The Quality Companion by TwoMorrows Publishing

presents:

A celebration of the forgotten publisher of Plastic Man, from the 1940s to today!

COMPANION

by Mike Kooiman & Jim Amash

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TwoMorrows.Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics. (& LEGO! ) TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

DEC.

NO. 1

HUMAN BOMB

SMASHING STORIES!

PHANTOM LADY

FEATURING: THE RAY • Firebrand Black Condor Midnight • Wildfire

UNCLE SAM

MADAM FATAL

Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s On the cover: “The Ray,” from Smash Comics #27 (Oct. 1941); art by Reed Crandall

The Ray

Midnight

“Slash Scarponi’s Escape”

“War Over Iceland!”

Originally presented in Smash Comics #19 (February 1941) Art by Lou Fine

Originally presented in Smash Comics #32 (March 1942) Art by Jack Cole

Phantom Lady

Firebrand

“Phantom Lady vs. the Spider Widow”

“The White Gardenias”

Originally presented in Police Comics #21 (August 1943) Art by Frank Borth

12 The Black Condor “Jackie Boy” Originally presented in Crack Comics #9 (January 1941) Art by Lou Fine

18 The Human Bomb “Introducing the Bombadiers” Originally presented in Police Comics #21 (August 1943) Art by Paul Gustavson

27 Uncle Sam “Adventure in Panama” Originally presented in National Comics #25 (October 1942) Art by Reed Crandall

Originally presented in Police Comics #11 (September 1942) Art by Lee J. Ames

50 Wildfire “The Murderous Frog of Mardi Gras” Originally presented in Smash Comics #32 (March 1942) Story by Robert Turner Art by Jim Mooney

55 Madam Fatal “The Origin of Madam Fatal” Originally presented in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940) Art by Art Pinajian

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presents

Mike Kooiman and

Jim Amash

TwoMorrows Publishing Raleigh, North Carolina

Written and designed by Mike Kooiman with invaluable input and research from Jim Amash. Edited and proofread by John Morrow and Jim Amash. Front cover and front cover logo design by Michael Kronenberg. Front cover illustration by Dick Giordano, originally commissioned by Roy Thomas several years ago when the idea for this book was first discussed. We had hoped to have Mr. Giordano add Uncle Sam’s hidden hand in front of the Capitol Building, but alas, his passing last year prevented that from happening. Color is by Tom Ziuko. Headline fonts in this book were custom made by Mike Kooiman. They’re called Blimpy and King Cole, and are modeled on the letter forms of Jack Cole. Editorial package © 2011 Jim Amash, Mike Kooiman, and TwoMorrows Publishing. All rights in the Quality Comics characters were assigned to DC Comics. Blackhawk and Plastic Man are registered trademarks of DC Comics. Courtesy DC Comics. DC Comics does not endorse or confirm the accuracy of, or the views expressed in, this book. The Spirit, Lady Luck and Mr. Mystic © 2011 Will Eisner. Dedications From Mike Kooiman

From Jim Amash

To my partner Jeff, and to everyone who has ever tolerated my obsession with comic books. And to John Morrow and Jim Amash for their blind faith and patience.

To my wife Heidi, and to all the people who worked at Quality who graciously consented to be interviewed by me over the years.

Acknowledgements The Digital Comics Museum, Drake University/Cowles Library, Terry P. Gustafson, George Hagenauer, Edward Love, Adam McGovern, Frank Motler, Lou Mougin, Eric Nolen-Weathington, Ohio State Cartoon Library & Museum, Bill Schelly, Bas Schuddeboom, Stamford Historical Society, Henry Steele, Phil StephensenPayne, Steve Stiles, Marc Svensson, Roy Thomas, Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., Mark Waid, Hames Ware, and Dylan Williams. Scans, photos and photocopies of original art provided by Terry Austin, Dennis Beaulieu, John Berk, Aaron Bushey, Ray A. Cuthbert, Fred Deboom, Stephen Donnelly, Michael Dunne, Michael Finn, Jim Halperin and Heritage Auctions, John Jackson, Nick Katradis, Albert Moy, Dan Parker, Kevin Pasquino, Ethan Roberts, Mike Shawaluk, Rick Shurgin, Roy Thomas, Wayne Turner, Sean Wasielewski, Mike White. Interviewees: Dick Arnold, John Arcudi, Bill Bossert, Nick Cardy, Pearl Cherry, Dick Cole, Chuck Cuidera, Will Eisner, Tony DiPreta, Martin Filchock, Elliot Fine, Laurie Fine, Gill Fox, Bob Fujitani, Al Grenet, Vern Henkel, Alex Kotzky, Brian Kotzky, Fran Matera, Chuck Mazoujian, James Robinson, Bill Seay, and Len Wein. Special thanks to Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., who has spent decades unselfishly giving of himself to further our knowledge of comics history.

TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614 www.twomorrows.com • e-mail: twomorrow@aol.com First Printing—November 2011—Printed in the USA Softcover ISBN-13: 978-1-60549-037-3

Table of Contents Color Section: The best of Quality Comics . . . . . . Frontispiece Introduction: Researching Quality Comics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Quality History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Early Days of Comics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 “Busy” Arnold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Comic Favorites, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Quickly Onwards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Will Eisner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Expansion Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Jerry Iger’s Studios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 A Spirit Rises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Stretching Themselves Further. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Collecting Quality Comics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Pre-war Jitters and Pearl Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Wartime Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Eternity! … and Beyond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Wartime Rationing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Post-war. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 The End of the Anthology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Then There Was One. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Comics Under—and on—Fire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 The End . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 I.W. Publishing/Super Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Legacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Copyrights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

DC History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 The Quality Legacy at DC Comics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 An Interview with Len Wein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The Freedom Fighters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Roy Thomas: All-Star Squadron and Quality’s Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Interview with James Robinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 John Arcudi on JLA: Destiny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Quality’s Creators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Artists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Writers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Other Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 The Heroes of Quality Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Heroes in Chronology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Longevity of Quality Super-Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Character Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 They Also Ran!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Bibliography and List of Works Cited. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Quality Comics—List of Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Publishing Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Anthology Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Researching Quality Comics I

magine being an archaeologist and your dream was to reconstruct the skeleton of a rare dinosaur. Not only would you need to identify sites and carefully excavate the fossils, but you must make certain that those bones belonged to your particular dinosaur. After laboring for some time, you might discover that your skeleton was missing a small bone in the foot, so you fill that in with some molded plaster that approximates what you need. And at the end of the project, you’re still left to wonder: “What color was this animal?” “What did it sound like?” “Will I ever know?” You are reading that skeleton. To document the Golden Age history of comics, one must become an archaeologist of sorts. Today, most of the men and women behind the creation of Golden Age comics have passed on. What remains is the publishing record itself, plus a variety of interviews conducted by comic pros and fans. For a company such as DC Comics, which has been publishing continuously the whole time, its history has been internally documented and occasionally published along the way. But even though the Quality Comics characters now reside under the DC umbrella, the Quality Companion is the first attempt to assemble a full and dedicated document of Quality Comics (absent, perhaps, a foot bone here and there). The first studies of Quality Comics date back to the early 1970s. These were both part of all-encompassing Golden Age projects, and were conducted when many wartime comics professionals were still around and/or working in the field. Both projects were epic expeditions into the early days of comic books. In 1970–72, Jim Steranko (a comics legend himself) published two volumes of The Steranko History of Comics. Volume two included the only known interviews with Quality Comics artists Lou Fine and Reed Crandall, and is one of only two known interviews with Quality’s publisher, Busy Arnold. Another Arnold interview was part of Jerry Bails and Hames Ware’s self-published project, The Who’s Who of American Comic Books. Theirs was an attempt to index all of the works and interconnectedness among Golden Age comics professionals. Bails and Ware sent questionnaires and made visits to countless professionals and fans, and the result was astounding: four volumes of in-

dices published between 1973–1976. Who’s Who became a model for subsequent comics indexing projects. Additional information relating to Quality Comics came from Henry Steele, who indexed his original comics. A caution to researchers: Who’s Who was compiled to the best of the researchers abilities, and while it was comprehensive, some data has been corrected over time. Some of the original inaccuracies in the Who’s Who have migrated into the Grand Comics Database (or “GCD,” at comics.org), an otherwise excellent resource. In many instances, we rely on the data in these two databases. Jerry Bails’ 1972 correspondences with Busy Arnold reveal facts that mirror those presented by Steranko. In one of the letters, Arnold provided an astounding list of Quality employees, many of whom were technically employees of the Eisner and/or Iger studios, or freelancers who supplied a great deal of Quality’s material. This staff list is amended and expanded by the authors, and appears on page 85. Note: The name “Quality Comics” was never the company’s official legal name. It first appeared on a small seal on the covers of comics dated September 1940. This book builds on the framework of its forebears, giving credit in every instance where it is due. The Quality Companion is a collaborative effort that marries observation and insight. In-depth interviews conducted by Jim Amash for Alter Ego magazine included conversations with many major figures from Quality Comics (see the Bibliography for a full list). These interviews are thorough and corroborative, and they provide a near-complete picture of Quality’s history. Most of the quotes that you read come from these interviews, unless otherwise cited (read the Endnotes for detailed source information). By cross-referencing Jim’s discussions with these giants, a clearer narrative emerges about the character and environment of Quality Comics and Will Eisner’s studios. The story is further enhanced by our reading of the Quality Comics archive. This comprehensive study allowed for certain observations about the fiction and how it related to real-world events. The story of Quality Comics always returns to the influence of its two major forces: Everett “Busy” Arnold, the business man, and Will Eisner, the creator. —Mike Kooiman

Quality’s first masked hero, the Hawk, debuted in its second issue, Feature Funnies #2 (Nov. 1937); art by George Brenner.

The Early Days of Comics

uality Comics (officially “Comic Favorites, Inc.” and later “Comic Magazines, Inc.”) was one of the first publishers to begin packaging original comic book material for sale on newsstands. Comic strips and comic books were not new, but prior to this, comic books had largely reprinted the most popular newspaper strips of the day. As comics publishers started producing their own original material, writers and artists began inventing novel ways to incorporate the humor, adventure and intrigue of their predecessors. Comic books trace their lineage to newspapers, radio serials, classic fantasy and adventure novels, and pulp fiction. As far back as 1929, readers were delighted by popular newspaper strips like “Popeye,” “Dick Tracy,” and “Flash Gordon.” And during the Great Depression, colorful pulp characters like Doc Savage, the Shadow and the Lone Ranger crossed over between pulp magazines and radio programs. Comic Favorites was not the first comic book publisher to publish new material. Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson of National Allied Publications (now DC) came out with New Fun in 1935, which featured 20 different strips. Most of these occupied only one page and the themes ranged from historical to adventure to humor. New Fun didn’t feature any “super-heroes,” but they weren’t far down the road. New Fun Comics #6 (Oct. 1935) contained the first appearance of Dr. Occult, who might be regarded as the first original super-powered hero created for a comic book. The first masked hero created for a comic book has ties to Quality Comics. Masked heroes were not the invention of the comic book medium either. Some of history’s most notable include Zorro (1919), the Lone Ranger (1933), and the Green Hornet (1936). The Clock was a character who wore a draping black silk mask and (like Dr. Occult and their pulp predecessors) a suit. He first appeared in Funny Pages #6 (Nov. 1936), which was published by Comics Magazine Co., Inc., a company which (because of its suc-

cessive owners) is today generally grouped under the umbrella called “Centaur Comics.” Comics Magazine’s founders, William Cook and John Mahon, had direct ties to Quality’s publisher, Everett M. “Busy” Arnold, who facilitated the printing of their comics.

“Busy” Arnold

Before becoming a publisher in his own right, Busy Arnold had considerable knowledge and experience of the printing industry. Everett M. Arnold was born on May 20, 1899, in Providence, Rhode Island, the only child to Earl and Ada Arnold. By most accounts, the Arnold family was reasonably well-off. Everett’s grandfather was a wealthy entrepreneur who owned a textile mill and real estate in Providence. His father, Earl, was the chairman of the math department at Brown University, and died of influenza in 1919 while Busy was in college there. In no conversational account has Busy Arnold ever been called by the name “Everett.” The origins of his nickname, “Busy,” date back to his childhood school days, where he earned the moniker because of his fidgety predisposition. According to his own son, Dick, “He never sat still.” At Brown University, he majored in history and was very active in sports. As a long distance runner, Dick Arnold claimed that his father once bested a world champion runner. Busy was also a goalie in ice hockey. This branch of the Arnold family is also directly related to the infamous Revolutionary War defector, Benedict Arnold. Dick Arnold told the tale of his ancestor, Benedict Arnold’s nephew, who at the end of the American Revolution tried to attend West Point, but he was treated “very shabbily.” This nephew returned to New England to attend Yale instead, but most of his descendants attended Brown University. After Busy Arnold graduated from Brown in 1921, he left Providence for New York. There he met his future wife, Claire (“a model of some sort”), and they were married in 1923. So how did a well-educated man with a background in sports and history become a comic book publisher? It wasn’t because of any particular interest in art or in comic strips. His path to founding Quality Comics was an extension of Busy’s nascent career in printing and sales, and it was guided by Arnold’s own developing sense for good business. He began his first job in the summer of 1920 with R. Hoe & Co., who were printing press manufacturers. His talkative personality was probably an asset as a salesman. He did well in the industry and early in 1922 he moved on to the Goss Printing Press Company of Chicago. His title was Eastern Sales Representative and he was in charge of Goss’s New York office. When their son, Richard E. “Dick” Arnold, was still very young, the family moved to Old Greenwich, Connecticut, and Busy commuted to work in New York City. In the 1930s, color printing (technically, offset lithography using a halftone process) became more common and Busy Arnold was there to sell the printing presses. He worked at Goss for eleven years, during which time most of his sales were black-only printing presses to large newspapers. He also sold a few color presses, including those to Eastern Color Printing From October 13, 1941: Eisner at his drawing board working on The Spirit. The comics (Waterbury, Conn.), the McClure Newspaper Synfeature editor of The Philadelphia Record looks over his shoulder. At the left, Quality dicate (whose Baltimore plant printed color comics Comics Publisher Everett “Busy” Arnold. © Estate of Will Eisner.

The Quali t y Compa nion

Where It Happened

Many people who were born and raised in the New York area speak of its geography quite matter-of-factly. But for the rest of us, it’s helpful to have some orientation towards the relative locations. MAINE

i or

MINNESOTA

VERMONT

ron

MICHIGAN La

Cary, Ill. Chicago, Ill.

Des Moines

The Register & Tribune Syndicate

OHIO

ta r

Buffalo, N.Y. Greater Buffalo press and other printers for Quality’s comics

ie Er

N.J. PENNSYLVANIA New York City

New Castle, Penn. Hometown of Jack Cole

Fort Dix Wartime station of Will Eisner DELA

Washington D.C.

W E S TI A V I RG I N

ANSTopeka AS

VIRG I

Winslow, Ind.

MI SS OU RI

Great Barrington, Mass. MASS. Home of Jack Cole, after Stamford Waterbury, Conn.: CONN. Eastern Color Printing Stamord, Conn.

Albany

INDIANA

ILLINOIS

ke On

ET A

Lincoln

WA R E

M A RY

LAND

NIA

I C

WISCONSIN

IOWA

Lak e Mi chigan

Minneapolis

KOTA

N.H.

NEW YORK

A N

upe r

O C E

La k e S

KOTA

Hometown of Reed Crandall

Oklahoma City

ARK ANS AS

Stamford Offices of Quality Comics Old Greenwich Home of Busy Arnold

NEW YORK S O UTL HIN A

MISSISSIPPI

A L A BA M

G E O RG

L A

TENNESSEE

OKL AHO MA

A RO L I N C A CONNECTICUT

C A RO

A T

N O RT H

N T

KENTUCKY

AS 2 mi

LOU ISIA NA

Tudor City Brooklyn 37 Wall St. Liberty Island

ISL

369/370 Lexington Ave.: Quality’s Editorial Offices

Pratt Institute: Where Lou Fine and other creators studied

Grand Central Station

E X I C O Central Park

F M LF O

F L O R ID

Manhattan

N. Y.

ustin

0 mi 0

100 100

200

300

300 km

HISTORY 7

dicate supplied five more features, “Jane Arden,” for newspapers) and the Greater “Lena Pry,” “Ned Brant,” “Off the Record,” and Buffalo Press. His relationships “Slim and Tubby.” They also later provided Rube with all of these clients were later Goldberg’s popular “Side Show.” This syndicate instrumental to his own success. was run by John and Gardner (Mike) Cowles Jr., Arnold not only sold the Greater who had taken the reigns of their father’s publishing Buffalo Press their machines, but empire in the late 1920s. It was built on the success also advised them about the busiof the Des Moines Register and Tribune newspapers. ness, and encouraged them to Both men were Harvard graduates and first served pursue color printing. (Steranko 92) as reporters but moved up quickly. John Cowles (the Greater Buffalo’s owner was Walter elder brother) organized the Register and Tribune Koessler, who quickly cornered Syndicate in 1922 and became vice president, general the market for color printing of manager and associate publisher the following year. the comics supplements inserted The syndicate offered news, features, and comics in Sunday newspapers. In 1933, and cartoons for sale to other newspapers. The Arnold left Goss to become Vice company also published the popular Look magazine. President of Greater Buffalo Press The Cowleses were the Midwest answer to William and stayed with them until 1937. Randolph Hearst (and ironically, the Register & His first experience with standalone Tribune Syndicate was sold to Hearst’s King Features “comic magazines” was in 1935, Quality publisher Everett “Busy” Arnold and writer/ Syndicate in 1986). (Drake) when the company began printing editor Gwen Hansen, at a nightclub circa 1941. comics for John Mahon and Bill © The respective owner. The remainder of Feature Funnies’ 64 pages (the Cook, a.k.a. Comics Magazine standard comic book size for the time) was filled by Company, Inc. Cook and Mahon’s two features from the Frank Jay Markey Syndicate— first title was similarly named The “Big Top” and “Lala Palooza”—both of which apComics Magazine (later Funny Pages), which featured new material that peared in Quality Comics through 1950. Printed copyright on “Lala was a mix of humor and adventure, and also part color/part black- Palooza” suggests that Markey was only independent for a short time, and-white. Cook and Mahon’s foray into comics was very short-lived and that his strips went to the Register & Tribune (which was odd if (only a year or so), but their titles survived under a succession of own- he was affiliated with McNaught; see Endnotes for more, page 207). ers, the last of which was called Centaur Publications (which is why today Cook-Mahon comics are generally referred to as “Centaur”). When the Greater Buffalo Press was well off the ground, Busy Arnold seized his opportunity. He decided to start his own publishing venture, no doubt based on the models provided by Cook-Mahon and also by Eastern Color, who since 1934 had also reprinted popular Busy Arnold had arranged for his book to be filled, printed and strips in a comic book package called Famous Funnies. distributed, but he still needed an editor to run the outfit and to maintain its… quality. Arnold had become good friends with the popular cartoonist Rube Goldberg and Busy credited the artist with helping him put together the first issues of Feature Funnies. Rube’s assistant, Johnny Devlin, edited the first few issues, but Rube had just begun “Lala Palooza” and he couldn’t spare Johnny for more In 1937, Arnold formed an official partnership with three entities who than a few days each month. Then Ham Fisher, creator of “Joe Pacould supply the raw material for his comics. These partners included looka,” relinquished one his assistants (he had two more). That was the McNaught Syndicate, the Frank Jay Markey Syndicate, and Ed Cronin, who came to Comic Favorites as a full-time editor early the Register and Tribune Syndicate (Des Moines, Iowa). Together they formed Comic Favorites, Inc. Some of the comic strips that were owned and syndicated by the McNaught Syndicate were previously reprinted in Eastern Color’s Famous Funnies and now moved into Arnold’s first title, Feature Funnies. McNaught’s strips appeared for the last time in Famous Funnies #35 (June 1937). “Joe Palooka,” “Dixie Dugan,” “The Bungle Family,” and “Mickey Finn” reappeared next in Quality’s Feature Funnies #1, which was cover dated October 1937. Three more McNaught The Register & Tribune Syndicate’s strips, “Flossie,” “Jim Swift,” and John (left) and Gardner (Mike) “Toddy” also graced the pages of Cowles Jr. This photo appears to be from the 1940s, but no that issue. Arnold’s comic book details are available. The photo was (and would always be) printed is provided courtesy of the Drake by the Greater Buffalo Press, as University, Cowles Library, which possesses the print, but says no indicated in their indicia. other information accompanies it. The Register & Tribune Syn- © The respective owner.

Quickly Onwards

Comic Favorites, Inc.

The Quali t y Compa nion

in 1938. (Arnold, 1 June 1972) In August 1937, Arnold leased office space in Manhattan, at 369 Lexington Avenue. The next spring, the company also hired two agents to sell advertising in the books. (“News and Notes”) His circulation manager, Dan Goldstein, came from Independent News (a division of National/DC). Goldstein stayed through Quality’s end, then returned to Independent News. Both of these early editors were also accomplished cartoonists. In fact, Devlin took over his boss’s chores on “Lala Palooza” in 1939 when Goldberg moved on to bigger things. Rube Goldberg’s work appeared through several syndicates. His early works were handled by McNaught but “Boob McNutt” was syndicated by King Features, whom Goldberg left in 1935 for Frank Markey. Under him, he produced “Doc Wright” and “Lala Palooza.” Goldberg’s “Side Show” was overseen by the Register & Tribune Syndicate and reprinted in Feature Comics from 1939–1945. “Side Show” is widely lauded for its regular inclusion of his fantastical “inventions” series. John Devlin’s Quality contributions were not insignificant either. He drew features like “Philpot Veep,” “Molly the Model,” “Archie O’Toole” and “Dewey Drip” all the way through 1949. One of Devlin’s editors at Quality, Gill Fox, described him as “a very professional cartoonist. A total pro. He had a big syndicate feature before comics and was an older man. Devlin was good friends with Arnold.” One of Ed Cronin’s tasks as editor was also to draw many of Quality’s early covers, and he worked on the flagship feature “Jim Swift,” and a couple of installments of the “Marksman” in Smash Comics. Will Eisner remembered Cronin as “a very sweet, wonderful guy: real solid, good, God-fearing gentleman… I remember that he wore an apron when he was editing to keep his trousers from getting dirty on the job.” Others described him as conscientious, which sometimes manifested itself as nervousness. Busy Arnold probably sensed the prudence in owning and producing his own features because it only took him two issues to call upon independent creators. The second and third issues of Feature Funnies saw the introduction of three characters by George Brenner: “The Clock” (carried over from Cook-Mahon), “Clip Chance,” and “The Hawk.” The Hawk was barely different from the Clock. The hero appeared only once but holds the title as Quality’s first original masked hero, sneaking into Feature Funnies #2, one issue ahead of the Clock. Vernon Henkel was another early employee. He was hired by Arnold in 1937 and his first feature, “Gallant Knight,” appeared in Feature Funnies #7 (April 1938). Henkel went on to create many features for Quality through 1946. More significantly, Feature #3 also featured “Hawks of the Seas” which was the contribution of a talented and enterprising young storyteller, Will Eisner.

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner was born March 6, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York. Like so many of comics’ early creators, he was born the son of Jewish immigrants and was possessed by the desire to forge a better life. Eisner’s first “published” artwork appeared in the DeWitt Clinton High School newspaper. From there, his investigation into the art of storytelling began to take unique form. His ambitious path to comics stardom began with a partnership with Samuel Maxwell “Jerry” Iger—a cartoonist who was more successful as a salesman. Iger was under contract with John Henle of Henle Publications to produce a new magazine WOW! What a Magazine. Eisner was referred to Iger by Bob Kane (née Kahn), an

Iger employee who later co-created Will Eisner in 1941. Batman. For Henle, Eisner created © Estate of Will Eisner. “Harry Karry” and “The Flame,” but the company was unstable and WOW! folded after four issues. Meanwhile the comic book industry was starting to grow and Eisner saw an opportunity to supply for the increasing demand. At just age nineteen, Will ponied up $15 to secure the rent for a new office and Eisner & Iger was born, housed at 299 Madison Avenue. A list of the artists who worked for the Eisner & Iger shop reads like a comics pantheon. These fledgling artists included Bob Kane, Jack Kirby, Lou Fine, Alex Blum, George Tuska, Bob Powell, and Chuck Cuidera. Not only did Eisner create or co-create most of the shop’s features, but he also acted as boss, editor and art director. Unlike most comic book creators of the time, Eisner and Iger apparently retained ownership of some of their characters—it depended on one’s outlook on the medium. Creators who were familiar with the business knew that owning a “hit” could net significant revenues. But many early comic book artists considered their work a mere jumping stone to greater things, and never quibbled over copyrights (indeed, a good number of artists moved on to commercial art or syndicated work after the war). Eisner was a diamond in the rough—one of few men who from the start recognized the potential for this new medium. To him, it was important to retain ownership of his properties, and to take pride in his work. (See also “Jerry Iger’s Studios,” page 13.) When Comic Favorites started, Eisner & Iger had already been supplying original features for publishers like Fox and Fiction House. The material was provided complete and ready for publication. Eisner described the shop as “one big classroom. I sat at the head of the classroom, and on the right-hand wall, facing me, were the lettering people. Jack Kirby sat on the right-hand side of the room and Bob Powell sat in the middle of the room. Lou Fine sat next to him. People would get up and walk around to see what the other guys were doing.” Jerry Iger HISTORY 9

QUALITY COMICS FAMILY TREE McNaught Syndicate, Everett "Busy" Arnold … advises … The Comics Magazine Co., Inc. (1890–1974) 1936: Bill Cook and John Mahon begin Frank Jay Markey Printing press salesman for Goss, then publishing comics with new material. It Syndicate, and salesman for Greater Buffalo Press, changes hands several times before Des Moines Register which printed Sunday Comics. becoming Centaur Comics. and Tribune Syndicate

Nov. 1936: George Brenner’s “The Clock” is the first masked hero. It moves to …

… partners … Form Comic Favorites, Inc.

a.k.a. Quality Comics

Aug. 1937: Arnold leases office space in Manhattan, at 369 Lexington Avenue. Oct. 1937: Feature Funnies #1 modeled on Famous Funnies. 1939: Arnold and the Cowles buy out McNaught and Markey, renaming slightly as Comic Magazines, Inc. Aug. 1939: Smash Comics #1 (2nd title). 1939: Offices move to Stamford, Connecticut. May 1940: Crack Comics #1 (3rd title). 1940: Three-way partnership between Arnold, Register & Tribune and Eisner, to produce The Spirit Section and two other comic books. June 2, 1940: The Spirit Section begins. July 1940: Hit and National Comics #1 (4th/5th titles) released. Sept. 1940: All titles begin bearing the Quality Comics “seal.” Early 1941: Arnold hires freelancer Jack Cole. Aug. 1941: Military and Police Comics #1 (6th/7th titles) publiished. 1941: Lou Fine hired away from Eisner; Reed Crandall leaves Eisner/Iger to freelance. 1942: US government allots paper quotas to publishers to supply troops with reading material. Comics business booms. Late 1942: Offices return to 370 Lexington Ave. Late 1949: Anthology titles are changed to other genres or canceled. 1950: Arnold buys out the Cowles share.

DC Comics

1938: “Espionage/Black X,” first work for Quality. Also Hawks of the Seas, Doll Man and more. 1940: Eisner sells his assets to Iger; takes Bob Powell, Lou Fine and Chuck Mazoujian with him.

Eisner Studio

Iger Studio

1940: Rents apartment 1940: Iger also at 5 Tudor City and continues to adds Chuck Cuidera, supply features Tex Blaisdell, Nick Cardy, to Quality. Dick French, Toni Blum, George Tuska, Alex Kotzky. Late 1940: Arnold asks Jack Cole to create a Spirit knock-off, Cole talks with Eisner, who neither approves nor disapproves. The result is Midnight, 1st app. Smash Comics #18 (January 1941). 1941: Eisner enters the US Army. His staff moves to Stamford, Conn., managed by Busy Arnold. c. 1942-1945: During the war, Eisner sells his stake of the two comic books (Hit and Military?) back to Arnold. October 5, 1952: Final edition of the Spirit Section.

Dec. 1956: Cover date of Quality’s last issues. 1957: DC Comics continues to publish four Quality Comics titles, including Blackhawk and G.I. Combat. Dick Dillin and Chuck Cuidera continues to work on Blackhawk. 1958: Jack Cole commits suicide 1971: Lou Fine dies 1974: Busy Arnold dies 1982: Reed Crandall dies

Eisner & Iger Studio

1936: Equal partnership formed, room rented at 299 Madison Avenue …employs Bob Kane, Jack Kirby, Al Bryant, Reed Crandall. Supplies features for…

1990: Jerry Iger dies 2001: Chuck Cuidera dies 2004: Gill Fox dies 2005: Will Eisner dies

The Quali t y Compa nion

Compiled and corroborated from various sources including:1937?: Arnold rejects Sigel & Shuster‘s Superman

Above: This blackletter type was the header on pages of Eisner & Iger’s original art. Left: Jerry Iger in the early 1970s, holding one of his commercial products. © The respective owner.

Eisner & Iger supplied progressively more material for Feature Funnies. Their artists included George Tuska who did “Archie O’Toole” using pen name “Bud Thomas”; Art Pinajian drew “Reynolds of the Mounted”; Bob Powell produced “Spin Shaw”; and Eisner himself contributed

served primarily the long-running “Espionage.” as the company’s salesman, and Will created and/or illustrated the material. Although it was By mid-1939, Arnold was confident enough to launch a second title. Iger who origi- Smash Comics #1 was cover dated August 1939 and some strips from nally established Feature Comics (it was renamed slightly beginning with issue #22) the relationship moved into this new comic magazine. The rest of the contents for with Quality, Smash were new features from the Eisner & Iger shop and from his Jerry and Busy own trusted freelancers and staff: George Brenner, Vern Henkel, Ed Arnold didn’t Cronin and Johnny Devlin. This title also introduced Quality’s first get along, so Will became the liaison with the studio. two ongoing “super-heroes”: Bozo the Iron Man, a robot controlled Eisner described the business relationship thus: “I’d come up with by Hugh Hazzard (by Brenner); and the Invisible Hood, who wore a rough idea for a magazine, like Hit Comics, and create the individual a cloak imbued with invisibility (by Pinajian). features. Then I’d submit the idea to [Arnold], and Iger was the one The expansion made room for the entrance of two more Quality who took it over to Arnold. Sometimes I made rough sketches of legends: Lou Fine, a student of classical masters who worked for the characters and Arnold would say, ‘Yeah, I’ll do that,’ and we’d Eisner & Iger; and the versatile writer/artist Paul Gustavson, as a deliver the book to him.” freelancer. According to Eisner, Arnold wasn’t involved editorially, per se, National’s “Superman” was whipping up a mighty storm in the but was more of a businessman. In the beginning when most of his fledgling comics industry, and when the clouds parted, the Golden features were from syndicates, he trusted his partners to edit their Age of super-heroes was borne in his wake. While some publishers own work and choose the creative talent. This changed a bit when were rushing to create their own Superman or Batman, the earliest he began hiring his own creators directly. He trusted his editors to heroes at Quality Comics were relatively distinct. run the day-to-day operations to fill his books, but he was definitely Lou Fine had begun his comics career at Eisner & Iger where he “hands on” when it came to hiring his staff (both freelancer and in- drew his first costumed heroes, including “The Flame” and “Blue house). Dick Arnold summed it up saying, “He had no appreciation Beetle” for Fox. Fine’s renown, however, comes from the work he of artists like Picasso, but he knew talent when he saw it.” That’s an would do for Quality. His first work for the publisher was to pick up understatement. By 1940 he had corralled a stable of artists who are the chores on Eisner’s “Doll Man” (sometimes spelled as one word, today regarded as comics royalty: Lou Fine, Jack Cole, Reed Crandall, and of course, Will Eisner himself. Busy Arnold took great pride in the high standards for artwork in his magazines. He personally hired his artists Below: Lou Fine, probably pre-1945. Right: Lou Fine (front) and the writers, proof- and Alex Kotzky, in his studio. © Elliot Fine. read scripts, and looked over the finished art. (Incidentally, Busy Arnold also had red-green color blindness.) By all accounts, he fostered an atmosphere of creativity for his employees that allowed them to produce their best work. And when things began to boom, he was exceedingly generous in sharing his newfound wealth with his staff and freelancers. Through 1938-39,

The Expansion Team

HISTORY 11

sometimes two) beginning with the character’s second appearance (Feature and art continue… “punk,” “awful,” “sloppy,” “the worst.” It’s rather #28, Jan. 1940). It was common for Eisner to dream up concepts for amusing to imagine the two men hastening to their typewriters to new features—in varying degrees of completeness—and then let the gripe or defend. The tone of the letters gets quite heated—but it’s respective artists run with it. Will Eisner confirmed that he roughly always professional. The letters provide a great example of the way designed the costume for “Doll Man,” which consisted only of a pair in which men of this era regarded one another in business, and of the of shorts. He accredited further embellishments to Lou—articles that tone they considered appropriate to argue their points. appeared with varying frequency like a cape, shirt, boots, and a shortQuality’s third primary editor-in-chief (that title was never used lived emblem. Eisner left additional modifications to the discretion per se, but only one person at a time was ever regarded as Quality’s of an artist’s own drawing style. Doll Man could shrink, but despite main “editor”) was Gill Fox, who came to the company in the latter his modest size, he bears the grand distinction for part of 1938. When he first went being Quality’s first super-powered hero. The feature to their offices to show his samples quickly became one of Busy Arnold’s favorites, as to then-editor Ed Cronin, Fox was did Lou Fine’s artwork. Doll Man moved onto the offered the opportunity to create cover with Feature #30 and stayed there for nine a cartoon strip. He did “Wun years! Quality also launched Doll Man Quarterly in Cloo,” and Cronin liked it. “Wun 1941 and he outlived most other heroes, into 1953. Cloo” was a clever cartoon about a Paul Gustavson is an under-appreciated but Chinese detective which was later prolific creator who worked for Quality until the frequently drawn by Jack Cole. company closed its doors. He is best known for a From there Fox began providing number of long-running features like “The Human more humor fillers and honing Bomb,” “The Jester” and “Alias the Spider.” His his craft. After about a year, Gill learned that Arnold was relocatfirst comics work was done as an employee of the Harry “A” Chesler shop (which like Eisner & Iger ing the company to Stamford, Connecticut. He became Cronin’s packaged materials for other publishers). Gustavson assistant editor and moved his began working progressively more for Busy Arnold and by 1942 he was virtually exclusive to Quality. own residence to Stamford, too. This was when Fox began drawing In his choices so far, Busy Arnold was demonstratmore of Quality’s covers. In the ing an almost “golden intuition,” backed by sound financial footing. He was learning from the failures beginning, Quality’s editors were of Cook-Mahon (who had sold out after just a year) expected to produce the covers and allied himself with proven publishing partners. in-house. Cronin had been doing this but Fox secretly knew he For a man with no arts background he could plainly Gill Fox, age 19, at the Fleischer studios, where he worked on “Betty Boop” (as seen on the wall behind could do better, especially as his discern good art and stories when he saw them. him. © Estate of Gill Fox. skills as a “straight artist” began to Compare any cross section of comic books from the develop further. Fox said Arnold Golden Age and you’re sure to notice the difference would approve a rough sketch of in the artwork of Quality’s titles. Today, Marvel (then every cover. His first solo cover Timely) and DC (National) are undisputed giants, was Feature Comics #54 (March but in 1939 the features by those publishers (even 1942), which featured Doll Man. “Superman” and “Captain America”) looked rough. In fact, Dick Arnold confirmed that Busy had once When Ed Cronin left the comrejected Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s “Superman,” pany to work for Hillman, Busy Arnold offered the Editor’s position feeling that “Nobody would read this stupid thing.” to Fox for $75 a week, which was a Both Jack Kirby (then Kurtzberg) and Lou Fine studied art at the Pratt Institute, but it took Kirby very good living for the Depression longer to perfect his style. Arnold saw no need to era. When Fox started at Quality, hire creators who might one day hit their stride. the comics were mostly reprints, Before the war thinned out the talent pool, Arnold and Cronin taught him how to cut made every effort to skim the cream of the crop. up a syndicate’s newspaper strips But if he thought you were sloughing off, Busy and rescale their size to fit on a would call you on it. He was in every sense the comic book page. As editor, Gill company’s “quality control” officer. Evidence of this also continued to do fill-ins on is found in correspondence between Eisner, Arnold art and writing chores. Fox gave some insight to the business side and Iger. (These letters are part of the Ohio State of Quality—which was perhaps University’s Will Eisner Archives, and were reprinted one of the factors for its great in Andelman’s A Spirited Life.) In one letter, Arnold success. He said, “It was small and Eisner bicker about the art and story produced for recent comics. The letters are sharply critical; and efficiently run by Ed Cronin. Arnold pulled no punches: “The present installment The original art from Feature Comics #54 (March Arnold knew what the hell he was of ‘Blackhawk’ was not a good art job” and “‘Death 1942), which Gill Fox cited as his first solo cover. This doing.” They also managed to do scan came from Fox’s personal collection, when it Patrol’ was atrocious and this artist is very much was sold in 2005, the year after the artist’s death. Scan it with practically no staff. Aside from Arnold’s secretary, Ed and of a ‘ham.’” (Andelman 72) The critiques of both story courtesy of Jim Halperin and Heritage Auctions.

The Quali t y Compa nion

Jerry Iger's Studios When Busy Arnold decided to begin printing new material, the comics production shop of Eisner & Iger became Quality’s primary resource. Quality’s earliest issue of Feature Funnies reprinted mostly syndicated comics, but a couple of Eisner & Iger features appeared early on. The first was “Hawks of the Seas,” drawn by Will Eisner in Feature Funnies #3 (Dec. 1937). By the end of 1938, the shop was supplying a large handful of features that included “Archie O’Toole” by George Tuska; “Espionage” by Will Eisner; “Rance Keane” by Phil Martin; and “Captain Cook of Scotland Yard” by Stan Aschmeier. These staff members are listed in the well-researched staff list in Alter Ego #21 (Feb. 2003). Bob Powell worked on “Spin Shaw.” Later, Powell drew “Mr. Mystic” and“Sheena” for Iger. “The Invisible Hood,” “Reynolds of the Mounted,” and “Madam Fatal” were created by Art Pinajian. “Merlin” was begun by Dan Zolnerowich; “Samar” passed through several hands including Chuck Mazoujian, Lou Fine, and Reed Crandall. “Strange Twins” and “Purple Trio” both bore the byline “S. M. Regi,” which was a pseudonym for Jerry Iger, but the artist was Alex Blum. Iger and Eisner split into separate studios when Busy Arnold and the Register & Tribune Syndicate decided to buy out the McNaught Syndicate. The hole left by the McNaught features was filled by material from Eisner, Iger, and other freelancers. Will Eisner said that when he sold his half of the Eisner & Iger studio to Iger, he forfeited the rights to anything he’d created during their partnership. Features for publishers are usually considered “work for hire,” which means the buyer owns the work unless stipulated otherwise. But Jerry Iger behaved as if he owned some of his Quality features, five of which he later moved to other publishers—Phantom Lady, Wonder Boy, Kid Dixon, Kid Patrol and Eagle Evans (see pages 157 and 202 for more information about those appearances). These features were all created for Police and National Comics by men who are considered to be Iger employees and freelancers. Some of this work could have been subcontracted by Eisner to Iger (which Eisner verified was a necessity). (Andelman 66) George Tuska produced “Kid Dixon”; Phantom Lady was created by Arthur Peddy and continued by Frank Borth; Witmer Wil-

Jerry Iger and Ruth Roche, who is credited with a lot of the writing for his shop, at a New York restaurant in 1942. © The respective owner.

liams created “Eagle Evans” and took over the “Red Bee” and “Spin Shaw.” The character “Wonder Boy” was Iger’s pet favorite and the feature always bore the byline “Jerry Maxwell,” which was a pseudonym for Iger himself. It’s difficult to identify Wonder Boy’s artist creator, but he’s known to have been drawn by Nick Cardy. “Wonder Boy” was the first of the five listed above to reappear outside Quality after the strip in National ended in 1943. Iger revived them beginning in 1944 at Fox (Phantom Lady didn’t reappear until 1947). Even if Quality did own these “mobile” characters, one wonders if Busy Arnold would have cared about Iger’s use of them—for two reasons. By this time, Arnold was creating fewer and fewer new super-hero features. And it’s well documented that Arnold didn’t like Iger. With Eisner at war, Arnold might have preferred not to fuss with anything Iger-related. Today, Phantom Lady is published along with other Quality heroes by DC Comics, while other non-Quality Iger creations like Sheena (which was never a Quality feature), are still copyrighted by his estate.

A “Shorty Shortcake” page drawn by Jerry Iger, from Wonderworld Comics #4 (Aug. 1939).

If asked, all interviewees denied that Jerry Iger had drawn anything for Eisner & Iger’s, which is untrue. Jerry had a cartooning background, and although he was the company’s salesman, he drew some features for Fox and Fiction House in the studio’s early days. These included “Pee Wee,” “Bobby,” and “Shorty Shortcake.” They’re not bad!

HISTORY 13

A Spirit Rises

Gill worked in a big room where the artists came in and laid their art out on big flat tables. The only art done in the office was the lettering and correcting. Gill Fox had no assistant, but with the company expanding, he pulled in Tony DiPreta and Zoltan Szenics to letter. Szenics also helped check art and proofread scripts. His wife, Terry, became a letterer, too. Fox also recalled a conversation that characterized the editor’s relationship with Eisner & Iger, saying “I was athletic, and Iger was a little guy. There was something that I didn’t like in one of [Iger’s] packaged art jobs that came in, so I said to him on the telephone, ‘Don’t do this anymore.’ And he said he’d punch me in the nose! This was long d istance, and I thought this guy was crazy! He wouldn’t have said that to me in person. Arnold and I got a big laugh out of that. Iger was not liked by too many people.” Eisner, Fox said, was liked well enough. He was “as a person… always very pleasant. And he was always a genius.” Few disputed Eisner’s worth but unlike Arnold and others in the Quality shop who socialized outside of work, Eisner maintained a professional distance from the staff. Gill and others sometimes spoke of Eisner as a pennypincher. In his defense, Eisner was a middle man, and weighed by heavy responsibilities. His features—and they were many—were all delivered ready-to-print. Busy Arnold hired his artists and writers, but handed off the physical part of the comics publishing. In day-to-day matters, artists worked with the editor. When a freelancer came to deliver his work, Arnold would verify it and then his secretary would cut a check. Publishers like Fox were notorious for their late payments, so Arnold’s prompt payment was a boon to his contributors. It’s difficult not to overuse the word “quality” itself when describing Arnold’s product, but it’s obvious that he took pride in his business. Today we generally refer to Arnold’s company as “Quality Comics,” but as it was with DC for many years, this was only a cosmetic title. It stems from the “Quality Comic Group” seal, which was placed on all the company’s covers beginning with most of their September 1940 issues. Notice the change in the logo between Feature Funnies #18 and #19 (1938). Was it because of Eastern Color’s lawsuit?

The Quali t y Compa nion

When Arnold began his partnership with McNaught, the syndicate had pulled its features from Eastern Color’s Famous Funnies. Did Eastern Color bear a grudge for this “swipe”? According to Steranko’s The Steranko History of Comics vol. 2 (p. 92) , Eastern Color sued Arnold’s fledgling company, not about the features but for infringing upon the use of the term “funnies.” The case was dropped without damages when Arnold proved that the word “funnies” was a colloquialism, not a trademark. Even though he’d won the case, astute readers might have noticed that late in 1938, a slight change was made to the logo on the cover of Feature Funnies #19 (April 1938). Now the word “Feature” was emphasized instead of the word “Funnies.” Two months later, the second word of the title was changed as well, and the title became Feature Comics. A turning point in Quality’s partnership with McNaught probably began brewing in 1939. Busy’s other partner, the Register & Tribune Syndicate, was represented by their Sales Manager, Henry P. Martin. Martin was the Register’s primary liaison with Arnold and with Quality’s increasing success, he took a more active role in guiding its future (see sidebar, opposite). The two devised an ambitious plan that included the buyout of McNaught’s and Markey’s shares and an expansion to the line. It made sense. In the beginning, Busy Arnold was concerned primarily with filling his books. Now with shops like Eisner & Iger churning out reliable material, there were more comics available. So why should the Register continue to share profits with McNaught, who were was essentially their rivals (albeit friendly)? By this time Arnold was still publishing only Feature and Smash, but he was poised to grow. Records printed in the New York Times indicate that he renewed his lease at 369 Lexington in April 1939 (“Quarters Leased”), but later that year Arnold moved the company to offices in the Gurley Building at 322 Main Street in downtown Stamford, Connecticut. (The move is also reflected in the comics’ indicia for issues cover dated February 1940, which would have been sold in December 1939.) Quality’s office in this multi-story building housed a modest staff including editors and a very small production department. Henry Martin and his employers had noticed the increasing viability of comic books and saw a unique opportunity to capitalize on the new medium by using their existing syndication network. Newspaper publishers knew that a certain amount of their Sunday sales were attributable to the color funny pages. Now having a comic book partner, the Register & Tribune stood to capitalize on this. Martin’s idea was imagined as a coverless 16-page comic book that would be inserted into Sunday newspapers along with the traditional comic strips. Busy pegged Will Eisner as the man to create it. Arnold and Will Eisner characterized their partnership differently. Eisner summarized it best: “I regarded him as a partner and he thought of me as an employee.” This is borne out when one reads

under the Register and Tribune Syndicate’s name, but I thought I’d be better off, legally, having it under Busy Arnold’s name. Written down in the contract I had with Busy Arnold, and this contract exists today as the basis for my copyright ownership, Arnold agreed that it was my property. They agreed that if we had a split-up in any way, the property would revert to me on the day that happened. My attorney went to Busy Arnold and his family, and they all signed a release agreeing that they would not pursue the question of ownership.” (Alter Ego #48) Per Eisner, Arnold and Martin didn’t want to deal with Iger at all. In order to break away from Eisner & Iger, Eisner would have to sell his share back to his partner, which was part of the pair’s original stockholder’s agreement. It had been a pretty savvy You are there! Main Street in Stamford, Connecticut. Judging by the cars, the photo was taken in the mid- to late-1940s. The Gurley Building, site of Quality’s offices, is in the foreground, on the right. Courtesy of the Stamford Historical Society.

