Chapter three already and since not much is happening except our hero being fried thanks to his own dumbness I’ll regale you with an interesting fact I’ve just found out about "Mysterious Dr Satan". It was meant to be a Superman serial. It was written with Superman and Clark Kent as the heroes but at the last minute they lost permission to use the caped one and had to make up a new hero from scratch. Hence the tatty mask and entirely unconvincing duel identity. They didn’t bother re-writing the female lead hence she’s still a journalist called Lois.

Now, back to our dumb hero and his impending electrocution.

The Copperhead thought nothing of standing beneath this death machine.

Dr Satan thought nothing of cleverly operating a lever with his elbow.

The Copperhead thought nothing of saving his own life by shooting Dr Satan’s control panel and blowing the lever up.

So the light that illuminates these men is not the light of death but the light of salvation. They look appalled.

The Copperhead tries to shoot at them but has run out of bullets. One of the heavies takes his chance and, forgetting that Superman was cancelled, leaps into action.

A fight breaks out.

But not for long as the Copperhead, in an unaltered page of the script, dives out of the laboratory window.

Dr Satan mourns the passing of a piece of electronic evil.

It’s terribly dark and you’ll have to take my word that the heavies have climbed into their car, unaware that the Copperhead is hiding in the boot.

He leaps out of the car, knocks out a hoodlum and wonders what to do next.

He takes his mask off, steals the unconscious man’s coat and stakes the building out. That’s what he does next.

Then he climbs up the outside of the building using the powers of another super hero they don’t have the rights for.

He gets to the top, puts his silly mask back on and prepares to jump in and start another fight.

Inside, Dr Satan is rambling about power.

They finish their conversation about diving down to the wreck of the boat they destroyed in chapter 1 because it has the only other control tube in the world. Then they hear a noise out on the ledge.

"The Copperhead!" gasps the sidekick.

He’s a fiend but a fiend who shuts his eyes every time he fires his gun. Bless.

They burst into the room where the Copperhead is hiding.

He’s not there.

He’s climbing again.

They burst out again.

There is an exciting chase across the rooftops. Those with sensitive dispositions will be relieved to know it is too dark to make out exactly what is going on.

Classic comedy as the two inch along the wall and are about to bump into each other like two big dumb clowns.

A fight breaks out.

Luckily, the Copperhead finds the top of an elevator shaft and is able to slide down the cable. Even luckier, his hands are apparently not made of skin.

He finds a door, forces it open and is back on dry land.

Back at Scott’s fun palace, he is bemoaning the loss of the control tube when he finds a note on his desk.

Meanwhile, in Satan’s office, a message comes through that Scott has hired a diving bell and is planning to examine the wreckage. Satan’s enormous parting is appalled.

Onboard Scott’s ship, they’ve let the girls come. How very modern. They’ll be slipping on seaweed any minute now.

The diving bell is set up. It looks like an early washing machine.

Ye gods – they’re letting Lois Lane go on board.

Ah – now I understand – Bob brought her along so she could answer the telephone. She’ll probably open any mail received while underwater as well.

Number 94 – a diving bell. A diving bell.

They find the wreck. Which is just as well as that thing doesn’t look like its very easy to steer.

But the baddies have hired a boat too and are on their way to spread mayhem and intrigue.

Watch out – someone heinous has come aboard.

What the hell is this? The heinous fellows have taken over the ship and who should fly in to the rescue on a stout ship’s rope but the blonde woman. That’s two bits of feminine bravery in three chapters. That’s more than the previous five serials put together.

The charge that the goodies laid by the wreck (I missed why) has gone off in the on-board struggle. The diving bell has cracked and water is literally flooding in.

Flooding I say.

Everyone dies.