October 1939: Feature Comics #27

It's going to be a quick review today, because all I could find from Feature Comics #27 was the Doll Man story.  Looking at the cover below, it's weird that Doll Man debuts as the issue's headliner, yet he doesn't make the cover at all, not even as a little head shot.

Cover by creators unknown, possibly Ed Cronin

'The Doll Man' (by Jerry Iger and Will Eisner): This is the origin story of Doll Man, one of Quality's more popular super heroes. Scientist Darrel Dane invents a formula with which he can shrink to the size of a doll, and he uses his new found power to battle a crook who is blackmailing his fiancee. The plot itself isn't that interesting, but it really just serves as a backdrop against which Doll Man can show off his powers.  The most interesting bit comes after Dane first shrinks, and he goes temporarily insane and attacks his fiancee's father with a hypodermic needle. That's something I'd like to see expanded on, but I doubt it's going to happen. It's also never explained why the doll-sized Dane is so powerful, possessing the ability to punch out full-grown men. Nevertheless, despite the inauspicious debut, there are some hooks to hang some interesting stories on.