Arnold’s detailed account of his company’s early days in Steranko. While he praised Eisner, Arnold never came close to referring to him as a partner, or to suggesting that they had any formal arrangements. Eisner on the other hand was crystal clear on the matter. In his interview with Jim Amash, he said, “Busy invited me up for lunch one day and introduced me to Henry Martin. I was awed because Martin was an important man from a big newspaper syndicate. Martin was a very well-spoken guy, very cool and smart. He said, ‘The newspapers in this country, particularly the Sunday papers, are looking to compete with the comic books, and they would like to get a comic book insert into the newspapers. I think I can sell that to them. I’ve already had a couple of Sunday papers talk to me about it.’ “… He said, ‘Busy Arnold tells me that you are very reliable and one of the best guys in the business.’ I said, ‘Well, I don’t want to brag about that [laughs], but yeah, I’d be interested in doing it.’ The magnitude of it was enormous and risky. It meant that I’d have to leave Eisner & Iger. Eisner & Iger was making money; we were very profitable at that time and things were going very well. A hard decision. “Anyway, I agreed to do the Sunday comic book and we started discussing the deal. The deal was that we’d be partners in this Comic Book Section, as they called it at that time. And also, I would produce two other magazines in partnership with Arnold. I think they were Military and maybe the other one was Police or Hit. We were three-way partners, Arnold, Martin, and me. “I said I wanted the copyrights to the characters I created for the newspaper section and we got into a big argument. Finally, I negotiated what I thought was a very doable deal and they bought it. I said, ‘Okay, I’ll tell you what. I’ll let you copyright the titles under Busy Arnold’s name, but in our contract, it’ll be mine.’ They first wanted to do it

Whither Henry Martin ? While his employers John and Mike Cowles of the Des Moines Register & Tribune are prominent and well-documented figures, Henry P. Martin remains somewhat anonymous in comics history. Some information about the Register and Tribune Syndicate’s Quality liaison comes from a short notice in Editor & Publisher that announced his retirement: “A graduate of Coe College, Mr. Martin came to Des Moines in 1920. He was circulation manager of the Des Moines Capital before he joined the Register and Tribune.” In 1922, Martin was in on the ground floor of the Syndicate, along with John Cowles. His name appears sporadically in conversations with Quality staff, so he spent at least some of his time in New York. But these were rarely more than mentions. Gill Fox recounted a time just before he went to war when Martin approached him about the possibility of doing a syndicated strip (which sadly never came to pass). During his time with the Syndicate, it grew to include as many as 50 syndicated cartoons. His retirement was to be effective January 1,1960, 37 years after the Syndicate’s inception. These numbers track with information about the Cowles family. (“Martin Retiring,” Strentz) He should not be confused with another Henry Martin, who was a cartoonist himself. That Martin was a graduate of Princeton and drew cartoons that appeared in the The New Yorker, The Saturday Evening Post, and magazines. (“Cartoonist Henry Martin donates art, books”) HISTORY 15

move for the then-nineteen-yearold Eisner. If either partner wanted out, he would have to offer his stock to the remaining partner. Iger had © Estate of Gill Fox. threatened to leave the company before, and Will was uneasy with the thought of a new partner he didn’t care for. Will knew that Jerry was a litigious sort, and he wanted to avoid any of that. Eisner sold his stake in the studio back to Jerry Iger (and any copyrights along with it) for $20,000. (Andelman 67) It was a “very good deal,” for Iger, who got what Eisner considered a bargain. The official changes in Quality’s business structure occurred around the same time. In the spring/summer of 1940, the McNaught features disappeared from Feature Comics, and Quality launched three new titles, Crack Comics, Hit Comics, and National Comics, in addition to the Register’s syndicated insert, called The Spirit Section. The name of the company that appeared in the indicia also changed (slightly) from Comic Favorites to Comic Magazines (which was oddly similar to Cook-Mahon’s company name, “Comics Magazine”). All the strips provided by McNaught were replaced after Feature Comics #32 (May 1940). Twelve features were dropped or shifted, and most syndicated strips were replaced in favor of new, original heroes—super or not. McNaught back took five of the features (“Charlie Chan,” “Dixie Dugan,” “Mickey Finn,” “The Bungle Family” and “Joe Palooka”). Some of those reappeared in the pages of Big Shot Comics, published by Columbia. Four strips (“Side Show,” “Jane Arden,” “Ned Brant,” and “Off the Record”) were under the Register’s umbrella and moved into the new Crack Comics, which debuted that same month. Only “Big Top” and “Lala Palooza” remained in Feature—and lasted until the title’s very end. According to Eisner, his partnership with Quality Comics officially Gill Fox, his wife Helen, and Busy Arnold. This photo was taken in the early ’40s, when the company was in Stamford, Connecticut.

began after the split with Jerry Iger. Eisner took several key artists with him. (Whether this was hostile is unknown. Eisner described it very matter-of-factly). Like Arnold, Eisner knew who could perform to Quality’s standards and he chose Lou Fine, Bob Powell, and Chuck Mazoujian. While Busy Arnold’s offices were now in Stamford, Eisner chose office space at Tudor City, which was actually a two-room apartment. Tudor City was an upscale apartment complex on the edge of east Manhattan (near the future site of the United Nations). Eisner, Powell and Mazoujian began working on the new Sunday section immediately while Fine anchored the material for Quality’s newest titles. Eisner’s first Sunday edition would be inserted into five newspapers on June 2, 1940, but what to fill it with? He settled on three features. The first came easily. The five-page “Mr. Mystic” was a reincarnation of Eisner and Powell’s previous creation, the magician called “Yarko.” With little more than a name change—presto change-o—Mr. Mystic was born. (“Yarko” continued in Wonderworld Comics at Fox for 23 more issues, produced by Iger’s studio.) Chuck Mazoujian created the green-garbed Lady Luck, a four-page feature about a socialite who dabbled in crime fighting. Lady Luck was also Quality’s first female super-heroine, debuting a good half-year ahead of USA (in Feature #42, Mar. 1941). Prior to Lady Luck, there had only been a couple of non-costumed female leads, Lee Preston (a nurse) and Sally O’Neil (a policewoman). The anchor to the supplement was of course “The Spirit.” In the beginning, Eisner was resistant to the idea that his new creation should be a costumed super-hero. He was tired of writing “stories for kids” and wanted to broaden his audience. As far as he was concerned, comic books were a ghetto, and they didn’t satisfy him creatively. With The Spirit, he hoped to reach a more adult audience. But Arnold pressed the issue, insisting upon a costumed character. Eisner described a colorful conversation with a drunken Busy Arnold wherein Will presented the idea of a detective. When Arnold asked what this detective might look like, Eisner said, “He wears a mask, like the Lone Ranger.” (Andelman 54-55) Even a small concession like the mask was outside the bounds of Eisner’s original idea. You can see this in the Spirit’s debut installment—he wears no mask. It appeared the second week. No one can argue that Eisner didn’t make his new creation work within those “constraints.” In fact, it might have been this simplified canvas of a character that really allowed Eisner to build creatively. Eisner conceded that he had “an incredible amount of freedom” with his storytelling. He described one story for which the syndicate received complaints: “I did one story where this ape falls in love with this girl. I got nasty, threatening letters from an editor at the San Antonio newspaper, saying that I was promoting miscegenation. Those were times when that was considered a bad, bad thing. No one said to me, ‘You can’t do this because it won’t fly.’ I was my own editor. Even when I was doing the magazines, no one was doing the kind of editing you see today.” (Alter Ego #48) When the Spirit became a hit, Arnold had no cause to complain. Quite the opposite, Arnold soon ordered other artists to create “Spirit clones.” The results were Jack Cole’s “Midnight” (Jan. 1941), Fred

Paving the Way… A selected fictional genaeology of comic book superheroes 12th century BC?: Homer’s Greek mythology in the Iliad and the Odyssey

H. G. Wells: 1896: The Island of Doctor Moreau 1818: Frankenstein, Mary Shelley 1887: “Sherlock Holmes,” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle1898: The War of the Worlds 1895: The Time Machine · 1897: The Invisible 1897: Dracula, Bram Stoker

Jules Verne: 15th century: Robin Hood tales

1864: A Journey to the Centre of the Earth 1869–1870: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

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1919: Zorro, Johnston McCulley 1920: Douglas Fairbanks stars in The Mark of Zorro, and

1903: The Scarlet Pimpernel 1912–1914: “Tarzan of the Apes,” Edgar Rice Burroughs 1912–1917: “John Carter of Mars,” Edgar Rice Burroughs

Guardineer’s “Mouthpiece” (August 1941), and Vernon Henkel’s “The Whistler” (June 1945), all of which wore domino masks and suits. In early 1942, even George Brenner’s “The Clock” traded his silk drape mask for one more like the Spirit’s. It was now mid-1940 and Arnold had gotten a better sense of what would sell a comic book. Lou Fine’s work began appearing front and center. His graceful figures were distributed across the line: “The Ray” in Smash Comics; “The Red Bee” in Hit Comics; “Uncle Sam” in National Comics; and “Black Condor” in Crack Comics. He even drew some of the covers for these magazines, a duty previously left for Quality’s editors. When things got too busy, Gill Fox began farming the covers out to other artists. Fine’s covers were works of art unto themselves. In his hands, even a ridiculous character such as the Red Bee became majestic. Shortly after the reorganization, Busy Arnold coaxed Lou Fine away from Eisner’s studio by offering him a higher pay rate. As Gill Fox told it, “Arnold told Eisner to give [Fine] a raise. Two weeks later, Arnold asked Lou if he had gotten a raise. Lou said, ‘No.’ Arnold said, ‘Come see me in Stamford.’ He gave him good money and that’s when the change happened.” After that Busy set Lou up with his own studio in Tudor City, upstairs from Eisner’s. The exact time of Lou Fine’s defection from the Eisner studio to Busy Arnold cannot be dated precisely. Many references to Fine at Tudor City (made in accounts from Alter Ego) describe Fine as having already moved into his own studio. The move did not affect the features on which Fine worked. Will Eisner was already unhappy about Fine’s defection, and he was more vocal when Arnold attempted to hire Bob Powell away, too. Eisner forced Arnold to back down and withdraw his offer to hire him. Powell was incensed, and accused Eisner of ruining his career. Bob soon also left Eisner’s studio and began freelancing from his home. He still continued to work for Eisner, producing “Mr. Mystic” until his enlistment. For the same reasons as Lou Fine, there isn’t sufficient evidence to precisely date Powell’s move.

Stretching Themselves Further Quality Comics outlived some of its early rivals but its success came only in carefully measured steps. Arnold admitted that before the war, the only titles that made money were Feature and Smash Comics. These made up for poor sales on the remainder of the line. (Steranko 92) Now with the partnership with Eisner in place, Busy Arnold continued to develop the company’s image by adding to his stable of artists. His keen eye landed on the work of two artists whose contributions would propel Quality’s most successful titles: Jack Cole and Reed Crandall. Jack Cole’s presence at Quality began with very humble cartoons. Who would have guessed, based on his previous work, that he was poised to become one of comics’ early super-stars? Cole came from a modest blue-collar family in New Castle, Pennsylvania. As an artist, he was self-taught. Despite the lack of formal training, he possessed

an innate ability to distill current Jack Cole at his drawing board in events, literature and pop culture 1938. © Dick Cole. into comic forms. After marrying, Jack moved to New York to try to break into the cartooning business. Like many hopefuls, his first comics work was done under the direction of the Harry “A” Chesler shop, where he joined other budding talents such as Mort Meskin, Charlie Biro, Bob Wood, and Gill Fox. One of his first original adventure features was 1937’s “Mantoka,” for Centaur. He gained a higher profile in 1939 for his bold covers on Lev Gleason’s Silver Streak Comics, which sported the gnarly hand and fangs of the Claw and his foe, the original black-and-red Daredevil. In 1939, Cole left the Chesler shop and began freelancing for several companies, such as MLJ. He really began to grow when he started working for Quality Comics in 1940, on humor features like “Wun Cloo” (created by editor Gill Fox, his former Chesler mate) and “Slap Happy Pappy.” Cole was awarded more room for his talents to shine when he created his first costumed hero for Quality: Midnight. As mentioned above, “Midnight” was blatantly designed to imitate Eisner’s Spirit (this, on the orders of Busy Arnold, who wanted a similar feature in case Eisner died in the war). To his credit, Cole did approach Eisner personally to ask his opinion. Eisner told Jim Amash,

1923: “Charlie Chan” Earl Derr Biggers 1930: “The Shadow,” Street and Smith 1928: “The Saint,” Leslie Charteris (on film in 1938) 1931: “Dick Tracy,” Chester Gould 1928–29: “Buck Rogers,” Philip Francis Nowlan 1932: Johnny Weissmuller in Tarzan, the Ape 1929: “Kull of Atlantis,” Robert E. Howard Man 1929: “Popeye,” E. C. Segar 1932: “Conan the Barbarian,” Robert E. 1929-32: “Betty Boop” in cartoons by Fleischer Studios 1930: Gladiator, Philip Wylie

1933: “The Spider,” Popular Publications 1933: The Bride of Fu Manchu, Sax Rohmer 1934: “Flash Gordon,” Alex Raymond 1934: “Mandrake the Magician,” Lee Falk 1936: “The Phantom,” Lee Falk

Howard 1933: “The Lone Ranger” on radio 1933: “Doc Savage,” Street and Smith

1936: “The Green Hornet” 1937: Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs HISTORY 17

Collecting Quality Comics BACK ISSUES Today, most Golden Age super-hero comics fetch a premium price. Any collector would wince upon learning that Dick Arnold actually threw out all the bound volumes that his father had published! Dick had simply gotten tired of moving them. It’s interesting that these archives did not find their way into DC’s own library. When Roy Thomas wrote the origin story for Doll Man for Secret Origins #8 (Nov. 1986), he made note in the letter column that they’d had to hunt down a copy of the character’s first appearance, Feature Comics #27, from a private collector. Recent sales of Quality comics at Heritage Auctions indicate that issues relating to Plastic Man and Blackhawk sell for the highest prices. The best copies of Police and Military Comics #1 can net tens of thousands of dollars. Even Quality’s very first book, Feature Funnies #1, sells for lower prices than that. That issue is more in line with Smash and Crack Comics #1 (probably attributable to the lack of super-heroes in Feature #1). Feature #27—the first appearance of Doll Man)—however, sells for considerably more because Doll Man was Quality’s first super-powered hero. The remaining anthologies are next lower in price. Hit and National Comics #1 generally sell according to their age and condition (older and better, of course).

Busy Arnold simply didn’t want to fuss with the original art. Earlier on, Will Eisner had a tough time getting even a single page back from Arnold. Once when Eisner requested a page for one of his fans, Busy Arnold said, “What do you want it for? … You got proofs.” One of Quality’s letterers, Tony DiPreta, remembered a barrel where Arnold would trash the original art when it was returned from the printers (although eventually, anything from The Spirit went back to Eisner). People in the office would sometimes sneak pages from out of the barrel. DiPreta said, “Arnold would have let you take all the pages that were there, if you wanted them. I’m sure of that. You could have carried them all home; it was as simple as that. He just got rid of the stuff because it was always piling up and piling up, and he needed the space.” Creig Flessel also told Jim Amash that he once visited Quality and witnessed Busy Arnold cutting up art and throwing it in a bin. Flessel looked to Jack Cole, who just shrugged his shoulders as if to say “Nothing I can do about it.”

But you don’t have to be a millionaire to appreciate Quality Comics. You can now find loads of downloadable Golden Age public domain comics at nonprofit web sites such as the Digital Comics Museum.

ORIGINAL ART

Top: Gill Fox, circa 1999–2000, shows his original art for the cover of Hit Comics #22 (June 1942). Courtesy of Jon Berk. Below: Fox held a significant stash of Quality art in his own collection. This page might have come from his estate; it was sold just after the artist’s death in 2005.

This doesn’t mean that there is no original art from Quality in existence. Several Quality staff members reported that the company kept a special room where the original art was stored. During the post-war years, artists were allowed to take a certain amount of the original art, but the remaining pages were periodically destroyed. Bill Ward availed himself of some of Reed Crandall’s covers. Grenet took some covers and pages and later sold them at conventions in the 1970s—for $25 apiece! Editor/ artist Gill Fox is the source of many pages in circulation. He claimed some of his own work; many of his covers and pages were sold by Heritage Auctions in 2005, the year after Fox’s death. Fox was also close friends with Lou Fine and he owned many pages of Fine’s art.

Sadly, the original art from Quality Comics is exceedingly rare because Scan courtesy of Jim Halperin and Heritage Auctions. Busy Arnold disliked the idea of returning original artwork to his artists. Editor Al Grenet thought that perhaps You can appreciate the breadth of Arnold figured his artists would resell it. Dick Arnold made an surviving Quality artwork by visiting sites like Comic Art Fans odd claim that when Quality folded up shop, Busy “got rid of (comicartfans.com), where collectors can showcase their gems. everything” to “a guy who was going into the comic book busi(Some of those collectors are gracious contributors to this ness.” This might have been Israel Waldman of “Super Comics.” book.) (See page 31.)

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“Jack Cole came to see me in my studio in Tudor City. Jack said, ‘I got a problem, Will. Busy wants me to create a character just like The Spirit.’ We both agreed that what Busy needed was a back-up in the event anything happened to me. He said, ‘I feel it’s not morally right.’ Actually, what he wanted was for me to give him a benediction and say it’s all right. I said, ‘Well, Jack, I can’t tell you not to do it because it’s your livelihood and, frankly, I don’t think I can sue Busy over a thing like this. He has the right to create characters for his magazines, if he wants to.’ In those days, everyone was doing knockoffs on other people’s characters; Arnold wasn’t the only one doing things like that. We joked around about it for a while, and I don’t know if it was Jack or me who got the brilliant idea to make him a funny character. That way, Jack could satisfy Busy Arnold and it’d be a totally different character.” Midnight debuted in Smash Comics #18 (Jan. 1941). Resembling the Spirit in costume only, “Midnight” was an artistic breakthrough for Cole, who was a natural when it came to comedy. Cole’s drawing style was a new blend of classic cartooning and super-hero adventure. While the work of Eisner and Fine demonstrated a mastery of classic form and narrative, Cole’s figures were much more animated. He was unconcerned with reality, but like the best cartoonists, he knew how to extrapolate from reality and create a sense of wonder. Busy Arnold must have noticed his aptitude because Cole was soon commissioned to create the character that would come to define his whole career: Plastic Man. Later that same year, Reed Crandall’s work began appearing in Quality titles on minor features like “The Old Witch,” “Samar,” and “Paul Bunyan,” which he produced via Jerry Iger’s studio. Crandall and Lou Fine could have been brothers if one judged by their artwork. They were both heavily influenced by the same masters and their earliest work reflects some stylistic similarities. It must have been a treat for fans of Lou Fine, because when Lou became too busy, Crandall used Fine’s figures as a template when following him on “Uncle Sam,” “The Ray,” and “Doll Man.” Both artists were exceptionally talented in representing the human figure and the real world, but the key differences were in the details. Fine’s work was a little more “fluid” and he sometimes used very fine-tipped brushes when he inked, which gave the shading on his figures a wispy quality. Crandall’s figures were far from stiff, but you’ll notice his more solid ink line and a great attention to the details, especially in things like vehicles, aircraft and places. Busy Arnold noticed Crandall’s work appearing in his books and demanded that Iger put him on more prominent features. (Steranko 58) His first super-hero co-creation for Quality was “Firebrand,” the lead feature in Quality’s newest title, Police Comics (Aug. 1941). Before Cole’s Plastic Man rose to prominence in that title, Firebrand swaggered in with two fists and a gossamer shirt (like the one previously worn by the Red Bee) to carry the cover and lead feature. Both Jack Cole and Reed Crandall were poised to carry themselves and Quality Comics to greatness, in the pages of Police and Military Comics, which both dated June 1941. Jack Cole’s “Plastic Man” is a character about which whole volumes have been written. (Read Art Spiegelman and Chip Kidd’s Jack Cole and Plastic Man for a definitive account of the man and his malleable brainchild.) “Plas” was one of the most successful characters of the Golden Age, but at first, Arnold was focused so heavily on Crandall’s Firebrand that Plastic Man was considered a secondary feature. Arnold’s ear was to the ground, because

with Police #5, Plastic Man took Reed Crandall took over over the leading role and never “Blackhawk” in Military Comics with issue #12. This page is from left until the strip ended in 1953. #17 (March 1943). One can hear all about the magic of Cole’s work but until you see it, it’s difficult to describe its impact on the reader. To this date many have tried (and only a couple successfully) to recreate the character with the style, humor and charm of Cole’s wit. What made “Plastic Man” a success was the universal appeal of first class humor, which was precisely what Cole delivered month after month. Police’s sibling title, Military Comics, was somewhat experimental, based on the concept of half-army/half-navy stories (although the back-half, which was supposed to be “navy” was often very loosely themed). Military contained the patriotic Miss America, and other costumed heroes like Blue Tracer, the Sniper and Yankee Eagle. But Military’s lead feature, “Blackhawk,” eclipsed everyone. This feature went on to become Quality’s number one success, and the characters outlasted both Military Comics and Quality itself. Blackhawk was the co-creation of Will Eisner and Chuck Cuidera (over which there was some controversy; see Cuidera’s bio on page 64). Cuidera was an aviation enthusiast and it showed on the pages of Blackhawk. He penciled and inked the first eleven “Blackhawk” stories until he was drafted in 1942. Reed Crandall took over then, and amplified the thrill of the stories. Both Plastic Man and Blackhawk were eventually spun into their own solo titles in 1943/1944. These titles, along with Military and Police Comics, remained the company’s highest selling for the duration of Quality’s existence. Before 1940, there were relatively few super-heroes, but in that year Quality and other publishers began to go crazy with the new genre. HISTORY 19

Quality’s three new titles housed about twenty new super-heroes! With the addition of Military and Police Comics, the same number of heroes were invented the following year—and that’s not counting the non-costumed, non-powered heroes. This pace rivaled that of Fawcett, and outstripped National (DC), but not Timely (Marvel), which was adding super-heroes by the handful nearly every month. The trend took hold perhaps because of the tenor of the times. In the super-hero, readers could imagine a bright beacon to dispel the creeping shadow of war.

Pre-war Jitters and Pearl Harbor It’s hard to imagine now, during a period when the United States is very proactive in international affairs, that there was a time when the nation stood reservedly by as Hitler’s atrocities mounted across Europe. While there were many people who figured America would eventually participate in the conflict, several pro-Isolationist groups such as the America First Committee (Charles Lindbergh being a major spokesman) continued to protest American involvement, marshalling a great amount of support from its citizens. Still, the United States was becoming increasingly concerned for its own defense. The “USA” story in Feature #47 (Aug. 1941) rightly characterized the time as one of “national preparedness.” That same month, “Shot and Shell” from Military #1 read, “…the nation’s recruiting stations, busily inducting new men into the armed forces.” The text only feature in that same issue printed a fictional letter from a recent draftee extolling his experiences. By contrast, in Hit #10 (Apr. 1941), Don Glory took the side of antiwar demonstrators, who fought against a munitions executive that was pressuring senators to vote for war. America’s reluctance to enter the war didn’t deter Quality’s heroes from engaging evil dictators and Asian terrorists. In her first adventure (Feature #42, March 1941), USA battled a European dictator that was clearly meant to be Hitler. The “Loops and Banks” story in Military

Above: An early reference to the Japanese as the enemy, from Military #10 (June 1942); art by Fred Guardineer. Right: Wartime conservation makes the cover of Police #13 (Nov. 1942); artist uncertain.

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#1 suggested that its characters were at a U.S. base in China, and it referred to other Asians as “the enemy.” Some heroes were based in Europe and fought on land, by sea, and in the air. Numerous features starred adventurers who spanned the continent, and even Asia. They included the Death Patrol, Neon, the Red Torpedo, the Unknown, the Sniper, the Marksman, and the Blackhawks. Some like the Marksman and the Blackhawks were European patriots fighting battles against the Germans. Others characters were freelance fighters, or they pitched in to help America’s allies. The message in these features was frequent and plain: it was in the United States’ interest to help these people against Axis aggression, even if the U.S. wasn’t officially at war. On the home front, Quality’s super-heroes fought fictional invasions of their own. One famous “Uncle Sam” story depicted “Oriental” enemies who successfully bombed Pearl Harbor! The issue was National Comics #18 (cover dated December 1941—the same month as the real world attack, but this story was produced months before that). Busy Arnold told Gill Fox that the FBI once questioned him about that story. As more of Europe continued to fall, it was clear to anyone the direction the country was headed, especially after England declared war on Germany in September 1939. The United States made ready for its defense by activating the Selective Service—“conscription” or “the draft”—in late 1940. A rash of recruit related features and cartoons began appearing especially in Military and Police Comics. Even the Spirit signed on. In his adventure dated October 27, 1940, he enlisted under special circumstances that would allow him to serve and still protect his identity. But the business of comic books was booming and publishers like Busy Arnold were rightly worried that he would lose his workers to the Army.

Wartime Changes

The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941, and the event began appearing in stories sold in March 1942. The Black Condor story in Crack #23 (May 1942) references Pearl Harbor Even though Eisner’s staff and others had recently relocated to directly and states in the story that it’s “March 15, 1942.” In Smash Stamford, Busy Arnold returned the entire operation to New York #33 (May 1942), the Ray made it clear that the U.S. was at war with City in late 1942 (indicated in issues cover dated Nov. 1942) to 370 the Japanese. In Hit #22 (June 1942), the “Captain Flagg” feature Lexington Ave., across the street from their original office. This called the conflict by name, “World War No. 2”; in the same issue’s area, near Grand Central Station, was by other comics publishers “Ghost of Flanders,” George Brenner wrote “the United States is at too, including National (DC). Quality Comics indicia indicated that war!” (yet that story still dealt with Nazi spies). In Military #10 (June there also remained an “Executive Office” in Stamford. 1942), both the “Blue Tracer” and “Phantom Clipper” stories named Gill Fox had resigned as editor in early 1943, but continued to the Japanese as antagonists. House ads and text features in Quality’s provide features for Quality until he entered the Army later that titles often emphasized the importance of materials year. John Beardsley was given greater editorial conservation and patriotic duty. One wonders how responsibilities, but his tenure was short-lived. Acmany patriotic readers tossed their comics into those cording to Dick Arnold, Beardsley came onboard bins for paper reclamation! Another ad encouraged claiming to know “all about the business,” but soon rubber recycling. The cover of Police #13 (Nov. 1942) demonstrated the opposite. Busy himself mentioned made a joke, depicting Plastic Man on the run from Beardsley’s drunken state in The Steranko History of rubber-collecting kids. Comics vol. 2, but credited him with bringing in good Quality gave up several key men to the war efwriters, including Manly Wade Wellman, William fort, one of the first being Will Eisner. Eisner’s Woolfolk, Joe Millard and Harry Stein to provide draft number came up in the summer of 1941. He competent scripts for their most popular features. managed to defer his enlistment for eight months, Once Beardsley was fired, George Brenner became long enough to honor his commitments and arthe main editor (aided by various people, including range his affairs. Eisner and Busy Arnold decided Gwen Hansen). Brenner had been assisting editors it necessary for Arnold to oversee his staff. Eisner for some time, but with this becoming his primary leased an office adjacent to Arnold’s in Stamford role, he pretty much gave up the writing and art in March 1942, and he officially entered the Army chores on his remaining features. “Destiny” and in May 1942. For a short time, Eisner continued “Bozo” ended in early 1943, but he held onto his to write scripts for “The Spirit,” and would mail baby, the Clock, for a bit longer, albeit with unthem to Quality’s offices from his post at Fort Dix, credited assistants. A reading of the Clock’s later New Jersey. (Andelman 79) Eisner was soon overtaken adventures shows Brenner painfully reworking the feature in an attempt to emulate other successful completely by his duties to the Army, which included strips. The addition of a girl sidekick and a dose of illustration for certain kinds of comics and training humor weren’t enough for the Clock, whose time materials, and his Spirit contributions dwindled to ran out in mid-1944. Brenner remained the editor writing synopses. at Quality through 1948. On October 13, 1941, “The Spirit” had also In the late pre-War period, as well as the early begun daily syndication. Arnold knew that the Spirit days of U.S. involvement, stories often followed inSection was one of his most important publications, spirational themes: leading by example, redemption, so he put his best artists (predominately Jack Cole the common good. The usual villains in these stories and Lou Fine, and several assistants) on both the were dictators and Fifth Columnists from vaguely daily strip and the Sunday supplement. Fine was Will Eisner (top) and Bob Powell familiar nations. Before there was a “comics code” pulled from his other features, but Cole continued were among many Quality artists to curtail certain imagery, the crimes depicted were to produce “Plastic Man.” Without Eisner, the called off to war. Eisner © Estate of sometimes grisly. In the poorer scripts of the four-towriting suffered for a time and the Syndicate’s client Will Eisner. Powell © Seth Powell. six-page stories, the formula often consisted of the newspapers began to complain, forcing Arnold to hero locating a crook by all-too-easy means, followed search for new talent. The staff at the Tudor City offices, including Lou Fine, Tony by a chase, fisticuffs, collateral damage, and a one-panel resolution. DiPreta, and Alex Kotzky, also moved their residences to Stamford. Golden Age stories were usually devoid of character development Gill Fox had lived there since late 1939 and at some point, Jack Cole and continuity. Lead features (8+ pages) had more space in which to moved there as well. Some freelancers like Vern Henkel continued to explore characters’ relationships with one another and to develop their make occasional trips to the office from New York (about an hour’s personalities. The best examples of this were “Blackhawk,” “Plastic Man,” “Doll Man,” and “The Spirit,” partially explaining why they trip by train). Artists Chuck Cuidera and Bob Powell were forced to abandon were also Quality’s most successful and enduring properties. In general, a society dictates the standards for acceptable behav“Blackhawk” and “Mr. Mystic,” respectively, when they were drafted in 1942. Editor Gill Fox hoped to evade the draft by working on a ior—both real and fictional. Naturally those standards were somewhat farm (many farmers were given draft exemptions because farming different in the 1940s. Quality’s early stories allowed for Native was considered to be essential war work), but finally went in 1943. American dialogue peppered with “heap” and “how,” and for African Reed Crandall was called up for the Army Air Force in 1943. This Americans with embarrassingly exaggerated features and speech. One of the most difficult characters to read in retrospect was also left Quality with a heavily overburdened, shrunken art staff. one of Quality’s most popular—the Blackhawks’ Chinese member, Chop Chop. He was buck-toothed and spoke exclusively with ‘L’s for HISTORY 21

‘R’s (a trait that unfortunately found its way into other Asian Quality characters). If nothing else, reading these stories today helps one appreciate the progress our society has made in regards to diversity. Modern incarnations of Chop Chop at DC Comics addressed this early characterization in creative ways. Just before Quality cease publishing, they began toning down the worst of his characteristics. In 1988, Howard Chaykin portrayed Chop Chop as a formal Blackhawk member named Weng Chan. In this series, the original, “offensive” Chop Chop was created as the comic book rendering of Chan. At this point in the game, Quality’s offerings were fairly distinct from those of other publishers. There was no attempt to create a “universe” for the company’s characters, or do crossovers between them. In general, these things were rare in the 1940s, but there are a couple of instances that came close. The third story of Uncle Sam Quarterly #2 (Winter 1941) presented an odd cavalcade of sorts in which several Quality heroes appeared together in one panel. This fanciful story was a sort of “what if” poem wherein the super-villains leapt from the comic book page and enslaved their cartoonists in the “comic factory.” The artists were forced to abolish heroes, and they were ultimately saved by Uncle Sam. Plastic Man was mentioned in some other features (as well as appearing with the Spirit on many Police Comics covers), but the only true crossover occurred between the “Phantom Lady” and “Spider Widow” features in Police and Feature Comics. Both were drawn by Frank Borth, who penned a sassy rivalry between the two heroines that spanned six issues.

Eternity! … and Beyond In 1942, Quality set out to create some new heroes that were designed to anchor their less successful titles, appeal to prevailing trends, and withstand changes in creative teams. The constraints of wartime had taught Quality that a successful feature could indeed survive without its creator. It wasn’t Superman who inspired these new creations, but his rival, Fawcett’s juggernaut, Captain Marvel. These new heroes were Kid Eternity and Captain Triumph, both debuting in late 1942, on the covers of Hit Comics #25 (Dec. 1942) and Crack Comics #27 (Jan. 1943), respectively. The gamble seemed to pay off; both became long-lasting features for the publisher, running until 1949. If you mash up Kid Eternity with Captain Triumph, you’d find most of the elements in Captain Marvel: a kid character, super-strength, magic words, mystical helpers, and mythical benefactors. Like Captain Marvel Jr., Kid Eternity had lost his grandfather at sea to the Nazis. By shouting the magic word “Eternity!” he could access super-powers. Captain Triumph was a powerhouse whose powers were activated by touching a ‘T’-shaped birthmark on his wrist. Both heroes also had

The Quali t y Compa nion

immaterial co-stars. Eternity’s “SHAZ—” ah… “ETERNITY!” mentor was Mr. Keeper, a portly Quality’s wartime pitch hitters. Left: “Kid Eternity” from Hit pal from heaven, while Captain Comics #46 (May 1947). Right: Triumph was aided by the ghost “Captain Triumph” from Crack of his deceased twin brother! The Comics #37 (Spring 1945). The new heroes were heavily promoted GCD cites Pete Riss and Ed Dobrotka as artists, respectively, in house ads, and the art on both though these are unverified. features was in line with Quality’s high standards. Most of the early Kid Eternity features were drawn by Rubén Moreira (who also created G-2 for National Comics #27 in 1942). Captain Triumph was handled by Alfred Andriola (and assistants). Both artists were accomplished draftsmen with experience in popular syndicated newspaper strips. The creation of these types of features was also a move to permanently end Arnold’s relationship with Jerry Iger. Even after Eisner and Iger split, Arnold and Eisner found it necessary to use Iger’s studio as a subcontractor. (Andelman 66) But Busy Arnold didn’t like dealing with Iger, and with Eisner now in the Army, there was no buffer between them. Some Quality features are known to be created at the Iger shop (“Phantom Lady,” “Wonder Boy,” “Kid Dixon,” “Kid Patrol”), because they reappeared at Fox after they trickled away from the pages of Quality Comics in the fall of 1943. One of Iger’s artists, Al Stahl, also moved from that shop to work exclusively for Quality (perhaps after his brief stint in the military). See “Jerry Iger’s Studios” on page 13. Feature sizes were changing, too. In the early days of comic books, each anthology issue had 64 pages of interior content. The earliest original features at Quality took up four-to-six pages. After some syndicated material was dropped, the leading feature in any given title was bumped up to seven-to-nine pages. Some interior features were also that size. To compensate for dwindling staff, most features were increased in size (not always to the benefit of the story), so that each title sported fewer, longer stories. By 1944, the most popular leading features like “Plastic Man,” “Blackhawk,” “Captain Triumph,” and “Kid Eternity,” were allotted lofty 15-page wells. “Midnight,” “Doll Man,” and “The Barker” were each awarded eleven. To fill eleven or fifteen pages, the overburdened artists began making more prominent use of the “splash” page (the first page of the story). Sometimes it was

obvious that this page was being used to fill space, but some artists also found it a suitable canvas on which to flex their creative muscles. Will Eisner and Jack Cole are famous for using this space to create intricate and eye-catching compositions that wove art with typography. Overall page counts dropped to 56 interior pages in issues cover dated November 1943. The drop in comics’ overall page counts was attributed to the implementation of wartime rationing of essential materials—which included paper.

Wartime Rationing Just as comics were hitting their stride, the War Production Board was created early in 1942 to ration the use of essential commodities. The result was noticeable immediately across the publishing world. So, if this was the case, then why were comics mega-successful during the war? It was a combination of factors, in part because of the rationing that sales increased. Troops abroad were consuming far more reading material than publishers could supply. A publisher who had any sort of “in” with the Armed Services was set. It was bittersweet to “serious” publishers of literature; Bennett Cerf, of Random House said in 1943, “When you are able to sell any junk that you can get between covers it takes a little of the kick out of putting over the really good new numbers.” (Neavill 586) Cerf’s “junk” was the lifeblood of publishers like Busy Arnold, who said, “If they had had paper quotas then, even Victor Fox and Harry Chesler would have made big money during the war years.” (Steranko 93) This statement suggests that Quality was among the “winners” in paper rations. Dick Arnold confirmed, “They were making a barrel of money because they had paper quotas. My father was on some sort of board in Washington, DC, that allocated paper to different publishers. All the publishers were screaming that the government wouldn’t let them have enough paper. My father went to the meetings and said, ‘You guys are absolute fools. It’s the greatest thing that ever happened to you. You’re virtually guaranteed to sell out anything you print... no matter how bad it is.’ They didn’t like that; they all wanted more paper. This was the heyday of heydays. … I remember there was an issue of Blackhawk that sold about 99.99% of the copies that were printed.” Much of the demand came from service men, who craved the momentary escape into fiction. But early in the war, only eighteen periodicals were approved by the Army for distribution to troops. Prior to this, the Army had justified the limited supply (which some deemed as censorship) by an interpretation of the 1939 Hatch Act. That Act had sought to prohibit the involvement of civil servants in partisan matters. The Army extended this to reading materials, and the resulting practices led some to accuse them of outright censorship. The limits were changed amid the furor over a completely different issue which arose in late 1943—the controversial “soldier vote law.” The presidential election was coming in 1944 and this was the first time the nation had been faced with putting election ballots into millions of soldiers’ hands. Some opposed, ostensibly because of the physical burden of distributing such ballots. This had nothing to do with publishing per se, but it brought public awareness to the rights of enlisted persons serving abroad. In July 1944, the Army responded by relaxing the limits on reading materials and released an expanded list of 189 periodicals—which included comics. (Shallet, Penton) The list of 189 was the result of a survey of those enlisted, and it is a singular glimpse at the preferences of the time. Quality tied with DC, Marvel and Fawcett, each scoring five titles on the list. If a title made the Army’s list, one might conclude that its publisher would

be awarded preferential paper quotas to enable their production. Notably, Police Comics and Hit Comics did not make the list. Curious, isn’t it, that those were the two titles co-owned by Will Eisner (Hit for sure; Eisner was fuzzy on the ownership of Police versus Military)? Eisner bitterly complained about this, accusing Busy Arnold of using the quota preferentially for books in which Eisner didn’t own a share. He said, “In those days, you needed paper quotas, which meant you could get a certain amount of paper under governmental license… Busy’s publications were booming in sales at the time because all publications were doing well during World War II and he needed more paper to print more copies. It was like printing money. The business was that good at the time. Arnold started diverting paper to his own books, and it was giving me a hard time. My sales were not as good as his because of that. I finally realized I was playing poker with a pair of deuces, so I had to fold and we made a deal.” Still in the Army, Eisner sold his one-third stake in Hit and Military back to Arnold and the Register and Tribune Syndicate, and was paid fairly well for them—in cash. (The exact date if this is uncertain.) Eisner wisely retained the rights to some royalties as well. After that, whenever Quality used a property of Eisner’s in those magazines, he received a page rate. What warmth, if any, there had been between Busy Arnold and Will Eisner cooled significantly during that time. Eisner could understand the reasons for Arnold’s business decisions, but that didn’t curb his annoyance. If Arnold wanted to avoid paying royalties on pre-existing features, he might have discontinued them, but the publishing record shows no significant “die off” in features from those titles during the war. The paper limit manifested itself in publishing hiccups for some titles. “Plastic Man” was strong enough to keep Police Comics on a fairly regular schedule, but both Crack and Hit Comics suffered from the paper restrictions and possibly from lower sales, not to mention the loss of key freelancers. In 1942, those books went to a bi-monthly schedule, and to a quarterly schedule in 1944. Even after the war, they were never more than bi-monthly again. Late in 1943, Quality attempted to launch another three titles, Plastic Man, Blackhawk and The Spirit, but after one or two issues of each, they all had to be Gill Fox holds an issue of Smash shelved until after the war. Comics #76 (April 1948), next to The first three issues of The his sister Lorraine, who was also Spirit, and the first two of Plastic an accomplished illustrator. © Estate Man do not bear the mark of Qual- of Gill Fox.

HISTORY 23

ity Comics; instead they were published by “Vital Publications.” Vital expendable, but forgettable. For fans who favored super-heroes, it was a sort of “proxy” publisher run by William C. Popper, who had might have been disappointing. Nevertheless, comics continued to paper quotas to spare. Arnold struck a deal with Popper in order to sell like hotcakes throughout the war—and even greater beyond it. If put out these five issues. According to the Grand Comics Database, Quality Comics was the hydra, then there were plenty of heads left “This company … published material on behalf of Quality Comics to replace those heroes axed by the changing marketplace. but was not directly associated with it.” Just to be safe, the Vital books bore the statement “This book has been manufactured under wartime conditions in full compliance with all orders and regulations of the War Production Board.” In Plastic Man #1 (1943), it adds, “from material prepared and supplied by Comic Magazines.” In tone, comics during wartime exhibited a dichotomy. The literature The Japanese surrendered to the Allies on August 15, 1945, and of the day sought to represent the realities of war and some Quality America’s soldiers began returning home. Some of Quality’s previfeatures got bloodier, especially in Military Comics where the stories ous talent returned to the company, including Reed Crandall, Will held no punches when depicting the cruelties of war. Readers routinely Eisner, Gill Fox, Paul Gustavson, and Chuck Cuidera. Some left. saw people being hanged, and women and children endangered. Most The most notable departure was Lou Fine. He hadn’t fought in the new features, however, got funnier (or tried). When super-heroes were war, but had served his time in the trenches at Quality, as the primary on the rise, “straight” comic book features were regularly injected contributor to “The Spirit” throughout the war. Fine had finally with masked men, monsters and random weirdos from the societal begun to score high-paying commercial work, and left comic books fringe. By 1943–44, the trend had reversed and even the super-hero for good (though he later drew two newspaper strips as well as some features were lightening up. If Eisner’s “Espionage” and “Doll Man” commercial comics, and a feature for Boy’s Life). Bob Powell returned were the templates for Quality’s formative years, then Cole’s “Plastic to comics, but not to any of Quality’s features. Jack Cole continued Man” was setting the tone by 1943. to work on Plastic Man. In “Plastic Man,” Jack Cole had unwittingly created a sub-genre of When Eisner returned, those who had filled in for him were eager sorts within super-heroes. Similar strips that were originally conceived to move on, so he was faced with the challenge of rebuilding his staff. with a humorous edge—the Jester, Quicksilver and Midnight—were He rented a new studio at 37 Wall Street (Andelman 91), and hired a raft also among Quality’s longest running. Some of new talent to help ease him back into established features changed significantly a regular schedule on The Spirit Section. in tone during the war. Heroes like Human John Spranger handled pencils while Jerry Bomb, the Clock and the Death Patrol (of Grandanetti drew backgrounds. In the all things) became more kid- or sidekickyoung Jules Feiffer (who won a Pulitzer centered, or just more humorous overall. in 1986), Eisner found a kindred soul who Features like these represented half of viewed comics in a richer way. Letterers Quality’s longest running characters. Also Ben Oda and Abe Kanegson rounded in 1943, cartoonists like Al Stahl and André out the recruits while Klaus Nordling and LeBlanc stepped in on new features like Andre LeBlanc continued to contribute Blimpy, Inkie, and Intellectual Amos, which regularly. (92) were solidly “cartoony,” yet retained some At this time, George Brenner was still of the metaphysical elements of super-hero the editor, and Quality gained another adventures. returning vet. Before entering the service, There were other factors in the comics’ Al Grenet had worked for Jerry Iger, but marketplace influencing this trend. By this when he came back, Iger (illegally) refused time, an unassuming redhead from Riverdale to rehire him. Grenet went to Quality’s ofwas exploding in cultural popularity. Archie fices, and was lucky to find them in need. Andrews first appeared in MLJ’s Pep Comics Quality’s last editor, Al Grenet with an artist for Grenet began by doing odd jobs like drawing #22 (Dec. 1941), and the company quickly Ebony magazine, 1955. © Al Grenet. panel borders, erasing and cleaning pages, expanded its oeuvre to include all his pals. or pasting up lettering. He went on to draw And over at Fawcett, “Captain Marvel” was backgrounds and color and letter covers, a warm, charming read that delivered a character who deftly embodied and his hard work got him promoted to assistant editor. a kid’s perspective (Marvel was actually a grown up version of the boy, In 1949 Harry Stein succeeded George Brenner as editor-in-chief, Billy Batson), plus the wondrous powers of a demigod. Fawcett’s line but he remained in the post for only a year before he was fired. Grenet also grew to include Cap’s great supporting cast. became Stein’s successor. The two of them had become friends, but The super-hero was on the decline, and in late 1943, Quality this upheaval broke their bond. According to Grenet, Busy Arnold dropped more than a dozen features, which included a fair number had come to the conclusion that Stein “wasn’t working out” at Qualof super-heroes: Spider Widow, Spider, Black Condor, Inferior Man, ity (a decision which mystified Grenet). After his termination, Stein the Clock, Kid Patrol, Kid Dixon, Cyclone Cupid, Phantom Lady, blamed Grenet and became bitter towards him, even writing to Arnold Cyclone, Zero, and Super Snooper. Military Comics was, perhaps to suggest he should have hired a janitor before Al! Grenet responded logically, the first to move on. By 1944, the only super-heroes all that with a half-cocked call to Harry from which came no resolution. Al’s remained in that title were Blackhawk, Death Patrol and the Sniper, tenure was considerably longer; he oversaw Quality’s output all the none of which were classic super-heroes. way through its final days in 1956. It’s somewhat sad to read the final adventures of these heroes, Grenet was not unfamiliar with Quality’s titles. His history with knowing that most creators considered the characters as not just Iger predated the split with Eisner. Back then he was primarily a

Post-war

The Quali t y Compa nion

letterer, and he created the logos for Hit Comics, Smash, Crack, Doll Man, Blackhawk and Plastic Man (and later in 1949, many of Quality’s romance comic logos). It was also during this time that Busy Arnold’s own son, Dick Arnold came to work for the company, eventually becoming Grenet’s right-hand man. Dick came to Quality after graduating from college and a stint in an ad agency. His first duties included reading scripts and working on Quality’s circulation and advertising.

The End of the Anthology The comic book industry soared to success in the arms of the superhero. But after the war, even readers who were pre-adolescent in the late ’30s were now finishing high school. The market continued to cater to kids with super-heroes, funny animal, and humor comics, but now young men and women were interested in more mature themes. The sexes approached their fulfillment in different ways, and those preferences were mirrored by new trends in comics. Male readers were looking for more adult content, which they found in the pages of crime comics like Lev Gleason’s Crime Does Not Pay, and later in horror titles like EC’s Tales from the Crypt. Similarly, romance comics exploded as an outlet for young women who fantasized about dating and starting their own families. Will Eisner also fell into this age group. He had begun his comics career as a teen but now his entire generation had survived the Depression, and bore witness to inhuman atrocities. These experiences affected people in different ways. While some reacted by becoming more fearful and conservative, others became fearless and inventive. Eisner admitted as much, if not in so many words. His work on the Spirit greatly changed in the post-war era. Instead of approaching the Spirit with a “slave mentality,” he adopted a new attitude and became more interested in developing the potential of graphic storytelling. His figure drawing had improved as had his use of positive and negative space, and use of black areas. His scenes conveyed more depth and volume, and his compositions became more inventive as he ventured deeper into the world of pulp and noir. Most comic book publishers followed trends. If war comics sold, then publishers put out a bunch of war comics. Quality was not immune to this. According to Grenet, Arnold kept an eye on other publishers, and he was concerned that DC’s books were outselling his. Quality’s office was near DC’s, and Busy Arnold was friendly with DC editor Whit Ellsworth. Dick Arnold remembered that his father admired DC’s co-publisher Jack Liebowitz, whom he regarded as a very good businessman. From 1937 to 1945, Quality had published only its original seven anthology titles and a handful of standalone titles starring its most popular characters: The Spirit, Blackhawk, Plastic Man, Doll Man and Kid Eternity. The next phase in their publishing began when the company added titles in the humor/funny animals genre. In 1946–47, Quality launched five new humor titles mostly anchored by characters who got their starts in the anthology titles. “The Barker” was created by Klaus Nordling, first appearing in National Comics #42 (May 1944), and replacing Uncle Sam as the cover feature before receiving his own title in the autumn of 1946. “Candy” came from Police Comics #37 (Dec. 1944); both Egbert and Marmaduke Mouse got their starts in Hit Comics #35 (Spring 1945). And All Humor Comics starred various cartoony characters, one of which was “Hickory,” who was awarded a short-lived solo title in 1949. Comic artist Rudy Palais once told Jim

Amash that when Charles Schulz A house ad from Diary Loves #2 (Nov. 1949), boasting Quality’s sought work at Quality in the late romance line. 1940s, Arnold turned him down. One wonders what might have happened had Schulz created Peanuts for Quality instead of going into newspaper syndication! In late 1949, three of Quality’s anthology titles were renamed and the contents drastically altered. Smash Comics became Lady Luck with issue #86 (Dec. 1949) when the Sunday supplement star took over. This decision was odd because by then, “Lady Luck” had ceased running in the Sunday Spirit Section. Crack Comics was renamed Crack Western with issue #63 (Nov. 1949). Kid Eternity was renamed Buccaneers with issue #19 (Jan. 1950). Three of the publisher’s flagship anthologies were canceled: National Comics with issue #75 (Dec. 1949); Feature Comics with #144 (May 1950); and lastly, Hit Comics with #65 (July 1950). Military and Police contained the super-hits Blackhawk and Plastic Man, and continued on. Even then, Military was renamed Modern Comics in issue #44 (Nov. 1945), until it folded in October 1950. Arnold only dipped his toe into the Western comics waters, but he dove headlong into the sea of romance. Young Romance was one of the first titles to aim at the girl market. It was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby for Prize in 1947. When the word got out that this was a hit, every publisher jumped on board. By 1949, the number of American titles containing the words “romance” or “love” had swelled to over 100! Quality launched sixteen new titles in 1949-50, most of which were romance comics with names like G.I. Sweethearts, Love Scandals, and Untamed Love. All sold reasonably well, generally around 250,000 copies an issue, no matter what the title was. This newfound popularity kept a lot of artists and writers employed. Through its final years, the remainder of Quality’s new titles (there were a dozen HISTORY 25

Left: The Barker was a breakout hit created by Jack Cole but made popular by Klaus Nordling, who drew the above #2, Winter 1946. Scan courtesy of Ray A. Cuthbert. Right: Another later sensation for Quality, “Torchy” was created by Bill Ward, but drawn mostly by Gill Fox in her solo title (here, #1, Nov. 1949); art by (and provided by) Gill Fox.

more) were either Westerns, humor or romance. This boom also spawned a sub-genre which wasn’t named at the time, but it definitely drew notice. While stories about love and dating appealed to girls and young women, a new style of “Good Girl Art” grabbed the boys’ attention. Good Girl features were drawn with a spicier kind of style, even if the characters themselves were otherwise wholesome. These heroines might be either humorous or adventurous, but they were frequently found posed in suggestive positions and in various states of dress. Quality played a historical part in the development of this kind of art with the publication of Bill Ward’s “Torchy Todd.” Torchy became a popular back-up feature that made a splash in Doll Man #8 (Spring 1946). She was the creation of Ward, who had originally drawn the daffy blond for a strip appearing in Army publications during the war. (Womenofward.net.) This type of feature rose in popularity with romance comics. Torchy was awarded her own series in 1949, and while others besides Bill Ward drew her stories, it was Ward’s stories that were the most risque. A few other features starred characters drawn in this style, including Roberta in National Comics’ “Lassie,” “Peachy Pitts” in Hit Comics, and “Choo Choo” in Military. Good Girl Art is now famous for the contributions of Ward and his contemporary, Matt Baker, who worked for Jerry Iger and never contributed to Quality’s comics. According to men’s magazine aficionado George Hagenauer, Baker did however draw spicy cartoons for Busy Arnold’s men’s magazines in the mid-1950s.

