The War Ends

The issue of The Shadow in this display has a cover date of October 1945, but it probably reached readers in mid-August or early September, as Americans were just learning of Japan's surrender.

The artwork and production of the book took place months before final victory was accomplished. The War in Europe had been concluded over the summer and America had turned its mind to ending the war in the Pacific, as well. At the time that this book was created, American confidence that the war would end was high, even though much pain and suffering was anticipated before its final conclusion.

This issue of The Shadow was made with a single staple for binding, as were many books of the time, in order to preserve resources for the war effort; a practice that would soon be coming to an end. Like the print production techniques, the ads in the book don't reflect a certainty that the war is over. The ad for Curtiss Candy's Baby Ruth on the back cover still exhorts readers to "Buy U.S. War Bonds and Stamps. "

In retrospect, perhaps the most interesting piece in the October 1945 issue of The Shadow was a promtional comic-style essay that gave a glimpse of cell phone technology as envisioned in 1945 entitled In Your Hat.

Readers of this book were also treated to a lead story by the title character; a short feature entitled, The Strange Case of Hirohito's Devil Men; a text piece, The Inner Circle (the Stain that Spoke); a story starring private investigator Nick Carter; Flatty Foote, a comic cop; and an adventure from Fawcett's other cross-over from Pulp Magazines, Doc Savage.

The inside front cover ad promised success and happiness from learning to Dance. The outside back cover continued a tradition in comic book publishing where ads offered books to readers. Logically, marketing books to someone who has spent money on reading material seems natural. This issue's ads offered crime books as lurid as those sold through Lev Gleason's company that were attracting the attention of moral crusaders.