I'm delighted to see this show finally on DVD. It was a sort of a proto "Murder, She Wrote" (by the same people), featuring fairly clued, puzzling mysteries. I tried to pick the murderer throughout and here are my results (I won't give the murderer anyway, but there are some modest spoilers here):

PILOT: "Too Many Suspects." This TV movie is a little too padded to be super enjoyable, but the slower pace allows for some plot elements to boil more than usual. The actual mystery is pretty easy to dope out (so easy in fact that I overthought it and fingered the wrong man, falling victim to a clumsy red herring). There are a few sub mysteries to solve though along the way, which are intelligent and enjoyable.

1. AULD LANG SYNE: This is a clever if somewhat superficial episode (the victim and the suspects are somewhat exaggerated and only a very fun guest cast prevent the characters from descending into complete stereotypes), with the gimmick of Ellery not being present for most of this real-time episode. I figured out the clue pretty early, but was too lazy to actually dope it out (you also require a little knowledge of how 1940's phones work).

2. LOVER'S LEAP: This is a fun episode because it's very easy (as I did) to fall for the same clues which trip up Simon Brimmer (which is not quite fair because Brimmer's theory for the most part is correct). The clue here is a reasonable one, although I would never have gotten it.

3. CHINESE DOG: A change of pace episode which isn't a great one, but one I find better than its reputation. Most reviews I've read said the mystery was obvious, but I have to admit I was completely baffled and fell for an easy red herring.

4. COMIC BOOK CRUSADER: A good idea that just never gels, mainly because the suspects are not delineated (and one of them is obviously not guilty). I had the ending mildly spoiled, but it seems pretty obvious to me, mainly because three of the suspects are joined at the hip with the same alibi, etc.

5. 12TH FLOOR EXPRESS: A reasonable episode with some flamboyant overacting from the various guest stars. This episode throws a "double clue" approach at you in spotting the murderer--one clue is pretty obvious and helped me tag the killer early, the other is not obvious and is an interesting one.

6. MISS AGGIE'S FAREWELL: An amusing guest cast make this episode pretty interesting. I pegged most of the twists in this show, including the identity of the first "killer." This is one of the few episodes not to play fair because you can't guess the killer until late due to a missing clue. Once that clue showed up, I easily guessed the killer.

7. COLONEL NIVIN'S MEMOIRS: Another amusing show because of the plethora of occasionally bad accents. I was pretty cocky around this point because I also nailed the killer in this episode pretty quickly.

8. MAD TEA PARTY: A very popular episode due to the atmosphere, which I agree is very cool but find Ellery's actions in the last act to be inexplicably dotty, as if since there was no dying clue, he should just make some up for the audience. This is one of the very rare episodes I actually remember watching on TV, so I knew the killer going in. That said, this does seem to use the "double clue" thing, as a throwaway line of dialogue here should make it much easier to peg the murderer.

9. VERONICA'S VEILS: A nice veteran cast in this episode which is just sort of okay. I kinda figured out the killer in this episode, mainly because the main clue is just sort of rammed down your throat at various points, but I wasn't totally sure what was going on.

10. PHARAOH'S CURSE: Really fun here to catch all purpose mimics Ross Martin and Nehemiah Persoff. The actual episode has one of the quirkier resolutions I've ever seen, which I did not come close to picking out.

11. BLUNT INSTRUMENT: A kind of wacky episode, especially in terms of the cast. This one pokes fun at the "dying clue" thing by handing out a dying clue which is basically a long red herring (which I fell for!). Once you see how things shape up though, this is one of the few episodes in which the killer can be identified by just picking the "loose end."

12. BLACK FALCON: A kind of goopy show, greatly enlivened by the relatively pointless guest character played by Roddy McDowall. Another show with a clue hidden for most of the show (although this does play fair in that you should be aware a clue is hidden)--again, once that clue was revealed, I nailed the killer quickly.

13. SUNDAY PUNCH: This episode is a pretty goofy one, not really one I like a lot. I wasn't 100% sure who the killer was, but I more or less theorized what happened early on (the explanation by Ellery seems a touch weak).

14. ECCENTRIC ENGINEER: Too many guest stars who couldn't really act drag this show down, but there are some good ideas. This was one in which I more or less contemplated the killer and the key clue but wasn't really sure why.

15. WARY WITNESS: One of the most serious and offbeat episodes so far, although it's kind of a shame to have a very high powered guest cast somewhat wasted. No way I was going to pick the killer here.

16. JUDAS TREE: One of the few episodes that doesn't feel "period" even with the wartime references (although I enjoyed it). This is one of the episodes that really stresses you to think of "motive" as there really isn't anything in terms of a slamdunk clue, but once you go through motives, things make more sense.

17. SINISTER SCENARIO: Another change of pace setting which never really gels--a better guest cast might have helped (Vincent Price is, of course, great). This episode is basically about misdirection which should become obvious once the misdirection is revealed.

I should finish this off.

18. TWO-FACED WOMAN: Packs a lot of plot into its episode--perhaps too much plot. Not one of my favorite episodes, with a criminally wasted Victor Buono.

19. TYRANT OF TIN PIN ALLEY: This is an interesting attempt at linking a mystery with a period topic, that of the payola scandal. Norman Fell is wasted, but Ken Berry is fun in his role as a DJ. The tell tale clue here is sort of galumphingly given away in one of those "I'm not sure what it means but why else would they stress this?" moments.

20. CAESAR'S LAST SLEEP: Probably my favorite episode, an attempt to present the series in a little more serious light--the plotline is strong and dramatic without being off-putting and there are some threads here for potentially recurring plotlines. The guest cast is also strong (right down to Timothy Carey as the hitman), and it's fun to see Dad Queen solve the mystery (I didn't).

21. HARDHEARTED HUCKSTER: This is another way the series could have gone--the mystery here isn't much (it's kind of in your face obvious), but it's entertaining enough due to the situation comedy aspects (Flanagan hosting his own TV show).

22. DISAPPEARING DAGGER: A sort of quiet way for the show to go out--this is another one where the correct murderer should be easily pegged by mystery watchers, although there's some various twists to peg through. The guest cast is a good one, although this isn't one I really enjoy a whole lot.

The Adventure Of The Comic Book Crusader

Watching this one gets the feeling that Ellery Queen never appeared in a comic book before. Problem is the series is set in 1947, but around 10 years earlier Ellery Queen was appearing in the comic book Crackajack Funnies.

A reference is made to Washington, DC, wanting to crack down on violent comics.
Offhand the only such thing I can think of came several years later.