The Quali t y Compa nion

Then There Was One The second major change at Quality, occurring around the same time as the title shifts, was Busy Arnold’s buyout of the Register & Tribune Syndicate. Comics were still selling well, but the Cowles brothers were noticing a decline in revenues. The Cowleses initiated the sale in May 1950. Dick Arnold reported, “That’s where the Des Moines Register and Tribune was smarter than my father. Around 1950, they told my father that they ought to get out of the comic book business. They said, ‘We’ve seen its best days.’ So my father bought them out and he owned the whole thing.” Steranko reported that Arnold paid them $140,000 and that the Des Moines partner had made $1.8 million off its initial $1,000 investment. (Steranko: 109) A interesting financial document regarding the sale now resides at the Drake University Library in Des Moines, Iowa. This five-page memo is part of a trove of materials in a special Cowles collection, and it reveals some interesting distinctions between the partners. The communique was written by their accountant, Carl T. Koester, and opened with a summary of Quality’s debts, which would have to be settled before Arnold could buy the Register and Tribune’s share. It also stated, “In the early part of this month Comic Magazines (partnership) was cramped for cash and the following loans were therefore made.” Here a subtle distinction was made in naming Comic Magazines, which appears to have been the name of the partnership between Arnold and the Cowleses, and Comic Favorites, which was an entity administered by Busy Arnold (this was also the

original company name of Quality in its indicia, when McNaught was a partner). E. M. Arnold, Comic Favorites, and “Arnold Publications, Inc.” were all listed as having lent money to Comic Magazines. Most of this was simple intercompany loans. Another note in the memo provides some insight into recent changes in the industry: Print Orders Reduced. The print orders for August, September, and October issues [1950], previously used in our computations, have been reduced and Arnold explained that [distributors] I.C.D. now dictated the size of the print order. The reductions amount to 40,000 copies for some of the issues. These reductions constituted roughly 10% of their previous publication runs. The memo also reveals that Quality’s printing needs were serviced by a variety of companies, many of whom appear to have been affiliates or subcontractors of the Greater Buffalo Press. Quality’s vendors at the time of the Register & Tribune sale were all related to printing and distribution: • Great Lakes Color Printing (Dunkirk, N.Y., near Buffalo; owned by Greater Buffalo Press’s Koessler brothers) • J. W. Clement Co. (Buffalo, N.Y.; covers and binding) • Everybody’s Publishing Co. (Buffalo, N.Y.) • Eastern Color Printing Co. (Waterbury, Mass.) • Electro-Chemical Engraving Corp. (New York, N.Y.) • I.C.D. Distributing Organization The memo concludes by laying out further conditions, including the timetable under which the transition and sale would occur. The sale was dependent upon the settlement of debts, and upon the dates of some expected revenues (their distributor, I.C.D., required a period of 120 days after the “off-sale date of a final issue” before payment to its publishers). It goes on to list every Quality title and the size of its print run. It also cites the estimated sales for the titles, which were only between 42–57% of the print runs. Could it be that after settling his debts and buying out his partners, Arnold found himself strapped for the capital with which to print his comics? The publishing record seems to suggest it. After the buyout, twelve of the sixteen titles that were launched in 1949–50 were canceled after less than a year of publication. Eight of those twelve had been marked for cancellation in the financial memo. No new titles were issued to replace them until later in 1951. Arnold was conservative that time, launching only two new titles, T-Man and Ken Shannon. Gradually over the next five years a mix of titles was introduced, including Brides Romances, Buster Bear, G.I. Combat, Love Secrets, True War Romances, Web of Evil, and Wedding Bells. Four of the earlier romance titles also continued through the later years. Ironically, even though most of the classic super-hero titles had been abandoned, Quality’s two biggest heroes, Blackhawk and Plastic Man, continued to outsell all others. (DC Comics experienced a similar trajectory as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman continued after discontinuing a high number of their super-hero features, including most of what was once the All-American Comics line.) Blackhawk was the company’s best-seller, at about 600,000 copies in the early 1950s. Plastic Man was the second-best seller, with a circulation above 400,000. Dick Arnold told a story about one of their more clever sales tactics. Quality deliberately printed 100,000 copies more of Blackhawk for three or four months, and took them directly to newsstands. This netted them as much as 50,000 additional sales. Newsstand dealers

soon started complaining that they were handing them too many copies. At that time, distributors expected to sell 60–70% of a print run, and publishers had to sell a high percentage of the magazines they printed. But there was so much competition in the market that when one publisher decided to expand their offerings, its competitors would do the same and overall sales would drop. The success of Quality’s top titles is a testament to the power of strong art and stories. Blackhawk was solid adventure, well-written by various people such as William Woolfolk, and drawn regularly by Reed Crandall. But Crandall must have gotten exceedingly difficult because Busy Arnold was forced to fire his star talent. Grenet recalled that Reed was terminated in 1953 because of his flippant remarks, which Arnold began to regard as outright insubordination (and Crandall’s drinking habit didn’t help). Dick Dillin was the artist who took over for Reed Crandall on Blackhawk, with Blackhawk co-creator Chuck Cuidera as his primary inker. The team continued to draw the series when the title moved to DC. Dillin’s career at DC is notable for another long, uninterrupted run as the artist on Justice League of America. Ironically, Dillin eventually drew the first appearance of the Freedom Fighters—a super-team made up of former Quality heroes—in JLA #107 (1973). “Plastic Man” was still being drawn by Jack Cole although the volume of stories necessitated the use of supplemental help on the character’s self-titled book. By the late ’40s/early ’50s, the lead stories in Plastic Man were being drawn by back-up artists in a much less cartoony style than Cole’s. Quality also resorted to running occasional reprints in the 1950s. When Cole ceased working on his bendable baby, Quality continued to run reprints in Plastic Man. Sometime after 1955, Cole moved to the Chicago area to pursue other freelance opportunities—including a regular cartoon for Playboy. His first full-page cartoon for Playboy appeared in the April 1954 issue. The Spirit Section had also grown over the years. At its height, it was syndicated to twenty newspapers. Penciler Dick Dillin, in a photo But Will Eisner was looking for that appeared in DC’s own fanzine, The Amazing World of opportunities beyond Quality. In DC Comics #11 (April 1976). 1949, he began his own publishing concern, and tried producing two of his own comic books, Baseball Comics and Kewpies (with contributions from Jules Feiffer). These were complete failures. That same year Eisner secured a much more lucrative and reliable revenue stream when he was hired to illustrate the Army’s PS: The Preventative Maintenance Monthly. Eisner had married Ann Weingarten in 1950, and with his other accounts taking much of his time, decided to send the Spirit into the wild blue yonder after October 5, 1952. (Andelman 93-94, 121, 137) He cited no animosity between he and Busy Arnold over the decision, and Arnold gave Eisner no problems legally or otherwise.

Comics Under— and on—Fire At the same time comic book material was becoming more adult, segments of American society were growing more conservative. One reason was the returning servicemen’s expectation that their wives HISTORY 27

would return to traditional roles in the home, to “normalcy.” Another reason was political. With the rise of anti-Communism, and liberal politics coming under more scrutiny, the country was turning more to the “safe” conservative stance of the Republican party, and fears grew about the changing world. Statistics showing an increase in juvenile delinquency also played into those fears. Public and moral opposition to comics was nothing new in the ’40s. Even in their earliest days in the Sunday newspapers, comic strips were dismissed as depraved trash. As more and more children—boys and girls alike—found escape in the pages of a ten-cent comic, parents and educators began to discuss the effects these materials were having on impressionable youth. The mounting hysteria stemmed from studies that pointed out that over 90% of all children six to eleven years old read comics, trading and buying new ones with regularity. (“Some Comic Books are Called Shocking”) The historical discussion on this topic usually focuses on the most vocal opponents, who garnered a lot of media exposure. So it might be surprising to find that comic books had some unlikely supporters. It was such a great issue that educators and parents were organizing meetings to discuss the matter. In February 1944, the New York Times reported on a civil gathering of the Child Study Association of America, who largely agreed that the harm posed by comic books to children was minimal or nonexistent. They encouraged parents to take part in their children’s reading habits, and to focus more on the need for children to have a world to call their own (as long as it didn’t “crowd out other activities”). One adult comics reader was quick to defend the Army’s decision to allow comics in shipments to servicemen. In a letter to the New York Times, he said, “The sad fact is that most intelligent people consider this form of enjoyment childish. Why, then, do so many adults read these books?” (New York Times, 6 Aug. 1944) The findings of another scholarly organization were reported by

The Quali t y Compa nion

the Times on December 15, 1944. Jack Cole got in trouble for his Catherine Mackenzie paraphrased work on Magazine Village’s True Crime Comics, but he also a new study by the Journal of Edu- contributed to the dark side of cational Sociology which asserted that Quality—these pages both from “No one wants boys and girls to the same month… Left: Web read the comics, no one has been of Evil #2 (Jan. 1953). Right: A surprising change in tone in able to stop them, and the comics Plastic Man #39 (Jan. 1953). are here to stay.” Psychiatrist Dr. Lauretta Bender went so far as to conclude that the “children’s fantasies are a constructive approach to reality, not an escape.” But she stopped short of sanctioning “horror”: “actual mutilation or violence or death should not occur in relation to any character with which the child can identify himself.” (Mackenzie) This was still years before horror comics came under a more concerted attack, and Dr. Bender had zeroed in on the fine line. If not for the rise of graphic horror and crime comics, might the medium have been better tolerated? Publisher Lev Gleason was an early target for the House Un-American Activities Committee. In 1946, Gleason was arrested for refusing to give evidence in connection to alleged “communist propaganda.” Although this incident was related more to his magazine ventures, it put the publisher under a public spotlight, and associated his name with filth. His most notorious title, Crime Does Not Pay, also came under attack later. (Jones: 235) The opposition seemed to settle in two camps. On one side were simple literary purists, who bemoaned the perceived loss of traditional books and folklore as childrens’ preference. In 1946, Louise Seaman Bechtel wrote an opinion piece in the Times to extol a new line of pocket books that reprinted classics like Black Beauty—and to take a jab at their competition: “Will these cheaper books really compete with comic books? Will individually well-edited, experimental books continue to live in competition with all this mass production?” The

more things change… Other comics opponents were morally motivated, righteous, and loud. Rev. Robert E. Southard called comics “mental dynamite.” Superman was a threatening stand-in for Southard’s savior. He went so far as to call the character a manifestation of “Nietzsche Nazi philosophy of force.” (“Priest…”) Organizers with a forum like his were able to whip up the police, who soon joined the anti-comics cause, citing a rise in juvenile delinquency. The public messages were all over the board. They’ll turn your children into criminals! Comics make your son a simpleton! Funnies will lead your daughter off the rooftop! … But actually, some comics are OK. Statements like these were rarely followed by the citation of a credible study. But one was being written. By the end of the 1940s, anti-Communist paranoia had crept into American society. The former Axis powers had been replaced by a cold red war fueled, in part, by certain men in political and governmental power. Almost any action could be misconstrued as a treasonous Communist gesture. The fear spread from big cities to small farms, exacerbated by the mainstream American press and HUAC (the House Un-American Activities Committee), who investigated Communist infiltration in politics and entertainment. The real war against comics can be attributed mostly to one man, psychiatrist Fredric Wertham. His crusade built steam throughout the 1940s and he began getting media exposure in 1948, when he participated in the symposium “The Psychopathology of Comic Books.” This was soon followed by a sensationalist article in Colliers (March 27, 1948) titled “Horror in the Nursery.” Mass market outlets like Time, Reader’s Digest and Family Circle soon picked up the buzz, which brought the issue to millions. Soon organizers across the nation were going door-to-door to collect comics for burnings. (seductionoftheinnocent.org, Hajdu)

In 1953, Wertham was invited to be an advisor to the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency, which was charged with investigating comics as they pertained to child corruption. (Hajdu 274) There he found an ally, Senator Estes Kefauver (D, Tenn.), who became the most vocal member of this new committee. In 1954, Wertham published his definitive indictment, a book called Seduction of the Innocent. It succeeded in rallying more opposition to “offensive” comics and their alleged harm to child readers (who still constituted a large segment of consumers). The book’s release was quickly followed by special hearings led by Kefauver in New York City on April 21–22, 1954. The Subcommittee summoned numerous publishers and creators to testify. In particular, they skewered Bill Gaines of EC Comics, who depicted extreme violence in his comics. Jack Cole and Alex Kotzky’s work in Magazine Village’s True Crime Comics was cited in particular by Wertham for its gruesome depiction of a woman with a needle poised above her eye. Quality might not have come under direct fire, as their stories were largely free of gratuitous sex or violence, but the company was not untouched by the inquisition. Editor Al Grenet recalled being interviewed by the Kefauver Committee, not by the man himself, but one of his aides. Grenet was befuddled by the hearings and noted that there was usually no Senator present, merely a staffer to quiz people. When the cameras arrived, so did the Senators. No judgment was spared even for the publishers of the most innocuous material. Helen Meyer, an editor for Dell Comics (which published Disney characters) was torn to shreds for the camera. Busy Arnold was never summoned to testify even though Quality had published one horror title in 1952, Web of Evil. Grenet said that Arnold felt the whole debate was a concern for other publishers. Comic book publishers responded to all of this by organizing their own public relations campaign. They elected to police themselves

under the auspices of the new Comics Magazine Association of America. It was formed in September 1954, after the widespread condemnation, and Quality (but not EC) joined in adopting its standards, enumerated under the Comics Code Authority. The new code banned “unwholesome” content that was too violent, horrific or sexual. It laid out rules that were largely written to prohibit the glamorization of crime or criminals. In all instances, good must triumph over evil. Graphic violence and the words “horror” and “terror” were banned from titles. Undead creatures were prohibited. Profanity, nudity and “indecent exposure” were forbidden and females were to be drawn realistically, “without exaggeration of any physical qualities.” The application of the new Code took effect in early 1955 and the seal of the Code began appearing on Quality’s books for issues cover dated May 1955 (T-Man #25 and G. I. Combat #24). After this, Grenet was expected to take Quality’s comic pages for review to Judge Charles Murphy, who might sometimes remove objectionable things or censor crucial story aspects. It was excessive. They might even be made to add sleeves onto a female character (if she was depicted in a sleeveless top), or asked to reduce the size of a woman’s breast. Quality’s own content had never been far outside the guidelines of this Code, so its effect was fairly minimal on the company’s printed product. Only one title was canceled around this time: Torchy. What changes that were made were most evident in titles like T-Man. Before the code, Pete Trask’s adventures made liberal use of blunt force, gunplay and gangsters who were shot, killed and run over by cars. After the Code, all of the stories in this title took an anti-communist stance and the gunplay shrank to nil. Trask now exclusively fought “reds”—Russians or Chinese—in Europe, at home and at Formosa (a.k.a. Taiwan). At first, the only gun the censors allowed him to fire was on a carnival midway. After about a year, the guns returned in minor, symbolic ways. Stories that once spoke of “murder,” “evil,” and “death,” instead perpetuated the Red Scare with titles like “The Ingenious Red Trap,” “Red Conquest by Treachery,” and “Commie Fire Bomb Plot.” In romance comics, the stories themselves were relatively unchanged (again, because they’d never been offensive). Everyday outfits mostly included sleeves and collars. Sleeveless dresses were reserved for gowns and the number of undergarments and swimsuits on display were somewhat reduced. What was more evident in these comics was another tenet of the Code that extended to the content of the advertising. Any kind of nudity was prohibited in the ads. Before the Code, ads regularly featured attractive women dressed in negligees, bras, girdles, and leg-toning products. Afterwards, ads still hocked things like weight loss, blemish control, movie star pin-ups, dance lessons and jewelry, but the figures were rendered in a much more chaste, or abstractly.

The End By the mid-’50s, Busy Arnold had purchased land in Naples, Florida and would go there for the whole winter. Back in New York, the company was run by Al Grenet and Dick Arnold. The workload now also included another product. In 1956, Comic Magazines began a new division called Arnold Magazines, Inc. In part, this new endeavor was prompted by the success of Playboy in 1953. Sometime before this, Hugh Hefner actually paid a visit to Busy Arnold with a proposal to publish a magazine with female nudes. Arnold turned HISTORY 29

Two of Arnold Magazines’ titles, Classic Photography (Spring 1957), and Terror Detective Story (February 1957). Cover scans courtesy of Phil Stephensen-Payne and his web site, Galactic Central.

DC. By this time Arnold was too discouraged to entertain a partnership with his biggest competitor. (Atlas Comics—now Marvel—was forced to use Independent News for a time, and suffered as a result).

him down, and Hefner eventually moved to Chicago to find his backers. After noticing Playboy’s success, Arnold created his own “men’s magazines,” the first of which were called Classic Photography and Master Photography. Under the guise of “serious” photography, these magazines featured pin-up photos of women and skirted the requirements of the Comics Code. Al Grenet and the Quality staff were burdened with producing these magazines in addition to Quality Comics. He said, “Arnold hired a young lady to be assistant editor on Classic Photography and Master Photography. He sent her out to California to meet with a guy named Dedienas, who contributed nude photographs to the magazine. She went out there, met a guy, and married him.” The line also included digest-size men’s adventure magazines and a couple of puzzle books such as Gusto: He-Man Adventures, Rage (for which Matt Baker did several black-and-white illustrations), Terror Detective Story Magazine, and Hit Crossword Puzzles. Bill Ward also supplied spicy cartoons under the pen name “McCartney.” (Hagenauer) Quality Comics had survived its competitors, a war, and conservatives, but its end was due mostly to the collapse of reliable distribution networks. Quality’s regular distributor, American News Company, folded sometime in 1956 or 1957. Without them, Arnold couldn’t get his magazines or comic books onto newsstands. Arnold made one last attempt, signing on with Charlton Press of Derby, Connecticut, to distribute his magazines. There is evidence of this. Frank Motler is a researcher on men’s adventure magazines who confirmed that the earlier Arnold magazines (and comics) bore the mark “ANC,” which stood for American News Company. In late 1957, the mark changed to “CDC,” or Capital Distributing Company, Charlton’s distribution wing. The entire operation lasted only until 1958. The earliest magazines bore a December 1956 date, and the last April 1958. (Hagenauer) For a list, see page 213. Still, according to Al Grenet, some material never hit the stands. This might have been because Charlton had their own comic books and magazines, so perhaps they put Arnold’s titles at a lesser priority. Charlton may have also neglected the Quality line to order to bargain down the sale price for the company. The primary remaining comics distributor was Independent News, which was a part of National/

The Quali t y Compa nion

Dick Arnold had no interest in continuing the family business. In fact, when the magazines sold poorly, Dick advised his father to close the shop. Besides, Busy Arnold was now financially independent. Arnold told no one about his decision to end the comics operation. On Friday, December 28, 1956, he called Al Grenet into his office, and asked him if he wanted to buy the titles. He told Grenet that if he could produce $28,000 and pay off Arnold’s outstanding notes, the company would be his. Grenet flat out didn’t have that kind of money, so the company was shuttered. The staff got no warning or severance pay (which was out of character for Arnold). When Quality Comics ceased publishing, it still had over a dozen active titles, at 32 pages plus cover. Some of its last issues were Blackhawk #107, G.I. Combat #43, Robin Hood Tales #6, Marmaduke Mouse #65, Brides Romances #23, Girls in Love #57, Heart Throbs #46, Love Confessions #54, Love Letters #51, Love Secrets #56, T-Man #38 and Yanks in Battle #4. Only four titles were actually continued by DC: Blackhawk, G.I. Combat, Heart Throbs, and Robin Hood Tales. It wasn’t until 1966 that Plastic Man reappeared. Regarding the transfer of Quality’s properties to DC Comics, Busy Arnold has twice stated that he sold his titles to DC, “except for Blackhawk, which they leased for a time from me on a royalty basis.” (Arnold, 15 May 1972) Maybe Arnold was reserving this property to see if a more lucrative opportunity would arise for the characters (Blackhawk had already starred in a cheap film serial and radio show). For more about the issues surrounding the sale, see “Copyrights” on page 32. Al Grenet told some odd stories about a couple of things that happened after this. He once received a call from DC Comics, who invited him to lunch with their editors. Grenet accepted but found that they weren’t going to offer him a job. Instead they grilled him for four hours about Quality’s business practices. The second story raises more speculation than it puts to rest. Grenet claimed that around 1960, he got a call from “a guy… who wanted to restart Quality Comics.” Both Grenet and Busy Arnold met him but the proposal was thin and poorly backed. Arnold was quiet during the meeting, and Grenet turned down the job. Why would Busy Arnold even entertain such a meeting if a sale to DC was fait accompli? It is possible that Grenet was referring only to the magazines? In the early ’60s, Charles Sultan (as “Natlus,” spelled backwards = Sultan) did resume publication of the Rage and Man’s Exploits. After a bit of a rough time, Grenet eventually found his way into sales, where he earned many times the salary he’d made in comics. Jim Amash also recalled conversations with DC’s Carmine Infan-

tino, who claimed that Busy Arnold offered Quality’s properties to him personally. As the story went, Arnold offered to give Infantino some Quality characters (though Infantino didn’t remember which ones). Carmine told Arnold that he couldn’t take them because he was a DC employee, and that Arnold should approach DC directly. Amash places the discussion in the mid-’60s. At this time, Infantino was not yet President and Publisher of DC. If at the time, Carmine was DC’s cover editor, it would place the conversation in 1966 at the earliest. But if he were higher up at DC, the offer makes more sense. Perhaps this was when Arnold finally sold Blackhawk (and anything that remained) to DC? Carmine said he never knew the arrangement or anything about what took place afterward. Dick Arnold said that his father enjoyed a lengthy retirement and led a fairly uneventful life in Florida. He was an avid reader, and a casual but cautious investor. At one point, the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles approached him to ask if he would buy the team from the owner for $25,000. Arnold considered the proposition too risky. Dick Arnold shared a telling anecdote, “One time he and a friend each bought 2000 shares of International Paper. It went up from $2 a share to $6 a share, and my father couldn’t run fast enough to sell it. He told his friend, who was a printer, to do the same. Years later, they were having lunch together, and my father said, ‘Too bad we sold that stock.’ The guy said, ‘I kept mine. I now have 55,000 shares.’” Busy didn’t maintain contact with people from his comic book days. He was inevitably sought out by two prominent comics researchers. The first was Jim Steranko, who interviewed him extensively in the late 1960s for his History of Comics project. The result of this is a rich account of Quality by the man who made it happen. Arnold also provided some useful snapshots to Jerry G. Bails and Hames Ware, who sent Arnold a series of questionnaires while compiling their Who’s Who of the American Comics. Everett Arnold died in 1974, of cancer in his jaw.

Comics,” published in The Comics Journal #57 (Summer 1980). Every comic that was labeled “#1” was part of the first batch of comics he sent to the printer. The next batch (#2) might contain totally different titles. Waldman’s comics also featured newly commissioned covers. This venture repurposed material from Fox, Fiction House, Quality, EC, Chesler, Timely, and more. (Ingram, Brennan) His Quality reprints were released as follows between 1958–1964: • Buccaneer(s) #1, 8, 12 • Doll Man #11, 15, 17 • The Spirit #11, 12

• Candy #12, 16, 17 • Plastic Man #11, 16, 18

Legacy In 1973, just a year before Busy Arnold’s death, DC Comics introduced the “Freedom Fighters,” a group made up of Quality Comics’ most memorable characters, including Uncle Sam, Doll Man, the Ray, Black Condor, Phantom Lady and the Human Bomb. These heroes returned just as Arnold was leaving, a testament to his vision and a reminder to readers of the renowned works of his staff. You can find

I.W. Publishing/ Super Comics

Two of Super Comics’ Quality reprints. Left: Doll Man #15 (1964), with new cover art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. Right: Plastic Man #16 (1964); artist uncertain. Comics courtesy of Roy Thomas.

A smattering of Quality Comics reprints appeared in the late ’50s/ early ’60s under I.W. Publishing, later called “Super Comics.” This odd enterprise was the creation of Israel Waldman, whose New York-based company reputedly—and perhaps illegally—acquired the existing printing plates from Eastern Color and reprinted them. Al Grenet recalled that Waldman had approached Quality, too: “[Arnold] sold what art had remained to a guy who was going into the comic book business. The guy took all the original artwork. One day, the guy called me up, and I colored and drew a few humor covers for him. He paid me $25 a cover and I never heard from him again.” Waldman’s comics were numbered in an unconventional fashion. T. Casey Brennan figured it out in “The Untold History of I.W.

lots of details about the enduring legacy of Quality’s characters at DC in the next section of this book. In the early days, few working in comics ever expected that this throwaway entertainment would amount to anything at all. Of course, DC Comics was the pillar that weathered the storms. Its sharp business decisions, directed by Jack Liebowitz, enabled it to remain on top. The field’s creative visionaries were some of those men who began during the Golden Age. In the early 1960s, two Golden Age stalwarts, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, flipped the industry on its head by revitalizing Timely/Atlas as Marvel Comics and creating the Fantastic Four plus a torrent of other characters.

HISTORY 31

Copyrights C

opyrights and the issue of public domain are persistently hot a trademark to protect the brand name of the vacuum; and you could topics among Golden Age comics fans. Recent revivals of such register copyrights for any advertisements used to market the product. For a publisher like DC, this means registering trademarks for characters by Alan Moore in Terra Obscura and Alex Ross in Project Super-powers have piqued more of fandom’s curiosity about the subject. names “DC Comics” or “Justice League,” and copyrights for their actual There are many details about copyright and trademark laws that hin- comic books or animated films. It also extends to the rights for them der the layperson’s comprehension. This section attempts to outline to sell and license things such as action figures under those names. the most basic laws. For most Quality enthusiasts, the question that comes quickly to mind is, “If DC Comics owns the Quality material, why are the original comics considered public domain?” Our answer addresses the difference between copyrights and trademarks. Copyrights are administered by the Copyright Office, which is a The only “record” available to the public regarding arrangements division of the Library of Congress. Holding a copyright entitles the between Busy Arnold and DC Comics comes from Arnold himself. He owner to republish their work and also to produce additional works twice stated that he sold his titles to DC in 1956. In a letter to Jerry derived from the original. (There are some well-known cases involving Bails, he said, “I sold all of our titles to National Periodical Publica- Superman and Superboy which deal with the idea of “derivation.”) So tions with the exception of Blackhawk which they leased from me on a how does copyright law apply to original Quality Comics materials? royalty basis.” (Arnold, 15 May 1972) No dates accompanied that statement. At the time of their publication, wartime comic books were govJim Steranko said, “He sold what was left to DC in 1956.” (Steranko erned by the Copyright Act of 1909. In the indicia of each Quality Comics issue, you’ll find the copyright notice “Copyright 19XX by vol. 2, 109) Nobody knows the language of that deal, which could have included any number of stipulations. By 1956, DC was the undisputed Comic Magazines, Inc.” Then as today, the simple act of publishing industry leader. They continued to publish only five Quality titles, this copyright notice automatically entitled the company to copyright which were most likely selected for their market appeal and viability. protection—whether it was officially filed with the U.S. Copyright Edward Love is a researcher who has actually pored through the Office or not (Quality did also formally register its books, see below). Library of Congress’ card catalogs in search of documentation for In the 1940s–50s, copyright protection was good for 28 years. Even original comic book copyright registrations. Love found proper original though Quality Comics ceased publishing well before those 28 years expired, Busy Arnold would have owned the rights registration for most of Quality’s for most of his comics into the 1970s. After 28 years, and DC’s titles, but no copyright he would have had to officially renew them with the renewals for any Quality material These pages, from the 1940 Catalog of Copyright (more on that in a bit). He gained Entries, show the entries for DC’s Action Comics (left) and Quality’s Crack Comics (right), diligently some additional insight from the registered by the publishers with the Copyright people who worked there: Office in the year of their publication. Pages

How Copyrights Work

digitized by Google Books.

According to the people at the Library of Congress, when a publisher buys out another publisher, the common practice is to buy only the titles (trademarks) and not the copyrights. Research bears this out as there is no record of a transfer of copyrights from Quality to National (DC). (Love) Indeed, the evidence suggests that DC owns the rights to all Quality trademarks, which includes title names like “Crack Comics” and character names like “Plastic Man.” To borrow an example from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, there are three ways to protect intellectual property: patents, trademarks, and copyrights. If you invent a new kind of vacuum cleaner, you would patent the invention itself; you could register

The Quali t y Compa nion

In 1968, 28 years after the original 1940 publication, copyrights would have to have been purposely renewed. This page shows DC Comics’ renewal of copyrights for Action and Adventure. If Busy Arnold had done the same, this document would also show renewal records for Feature, Smash, Crack, Hit and National from this year, but those Quality titles are not listed. (From The Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1968, published by the US Copyright Office).

About Golden Age Digital comics Copyright Office. This was never done; nor was it the case for most publishers who went out of business. (“Copyright Basics.” U.S. Copyright Office. 2008) An owner can also transfer copyrights to a new owner. If the copyright is transferred, the new owner would then be responsible for the renewals (and the U. S. Copyright Office would have a record of it). There are no public records of DC renewing original Quality publications. This is the reason why original printed Quality Comics have “lapsed” into the public domain and are sometimes retouched and repackaged by independent publishers (see Bibliography, page 209). When DC reprinted Kid Eternity’s origin story from Hit Comics #25 (1942), they added the statement “©1942 by Comic Magazines, Inc.” It’s odd, though, because it was reprinted in Secret Origins #4 (1973), and the original story would have passed into the public domain circa 1970. Jim Steranko’s History of Comics vol. 2 (1972) reprinted many Quality covers and it also included a copyright attribution to “Comic Magazines, Inc.”

What is “Public Domain”? “Public domain” is a designation that describes published works that are no longer owned, copyrighted, or registered by anyone. Published stories are protected by copyright laws until the passage of a certain amount of time (and the laws governing this have changed). If the copyright for a work is not renewed, it might become public domain. Characters, however, are more complex, because they are intertwined not only with stories but also with trademarks and brands. The publishing record suggests that even though an original printed copy of a Blackhawk comic book might be public domain, only DC can create and sell a new comic book or action figure called “Blackhawk,” because they own the trademark for the character and title. Further, since DC now has its own history for publishing this character, they have sufficient grounds to contest others in using it.

Until now, a study such as the Quality Companion has quite literally been impossible. Without the Internet, to purchase or document actual Golden Age comic books—let alone assemble a complete set—would require unlimited financial resources. But in the past ten years, key projects have removed those barriers and democratized the enjoyment of these rare artifacts. The authors have to thank the wonders of the web for bringing fans together into community efforts such as the Grand Comics Database, Wikipedia, and the Digital Comics Museum (not to mention innumerable other blogs, message boards and forums). The DCM is a web site where public domain comic book scans are uploaded and shared openly. The Quality Companion as it exists in your hands would never have been possible without the DCM. The quality of these comics scans continues to improve with time, as better copies continually replace the previous ones (many of which come from microfilm). A good deal of the issues appearing on the DCM are the result of the hard work by noted comics indexer Lou Mougin (known online as “Dark Mark”). Mougin worked with Murray Ward to create digital comics from the collection of Pat Iacovone, who had originally made color microfiche from his own Golden Age comics. From there, Ward had the fiche scanned and Lou paginated the scans for digital presentation.

HISTORY 33

Phantom L—er… Nightveil DC has asserted its trademark rights to Quality characters. In particular, there was a case involving one independent publisher’s attempts to use Phantom Lady. Bill Black, who now runs AC Comics, was a longtime fan of Golden Age heroes when in 1972 he published Captain Paragon #1. This black-and-white book featured a one-page pin-up of Phantom Lady and a four-page original story. Black’s Phantom Lady sported the costume used in her later Fox/Ajax incarnations. His early issues of Fem Fantastique also featured Phantom Lady. In 1978, Black published a third issue of Fem Fantastique, which was not so much a comic book as a “fanzine.” This issue even featured specially-commissioned art by industry greats, including a cover by Dick Giordano featuring Lady Luck, Sheena and Wonder Woman. Fan-oriented publications and periodicals are routinely allowed more leeway for this sort of usage. In 1981, Black took a step towards what would become his most successful venture, Fem Force. As before, he drew inspiration from the super-heroines he’d read as a kid. He produced Femzine #1, which was anchored by Miss Victory, a former Holyoke character now in the public domain. Her team, the “Femme Force One,” included the Blonde Bomber (from Harvey’s Green Hornet Comics), some original creations, and Phantom Lady. Since he’d been using Phantom Lady since 1972, it probably never occurred to Black that this would be an infringement. Regardless of precedence, Black was asked by DC’s editor, Dick Giordano (who’d previously drawn Phantom Lady for Fem Fantastique) to “cease and desist.” After that, AC’s character was renamed and redesigned, eventually becoming “Nightveil” (whose alter ego was also the daughter of a senator). (Femforce-Femfans)

in their contract, he retained ownership. Also added was the stipulation that if the parties went their separate ways, the property would revert to Eisner. (Alter Ego #48) So even though every edition of the Spirit Section read “Copyright Everett M. Arnold,” there was an underlying legal document that protected Eisner’s ownership of the material. Originally, Eisner also co-owned the features he created for Hit and Military (or Police) Comics. When those titles were selling poorly, he sold his stake in them back to Quality.

Will Eisner: The Exception Three Quality properties remain under the ownership of the estate of Will Eisner: the Spirit, Lady Luck, and Mr. Mystic, all of which were published by Quality in a weekly Sunday newspaper supplement. Normally, freelancers create things under a “work for hire” understanding. This means that the person who paid for the work owns it. So freelancers like Jack Cole were hired to create works like Plastic Man for Quality, and Quality owned it. But Will Eisner was a shrewd businessman who knew the value of retaining his copyrights. Eisner said he wanted the copyrights to the newspaper characters and negotiated with his partners at Quality. He proposed that the company would copyright the titles under Busy Arnold’s name, but

The Quali t y Compa nion

Above: A page from Will Eisner’s “The Spirit” (Dec. 8, 1940). Photocopy of the original art provided by Roy Thomas. © Estate of Will Eisner. Below: A strip from The Spirit daily cartoon, written by Gill Fox. All circa 1943. The top one was identified by Fox as drawn by Lou Fine.

The finished art from the story arc that told the Freedom Fighters’ “Golden Age” origin—including the death of the Red Bee! From All-Star Squadron #35 (1984); art by Rick Hoberg and Jerry Ordway. Scan courtesy of Rick Shurgin. © DC Comics.

The Quality Legacy at DC Comics T

his section provides a general overview of characters and titles published by DC. For in-depth discussions about each, see the corresponding profile in that section, which begins on page 86.

Post-1956 Although Quality Comics sold as well or better than its contemporaries, by the time the company folded in 1956, the age of super-heroes had long passed. For this reason—despite the fact that some titles were continued by DC—most of Quality’s heroes didn’t see the light of day again for decades. Sadder still, by that time, their former glory was always eclipsed by the popularity of DC’s own heroes. Quality Comics’ presence in the DC Comics universe has unfolded slowly and quietly over time. After Quality ceased publishing in December 1956, DC continued to publish only four of Quality’s best-selling titles, picking up Blackhawk with #108, G.I. Combat with #44, Heart Throbs with #47, and Robin Hood Tales with #7. Some of these series continued to be successful for many years. In more recent times though, revivals of Blackhawk have failed to build a substantial following.

It wasn’t until the mid-’60s (when the Silver Age revival of superheroes exploded) that DC tried exploring the potential of more Quality properties. Most notably, in 1966 DC relaunched Quality’s second-best seller, Plastic Man. His first DC appearance was House of Mystery #160 (July 1966), but the solo series that followed lacked any of Jack Cole’s vibrancy and the series lasted for only ten issues. (The series was picked up again in the 1970s for ten more issues and Plastic Man also starred in a Saturday morning cartoon from 1979–81.) In 1972, writer Len Wein began reintroducing Golden Age characters in the pages of Justice League of America. In issue #107 (Sept. 1973), he gathered Uncle Sam, Phantom Lady, Doll Man, Human Bomb, the Ray and Black Condor together for the first time as the Freedom Fighters. Issues #100–102 had featured DC’s own Golden Age heroes, the Seven Soldiers of Victory (and #135–137 reintroduced some Fawcett Comics heroes, too). DC’s solution for characters that came from other publishers was to sequester them on a “parallel Earth” in the DC multiverse. Fawcett Comics characters inhabited “Earth-S” (for Shazam), and Quality characters made their home on “Earth-X” (“X,” originally a swastika). The twist for Earth-X was that the Nazis had won the war! After the Justice League helped the Freedom Fighters take care of that problem, DC spun the Freedom Fighters into their own short-lived series in 1976. It was abruptly canceled in 1978 along with scores of other titles amid the “DC Implosion.” There was little room for Quality heroes after the Implosion, when hard times forced the company to cancel half their titles. Writer Roy Thomas—who was also a Golden Age enthusiast—embraced DC’s acquisitions when he created the All-Star Squadron in 1981. Thomas used Phantom Lady and Plastic Man as anchor members, and reintroduced dozens more Quality characters over the course of the series. He also provided a Golden Age origin for the Freedom Fight-

The Quali t y Compa nion

Silver Age and Beyond

ers in All-Star Squadron #31-35. In Top: Robby Reed uses the H-Dial that story (plus issue #50), readers to become Plastic Man, from House of Mystery #160 (1966); art learned that the Quality heroes by Jim Mooney. Bottom: DC’s new had migrated from Earth-Two (the Plastic Man, and his pal, Gordy home of DC’s own Golden Age Trueblood, from Plastic Man #3 (1967); art by Win Mortimer. characters) to Earth-X. All-Star Squadron brought many Quality characters back into the consciousness of DC fans and introduced them to a whole new generation of readers. In a strange but logical move, another successful Quality property, Kid Eternity, was attached to Fawcett’s Captain Marvel mythos. (He’d also been featured in Secret Origins #4, 1973, which reprinted his origin.) This was inspired by the similar origin stories between Kid Eternity and Captain Marvel Junior, who had both lost their grandfathers to Nazis while on the water. Beginning with World’s Finest #282 (May 1981), E. Nelson Bridwell turned the previously nameless Kid Eternity into Christopher “Kit” Freeman, Cap Junior’s brother. Kit was a guest star throughout the Marvel Family’s appearances in World’s Finest and Adventure Comics. But Kid Eternity’s link to the Fawcett heroes was broken by the Crisis on Infinite Earths, which collapsed DC’s parallel Earths into a single universe. Then the character was spun by Grant Morrison into his own series, published under DC’s

1990s

Writer James Robinson was a fan of DC’s and Quality’s Golden Age characters (see interview, page 50). In the pages of The Golden Age (1993) and Starman (1994–2001), Robinson breathed strange new life into various Quality characters, reinventing the Jester, the Spider, and Captain Triumph, among loads of others (see individual character profiles for more on these). Robinson recast the Spider as a villain disguised as a hero—one who had been a member of the post-Crisis Seven Soldiers of Victory (in place of Green Arrow). The Spider’s

Above: Vital as ever… the splash page from Freedom Fighters #2 (1976); art by Pablo Marcos and Tex Blaisdell. Original art courtesy of Rick Shurgin. Right: A classic page from the tale that pieced together the Freedom Fighters’ “Golden Age” history, from All-Star Squadron #33 (1984); art by Rick Hoberg & Bill Collins. Original art courtesy of Michael Dunne.

Vertigo imprint, in 1991. In 2009, Kid Eternity became a member of the Teen Titans.

During All-Star Squadron’s publishing run, the Crisis on Infinite Earths eliminated Earth-X and all alternate Earths, merging them into one. Naturally, this created problems with the Freedom Fighters’ history. In the post-Crisis DC universe, the Freedom Fighters could no longer have lived on a Nazified Earth-X, so their original Quality histories were essentially overlaid upon DC’s Golden Age, intact. When DC launched a new Secret Origins series, some of the Freedom Fighters were featured. The origin stories in that series were lovingly retold (mostly by Roy Thomas, who left the original Quality tales largely unchanged. See “Quality Comics— List of Titles” on page 213, for relevant issues). For a time, Miss America filled the role previously occupied by Wonder Woman in DC’s 1940s continuity (Wonder Woman had also been removed from the Golden Age by the Crisis). In the pages of Young All-Stars, Roy Thomas inducted Miss America as a full-fledged member of the Justice Society and it was said that she was the adoptive mother of the girl named Lyta. Before Crisis, Lyta was the daughter of the Golden Age Wonder Woman, and also the heroine called Fury II. After the removal of Wonder Woman from continuity, Lyta was said to have been raised by Miss America and her husband Derek Trevor.

Crisis on Infinite Earths

family was created as longtime enemies of the anti-hero, the Shade. Several revivals in the 1990s focused on updating Quality characters rather than dealing with the Golden Age or cross-Earth explanations. Many of these revivals of the mid-’90s can be traced to writer/editor Christopher Priest (then Jim Owsley), who was hired by DC’s Director of Development, Mike Gold, in 1990. As an editor at DC, Priest was discouraged from writing and instead worked at developing properties for publication. One of his early successes was The Ray. The seeds for The Ray were sown in 1987, when he pitched a project called “The Avenger.” As editor, he melded that concept with contributions from writer Jack C. Harris and rising artist Joe Quesada to create a mini-series about an angst-ridden teen whose super-powers were his only solace. (Digital-Priest) DC scored a hit with The Ray thanks to Quesada’s fan-favorite art. Perhaps sensing more gold in Golden Age properties, Priest also green-lit a revival of Black Condor during that time. That series was DC HISTORY 37

DC FIRSTS!

Blackhawk #108 (Jan. 1957)

G.I. Combat #44 (Jan. 1957)

written by Brian Augustyn (who, ironically became Priest’s editor when Priest moved to write the Ray ongoing series) and drawn by the budding Rags Morales. Despite rock solid characterization and beautiful artwork, Black Condor didn’t take. Neither did a third attempt, Augustyn’s 1996 Firebrand. Both the Ray and Black Condor continued to appear in other DC titles that were overseen by Priest and Augustyn, including Justice League America and Primal Force. 1997 saw the publication of a beautiful and thoughtful twoissue prestige series, Uncle Sam, featuring painted art by Alex Ross. The tale followed Sam throughout American society and across its history. Uncle Sam was updated around that same time by John Ostrander in the pages of The Spectre. Quicksilver returned to prominence in 1993 as “Max Mercury” in Flash vol. 2 #76 (the name change was probably due to the fact that Marvel had it’s own B-list hero by the name “Quicksilver”). His new alter ego was “Max Crandall,” an obvious nod to Quality super-artist Reed Crandall. Max Mercury was brought out of retirement by the Flash and Johnny Quick, two other DC Golden Age heroes. The mysterious Max became a mentor and guardian to the DCU’s youngest speedster, Impulse and was a regular fixture in the Flash family for some time.

Keeping legacies alive

Freedom Fighters #1 (Mar./Apr. 1976)

The Ray #1 (Feb. 1992)

Uncle Sam #1 (1997)

All covers © DC Comics.

Plastic Man #1 (Nov./Dec. 1966)

The Quali t y Compa nion

Writer John Arcudi made obscure use of obscure heroes in his Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny (2002). Here new characters bore familiar names, but the similarities ended there. Characters included versions of Destiny, Phantom Lady, the Unknown, the Clock, the Marksman, Midnight, Captain Triumph, Spider Widow, Human Bomb, Black Condor, Wildfire, and the Sword. All of the iconic members of the Freedom Fighters received major updates in 2006 over two volumes of Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters. The team was reinvigorated for the new millennium with a hard-hitting story by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, and gorgeous art by Daniel Acuña. The series featured the debut of new “legacy heroes” for Firebrand, Doll Man, Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, The Ray, Black Condor, Invisible Hood, the Red Bee, Captain Triumph, Magno and Neon. In addition, the original Uncle Sam, Miss America, Doll Man, Ray, and Neon returned. There are still scores of Quality heroes who have never been republished by DC. Granted, their commercial appeal might be limited. In their original adventures, most heroes were minor also-rans. Heroes like USA, Madam Fatal, Spider Widow and the Voice were rather ridiculous, so any competent reinvention would be difficult. Characters like the Mouthpiece and Midnight were suit-and-mask Spirit clones that depend totally on a writer’s skill. And creators would be hard-pressed to distinguish heroes like the Sniper or Marksman from Green Arrow, for example. Still others may hit too close to DC’s home. Wonder Boy is essentially a classic Superboy, even if the potential exists for character redevelopment. For a list of Quality-related titles published by DC, read “Quality Comics—List of Titles” on page 214. q

An Interview with Len Wein

Conducted August 11, 2011 by Mike Kooiman

en Wein is an acclaimed writer in the comic book industry, the co-creator of the Swamp Thing, with Berni Wrightson. His resume includes writing and editing for loads of iconic super-hero comics, and TV writing. In the early 1970s, Len wrote for multiple publishers. He worked under editor Julius Schwartz at DC, in a time when the company began adding “parallel Earths” to its universe. Wein began writing Justice League of America with issue #100 (Aug. 1972), and reintroduced some of DC’s own Golden Age heroes, the Seven Soldiers of Victory, in a classic three-issue megacrossover between the JLA and the Justice Society. A year later, he took a look at DC’s stable of Quality characters and assembled seven colorful heroes into the Freedom Fighters. My conversation with him touched briefly on his role during this pivotal time.—Mike Kooiman Mike Kooiman: You were writing quite a lot of material in the early 1970s, between several publishers including Marvel and Gold Key. Was the workload different or was it somehow easier to write as much as you did back then? Len Wein: It’s always easier when you’re early in your career. You haven’t used up the words yet. It’s not a matter of how many com-

Len Wein made a splash in the early ’70s by bringing back lots of Golden Age heroes from DC and Quality’s stables. Here is the finished art for the covers of those landmark issues. Left: Justice League of America #100 (Aug. 1972); art by Nick Cardy. Original artwork courtesy of Albert Moy. Right: Justice League of America #107 (Sept./Oct. 1973); art by Nick Cardy. Original artwork courtesy of Michael Finn.

panies, it’s a matter of the enthusiasm and the “ignorance of youth.” MK: I see a lot of crossovers in your early DC work, like the Elongated Man (who has parallels to Plastic Man). You used him in Justice League as well as the Phantom Stranger. Did you consciously try to populate Justice League with some of your favorite characters from other books? Wein: Oh sure! They’re more fun to write. I felt the Elongated Man was a power that was needed in the Justice League. We didn’t have anybody who could do that, so I put him in for that reason. As for the Phantom Stranger, it was fun for me to write him. MK: Did you consider the Stranger an official member, or just a good counter-balance and guest star? I think there might have been some writers after you who made that a bit ambiguous. DC HISTORY 39

Wein: A good counter-balance. In fact they offer him membership at the end of the story and he turns them down. He never answers, I should say. MK: How were you involved with Julius Schwartz in looking at older properties—DC and Quality Golden Agers? What sorts of conversations took place about reviving these properties? Wein: They weren’t lengthy conversations. Julie barely remembered any of those characters. [laughs] It was my suggestion to him to bring them in. I wanted to do something special for the hundredth issue of Justice League. So, aside from getting in every member of the JLA and JSA, I thought about finding something else, and I remembered the Seven Soldiers. I’d read an article in a fanzine about them, so I looked them up in the office and thought they sounded like fun.

different personalities, so that I have interesting stuff to write. I went through it very carefully, picking a leader, Uncle Sam (a character I always adored, I don’t know why); a “flyer,” the Black Condor; a blaster [Human Bomb]; someone who fires rays [the Ray]; the sexy female [Phantom Lady]; and then the quirky power, like Doll Man. MK: It was a few years before they were awarded their own title. Were you involved in any way with that? Wein: Nothing whatsoever. MK: Was there ever any discussion about copyrights with Julius Schwartz or was it always pretty much assumed that DC owned the Quality characters? Wein: It never came up in conversation. I suppose it was assumed. It was nothing you talked about.

