History: (World's Best Comics #1) - High-ranking railroad official John West turned to crime, creating the masked identity of the Menace and assembling a gang. He knew that a huge gold shipment was coming into his home of Carson City, and ordered his gang to steal the gold. Mysteryman Zatara was aboard the train, and easily foiled the thugs with his magic. Menace was furious with his help, and decided they needed to eliminate Zatara. Menace changed into his civilian identity, and as West he welcomed Zatara into Carson City and gave him tickets to an important inter-city baseball game. The Menace had a fix in on the game, and with his men present he thought it would be the perfect opportunity to kill Zatara. Zatara used illusions to keep the gang from shooting him, and used his magic to make sure the fixed game ended in a tie. The Menace had his gang lead Zatara to his headquarters so he could personally deal with the magician. He lured Zatara in, and pulled a lever that opened a trap-door under his feet. Zatara was almost impaled on the spikes below, but used a levitation technique top escape. Zatara dealt with the Menace's gang and unmasked the mastermind, telling him he'd long ago figured out his identity as railroad official.

Comments: Created by Gardner Fox & Joseph Sulman.

In the pre-Crisis DC Universe the Menace lived on Earth-2.

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