Comic Title: Showcase #73
Publisher: DC (National Periodical Publications, Inc.)
Address: 575 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: Mar/Apr 1968
On Sale Date: January 23, 1968 Newsstand Date January 23, 1968
Source: Direct Currents, Batman #200, Page 6

Newsstand Date January 23, 1968
Source: House Ad, Bomba the Jungle Boy #4, Page 6

Copyright Date January 23, 1968
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1968

Frequency: Bi-monthly
Cover Price: $0.12
Page Count: 32
Circulation: 189840
Editor: Murray Boltinoff

Title: "The Coming of the Creeper"
Pages: 23

Feature(s):
Creeper (of Earth-1)

Plotter/Artist: Steve J. Ditko
Scripter: Don Segall

Reprinted In:
Detective Comics #443 (1974)
Creeper by Steve Ditko HC (2010)

Feature Character(s)

• Creeper (Jack Ryder; next appearance in Beware the Creeper #1)

Supporting Character(s)

• Bill Brane (Chief of Network Security; next appearance in Beware the Creeper #1)

Villain(s)

• Angel Devilin and his gang (Vince and Charley named; no further appearances)
• Major Smej (a communist agent; no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Professor Yatz (dies in this story; no further appearances)
• Dr. Wetley (an anti-violence crusader; no further appearances)
• Pete (an investigator; no further appearances)
• Mr. Pell (a television sponsor; no further appearances)

Synopsis:
After he is fired from his job as a television show host, Jack Ryder is recruited by a security agency to fight communist agents. Ryder's first assignment is to locate Professor Yatz, a scientist that was kidnapped by Angel Devilin's gang and is to be turned over to the communists.

Ryder tracks the crooks to a costume party. He crashes the party wearing a yellow and green costume with a red rug used as a cape. He soon locates Yatz in a hidden room, but is wounded during a fight. Yatz gives Ryder his scientific secrets including a healing elixir that enhances Ryder's strength and stamina. Ryder also has a tranmuter implanted in his wound which allows him to make his costume disappear and reappear at will. Yatz then destroys the rest of his research.

When the crooks find them, Yatz is shot and killed. Ryder is then forced to flee. His strange appearance and odd behavior including a maniacal laugh sets the crooks on edge. The police arrive on the scene and assume that the newly dubbed Creeper is a crook. Creeper battles the crooks while avoiding the police, until he finally takes down Angel Devilin and communist agent Major Smej.