MK: What was your personal history in reading those comics? Wein: I was reading comics since I was seven. Pretty much all the DC and Marvels and all the major books at the other major companies. So I was pretty knowledgeable.

MK: Roy Thomas mentioned that he considered using the Fawcett characters in All-Star Squadron but said DC didn’t yet have the rights to them. Was Fawcett a different situation? Wein: Yes, Fawcett was a different situation.

MK: So was the revival of the Quality characters something that you came up with? Wein: Yes. I was a fan of the Quality characters. As a comics collector, I loved the Lou Fine artwork. It was something DC owned and I said ‘why don’t we make use of those characters?’

MK: I’m also curious about the move to reinvent Sandy the Golden Boy as a monster. Was it another way to bring one of those characters into modern day? Wein: It was actually a story to explain why Sandman was back in his old suit with the gas mask. For most of his run, towards the end, he’d been in a straight super-hero costume, Jack Kirby’s. I felt anybody could do that but the old outfit with the gas mask was unique; nobody was dressed like that. So I decided to tell a story explaining how he decided to change the costume back.

MK: “Earth-Two” had already been invented. What was the origin of the name “Earth-X”? Wein: It was actually “Earth-Swastika.” When I designed it, it was a swastika and Julie said to me “No book I edit will have a swastika in it.” So he suggested just taking the ends off the swastika and making it an “X.”

MK: Gerry Conway followed you and took a page from your book when he did a similar revival with the Fawcett characters. I’m assuming that was none of your involvement? Wein: Yeah, I was off the book at that point.

MK: Any particular inspiration for the name “Freedom Fighters”? Wein: It was an old name I’d been keeping since my fanzine days (a publication called AURORA). I was going to create the characters when I was writing for fanzines, but that name never really got used, so I thought I’ve got this great name, why not use it here?

Finished art (pages 7-8) from the Freedom Fighters’ first appearance, in Justice League of America #107 (1973); art by Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano. Original artwork courtesy of Michael Finn.

The Quali t y Compa nion

MK: Most of the heroes in the Freedom Fighters had relatively long runs in Quality Comics. Were they heroes that had made impressions on you, or were you looking for a certain balance? Wein: I always look for a certain balance when I’m writing super-hero teams. I want different kinds of powers,

MK: I’d like to skip ahead to your involvement when DC published Crisis on Infinite Earths. Online sources credit you with the writing for some of the Who’s Who series, and you wrote some Secret Origins tales following that. What was your involvement with the Who’s Who project? Wein: I was the editor as well as one of the head writers on it. I got to play around with some of their characters and sort of clean up the DC continuity. MK: The Grand Comics Database credits you with the project through the letter ‘L.’ Wein: I moved to California about halfway through the project. I stopped being the editor and at that point Bob Greenberger took over. But I continued to write occasional character bios. MK: So when you moved to California, how did your relationship change with DC? Wein: It took a while. I was still writing two to three books a month like Wonder Woman, Blue Beetle, then Gunfire. Then I moved over to Disney where I was Editor-in-Chief of Disney Comics, overseeing the entire output of their comic book line.

MK: There was a lot of reinvention during the Crisis but the Quality heroes were left as is. Were you involved with the “ins and outs” of how the new universe would work? Wein: No, I was in L.A. by then so I wasn’t involved in that. q

Selected DC Comicography: • House of Secrets #92 (July 1971) • The Phantom Stranger #14–26 (1971–73) • Swamp Thing #1–13 (1972–74) • Justice League of America #100–114 (1972–74) • Korak, Son of Tarzan #46–51 (1972–73) • Batman #307–327 (1979–80) • Green Lantern #172–186 (1984–85) • Who’s Who #1–13 (1985–86) • Legends #1–6 (1986–87) • Blue Beetle #1–24 (1986–88) • Wonder Woman #3–16 (1987–88) • Gunfire #1–13 (1994–95) • Human Target #1–6 (2010) • DCU: Legacies #1–10 (2010–11)

Created by Len Wein and Dick Dillin FIRST APPEARANCE: Justice League of America #107 (Sept./Oct.1973) FEATURED APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Squadron #31–35, 50 • Black Lightning vol. 1 #11 • Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #1–2 • DC Comics Presents #62 • JSA #49 • Justice League of America #107–108 • Justice League Unlimited #17 • Secret Origins vol. 2 #19, 26 • Young All–Stars #27 SERIES:

• Freedom Fighters, 15 issues (1976)—no longer in continuity • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters, 8–issues (2006–07) • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2, 8–issue limited series (2007–08) • Freedom Fighters vol. 2, 9 issues (2010–11)

The Freedom Fighters is DC Comics team composed of characters originally published by Quality Comics. Decades after DC’s acquisition, these heroes were given a home in the DC Universe on a parallel universe called “Earth-X.” In their first appearance, they met the Justice League (Justice League of America #107). Later, Roy Thomas crafted a proper “Golden Age” backstory for them in All-Star Squadron #31-35 (1984). In Quality Comics, no such team existed. Most of the Freedom Fighters’ early adventures relied heavily

on events related to Earth-X, where the Nazis had won World War II. These stories were based on the legacy of their Nazi battle, and their travels between parallel Earths. When DC published Crisis on Infinite Earths, all parallel Earths were eliminated, and Earth-X was gone. This threw the Freedom Fighters’ original appearance, their 1976 series, and some All-Star Squadron appearances completely out of continuity. Roy Thomas was able to rectify the situation while All-Star Squadron was still being published. In the new, streamlined DC Universe, he chose to simply meld the Quality heroes’ histories with that of DC’s own Golden Age heroes. For a less confusing read, the profile that begins here represents Thomas’s revisions, and the Freedom Fighters’ story in terms of current DC continuity only. Invalidated events that concerned Earth-X have been sequestered in their own subsection, below.

Heroes of Quality The Freedom Fighters were first assembled at the dawn of World War II by the personified spirit of America, Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam was borne shortly after signing the Declaration of Independence. In 1776, a group of founding fathers conducted a ritual to create the American Talisman to capture the “spirit” of the new nation. The talisman in turn manifested a mystical avatar to embody that spirit. The avatar first rose during the Revolutionary War as the Minuteman, then faded away in 1781 after the Battle of Yorktown. (Spectre vol. 3 #38) Sam first appeared in the 20th century just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. (National Comics #1) Sensing this looming horror, on DC HISTORY 41

A second band of Freedom Fighters galvanized behind Midnight’s warning that day, again under Uncle Sam: Doll Man, Black Condor, the Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, the Ray, and the Red Bee. Midnight himself was sidelined, due to injury. (#32)

December 6, 1941, Uncle Sam recruited Hourman (the sole DC hero), the Invisible Hood, Magno, Miss America, Neon the Unknown, and the Red Torpedo to stop the Japanese attack. It was Hourman who suggested their name. They were enveloped in Uncle Sam’s mystic energies and emerged in the Pacific Ocean, where the Japanese squadron was en route to Hawaii. They destroyed an entire squadron of zeroes, but a kamikaze surprised them and crashed into their platform (the Red Torpedo’s sub). (All-Star Squadron #32) The Japanese took Hourman (#33) but left the others for dead. Magno was the only hero to die that day. Uncle Sam and Miss America were found unconscious and retrieved by the U.S. Navy. Miss America was taken, comatose, to Project M. (Secret Origins #26) The Invisible Hood survived until 1974 when he was murdered by the Icicle and the Mist. (Starman vol. 2 #2). Hourman and the Red Torpedo went on to aid in creating the Starman of 1951. (Starman vol. 2 #77) Neon was transported by his powers to his place of origin—a mystical desert oasis—where he remained. The fates of the Freedom Fighters went unknown until February 23, 1942, during the first full meeting of the All-Star Squadron. At the Perisphere in New York City, Uncle Sam revealed his failed attempt. (All-Star Squadron #31-32) But Uncle Sam was unaware that two other heroes had almost joined in that mission. Just before the Freedom Fighters departed, both Midnight and the Doll Man had tracked Uncle Sam to Bannermain Chemicals (where he’d met Hourman). Midnight and Doll Man arrived to find the Freedom Fighters teleporting away. The two men dove into the portal, but were instead transported to occupied France. They joined Mademoiselle Marie in the French resistance for several months and intercepted a message concerning a second Japanese attack on Santa Barbara, California. But before they could act, they ran afoul of the evil Baron Blitzkrieg. As fate would have it, Uncle Sam’s portal reappeared Right: Original art from Freedom Fighters #3 (July/Aug. 1976), just as the Baron blasted Doll written by Martin Pasko and Man. Midnight carried his partner pencils by Ramona Fradon. Original through the portal back to New art courtesy of John Jackson. Below: By April 1944, Firebrand joined the York City, where he sought the team, from JSA #42 (2003); art by aid of the All-Star Squadron. (#32) Leonard Kirk.

Baron Blitzkrieg was the mastermind of the attack, and held Hourman as his hostage. (#33) Soon the Freedom Fighters were captured as well, with the exception of the Red Bee. (#34) The team rather pitied the Red Bee who, despite his vigor, simply didn’t have the power to measure up in battle. Phantom Lady and the Ray managed to activate Hourman’s super-strength, but it wasn’t in time to save the Red Bee. Just as he returned to help his teammates, the Bee was mauled to death by Baron Blitzkrieg, who escaped. (#35) Soon thereafter, the Freedom Fighters splintered off from the All-Star Squadron and were based in Washington D.C. (Who’s Who ‘87 #5) Plastic Man (who was an FBI agent) acted as a liaison between the All-Stars and the Freedom Fighters, and Midnight, Quicksilver, Manhunter, Firebrand, and the Jester participated as well. (Young All-Stars #27, JSA #42, Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #4)

Following the war, many of these heroes went into retirement. In 1946, the American Talisman was shattered, and Uncle Sam wasn’t seen again for decades. (Spectre vol. 3 #38) The Freedom Fighters resurfaced again years later during the dawn of a new age of heroes. The JSA, Blackhawks and Freedom Fighters were all captured by the alien Appellax creatures and placed in concentration camps, and freed by the new Justice League of America. (JLA: Year One #12) Many of the Freedom Fighters enjoy extended youthfulness, which

The Quali t y Compa nion

Before-and-after “photos” demonstrating the effects of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. In this scene, President Roosevelt holds a photo in his hand. One minute id depicts Superman, Batman, etc., and in the blink of an eye—they’ve been substituted! From All-Star Squadron #60 (1986); art by Arvell Jones.

has been attributed to their proximity to Uncle Sam’s mystical energies. (Who’s Who #8)

Earth-X (Pre-Crisis) The events that follow were not a part of the most recent DC Comics continuity. They involve the Freedom Fighters’ first appearances in the 1970s and ’80s, prior to the Crisis on Infinite Earths. In the original DC continuity, there were an infinite number of Earths. This concept was introduced in the Silver Age, when DC revived the Golden Age Flash and the Justice Society in 1961 (The Flash #123). When the JSA met the Justice League, it was said that they lived on “parallel universes,” the JSA’s dubbed Earth-Two. The parallel Earths concept was expanded by Len Wein in 1973’s Justice League of America #107—“Crisis on Earth-X!” On Earth-X, President Roosevelt’s death in 1944 allowed the Nazis to succeed in World War II. In this story, Uncle Sam claimed that Plastic Man and the Blackhawks had perished, and Hitler triumphed using a mind-control ray. Decades later, members of the JLA and JSA were accidentally teleported to Earth-X, where they helped the Freedom Fighters defeat Hitler (who was by then a robot) once and for all. (Justice League of America #107-108) Note: According to Wein, the name “Earth-X” came from the original name, “Earth-Swastika,” which Schwartz found distasteful. The “X” became their symbolic substitution. In 1976, Gerry Conway, Martin Pasko and Ric Estrada brought the Freedom Fighters back to star in their own series. Several members were “updated” with new powers, said to be the result of transdimensional travel. Phantom Lady discovered she could become intangible, and Doll Man developed some telekinetic abilities. The series’ story line was dominated by the team’s quest to make their home on Earth-One. From day one, they were mistakenly labelled as criminals and became fugitives, running from authorities for the entire run of the series. The writers explored a love triangle between the Ray, Phantom Lady, and the Human Bomb, but hinted that Sandra may have had feelings for Black Condor. The series also guest-starred Wonder Woman, Batwoman and Batgirl. Their migration from Earth-X was motivated by the passion for new adventures. They quickly made new enemies such as their arch-foe the Silver Ghost (Freedom Fighters #1-2), Skragg the Super Sniper (#3), and King Samson. (#4-5) The Silver Ghost later formed his own fake team of heroes called the Crusaders. Taking the name Americommando (II), he recruited others called Barracuda, Fireball and Sparky, and

Rusty. (#7-9) (Note: The Crusaders were parodies of Marvel Comics’ wartime super-hero team, the Invaders.) This was a turbulent time for Doll Man. On Earth-X, his wife Martha (Doll Girl), had perished years before. He met her counterpart on Earth-One and fell in love again. (#5) When Doll Man was tried and wrongly convicted of murder, Martha unearthed the evidence to exonerate him. (#9-12) In the letters column of issue #6, editor Tony Isabella proclaimed: “The Freedom Fighters believe the other Earth-X heroes died during World War II, but they could be wrong. Only a trip back to Earth-X would tell for sure.” One who did survive was the original Firebrand, Rod Reilly. He shadowed the F.F. and joined the team. (#11-12) In Texas a group of American Indians—Tall Tree, Crazy Horse, Thunder Cloud and Rain-in-the-Face—received elemental powers from their gods and took revenge on society as the Renegades. (#11) Meanwhile, the Silver Ghost had moved on to assemble a new faction of the Secret Society of Super-Villains to wage war on the Freedom Fighters. (Secret Society of Super-Villains #15) At this point both DC HISTORY 43

Before the Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was said that heroes originally published by Quality were born on Earth-Two (that of the Justice Society), then migrated to Earth-X upon learning of the Nazi threat there, from All-Star Squadron #50 (1985); art by Arvell Jones.

(Cancelled Comics Cavalcade #2)

If not for the miracle of the Internet—specifically, the blog of writer Bob Rozakis—fans might never have learned that Rozakis had also completed the script for issue #18. The story continued with the Silver Ghost capturing Firebrand and revealing that he had been a chief Nazi officer on Earth-X, while Firebrand was an undercover agent. Firebrand broke free and attacked the Ghost, who began to transform them both into silver. By the time the other Freedom Fighters arrived on the scene, Firebrand’s silver body had shattered against the pavement. The Silver Ghost perished, too. The remaining Freedom Fighters essentially gave up their quest for life on EarthOne and decided to return to Earth-X. They were joined by Martha Roberts. Rozakis explains, “Rather than continue to live as fugitives on Earth-One, they decide to return to Earth-X.” (Rozakis) Several years later—still before Crisis on Infinite Earths—writer Roy Thomas wrote a “Golden Age” backstory for the Freedom Fighters that showed how they originally came to Earth-X. The story in All-Star Squadron #32 explained that Uncle Sam assembled his first team on Earth-Two in order to prevent the attack on Pearl Harbor on Earth-X. Though this band of seven succeeded, most of them perished and the Japanese went on to attack California. He then recruited the second, more recognizable team (Ray, Phantom Lady, et al) to continue the war effort on Earth-X. (All-Star Squadron #3135) Eventually all the heroes originally published by Quality Comics (including the Blackhawks, the Jester, Manhunter, Midnight, Plastic Man and the Spider) migrated to Earth-X as well. (#50) Not long after this tale, the Crisis on Infinite Earths merged Earth-X’s heroes into the singular DC universe as described above. Their unified role was explained in Young All-Stars #27, also penned by Roy Thomas. When DC published the Infinity Crisis in 2007, a new multiverse of 52 Earths was established. Some editorial features described the new Earth-10 (X = 10, get it?) as the home of some Freedom Fighters, who have not been shown. What little we know of the new Earth-10 concerns its “Superman,” Overman/Übermensch, who fell from Krypton to Earth in Czechoslovakia in 1938. (Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3D #1) He leads a Nazi version of the Justice League. (Final Crisis Secret Files) To make matters more confusing, in Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters (2007), Uncle Sam mentioned that he did remember the

The Quali t y Compa nion

Freedom Fighters and Secret Society of SuperVillains were cancelled in the so-called “DC Implosion.” Secret Society #16–17 were printed “posthumously” in 1978’s Canceled Comics Cavalcade #2 (an ultra-rare photocopy printed by DC for copyright purposes only). The story from #16 picked up with the team at the Kane circus, their new home. (The circus was owned by Kathy Kane, a.k.a. Batwoman.) In #17, the Silver Ghost demonstrated a particular hatred for Firebrand. At the end of the story, the Ghost unmasked and Firebrand stood in shock of recognition. Fade to white…

original Earth-X, and even that he was born on that world. (Uncle Sam & the FF vol. 2 #4) Despite this, it’s unlikely that any events involving the original Earth-X remain in current continuity.

The Modern Freedom Fighters Now, if you had skipped the previous section, you’d find yourself back here in mainstream, unified DC continuity… When the American Talisman was reassembled, Uncle Sam was reincarnated as Patriot. (Spectre vol. 3 #50) Patriot and other Freedom Fighter torchbearers united under the Justice Society as reservists during the Imperiex War. (JSA: Our Worlds at War) The next time the American Talisman appeared, it had again assumed the guise of Uncle Sam. (Superman vol. 2 #178) He formed a third team of Freedom Fighters that assisted the JSA against the sorcerer Mordru. It included his friend, the Human Bomb, as well as new successors, Phantom Lady II, Black Condor II, and the Ray II. Other members were Iron Munro, a veteran All-Star, and Damage, son of the Golden Age Atom. (JSA #49) This new team was again government funded and made their headquarters in the Pentagon. (#73) The team was short-lived and its members were among the most tragic of losses during the second Crisis (Infinity Crisis). It was caused by Alexander Luthor and Superboy Prime, whose group, the Society, attacked and killed Phantom Lady, Human Bomb and Black Condor in Metropolis. Uncle Sam was temporarily destroyed, Damage was left for dead, and the Ray was taken prisoner. (Infinite Crisis #1) A memorial for these heroes was constructed for this team at Arlington national cemetery. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1) Uncle Sam’s next mission was to prevent a horrible American destiny at the hands of an alien conqueror. His first recruit was Andre Twist, the Firebrand IV. Uncle Sam encouraged Twist to join him by the southern Mississippi River. In a vision, Firebrand saw ominous banners heralding a man named “Knight,” and his agents lording over America. (Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #5) Twist hitchhiked to Mississippi, following Uncle Sam’s voice. Meanwhile, Father Time (leader of the spy organization S.H.A.D.E.) made parallel plans to secure America’s future. Time assembled a new task force consisting of Andy Franklin, a former Blüdhaven scientist who was transformed when Chemo destroyed that city. He was recruited by S.H.A.D.E. to become the new Human Bomb II;

an all-new Phantom Lady III (Stormy Knight), the scientist/socialite daughter of Senator Henry Knight; the new Doll Man III, Lester Colt, a powerhouse who was trapped at six inches tall; and the Ray III (Stan Silver), a 26 year-old foreign correspondent for the Washington Sun. This troupe saved the White House from a terrorist threat called the Black Legion. Their success won Father Time the congressional support he needed to continue his operations. (DCU: Brave New World) Secretly, Father Time’s actions were meant to spur Uncle Sam into reforming the Freedom Fighters and protect America from an alien threat. This threat came in the form of a shape-changing entity called Gonzo. Time allowed Gonzo to assume the power of the U.S. Presidency by killing and assuming the identity of Senator Henry Knight (father of Phantom Lady). Gonzo/Knight’s platform was built around the “metahuman threat,” and he ultimately convinced the nation to concede him dictatorial powers. Father Time’s operatives were unaware that they were being maneuvered into Uncle Sam’s care. As planned, Gonzo’s actions drew the attention of Uncle Sam, who sent Firebrand to interrupt a press conference. Firebrand was captured by Father Time and the team was sent to Tennessee to bring down Uncle Sam.

The real Miss America made quick work of her phony counterpart, which turned out to be an android. Joan revealed that she had used her considerable powers to effect the process of aging for her husband’s sake. Since he had recently died, she shed the disguise and threw herself back into America’s service at Uncle Sam’s side. The added muscle forced Gonzo to play his last cards. All along, he had been keeping the Ray as a sleeper agent in the Freedom Fighters. Once reactivated, the Ray killed the Invisible Hood and revealed the location of the Heartland to Gonzo’s massive celestial warriors. (#6) These warriors were made from the corpses of ancient giants found during the first U.S. mission to the moon. Stormy unleashed the full extent of her powers and sucked them away into a black hole. After the Ray’s betrayal, Sam called in another sleeper agent, Ray Terrill. Father Time exited the scene after providing the Freedom Fighters with evidence of Gonzo’s crimes which they used to expose him to the public. (#7) Without Father Time, the President The new Crusaders: Captain Triumph II (top), the Libertine, proposed that the Freedom Fighters asDirector Robbins, Magno II, Citizen X (below), from Uncle sume control of S.H.A.D.E. Everyone Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #4 (2008); art by Renato Arlem. © DC Comics. agreed to join in this new venture except Doll Man, who opted for some time off. Miss America then became the liaison between S.H.A.D.E. and the White House. (#8) (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters #1) Sam’s prowess surprised the young team and he was able to gather their attention long enough to convince them to side with him instead. Expansion/Contraction Sam called attention to their own faults and challenged them to do While Amazons attacked the nation’s capital, the Freedom Fighters real good instead of serving as mere killing machines. The fourth were preoccupied by insectoid aliens. This resulted in a dramatic team of Freedom Fighters then pretended to bring Sam back to transformation for the Red Bee, who after driving off the horde, S.H.A.D.E. but instead broke Firebrand out. In the battle, the Human developed red skin, antennae and pheromone powers. When they Bomb killed another S.H.A.D.E. operative, Bigfoot. The subsequent returned to Earth, the team was divided over S.H.A.D.E. Director remorse convinced him even more that Sam’s way was the only way Robbins of the Dept. of Defense wanted to recruit more operatives to save his soul. The team stole a plane, then headed to Arizona to and put surveillance on super-villains. Uncle Sam and others believed collect their next member, John Trujillo, Black Condor III. (#2-3) that the F.F. should be more covert, and not spend time doing police Labeled “traitors,” the Freedom Fighters were confronted by newly work. Sam, Firebrand, Human Bomb and Doll Man left until the engineered S.H.A.D.E. agents, the First Strike—Chief Justice, Spin team could prove that Americans would support their endeavor. The Doctor (speed), Propaganda (telepathy) and Embargo (telekinesis). remaining members were introduced to the public as the frontline defense against American threats. (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1) (#3) Despite his convictions, the Human Bomb accidentally killed again (this time Propaganda) and First Strike retreated. After this, the Their image was quickly undermined by Phantom Lady, who team created their own headquarters, retreating via Phantom Lady’s lapsed in her drinking habits. Robbins forced her to make a public powers to a place called the Heartland. They also gathered up their apology, which turned into a nightmare. In a staged battle against ally, Dr. Emma Glenn, and her laboratory. (#4) the Futurist Militia—Thunderer, Master Task, Gas Chamber, Gonzo eventually convinced Congress to amend the Constitution Seducer—Stormy was drunk and killed the Thunderer. After the and require all citizens to be implanted with technology that would debacle, Robbins proposed another new band of heroes. (#2) Soon he allow total mind control. His next weapon took the Freedom Fight- unveiled the Crusaders—Magno II, Captain Triumph II, Citizen ers totally off guard: a new Miss America! This Miss America knew X and the Libertine—who defeated the Freedom Fighters. While everything about the F.F. and their predecessors. Her threat spurred Robbins schemed, the Red Bee’s new powers—and psychosis—grew. the mobilization of three more of Uncle Sam’s sleeper agents: new (#3) Robbins was revealed to be an alien telepath. He was killed by Invisible Hood (Kent Thurston, grandson of the original), Red Bee the Red Bee, who then took control the Freedom Fighters. (#4) When (Jenna Raleigh, niece of the original) and the original Miss America Jenna forced the Human Bomb into overdrive, Miss America was herself, Joan Dale. (#5) forced to absorb his energy. She took it into space and seemingly DC HISTORY 45

Freedom Fighters vol. 2 The second Freedom Fighters series read more like a maxi-series. The story opened on three fronts: in Arizona against the Aryan Brigade, on an Earthbound meteor, and against the alien parasite called Plasmodia. It followed them on a mission to save Vice President Marion Allstot, who was kidnapped by a new Jester (II). He was the grandson of the original, and left clues that led the F.F. to a series of weapons. These were built by a secret society called the Arcadians and together produced unlimited power. The first was to be found at Devil’s Tower, Wyoming. That secret base was protected by elemental demons called the Renegade—Fire Horse, Tall Trees, Windstorm & Thundercloud (a reinvention of those from the original Freedom Fighters series). (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1) The Renegades had been imprisoned by an army of 100 shamans, many super-powered. They destroyed Uncle Sam. (#2) These demons were defeated by Phantom Lady, who teleported fragments of them across the globe. With Sam gone, Miss America stepped in to take command and retrieve the first artifact: Paul Revere’s lantern, held by a statue of Robert E. Lee. Another map led them to Death Valley, California, site of Enclave A, a metahuman prison. (#3) Meanwhile, the original Jester was nearing death and plotted with his grandson to take down the Arcadians and seize their power. They were motivated by revenge for the Arcadians’ murder of Lane’s son. When S.H.A.D.E. tracked Lane down, he sacrificed by blowing up his house. At Enclave A, the Black Python and Mimic freed all the prisoners. They joined a core group called the Jailbreakers: Funerella, Pharyngula, and Sawtooth, led by King Bullet.

The Quali t y Compa nion

(#4) King Bullet broke Firebrand’s spine and the Jailbreakers found

the second artifact: a sword called “Sherman’s Wrath.” The warden committed suicide, which triggered Enclave A’s self-destruction. (#5) Stormy snatched the sword away and teleported the team away. Miss America realized she was in over her head and recruited Doll Man to lead. Emma had finally enabled Lester to shrink and grow at will. (#6) Firebrand insisted on returning to the hunt in a personal-sized tank while S.H.A.D.E. was growing him a new spine. The last artifact was in the Grand Canyon, where the team finally met the Jester. But the Jester’s plan wasn’t complete without Uncle Sam, and he was so enraged to learn of Sam’s death that he killed Firebrand. This was the trigger for Sam’s return and Andre’s body became his portal back to America. (#7) Sam managed to remove the third artifact—the Helmet of War—from the Jester’s head, and crushed it. Lane was taken into custody and a memorial was held for Andre. He was honored with a statue among the other fallen Freedom Fighters at Arlington. Afterwards, Miss America and Uncle Sam were summoned to the White House and told that funding for the F.F. was eliminated (though Joan would remain a special liaison to the President). (#8) The Human Bomb wondered what would become of him. He donned a new white suit that showed his face and asked if the Ray could get him onto another team. One last time, he, Black Condor, and the Ray suited up to confront Population Control (Euthanizer and Catastrophe). These militants from the future turned people into zombies and sliced open the Bomb’s new suit. This provided the impetus for a man named Trumont to step in and collect Andy as a “public threat.” In this, the last issue of the series, Black Condor remarked, “Maybe this is just the beginning of something else.” (#9)

Other Media The Freedom Fighters made their television debut on Batman: The Brave and the Bold (episode 221, Nov. 12, 2010). The episode begins with a team-up between Batman and Plastic Man. When they discover Qwardians on Earth, Uncle Sam steps in to help. Another Qwardian warns them of further attacks, and Sam introduces the Freedom Fighters: Doll Man, Black Condor, the Ray, Human Bomb and Phantom Lady. He invites Plastic Man to join them (which the others discourage). They travel to Qward where they... fight for the freedom of its oppressed people. Nearly defeated, Uncle Sam fades away, which inspires Plastic Man to rally the locals to his side. Their growing spirit of freedom brings Uncle Sam back. He is even able to lend super-power and armor to Batman. Back on Earth, the President (ostensibly Obama) acknowledges Plastic Man’s bravery. q

From The Brave and the Bold, Nov. 12, 2010.

died in the explosion. (#5) Meanwhile, below the Pentagon, the original Doll Man, Darrel Dane, was staging a coup from within a top secret lab. He and his men kidnapped the Vice President. (#3) Uncle Sam arrived to negotiate with him and learned that the government had tapped Dane to develop a miniature army using Dr. Glenn’s research. But when the experiment failed, the project was swept under the rug. Worse, the shrunken men suffered brain damage. Dane’s wife, Martha (Doll Girl) died in that time, of cancer. Lester’s origins were similar to Dane’s, and he offered his and Emma’s help in restoring the shrunken army. (#4) Emma’s first attempt to restore Dane’s people malfunctioned and bonded them all into a massive monster. (#6) Emma managed to free Lester from the monster, but not the others. The results of her continued efforts have yet to be revealed. (#8) Sam tried to recruit more help. He sent Happy Terrill (the original Ray) to find another lost ally: Neon the Unknown. (#5) Neon declined Sam’s request. So instead, Terrill decided to drink from the same mystic waters as Neon had. As the new Neon, Happy arrived in time to prevent the Red Bee from killing her teammates. (Citizen X took the brunt of a powerful blast from the Red Bee; his status is unknown.) (#6) Neon burned away the Red Bee’s infestation and brought Jenna back to her senses. Their reprieve was brief: she warned that the insectoids were returning for another attack. All the heroes reunited once again under Uncle Sam to fight them. (#7) The ace up their sleeve was Miss America, who in space had reassembled her atoms—into Miss Cosmos. (#7) In the battle, the Libertine was killed, but the Freedom Fighters destroyed the insect queen and her ships. (#8) After these traumatic events, the Freedom Fighters went their own ways. Some of them made the Heartland their home. (#8)

Freedom Fighters Membership Roster MEMBER

FirST APPearance

JOINED

STATUS + INFO

FIRST TEAM (PEARL HARBOR) 1. Hourman (Rex Tyler) 1. Invisible Hood (Kent Thurston)

Adventure #48

Retired from adventuring

Smash #1

Deceased

1. Magno (Tom Dalton)

Smash #13

Deceased

1. Miss America (Joan Dale Trevor)

Military #1

Active in adventuring

1. Neon the Unknown (Tom Corbet)

Hit #1

1. Red Torpedo (Jim Lockhart) 1. Uncle Sam

All-Star Squadron #31

Crack #1

Retired from adventuring; presumed dead to the public Retired from adventuring

National #1

Active in adventuring

SECOND TEAM (WORLD WAR II) 8. Black Condor (Richard Grey, Jr., a.k.a. Senator Thomas Wright)

Crack #1

Exists on a “higher plane of consciousness”

8. Doll Man (Darrel Dane)

Feature #27

Active in adventuring

8. Firebrand (Rod Reilly)

Police #1

Unknown

8. Human Bomb (Roy Lincoln)

Police #1

8. The Ray I / Neon II (Langford “Happy” Terrill)

Smash #14

Active in adventuring

8. Phantom Lady (Sandra Knight)

Police #1

Headmistress of the Université Notre Dame des Ombres

8. Red Bee (Richard Raleigh)

Hit #1

Deceased

15. Manhunter (Dan Richards)

Smash #18

15. Midnight (Dave Clark)

Police #8

15. Quicksilver (Max Mercury)

National #5

18. The Jester (Chuck Lane)

Smash #22

All-Star Squadron #34

Deceased

Deceased Young All-Stars #27

Unknown Active in adventuring

Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #5

Deceased

THIRD TEAM (MODERN ERA) 19. Black Condor II (Ryan Kendall)

Black Condor #1

Deceased

19. Damage (Grant Emerson)

Damage #1

Deceased

19. Iron Munro (Arnold Munro)

Young All-Stars #1

19. Phantom Lady II (Delilah “Dee” Tyler) 19. The Ray II (Ray Terrill)

JSA #49

Action #636

Active in adventuring Deceased

The Ray vol. 1 #1

Active in adventuring

FOURTH TEAM (INFINITE CRISIS) 24. Firebrand IV (Andre Twist)

Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #1

25. Human Bomb II (Andrew Franklin)

Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #2

25. Phantom Lady III (Stormy Knight) 25. Doll Man III (Lester Colt)

Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #3

25. The Ray III (Stan Silver)

DCU: Brave New World #1

Battle for Blüdhaven #5

Deceased Active in adventuring

Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters #2

Active in adventuring Active in adventuring A traitor, active

29. Black Condor III (John Trujillo)

Uncle Sam & the FF #3

Uncle Sam & FF #3

Active in adventuring

—.

Uncle Sam & the FF #1

Uncle Sam & FF #4

An aide

Dr. Emma Glenn

30. Invisible Hood II (Kent Thurston II)

Uncle Sam & the FF #5

30. The Red Bee II (Jenna Raleigh)

Uncle Sam & FF #5

32. Captain Triumph II (unrevealed) 32. Citizen X (unrevealed) 32. Libertine (unrevealed) 32. Magno II (unrevealed)

Deceased Active in adventuring Active in adventuring

Uncle Sam & FF vol. 2 #3

Uncle Sam & FF vol. 2 #7

Uncertain; struck by a blast Deceased Active in adventuring

DC HISTORY 47

Roy Thomas: All-Sta r Squa dron and Quality’s Heroes Conducted electronically by Mike Kooiman on August 3, 2011

oy Thomas is a name synonymous with Golden Age fandom. More than any other writer, he has introduced readers to the Golden Age super-heroes in the DC Comics stable, including a fair number of Quality heroes. His 1980s series All-Star Squadron and Young All-Stars boldly wove together disjointed Golden Age “continuities” into a rich tapestry and told the story of World War II in the DC universe. He first did this at Marvel, where he teamed the original Golden Age Timely heroes as The Invaders in 1975. I formulated this interview before the release of Alter Ego’s 100th issue, in which Thomas also discussed his use of Golden Age characters in great detail. Anyone interested in exhaustive behind-the-scenes details on All-Star Squadron should check out that issue, and also the All-Star Companion series of books.—Mike Kooiman

an Earth-Two doppelganger, I think I could have used her if I wanted to. I apologize if someone proves (or even claims) that my memory is wrong on this. I did consider using her, though… probably would have if not for the repetition. MK: Did you have some criteria for choosing the characters who would “die” at Pearl Harbor? Thomas: I just felt that it might be useful to kill off some fairly useless characters, for the sake of a good story… since there are casualties, fatalities, in wartime. Not sure why Miss America was in that group, except to give it a female member. Nor do I recall if I had it in mind that I’d be bringing her back later.

Mike Kooiman: Some accounts mention that some Quality books were not available in DC’s master library. Did DC keep any archives of Quality Comics when you began writing All-Star Squadron? Roy Thomas: I don’t believe DC had any archives of the Quality comics—or if they did, I didn’t use them. I did ask for a number of DC stories to be Xeroxed for me, and somewhere I got hold of B&W photocopies of Quality “Miss America” stories by the time I brought her into Secret Origins and Infinity, Inc. I have a few other B&W photocopies—of “Manhunter,” a couple others, but I don’t know if they came from DC or not. “The Ray” and “Black Condor” I had from the Alan Light reprints [see page 212]. I don’t recall what DC had or didn’t have in its library, but I’m certain that some of the reference I got photocopied was from there. I still have Xeroxes from a couple of “Miss America” stories, for instance, as well as others. But I seem to recall their collection of Quality bound volumes was spotty.

MK: Firebrand bears some resemblance to Quality’s Wildfire. Is it true that you were told not to use Wildfire because of the Legion hero? Thomas: I think it’s more that I decided not to use her because I’d have either had to change her Finished art from All-Star Squadron #32 (1984); art by Rick name or risk confusion. Hoberg & Mike Machlan. Original art Because she’d have been courtesy of Michael Dunne.

The Quali t y Compa nion

MK: When choosing All-Stars for the book, why or how did you come to choose Firebrand, Phantom Lady and Plastic Man as main characters? Thomas: I needed more women in the All-Star Squadron, hence Phantom Lady and a female version of Firebrand, since the male version wasn’t that much of a character, in my view. As for Plastic Man—he’s one of the great comic book characters, and besides, was an agent of the FBI, so it made sense to drag him in. But ultimately, I used only Firebrand on a regular basis.

Earth-X, since he created it. MK: If you spoke with Len, did he ever mention the reason behind choosing “X”? Why not “Q”? Thomas: My understanding is that it started out to be “EarthSwastika,” using a swastika symbol, but Julie Schwartz wouldn’t allow it, so the swastika became an X, the next closest thing. MK: You’re a well-known Justice Society fan and expert, but had you been a fan of other publishers’ heroes, too? Do you remember reading Quality hero stories? Who were your favorites? Thomas: Yes, I definitely remember reading Quality heroes in the last half of the ’40s, though not as early as DC and Fawcett and Timely/Marvel. I was a big fan of Plastic Man, Doll Man, and Blackhawk by 1946–47 until the end came for each of them. I lost interest in following Blackhawk closely soon after he moved to DC, though; DC’s emphasis was different from Quality’s and, I felt, not for the better. I also recall the latter days of Manhunter, Jester, and Human Bomb, at the very least… but was unaware of Uncle Sam, the Ray, and Black Condor till the 1960s.

MK: No similar attempt was made to “teamify” the non-Marvel Family Fawcett Heroes. Did you ever have designs on that? Thomas: I originally wanted the Fawcett heroes in the Earth-Two Universe just like Quality’s, but DC didn’t yet own them and would’ve had to pay for their use, so they nixed that except for special stories. Actually, I think that worked out for the best.

MK: In retrospect, it was Quality The Spectre intervenes on the characters who bit the dust more than cosmic level, struggling to keep Earths-Two and -X from colliding. others during All-Star Squadron. Be Finished art from All-Star honest: Did you hate the Red Bee, too? Squadron #33 (March 1984); art by Thomas: No, I didn’t hate the Rick Hoberg & Bill Collins. Original art courtesy of Michael Dunne. Red Bee. I just thought he was a useless character, with a totally dumb power. That’s not to say that someone couldn’t have made a good character out of him… but I wasn’t particularly interested in having it be me. MK: Later, when choosing other characters to unearth from the woodwork, were there any other Quality characters that you considered, but who didn’t make the cut? Some, like Kid Eternity and Bozo the Iron Man had long Quality runs but didn’t make the cut. Thomas: Kid Eternity would’ve been a good character, as would Captain Triumph, both of whom came along a little later, didn’t they? I’d probably have used both, if the book had lasted longer. I don’t recall having a desire to work any particular characters into the Squadron, though. In some ways, I feel I should’ve left the Quality heroes on Earth-X from start to last. I could’ve made up another female to replace our Firebrand. MK: Did you consult with Len Wein at all when it came time to write the origin of the Freedom Fighters, or to define Earth-X? Thomas: I don’t believe so. We may have spoken, though… I wouldn’t have wanted to undermine anything he felt important about

MK: You gave Miss America much prominence as a stand-in for Wonder Woman. Was she an easy choice? Thomas: She became the “choice,” as you might quote from my interview in Alter Ego #100, mainly because Dick Giordano never got around to arranging for EC’s Moon Girl to be utilized in Young All-Stars, as he’d told me he’d try to do. I think it worked out fairly well, and I actually get a kick out of realizing that I brought no less than two Miss Americas back into comics—both at Marvel and then at DC. Of course, Steve Englehart sort-of brought a third one—Patsy Walker—into The Avengers. MK: I would love to see you pen the definitive mini-series about the end of the War for DC continuity. Have you ever proposed such a thing? Thomas: I’d love to work with the All-Star Squadron again, though I’d rather just pick things up in mid-1942 where we left them off. What happened with All-Star Squadron and Earth-Two left what is probably a permanent bad taste in my mouth re: DC, and events since then have only deepened those feelings. Naturally, I would prefer it be otherwise, but that doesn’t seem likely. I will admit I would rather see the Squadron never again used than not to do it myself. I feel I have moral rights in that concept, if not legal ones. q

Selected DC Comicography: • The Legion of Super-Heroes #277–283 (1981–82) • All-Star Squadron, 67 issues (1981-87) • Arak, Son of Thunder, 50 issues (1981-85) • Wonder Woman #288-300 (1982–83) • Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew #1-11, 16, 18 (1982–83) • Infinity, Inc., 53 issues (1984–88) • America vs. the Justice Society, 4-issue limited series (1985) • Secret Origins, writing and editing from #1-42 (1986–89) • Young All-Stars, 31 issues (1987-89) DC HISTORY 49

Interview with James Robinson Conducted by Mike Kooiman on May 25, 2011

nyone familiar with James Robinson’s writing for DC has probably sensed his unabashed love for Golden Age heroes—including those from Quality. For some, his work in the Golden Age and Starman was their first exposure to Quality heroes. He managed to infuse new life and dimension into many of them, both iconic and forgotten. This conversation with Robinson reveals a wealth of behind-the-scenes insight regarding his use, regard, resurrection and reinvention of Golden Age greats.—Mike Kooiman

MK: Yes, you made mention of these comics in Justice League: Cry for Justice. Robinson: I read the Superman #252 100-Page Giant that had the glorious Neal Adams wraparound cover featuring heroes who could fly—that was the theme of the issue. And on the cover and inside were stories featuring Black Condor and the Ray, and I had no idea who those characters were or their association with DC Comics. At the time I didn’t really understand that Kid Eternity was a Quality character. I’d just encountered him in the Secret Origins [#4] comic book in the same issue as the Vigilante and was struck by how the story felt different to me. Grimmer and more adult. As a kid I found it oddly appealing for that. The first time I really began to understand who they were was as I grew a little older and bought Justice League #107-108, which was the first time the Freedom Fighters appeared, with the idea that there was Earth-X and they were fighting the Nazis. Bear in mind this was before the Internet and growing up in England, where we especially didn’t have this huge array of Golden Age comics that an American fan might have had just by going to a comic book convention. There was no opportunity to see old Quality Comics on sale and put “two-and-two” together. It seems crazy to say it now, but back then being a comic fan in England you had to be a bit of a detective to put it all together. (Obviously if I’d had the money to buy Steranko’s History of Comics books they would have explained everything, but that opportunity wouldn’t occur for years.) I didn’t understand that DC had acquired other publishers since the 1940s, so the first time it all began to make sense was that Justice League story line introducing Earth X. These Quality characters fascinated me because (like I’d already observed with the Kid Eternity story) they all had a completely different feel than DC characters, and also because, by and large, they had a lot of beautiful artwork. Obviously not all of it was wonderful but they had Reed Crandall, they had Lou Fine, and Eisner was doing work for them. I mean, the beauty of a Lou Fine page was something to behold. Where he’d do these nine-panel pages in “The Ray” and “Black Condor,” but then he would break the grid so that there were characters flying out of panels and coming at you. He was literally inventing the rules and then breaking them. Even as a little boy I found that incredibly exciting and unique.

The Quali t y Compa nion

Mike Kooiman: Could you start by telling me a bit about yourself… James Robinson: I was born in England, grew up in London. Not much more to add really except... When I was a little boy, the very last of DC’s 52-page comics were coming out, which very often had Golden Age back-ups. This was also when they started doing the 100-pagers, which also had a lot of Golden Age stories in them. One of the things I enjoyed very much from that period were the Quality heroes; they immediately attracted me.

Another character that helped you Hourman steps in to understand which company used to own save Miss America from which characters, and where they first Robotman. Finished art from The Golden Age #4 (1994); appeared, was Plastic Man—seeing Jack art by Paul Smith. Original art Cole’s artwork, which was so unique courtesy of Aaron Bushey. and interesting and unlike anything else. So that was the first time I really encountered the Quality heroes and that always stayed with me. And as I’ve gotten to write, I’ve tried to find more of that original material on the Internet or by buying the actual comic books. I first used Quality characters in the course of my first major DC

work. It actually wasn’t my first DC work, but in the time it took to write it and get it out, I’d done some Legends of the Dark Knight [#32-34] which got published first. But The Golden Age was my first DC work. In it I had all the Golden Age heroes with the exception of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, all the characters that had parallels on Earth-One. I had free reign with all the Golden Age characters. I deliberately didn’t use the Fawcett characters but I wanted to use the Quality ones just because they had been incorporated into the Golden Age by Roy Thomas, when he did All-Star Squadron.

Batman, Superman and the DC Golden Age characters along with some Quality heroes, then some Fawcett heroes a bit later, and made it all work—I was impressed by it and I thought it was a fantastic feat.

