The Black Hood first appeared in Black Hood Detective Magazine in September 1941 before appearing in a radio show. He was one of very few Comic Book heroes to star in a Pulp Magazine. The Hood was Kip Burland, a young District Attorney who became frustrated at the number of criminals who were escaping justice and so decided to become a costumed crimefighter. He put on a black costume and every night haunted the city, using his superior athletic ability to fight crime.
From James van Hise’s Pulpmasters, this piece was written by Tom Johnson: The Black Hood had a short pulp life. Beginning with “Death’s Five Faces,” September 1941, in Black Hood Detective Volume Two, Number Eight, written by G. T. Fleming-Roberts. The publisher was Columbia Publications, Inc., 1 Appleton Street, Holyoke, MA with the editorial offices located at 60 Hudson St., New York N.Y. Black Hood Detective was probably a continuation of Detective Yarns, which ended in April 1941 (Volume 2, Number 5). This magazine had been published by Blue Ribbon Magazines, Inc., same address as above. In April 1941, most of the Blue Ribbon – more likely all – titles were put under the Columbian Publications Imprint.
The character of the Black Hood first appeared in comic book form in Top Notch #9, October 1940, which was a Columbia Publications, Inc., line of comics. But by September 1941, they had hired G. T. Fleming-Roberts to write a series of short novels (approximately 35 pages each) for their pulp magazine line, beginning with Volume 2, Number 6 of Black Hood Detective. The magazine was re-titled later as Hooded Detective, Volume 3 Number 1 in November 1941, with a second story, titled “The Corpse Came C.O.D.” A third story, “The Whispering Eye,” was published in January 1942. And though the character would have a continued life in the comics, the pulp series would end with the third story.”

Bill Thom

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Coming Attractions
The Pulp Series Character Reprint Index

 

Black Hood Detective

  • [v2 #6, September 1941] (10¢, pulp, cover by Allen Anderson)
  • 10 · Death’s Five Faces [Kip Burland (Black Hood)] · G. T. Fleming-Roberts ·
  • 45 · Some Gold Is Bloody Red · Mat Rand ·
  • 54 · Refugee Racket · Leo Hoban ·
  • 65 · Tainted Alibi · Zachary Strong ·
  • 68 · Double for Death · Richard Sprang ·
  • 82 · Accent on Death · Tom Grover ·
Hooded Detective
[v3 #1, November 1941] (10¢, pulp)

  • 10 · The Corpse Came C.O.D. [Kip Burland (Black Hood)] · G. T. Fleming-Roberts ·
  • 43 · Green Leaves of Death · J. Wilson ·
  • 52 · Drugstore Dick · Cliff Campbell ·
  • 60 · Menace in Blondes · Richard Sprang ·
  • 67 · Steal a Man’s Eyes · Stephen McBarron ·
  • 79 · C Note—Ticket to the Chair · Marvin Ryerson ·
  • Bloody Poison Pens · Roy Giles · ar

Hooded Detective

  •  [v3 #2, January 1942] (Columbia Publications, Inc., 10¢, 94pp, pulp)
  • 8 · The Whispering Eye [Kip Burland (Black Hood)] · G. T. Fleming-Roberts ·
  • 42 · Candidate for a Coffin · T. W. Ford ·
  • 52 · One Hundred Bucks Per Stiff · J. Lloyd Conrich ·
  • 60 · Death Is Deaf · Cliff Campbell ·
  • 65 · Three Guesses · David Goodis ·
  • 73 · The Cop Was a Coward · Wilbur S. Peacock ·
  • 81 · The Strange Case of William Long · Roy Giles ·
  • 86 · A Dinner Date with Murder · Harry Stein ·
  • 90 · Artistic Murders Misfire · Mat Rand ·

Sure-Fire Detective (Canada)

  • (Reprint of Hooded Detective Jan 1942,)
  • [v2 #6, August 1942] (Duchess Printing and Publishing Co., Ltd., 15¢, pulp, cover by Barnard Clarke)
  • 4 · The Whispering Eye [Kip Burland (Black Hood)] · G. T. Fleming-Roberts · naHooded Detective Jan 1942
  • 20 · Three Guesses · David Goodis · ss Hooded Detective Jan 1942
  • 30 · Death Is Deaf · Cliff Campbell · ss Hooded Detective Jan 1942
  • 35 · Sure-Fire Slants · Anon. · cl
  • 36 · Drugstore Clerk · George Fallon ·
  • 46 · A Dinner Date with Murder · Harry Stein · vi Hooded Detective Jan 1942
  • 51 · Oddities in Crime · Anon. · cl
  • 53 · Candidate for a Coffin · T. W. Ford · ss Hooded Detective Jan 1942
  • HIGH ADVENTURE #49
  •  (Reprint of Black Hood Detective v2 #6, September 1941)
  • (cover by Allen Anderson)
  • 10 · Death’s Five Faces [Kip Burland (Black Hood)] · G. T. Fleming-Roberts ·
  • 45 · Some Gold Is Bloody Red · Mat Rand ·
  • 54 · Refugee Racket · Leo Hoban ·
  • 65 · Tainted Alibi · Zachary Strong ·
  • 68 · Double for Death · Richard Sprang ·
  • 82 · Accent on Death · Tom Grover ·
  • THE PULP ADVENTURES OF THE HOODED DETECTIVE
  • (Reprint of Hooded Detective Jan 1942,)
  • 10 · The Corpse Came C.O.D. [Kip Burland (Black Hood)] · G. T. Fleming-Roberts ·
  • 43 · Green Leaves of Death · J. Wilson ·
  • 52 · Drugstore Dick · Cliff Campbell ·
  • 60 · Menace in Blondes · Richard Sprang ·
  • 67 · Steal a Man’s Eyes · Stephen McBarron ·
  • 79 · C Note—Ticket to the Chair · Marvin Ryerson ·
  • Bloody Poison Pens · Roy Giles · ar

THE WHISPERING EYE
by G. T. Fleming-Roberts
$3.99
Hunted by the police … framed for robbery and murder by the Eye, master fiend and vicious ruler of the underworld … loathed by Barbara Sutton the girl who loves him … the BLACK HOOD had to face the blazing purgatory of this murder master’s guns to win back Barbara’s love and clear himself of the framed charges.

  • Length: ~ 67 pages (depending on e-reader font and font size)
  • Original Publication: Hooded Detective | January 1942 | Vol. III, No. 2
  • Republication Date: Aug 15, 2018
  • $3.99