The Shadow Comics, Vol. 8, No. 4

This July 1948 issue of Shadow Comics (Vol. 8, No. 4) contains three adventure serials. "The Ghost Buoy" features Lamont (The Shadow) and his companion Margot investigating mysterious deaths at a lighthouse. They uncover that Hendrick Danton has kept his supposedly-dead bride Lucy imprisoned, driven mad; when discovered, Danton drowns himself clutching a white flower. Lucy, revealed as sane, had faked her condition to protect her delusional brother. "Nick Carter" presents detective Nick Carter and sergeant Patsy investigating a forged will in the Rogers estate case. The scheme involves gambling debts and murder orchestrated by gangster High Card Bridges, who fabricates an 1895 will using the anachronistic word "moron"—invented in 1914—allowing Carter to expose the forgery. "The Public Defender" features Roger Kilgore defending Harvey against a murder charge, employing an Abraham Lincoln anecdote to secure acquittal. A separate storyline involves rivals Lester Van Dirk and Harvey competing for Harriet Bascom's affection; a murder occurs nearby.