MK: Were you writing The Golden Age with the understanding that it was “Elseworlds” or did you originally approach it as if this was an in-continuity post-war story? Robinson: It was written to be in continuity. It was written to be the “full stop,” putting the period on all those Golden Age stories and showing their twilight in a respectful and moving story. But as the project went on, I think it was Mike Carlin—who was one of the MK: Did you pitch The Golden Age? editors-in-chief at DC at the time—to whom Robinson: Yes. It was when Archie Goodwin we didn’t want to reveal the big ending (the first came to DC and he wanted to find a big fact that Dynaman had Hitler’s brain inside project, so I pitched it and it was my intention him). Because that’s such a goofy reveal, Archie to do something that was a little more serious and I decided that we weren’t going to tell and a little more—not a mature comic book anybody how the series ended. This was at a in the way you would think of it now—but time when things were being leaked. Of course with a sophisticated, adult viewpoint on the 1940s. But at the same time, at no point was The Jester comes to Opal City, from Starman #46 things get leaked now on the Internet, but it it grim and gritty in the way that sometimes (April 2000); art by Gene Ha. Original artwork courtesy of was even happening back then, the biggest example being that character from the future these comic books can, I believe, go a little Kevin Pasquino. © DC Comics. called Monarch who was originally meant to too far and sully the memory of what these be Captain Atom. But that got leaked so they comics once were. I was trying to walk a knife edge between doing something that was more serious, more turned him into Hawk from “Hawk & Dove” at the last minute. [It adult, but at the same time honoring the stories that I enjoyed when happened in Armageddon.] We didn’t want the ending to the Golden Age to get out before its time because I felt I did a good job of having I was growing up. One of the characters that fascinated me, again from just one reprint that reveal happen so that it wasn’t goofy—but it could have sounded in another Superman 100-pager [100-Page Super Spectacular #18 (July goofy and put people off the book. I think because Mike Carlin didn’t know how it ended, he got 1973)] (although the character really had no link to Superman) was Captain Triumph. I realized that nobody had used him and I was nervous about the whole project and decided that it was best that it very happy to be the guy who actually got to incorporate Michael became an Elseworlds project. And honestly, now there are things and Lance Gallant into a modern comic. And in issue four we had that have happened, like flashback stories to the 1940s that make the Golden Age redundant, but I’ve always written as if the Golden Age some cameos of other Quality characters appearing too. happened and that it was “the past.” MK: There were a lot of characters that appeared in cameo. Were those from notes that you provided to the artist, with suggestions for who to sneak MK: I noticed that it seemed to be the genesis of Ted Knight’s mental illness and that some writers have picked up on bits and pieces in The Golden in there? Robinson: It was a combination of two things. Some of them were Age that have sneaked into in-continuity stories. Robinson: That’s very flattering that the book is so well regarded my suggestion, and also Paul Smith had a friend who was a lover of Golden Age characters and he suggested a couple of them. For that other people have chosen to consider that to be somewhat the instance, Wildfire had a cameo and quite honestly she’s a character I Golden Age chronology, that my series fits into the overall chronolhad not even heard of, so she would not have appeared if not for this ogy of the DC Universe. friend of Paul’s. Other characters, like Stormy Foster, I had heard MK: I don’t know if you know what happened to Captain Triumph in of and suggested. continuity, in the pages of The Titans... He ends up getting murdered? Was he having an affair with Liberty MK: Miss America makes a significant appearance in the series. Was that inspired by her use in All-Star Squadron where she was retrofitted into Belle? You tell me. the role of Wonder Woman? Robinson: She was a bit inspired by that, yes. It’s interesting that MK: Yeah, he was dating Liberty Belle and I believe he was possessed by Wonder Woman became quite a crucial part of the Justice Society as the ghostly brother and committed murders and ended up going to prison. [All-Star Comics] went on, but Superman and Batman weren’t really But I thought that it was a pretty logical progression for the character, that vital to the book and only appeared once or twice. And yet, removing after a while he would be really “haunted” by this brother and it’s not always them from the Golden Age after the Crisis on Infinite Earths really going to be great to have him hanging around. Robinson: After the Golden Age, I did Starman and it had been took the steam out of the All-Star Squadron and I think took the steam out of Roy Thomas’ creativity at that time on the project. But I think established by Roy Thomas that Ted Knight and Sandra Knight were those first 30 or so issues of All-Star Squadron where he incorporated related. So I played on that and actually got to write a Phantom Lady DC HISTORY 51

solo story and incorporated it into the story line with elements here and there. Then I had the pleasure of doing a “Times Past” with art by Gene Ha [Starman #46] that had the Jester making his first appearance in the modern day DC universe. MK: If I could back up, I’d like to touch on a Phantom Lady detail… In one of those stories, she’s fighting the Prairie Witch and one of the biggest questions I’ve always had is: I don’t know if you know that back in her original adventures, she had a kind of love/hate relationship with another heroine called the Spider Widow? The Spider Widow also wore a green mask that looks kind of like the Prairie Witch, so I always wondered if this villainess was inspired by the Spider Widow. Robinson: No, I didn’t know that. In fact I’ve never read a Spider Widow story. She had her own feature, didn’t she? MK: Yeah, ironically they had the same writer, Frank Borth, and it was a rare crossover … Robinson: I knew there was a guy called the Raven who was a love interest for the Spider Widow. I had no idea they had crossed over and had I known, I would have incorporated that into Starman in some way. MK: There’s five or six stories that cross over in both of those strips with all three characters. Robinson: Prairie Witch was a character that I created and I’m quite proud of it because she’s unique but she’s much like a 1940s villain. It’s a fine line; it’s hard to pull that off when you come up with a character that feels fresh and fun and that doesn’t feel goofy or too nostalgic but at the same time feels like it could have existed in the ’40s, realistically. MK: So you touched on the Jester… Robinson: I like the idea of these characters having a dignified ending or retirement. So the idea was that this was the Jester’s last case as opposed to him getting killed, or what have you. Instead you realize that now he’s a police detective whereas he was just a patrolman when he was the Jester in the 1940s. He evolved and moved on from being a super-hero. When I wrote that, it was my way of leading up—in my own mind, ultimately—to Jack Knight’s own retirement and moving on from being a super-hero. MK: Then we got glimpses of people like the Red Bee, another lovable weirdo who appeared in the “Times Past” story… Robinson: The Red Bee has always been treated somewhat as a joke. He had some pretty cool covers by Lou Fine, but even among people who love Golden Age characters, he’s considered one of the most pathetic. In Animal Man, Grant Morrison poked fun at him. I was just trying to give him a little dignity even though he had two trained bees. MK: The biggest reinvention seems to have been the Spider. Robinson: Yes, in The Shade #3. Geoff Johns used the character after Starman was finished but it was my idea to have the Spider’s whole hero persona be a mask for his criminal activities. In hindsight, I realize that what I did was just flip the premise of the Green Hornet, who was a hero who acts like a villain. The Spider is a villain that’s acting as a hero. So I included him as one of the Ludlows in the whole family feud with the Shade. I don’t remember why or how, but it was fun to have his son return later as the new Spider of the present day. We saw him join the group of villains in “Grand Guignol” at the behest of Culp, the evil midget who was menacing the Shade.

The Quali t y Compa nion

MK: It seemed like the Spider’s son was sort of walking the line. He wanted revenge but wasn’t necessarily a villain “all the way”… Robinson: Well, I think that was a slight tweaking that Geoff added to the character. When he was in Starman, he killed a guy by shooting him in the back; he was pretty villainous, in my opinion. I never intended him to be an anti-hero. He was always meant to be a villain in my mind. I think that’s really interesting. MK: Did you know that Grant Morrison killed him off? It’s suggested in Seven Soldiers that he was killed by his brother: I, Spyder. I was wondering what your thoughts were on the I, Spyder character. Robinson: The Seven Soldiers story line was a very fun, exciting read. MK: You’re writing a new Shade series, correct? Robinson: Yes, but I, Spyder isn’t in that series. There is one Quality character appearing in the series but it’s a surprise and I’m afraid I can’t tell you. MK: I’m not like everyone who needs a spoiler for everything. I’ll be super happy to be surprised. Robinson: I can tell you that they’re in the first “Times Past,” which is in [Starman] issue #4. It’s the return of another Quality hero that we haven’t seen in quite a while. MK: I’m just going to breeze through a couple other Quality hero names and see if you have anything to say about them. In Starman we also read a brief mention of the Red Torpedo as he aided in the creation of the Starman of 1951. Robinson: For some reason I like “Tom Swift-ian” characters that invent giant robots, giant submarines, etc., so it tied in nicely with the starship and it all made sense and I got to show the Red Torpedo, at least in one panel. MK: And there were mentions of a couple characters that were in the “Shade’s journal.” The one I’m most interested in is the Clock, who’s never made an actual in-panel appearance. There was a discussion with the Shade about the fate of the Clock and being perhaps poorly regarded as a hero. Robinson: Yes if you remember, it’s not the Shade talking about the Clock, but the other character. And the fact that the Clock is still alive in the end is one of the things that tips the Shade off that he’s being played for a fool by Howard Hughes and his lackey. So the Clock was alive at the end of the story. MK: The Shade remarked that the Clock was a “barely adequate protector of the innocent.” Robinson: That “barely adequate” remark is a reflection of the Shade, who’s very snide and a little bit pompous, so even if he likes somebody he doesn’t always compliment; he always has to be “ahead.” So that’s very much how he would describe a character like the Clock. But it isn’t necessarily how I feel about the character. MK: Did you have the opportunity to read any of the original Clock stories? Robinson: I found one. MK: And a brief mention of Hercules in one of the journals? Robinson: It was actually in a conversation between Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, talking about him, that he has Alzheimer’s … MK: Good memory! Robinson: Yeah, I kind of wish I hadn’t done that but at the time, it felt realistic.

MK: That brings me to a more recent character that you created in the pages of Superman who was Stormy Foster’s grandson, Von Hammer. Is that a character you hope to return to? Robinson: Yes, in fact he’s a person that you’ll be seeing in The Shade maxi-series. There are references to Stormy Foster in the series. MK: Was it you that “killed” Merlin and Tor? Robinson: It was, myself and David Goyer. They vanished around that point [in 1940s continuity]. They were only in the Quality books for a short period of time. Now I feel bad about killing anybody because I’ve gotten such sh*t for killing Lian in Cry for Justice. But at the time, it felt like the right thing to do and quite frankly, they weren’t the most original characters that Quality had come up with. So it wasn’t a huge loss really. MK: I’d agree. If there were anyone you’d be justified to get rid of, it would be these “duplicate” kinds of heroes. And, well, some of them have to be killed off at some point, don’t they? I was struck by how you’ve got a love for Quality and DC characters, but I don’t see the same for Fawcett’s. Is that just because you haven’t had the same exposure to those characters? Robinson: Yes, I think that’s accurate. I’m actually not a fan of the art in the Fawcett books, to be honest with you. I like C. C. Beck, but I’m not the greatest fan. I absolutely love Mac Raboy, so I love Captain Marvel, Jr. But when I see the artwork of these other characters, even someone like Spy Smasher, who was the equivalent to Batman—if Captain Marvel is the equivalent to Superman—even his art wasn’t particularly interesting to me. The bias also comes from the

characters you’re reading at that Two stunning pages of finished formative stage, and there were art from The Shade #1 (April 1997); art by Gene Ha. Left: Courtesy a lot of Quality reprints in those of Dan Parker. Right: Courtesy of Mike White. 100-pagers. Whereas, for whatever reason—and I don’t know at what point DC acquired the copyright to the Fawcett characters—there weren’t any Spy Smasher reprints or Minuteman, or Commando Yank reprints. Had they been in those 100-pagers when I was reading them, perhaps I’d be as into Fawcett characters as I am Quality and DC characters. MK: I’ve also veered around those characters maybe because I feel that there’s so much fandom surrounding Captain Marvel while Quality is such a big thing under the DC umbrella and it’s never been covered comprehensively. I know you’ve made some changes inside of DC continuity. Do you consider original published Golden Age stories “sacred”? I’m wondering how you decide to change continuity? Robinson: Well, the thing about Golden Age books is that they were inconsistent from issue to issue. There are fans that look back at it and think that absolutely everything is ironclad in continuity. But often things contradict themselves. I don’t think that people who wrote it back then thought that people were going to be thinking about what stories came before, and to try and put it all together as one big picture. I think by and large, it was a job that someone did and they just wrote that month’s story line. So there was often glaring inconsistencies from month to month. With that in mind, I tried to honor the feel of these old stories, but sometimes I think DC HISTORY 53

it’s better for the character to approach it with the eyes of someone from today who is trying to create the modern-day continuity and have the sophistication of today’s storytelling. MK: I’m reminded of the JSA girlfriends story [Starman #69], whose changes I appreciated. Your logic came across to me when I read that story. Robinson: If you did that story exactly as it was done in the 1940s [in All-Star Comics #15], it would be incredibly goofy. It wouldn’t translate into the present day, but just by tweaking it a little bit I hopefully made it into a story that still harkened back to that time but had the feel of a modern story about it. Sometimes you have to take old continuity and massage it a little bit to make it work. q

Selected DC Comicography: • Legends of the Dark Knight #32-34 (1992) • The Golden Age, 4-issue limited series (1993)

• Starman, vol. 2, 80 issues (1994-2001) • The Shade, 4-issue limited series (1997) • Legends of the DC Universe #1-3 (1998) • JSA #1-5 (1999) • “Justice Society Returns” event, 9 one-shots (1999) • Hawkman #1-10 (2002-03) • Detective Comics #817-820 (2006) • Action Comics #874-889 (2008-10) • Superman #677-700 (2008-10) • Justice League: Cry for Justice, 7-issue limited series (2009-10) • Superman: World of New Krypton, 12-issue limited series (2009-10) • Justice League of America #38– (2009–) • Superman: War of the Supermen, 4-issue limited series (2010) • The Shade vol. 2, 12-issue limited series (2011)

John Arcudi on JLA: Destiny Conducted by Mike Kooiman on March 22, 2011

riter John Arcudi pulled the strings behind DC’s 2002 Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny. “Elseworlds” was the name for an adventurous line of limited series, each of which imagined DC’s flagship characters in completely new ways. At its core, Destiny was an “imaginary” tale of Superman, Batman, and the Justice League. But Arcudi also drew inspiration for his supporting characters from many Quality Comics heroes. The Quality heroes in Destiny are largely unrecognizable and represent their predecessors by name only—but it doesn’t make the series any less fun to read. With art by Tom Mandrake, JLA: Destiny presents a world without Superman or Batman. Instead, their fathers (Jor-El and Thomas Wayne) ultimately became colleagues, then adversaries. —Mike Kooiman

DC and Quality heroes, reinterpreted. From JLA: Destiny #1 (2002); art by Tom Mandrake. Original artwork courtesy of Wayne Turner. © DC Comics.

Mike Kooiman: Can you tell me about your inspiration in creating JLA: Destiny? It’s a unique story that seems equal parts JLA reinvention and Quality homage. I wonder how

you arrived at the plot and chose your characters... John Arcudi: It all started when I began thinking about what kind of world it might be in a DCU without Superman and Batman. I figured it would be a nastier world, a little more chaotic than the one DC readers know. This would apply as much to the good guys as it did to the bad guys, I imagined. While it wasn’t really intended to be an homage to Quality characters, they seemed safer to explore in that context than some of the major DCU characters. You never know how readers will react to alternate versions of their favorite characters, but I figured using the lesser known characters (or just their names) and putting them on steroids, or having them suffer from mental illness, well, I could tell that story more easily.

The Quali t y Compa nion

MK: Were there other Elseworlds series that you felt were a good model for what you did? Arcudi: I really wasn’t familiar with many other “Elseworlds” series. I knew the basic premises (usually Batman or Superman in different time periods, etc.) but hadn’t read more than one, and I can’t even tell you the name of it. The idea of excising both Superman and Batman from an “Elseworlds” story seemed challenging, and I was surprised DC went for it at all. MK: Tell me about the decision to play on a fair number of Quality comics characters. How did you choose the characters you were going to reinvent? Arcudi: I just needed characters that I could manipulate in a way to fit the story line. Having someone who called himself “the Human Bomb” be a terrorist, for instance, was a no-brainer, and transforming a character named “Midnight” into an analog for Batman—that sort of thing. MK: Did you have access to old Quality comics? Are you a Quality fan in general? Arcudi: I’ve read a lot of Quality comics and Quality reprints, and am still a huge Jack Cole fan, so I had a working familiarity with

these characters, or at least their names. MK: What were you told by your editor(s) about the copyright/trademarks concerning Quality characters? Arcudi: I didn’t ask. Make of that what you will, but I also knew that names alone can’t be trademarked. I changed the characters so much (and sometimes changed their names) that it wasn’t anything we needed to worry about. After all, we weren’t slapping a Hit Comics title on the book, MK: You used Mongul as your villain. Were you inspired by Alan Moore’s writing? Arcudi: Sort of. I needed the Black Mercy component (taken from Moore’s excellent Superman Annual story) to make my own story work, so it seemed natural to include Mongul as the major bad guy. Also, I figured that without Superman to kick his ass, he’d be a much more powerful presence on earth. MK: Can you comment on any of these Quality characters, if you remember anything of note about them? Destiny (a.k.a. Nightshade, Sandra Knight Kirk): Destiny is the perfect name for a seer, and that’s what I needed, but I figured that having that sort of ability would really screw a person up, making her claims sometimes suspect—much like Cassandra herself, hence the “Sandra” name. The Unknown (Steve, resembles the Spectre): Unknown was

Many of the heroes in this scene bear names borrowed from Quality characters. The Justice League of Gotham “faces” the reader; from the top: Wonder Woman, Captain Thunder, the Marksman, Midnight, and Widow. The opposition, from the left: Black Adam (in armor), Wildfire, Aquaman, Kondor, from JLA: Destiny #1 (2002); art by Tom Mandrake. Original artwork courtesy of Wayne Turner. © DC Comics.

just filling a space for some spooky guy that I thought would give the group visual balance. Midnight (William Cole): Midnight’s civilian name is indeed a nod to Jack Cole, though Cole is also a homonym for an adjective describing darkness, which seemed appropriate. Widow (Lenda): All I remember about Widow was that I was thinking about Quality’s Spider Widow in a general sense. Cool name is all, really. Human Bomb (Addal Dirri): Human Bomb I already covered Triumph: Taken (sort of) from Captain Triumph, though I’ve since learned that DC has another character named Triumph. q

Selected DC Comicography: • Major Bummer, 15 issues (1997–98) • Doom Patrol, 22 issues (2001-03) • JLA: Destiny, 4-issue limited series (2002) • Aquaman #25-39 (2005–06) • Wednesday Comics, 12 issues (“Superman,” 2009) DC HISTORY 55

C R E A T O R S Blackhawk and his occasional aide, the lady called Fear. From Blackhawk #13 (Winter 1946); art by Bill Ward.

The Quali t y Compa nion

Quality’s Artists I

t’s worth repeating: Quality Comics truly had the Golden Age’s highest standards for art. Compare it for yourself if you can, to the works of almost any other Golden Age publisher. The Quality “house style” was pioneered by Will Eisner and finessed by Lou Fine. Their style and influence spread across Quality’s entire line and set the bar very high. Fine’s style tended towards the “realistic,” but even the cartoonists were top notch. Jack Cole set the tone for the humor features, becoming an innovator in the synthesis of humor and hero. This section provides an overview of some of the main creators who made their mark in the pages of Quality Comics. It is impossible to include all of them, but you can find a list of employees in “Quality Staff” on page 85. The biographies that follow paint a picture that shows the depth and breadth of the skill in play. To find references for the original Alter Ego interviews, see “Periodicals, Articles and Oddball Comics” on page 211. Most of the information in these profiles is assembled from the interviews of Jim Amash, done for Alter Ego magazine. For a wealth of additional information, please read the original interviews in full. (See the Bibliography for full details.) Nobody should be surprised that Busy Arnold is reputed to have turned down Siegel and Shuster. Shuster’s art before 1940 was rough. Arnold had a keen eye for striking figures and kinetic, adventurous compositions. By 1940, his pages were exploding with the best action, anatomy, perspective and color (even Jack Cole’s lettering and typography were ground-breaking).

Most of the artists whose work appeared in Quality Comics were hired as freelancers, or they worked for the Eisner and/or Iger shops, or for those men after they split. Even if Busy Arnold hired artists outright, they tended to work from their own studios. The Quality offices were mostly for editorial and supporting staff (including letterers and colorists), who arranged the publications for print. Please note that the comicographies for each artist are not exhaustive, and dates may represent the total range of the issues listed. The comicographies are meant to point the reader toward the artist’s significant contributions. For more information, we suggest searching the Grand Comics Database and Who’s Who. Many of Quality’s most iconic characters were created or co-created by Will Eisner. By his own admission, he was oftentimes not the sole writer or artist on some of the earliest characters for Quality. Sometimes he held editorial conferences with his writers (i.e. Toni Blum, Ken Fitch, etc.), but there are no records to indicate whether any character was created solely by a staff member. Similarly, artists were given free rein to add their own touch when designing or redesigning a new character’s costume. Again, there’s no record of “who did what,” only the published record. This section owes a heap of gratitude to Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., who provided fact checking and review. Birth and death dates were confirmed, when possible, with “Social Security Death Index” at <http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com>.

George Brenner (?–1952)

here’s not much on record about Mr. Brenner, and no interviews exist with the man himself. This is surprising, given the fact that today most historians recognize his creation, the Clock, as the first masked hero created for a comic book. (Of course, the pulps and radio had invented their own prior to this.) Being an editor for Quality for some time, many people had tales to tell about him. No reliable online public records could be found relating to Brenner. Many men shared the same name, and some inquiries to those families yielded “you got the wrong man” answers. George Brenner had graduated from Villanova, where he’d been a football player. This shared love of sports led to his close friendship with Quality’s publisher, Busy Arnold. Many accounts confirm this friendship, which may explain the relative longevity and “experimental latitude” granted to some of Brenner’s features. He first appears in history not at Quality Comics, but for Comics Magazine Co. (a company whose comics were eventually sold to Centaur). Busy Arnold advised that company’s founders, and Brenner’s “The Clock” debuted simultaneously in their Funny Pages #6 and Funny Picture Stories #1 (Nov. 1936). Less than a year later, Comics Magazine began to fail and Arnold was establishing Quality. He took on Brenner and “The Clock” in the pages of Feature Funnies #3 (Dec. 1937). Oddly, the previous Brenner’s “The Clock,” from Crack issue featured one other Brenner Comics #11 (March 1941). Artists 57

creation, the Hawk, with the attribution “by Geo. E. Brenner, creator of the Clock.” The Hawk was never seen again, but the Clock lived from 1936–1944 in Feature, then in Crack Comics. Brenner might have also been one of the first comic creators to recognize the importance of copyrights. According to Quality editor Gill Fox, Brenner might have originally copyrighted the Clock because of the possibility of newspaper syndication. Steranko’s History of Comics vol. 2 describes Brenner as Arnold’s “right-hand man.” Despite their friendship, Alex Kotzky said that Brenner “used to drive Busy Arnold mad because he’d always find ways to simplify the page as much as possible to do the least amount of work. … But he got away with it.” Artist Vernon Henkel described him as a “nervous” sort of guy, “when he was drawing, he’d almost have to pin his thumb down so his hand wouldn’t move. I thought, ‘This guy could draw like that?’ ” Gill Fox commented further on Brenner’s character: “a likable Irish guy with a good sense of humor. He and Arnold had a lot in common, and would go out and have drinks. Brenner had a beautiful personality. He could tell a story and had some popularity, but he was a better writer than artist.” Indeed. Say what you will about the man’s artistic ability, but Brenner frequently showed flashes of brilliance by presenting novel characters and delivering the unexpected. Brenner wrote and drew all of his features throughout most of their runs, with the exception of “Destiny,” which went on for more than a year after his departure. His creative contributions were largely over by 1943 when Brenner became a full editor at Quality, a position which he held through 1949. Gill Fox and Fran Matera said Brenner had been in editorial before that, and Matera added that there was quite the rivalry between Brenner and John Beardsley about it. His co-workers seemed to regard him well personally, though they frequently remarked upon Brenner’s drinking. As a boss, he was a hard case. It was Gill Fox who recommended Brenner for the job, “because he was tough and could handle it. He wouldn’t take any crap off anybody.” His successor, Al Grenet confirmed this, describing him as “a little, stocky guy… maybe five-foot-eight. He acted like he was really somebody big. He always talked down to people.” Several different people reported that Brenner was ultimately fired by Busy Arnold. Arnold’s son, Dick, recalled, “He drank a lot. He lived near us in Greenwich… he was [an editor] for a number of years before my father fired him. I don’t know why he fired Brenner.” Chuck Cuidera dismissed Brenner as “another screw-up,” and also suggested that Brenner was fired. Bails and Ware’s Who’s Who places Brenner at Western Publishing, which licensed Warner Bros. and Disney properties, from 1949–52. It is believed that he passed away at a relatively young age, in 1952. George Brenner’s work sometimes appeared under the pen name “Wayne Reid.”

Selected Comicography: Some of his later work was ghosted (confirmed by Fran Matera); it changed at times quite noticeably in style. • Feature Comics #3–31 then Crack Comics #1–35 (the Clock, Dec. 1937–Winter 1944) • Feature Funnies #7–16 then Smash #1–15 (Clip Chance, April 1938–Oct. 1940) • Smash #1–41 (Hugh Hazzard and Bozo, Aug. 1939–March 1943) • Police #1–19 (#711 & Destiny Aug. 1941–May 1943) • Hit Comics #18–25 (Ghost of Flanders, Dec. 1941–Dec. 1942)

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Al Bryant (June 20, 1917–Sept. 1993)

erhaps no artist is as broadly visible across the Quality line as Al Bryant. His art adorns countless covers for all its magazines, and he drew a fair number of long-running features like “Blackhawk,” “Zero,” “Betty Bates,” “Sally O’Neil,” and “Kid Eternity.” Several people recalled Bryant’s mental health issues, although the details surrounding it conflicted. Many of his covers for Quality bore his signature, but a good amount of his work at Quality ran without a byline.

Bryant graduated from the Pratt Institute and is probably best known for his covers and features on Doll Man. He worked for a short time at Jerry Iger’s studio, then for Quality itself. Chuck Cuidera described him as a “nice-looking, good guy.” Editor Gill Fox echoed that: “a nice, quiet guy. He looked like Gregory Peck. He was good on deadlines.” Alex Kotzky knew Al Bryant well. He, Al and Gill Fox would entertain at their homes together. By several accounts, Bryant took his job very seriously and wanted to be a top artist. The volume of his work is testament to his work ethic—and it was also the probable cause of his nervous breakdown. Another editor, Al Grenet, added that Bryant had “a lot of problems with his wife and was a little eccentric. One day, he invited Aldo Al Bryant’s figures were consistent with Quality’s “house and me over to his house. We style,” seen here in the cover came over, and Bryant was hiding for Hit #34 (Winter 1944), which behind the curtains… we saw him. bears his signature (uncommon for the time). We knocked on the door, but he

never answered, so I knew something was up.” As the story goes, his personal problems led him to turn his car into a wall while driving home on the Grand Central Parkway. (Note: Gill Fox mistakenly thought that Bryant had died in this crash.) Afterwards, he was admitted to Pilgrim’s State Hospital on Long Island. Kotzky visited Bryant with John Spranger and his wife, but found there was little he could do for his friend. This was probably in the mid-to-late 1940s. Some of Bryant’s (rarely) signed work still appears on covers through 1946. Grenet also recalled one day after he’d been committed when Al showed up at Quality: “He was all messed-up and dirty-looking. He must have hitchhiked over. Arnold gave him $20. Bryant asked for a job, so Arnold gave him a corner to work on, but Bryant started drawing things that made no sense. I said to Arnold, ‘Maybe he escaped? Maybe he wasn’t released?’ Arnold called the police, and sure enough, that’s what had happened. The police were there in five minutes and took him away. We never saw him again.” Grenet corroborated what the writers at Lambiek.net assert—that Bryant ultimately recovered after eight years in treatment, and moved south. He died in 1993 at the age of 76.

Selected Comicography: The following is assembled with help from the GCD, but the authors find some of the data are inconclusive, as most stories were not signed. • Feature Comics #43–61 (Zero, April 1941–Oct. 1942) • Hit Comics #11–50 (Betty Bates, May 1941–Jan. 1948) • Police Comics #1–73 (Steele Kerrigan & Manhunter, Aug. 1941–Dec. 1947) • National Comics #26–63 (Sally O’Neil and covers, Nov. 1942– Dec. 1947) • Doll Man #4–15 (Winter 1942–Winter 1947) • Feature Comics #64–117 (Doll Man, Jan. 1943–Dec. 1947) • Military & Modern Comics #31–55 (Blackhawk, Aug. 1944– Nov. 1946) • Crack Comics #34–51 (Captain Triumph, Autumn 1944– Nov. 1947) • Blackhawk #9–17 (Winter 1944–Winter 1947) • Kid Eternity #1–7 (Spring 1946–Autumn 1947)

Nick Cardy Nicholas Viscardi (Oct. 29, 1920–present)

ick Cardy provided a lengthy interview to Jim Amash for Alter Ego #65 (Feb. 2007). It’s a great, lucid, firsthand account of the comics industry through several of its formative periods.

Nicholas Viscardi was born October 20, 1920 on the Lower East Side of New York City. As an adolescent, radio shows like The Lone Ranger and The Shadow captured his imagination and sowed the seeds for his artistic career. Like so many of his generation, his indoctrination to comics began with the Sunday newspaper and its color comics. His favorites were Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon and Hal Foster’s Tarzan. His family couldn’t afford to send him to art school, so he learned what he could from the pages of library books. He also took classes at a local Boys Club where he was encouraged to emulate the Renaissance greats. After high school, he got a job with an advertising agency where he did clean-up work on the art. From there he learned of Will Eisner’s studio and in 1940, he

went to Tudor City, where he met Lou Fine, George Tuska and Charles Sultan. This was when Eisner & Iger were just separating, and Nick was placed with Jerry Iger. He continued to do low-level work but was eventually handed features for Quality like “Quicksilver,” then “Lee Preston,” “Samar,” and “Wonder Boy.” Bob Powell became his best friend in the business, offering the young Viscardi technical advice on making comics. As the studio personnel began to trickle off to war, artists shifted between the Iger and Eisner studios, and Viscardi was asked to take over for Chuck Mazoujian Top: A page from Cardy’s on the “Lady Luck” feature “Quicksilver,” from National #11 (May 1941); art by Nick Cardy. Below: (at Eisner’s), which ran every Nick Viscardi in uniform, in Germany, Sunday in the Spirit Section. He towards the end of World War II. drew both pencils and inks and © Nick Cardy. even briefly tried the fine-tipped Japanese brushes that were floating around the studio. This kept him busy through sometime in 1942, when he left Eisner to work on staff at Fiction House. He was drafted in 1943, and after he was discharged in 1946 he continued to work for Fiction House. His early work was signed Artists 59

In the Depression era, an artist could earn a more-than-adequate wage working in comics—if the publisher was reliable enough to pay you. The going rate cited by many artists of the late ’30s (when Quality began publishing) was about $5 per page, and sometimes $10 per cover. This was the going rate at Comics Magazine, and for Victor Fox. Gill Fox recalled that when he worked for the Fleischer animation studio, employees went on strike over $17.50 per week. He left Fleischer for the promise of making $5 per page in comics. Once he was at Harry “A” Chesler’s shop, Fox learned that he would make $20 a week, a figure which made his nose start to bleed! (His father, who was a milkman, earned $35 a week.) At this time, a salary of $25 a week was “big money.” If one was hired on full-time, the salary might have been in the range of $25–35 per week. This range applied to different positions, but not to the lower level production work, which could be as low as $5/week. At Quality, Busy Arnold frequently paid higher rates for proven talent, up to $8 a page. With the early-’40s boom in the comics industry, staff salaries rose to around $35–40/week, then to $50–60 during the war—and up to $75 thereafter. Freelance artists could earn much more, with page rates rising to $35 by the war’s end. If you were an artist of Lou Fine’s calibre and dedication, you could bring in over $200 a week. Fine’s sister-in-law joked that this kind of money seemed like that of a millionaire! Freelance lettering paid $2/page. Al Grenet was a letterer for Eisner & Iger and was paid a salary of about $24 a week. By the time he went into the service, he was making a handsome $60 a week. Because he was the “middle man,” Will Eisner usually paid his artists a bit less. This allowed Busy Arnold to lure some of them away (most notably, Fine), or at least to incite some to rethink working for a shop like Eisner’s. Editors earned significantly more than staff. Arnold paid Gill Fox $75/week as editor, but by the time Al Grenet signed on in the same position in 1951, it was up to $125. All of this paled in comparison to the fees an artist could earn as a commercial artist (providing art for advertising and mass media publications). It’s not surprising that many Golden Age comic book artists like Lou Fine left for careers in commercial art. Advertising jobs could net anywhere from $300 and up for a single page of work. Alex Kotzky recalled that in 1949 regular comics were up to about $35-40/page while commercial comics (giveaways or educational, for example) paid $75–80. According to anyone who worked for him, Busy Arnold was a generous boss whose salaries were more than fair, and who liberally awarded bonuses in good times. He is reputed to have given Jack Cole a $2,500 bonus when Plastic Man started selling well. Chuck Cuidera remembered a $600 Christmas bonus. Eisner, too, gave bonuses—as much as $500—if an artist’s work earned extra from syndication.

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with his original name “Viscardi,” but after the war he changed it to “Cardy” because of some odd troubles he was having with his paychecks (his employers were constantly spelling his name wrong, so he couldn’t cash the checks). Nick married in 1947 and settled in for a long career at DC Comics in 1948 (with also a two-year hiatus at Standard), where he did his most memorable and iconic work. Today he is best remembered for his 1960s features, including Aquaman and the original Teen Titans. As of this writing, Nick Cardy still attends comic conventions.

Selected comicography: • Crack Comics #7 (Lee Preston, Nov. 1940–Jan. 1941) • Hit Comics #5–11 (Betty Bates & others, Nov. 1940–May 1941) • National Comics #5–26 (Wonder Boy & Quicksilver, Dec. 1940– Nov. 1942) • Feature Comics #40–42 (Samar, Jan. 1941–March 1941) • The Spirit Section (Lady Luck, 18 May 1941–22 Feb. 1942)

Jack Cole Jack Ralph Cole (Dec. 14, 1914–Aug. 13, 1958)

ue to his early death, most information about Cole’s family or career must be assembled from the recollections of others. But because of his work’s popularity, there is a plethora of these studies in print. This profile provides an overview of his life, primarily from Jim Amash’s work in Alter Ego #25 (June 2003), which included an interview with Jack’s brother, Dick, and from the anecdotes of his peers, most of whom have gone on record about his character. For another exhaustive account, read Art Spiegelman and Chip Kidd’s comprehensive and illustrated Jack Cole and Plastic Man. Jack Ralph Cole was an early pioneer in the field of comic books: one of those few individuals in the Golden Age who, well… stretched the limits of possibility in this somewhat new medium. His prolific career was cut short by his suicide at age 43, but his fans have page upon page of comics and illustrations by which to appreciate his talent. As with any classic work of comedy or art, Cole’s work is as fresh, vibrant, and awe-inspiring today as it was 60 years ago. Like many of his contemporaries, he was weaned on newspaper comic strips, and trained himself to be a cartoonist. But Cole maximized the potential of the comic book page, and of the colorful heroes who invaded them. His work for Quality Comics constitutes a large part of his immortal charm. It includes such strips as “Midnight,” and his crowning achievement, “Plastic Man.” Jack demonstrated the spark of genius at an early age. He was the third child of Cora Belle and DeLace Cole. DeLace was a dry goods salesman who also performed in variety shows around the smallish industrial town of New Castle, Pennsylvania. The Coles were a middle-class Methodist household that included six children, DeLace, Jr., Doris, Jack, Betty, Bob, and Dick. Perhaps his father’s involvement in the arts inspired Jack to perform in his own way—on paper, he found the flexibility to tell stories in his own unique way. To afford the enrollment in a correspondence course from the Landon School of Cartooning, Jack pocketed his lunch money. He was known to be a prankster and leapt into hot water by publishing his own school newspaper, The Scoop, in which he lampooned and revealed the secrets of his classmates. A defining moment in the development of his character was his cross-country trip by bike to see the 1932 Olympic Games in California. He never got to see the games, but when he returned home he found he’d become something of a

local celebrity. Cole documented the trip in a wonderful first-hand account printed in 1935 by Boys’ Life. The trip also lent much to Cole’s understanding of the world, and of the places in which we later find his characters. In 1934, Jack eloped with his high school girlfriend, Dorothy (Dot) Mahoney, and they even kept the marriage a secret for a while. The Cole family warmed to Dorothy, even though they admitted that the relationship sometimes had its “intense” moments. The couple A Cole family portrait, circa mid-to-late 1930s, from the left, standing: sister Betty Jane, sister Doris Eloise Cole Thompson might have fought occasionally and her husband Don, Jack and Dorothy Cole, from the left, but it didn’t characterize their sitting: father Delace, brother Dick, mother Cora Belle, brother chemistry. Most people regarded Robert Vincent. Right: Jack’s father, Delace. © Dick Cole. Dot as a pleasant but quiet woman; and cover feature in Police was “Firebrand,” she was noticeably shorter than drawn by Reed Crandall, but after only four his six-foot-three. Jack’s career in comics and cartooning began when he and Dot issues, Busy Arnold knew that “Plastic Man” was the most popular made the move to New York. His first job was in 1937, as an art- feature in the book. As he stretched his way into the hearts of his readers, “Plastic ist in the shop of Harry “A” Chesler. Chesler sold comic features to other publishers, and Jack used his time there to hone his skills Man” grew steadily in length from six pages to nine, then eleven, and experiment with the possibilities of the comic book page. He thirteen, fifteen. The feature’s charm and success were due to Cole’s wrote and drew these first features, which included “Down on the knack for novel perspectives, distinctive lettering, and side-splitting Trail,” “Mantoka,” “King Kole’s Kourt,” “Slim Pickens,” and “Little slapstick. His villains marched in a freakishly spectacular parade Dynamite,” plus minor features for Centaur. In 1939, Cole left the and Plastic Man’s new sidekick—Woozy Winks, another reformed Chesler shop and began freelancing for Novelty and MLJ (where he crook—provided the perfect moral counterweight to Plas’ heroics. Busy Arnold consistently gave Cole sizable bonuses. In short order, created “The Comet”). The early work that made the biggest impression appeared in “Plastic Man” became the company’s second most popular super-hero, Silver Streak Comics, published by Your Guide Publications (later after “Blackhawk” in Military Comics. On top of it, he still found the Lev Gleason). These pages contained his creations the Claw, Silver time to contribute other small fillers like “Burp the Twerp,” “Bob Streak, and Dickie Dean, Boy Inventor. He also created the original and Swab,” “Fuzzy,” and others. By this time, Jack and Dorothy had moved to the center of Stamford, black-and-red Daredevil for that title. Daredevil’s costume scheme later found its way subtly onto Plastic Man, in his first appearances. Connecticut, where he could walk to Quality’s offices. Even before The ensuing “Claw versus Daredevil” stories are now classics to Pearl Harbor, men were being called up for military service, but for comic book fans. Cole’s writing was fast becoming as individualistic unknown reasons, Jack Cole was labeled 4-F (“not acceptable for reasons of physical, mental, or moral standards”) and did no military as his drawing. Cole’s exchanged his MLJ and Novelty work for features at Qual- service in World War II. When Busy Arnold chose to move Quality ity Comics in 1940. He began with humor fillers like “Wun Cloo” back to New York City, Jack and Dot moved further away from the (created by his editor and former Chesler mate, Gill Fox). Cole also drew the occasional “Quicksilver” and created “Death Patrol” for Military Comics #1 in 1941. His first Quality hit debuted in Smash Comics #18: the Spirit “clone” called Midnight. Anyone reading “Midnight” quickly understood that the two characters were similar in costume only. “Midnight” was filled with zany artistic wonder that played up the laughs. You can notice some influence of the Quality “house style” (set by Will Eisner and Lou Fine) on Cole in his work for the publisher. But Jack took it one step further. He springboarded off the fluid realism of Fine’s figures and the intrigue of Eisner’s pulp/noir, and suffused them with a quality that was positively animated. To read the best of Jack Cole is to transport oneself into the cartoon. The pace was appropriately fast without disjointed leaps in the story. Fast on the heels of “Midnight” was Cole’s defining achievement: Plastic Man. Cole created the character for Police Comics #1, delivering a fully written, drawn, and lettered feature. Plastic Man was Eel The farmhouse in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where Jack Cole O’Brian, the broken-nosed former criminal, who was transformed by lived after moving from Stamford, Connecticut. © Dick Cole. chemicals and reformed into a hero with stretching powers. The lead Artists 61

➊

➋

➌

➍ Art by Jack Cole: ➊ “Death Patrol” splash from Military Comics #1 (Aug. 1941). ➋ “Midnight” from Smash Comics #37 (Nov. 1942). Original art courtesy of Terry Austin. ➌ Splash from Plastic Man #2 (1944). ➍ Splash from Plastic Man #6 (Winter 1947).

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office instead, to a farm in northern Massachusetts. In 1943, Plastic Man got his own comic and it became impossible for Cole to do all the work. He had also begun ghosting for Will Eisner on the Spirit dailies. Other writers like Manly Wade Wellman were needed to pitch in. Even after the war, additional pencilers were needed on Plastic Man. Alex Kotzky and Jack Spranger tried their best to imitate Cole, but while their work was professional, no one could duplicate Jack’s unique vision. As Gill Fox observed, “The reason why none of us was ever influenced by Cole’s work was because we knew we couldn’t match up, so why try? It was impossible to follow him. Jack was an absolute 100% original.” An artist of his caliber probably became restless after years of the same work. In 1947–48, he packaged several issues of True Crime Comics for Magazine Village—work which would eventually arouse the ire of notorious the comic book critic, Dr. Fredric Wertham (author of the infamous Seduction of the Innocent, an indictment of the comic book industry). True Crime contained graphic depictions of murder, drug abuse, and the infamous “needle in the eye” panel. He sold increasingly more cartoons to other magazines and began to burn out on “Plastic Man.” He tried some new things for Quality in the 1950s such as Web of Evil and adventure features, but the magic of “Plas” was absent in that work. Soon after leaving Quality (just before the company’s end) he abandoned comic books altogether. In 1955, New England experienced catastrophic flooding that ruined the homes of many inhabitants, the Coles included. Nearly everything Jack and Dorothy owned was lost. Jack bounced back with the determination of Plastic Man, revitalized by a new contract to illustrate a monthly cartoon for Hugh Hefner’s new magazine, Playboy. This gig was the big time. At Hefner’s urging, the Coles moved to the Chicago area, settling down in Cary, Illinois. His whimsical painted cartoons often featured titillating tableaus containing all the wit and playfulness of his earlier work—now framed by a fun loving adult form. In 1958, he also obtained the cartoonist’s Holy Grail, securing a contract to produce a newspaper strip called Betsy and Me for the Chicago Sun-Times. Jack had always been a prankster at heart, but those closest to him knew that he was prone to melancholy and depressive behaviors. He attended a Playboy party on the evening of August 12, 1958—without Dorothy—and to others in attendance he seemed in good spirits, but perhaps drank more than usual. No one could have guessed that on the following afternoon, Jack Cole would commit suicide. Cole left behind three suicide notes, one for his wife, one on his person, and one sent to Hugh Hefner. The latter has been made public, but its content still leaves the enormous unanswered question: “Why?” The note found by his side asked the reader to notify Cole’s wife, giving their address. He requested that the bearer of the bad news bring one of the Coles’ neighbors along to console her. At the end of the note, Jack wrote, “Please forgive me, hon.” Jack was obviously concerned with how his wife would take the news, as they had argued earlier. The letter Cole wrote and mailed to Hefner opened with the heart-stopping phrase, “When you read this I shall be dead.” He went on to thank Hefner for his general kindness, and to offer his apologies. (Spiegelman 121) Apparently Cole cared enough for Hefner to put his mind at “ease” with the letter. Whatever his personal problems, Cole had almost always been reliable professionally. Perhaps he felt the letter would serve as a macabre sort of formal resignation. His brother, Dick said something that provides some insight, “Jack could be moody. He’d blame things on himself. Jack was the type to always take responsibility.” No one knows the contents of the note sent to Dorothy. She remar-

ried rather quickly and moved away Jack Cole illustrates a scene of from Illinois. Jack’s family never suicide, from Plastic Man #3 (Spring 1946). heard from her again. Some suspect that she’d been having an affair. Jack Cole’s fate only adds to the fascination that envelops his career. Fortunately for his fans, his black end is outshined by the accomplishments of his life. Cole sometimes used the pen name “Ralph Johns.”

Selected Comicography • Smash #20–70 (Wun Cloo, March 1940–April 1947) • Crack #9–59 (Slap Happy Pappy, Jan. 1941–March 1949) • Smash #18–38, 68–85 (Midnight, Jan. 1941–Dec. 1942, Dec. 1946–Oct. 1949) • Hit #9–46 (Dan Tootin’, March 1941–May 1947) • National #9–60 (Windy Breeze & Quicksilver, March 1941– June 1947) • Police #1–102 (Plastic Man, Aug. 1941–53) • Military #1–3 (Death Patrol, August–Oct. 1941) + #27–30 (March–July 1944) • Police #2–55 (Plastic Man, Sept. 1941–June 1946) + National #65 (April 1948) • The Spirit daily strip (during the war; exact dates uncertain) • Plastic Man #1–52 (Summer 1943–July 1953) • Feature #76–77 (Blimpy, March–April 1944) • National #42–43 (The Barker, May–Aug. 1944) • Feature #89–100 (Poison Ivy, July 1945–July 1946) • Modern #78–88 (Fuzzy, Oct. 1948–Aug. 1949) • Modern #99–102 (Will Bragg, July–Oct. 1950) • T–Man #1 (Augie Moore, Sept. 1951) Artists 63

• Ken Shannon #1–8 (Angles O’Day, Oct. 1951–Dec. 1952) • Web of Evil #1–11 (Nov. 1952–Feb. 1954) • Intrigue #1 (Jan. 1955)

Reed Crandall (Feb. 22, 1917 – Sept. 13, 1982)

eed Crandall was recruited by Quality Comics very early in his comics career. Like Lou Fine, he was lured by Busy Arnold away from his previous employer, Eisner & Iger, to work for Quality exclusively as a freelancer. Unlike Lou Fine, he continued to work in the field well beyond the boom years of the Golden Age. The only known (and lengthy) interview with him was in Steranko’s second volume, published in 1972. Details for this brief bio were assembled from the recollections of his peers (in Alter Ego), from Steranko, and from Steve Stiles’s biography. Reed Crandall was born in Winslow, Indiana on Feb. 22, 1917. He attended the Cleveland School of Art then moved to New York. After brief stints in children’s publishing and newspaper syndication, he signed on with the Eisner & Iger shop. (Stiles) Will Eisner said that he arrived when Eisner & Iger were splitting, but Crandall’s features began appearing in comics cover dated April 1941; by this time Eisner had been independent for the better part of a year. Under Iger, his first work appeared in Fight Comics by Fiction House and Hit and National Comics at Quality. Crandall’s flair for realism was the perfect successor to Lou Fine on some of Quality’s signature features, including “The Ray,” “Doll Man,” and “Black Condor.” Alex Kotzky first met him there, and described him as “a very good looking guy; he could have easily been a male model for white collar ads, things like that. The epitome of a successful type of guy.” Gill Fox called him “pleasant and easy to talk to.” Like Lou Fine, Crandall’s style was much more akin to formal illustration than to cartooning. This sort of approach lent itself well to super-heroes and action stars like Blackhawk. Several of his contemporaries described his photographic memory when it came to drawing. He could study an object or scene then return to his drawing board and recreate it faithfully. And he knew he was good. His editor, Al Grenet confirmed his tendency to prima donna behavior. He was notorious for changing scripts to suit his own style—even the all-important splash pages. Crandall didn’t take criticism very well—he took it personally. He was perhaps closest with his usual inker, Chuck Cuidera, who like so many of Crandall’s fans labeled Reed one of the best artists who ever worked in comics. The two were personal friends and socialized outside of work. But even Cuidera (among others) confessed that Crandall drank heavily, though it never seemed to affect the quality of his work. When Cuidera tried to counsel him about it, it didn’t go well: “One time in the 1950s, [Reed] was starting to make a surf pole and I was teaching him how to rewind the surf thread. All of a sudden, he moved up to where Sid Greene and his wife were, and that was the beginning of the end of our relationship. After that, I only saw him when he came in to the Quality offices.” Although his work was highly valued by his boss, Busy Arnold, Reed became increasingly difficult to work with. His last Quality editor, Al Grenet confirmed, “Arnold fired Crandall because he always made smart remarks. It was like insubordination. Crandall always wanted everything his way. And his drinking didn’t help. He got married, and then his wife left him. He wasn’t the same guy after that. He’d give me a hard time when I asked for changes. He wouldn’t listen to

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me. He’d say, ‘What do you know?’ That kind of stuff.” Based on the work attributed to Crandall at Quality, his termination seems to have happened sometime in 1953. He then moved to EC, Marvel, and others where he worked mostly on horror and western features. He never attained the industry recognition of his peers like Fine, Eisner, or Cole (though Busy Arnold did reward him with a salary and bonuses commensurate with his abilities). Kotzky recounted a story he’d heard from a colleague (probably Al Williamson), who had discovered Crandall in a bar in upstate New York, as a janitor. Al took him under his wing and helped rehabilitate him. Reed relocated to Cleveland and began working again. By the date of his last work in 1973 (Warren’s Creepy #54), his health had declined. In 1974 he suffered a stroke at age 57, then spent the last eight years of his life in a nursing home until a fatal heart attack on Sept. 13, 1982. (Stiles) Reed Crandall sometimes signed his work “Gregg Powers.”

