The Barry Chase series was a short one from Detective Fiction Weekly that ran three stories in 1937 and 1938. It was written by B.B. Fowler (1893-1981), who had several other stories and series in the 1930s and ’40s.
Steeger Books reprinted the first story in its Argosy Library: Graduation in Red. I hope we get the other two stories soon, maybe in a single volume. This story was cover-featured in the July 17, 1937, issue, and the artwork is used here.
The story introduces us to Barry Chase, who is now 24 years old. We learn that he has been trained by a group of four men over the last 12 years under the leadership of one he refers to only as “the gray man.” Indian Joe teaches him how to track and evade detection. Bill Cleghorn teaches him how to shoot. Carpenter teaches him how to disguise himself as another person, both in appearance and attitude. And the gray man, Uncle Dirk, teaches him other things. We soon learn the reason why he’s being trained.
Barry’s father was a crusading prosecutor, but his enemies marked him and his family for death, killing Barry’s father and mother. But his Uncle Dirk is able to get Barry and himself out of it. And “Barry Chase” isn’t his real name. It’s Gerald Sanderson. Now his mission will be to find the ones responsible for murdering his parents, but he will need to trust no one, as the mastermind behind it is unknown. Before he is able to do so, a group of gunmen appears and kills Bill, Carpenter, and Uncle Dirk. Later, a man arrives saying he’s Frederick Moreland, the best friend of his father, who has been looking for him. With him is his niece Elsa Darrow.
With only Indian Joe at his side, Barry sets out to fight those who killed his father, unmasking, at the end, the mastermind behind it all. And he learns that it is more than a criminal gang he is up against, as the mastermind is behind a group called the “Legion of Paladins,” which is led by a demagogue who hopes to be dictator of the U.S. It seems the plan is to use criminals to cause social unrest, which leads many to join the Legion, and they plan on some event in October to take over.
At a rally of this Legion, they see a man taken and follow him. The two are able to rescue the man, who turns out to be a U.S. secret agent. He dies in the escape, but gives them information on whom to contact in Washington. After a confrontation with one of the criminal leaders, Barry is able to get to Washington and becomes a sort of volunteer operative as well.
Barry and Joe, along with another agent they meet up with, are actively working to stop this conspiracy that aims to take over. With great danger, at the end of this story, he succeeds. As there are two more stories, I assume he goes up against further criminal groups. We will have to see.
This was a fast-moving story. I thought the main character was clearly inspired by Doc Savage in terms of origin, and he actually predates Batman by a couple of years.
I’m curious to see how things go in the next stories. Do we see more of Elsa Darrow? At the end of this story, he takes back his real name, but will we see him still operating as Barry Chase? That remains to be seen.
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