"The Crime Ray"

"I am The Shadow! Save your sham for your friends! Clever of you, Delcott, to pose as victim, and hide the fact that you ruled crime! I tricked your crew tonight when I crawled into the truck and lay among the injured! Yes, I am The Shadow! No longer do I need to crawl from danger. You obligingly gave me time to recuperate. I am going out of here - alone - through the mob of crooks who serve you!" - The Shadow

Boy, Cranston looks old in this.  I'm sure the white hair is supposed to be just lit by the light in the interrogation room.  Interrogation room?  Yes, this is The Shadow in the guise of Cranston and before it's all said and done he ends up being prosecuted under the Sullivan Act for possession of a firearm and goes to Graykill Prison!  The Shadow behind bars?!  Yes, this is one you must read.

It's interesting (to me) that this, the 181st published adventure of The Shadow, deals with super-science in the form of a machine that produces a ray capable of melting guns, cars and bringing down a bridge.  Why is this interesting?  Before the last year of the decade is over The Shadow Magazine has equaled the entire print run of Doc Savage pulps.  Another 144 issues of this title will be produced before both magazines end their runs in the summer of 1949.  Sure, Gibson had a two year head start but being tasked with two novels per month made it a certainty that The Shadow would be not only The Master of Men but The Master of The Pulp Heroes!