Selected Comicography: • Feature #43–70 (Samar & Doll Man, Apr. 1941–Aug. 1943) • National #10–15, 26 & covers #16–20, 25, 30–33 (Paul Bunyan & Uncle Sam, April 1941–July 1943) • Hit #10–17 (The Old Witch & Hercules, April 1941–Nov. 1941) • Smash #24–29, 35–37 (The Ray, July 1941–Nov. 1942) • Police #1–12 & cover #13 (Firebrand, Aug. 1941–Nov. 1942) • Military #12–22 (Blackhawk, Oct. 1942–Sept. 1943) • Modern #48–101 (Blackhawk, Apr. 1946–Sept. 1950) • Blackhawk #10–11, 16, 18, 19–67 (Spring 1946–Aug. 1953) • Crack #47–61 (Captain Triumph, March 1947–July 1949) • Hit #61–65 (Jeb Rivers, Nov. 1949–July 1950) • Crack Western #63–65, 77, 79 (Nov. 1949–July 1952) • Buccaneers #19–27 (Jan. 1950–May 1951) • Ken Shannon #1–8 (Oct. 1951–Dec. 1952) • Police #102, 105–126 (Ken Shannon, Oct. 1950–June 1953) • T–Man #4–14 (mainly covers, March 1952–Feb. 1954)

Chuck Cuidera Charles Nicholas Cuidera (Sept. 23, 1915–Aug. 25, 2001)

etails about Chuck Cuidera’s contributions to the Golden Age comics industry are riddled with contradiction and conjecture. As a penciler, his career was short. Most of his work was in inking. His career warrants more discussion, however, because of his claims to having created two Golden Age hits, the Blue Beetle, and Blackhawk. Cuidera originally gave an account to Paragon (now AC) in Golden Age Men of Mystery #12 (1999). Then in 1999, Cuidera appeared with Will Eisner at the Comic-Con International, where the issues of these heroes were raised. It was then that Eisner “half-conceded” Blackhawk’s creation to Chuck. After that, Jim Amash got a more lengthy account of Cuidera’s side of the story in Alter Ego #34 (March 2004). In that interview, Cuidera was adamant about this history, but he plainly reversed his story from that in Men of Mystery, changing the details to distance himself from Eisner in different ways. Chuck Cuidera was born in Newark, New Jersey on Sept. 23, 1915. He was raised in a large Sicilian/Jewish household and credited his artistic career to his mother, who showed similar inclinations. His love of popular comic strip artists like Hal Foster, Alex Raymond and Milton Caniff led him to pursue an education at the Pratt Institute from 1936–39, which at the time was an architectural and engineering school. Upon graduation, he hoped to become a traditional illustrator,

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➍ Art by Reed Crandall: ➊ Cover of Modern Comics #78 (Aug. 1941). Scan courtesy of Heritage Auctions. ➋ Cover of Crack Western #78 (May 1952). Photocopy of the original art courtesy of Ray A. Cuthbert. ➌ Mystery, the witch, from Military Comics #15 (Jan. 1943). Scan courtesy of Jon Berk. ➍ “The Ray,” from Smash Comics #27 (Oct. 1941). Scan courtesy of Jon Berk.

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The “Blackhawk” feature like Norman Rockwell. His first job in comics was at Fox frequently identified the members as pioneered here by Cuidera in Features, where he was hired by his last penciled issue, Military Joe Simon. There he contributed Comics #11 (Aug. 1942). to features like “The Flame” and “Blue Beetle.” There’s been a debate over the creation of the Blue Beetle, whose debut adventure in Fox’s Mystery Men Comics #1 (1939) was signed “Charles Nicholas.” The Beetle went on to become a very popular hero and both Cuidera and another artist made dueling claims as to its creation. According to Cuidera, his work sometimes appeared under the pen name “Charles Nicholas,” as Nicholas was his middle name. But there was another artist working on features for Fox (via Eisner & Iger) with the same first two names: Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski. One only needs to read the first several “Blue Beetles” and “Blackhawk” to deduce that they were not drawn by the same artist. Cuidera was indisputably the artist behind “Blackhawk,” which showed the skill of an artist with a fine arts background. “Blue Beetle,” by comparison, is very raw and figures are anatomically weird, like dolls (this same style appears in the early “Red Bee” features). The writers at the online encyclopedia Lambiek.net received exclusive correspondence from the family of Charles Wojtkoski. The site reports that Wojtkoski “created the character when he was 18-19 years old, but was forced to sell the rights to Blue Beetle to support his family shortly before going into service in World War II.” This of course suggests that he had the foresight to actually retain the copyrights on the character (rare for comic books of that time). Cuidera claimed that Wojtkoski followed him on the title and merely continued to use the pen name “Nicholas.” Quality editor Al Grenet never believed

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Cuidera’s claim, mostly because he knew Chuck to be an inker more than a penciler/creator. Murphy Anderson, however, came down on Cuidera’s side, “because he was a pretty straight guy.” C’est la vie. Cuidera came to work for Quality via his old schoolmate, Bob Powell, who coaxed him from Fox over to work for Will Eisner. At exactly that time, Eisner was splitting from Jerry Iger to form a new partnership with Quality. In his interview with Jim Amash, Cuidera claimed that he was then hired by Busy Arnold and was sent to Tudor City to work on features overseen by Eisner. Prior to this, in the 1999 interview with Paragon, he clearly recounted the opposite, saying he’d negotiated his salary directly with Eisner and that he got his weekly salary from him. Some of his first Quality work included “Uncle Sam” and inking for The Spirit dailies. During his interview, Amash observed some hostility from Cuidera when describing his relationship with Will Eisner. This probably stems from the second great controversy in Cuidera’s career: the creation of Blackhawk. Cuidera claimed that he had created Blackhawk before ever having met Will Eisner, and originally took the feature directly to Busy Arnold. He also reversed his story on who wrote those early stories. In Men of Mystery, he said “Bob Powell wrote [Blackhawk] from my pictures. I did the art first. I wasn’t very good at storytelling.” Further, he said that Bob Powell—not Eisner—wrote the first script and that it was all created when Eisner was gone on vacation. He cited Powell’s contribution in Steranko, too. (Steranko:58) But then with Amash, he claimed, “I wrote the first dozen or so ‘Blackhawk’ stories.” Both Les Zakarin and Al Grenet told Jim Amash that Cuidera was claiming the creation of Blackhawk as far back as the 1950s. DC’s Blackhawk editor, George Kashdan didn’t believe it. Why the conflicting stories? Nick Cardy offered, “Chuck Cuidera was a nice fellow who worked hard, but you didn’t rub him the wrong way. It looked like he was all ready to snap at anybody, and you had to guard what you say.” (Alter Ego #65) Eisner was diplomatic on the subject: “I’m perfectly willing to leave the creation to Chuck under the theory that the guy who has the initial idea is not as important as the guy who continues the feature.” (Alter Ego 48: 13) Eisner described the creation of other features like “the Ray” and “Black Condor” in a similar fashion. He took credit for the concept, but credits Lou Fine with tooling them into the form that went to press. Eisner was also generous in crediting Cuidera with running their studio at Tudor City, in Manhattan. Sadly for Cuidera, it is artist

“Blackhawk” artist/co-creator Chuck Cuidera (left) with Gill Fox at a comics convention circa 2000. © Dave Siegel.

Reed Crandall whom most people credit with Blackhawk’s success. Whatever their origins, Cuidera drew their first eleven adventures before being drafted in 1942. He served domestically with the Army Air Force (which no doubt enriched his work on Blackhawk after the war). Being an aviation enthusiast, he based the first Blackhawk planes on the unusual Grumman F5F Skyrockets. He and Reed Crandall would occasionally change the planes to keep current with the real world. He designed the top part of the Blackhawks’ uniforms and borrowed the bottom part from the work of Alex (“Flash Gordon”) Raymond. A scarf and hawk symbol were added to Blackhawk himself, to help distinguish the leader of the team. One of the team’s later additions was named “Chuck,” after Cuidera (and “Stanislaus” was named for Bob Powell, whose real name was Stanley Pawlowski). Chuck Cuidera worked at Quality right up to its end, inking Blackhawk. When DC Comics assumed publication of that title, Busy Arnold himself went to bat for Cuidera and DC agreed to continue his employment (as well as penciler Dick Dillin’s). Chuck disliked his editor there, Jack Schiff, whom he described as “tough to get along with.” He stuck it out at DC through the late ’60s. Chuck married just before the war and eventually had three children. He died in 2001.

Selected comicography: • Blackhawk #67–107 (Aug. 1953–Dec. 1956) • Military Comics #1–11 (Blackhawk, Aug. 1941–Aug. 1942) • Modern Comics #48–102 (Blackhawk, April 1946–Oct. 1950)

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917–Jan. 3, 2005)

ecause Eisner’s history is so intertwined with that of Quality Comics itself, it would be redundant to reiterate the information in the History section here. That section covers his personal background, business relationships and the impressions of his peers and employees. Here, however, is a good place to discuss a couple of things in Eisner’s 1986 graphic novel, The Dreamer. Its story is a roman à clef detailing the formative days of his career. In his introduction to The Dreamer, Eisner was somewhat ambiguous about its factual accuracy, “The Dreamer, intended as a work of fiction, ultimately took on the shape of a historical account. In the telling, it was inescapable that the actors would resemble real people.” However, the novel’s scenes are largely reiterated as fact by Eisner, both in Jim Amash’s interview and in Bob Andelman’s A Spirited Life.

The Dreamer Legend #1: George Tuska punched Bob Powell while working in the Eisner studio. (Alter Ego #48, Andelman 42-43) Nick Cardy, in his talk with Jim Amash, said that he’d asked Tuska about it. Tuska confirmed that he’d been involved in the scuffle, but it was at in the Harry “A” Chesler shop, and George had decked Rafael Astarita (because he’d been “pestering” people in the studio).

Two pages from Will Eisner’s “Espionage,” starring Black Ace (a.k.a. Black X), both from Smash Comics #5 (Dec. 1939). Left: Photocopies of the original art courtesy of Ethan Roberts. Right: Scan courtesy of Jon Berk.

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The Dreamer Legend #2: At trial, Eisner defied Victor Fox and told the truth about his creation of “Wonder Man.” (Andelman 43-45) According to Eisner, when DC sued Fox over Wonder Man, for infringement on Superman, Will admitted that Fox asked him to create a copy of Superman. Recently, however, Ken Quattro—a great admirer of Eisner—was offered the transcripts of that trial. Quattro was shocked to learn that Eisner had testified to the exact opposite, denying to the court that Fox had requested that he copy Superman. In the transcripts, Eisner maintains that “Wonder Man” was created in January 1938 for Fox—before Superman’s debut—even though Wonder Man #1 was cover dated May 1939. He further claimed that he had never heard of Superman or seen a copy of Action Comics prior to creating Wonder Man (despite, as Quattro points out, the fact that Eisner claimed to have rejected Siegel and Shuster’s proposal for the character). Eisner asserted instead that his inspiration came from “The Phantom.” (Quattro) It’s easy to see why Fox lost the case when you read the evidence for yourself. Quattro’s blog article also reproduces the trial’s side-by-side comparison of Superman story panels with those in the original Wonder Man story. Find the web address in the Bibliography, page 212.

necessitated a lift on one shoe. Despite this, he was fully mobile and as an adult developed a strong, broad-chested physique. His family was raised in a modest home in Brooklyn, part of a Jewish tenement neighborhood. He had one older brother, Sam and one sister. Lou was a good student and bent to his stern father’s wishes, studying engineering at the Cooper Union, in New York. His mother died during this time. Lou Fine’s first comic book work was for Eisner & Iger, in 1938. Even in these early days, on features for Fiction House and Fox, Fine was beginning to make his mark on early heroes like “The Flame” and “Samson.” Chuck Cuidera said of that time “nobody drew anatomical figures better than Lou Fine.” His earliest work for Quality was on “Doll Man,” which was created by Will Eisner. He is best remembered for other iconic Eisner collaborations for Quality such as “Uncle Sam,” “the Ray,” and “Black Condor.” Fine’s love for drawing pervaded his forms. Some of the line quality in Lou Fine’s artwork was the result of inking with an unusual Japanese brush—longer and thinner. He copied this practice from Will Eisner, and the result was… finer line work and fluidly moving figures. Lou eventually switched to a regular brush. He didn’t do thumbnails, and his pencils were loose, with lots of Selected Comicography: construction lines. He never wrote his Eisner’s involvement might be more features; Fine was more interested in extensive than anyone could measure, straight drawing than storytelling, per se. as he wrote many scripts and coPerhaps the only person critical of Lou created many characters. These are Fine’s work was his one-time boss, Will some of his more well-documented Eisner: “What I learned from Lou was contributions, and those for which his art style is apparent: what not to do in storytelling. Lou didn’t • Feature Funnies #3–22 (Espionage, like humor; he couldn’t understand humor. Dec. 1937–July 1939) then in Smash …The best stories are the ones where art Comics #1–15 (Aug. 1939–Oct. 1940) is in service to the writing.” One of the • Feature Funnies #3–12 (Hawks of better examples of this was his depiction the Seas, Dec. 1937–Sept. 1938) of the Spirit’s hat (of all things), which for • Feature Comics #27–40 (Doll Man, Dec. 1939–Jan. 1941) some reason was plainly goofy. • National Comics #1–3 (Uncle Sam, Aside from that, everyone who knew July 1940–Sept. 1940) & #21–25 him regarded him well both personally (March 1942 Oct. 1942) Will Eisner circa 1980. Photo by Sam Maronie. © Estate of Will Eisner. and professionally. Chuck Mazoujian, his • The Spirit Section (June 2, 1940– one-time studio mate, described Lou as mid–1942, late 1945–Oct. 5., 1952) “a very nice, easy-going guy, very bright reprinted in Police Comics #11–43 and talkative.” His own son Elliot called him a warm, generous, and (1942–1945), and The Spirit #1–22 (1944–Aug. 1950) • Uncle Sam Quarterly #1 (Autumn 1941) doting father. Lou’s sister-in-law Pearl said, “Everyone gravitated to Lou. He was like the sun… so cozy and warm.” By several accounts, Lou was also interested in politics. A liberal, he was a great admirer of Franklin Roosevelt and he would engage family members in political discussions. Louis Kenneth Fine (Nov. 26, 1914–July 24, 1971) Not long into Fine’s career, Will Eisner dissolved his partnership with Jerry Iger and joined a new venture with Quality Comics in im Amash unearthed a gold mine of details about Lou Fine in his 1940. Eisner took Fine and two other artists with him and arranged interviews with the surviving family. Fine’s son, Elliot, daughter for a new studio at Tudor City, in Manhattan, where Fine worked Laurie, and sister-in-law Pearl Cherry shared many personal accounts and exclusively on Quality Comics features. Soon after this, Fine was photos of Fine, who made a strong and early impression on comic book art. approached by Busy Arnold to work directly for him. A heated discussion arose between Fine and Eisner. Normally Lou was a “quiet Read those interviews in Alter Ego #17 (Sept. 2002). even-balanced guy,” as Chuck Cuidera said, but this argument over Louis Kenneth Fine was born on November 26, 1914, most likely salary set off something in him. Eisner had little room to negotiate. in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a strict Russian immigrant Considering all things necessary to turn a profit for his company, he who painted houses. He began drawing at age five, perhaps because was unwilling to pay Fine a higher page rate than Arnold was offerof his physical limitations, from an early bout with polio that left ing. Fine accepted Arnold’s offer and was moved to a different studio him with one shorter leg. The disease created a permanent limp, and apartment in Tudor City.

Lou Fine

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Fine married his wife, Mary Sussman, in 1941 and they moved to in to take care of the kids, but Lou soon remarried to a woman named Stamford, Connecticut to be close to Quality’s offices. Their home Sarah, to whom his children never warmed. In fact, his children and was both open and open-hearted. They took in Mary’s sister, Pearl, those of his second wife got along so poorly that Lou bought a second house for his new bride and step-children. and their father. Lou and Mary His commercial art career was negatively imbecame close friends with Gill pacted by the rise of commercial photography and Fox and his wife Helen. Fox was television. He eventually returned to the land of the enamored of Fine’s work and they comics, working on odd newspaper strips for a steady first met during those early days at paycheck. The longest of these, Peter Scratch, was Quality, before Fox became editor. written by Elliot Caplin and lasted just under two Fox surmised that Lou was making years in the mid-’60s, at which time he continued “about thirty grand a year, which to scare up advertising work. was good money back then.” Fine also painted recreationally, but Elliot Fine Despite their differences, Fine felt that his work in commercial art had somehow became the primary artist on Eistainted the quality of his paintings: “The later ones ner’s weekly “Spirit” feature when had technical skill, but I didn’t think they were that Will went into the Army. During interesting. If you looked at those and compared this time, Lou took on assistants them to his illustrations, there’s no comparison.” Alex Kotzky and John Belfi to help Lou Fine died of a heart attack (his second or with the workload. Fine worked possibly third) in 1971. He’d been a smoker and at Quality Comics throughout had been on medication since his late forties. He the war, but for the monumental and Sarah divorced sometime before that, but were impression he made, Lou Fine’s still in contact. tenure there (and in comic books) was relatively brief. When Eisner returned in 1945, Fine left comic Selected Comicography books for “nobler” pursuits in the Note: Bob Fujitani told Jim Amash that because Fine was rather slow, other artists advertising industry. Busy Arnold were sometimes assigned to provide pencils had always paid him well, but acor layouts for him. This probably accounts for cording to Lou’s son, his real money some of the rather wonky art that appears in came from this advertising work. “The Ray” and other stories attributed to Fine. Yes, he was among the highest (Alter Ego #23) paid and most recognized comic • F eature Comics #28–37 (Doll Man, Jan. 1940– Oct. 1940) artists, but it wasn’t the career he • S mash Comics #14–34 (The Ray, Sept. 1940– had envisioned. Fine had gone into July 1942) comic books because that was the •H it Comics #1–7 (Red Bee, Jan. 1941–July opportunity which presented itself, 1941), #8–17 (covers, Feb. 1941–Nov. 1941) but he was a formal illustrator at •N ational Comics #1–20 (Uncle Sam, Feb. 1942– heart. His style, though lyrical, July 1940) & Uncle Sam Quarterly #2 (Wtr. was grounded more in realism 1941) •C rack Comics #1–24 (Black Condor, May 1940– than in cartooning. It’s not hard July 1942) to understand his decision to leap • The Spirit Section (mid-1942–late 1945) into commercial illustration, given its creative and monetary potential. Lou’s son Elliot was born on December 7, 1944 and the Fines later adopted a girl, Laurie, who Gilbert Fox (Nov. 29, 1919–May 15, 2004) was born in 1951. After World War II, the Fines followed the lead of many urban families and ill Fox was an influential presence at Quality, both moved to a new suburban developas an artist and editor. He also worked for other ment in Long Island called East historically significant publishers in the earliest days of Rockaway, where Lou installed comic books. This timing provided Fox with some of the his own studio. In his commercial most invaluable insights to the industry’s Golden Age. style, he was able to change from He was interviewed by Jim Amash for Alter Ego #12 the sweeping brush lines to a style (Jan. 2002). more contemporary with wholesome 1950s advertising. Gill Fox was a child of the Depression who had a Top: A photo of Lou Fine taken by his friend and When Mary died in 1956 at age fellow artist Gill Fox in downtown Stamford, growing fascination with comic strips. In adoles36 of a heart valve defect, Lou and Connecticut, circa 1942. Middle: Lou and his wife, cence, he copied the newspaper comics, emulating Mary, on the second day of their honeymoon in June the children were traumatized. 1941. Bottom: Holding his daughter, Laurie. Latter two his idol George McManus, who drew Bringing Mary’s sister Pearl Cherry stepped photos © Elliot Fine. Up Father. (Fox even met him once at the offices

Gill Fox

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➍ Art by Lou Fine: ➊ Cover of National Comics #11 (May 1941). Scan courtesy of Heritage Auctions. ➋ Cover of Hit Comics #17 (Nov. 1941). ➌ “Black Condor” from Crack Comics #17 (Oct. 1941). ➍ “Doll Man” from Feature Comics #32 (May 1940). Latter three: photocopies of the original art courtesy of Dennis Beaulieu.

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of King Features Syndicate.) While still at Textile High School in in Connecticut. After about six months he was called for service in Greenwich Village, New York, his parents gave him the Landon Art the Army anyway. At his camp in Mississippi, he received some intelligence training Correspondence Course for his sixteenth birthday. It took him about and managed to freelance on the side, providing cartoons for the a year to complete, and he followed the lessons religiously. Life drawing classes enhanced his skills and by the time he gradu- local newspaper. In December 1944, he shipped out with a division ated, he had heard about Fleischer Studios, where he landed his first of 15,000 men to Europe, just in time for the Battle of the Bulge. job in 1936. He became an “opaquer,” or one who colored the backs After landing in Marseilles, he was put aboard a train and shipped of animated cartoon cells. At Fleischer, he touched up cartoons like to the front. In France, Fox saw frighteningly real battlefields and Nazi combat, but he was one of the lucky ones. He eventually scored Betty Boop and Popeye. When comic books became more popular, Fox found work writing a post with the military’s Stars and Stripes newspaper, for which he did a cartoon. He was in Paris when the and drawing small features at Bill Cook’s U.S. bombed Japan, and was discharged Comics Magazine Co., and for Vin Sulin April 1946. livan and Whitney Ellsworth at National When he returned, Busy Arnold began Comics (DC). Gill even remembered his sending him filler work and he gradually editors discussing their recent sales sensagot back into penciling many Quality feation, “Superman.” tures, but he had no desire to return to the From there, he answered an ad by Harry editor’s position. He joined the National “A” Chesler, who packaged comics features. Cartoonists Society in 1947. He worked for Gill made good money doing miscellaneous Arnold until 1951, at which time he finally features there, working next to Jack Cole, got his dream job, working on staff for the Frank Frollo, Charles Biro, and Bart Tumey. advertising agency Johnstone and Cushing. He worked there until Chesler closed the The remainder of his career was studded shop. Fox said that he started at Quality in with highlights and accolades, including 1938. If so, it would have been late in that a newspaper strip and appointment to year. Features bearing his byline appear at the Board of Governors for the National other publishers through August 1939, and Cartoonists Society. After Johnstone and his first for Quality begin that same month, Cushing folded in 1962, he found his way in Smash Comics #1. He was hired by the onto a widely syndicated panel-comic called editor, Ed Cronin, and quickly picked up “Side Glances,” for which he dropped all more duties and produced more features. his other work. After becoming Cronin’s assistant, Fox Fox retired in 2003 and produced a regular married his wife Helen, and moved near cartoon for The Fairfield Citizen News until Quality’s offices in Stamford, Connecticut, A portrait of Gill Fox from 1963. © Estate of Gill Fox. that time. One week before he retired, he on November 13, 1939. had a stroke. He told Jim Amash, “I’m When Cronin left in 1942, Fox was promoted to editor. At that time, editors drew many of Quality’s covers. glad I retired before I had the stroke. That makes it easier for me to His first cover showcased Doll Man, on Feature Comics #54 (March handle no longer working.” Gill passed away in 2004. Note: Credits for Gill Fox in the Grand Comics Database include 1942). He continued drawing the occasional feature or filler, and did some backgrounds on “The Spirit” when Will Eisner was backed up. some features published during 1945-46, when he was still in Europe. This led to Gill writing five consecutive weeks of the daily story line, which highlighted the Ebony character. Selected Comicography: In Connecticut, Fox and his wife became good friends with Lou • Smash #9–30 (April 1940–Jan. 1942) #41–45 Fine, Jack Cole, and other Quality staffers. Even though they social(March 1943–Aug. 1943) #75–84 (Feb. 1948–Aug. 1949) ized, Fox was still Cole’s editor. Once when Cole’s work was overdue, • Crack #1–26 (May 1940–Nov. 1942) Fox paid a visit to his house. No one answered the door, but Gill • Feature #32–88 (Poison Ivy, May 1940–May 1945) #108– noticed Cole watching through the window. 132 (Perky, March 1947–March 1949) Lou Fine and his wife, however, were true friends to Gill and Helen. • National #13–37 (Cyclone Cupid, July 1941–Nov. 1943) (Fox eventually inherited some of Fine’s art, which is exceedingly #57–75 (Granny Gumshoe, Dec. 1946–Dec. 1949) rare because Busy Arnold tended to throw it out.) Artist Bob Powell • Doll Man #1–3, 5, 8–10, 12, 22–26, 29, 39, 35–47 and his wife introduced Fox to competitive badminton, in which he (Autumn 1941–Oct. 1953) became heavily involved for 28 years (and was the state champion • Police (covers & Super Snooper) #1–24 (Aug. 1941– for his age group). Nov. 1943) Gill Fox was drafted while Quality was still in Stamford and before • Hit #22 (cover, June 1942) he left, he helped set up the company’s second New York office. Just • Uncle Sam Quarterly #4, 7 (1942–1943) as he was supposed to head into the Army, he had a fateful discussion • Military #20–21 (Death Patrol, July–Aug. 1943), with Busy Arnold’s business partner, Henry Martin. Martin thought #35–102 (Choo Choo, Jan. 1945–Oct. 1950) Fox had the potential to produce a daily syndicated strip, which was • Lady Luck #86–90 (covers, Dec. 1949–Aug. 1950) every cartoonist’s dream. But Fox was classified 1-A for military • Torchy #1–6 (Nov. 1949–Sept. 1950) service and had to abandon the idea. Under the national “Work or • Plastic Man #32, 42, 43, 45, 46, 55, 60 (Nov. 1953– Fight” order, Fox tried to change professions in order to dodge the March 1956) draft. He quit the editor’s job in mid-1943 and went to work on farms Artists 71

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➍ Art by Gill Fox: ➊ Cover of Police Comics #9 (May 1942). Scan courtesy of Jon Berk. ➋ Cover of Crack Comics #18 (Nov. 1941). Scan courtesy of Jon Berk. ➌ “Death Patrol,” from Military Comics #21 (Aug. 1943). Scan courtesy of Heritage Auctions. ➍ “Poison Ivy,” from Feature Comics circa 1943. Artwork courtesy of Gill Fox.

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Fred Guardineer (Oct. 3, 1913–Sept. 13, 2002)

red Guardineer was a freelancer who entered on the ground floor of super-hero comics, producing early artwork for Comics Magazine Co. and National (DC). Some details of his life are corroborated here by the interview in The Comics Journal #282, by Dylan Williams. Fred Guardineer was an only child born in Albany, New York, and his family moved to Westchester County when he was two. As a boy, he began drawing cowboys, Indians, and the natural world. Later in life, his peers would characterize him as “militaristic,” which is probably attributable to his primary education at the strict Albany Boys’ Military Academy. After that, he studied fine arts at Syracuse University and in 1935 began by drawing for pulp magazines. He started working on comics in Harry “A” Chesler’s shop in 1936, where he met his future Quality editor, Gill Fox. Fox praised Guardineer: “He was almost like a military man. A very precise person. Nice looking guy. Even at Chesler’s, his work was far advanced. I believe he had a formal education, and he wrote his own stuff at Chesler’s and for me.” Fred kept a sizable clippings file, and remarked that no magazine escaped his house without being stripped clean of every photograph. In comics, he took every opportunity to copy things like firearms, wildlife and even movie stars into his artwork (there’s a notable cameo of Clark Gable in an issue of the cowboy comic The Durango Kid). Fred’s style was unique and easily recognizable, made of clean lines and dynamic compositions. After Chesler, he went to work for National (DC) and its owner Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. Guardineer became friends with Vin Sullivan and Craig Flessel there, and created “Zatara” for Action Comics #1 (June 1938), also “Speed Saunders” for Detective Comics. Some of that work overlapped with his Quality features, which began in 1941. At Quality, he drew another pair of magicians, Tor and Merlin, who like Zatara spoke their spells in reverse (for more on these features, see the character profiles). After marrying Ruth Ball in 1938, he set up a home studio in Brooklyn and worked from there for the remainder of his art career. Guardineer usually wrote and drew his Quality features, the lon-

Guardineer’s “Tor,” from Crack

gest running of which was “Blue Comics #21 (Feb. 1942). Tracer,” in Military Comics. He also left his mark in the pages of Will Eisner’s Spirit Section, taking over the chores on “Mr. Mystic” when Bob Powell went into the Army. He, too, was drafted in 1944 and fought in the Philippines. When he returned, he felt rusty. He did some work for Busy Arnold that Fred considered to be beneath his own standards, and so he drifted between various other publishers, working largely for Magazine Enterprises and Lev Gleason. (Williams) Because of the volatile nature of the industry, he left comics in the mid-’50s and began a career with the U.S. Postal Service, where he worked for the next twenty years. He continued to draw and write about hunting and fishing for local newspapers. In 1998, Guardineer attended the Comic-Con International as a panelist, and was awarded the convention’s Inkpot Award. He passed away on September 13, 2002.

Selected Comicography:

Fred Guardineer (right) with two other DC pioneers at a 1999 reunion: Sheldon Moldoff (left, who created Kid Eternity for Quality) and Creig Flessel. © Dave Siegel.

• Crack Comics #10–25 (Tor, Feb. 1941–Sept. 1942) • National Comics #12–41 (Merlin and Quicksilver, June 1941– April 1944) • Military Comics #1–32 (Blue Tracer and more, Aug. 1941– Sept. 1944) • Police Comics #1–13 (The Mouthpiece, Aug. 1941–Nov. 1942) • Hit Comics #22–24 (Swordfish, June 1942–Oct. 1942) • Doll Man #3–6 (The Dragon, Summer 1942–Summer 1943) • Smash Comics #39–52 (Marksman, Jan. 1943–April 1944) • The Spirit Section (Mr. Mystic, Oct. 10, 1943–May 1944)

Artists 73

Paul Gustavson Karl Paul Gustafson (Sept. 16, 1916–April 29, 1977)

aul Gustavson was a prolific and proficient writer/artist, whose career began in the early days of the comic book medium. Despite his long career, there is precious little to formally document the man himself. His son, Terry, who now lives in Finland, aided the authors by providing key facts about Paul’s life.

Karl Paul Gustafson (with an ‘f,’ though all his work is signed with a ‘v’) was born on the island of Åland, Finland, in the Baltic sea. His family came to America when he was five and Gustafson went to college at Cooper Union in New York for Civil Engineering. He apprenticed under the cartoonist Frank Owen. (“Super-heroes with Åland roots”) His first comic book work was in the Harry “A” Chesler shop, which like Eisner & Iger packaged stories for other publishers. Paul’s features appeared frequently at Centaur and included both humor and adventure. His first super-heroes were the Arrow and the Fantom of the Fair. More significantly, he penciled, inked and lettered the first appearance of the Angel for Timely (Marvel) in 1939. His contributions for other publications were largely over by 1942, and he continued to work exclusively for Quality until the company closed its doors. Gustavson’s work didn’t garner as much attention as some of his contemporaries, but the longevity of his features and evolving nature of his work speaks for itself. He created many memorable characters for Quality, including the Spider, Magno, Rusty Ryan, and two of the company’s longest running heroes—the Human Bomb and the Jester. Gustavson’s drawing style changed and improved markedly over time, as he adapted his style to the tone of his features. In his earlier work, the anatomy was sometimes a bit off and his figures were often posed in similar ways, and you can see the influence of the Quality “house style” (dictated by Will Eisner and Lou Fine). During World War Two, Gustavson tried to shake up the status quo in the “Human Bomb” series by adding the Bombadiers, three flying sidekicks, to the mix. The Bombadiers were soon forgotten and Gustavson returned to his previous formula, playing the Bomb’s sidekick, Hustace Throckmorton, for laughs. He also followed Jack Cole on the humorous feature, “Midnight.” As super-heroes retired, Gustavson moved on to more humor features like “Honeybun,” “Will Bragg,” and “Chop Chop.” Editor Gill Fox described Gustavson as a “very pleasant guy, easy to get to know. He never became a genius as an artist, but he was very professional and could do three penciled-and-inked pages to your one any day. He wrote his own stuff [at Chesler] and for Quality.” His later editor, Al Grenet, was a bit more forthcoming: “He used to come in drunk in the morning. It’d be 9:00 in the morning and you could smell the alcohol before he walked in the door. He didn’t work in the office. He’d come in to pick up a script in that condition. I don’t know how he drove home.” Veteran comic artist Murphy Anderson offered an interesting anecdote: “In the summer of 1942 I had corresponded with publisher Busy Arnold and he encouraged me by sending me a Paul Gustavson original, which I still have.” This is astounding because so little original art exists from Quality Comics (Busy Arnold threw it away to prevent unauthorized duplication). Anderson’s now-priceless page is from “The Jester” in Smash Comics. Gustavson joined in the Air Force between 1942-45 (Horn) and he returned to Quality after that. He worked there until the company folded in the 1956, then exited the comics business for good. At some

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point, he married Gladys Bayer A studio portrait of Paul and they had three children. He Gustavson from the late ’40s/early ’50s. © Terry Gustafson. went to work for a local surveyor, Pierson Booth. When the company’s owner fell ill, Gustavson took over the company and ran it for over ten years. After the owner passed away, he went to work for Orange County New York, Department of Public Works, Highway Department as a Junior Engineer and headed survey crews. Paul Gustavson passed away on April 29, 1977 in Warwick, New York. His son, Terry P. Gustafson, also has one son, Daniel Gunnar Gustafson, who married a woman from Norway. Terry Gustafson worked with the Åland Post Office to produce a series of stamps featuring Paul’s heroes. In 2011, the stamps were issued from its capital, Mariehamn, and feature three of his creations: the Fantom of the Fair, the Arrow, and the Spider. Paul Gustavson’s work also appeared under the names “Paul Earrol” and “Paul Carroll.”

Selected Comicography: • Smash Comics #4–12 (Flash Fulton, Nov. 1939–July 1940) • Crack Comics #1–27 (Alias the Spider, May 1940–Jan. 1943) • Feature Comics #32–135 (Rusty Ryan, May 1940–June 1949) • Smash Comics #14–21 (Magno, Sept. 1940–April 1941) • Smash Comics #22–46 (The Jester, May 1941–Sept. 1943) • Police Comics #1–22, 37–58 (Human Bomb, Aug. 1941–Sept. 1943, Dec. 1944–Sept. 1946) • National Comics #21–26 (Quicksilver, March 1942–Nov. 1942) • Hit Comics #26–29 (Bill the Magnificent, Feb. 1943–Sept. 1943) • Smash Comics #39–67 (Midnight, Jan. 1943–Oct. 1946) • Modern Comics #47–98 (Will Bragg, March 1946–June 1950) • Police Comics #59–88 (Honeybun, Oct. 1946–March 1949),

then in National Comics #71–75 (April 1949–Dec. 1949) • The Spirit #11–14 (Jonesy, Spring 1948–Winter 1948) • Kid Eternity #9–14 (Spring 1948–March 1949) • Blackhawk #37–95 (Chop Chop, Feb. 1951–Dec. 1955)

Vernon Henkel (Nov. 27, 1917–2009)

ern Henkel was an early and prolific contributor to Quality Comics. His drawing style was consistent and adaptable to any subject matter. It’s recognizable for its square-jawed heroes and clean-lined action. He was interviewed by Jim Amash for Alter Ego #48 (May 2005). Vernon Henkel was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Nov. 27, 1917. He was a comics enthusiast from an early age and began drawing by copying the Sunday comics at age five. He became one of Quality’s earliest independent contributors, creating his first feature, “Gallant Knight” for Feature Funnies #7 (April 1938). He was hired sightunseen by Quality publisher Busy Arnold as a freelancer, and said he

Vern Henkel circa 2000. © Vern Henkel.

would create and mail his work to Art by Paul Gustavson. Left: “The Jester,” from Smash Comics #27 Quality’s New York office. When (Oct. 1941). Original art courtesy the two finally met, Arnold was of Murphy Anderson, to whom it surprised to see that Henkel was was given by Busy Arnold in 1941. Right: “The Human Bomb,” from just past twenty years old; his Police Comics #9 (May 1942). stories read like the works of an older man. Originally, Arnold was partnered with three syndicates who provided the bulk of the material in Feature Funnies. Henkel described a day in 1940, when one of those partners, Frank Markey, summoned him to discuss the potential for his own syndicated newspaper strip. Busy reportedly “steered” Henkel away from that meeting with Markey and as a result, Vern remained with Quality for the next eight years. Arnold probably held Henkel’s work in high esteem, because this incident is similar to others in which Busy went to great lengths to secure reliable talent. Vern received regular raises and bonuses for his loyalty and hard work. For a brief time, Arnold even provided Henkel with studio space at Hotel 10 on Park Avenue. Often Henkel would simply mail an idea for a new feature and his bosses would just “go with it.” He produced many successful features like the reporter “Chic Carter” and “the Sniper.” After he was hired, he dealt mostly with his editor Ed Cronin and received some pointers about how to ink with a brush from Lou Fine. He usually wrote his own features, with minor edits from Cronin, and later Gill Fox. When Quality began dividing the writing and art chores, Henkel would receive his scripts in the mail, which was for the best, as he was finding it increasingly difficult to accomplish both on a deadline. Vern admitted that he preferred adventure stories to super-heroes. Of the super-hero features that he worked on—the Sniper and Artists 75

• Military Comics #5–19, 21–34 (the Sniper, Dec. 1941–Nov. 1944) • Hit Comics #22–24 (Comet Kelly, June 1942–Oct. 1942) • Feature Comics #73–94 (Swing Sisson, Nov. 1943–Jan. 1946) • National Comics #48–53 (The Whistler, June 1945–April 1946)

Alex Kotzky (Sept. 11, 1923–Sept. 26, 1996)

lex Kotzky came to Quality via Will Eisner’s studio during the war years. At that time, he was barely out of high school, but he learned quickly as an assistant and inker to Lou Fine. Much of this profile comes from the Jim Amash interview in Alter Ego #34 (March 2004).

the Whistler—both were rather conventional. The Sniper was Robin Hood with a gun, and the Whistler was an odd copy of the Spirit. When super-heroes were all the rage, he might have felt the pressure to deliver the same. In 1941 he temporarily transformed two of his creations into costumed heroes. Chic Carter became “the Sword,” and Wings Wendall donned a colorful suit and mask. Henkel was designated 4-F for military service and did not go to war. He and others were left to pick up the workload left by their peers who were drafted. Later, his work was sometimes inked by Alex Kotzky. Henkel worked for Quality until 1946 and left for a variety of personal reasons. Like some of his peers, he traded comics for a career in commercial art for advertising agencies. He continued to do comic book features on the side, such as Crime Does Not Pay for Lev Gleason, and quite a bit of work for Stan Lee at Timely through 1954. Vern eventually tired of drawing comic books and didn’t like the profession’s lack of security. His later career included advertising, film strips, books, coloring books, anything to keep him at his drawing board.

Vernon Henkel’s “Wings Wendall,” from Smash Comics #1 (Aug. 1939).

Selected Comicography: • Feature Funnies/Comics #1–50 (Gallant Knight, Captain Fortune, and Dusty Dane, April 1938–Nov. 1941) • Smash Comics #1–47 (Wings Wendall, Aug. 1939–Oct. 1943) • Chic Carter in Smash Comics #1–24 (Aug. 1939–July 1941) • Police Comics #1–18 (Aug. 1941–April 1943) • National Comics #33–47 (July 1943–April 1945) • Crack Comics #1–40 (Space Legion and Don Q, May 1940– Winter 1945)

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Alex Kotzky was born in the Bronx on September 11, 1923. He was raised in a Ukrainian family with three siblings and his father was a widower, remarried to Alex’s mother. He was still in grade school when the first comic books hit the stands, and they made an immediate impression on him, though he wasn’t necessarily inspired to be a comic book artist. Still, it was the Depression and he needed a job. In 1939, while he was still in high school, he went repeatedly to Harry Chesler’s shop, and was thrice turned down before Chesler recommended he try Eisner & Iger. He couldn’t score there either. At the Music and Art High School in New York, Alex gained an appreciation for the masters of fine art. Just after his graduation in 1940, his father died and he was faced with helping his family financially. At just 16, he had won art scholarships for college but couldn’t afford to accept them. He favored painting, but abandoned it for an opportunity in comic books. His first comics work came from an ad in the New York Times to pencil for the artist Chad Grothkopf. According to Alex, he and Chad worked on features like “Cliff Crosby” for DC and “The Destroyer” for Timely. He worked for Grothkopf a year or so before moving to Will Eisner’s studio. In 1941, his friend Al Jaffee, introduced Alex to Eisner, who hired him immediately to work Below: Alex Kotzky and young son Brian at the drawing board, on backgrounds for “The Spirit.” 1958. © Brian Kotzky. Opposite: Eisner and his studio employees Kotzky’s “Manhunter,” from Police began going off to war in 1942, Comics #11 (Sept. 1942).

with Johnstone’s bread-and-butter, Kotzky hooked up with Milton Caniff and ghosted on his Steve Canyon strip from about 1955–60. His friend and editor, Gill Fox, described Kotzky as “The strongest character and best person I ever knew. Kotzky was the hardest worker I ever saw. A terrific artist. He worked seven days and nights a week.” His son, Brian, said that Alex toiled endlessly on his defining work, which was the very popular syndicated strip, Apartment 3-G. Alex stayed on the strip for an incredible 35 years, beginning on May 8, 1961 and continuing all the way through his death in 1996. Brian Kotzky, who had assisted his father over the years, took over Apartment 3-G for a short time.

Selected comicography: • Police Comics #8–14 (Manhunter, March 1942–Dec. 1942) • Smash Comics #33–37 (Espionage, May 1942–Nov. 1942) • Crack Comics #30–33 (Captain Triumph, Aug. 1943–Spring 1944) • Feature Comics #71–76 (Doll Man, Sept. 1943–March 1944) • Hit Comics #31–37 (April 1944–Autumn 1945) • Doll Man #14–34 (Autumn 1947–June 1951) • Plastic Man #29 (May 1951), and more (uncredited)

Chuck Mazoujian Charles John Mazoujian (Aug. 24, 1917–Jan. 14, 2011)

C and Kotzky’s workload increased as a result. After Eisner enlisted, Alex moved up to Quality’s offices in Stamford, Connecticut where he assisted Lou Fine with producing “The Spirit.” Alex frequently socialized with his coworkers Fine, Gill Fox, Jack Cole, Zully Szenics, John Spranger and Al Bryant. If Alex wasn’t yet off to war, he was drafted by Quality instead. Fine mentored Kotzky and soon he was assigned his own features and covers. Kotzky was also drafted, in 1943. Busy Arnold gave Kotzky regular raises and even paid him while he was in the Army and overseas. While he was stationed in North Carolina, Kotzky continued penciling for Plastic Man and worked on the title for about a year-and-a-half after returning from the Army. In 1947, Kotzky teamed with Plastic Man’s creator, Jack Cole, on a side project to produce comics for another publisher, Magazine Village. These were the True Crime comics that are infamous for Cole’s “needle in the eye” panel. The comics didn’t sell well. In the mid-’50s, Will Eisner invited a group of “alums” to an evening at the Advertising Club. Eisner’s goodwill backfired that night when his former employees, including Chuck Cuidera, began taking turns roasting him. Kotzky left Quality to pursue other work with writers Charles Biro and Bob Wood. He worked with them for several years until that enterprise discontinued its comics, then began working for the advertising agency Johnstone and Cushing in 1949. His projects for them included commercial comic books and newspaper ads. As television absconded

huck Mazoujian recounted his career to Jim Amash for Alter Ego #48 (May 2005).

Chuck Mazoujian was born in Union City, New Jersey, on August 24, 1917. He started drawing when he was five years old, copying sports and religious subjects from newspapers and magazines. He was a lifelong sports enthusiast who played high school football. Chuck was the son of an actor/artist and grew up in an Armenian community in New Jersey. He attended (but did not graduate from) the Pratt Institute from 1936 to 1939. His cousin, Art Pinajian, also did artwork for Quality, though Mazoujian did not recall crossing paths during that time. Mazoujian began as an artist at the Eisner & Iger shop, and left with Will Eisner when that partnership was dissolved. Eisner recruited him along with Lou Fine and Bob Powell, to work in a new production studio in Manhattan’s Tudor City that produced the weekly Spirit Section as well as hundreds of other stories for Quality Comics. He worked for Eisner for a year-and-a-half, until he was drafted into the service in 1941. Chuck’s main claim to fame is the “Lady Luck” feature. Chuck did not write the strip, but when Eisner requested that he create a lady crime fighter, Mazoujian patterned Lady Luck after his girlfriend, Edna Munson. Edna was a beautiful blonde Swedish girl whom he’d met at Pratt, and she later became his wife. Chuck reported that Eisner paid him more than other artists, and he also did non-comics freelance work for the Lady Luck creator Chuck Mazoujian, in 2005. © Chuck Mazoujian.

Artists 77

Eisner studio. He was productive Mazoujian’s “Sally O’Neil,” from National Comics #11 (May 1941). in the year-and-a-half before he was drafted in January of 1941 (just before his own wedding). He was stationed at Fort Hancock, New Jersey, and served through December 1945. In the service, he recalled, “One of my commanding officers also saw my drawings, and I was assigned to G-2 at the Pentagon in Washington, doing G-2 training manuals. I worked on four manuals, showing what the Germans and Japanese were doing. The bulletins that I worked on were disseminated to the servicemen.” He also mentioned that his wartime work was once published in Life magazine in 1942. Chuck chose not to return to comic books, and instead became an illustrator for Ogleby & Mather. He also taught at Pratt from 1946 until 1962. Mazoujian was immortalized by Eisner, who named an early Spirit character after him—“Chuck Magoo,” which was his nickname at the Eisner/Iger shop. He retired to Arizona. His work sometimes appeared under the pen name “Frank Kearn” and “Ford Davis.”

