| Masked Blackjack | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Tom Barton |
|
First Appearance |
Authentic Police Cases #4 (October 1948) |
|
Original Publisher |
St. John |
|
Created by |
Paul Gattuso |
Origin[]
In the spring of 1947, Tom Barton's gun was stolen and then used in a bank heist. The criminals dropped the weapon which still had Tom's prints. Because Barton did not yet report his weapon stolen, he feared that the police would arrest him. So he became the Masked Blackjack to hunt down the trio of gunman who framed him and escape the pursuit of the police.
While attending a baseball game with his kid brother Jerry, Wilbur Megg's gang rob the box office. Tom and Jerry try to stop the crooks but Tom had to hide once the police showed up to apprehend Megg. Megg lies to the police and once again framed Barton. The police discovered his Masked Blackjack identity and began to search high and low for Tom. Jeff warns his brother and the two get in Tom's car to stop Megg's gang from boarding a train with the stolen cash-box from the baseball game. The gang was terrified of the masked man and try to flee but are stopped by Tom and his brother. The police then arrive and arrest the crooks with Masked Black Jack and Jerry leaving on the train.
The caption at the end of the story revealed that Wilbur Megg confessed to Barton's innocence and was imprisoned for forty years. Tom was then freed from suspicion.
Public Domain Appearances[]
- Authentic Police Cases #4, 7 (re-print of #4)
Notes[]
- The Masked Blackjack was a re-printed and re-named Gay Desperado taken from his appearance in Punch Comics #13.