “Unknown” (#168)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#169; John Steel)
- “The Four Faced Bandit” (#170; Buck Ryan)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#171; John Steel)
- “Unknown” (#172)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#173; John Steel)
- “Unknown” (#174)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#175; John Steel)
- “Unknown” (#176)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#177; John Steel)
- “Murder By Mail” (#178; Buck Ryan)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#179; John Steel)
- “Shadow Castle” (#180; Buck Ryan)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#181; John Steel)
- “The Enemy Within” (#182; Buck Ryan)
- “Unknown” (#183)
- ” Buck Ryan and the Bank Bandits” (#184; Buck Ryan)
- “House of Bamboo” (#185; John Steel)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#186; John Steel)
- “John Steel Special Agent World War II” (#187; John Steel)
- “The Shadow Mystery Man Of World War II” (#188; The Shadow)
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith, with a tip of the fedora to Paul Elford.