Selected Comicography: In addition to these Mazoujian did unsigned work on other features including “Samar,” “Jack and Jill,” and “Zero.” • National Comics #1–13 (Sally O’Neil, July 1940–July 1941) • The Spirit Section (Lady Luck, 2 June 1940–11 May 1941)

Klaus Nordling (May 29, 1910–Nov. 19, 1986)

laus Nordling was one of Quality’s most versatile artists. Details about his personal life have not been well documented, but many interviewees shared their impressions of him in Alter Ego, including Will Eisner. Nordling produced many successful features for Quality Comics and got his start at the Eisner & Iger shop, being drawn there by the call of a classified advertisement in The New York Times. Prior to that, he had written plays for the Finnish Theatre in New York (Nordling was born in Finland). His first features included work for E & I’s primary clients. First, for Fox he created “Lt. Drake” in Mystery Men Comics and “Spark Stevens” in Wonderworld Comics. Others included “Crash, Cork, and the Baron” for Harvey’s Speed Comics; and Fiction House’s “Strut Warren” in Fight Comics and “Powder Burns” in Wings Comics. Just before his first work for Quality, Nordling created the pliable “Thin Man” for Timely’s Mystic Comics #4 (Aug. 1940—exactly one year before Plastic Man).This character borrowed its name from the famous Dashiell Hammett detective novel. He could make himself ultra-thin and perform numerous Plas-style tricks. Unlike Plastic Man, the strip disappeared after a single story. That hero also gained his powers in a mountain monastery. (The Thin Man returned in the pages of Marvel’s 1970s Invaders.) Nordling was a freelancer who preferred to work from home. He was eventually asked to take over the “Lady Luck” strip, which appeared every Sunday in the Spirit Section. On that feature, he followed Chuck Mazoujian and Nick Cardy, who both went into the service in 1941. Nordling produced her adventures through their end, on March 3, 1946. Although he hadn’t created Lady Luck, most fans recognize Klaus as her defining artist. It was Nordling who added the transparent light green veil to her costume, for the protection

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of her secret identity, naturally. Editor Gill Fox could also rely on Nordling to produce entire features ready for print. He described Nordling as “a little guy. Good-looking. And involved in local theatre. He had a very vivid imagination and was a good writer. …I admired his cartooning.” Eisner added that he was “a nice, quiet guy. …He was so bright and I liked him very much. Philosophically, I hired people who thought like I did, and he was in tune with my thinking. He was a good artist with a very conservative style. In fact, he stayed with me when I started doing industrial comics, though he didn’t work on PS magazine. PS needed people with military experience, and Nordling didn’t have that.” “Pen Miller” was one of his longest running Quality features, about a comic magazine artist who was also an amateur detective. The series began in National Comics and moved to Crack Comics for an impressive nine-year run. Another home run was “The Barker,” which began in National, and was awarded its own title in 1946. By the time these features took off, Nordling was working exclusively for Quality. Nordling’s artistic style is easily recognizable, and improved over time. His characters leaned slightly towards the “cartoon” look, with Lady Luck being his closest thing to a super-hero. Perhaps because he was a freelancer, his features were signed with regularity (and thus better identified by historians). After Quality, Klaus continued to freelance and maintained a working relationship with Will Eisner. He produced work for Will’s independent publishing ventures from the early 1950s through late 1960s. Nordling and his wife were also friends with Eisner and his wife, Ann. (Andelman 224)

Selected comicography: • Hit Comics #1–65 (Bob and Swab, July 1940–July 1950) • National Comics #1–22 (Pen Miller, July 1940–April 1942) • Military Comics #1–19 (Shot and Shell, Aug. 1941–May 1943) • Crack Comics #23–60 (Pen Miller, May 1942–May 1949) • National Comics #23–32 (Kid Dixon, June 1942–May 1943) • The Spirit Section (Lady Luck, 1 March 1942–3 March 1946) • National Comics #44–75 (The Barker, Oct. 1944–Dec. 1949) • All Humor Comics #1 (Spring 1946) • The Barker #1–15 (Autumn 1946–Dec. 1949) • Lady Luck #86–90 (Dec. 1949–Aug. 1950)

Art Pinajian (March 28, 1914–Aug. 19, 1999)

rthur Pinajian had a brief but notable career in comics. Today Pinajian is probably best known for having created one of the oddest heroes of the Golden Age—Madam Fatal, a stage actor who dressed in drag in order to confound his quarry.

Art Pinajian’s work first appeared in pre-Centaur comics, which he produced for his employer, Eisner & Iger. He drew features for them between 1938–42, which coincides with the tenure of his features in Quality Comics. After this he is known to have served with distinction in World War II. (Kilgannon) Art’s cousin, Chuck Mazoujian, worked for Quality at the same time. Mazoujian told Jim Amash in Alter Ego #48 that he and

Art didn’t see each other often Left: Nordling’s work from as adults. Their paths never The Barker #1 (Autumn 1945). Right: From Lady Luck #90 (Aug. 1950). crossed professionally, either. Mazoujian described Pinajian as a “very bright, amusing guy, and he was a pretty good writer who could come up with nice ideas. He was a little older than me. We grew up together as kids, and I loved him; he was a marvelous man. Art was good with ideas, but he wasn’t a very good draftsman. He used to go to the Art Students League two or three nights a week to study figure drawing. He was very faithful about going, but he could never improve his work very much. He did some interesting, almost abstract drawings that I liked.” “When we got together, we would talk about painting, art, and the guys whose work we loved: Norman Rockwell, Rembrandt, and the top illustrators of the day. Art loved painting, and that’s what he did later in his life.” Not a few people have wondered if Pinajian’s Madam Fatal was an indication that he was gay. A fascinatingly random story in the New York Times from 2007 put that question to rest. The story followed two men who purchased Pinajian’s home after his death (in 1999 at age 85). He’d lived there for decades with his sister, who passed in 2006. The men who bought the home found rooms full of Pinajian’s artwork—including a trove of erotic drawings of women. Drawings, paintings and journals exist from throughout the course of Pinajian’s life. The Times’s author spoke with family members and encapsulated Arthur’s life thus: Arthur Pinajian grew up in Union City, N.J., and worked as an illustrator before serving in central Europe during Artists 79

Pinajian’s “Hooded Justice,” from Smash Comics #1 (Sept. 1939).

with Mad magazine’s Jerry DeFuccio (also reprinted in A.E. #66).

Bob Powell was born Stanley Robert Pawlowski (a name which inspired the Blackhawk, “Stanislaus”) on October 6, 1916, in Buffalo, New York. He legally changed his name to S. Robert Powell in 1943 but fellow artist Chuck Cuidera remembered him using that name before this, when they both attended the Pratt Institute together. His comics career began in 1938 at the Eisner & Iger studio, providing artwork for their clients at Quality, Fox and Fiction House. His most prominent features from those days include the magician “Yarko,” co-created with Will Eisner for Wonderworld Comics; and Quality’s “Spin Shaw,” “Lee Preston,” and “Abdul the Arab.” His skills were competent, but relatively static. His figures revealed a good understanding of life drawing and his features are fairly recognizable despite the use of pen names. Powell was one of three artists whom Will Eisner took with him when he split from Iger in 1940. Part of Eisner’s new partnership with Quality was to produce the Sunday supplement, the Spirit Section, and Powell was charged with drawing its third feature, called “Mr. Mystic.” Mr. Mystic was very similar to Fiction House’s Yarko, their earlier collaboration. Powell worked in Eisner’s Tudor City studio until a disagreement over money prompted Bob to become a freelancer and work from his own studio. The move was probably prompted by Busy Arnold’s offer to Bob to work for him directly, at a higher rate of pay. But it was bad timing for Powell. Arnold had recently “stolen” another one of Eisner’s employees, Lou Fine. When Eisner protested about Powell’s “Spin Shaw,” from Arnold’s offer, Arnold withdrew Feature Comics #29 (Feb. 1940).

World War II. After the Army, Mr. Pinajian left the illustrating profession and became a painter, but sold few canvases. He relied on his sister, a secretary, for financial support. Their mother died young, and the siblings grew close, living together their entire lives, neither marrying nor having children, according to Mr. Aramian. They moved to Bellport in the 1970s. (Kilgannon) His birth date comes from Lambiek.net. Arthur Pinajian’s work was sometimes signed using the pen name “Art Gordon.”

Selected Comicography: • Smash Comics #1–32 (Invisible Hood, March 1942–Aug. 1939) • Feature Comics #21–62 (Reynolds of the Mounted, June 1939– Nov. 1942) • Crack Comics #1–22 (Madam Fatal, May 1940–March 1942)

Bob Powell Stanley Robert Powell, née Stanley Robert Pawlowski (Oct. 6, 1916–Oct. 1, 1967)

any of the details here come from the detailed works of Ed Lane and Michael T. Gilbert, whose research on Powell appeared in Alter Ego #66 (March 2007). The authors spoke with Powell’s family and assembled details from his early career, at the beginnings of the Golden Age. Further insights were provided in Bob’s own words, from a rare 1966 interview

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it. This triggered an argument between Eisner and Powell, and Bob’s eventual departure from Will’s studio in 1941. As an independent, he continued to produce “Mr. Mystic” for Eisner but after this, his work also appeared in Jerry Iger’s “Sheena,” but this could have been art that was “in the can.” Powell eventually began working extensively for Harvey, and again for Fiction House. There’s an unfortunate black mark on Bob Powell’s character that comes from a story told by Will Eisner. Several times in A Spirited Life, Eisner told fairly diplomatic but honest stories about Powell. He described him as “casual with women,” and he cited a tendency toward anti-Semitic name-calling. Sometimes their arguments were heated, including the aforementioned salary dispute. Without condoning the name calling, it’s important for readers to realize the tenor of those times. Much to his credit, Powell eventually penned a letter of apology to Eisner beTop: Bob Powell as a teenager in fore his boss’s entry into the war, the 1930s. Bottom: The artist, circa saying “I might have said some 1960, in his Williston Park studio. nasty things… but they were said © Seth Powell. because I was boiling mad.” (Andelman 60) Eisner even admitted that he didn’t hold a grudge. Instead he placed the blame for the salary dispute on Busy Arnold, not Bob. Powell could be a polarizing figure among his peers. His studio mate, Chuck Mazoujian said, “He wasn’t that good an artist. Powell was a big blowhard, as far as I was concerned. Bill apparently used him because he could sell whatever he was drawing.” But Cuidera described him as a “real go-getter; he knew how to make money. Powell did so well, he once bought a two-seater car and a yacht.” Further, Cuidera thought he was “an easy-going guy. I didn’t think he was going to be very successful once we got out of school, but he surprised me. I thought he was a better writer than an artist.” Editor Gill Fox knew him fairly well and acknowledged that Powell turned out a tremendous amount of work. He joined the US Army Air Corps in 1942 as a navigator and served until late 1945. After the war, he returned to comics, but never for Will Eisner or Quality. He had married Florence Dzimian in 1941 and they moved to Oyster Bay Cove on Long Island, where he kept his studio. They had two sons, Robert R. and John. He and Florence divorced in 1960 and Bob remarried a woman named Bettina Lussier. He adopted her son, Kyle, and they had one together, Seth, who was born just after Bob’s death. He may be best known for his prolific post-war work, which included “The Avenger” for Magazine Enterprises, “Man in Black” for Harvey, a fair amount of romance features, and some early work on Marvel’s “Daredevil.” His studio was prolific and he hired plenty of extra help. As early as 1940 he had hired Ernest “Bud” Schroeder (whose work appeared under the pen name “Bud Ernest,” as in Military

Comics’ “Loops and Banks”). Later, he also hired Howard Nostrand, Tex Blaisdell, Marty Epp, and George Siefringer. Bob Powell succumbed to cancer on Oct. 1, 1967, in Huntington, New York, at the age of 51. He sometimes signed his work “Powell Roberts,” “S. R. Powell,” and “W. Morgan Thomas.”

Selected Comicography: • Feature Comics #29–37 (Spin Shaw, Feb. 1940–Oct. 1940), #63–73 (Dec. 1942–Nov. 1943) • Spirit Section (Mr. Mystic, 2 June 1940–3 Oct. 1943) • Crack Comics #1–6 (Lee Preston, May 1940–Oct. 1940) • Smash Comics #11–24 (Abdul the Arab, June 1940–July 1941) • Military Comics #1–13 (Loops and Banks, Aug. 1941– Nov. 1942)

Al Stahl (1916–1999)

l Stahl was a master cartoonist whose comics career began in the earliest days of the medium. His work appeared regularly in comics by DC, Centaur and Fiction House. The dates of his life come from Lambiek. net (which also lists some kind of alias, “Bruce Baker”). He was fondly remembered by his Quality co-workers in Alter Ego.

The staff list for Jerry Iger in Alter Ego #21 places Al Stahl in that studio beginning in 1943, after which he began working exclusively for Quality. His lively characters like Blimpy and Inkie quickly became long-running staples for the publisher, where he stayed until 1950. Former Quality editor Gill Fox said, “Now there’s a character! Every time I mention Al, I have to smile. I met him at Fleischer’s. A maneuverer. World War II started, and because he was classified 1-A, Al knew he was going to get called into service. He didn’t want to go. I was still editor at this point, and six months after he left, Al walked into the office. I said, ‘I thought you were still in the service.’ He said, ‘I was, but I got out. I figured it out. Because of my background, they put me in the Signal Corps. You have to climb poles. So I got to the top of the pole and yelled out, “I can’t move! I’m afraid! I can’t move! I can’t come down!” They had to go up and take him down. It was typical Al. He was a helluva cartoonist. He’s kind of nuts and a lot of fun. A great cartoonist who knows how to make a buck. Anything he does is good. And he wrote his own stuff.” Indeed, Stahl’s byline disappeared from his features completely for a period in 1944. When he returned, he picked up most of the features that he’d done previously and drew them until their conclusion. According to writers at Lambiek.net, Stahl went on to start his own animation studio, and later worked at various agencies until he retired.

Selected Comicography: • Feature Comics #65–73, 87–133 (Blimpy, Feb.–Nov. 1943, April 1945–April 1949) • Feature Comics #65–72 (Inferior Man, Feb.–Oct. 1943) • Crack Comics #28–32, 37–60 (Inkie, March–Dec. 1943, Spring 1945–May 1949) • Police Comics #19–23, 40–67 (Flatfoot Burns, May–Oct. 1943, March 1945–June 1947) & The Spirit #4–22 (Spring 1946– Aug. 1950) • Military Comics #22–26, 32–52 (Death Patrol, Sept. 1943–Feb. 1944, Sept. 1944–Aug. 1946) Artists 81

Stahl’s “Blimpy,” from Feature Comics #69 (July 1943).

and successfully proposed Torchy to Quality. She appeared in the pages of Doll Man #8 (Spring 1946). Recognizing his talent for “Good Girl Art,” Quality later put him on their romance titles, too. “Torchy” also got noticed in Boston—it was banned. The title was canceled in 1951 but Ward continued to work for Quality into 1953. At the same time, he did occasional work for Fawcett on “Captain Marvel Jr.” and “Bulletman.” Ward also supplied spicy cartoons for Busy Arnold when he tried briefly to branch out into magazines. (Womenofward.net) Ward struggled to find work as a freelancer, but it helped that his style shifted easily from “straight” adventure to humor. He was a regular contributor to the humor magazine Cracked between 1958–1982. In the early 1970s Bill Ward was one of several Golden Age artists who began to “re-create” classic covers, some of which were sold through the Collectors Book Store in Los Angeles. In a way, “Torchy” wound up typecasting Ward, not that he complained. He followed up the good girl with plenty of “Not-So-Good Girl” art, producing scores of “girly” cartoons for various publishers, some of which were unmistakably pornographic. Ward’s work also appeared under the name “McCartney.”

Selected comicography: • Military/Modern Comics #30–31, 52–89 (July 1944–Sept. 1949) • Doll Man #8–36 (Torchy, Spring 1946–Oct. 1951) • Blackhawk #11–65 (Summer 1946–June 1953) • Diary Loves #2, 8–10, 21 (Nov. 1949–April 1952) • Hollywood Secrets #1–2 (Nov. 1949–Jan. 1950) • Torchy #4–5 (May–July 1950)

Bill Ward (March 6, 1919–Nov. 17, 1998)

ome of the factual details here come from Ward’s own lengthy personal account, found on his official web site Womenofward.net.

Bill Ward was another graduate of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he began drawing his primary subject of interest—women. By his own admission, he didn’t apply himself particularly well and graduated with somewhat undeveloped skills in 1941. His first work was not as an artist but as a janitor and “gofer.” Eventually his placement service moved him on to production work for Ford automobiles, which he promptly lost. Luckily, his next job was in the service of comic book artist Jack Binder who mentored Ward while they produced features for Fawcett like “Mr. Scarlet,” “Bulletman,” and “Ibis.” For a while, Bill did only layouts for Binder and won his chance to pencil a complete issue of a “Captain Marvel” title. The confidence he gained led him to apply for work at Quality, where he spoke to George Brenner. Brenner was eager to fill Reed Crandall’s shoes on “Blackhawk” after the artist had been drafted, but Ward was also drafted in late 1942. In the Army he created a girl comic strip called “Ack-Ack Amy” who was featured in Army training materials. She was the inspiration for the character he is best known for today, Torchy Todd. Torchy was also created for these wartime publications. Both characters were curvy and dim, but they won out in the end. After Ward’s “Torchy,” from Doll Man Ward was discharged three years Quarterly #15 (Winter 1948). later, he returned to “Blackhawk” Original art courtesy of Gill Fox.

The Quali t y Compa nion

Quality Writers L

ess attention is generally paid to Golden Age writers, a sad repercussion of the Golden Age industry’s lack of record-keeping. It is very difficult to accurately identify writers’ works because for decades, most comic book features only named the artist, or it bore no creator credits, or creators made frequent use of cryptic pen names. Jerry Bails and Hames Ware’s Who’s Who was the first effort to document the works of these early contributors. Since then, researchers have uncovered more about writers from interviews with their peers. In Quality Comics, especially before the war, many stories were written and drawn as a package by the same men. If there was a separate writer, only occasionally did any feature bear two bylines. When times were tight, editors and supporting staff were also called upon to pen scripts in a collaborative effort. What follows are some brief bios for those writers who are mentioned most frequently—primarily in Jim Amash’s Alter Ego interviews—in connection with Quality Comics. Most were freelancers, and some worked for Will Eisner and/or Jerry Iger.

Toni Blum

Above: Tony Blum probably circa 1940s. © Bill Bossert. Right: Toni’s father, Alex Blum, likely drew this “The Purple Trio” feature, and “Neon” for Quality. This page is from Smash Comics #14 (Sept. 1940). Scan courtesy of Jerry Bails.

Audrey “Toni” Blum was a writer for Eisner & Iger who also worked for Eisner after the studio split. She was connected to several other notable people from this era of comics. She was the daughter of Alex Blum, a fine artist who also did comics. She briefly dated Eisner but later married another artist, Bill Bossert. Although Bill was Christian and Toni was Jewish, the difference didn’t get in their way. Eisner described Toni as a sort of “den mother” to his office, attractive and hard-working. Chuck Mazoujian, the artist on “Lady Luck” credited her with the early writing chores on that feature. Mazoujian liked her writing and rarely had cause to criticize it. Bill Bossert was interviewed by Jim Amash for Alter Ego #99 (Jan. 2011).

Bill Finger Bill Finger is most famous for his indisputable but unaccredited role as the co-creator of Batman, a character he wrote frequently for DC. Dick Arnold described him as a very quiet guy, but many sources have mentioned that Finger was in constant debt. He delivered his scripts in person (so that he could grab his check, too). Editor Al Grenet complained that he was often late and added, “We had to stop giving him advances. He was a decent writer, though.” Grenet remembered a time when Bill got in trouble with a loan company and someone came to see Busy Arnold because Finger owed them money. Chuck Cuidera confirmed that Finger wrote some “Black-

Bill Finger. ©The respective owner.

hawk” features, and that many comic book writers imitated him.

Dick French Richard French (as he signed the Blackhawk theme song in Military #8) was the brother-in-law of artist Tex Blaisdell and wrote for Will Eisner. He’s credited in DC’s Blackhawk Archives, vol. 1, as the writer in Military #5-12 (1941-42). Will Eisner confirmed that French wrote many of the stories in his shop at the time, and French came along as Eisner & Iger were splitting. He also wrote “Death Patrol” for artist Dave Berg. Eisner described him as “a slight, quiet fellow, short, and he had a way of muttering to himself when you had a conversation with him. About halfway through, while you were making a statement, he would make a statement and continue muttering while you were talking. It’s the only peculiarity I remember, but he was a very nice, sweet guy. And he was totally different than Tex, who was tall and outspoken.” Artists 83

Dick French even wrote a song for the Blackhawks! The feature frequently depicted the men of the squadron joined in song. This sheet music appeared in Military Comics #8 (March 1942).

Manly Wade Wellman

Wellman wrote a variety of Quality’s most popular features. When Will Eisner was drafted, Wellman pitched in on scripts for the weekly Spirit Section. He also wrote a number of “Plastic Man” and “Blackhawk” stories during the 1940s. His writing was very well regarded by his contemporaries, many of whom described him as having an ever-present cigarette that dangled precariously from his lower lip. Vern Henkel said he “talked like Humphrey Bogart, with the cigarette hanging from his lip.” Gill Fox recalled one evening when Busy Arnold threw a cocktail party and [Charles] Biro and Manly Wade Wellman were drinking: “They got mad at each other and almost started to fight. Wellman was a big, blustery Southern gentleman! And we had to separate these two big men! I don’t remember what they were mad about.” He passed away around the mid-1980s. He reportedly drank a lot in his day, and was a diabetic. Both of his legs were eventually Manly Wade Wellman, probably removed, but he was feisty until circa 1960s. ©The respective owner. the end.

Gwen Hansen Gwen Hansen was an assistant editor for Quality circa 1941. The exact dates are uncertain because only editors “in-chief” were named in the comics’ indicia. Busy Arnold’s son met her and recalled fondly: “I remember one time when we were at her apartment, listening to music. It wasn’t jazz or opera or pop music; it was more like Balinese bell music and some other exotic stuff. She lived in Tudor City: a tall, dark-haired woman, probably in her forties.” Gill Fox reported that she wrote the saucy “Torchy” title while he was drawing it… “She was a college graduate with good bearing. Very pretty. She surprised me with all the double meanings she put into the strip.” Hansen worked at Quality through 1950.

Joe Millard Joe Millard also wrote many “Blackhawk” scripts. He was described as a favorite of Busy Arnold’s, a tall, thin man from Minnesota with a sweet smile. Despite his pleasant demeanor, Dick Arnold admitted that Millard had trouble delivering his scripts on time. Chuck Cuidera said he was an “excellent writer and very easy to get along with. I don’t recall ever hearing him raise his voice or fight with anyone. Busy Arnold liked him, too … He was strictly a freelancer.”

Dick and Dave Wood Busy Arnold’s son Dick recalled the Wood brothers, who were hired out of necessity when their preferred writers were too busy. Dick said: “They were drunk all the time and they’d write incoherent stories. They wrote some of the later Blackhawk stories. They come into the offices drunk, just trying to get stories to write so they could go out and drink some more. When my father sold out to DC, the DC people turned Blackhawk over to the Wood brothers. I bought some of those comics and they were just awful!” Dick and Dave Wood wrote Blackhawk for DC through the mid-1960s.

William Woolfolk Woolfolk wrote “Blackhawk” and ghosted on the Spirit Section during the war. He’s also known for writing many features for Fawcett. Editor Al Grenet said that Woolfolk also wrote for television and remembered him coming in to Quality’s offices to deliver stories and pick up his checks. Woolfolk also wrote novels and was acclaimed for his writing on the 1960s show The Defenders.

Harry Stein Described by Gill Fox as “very intelligent, clean-cut, and always wore a tie. A nice man.” Stein, along with Will Eisner, was one of Quality’s key writers in its early days. Fox claims that it was he and Harry (not Eisner) who concocted the eerily predictive story from National Comics #18, in which Uncle Sam guides a wooden battleship to defeat a modern battleship.

The Quali t y Compa nion

William Woolfolk and then wife, Joanna, circa late ’80s/early ’90s. ©The respective owner.

Quality Staff This list is appended from the one provided by Busy Arnold to Jerry Bails on June 1, 1972. The staff listed here include full-time, freelancers, and those who worked for the Eisner and/or Iger studios. A well-researched list of Eisner & Iger, and Iger shop personnel was printed in Alter Ego #21 (Feb. 2003).

Creative Staff Key: A = artist • W = writer • E = editor • C = colorist • L = letterer

Lee J. Ames A Alfred Andriola A George Appel A Stan Aschmeier A Bernard Baily A Arthur Beeman A John Belfi A David Berg A Philip (Tex) Blaisdell A Alex Blum A Frank Borth A George E. Brenner A E Al Bryant A Sam Burlockoff A Harry Campbell A Johnny Cassone A Joey Cavallo A Joe Certa A Sam Citron A Mario Colavito L Jack Cole A & W Hal Cooper A Reed Crandall A Edward Cronin W A Charles (Chuck) Cuidera A Morris Cutler A James Dee A Emanual Demby W Martin De Muth L

Johnny Devlin W A Bernard Dibble A Richard (Dick) Dillin A Tony DiPreta A Virginia Drury C William E. Eisner W A E Josephine Elgin A Maxwell Elkan A Gene Fawcette A Jules Feiffer A Louis Kenneth Fine A Bill Finger W Gilbert (Gill) Fox E A Frank Frollo A Bob Fujitani A Al Gabriele A Dave Gabrielsen A Joe Gallagher A Art Gates A Ed Goggin W Rube Goldberg A (syndicated) Jerry Grandenetti A Alfonso Green A Fred Guardineer A Paul Gustavson A Gwen M. Hansen W E Ruth Harris A Ernest Hart A W Vernon Henkel A

Robert M. Hyatt W Al Jaffee A Abe Kanegson L Robin King A Alex Kotzky A Joe Kubert A Harvey Kurtzman A Frank Lanning A Sid Lazarus A Mort Leav A Andre LeBlanc A Ben Levin A Phil Martin A Alden (Al) McWilliams A Joseph Millard W Sheldon Moldoff A Jim Mooney A Rubén Moreira A Peter Morisi A Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski A Klaus Nordling A Ben Oda L Rudy Palais A Arthur Peddy A Arthur (Art) Pinajian A S. Robert (Bob) Powell A W Lillian Proctor C Bill Quackenbush A Charles Quinlan A Seymour Reit A Don Rico A

Pete Riss A Sam Rosen L Aldo Rubano A Arthur (Artie) Saaf A Bernard Sachs A Harry Sahle A Helen Schmid W Mike Senich A Art Seymour A William A. (Bill) Smith A Pat Sprang L John Spranger A Alvin (Al) Stahl A Harry Stein W E Milton Stein A Charles Sultan A Zoltan (Zully) Szenics L Bart Tumey A W George Tuska A Janice Valleau A Nick Viscardi/Cardy A William (Bill) Ward A Manly Wade Wellman W Elmer Wexler A Bill Williams A Witmer Williams A Dave Wood W Dick Wood W William Woolfolk W Les Zakarin A Dan Zolnerowich A

Editors (cover dates of their editorship)

Office Staff

At any given time there was usually one “editor-in-chief” and one or more assistant editors on staff (though those weren’t necessarily the titles given to them). Editors performed a variety of duties and were part of the skeleton crew who worked in the office. The dates shown here represent the earliest and latest issue dates where the editor’s name appeared in the indicia. Our dates differ from those supplied by Busy Arnold; his were a bit off.

Catherine Caposella bookkeeper George Delaney business manager Danny Goldstein circulation manager Louis J. Kuriansky auditor Joyce Marshak secretary Anne McCarrick secretary Bruce D. McIntyre circulation manager Elmore Murthey advertising manager Cathleen O’Connor receptionist Eugene Pollock advertising manager Nancy Smith secretary Ethel Weintraub receptionist

Chief Editors

Assistant Editors

Johnny Devlin (1937) Edward Cronin (1938–Jan. 1942) Gilbert Fox (Jan. 1942–Feb. 1943) John Beardsley (Nov. 1942–Aug. 1943) George Brenner (March 1943–July 1949) Harry Stein (Aug. 1949–Sept. 1950) Alfred Grenet (Oct. 1950–Dec. 1956)

Elaine Allen June Andrus (1946–1952) Richard E. (Dick) Arnold (19??–1956) Gloria Blye (1948–1951) Jean Brundage (1945–1948) Gwen Hansen (1940–1950) Ann Meredith (1947–1950) Jesse Rogers (1946–1949) Dan Savage (1946–1947)

Artists 85

The Raven is referee in a duel between the Spider Widow and Phantom Lady, from Police Comics #21 (Aug. 1943); art by Frank Borth.

Heroes: Ace of Space .......................................90 The Barker............................................90 Bill the Magnificent..............................92 Black Condor.......................................92 Blackhawk...........................................96 The Blue Tracer...................................106 Bozo the Iron Man & Hugh Hazzard....107 Captain Triumph.................................108 The Clock...........................................110 Death Patrol.......................................112 Destiny..............................................114 Destroying Demon..............................115 Doll Man............................................115 Doll Girl.............................................115 The Dragon........................................122 Firebrand ..........................................122 The Freedom Fighters...........................41 G-2....................................................126 Ghost of Flanders...............................127 The Great Defender............................127 The Hawk ..........................................128 Hercules.............................................129 The Human Bomb..............................130 Inferior Man ......................................133 The Invisible Hood .............................134 The Jester...........................................135 Just ’n’ Right......................................137 Kid Eternity........................................137 Lady Luck...........................................141 Madam Fatal......................................143 Magno...............................................143 Manhunter.........................................144 Margo the Magician ..........................146 The Marksman...................................147 Merlin................................................148 Midnight............................................149 Miss America .....................................152 Mr. Mystic..........................................154 Monsieur X........................................155 The Mouthpiece.................................155 Neon the Unknown............................156 The Orchid.........................................157 Phantom Lady....................................157 Plastic Man........................................162 Quicksilver.........................................170 The Raven..........................................187 The Ray..............................................174 The Red Bee.......................................178 The Red Torpedo ...............................180 Rusty Ryan ........................................182 The Scarlet Seal .................................183 711 ..................................................183 The Sniper..........................................184 The Spider..........................................185 Spider Widow ....................................187 The Spirit...........................................189 The Sword a.k.a. Chic Carter..............192 Tor.....................................................192 Uncle Sam..........................................193 The Unknown.....................................198 USA ..................................................199 The Voice ..........................................199 The Whistler.......................................200 Wildfire..............................................200 Wings Wendall...................................202 Wonder Boy.......................................202 Yankee Eagle......................................203 Zero, Ghost Detective.........................204 They also ran!....................................205

The Heroes of Quality Comics What’s Included? This section chronicles the fictional histories of Quality Comics’ characters. For the most part, what you will find are the costumed and/or super-powered heroes. For an index of Quality’s regular features, organized by title, see the section beginning on page 216. Quality’s super-heroes can be placed along a wide spectrum, from humor to everyday to omnipotent, and from ordinary to colorfully garbed. Many Quality heroes comfortably straddled the line between super-hero and humor, a template pioneered by Jack Cole’s Midnight and Plastic Man. In a case like the Blackhawk, because of their popularity (and their entrenchment within DC lore), they are covered in more depth than “alsoran” aviators. “Blackhawk” in particular (along with Death Patrol and Rusty Ryan) bore the hallmarks of the super-hero feature: adventure, occasional metaphysics, exotic foes, continuity, and a uniformed cast. Still, Blackhawk’s history at DC Comics is beyond the scope of this book to cover comprehensively. (You might enjoy Michelle Nolan’s “Better Read Than Dead” in Alter Ego #34, which covers Blackhawk’s 1950s transition from Quality to DC.) As the humor and funny animal features gained in popularity there developed another gray area. Characters like Inferior Man and Blimpy were never meant to be serious super-heroes. Both were played for laughs yet possessed great and fantastic abilities. Characters such as the Spirit, Plastic Man, Doll Man, and Quicksilver had print runs that far outpaced the rest. In the profiles for those heroes, we try to balance space considerations with a thorough documentation of their histories. The most notable cases and adversaries are included; this might take the form of a “summarizing paragraph” that lists a series of villains. On page 205, you’ll find a short round-up of notable non-super-hero characters.

Will Eisner Properties The Spirit, Lady Luck and Mr. Mystic were originally published exclusively by Quality, but the copyright has always been protected and owned by Will Eisner. He made this very clear in interviews with Jim Amash for Alter Ego and his authorized biography, A Spirited Life. These three heroes starred weekly in the Spirit “comic book section,” which was inserted into newspapers across the country. The Spirit and Lady Luck

were also reprinted in Police and Smash Comics. The scarcer availability of Spirit newspaper supplements makes the review of these characters a bit less comprehensive. Still, our Lady Luck and Mr. Mystic profiles are well-fleshed out, and some holes were filled in by reading reprinted material from other publishers. Like Blackhawk, it is also impossible to comprehensively cover the entire history of the Spirit here. Numerous other publications have documented the strip’s characters and history very well. Check out The Will Eisner Companion by Couch and Weiner, WillEisner.com, and Wildwood Cemetery (wildwoodcemetery.com).

About the Artists Some consideration is given in crediting artwork to a given creator or creators. However, in the latter part of World War II, and afterwards, Quality’s policy was to exclude bylines from its comic features. Many early strips were also signed with cryptic pen names. Some credits are well known and others remain a mystery. These things make identifying some of the artists (and thus creators) very difficult. If our research concludes there is sufficient grounds to attribute unsigned work to a particular artist, we do so definitively. If no conclusion can be made without further investigation, we use the statement “artist uncertain”—instead of perpetuating a guess. The artist information in the Grand Comics Database and Who’s Who projects are not 100% reliable, especially for Golden Age comics. They are great starting points, but many errors exist in them. Information at Lambiek.net and in Jim Steranko’s History of the Comics also provide some valuable clues. In some cases, our identifications are based on our own research. For example, we attribute the art in “Neon” to Alex Blum. This comes from a comparative study of Blum’s signed features and other art attributed to him. As many as a dozen examples were brought together to draw our conclusion. Yet in cases like the Red Bee, the same amount of investigation leads only to the guess that he was first drawn by Charles Nicholas. With this uncertainty, that credit is withheld. Writers are credited as creators only if a byline or independent source supports it. Will Eisner was probably involved in the creation of many characters, but he also held “plotting conferences” with his writers. These writers would be regarded as co-creators—if we knew definitively who they were. Character profiles 87

Heroes in Chronology The following list tracks the first appearances of Quality’s costumed and super-powered heroes. The Hawk—Quality’s first costumed hero— appeared only once, and the Clock—who is considered the first masked comic book hero ever—debuted under a different publisher, in Funny Pages vol. 1 #6 (Nov. 1936). Doll Man is sometimes misidentified as the first Quality super-hero, but he is indeed their first super-powered hero. Both Bozo and the Invisible Hood sneaked in a few months before him, but the Hood’s powers were part of his cloak, and Bozo was a robot. The first costumed woman was Lady Luck, and the first super-powered woman was USA.

1936 • November, Funny Pages vol. 1 #6 (Comics Magazine Co.) The Clock

1937 • November, Feature #2 The Hawk • December, Feature #3 (1st Quality appearance) The Clock

1939 • August, Smash #1 Bozo the Iron Man & Hugh Hazzard Invisible Hood • December, Feature #27 Doll Man

1940 • May, Feature #32 The Voice Zero, Ghost Detective • May, Crack #1 Black Condor Madam Fatal Red Torpedo The Spider • July, Hit #1 Hercules Neon the Unknown Red Bee • July, National #1 Merlin Uncle Sam Wonder Boy • June 2, The Spirit Section The Spirit Lady Luck Mr. Mystic • August, Smash #13 Magno • September, Smash #14 The Ray • November, National #5 Quicksilver • November, Feature #38 Ace of Space

• December, Feature #39 Destroying Demon (Bruce Blackburn)

1941 • Jan., Smash #18 Midnight • February, Crack #10 Tor • March, Feature #42 USA • May, Smash #22 The Jester • August, Military #1 Blackhawk Blue Tracer Miss America Yankee Eagle • August, Police #1 Firebrand The Human Bomb The Mouthpiece Phantom Lady Plastic Man #711 The Sword (Chic Carter) • August, Smash #25 Wildfire • Winter, Doll Man #1 Just ‘N’ Right • December, Hit #18 “Stormy” Foster, the Great Defender Ghost of Flanders • December, Military #5 The Sniper

1942 • Jan., Feature #57 Spider Widow • March, Police #8 Manhunter • May, Smash #33 The Marksman • June, National #23 The Unknown • Summer, Doll Man Quarterly #3 The Dragon • September, Feature #60 The Raven

The Quali t y Compa nion

• December, National #27 G-2 • December, Hit #25 Kid Eternity

1945

1943

• Jan., Buccaneers #19 Black Roger

• Jan., Crack #27 Captain Triumph • Jan., Police #15 Destiny

• June, National #48 The Whistler

1950

1951 • December, Doll Man #37 Doll Girl

Lady Crime Fighters (Non-humor, non-syndicated)

Some of Quality’s heroines ran for a very long time, but most were short-lived. Listed chronologically:

Character, DATE, issue (Longevity) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Lee Preston of the Red Cross, May 1940, Crack #1 (9) Sally O’Neil, policewoman, July 1940, National #1 (75) Lady Luck, June 1940, The Spirit Section (300+) Betty Bates, Lady at Law, Oct. 1940, Hit #4 (62) USA, March 1941, Feature #42 (7) Miss America, Aug. 1941, Military #1 (7) Phantom Lady, Aug. 1941, Police #1 (23) Wildfire, Aug. 1941, Smash #25 (13) Spider Widow, Jan. 1942, Feature #57 (18) X of the Underground, March 1942, Military #8 (6) Her Highness and Silk, April 1943, Hit #2 (30) Doll Girl, Dec. 1951, Doll Man #37 (11, but many more as a supporting character)

Longevity of Quality super-heroes This list tallies the total number of regular Quality Comics issues in which each super-hero appeared.

Number of Issues/ appearances

Character/ Feature

Wildfire

The Mouthpiece

The Dragon

4 (57)*

Chic Carter, a.k.a. the Sword

645+

The Spirit

Firebrand

300+

Lady Luck

Doll Girl

207

Mr. Mystic

Black Roger

166

Plastic Man

Magno

160

Doll Man

Scarlet Seal

142

Blackhawk

Ghost of Flanders

Manhunter

Yankee Eagle

Midnight

Miss America

Quicksilver

USA

The Jester

The Whistler

The Clock

The Voice

The Human Bomb

Kid Eternity

Uncle Sam

Lady Luck

Zero

Bozo the Robot

Captain Triumph

Invisible Hood

Black Condor

Sniper

The Spider

The Ray

The Marksman

These profiles are written in the style of DC’s Who’s Who

Merlin

entries, with suspension of disbelief. That is to say, we use the

Wonder Boy

past tense and refer to characters as if they are “real.” This

Red Bee

differs from the present-tense style preferred by Wikipedia for

Phantom Lady

fictional characters.

Destiny

Background information and observations about characters

Madam Fatal

is interspersed within the profile, at the appropriate chronological

Hercules

points in the story.

G-2

Red Torpedo

The Unknown

Spider Widow

Neon the Unknown

“Stormy” Foster, the Great Defender

Tor

Blue Tracer

#711

Inferior Man

Raven

Ace of Space

2 (37)*

Wings Wendall

2 (25)*

Destroying Demon

The Hawk

Just ‘N’ Right

Margo the Magician

Monsieur X

* These heroes were only costumed briefly. The number in parentheses indicates the total run of their non-masked features.

How to read The character Profiles The following character profiles use a unique style of issue citation in lieu of traditional footnotes, which would require the

reader to jump back and forth in the text. Events from a particular comic book issue are followed by a small citation, e.g., (Crack Comics #1) . To further reduce clutter, all successive citations from the same comic book series omit the title. For example, if the next event was from the next issue of Crack Comics, you’ll see only: (#2)

Some characters’ DC Comics histories are extensive. In most cases, this does not greatly affect the course of their Quality Comics adventures. Most DC origin stories have honored the original history while adding “behind the scenes” type information. In all cases, we are careful to delineate the information so that the reader knows what was presented in the original Quality tale, and what was by DC. Cover dates are included only for first appearances, Quality

appearances, and significant featured runs in a character’s history.

Character profiles 89

Ace of Space Created by H. Weston Taylor and Harry Francis Campbell

Powers When he donned his belt of power, the Ace of Space grew to a height of nine feet, could leap to great heights, and had telescopic vision and telepathy.

NAME + ALIASES: A.C. “Ace” Egan FIRST APPEARANCE: Feature Comics #38 (Nov. 1940)

The Barker

APPEARANCES: Feature Comics #38–41 (Nov. 1940–February 1941)

Outer space themes were never Quality’s specialty. The longest running feature was Vernon Henkel’s “Space Legion,” which lasted just a year-and-a-half in Crack Comics. That strip featured a Flash Gordonlike lead character. The Ace of Space was the only super-powered space hero, lasting a mere four issues. Yet his origin story may sound strangely familiar. One day as New York playboy “Ace” Egan was piloting his private plane, he encountered a red-andyellow alien spaceship that had landed on Earth. A giant three-eyed, yellow-and-red alien emerged from within, looking ill. The creature was unable to survive in Earth’s atmosphere and predicted his own The Ace of Space, from Feature #39 (1940); art by Harry Francis impending death. He communicated Campbell. telepathically to Egan, warning him of an impending attack by an alien race called the Slogons. As he died, he bequeathed a power belt to Ace. When Ace donned the belt, he grew instantly to a height of nine feet, and he could run at great speeds. Ace left the alien’s body with a local hospital and returned to the spaceship, making it invisible. The belt imparted the knowledge of how to pilot and use the spaceship, and Egan made quick work of the invaders, sending their ships crashing to Earth. Back home, the newspapers dubbed him the Ace of Space. Ace kept these things secret from his butler, Jennings. (Feature #38) Like the alien before him, Ace found that the belt gave him telepathy. This power alerted him to a plot by European dictators to impersonate United States lawmakers. (#39) When a friend of his was arrested for embezzlement, Egan uncovered the evil Dr. Devlin, who had developed a serum that gave men super-speed. (#40) In his final adventure, Ace joined the Army Air Corps and became Lieutenant Egan. Naturally, he parked his spaceship near his post. His reputation as a playboy preceded him with his commanding officer, and when spies seized a new flying fortress, Ace won no points by dashing away to change. With a flying leap and a one-two punch, he’d reclaimed the Army’s new plane and taken down the enemies. When he returned to base, the Major took him aside and noted that Egan had been injured in his left arm—just like of the Ace of Space. The jig was up, but the Major promised to keep Egan’s secret. (#41)

Note Ace’s first adventure was signed by two creators, Harry Francis Campbell and H. Weston Taylor, but only Taylor after that. The two also collaborated on the Quality features “Bruce Blackburn,” “The Scarlet Seal,” and “Wizard Wells.”

The Quali t y Compa nion

Created by Joe Millard and Jack Cole NAME + ALIASES: Clarence “Carnie” Calahan GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Mammoth Circus FIRST APPEARANCE: National Comics #42 (May 1944) APPEARANCES:

• National Comics #42–75 (May 1944–Dec. 1949) • The Barker, 15 issues (Autumn 1945–Dec. 1949)

The Barker was the delightful creation of Joe Millard and Jack Cole (signed), a feature that followed a colorful group of circus performers across the country. Cole drew only the first two adventures, in National Comics #42–43, and then it was taken over by Klaus Nordling, who continued to build the momentum that led to a solo series in 1945. Cole’s brief involvement is probably the reason why editor Gill Fox claimed that Klaus Nordling created “The Barker.” Most of this band of freaks weren’t truly “super-powered,” but the series had the same sense of continuity, oddity and camaraderie as strips like “Death Patrol,” “Blackhawk,” and “Plastic Man.” In each tale Clarence “Carnie” Calahan (a circus barker, his first name revealed in National #48) and his friends traveled to a new city, where they performed their specialty acts. When first introduced, they were looking for work and staying at Liz Flannery’s Boarding House for Show People, in Big City, Pennsylvania (a link to Cole, who was from that state). There the silver-tongued fortune teller Professor Zell intercepted a telegram to Carnie from Colonel Lane of the Mammoth Circus. Lane had invited Carnie to participate in his sideshow. As Zell attempted to sneak out, he was caught by Carnie and his pal, Major Midge (a little person). Lena the fat lady and Tiny Tim the strongman rounded out his crew. Carnie’s troupe headed out after Zell to Waynetown, where they wrested the contract from Zell and set up shop in Lane’s circus. The show there also included a “rubber man” performer called Elasto. (National #42) Most of the Barker’s adventures concerned freaks, shysters or both in one, who tried to scam the circus out of money. In the next town, the Colonel met his rival, Cappy Kane. Kane had learned about a new freak, the four-armed Clarence Twiddle, who was an accomplished pickpocket. The two of them set out to undermine Lane’s circus, robbing patrons and implicating the Mammoth Circus. After Carnie exposed them, Lane offered Twiddle an alternative to jail: work for Carnie as “Spudo the Spider Man.” (Spudo was the only supporting character to be awarded his own spin-off feature, beginning in The Barker #1.) This story also featured the first appearance of Madam Shali, the snake charmer. (#43) Carnie’s sideshow usually featured this core group of characters, but many other honest performers were introduced along the way, including Peaches, the bearded lady, and the Thin Man (#44); Bombo the human cannonball (#49); the fortune teller, Madame Futura, and a bona fide “Big Foot,” the Missing Link (later called Jo-Jo), who was barely kept in check by Shali’s snakes. (#51) The Wills Brothers, Ken, Ben and Len, were acrobats terrorized by the dreaded Hawk, an oddity who wore a beaked mask and clawed boots. The Hawk was actually the magician, Rabello, who sought to consolidate

Carnie, Tiny, Midge, and Lena, from National Comics #50 (1945); art by Jack Cole. Right: Leo the Lion Man, from National #68 (1948); art by Klaus Nordling.

performers under his own empire. (#55) In swamp country, Carnie met the Cajun Coco Leboc, the Crocodile Man, who made a convincing suit from animal skins but proved more profitable as a crocodile wrangler. (#62) Bert the Whirlwind was a motorcycle stunt man. (Barker #5) The poor Witch of Whistler Hollow found herself kidnapped and impersonated. After that, Col. Lane wanted nothing to do with witches. (#9) Usually though, the freaks on show were less than honest. Most came and went in a parade of crooked astrologers, contortionists, cannibals, and men dressed in weird suits. Benny the Beep framed the Colonel for theft. (National #44) Scramolo the escape artist was only out to scam the circus’s bankroll. (#53) A phony magician posed as the hillbilly Sorcerer Si of Yukville. (#57) A trio of talking animals (bear, seal and fox ) were made to “speak” via miniature transmitters affixed by their trainer, Duff. He commanded the animals to attack and kill. (#58) King Looey, the exiled monarch of Numforia, swindled ladies into believing they were destined to be his queen. (#65) And men fought over Salamo, a belly dancer planted in the circus by her husband, the

sultan Ali Ben Riff Raff. (#67) In National #46, Samson Smith, took Tiny Tim’s place as the new strongman, even though Tiny continued to appear in plainclothes as more of a towering rodeo trickster. Lane pit Samson against Kane’s own strongman, the Mighty Moose. (#47) In issue #55, Tiny was once again the sole strongman. He was also challenged by Percy the Powerful, a 90-pound weakling who took special pills every twelve hours for his tremendous strength. Percy’s pills were stolen by a mad professor who fed them to the animals. In order to bring order to the circus, Carnie downed a mouthful of the pills, which enabled him to speed around the circus and clean up the mess! In the end, they decided to destroy the pills, lest the market become saturated with strongmen. (#69) A year after the feature’s debut, The Barker #1 was published. The solo book featured the same cast and ongoing coterie of menaces. That first issue focused on Bobo the evil clown, who killed one of the acrobats (named “Jack” in this story, but drawn the same as the Wills Brothers in National #55). Also, Lydia the elephant rider was caught stealing, and Lily Ryan, the bareback horseback rider, fell and was replaced by the equestrienne/temptress, Nona de Garonne. Nona attempted to fleece the circus with her hypnotic kisses. (The Barker #1) Lily wasn’t so pure either. She later murdered Tallulah the tattooed lady. (#5) Many of the guest stars in the “The Barker” appeared to possess truly superhuman powers. Aside from Spudo, whose four arms were “real,” there was the Copper Man, whose body was half copper, divided down the middle. He found a way to restore himself to fully human. (Barker #2) The Human Dynamo was a former stunt man named Wylie who fashioned a trick costume to make it appear he could generate 50,000 volts of electricity. He was out for revenge against Mammoth’s high diver, Hi Cliff. (#5) In the curious case of Lulu Belle, a dummy who seemingly spoke and walked independently, her ventriloquist, Zargo, was revealed as a swindler using near-invisible wires to control her. (#7) Denoso the Birdman was an exceptionally talented high wire artist who looked as if he could fly. (National #59) Louie, the Human Fly effortlessly scaled buildings until his sticky suction cups were revealed. (#64) Leo the Lion Man shared a bond with Nero, a lion with whom he’d grown up. (#68) The personal dramas focused on Lena when she became the object of desire for both of the Jealousy Brothers, Skinny and Fatso. Lena’s main concern was losing her gig to the fat man. Col. Lane thought the solution was to hire a skinny woman, Miss Digby, but she only diverted the brothers’ affections. Also, Andor painted his performers Carl and Nita to look like bronze statues while they held challenging poses with their great strength. When a mishap resulted in Carl’s death, Andor dove into poisonous paint, freeing Nita from his extortion. (Barker #6) Both The Barker and National Comics ended around the same time, in late 1949. The cover of The Barker #15 (Dec. 1949) showed Carnie walking sadly in the rain, as if Nordling knew the book was canceled. Their final act brought them to Gay Bay, where they found their camp on the waterfront. They tried to devise new ways to wow folks with aquatic tricks. Instead they were terrorized by Froggo, the Frog Man, who could stay underwater for 20 minutes. Naturally, Col. Lane thought Froggo was the perfect attraction, but Froggo was bilking the operation for cash. He kidnapped Shali and took her to his secret lair, accessed by underwater entry, followed soon by Carnie and Spudo. In the end, his suit was revealed to contain an air reservoir that helped him breathe underwater. (Barker #15) Character profiles 91

Bill the Magnificent Creator unknown NAME + ALIASES: Bill Hanson KNOWN RELATIVES: Dudley Doodle (uncle) FIRST APPEARANCE: Hit Comics #25 (Jan. 1943) APPEARANCES: Hit Comics #25–34 (Jan. 1943–Winter 1944)

Where once Quality had been an innovator in its features, Busy Arnold eventually threw himself into the “winds of change.” In 1943–44 most anthology titles began shifting away from super-heroes, towards a humorous tone. Elsewhere in the industry Captain Marvel was outselling Superman, and MLJ’s Archie Andrews had taken off like wildfire. “Bill the Magnificent” channeled both of those characters. Bill’s red hair recall’s Archie’s, and his powers were accessed by a magic phrase, “jeepers creepers!”, like Captain Marvel’s. Bill’s adventures lacked the heart or passion of those characters, and the feature lasted for only ten issues. Still Quality must have been betting on its success; the feature was awarded eleven pages, which was second only to the cover feature, “Kid Eternity.” Bill’s creator is a bit of a mystery, though some of the middle adventures were clearly drawn by Paul Gustavson. The Grand Comics Database credits Tony DiPreta, but a visual comparison with DiPreta’s contemporary work yields no obvious parallels. Bill Hanson was an average Joe from the town of Middleburg who inexplicably found himself living with incredible powers (and an amnesia that went with them). A newsreel reporter called Roscoe came to town one day hoping for a juicy story about this new hero. He instead found Bill, a humble copy boy. Everyone in town knew about Bill’s fantastic powers—except Bill himself. By chance, whenever Bill uttered the phrase “jeepers creepers!”, he became possessed with great speed and strength. Unfortunately for him, Bill retained no memory of anything he did while in this state, and with his powers came a personality change. He laughed at danger, and was more confident with girls. Bill’s sweetheart, Peggy, noticed the difference too. When her father was kidnapped, she encouraged Bill to say the magic words, but he resisted, citing an “ill feeling” when doing so. Inevitably, Bill would say “jeepers creepers” in passing, and then the game was on. But easy come, easy go… whenever Bill was struck on the head, his powers subsided. (Hit #25) The cowardly local Sheriff Poodle quickly got into the habit of asking Bill to do his dirty work, especially when it came to standing up to the likes of Grego the Grisly. (#27) News of Bill’s abilities spread quickly, and in the name of science, he was kidnapped by the pint-sized Professor Twerp, who tried to discover the root of his powers. By this time Bill had also moved on to another girl named Jean. But when he was in the thrall of his powers, Bill forgot all about her and he took a plane to Hollywood to ask Hedy Lamarr for a date! Jean intervened and brought him back to reality. (#29) He also defended Jean’s honor against the diminutive Dr. Batso Belfry. (#30) Bill’s last three adventures were drawn by Milton Stein in a more cartoony style. Still, the adventures concerned Bill’s desire to impress girls, even if it meant entering a boxing ring. (#33) The love interest in Hit #34 was named Peggy, but in his last adventure, Bill was back to wooing Jean. There he sought to compete with a suntanned lifeguard by going under a tanning lamp himself. The result left him a

The Quali t y Compa nion

Bill demonstrates his power, from Hit #27 (1943); art by Paul Gustavson.

bit “overdone,” and he was mistaken for an Indian prince. (#34)

Powers When he said the magic phrase “jeepers creepers!”, Bill the Magnificent was mysteriously endowed with super-strength, invulnerability and speed. As a bonus, his personality was enhanced to give him more confidence (perhaps too much so).

