Secret Agent X was the name of the main character featured in the Secret Agent X pulp magazine which ran for 41 issues between February 1934 and March 1939. The true identity of Secret Agent X is never revealed. He is a master of disguise, known as “the man of a thousand faces”, who adopts several different identities in each story. Although he is a dedicated crime-fighter working undercover for the U.S. government, this is unknown to the police who consider him an outlaw. His true role is known only to newspaper reporter Betty Dale and his mysterious Washington controller, K-9. Originally, X was bank-rolled by an anonymous group of millionaires who made any amount of money he might need available. He maintained a number of identities and turned a failing detective business into a success, which he used to gather news reports, get information, do leg work, guard people, etc. Later X became more of a mysterious government figure. His weapon of choice was a gas gun which quickly rendered people unconscious for a short time without any side effects. The Secret Agent X stories were situated at the more far-fetched end of the spectrum, with a number of science fiction elements such as futuristic weapons and mad scientists. They were generally given highly sensational titles such as “The Ambassador of Doom” (May 1934), “Servants of the Skull” (November 1934), “The Golden Ghoul” (July 1935), “Satan’s Syndicate” (August 1937) and “Curse of the Crimson Horde” (September 1938). The Secret Agent X stories were written by more than one author, but they all appeared under the “house name” Brant House. The first Secret Agent X story, “The Torture Trust” was written by Paul Chadwick, who went on to write at least fifteen others.
Alias Secret Agent X, “The Man of a Thousand Faces”
Appearance List As Secret Agent X, character appears in pulp magazine Secret Agent X #1-41 (February 1934 – March 1939). As X, the Phantom Fed, character appears in comics Sure-Fire Comics vol. 1 #1-3, Lightning Comics vol. 1 #4.
Description Secret Agent X was the name of the main character featured in the Secret Agent X pulp magazine which ran for 41 issues between February 1934 and March 1939. The true identity of Secret Agent X is never revealed. He is a master of disguise, known as “the man of a thousand faces”, who adopts several different identities in each story. Although he is a dedicated crime-fighter working undercover for the U.S. government, this is unknown to the police who consider him an outlaw. His true role is known only to newspaper reporter Betty Dale and his mysterious Washington controller, K-9. Originally, X was bank-rolled by an anonymous group of millionaires who made any amount of money he might need available. He maintained a number of identities and turned a failing detective business into a success, which he used to gather news reports, get information, do leg work, guard people, etc. Later X became more of a mysterious government figure. His weapon of choice was a gas gun which quickly rendered people unconscious for a short time without any side effects. The Secret Agent X stories were situated at the more far-fetched end of the spectrum, with a number of science fiction elements such as futuristic weapons and mad scientists. They were generally given highly sensational titles such as “The Ambassador of Doom” (May 1934), “Servants of the Skull” (November 1934), “The Golden Ghoul” (July 1935), “Satan’s Syndicate” (August 1937) and “Curse of the Crimson Horde” (September 1938). The Secret Agent X stories were written by more than one author, but they all appeared under the “house name” Brant House. The first Secret Agent X story, “The Torture Trust” was written by Paul Chadwick, who went on to write at least fifteen others.
