ComicBook Experience

From the exhibition

Beadle's Dime Library No. 941

· November 4, 1896

Beadle's Dime Library No. 941
This 1896 Beadle & Adams dime novel features "Captain Flash: Man of Two Names. A Story of the Twins of Tartarus" by Capt. Howard Holmes. In the mining camp of Sunset, a mysterious stranger identifying himself as Sam Sherlock, alias Sandy Sam—"the Shadow Sport from Frisco"—confronts two uncanny identical twins called Taos and Tophet, known as the Golden Twins. These troublemakers have a reputation for bringing misfortune wherever they appear. When Taos and Tophet arrive at the Tame Rattlesnake saloon and insult the townspeople, Sandy Sam boldly challenges them, calling them cowards. After an tense confrontation, he orders them to leave Sunset by sundown. The plot deepens when Captain Fiery Flash, a powerful local figure, learns of Sam's arrival. Flash and his associate Centipede recognize Sam and fear his presence threatens Flash's upcoming wedding. Flash instructs his men to monitor the situation and prevent Sam from interfering, though he permits the Golden Twins to fight if they choose. Montana Maude, a striking woman whose relationship to Flash remains unclear, visits the captain seeking his assurance about unspecified promises.

Public domain (pre-1929), restored and presented by comicbooks.com public-domain