Law & Order: Carnival Victims Unit!!

Happy Terrill, the Ray, is at the circus with his orphan pal Bud! But he notices...

Oh, well, whatever. On with the show!

Saaaay...

Yeah, right, whatever.

Hey, look up in the air!

Great, now we're gonna have another Dick Ric Grayson on our hands!

Happy and Bud return to the circus the next day to investigate...

This time, however, Ray is ready!

Gee, why couldn't you have done that yesterday, Mr.-Moves-At-The-Speed-Of-Light?!?

The bad guys hightail it...

"Bah"? "Pietro"? What, is this a plot by Magneto and The Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants?

Anyhoo, Ray is talking to the man he saved...

Hah! Let's see Fox Mulder do that!!!

Seriously, how many FBI agents just happen to have enough skills to not only pose as an acrobat, but actually perform on the trapeze?!?

Then again, if comic have taught us anything, it's that there is so much circus-based crime in America, that every law-enforcement agency doubtless has their own Big Top Division, filled with agents holding various circus skills just waiting to infiltrate the carnival. Law & Order: Circus Crimes! CSI Big Top! NCIS Roustabout!!

Oh, and what was the plot, anyway?

I know it's asking a lot of a Golden Age story, but we have no indication what Vera was actually doing as a "spy." Sure, a traveling circus is a good way to move around the country and all, but exactly what secrets are you coming across? And don't they have a better way of passing on information than having a horse pass on information by tapping out Morse code in a tent filled with thousands of witnesses?

But the camera that is really a paralyzing ray is pretty cool...

From Smash Comics #24 (1941)

Manic Monday Triple Overtime--Zatara Invents 3-D TV (And Ends All Hunger And Crime Everywhere)!!

There's a gang of thieves about, and Zatara has used his shrewd deduction skills to figure out how to find them!

Look, "they were talking about watching the game on TV" wasn't as obvious a possibility in 1945, so don't get snotty.

But how can Zatara use this information? Well, at the next Dodgers game...

HOLY COW ZATARA IS THROWING BASEBALLS OVER THE AIRWAVES AND THROUGH THE TELEVISION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Zatara was discovered Wonkavision decades early--and no need for taffy pullers!! Why can't this spell be used to transport food over long distances to famine-stricken areas? Medicine? Instantly transport troops to trouble spots? Zatara, you've revolutionized the world!!

This is never mentioned again.

Next, Zatara hypnotizes his captive audience into surrendering themselves the next day:

But Zatara wasn't specific in his spell, so...

Yes, ALL the crooks in Grant City who were watching the ballgame are compelled to give themselves up!!

That so many crooks are Dodgers fans probably says something, but I'll leave that alone.

Again, this technology could change everything. Why doesn't Zatara get on a national broadcast and command every crook everywhere to turn themselves in?

Some of the criminals get restive, so Zatara enlarges some ants, because that's a pretty cool thing to do.

And so...

No thanks to you, Zatara. Where's the follow-up? You could solve all of the world's problems!! What the hell?!?!

From World's Finest Comics #19 (1945)

Batman Vs.The Golden Age Taskmaster?!?

Look who is putting on a show in Gotham City!

Yup, he's got a "photographic memory" (or, what we would call an "eidetic memory" is this more picky time).

Bruce Wayne is familiar with Oliver Hunt's history...

But Bruce is concerned, because Hunt's gift could be used for evil.

Geez, Bruce, paranoid much?

Well, justifiably so, as Hunt is approached by gangsters...

Yup, you can always trust criminals' promises not to use violence.

So, anyway, what kind of crimes can they use a man with "camera memory" for?

Intellectual property crimes!!

For example, as the thugs create a distraction in the front office of a music publishing company...

YOW! Holy copyright theft, Batman!!

They pull the same stunt with patent attorneys and book publishers!! Watch the money flow!!

Then they break into the District Attorney's office:

Umm...doesn't the DA have to disclose all evidence to the defense? So why steal it (for big $)? Or wasn't that the law in 1943?

Anyhow, Bruce and Dick Rick see Hunt leaving the scene of one of the crimes, and follow him...

By now you're probably saying, "Hey, snell, you titled this piece the Golden Age Taskmaster. Where the hell is my Taskmaster?"

Here you go:

Hunt memorized jiu-jitsu, and is using it to kick the Dynamic Duo's ass!

But Batman knows how to beat that--do the unexpected!

HA! The old "throw a typewriter" ploy!!

But when they try to fly away with Hunt in the Batplane...

You can't stop Oliver Hunt!! He even goes so far as to memorize the Batplane's workings...

...and make his comrades their own evil Batplane!!

Ahh, but you can't count on crooks to be non-violent white collar criminals forever, as they start roughing up people, and turning to...

TREASON!!

Well, Hunt can't cross that Rubicon, so he betrays his keepers to Batman. After they've all been wrapped up...

But Batman has a better idea!

Oh, yeah, the bad guy was named Dude Fay. No wonder he turned to crime.

And it turns out that Hunt was a very effective spy...

From World's Finest Comics #10 (1943)