Black Condor Created by Will Eisner and Lou Fine NAME + ALIASES: Richard Grey, Jr., a.k.a. Senator Thomas Wright KNOWN RELATIVES: Major Richard Grey (father, deceased), Mrs. Grey

(mother, deceased) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: All-Star Squadron, Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Crack Comics #1 (May 1940) APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Squadron #31-35

• Black Condor #4, 10 • Crack Comics #1-31 (May 1940– Oct. 1943) • Freedom Fighters, vol. 1 #1-15 • The Ray vol. 2 #10, 18, 20-21 • Justice League of America #107‑108 • Secret Origins vol. 3 #21 • Uncle Sam Quarterly #2

The Black Condor is one of Quality’s most enduring and popular creations. Like the Ray and Uncle Sam, he was created by Will Eisner and Lou Fine (here, under the pen name “Kenneth Lewis”). Fine’s art on these features quickly set the bar for artwork at Quality. No doubt the “Black Condor” feature would have lasted longer had Fine remained on it. He drew the Condor’s first 24 adventures, and signed his true name beginning with issue #13. The Black Condor nabbed alternating covers of Crack Comics through #26 (when Captain Triumph took over). In his first adventure, the Black Condor’s costume was colored red, then changed to black-and-blue after that. Various stories describe the Black Condor as the “only flying man in the world.” Although the Ray had also debuted by then, it is a telling phrase. Despite the proliferation of super-powered heroes in comic books, few—including Superman—had yet to demonstrate the true power of flight. The Black Condor was destined never to know his given name. He was born Richard Grey, Jr., the son of archeologist Major Richard Grey. When he was yet an infant, his family went exploring in Mongolia, where they were besieged, and both his parents were murdered by raiders. Before her death, the baby’s mother hid him away so he might survive. In this remote land, the only living things were the native condors, with whom the infant Grey seemed to make a connection. Not long before, a meteor crashed near the mother condor’s nest. The radiation from this meteor created a strange bond between her and the infant Grey, and she adopted him as one of her own. (The meteor was the only detail added to this origin by Roy Thomas in Secret Origins #21, 1987.) As he grew, the boy studied the mechanics of flight, and eventually succeeded in emulating it. He had grown to adolescence before meeting another human, the monk named Father Pierre. It was Pierre who taught the boy how to speak English, but his mentor also fell prey to raiders led by Gali-Kan. Afterwards the boy committed himself to using his gift of flight to combat injustice. As the Black Condor, he made a name for himself across continents and got revenge on the men who murdered Pierre. (Crack Comics #1) After some adventures, the Condor returned to India, where he defended a British brother and sister, the Kents, from Ali Kan. In doing so he brandished a new weapon he’d acquired somewhere along the line: a “paralyzing black ray gun.” (#2)

Growing up in vulture-land, from Crack Comics #1 (May 1940); art by Lou Fine.

On his first trip to America, the Black Condor served as protector to a friend’s daughter. Not surprisingly, he didn’t care for the city. (#3) He remained for a time in the Far East, sometimes disguising himself as an old wanderer. Even there the Axis menace had spread. The Condor encountered Sinh Fang and his cohort De Graf in their “unconquerable” fortress called Mount Doom. This place went up in a blaze generated by the villains’ own powerful death rays. (#4) He fought a coterie of exotic foes like the strange Karlo Klug, who at the direction of his midget master launched an army of “human kites.” (#6) The Chinese Lung Woe created the drilling “spinning death machine” for his Nazi cohort. This machine turned out to have a mind of its own and manufactured an army of itself! The black ray gun took care of it. (#8) And there was Yaho, a giant golem of the Waquo Indian tribe. (#7) While the Black Condor was borne of Asia, it was America where Richard Grey Jr. found his mundane identity. When he returned to the land of his birth, he happened upon Senator Tom Wright. The Senator was beleaguered by fellow Senator, Jaspar Crow, who attempted to bully others into voting for an appropriations bill that would provide kickbacks. Wright refused, and Crow sent his thugs to rub him out. All this went down under the watchful eye of the Black Condor, who swooped in after Wright had been shot. As Wright explained his situation, the Condor realized that the two of them were dead ringers for one another. The Condor decided to take Wright’s place in Washington and vote against Crow’s bill. But when he returned to check on Wright, the Senator had died. He then met the man in charge of his care, Dr. Foster, who was also the father of Wright’s fiancé, Wendy Foster. The Condor vowed to take up the Senator’s agenda and led a revolt that drove Crow from the country. It was less easy to step into the relationship with Wendy… (#11) From this point forward, most of the Black Condor’s battles were intertwined with his life as a Senator. He solved the murder of inventor Carl Stark, who created a remote control bomb that was used to destroy ten tall buildings! The culprit was a Nazi, General Korn. (#13) Jaspar Crow was a constant thorn in both Wright’s and the Condor’s sides. After his first defeat, the Senator began a long descent into darker evil that was manifested in his private endeavors, too. His dictatorial complex even led him to create an impostor Black Condor to attack his own workers, who were poised to strike. The true Condor infiltrated this plant and frightened Crow into paying his workers properly and agreeing to humane working conditions. (#14) When Senator Wright sided with the nation’s Indians on a proposed tax bill, Crow objected because, naturally, he stood to gain Character profiles 93

He wanted to create a national park for the protection of bald eagles and Tom was key in shelving the bill. Bird responded by ordering his eagle, Fury, to pick off the committee members. (#30) The Condor aided Professor Tinker and his weird, invisible and prescient Do-Bos. When crooks sought to acquire these entities, Tinker’s place was set aflame, allegedly killing the Do-Bos. (#27) In his swan song, the Condor defended one fellow Senator (Briggs) from another (Logan). (#31)

Fate, DC

from it. Fifth Columnists incited the Indians, who then turned on the tax collectors. Using his black ray, the Condor turned some of the Indians to his side, but he was ultimately forced to win that war entirely himself. Then he went back to the Senate to help defeat the final bill. (#17) Crow hired a psychic fraud called Mysto to steal the Hope Diamond, (#20) but most of his treachery was centered on Wright himself. The Condor discovered that Crow bugged the Senate and Sen. Wright was implicated in leaking secret information. Wendy stepped in to help on this case by using her wiles on Wright’s rival, Karle Kurt, a Nazi spy. (#21) Jaspar Crow somehow uncovered the fact that Mongolia was the Condor’s home land and chose that place for his ultimate revenge. Crow kidnapped Wendy, leaving clues for the Condor about Mongolia. Crow foolishly thought he could leave the Condor and Wendy at the mercy of predatory eagles, but he underestimated the Condor’s special relationship with the birds. After defeating him, Black Condor left Crow to wander the unforgiving mountains. Crow never returned. (#26) With the entrance of America to the war, the Senator’s duties kicked into high gear. Wendy also helped her father to develop a special “food concentrate” for Europe. (#22) Jed Hawks tried to warn Wright of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor—but he’d been out of commission and arrived after December 7. Hawks also carried word of a second attack, on the Panama Canal. This attack did indeed commence but Hawks took to the skies and made a suicide dive into a Japanese ship. The Black Condor disabled the Nazi’s ship and the Germans there surrendered. (#23) Senator Bird took Crow’s place as Wright’s nemesis in Congress. Against his doppelganger, from Crack #14 (1941); art by Lou Fine.

The Quali t y Compa nion

The next time the Black Condor appeared, it was at DC Comics. In 1973’s Justice League of America #107, Tom was reintroduced to readers along with other former Quality heroes as the Freedom Fighters. This story and the successive Freedom Fighters series are no longer in DC continuity. For the details on this series and summary of events, see “The Freedom Fighters” on page 41. The Black Condor’s current DC continuity picks up from his Quality appearances more-or-less chronologically with his appearances in All-Star Squadron, set in the days of World War II. After the U.S. entered the war, the Black Condor decided to enlist his services with the All-Stars. At his first meeting, he met Uncle Sam and joined his splinter group called the Freedom Fighters. They moved to stop Baron Blitzkrieg’s invasion of Santa Barbara, California. (All-Star Squadron #31) For the remainder of the war, the Black Condor remained with this group, who eventually separated from the All-Star Squadron and were based in Washington D.C. (Who’s Who ‘87 #5) Tom was still active in the mid-1950s when he met Spitfire, the son of the Ray. (Ray vol. 2 #18) At some point after this, Black Condor became a member of a secret society whose goal was to influence the course of history. Since then he has appeared only in an astral form and explained that he had “graduated to a higher plane of existence.” (Ray vol. 2 #20) For more about his modern appearances, read about his successor, below.

Notes Another one of Quality’s flying heroes, the Raven, shared the same last name as the Condor: Tony Grey. The Raven came two years after Black Condor (Feature Comics #60, Sept. 1942). No link was ever made between the two. The Black Condor was the inspiration for the character called Kondor in John Arcudi’s 2002 Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny (see page 54). This character was a super-human.

Powers In his DC origin, the Black Condor was said to be powered from exposure to radiation from a meteor. This gave him the innate ability to fly, which he developed through adolescence. In the original tale, he developed his power independently. He had an empathic relationship with the condors that raised him, and could communicate with them. When confronted by trained eagles, however, he was unable to command those birds. The Condor also employed a “black ray gun” that rendered things immobile, cut, and could be used with force. Currently, the original Condor exists in some sort of supernatural state which allows him to apparate instantly anywhere. He also controls to whom he is visible.

Black Condor II NAME + ALIASES: Ryan Kendall KNOWN RELATIVES: Unnamed father, Creighton Kendall (grandfather) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Primal Force, Freedom Fighters

FIRST APPEARANCE: Black Condor #1

(June 1992) APPEARANCES:

• Black Condor #1-12 (1992-93) • Hawkman vol. 3 #20 • JSA #49-51 • JSA: Our Worlds at War #1 • Justice League America #71, 73-75 • Primal Force #8-14 • The Ray vol. 2 #20-21 • Starman vol. 2 #47, 61-63, 67, 69, 70–73, 75, 80

Ryan Kendall’s destiny as the second Black Condor was engineered by his grandfather, Creighton Kendall. For 200 years, the Kendall family’s Society of the Golden Wing had strived to make humans into super-humans. Ryan’s own father was a victim of Creighton’s experiments, among untold others. Creighton himself was disfigured by the experiments: left with a monstrous arm and wheelchair-bound. Ryan’s transformation was the first which did not result in death or in driving the subject mad. The Society gave Ryan enhanced mental powers which mostly manifested in the power of flight (via telekinesis), and heightened senses. After his transformation, the new Black Condor fled from the Society. He no longer chose to identify as “Ryan Kendall” and eschewed use of the name. Neither did he like the label of “super-hero.” The Condor settled in near Philadelphia, where he was guided by his friend, the park ranger Ned Smith. (Black Condor #1-2) Unknown to the Condor, Ned was being visited by the original Black Condor, who appeared to him in a spectral form. This Condor claimed that it was Ryan’s “destiny” to do greater things. As to his own fate, Wright was now a part of a secret society who watched the events of the world from some removed place. Wright urged Ned to guide the new Black Condor to greater heroics, but was evasive about his own existence. His society had watched Ryan’s transformation, but had its reasons for not approaching Ryan directly. (#4) Despite himself, the new Black Condor was quick to intervene when innocents were in danger. His first major quarry was Miles Lydecker, who had invented levitation using hypersonic vibration. Lydecker turned to crime as the Sky Pirate, but the Condor actually guided him to a more righteous path. (#2-3) Ryan’s encountered some of the Society’s other victims, finding

Left: The original Condor reveals his plans, from Black Condor #4 (1992); art by Rags Morales. Middle: From Black Condor #1 (1992); art by Rags Morales. Right: John Trujillo becomes the third Black Condor, from Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #3 (2006); art by Daniel Acuña.

that he shared a sort of link with the evil Shark, who sought an alliance to rule over people. During their battle, Condor discovered a shared psychic bond, which he used to shut down the Shark. (#4) More strange was the homeless girl named Karin Webster, whom the Society “blessed” with potent psychic abilities. (#5) Black Condor met his contemporary, the Ray, for the first time after a bomb triggered Ryan’s transformation into a reptilian creature. The Ray emerged to stop him while the Condor mutated further. The original Condor surfaced again during this melee to explain that Ryan had been enveloped in a healing cocoon to help with his injuries. (#8-10) Despite the Condor’s personal growth, his predecessor abandoned hope of him ever becoming that secret society’s champion. The original Condor moved on to a new protege, the Ray, who also had no interest in the position. (The Ray #20-21) The new Condor was anything but a “joiner,” but perhaps that changed after he met Batman. (#12) Before long, he was approached with an offer to join the Justice League. Condor emphatically declined but sensing something amiss, followed anyway. (Justice League America #71) He became caught up in the JLA’s battle with Dr. Destiny, but did not accept membership, and left afterwards. (#73-75) If the Justice League wasn’t the right fit for Black Condor, then perhaps he felt more at home with the ancient and mystical group called the Leymen. (Primal Force #8) The Condor briefly aided this primal force of heroes against threats such as Mind Grabber Kid (#10-11) and the August, (#12) and Cataclysm, Lord Satanus, and the Tornado Tyrant. (#13) Ryan later relocated to Opal City, where he occasionally aided Starman, Jack Knight. (Starman vol. 2 #56) He decided to relocate to Opal after investigating the crimes of the Shade, and he encouraged Jack Knight to lead a group of heroes to that end. (#69-73) Afterwards, Knight retired and the Condor stayed in Opal, defeating villains like Catman and Socrates Jones. (#80) He also joined Uncle Sam’s Freedom Fighters, assisting the Justice Society against Mordru. (JSA #49-51) These new Freedom Fighters were among the most high profile losses during Character profiles 95

the second so-called “Crisis.” Luthor’s evil Society killed Ryan and several other members of the team. (Infinite Crisis #1)

Notes Because of the coloring and facial features, many readers assumed that Ryan Kendall was a Native American. Editor Christopher Priest (then Jim Owsley) refuted this in a letters column. Both Priest and Brian Augustyn seeded many DC books with the Black Condor and the Ray, including their own series, Justice League America and Justice League Task Force.

Powers Ryan Kendall’s powers were mental in nature. Their primary manifestation was a form of telekinesis that enabled him to fly. He also employed this telekinesis to free himself from under rubble, to cause a gun to explode, and to add to his own strength. His senses were heightened so that he could project his mind out from his body. To this effect, he could cause mental agony in others, and “see” beyond his own body, even while unconscious. His hearing was sufficient to hear through the walls of a concrete building. When gravely injured, Ryan was enveloped by a strange, hard cocoon which sped his healing.

Black Condor III Created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Daniel Acuña NAME + ALIASES: John Trujillo KNOWN RELATIVES: Tse “James” Natseway (cousin) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #3

(Nov. 2006) APPEARANCES:

• Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1-9 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #3-8 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1-8

The third Black Condor was recruited by Uncle Sam to join the Freedom Fighters. At that time, the team was battling against the U.S. government agency called S.H.A.D.E. The F.F. met John Trujillo just after his transformation into the Condor. Trujillo lived among the Navajo, a southwest American Indian tribe. To the Navajo, the “Black Condor” had been a powerful defender since their fall to Col. Kit Carson in Arizona. After the tribe’s relocation, the condor was symbolized as the escort for fallen souls to the afterlife. When the Navajo finally returned to their own land, they were protected by this condor spirit made incarnate. The spirit was known as the goddess Tocotl, the mystical Spider Woman, and first took root in a young man who begged for protection. John Trujillo was the latest in this line of Black Condors. After his journey, the Spider Woman charged him to work with Uncle Sam. (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #3)

Trujillo was a savage warrior and took to his mission straight away. His ultrasonic powers were able to shatter enemy shields. (#4) By nature he was emotionally distant from his teammates, but he did bond with Phantom Lady, whom he counseled after the death of her father. (#6) After exposing an alien infiltrator in the White House, the team accepted the new administration’s invitation to take over S.H.A.D.E.’s role as an American security force. (#8) Since then, John has remained with the Freedom Fighters, honoring the Spider Woman’s directive to work with Uncle Sam. He has also given in to his feelings for Phantom Lady.

The Quali t y Compa nion

Notes Trujillo’s co-creator, Justin Gray, characterized him thus: “The idea with Black Condor… was that the mythology behind Uncle Sam being representative of America, left open the idea of another mythical American figure. Condor is designed to be a force of nature, soft spoken, stoic and ferocious in battle. (“Uncle Sam…”)

Powers John Trujillo’s power comes from the Navajo goddess Tocotl, the Spider Woman. He can fly and has super-strength and considerable invulnerability. He has also exhibited powerful telekinesis and a sonic scream.

Blackhawk

Created Will Eisner and Chuck Cuidera NAME + ALIASES, BLACKHAWK: Unrevealed (Quality); Janos Prohaska (DC) KNOWN RELATIVES, Quality: Jack/Charlie (brother, deceased), Connie

(sister, deceased) KNOWN RELATIVES, DC: Unnamed parents (deceased), Józek (brother,

deceased), Staszka (sister, deceased) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: The Blackhawks FIRST APPEARANCE: Military Comics #1 (August 1940) FEATURED APPEARANCES:

• Action Comics Weekly #601-608, 615-622, 628-635 • All-Star Squadron #48-49 • Batman Confidential #36-39 • Blackhawk #9-107 (Winter 1944–Dec. 1956) then by DC … #108-243 (1957–68) • #244–250 (1976–77) • #251–273 (1982–84) • Blackhawk vol. 2, #1–3 (1988) • Blackhawk vol. 3, 16 issues (1989-90) • Blackhawk vol. 4, current (2011–) • Blackhawk Archives vol. 1 (2001); reprints Military Comics • Blackhawk Special #1 (1992) • First Wave, 6 issues • Hawkworld vol. 2 #11-12 • Military Comics, #1-43 (1940-45) • Modern Comics, #44-102 (1945-50) • Secret Origins vol. 2 #45 • Sandman Mystery Theatre #45-48

“ Over land, oversea, we fight to make men free of danger, we don’t care we’re Blackhawks” “Blackhawk” was Quality Comics’ top-selling feature and while the team was not made up of super-heroes, its success, history, and adoption by DC more than qualify the characters for coverage equal to that of Quality’s super-heroes. The Blackhawks were essentially Quality’s sole super-team. They all wore the same uniform, but the artists and writers on the feature took pains to distinguish each of their looks and personalities. Their commercial appeal can be attributed to several factors. In scripting, the mixture of interpersonal dynamics and globe-trotting adventures made for thrilling tales month after month. The feature probably had the best developed sense of continuity, too. Some villains also recurred. And the art of Reed Crandall wowed readers and fellow artists alike. Crandall wasn’t the first artist on the series, but it’s remembered for his contribution. Crandall’s photographic memory, classical style, and passion for aviation made “Blackhawk” a treat to read. It is impossible to fully document the team across all its incarnations in the space available here. This profile focuses on their Quality

adventures, but must skim over DC’s history with the characters. DC has published nearly 200 issues of Blackhawk (even a new title in 2011) and the team has undergone many changes and interpretations. To do all of them justice would require a separate volume. The team’s first eleven adventures were drawn by their co-creator, Chuck Cuidera, who was also an aircraft buff. For more on the controversy over his creation of Blackhawk, read his bio on page 64. The first tale focused on their leader, called Blackhawk himself. We find him in Poland, 1939, as Captain Von Tepp’s Nazi forces were invading the country. The hero zoomed in and took out his fair share of the enemy fleet, shooting down six planes before making an emergency landing. When Von Tepp dive bombed after him, he killed Blackhawk’s brother and sister, Jack and Connie, instead. After this, Blackhawk took up an independent mission to assail Nazis across Europe. When next he met Von Tepp, he’d assembled a full squadron of (yet unnamed) fliers aligned with his cause. They rescued a Red Cross worker named Ann and departed for Blackhawk Island in the North Atlantic—their secret headquarters. Blackhawk brought Von Tepp along and challenged him to an aerial duel. Both planes were grounded and in the end, Blackhawk shot him to death. (Military Comics #1) This story was greatly revised after the war, spun to cast Blackhawk as an American. In Blackhawk #50 (March 1952), a team bio confirmed it, and Blackhawk himself told his origin story in issue #71 (Dec. 1953). Most things were the same, but Blackhawk was changed to an American volunteer who enlisted with the Polish Air Force after Hitler’s invasion. Stanislaus was in his squadron. One of their first missions was against Von Tepp, who’d completed his raid in Poland before they caught up with him. In leaving, Von Tepp bombed a hospital where Blackhawk’s sister and brother, Charlie, worked. They died in his arms. He caught up with Von Tepp and killed him with his gun. After that, he took up his new mission and formed the Blackhawks, with men from other besieged lands. The other pilots were introduced beginning in issue #2. Regarded by some as “air pirates” and “assassins,” Blackhawk defended them, explaining to a reluctant British guest that they were the last free men from their invaded countries— Stanislaus, Andre, Hendrickson, Blackhawk’s Americanized origin, Boris, Zeg and Olaf (their home from Blackhawk #71 (Dec. 1953); art by Dick Dillin & Chuck Cuidera. countries were not listed). Their

next mission was to Paris, to rescue Top: A standard roll call from Military #18 (May 1943). Above: a nuclear physicist. (#2) The first “lady Blackhawk,” Sugar, Their next recruit, Chop Chop, from Military #20 (July 1943). All fell out of the sky! He came from art by Reed Crandall. Yugoslavia with news of Nazi treachery and served primarily as their cook. Again they encountered Ann, who kissed Blackhawk before he left to complete the mission. The Blackhawks flooded a valley and took out ten thousand men. When Andre was wounded he moved to sacrifice himself to start a landslide as well, and was presumed dead. (#3) In Egypt, the Hawks tussled with Nazi spy Edda Heimat. They were taken to her “boss,” the Black Tigress. Blackhawk spurned her advances and stopped her attack on an Allied ship in the Suez Canal. As she died, he discovered that Edda was the Tigress. (This was the first in a long line of female adversaries, most of whom ended up dead.) (#4) The Nazis sent ratlike Scavengers to prey on the Blackhawks in Oslo, where they also met Red Laura, and turned her to their side. (#5) The squadron’s missions began to expand beyond Europe when they clashed with a new Genghis Khan. In Mongolia, the tyrant was reborn as a new warrior who quickly amassed an army and swept westward across Asia. Chop Chop’s Chinese nationality enabled him to infiltrate Khan’s army. When Blackhawk exposed Khan as a mere mortal, his men turned on him (#7) When the team returned to Yugoslavia in remembrance of Andre, they were captured by Nazis and rescued by the “Man in the Iron Mask”—Andre himself! He had hidden away because the landslide had disfigured his face. Reluctantly, Andre returned to Blackhawk Island where Blackhawk brought a renown plastic surgeon, Dr. Fritz Von Rath, to fix him. But the doctor was mad from his time in a concentration camp and he only laughed at poor Andre. (#9) After a brief rehabilitation, Dr. Fritz performed the operation, but he was still quite mad, and Character profiles 97

Blackhawk Members

Blackhawk introduced six of his squad in Military #2 (though only Olaf was clearly identified), and he said there were more. In the next issue, those six appear again, equally obscured. Olaf was played up the most in early stories. After Chop Chop and Chuck were introduced (Military #3 and #10, respectively), there were nine, but only seven survived for the long haul. Very soon, Boris and Zeg fell by the wayside. The final roster might have been the by-product of Cuidera’s final issue, #11, where he identified each member by face and name in a “roll call.” According to Cuidera, Chuck was named after him, and Stanislaus after Bob Powell. In Steranko, he also said Olaf was patterned on Big Stoop from Terry and the Pirates. (Steranko:58) Modern Comics #48 (April 1946) was the first issue to fully reveal the members’ home countries; they gave their official titles in Modern Comics #99 (July 1950); and their “origins” were officially told in Blackhawk #50 (March 1952). A chart in Blackhawk #85 (Feb. 1955) listed their heights and weights. This one-of-a-kind origin story was first printed in Blackhawk, #50 (March 1952; this one from #107). The story cleaned up the team’s early history, which was rather contradictory. The origin story from Military #1 had made it fairly obvious that Blackhawk was Polish, but by the time the series hit its peak, each character was carefully delineated, and Blackhawk was, of course, made American.

Andre’s face was left in the shape of Fritz’s former tormentor, Baron Von Zeifh. This put Andre in the perfect position to infiltrate the Baron’s camp, where he rescued Von Rath’s daughter, Barbara. Back home, Fritz fixed Andre’s face for good. Better yet, he and Barbara were engaged (but she never appeared again). (#10) When America entered the war, the Blackhawks debated where to spend their energies. After stopping to enlist their aid with the U.S. Army in San Francisco, they headed to the Philippines. En route, Chop Chop met up with his girlfriend, the Red Cross worker called Lotus Petal. Their American member, Chuck, was first named in this issue (though his well-defined face appears in the previous issue). (#11) When Chuck Cuidera was called off to war, two new creators stepped in to take the feature to greater heights. Artist Reed Crandall began on the series with Military #12 (Oct. 1942), in a story that introduced the team’s U.S. War Department contact, Major Brandon. At some

The Quali t y Compa nion

point after this, William Woolfolk began writing a fair amount of the scripts, too. Jim Steranko interviewed the writer and wrote at length about him. He began writing “Blackhawk” after returning from his own tour of duty, around 1944. (Steranko: 60) Baron Von Tepp apparently returned (as he would several times), but was revealed as the brother of the man who killed Blackhawk’s family. Most of the squadron was captured in attacking Von Tepp, but Blackhawk spooked him into wandering deliriously into the desert, where he died. (#13) On Blackhawk Island, they met the siren Tondeleyo, who coerced them into dogfighting, and even pushed Hendrickson to attempt suicide! After he took a death dive into a Nazi fighter, and survived the crash, Blackhawk came to his senses about the woman. He cast her out and she was killed by a crashing bomber. (#14) The witch called Mystery was a “Japanese Mata Hari,” a traitor to her own country. She aided the men against two other witches, Trouble and Terror, in southeast Asia. (#15) Another such lady, the Golden Bell, was a Chinese infiltrator who aided them and sacrificed her own life in Tokyo. (#17) Their adventures brought them across the world, from Libya (#16) to Tibet (#18) to the Black Forest, where they met the cruel Baron of Vyberg. Called the King Cobra, the newest Baron sought to shake his

1. Andre, Second-in-Command and Navigator, was very obviously French. He was second only to Blackhawk as a ladies’ man, though perhaps more overtly so. He was sometimes also depicted as a scientist, sometimes an artist and musician. Andre was the first of the Blackhawks to “die,” (Military #3) but he returned very soon afterwards. (#9) No other details were revealed about Andre’s personal history. 2. Blackhawk, Chief Officer, never received a real name in Quality Comics. The character never spoke with an accent, though he was clearly meant to be Polish in his first appearance. Only he wore the hawk emblem on his uniform. 3. Boris was named but never identified, in Military Comics #2, and then fell into limbo. Perhaps he moved over to “Death Patrol,” which had a pilot of the same name! 4. Chop Chop was their excitable cook, who gradually took on more responsibility, becoming a fully active member. He hailed from Chongqing (Chungking) and was awarded his own featurette that ran in Blackhawk #10–95 (Spring 1946–Dec. 1955). Most of these tales were played for laughs, not unlike Plastic Man’s

sidekick, Woozy Winks. For his odd looks, Chop Chop managed to garner the attentions of many beautiful ladies. In his more recent DC incarnation, he was the only Blackhawk with heirs. He was never awarded his own plane; he usually rode with Blackhawk but could fly on his own. 5. Chuck Wilson, Assistant Navigator and Observer, was an American, the last Blackhawk to appear. (#10) He began with black hair which quickly changed to red, and had a freckled face and a short, upturned nose. In the beginning he was one of the lesser played members, but that changed as his American nationality became an asset in storytelling. He eventually took more initiative and overthrew rebels on a solo mission into Lokaria. (#87) He opened up to Blackhawk about his father, a pilot who was lost after World War I. His mother died in the meantime. Blackhawk and Chuck were drawn to a deserted island where Blackhawk learned that Chuck’s father, Wilson, had come to command a band of pirates. Wilson was betrayed by one of his band, and he begged

family’s history of failure and take on the Blackhawks with his own “squadron of rattlesnakes” bearing uniforms with a snake’s head. (#19) This was the first of several instances when the Blackhawks’ enemies forged rival teams. The next issue featured another first: the “lady Blackhawk.” Their new visitor was from America, and preferred to be called “Sugar” (because she was hard to get), and she demanded to join the Blackhawks! Sugar simply refused to leave; she was an adept mechanic who sought revenge for her brother, who was shot down over Germany. She helped them infiltrate France, but didn’t stick around after that. (#20) The Blackhawks were prone to break out in song, usually singing the number at the beginning of this profile, but sometimes adding new verses, like these from Military #21 (left) and #26 (right): Let the tyrants give an ear! We will fill their souls with fear We are the Blackhawks!

The tyrants start to sag We fly the victory flag We’re Blackhawks!

Chop Chop might have been played for laughs, but he proved his worth many times over. As a cook, he helped root out an impostor with a special potion that somehow tasted different to spies. (#22) His meat cleaver was also handy as a weapon. He was sent in undercover to Ching-Wu, China, where he met up with a local resistance fighter, Mandarin Wang, a.k.a. Wang the Tiger, who fought modern war machines with ancient weapons. (#25) Other Asian nationals weren’t as helpful, like Dr. Koro, who established “surgical control” over the mind. He helped the Japanese reduce pilots to mindless beasts. (#30) The Blackhawks had gone shopping for a new island base in #22

Blackhawk not to tell Chuck the truth; Blackhawk obliged. (Blackhawk #17) 6. Hendrickson, Surgeon and Geologist, was an older, portly German (Dutch in Modern #48). He sometimes served as the team’s doctor. His name was “Hendrick” in Military Comics #2, changed in #5. 7. Olaf, Rocket Engineer, was the tall, broad, square-jawed Swede (a “Swensk” in Military #22, Norwegian in Modern #48) whose accent was written for humorous effect, though he was never depicted as dumb, per se. In earlier tales, he was featured more prominently than others. 8. Stanislaus, Supply and Armament, wore his hair short and his homeland was later described as Poland. He was believed dead in action in Military #31 but returned the next issue and received an eye transplant to restore his vision. 9. Zeg was one of the original men named in Military #2. He was called by name again even after Chuck appeared in Military #15, but not again.

The second lady pretender, Eve Rice, from Military #34 (Nov. 1944); art by Al Bryant.

and relocated to the Pacific in issue #31, to be closer to the Americans’ conflicts. Another more persistent tag-along was Eve Rice, a talented aviatrix/photographer who’d been following their exploits. They were none too happy to have her around, but she helped them fight off a Japanese attack. Her admiration was twisted, however. She actually tipped off the Japanese to the Blackhawks’ location just so that she could get good photos. (#34) She soon returned again, but needed saving. (#35) Andre and Olaf competed to impress her, but she only had eyes for their leader. When she thought she’d caused his death, she sailed away for good. (#36)

Modern Comics and the Blackhawk Title The Blackhawk solo book took over numbering from Uncle Sam Quarterly. It’s first issue was #9 (Winter 1944), but the next issue didn’t appear until the Spring 1946 issue. Each issue featured three or four new Blackhawk stories plus the solo “Chop Chop” feature. The book ran quarterly until 1948, when it went bi-monthly (similar Character profiles 99

Female adversaries from every land were a common fixture. All those above, from the Blackhawk title. From the left: The Tigress (#11) •

to Doll Man and Plastic Man). With the war over, the Blackhawks faced disbanding. They said their goodbyes and headed for their homes. For some members, it was the first time they’d named their native countries (some were later changed by the official origin story in Blackhawk #50). This was also the first time that Blackhawk was concretely identified as an American (by Chuck). Before they could depart, they received a distress call from Peroo Island, where raiders sought the land’s tin deposits. In conclusion, Blackhawk defined their new mission: “We came together for war—well, now we’ll stick together for peace!” (#48) This opened them up for all kinds of adventures, including aviation, exploration, diplomacy, international conflict, and espionage. They were contracted by the leaders of international consortiums and heads of state. When Reed Crandall returned from the war, he resumed penciling on Blackhawk and the series hit new heights with spectacular scenes, vehicles, and buildings.

The Ladies of Blackhawk

(Modern #78) Tanara and her Seven Sirens were specifically matched

to each of the Blackhawks but failed to take them down. (#94) When the otherwise harmless Arda Thorn learned her family history, she began killing people in vengeance, but repented. (#97) The scientist Black Star unleashed metal giants from “meteors.” (#101) Countess Carlova of the pleasure city of Glittar called the Blackhawks on a whim, but benefitted from their presence nonetheless. (Blackhawk #20) The evil Satana infiltrated Blackhawk Island to get at scientific secrets. (#21) Blackhawk went undercover to stop a crime wave led by Number One, another female mastermind. (#24) In Asia, agents of Lo Chien used giant meteors to wage war on the locals. She claimed to have perfected a technique that allowed meteors through the atmosphere without burning up, but the Blackhawks found a launcher that hurled “meteors” made of earth at her targets. (#30) The Oracle of Delya gave prophesies that favored her own ends. (#32) A few women were good, like Miss Fury, an explorer who helped the Blackhawks tame the savage island of Dr. Mendoza; it harbored dinosaurs and primitive men. (Modern #67) And Andre fell for Princess Tala of Oray Island. She was to be sacrificed to a faker called Flying Fish but she was saved in the end by her true love, a native man. (#32)

Modern Comics #49 (May 1946) introduced their frequent ally, the mysterious lady known only as Fear. She was ruthless and returned many times, usually asking for the Blackhawks’ help in squashing domestic injustice in foreign lands. Later that year, Post-war Perils she asked for help against King Murder The Nazis and the Japanese had been of Costa Marca. (Blackhawk #13) She saved defeated, but there was no shortage of power-grabbers willing to fill their Blackhawk from a marriage of honor to shoes. The Blackhawks often discovered the Princess of Badarstan by “pretendwould-be dictators trying to influence ing” to profess for love for him. (#14) She elections or overthrow neighboring aided again, against the native Shaman democracies. They fought pirate-type of North City (#17); Dr. Sprowle, who raiders and scavengers run by the remcontrolled animals with his invention in Fear, from Modern #49 (May 1946); artist uncertain. nants of World War II regiments. In Arabia (#19); Rugoth in Frangastan (#20); Blackhawk, as in society, the “red scare” and saboteurs on Sharkan. (#22) Fear was the tip of the iceberg in a sea of sexy lady co-stars. Almost took a few years to grow. Before that, the team’s foes were a mix of every issue of Blackhawk featured an unpredictable temptress. Most swarthy international threats. An official with the “International Committee for World Peace” hailed from foreign lands and a fair number were dead by story’s end. The Tigress built an ideal civilization to harbor Nazi war criminals. bade Blackhawk to go after a desert raider called the Vulture. Blackhawk’s powerful punch killed the man! (Modern #52) (#11) Eclipse, “the Winged Death,” killed herself. (#12) A scantily clad international terrorist called Cobra used snakes to kill. (Modern #71) And When a strange yellow-skinned man washed up on the shore of it seemed that every male foe had a female companion who was all a tropical island, the Blackhawks used their special submarine plane too willing to cozy up to the handsome Blackhawk, as with Paulus, to carry the whole crew into the ocean depths. They found a domed the recovering Nazi, (Blackhawk #18) and Dr. Omega, the evil recluse. (#19) city and a race of air-breathing people who had long ago retreated Madame Butterfly—a vengeful Japanese woman who wore beneath the island from aggressors. (#57) exotic wings and a cap with antennae—commanded a squadron of The men were often hired as “super-couriers,” guarding priceless planes called the Caterpillar Legion. They had painted wings that antique gold tablets, (#58) taking scientists to hard-to-reach locations enveloped their targets in cocoons, and her men wore striped tights. (#59), and mediating in land disputes between nations. (#60)

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Queen Mokina (#17) • Lo Chien (#30) • The Flame (#33) • Tarya (#36) • Troisa (#39) • Vampira (#97).

The Corsair was a formidable foe who possessed a giant floating island in the sky. (Blackhawk #15) When the killer, Stark, was reanimated with a “vegetable serum,” he returned to life as a green monster, but only for a few days. (#16) The Chinese Professor Amok tried to send a rocket to the moon; it nearly struck the Blackhawks, who were putting down insurrections by the Red Dragon. The Dragon intercepted Amok’s rocket then put his men inside it, to attack as the “Moon Men.” (Modern #64) Mr. Powder amplified the sonic effect of a bat shrieking to make it seem he could “point” destructive energies from his fingers. (Blackhawk #20) Similarly, Fate was killed with lightning from a battery powered gadget in his hands (Modern #79) Mr. Moloch burned with phosphorus while wearing an asbestos suit. (#82) Captain Squidd and his strange submarine called the Cuttlefish attacked merchant vessels above. Blackhawk flew after him in their new sub-plane, which dove directly into the water. (Modern #74) They met real aliens who arrived in a spaceship from the asteroid belt. These were red-skinned creatures who spoke through voice boxes around their necks. Their aims were expansionist and they intended to kill all animal life on Earth, until Blackhawk finished them off. The government chose to keep the incident a secret. (Blackhawk #22) The Basilisk was a man of no nation who ran an international terror organization. (Blackhawk #29) The Blackhawks were the natural choice for a rocket mission to the moon. They donned their “airtight armor” and found that the Russians had gotten there first. (#99) Stanislaus hailed from a land now under Communist rule. Would Stan betray his squad? He returned to Poland three times. On the first, his friend Leska asked him to join her (Communist) cause. She employed Stan’s distant cousin, Petka, to impersonate him and sway local elections. (#31) The next time, Stanislaus received word that his mother had fallen ill. When he arrived, he found that it was a trap, and his mother had been dead for months. He was then drugged into confessing to terrorist acts. (#48) This same plot was used in Blackhawk #97 with Stan’s sister as bait instead.

Post-Modern Blackhawks After Modern Comics ended with #102 (Oct. 1950), the Blackhawk title went from bi-monthly to monthly. The title carried the team through to Quality’s end. At this time, the page count was also bumped up from 36 to 52, allowing room for four Blackhawk stories and one “Chop Chop” feature. Blackhawk stories of the 1950s were more layered, telling flashbacks, sometimes even personal tales, and they featured more sophisticated and contemporary themes. It was the time of the Korean War, and the fiction began to reflect the Communist paranoia that was fueling the Cold War’s chill. Most stories took one of four forms: the “land that time forgot,” the femme fatale, the Communist

aggressor, or the gigantic death machine. Issue #40 (May 1951) was a tour de force, a fantastic example of the best of Blackhawk. It set the tone for many stories that followed. The first story followed the Blackhawks into an impassable valley where they were called by neighboring countries to scout for a new through-way. The men were astonished to find a civilization built by ancient Crusaders. The neo-Crusaders now threatened to attack the outside world, so the squad left their castle in ruins. The second story introduced another “lady Blackhawk.” Upon returning from a mission, the team noticed a seventh jet like theirs, in formation, but it disappeared. The culprit was Sheila Hawke, a.k.a. She-Hawke, who had aided them in secret on their mission. She was “rich and bored” and sought to join their ranks, but was roundly dismissed. The next day, she bested Olaf in training, then flew off on one of their distress calls. She was key in winning that mission, but Blackhawk tricked her into staying in the country a few weeks. She vowed to return to the Island (but never did). The third tale featured an enemy nation (Russia, ostensibly) that assembled the Red Raiders, a squadron of seven pilots each chosen to specifically oppose a Blackhawk: Wolwin, Bluth (a former Nazi), Pippo, Kazmir (former schoolmate of Stan), Fang, the American gangster Boylan, and their general, also called the Red Raider. They issued a challenge to the Blackhawks but in the end, all but the leader and the Nazi realized the error of their ways and defected from the Raiders. And the last tale featured the bald gangly Spider Webb, who used a magnet to pull planes from the sky. (Blackhawk #40) A few times before, the Blackhawks had fought bands of fighters equal in number to their own. Fiendish the Raider was Blackhawk’s evil equal. This red-headed, caped terrorist employed pilots from many different countries. (Modern #66) Captain Suicide dressed like a red Nazi and pretended to command a squadron of invisible “Phantom Bombers,” a hoax built on sound effects and time bombs. (Blackhawk #24) And when shrapnel forced Blackhawk out of the cockpit, he was assigned to train a land unit called the Badgers (to “badger ze traitors everywhere!”). Six men outfitted with gray uniforms and red-andyellow emblems quickly became successful in undercover ops. In the end, they were revealed to be spies, but they didn’t get far—Blackhawk had already deduced as much. (#63)

Forgotten lands The Blackhawks had also once been to a forgotten land, one they discovered after emerging from a strange cloud. They thought they’d traveled back in time to the island of Mr. Yesterday and his lady, Miss Danger. Slavery was common there, and Yesterday attempted to seize Chop Chop! After killing the island’s master, they destroyed its mist-generating machines and turned the island over to international authorities. (Blackhawk #18) Character profiles 101

Left: The third lady who would be Blackhawk (or She-Hawke), Sheila Hawke, from Blackhawk #40 (May 1951); art by Reed Crandall. Below: Killer Shark from Blackhawk #70 (Nov. 1953); art by Dick Dillin & Chuck Cuidera.

The Red menace

The Red Raiders from Blackhawk #40 (May 1951). All art by Reed Crandall.

They happened upon several more places like this, such as the Roman mountain city of Plubius, led by Tiberius (#41), and the underground city of catacombs in Eastern Europe. (#42) Vespis was a hidden but modern city. It was a den of terrorists populated by Spartan descendants. (#44) They discovered a host of pirate ships from centuries past stranded in the Sargasso Sea, where time truly stood still. They met Captain Cutlass, Erick the Viking, even a Roman and an Egyptian, all kept alive by something in the atmosphere and vegetation. A trapped Nazi sub attacked them, and after defeating it, they used it to escape. (#48)

femmes fatales There was no shortage of beautiful but deadly women in Blackhawk during the 1950s. This story template cooled for a while during 1952–53, but returned again during the series’ final years. Morella led the Mockers, a band of idle playboys who wore masks and tuxedos. They committed crimes for their pleasure only. (Blackhawk #33) On the other hand, Kate Royle led a band of sky pirates whose cause against a South African mine owner was justified. (#36) The Blackhawks donned their parkas to seek out Aurora, Queen of the Arctic, who used transparent plastic insulation on her body to appear “less dressed” than she was in the cold. (#37) The Golden Swarm served the feminist conqueror called Queen Bee. (#38) Lilith killed a scientist and unleashed his super-growing plant spores. In the same issue, Chop Chop exposed the nightclub singer, Troisa, who’d gotten her hooks into Andre. (#39) Amora and the Flying Vivaldis used their acrobatics as a front to kidnap a key scientist (the cover and splash page called this band the “Death Patrol,” but it wasn’t used in the story). (#46) Rhodl and her men pretended to come from a thousand years in the future using a time globe. Blackhawk deduced that Rhodl was from the present when he smelled her perfume as she kissed him! (#47) Andre briefly resigned after falling prey to the beauty of Olga Lukens, a spy who made off with a powerful weapon. He redeemed himself by locating her partner. (#70) Comrade Flame was a red lady who commanded the giant FireWheel. (#85) Sovietta and her men managed to invade Blackhawk Island. Her comrade, another woman called the Sea Wolf, wore a wolf’s-head mask. (#87) The Black Widow’s men used stinger guns. (#94) Old Nazis flocked to join Hitler’s (supposed) daughter, Hitla, who was dressed identically to the same issue’s Comrade Communa, swapping a swastika for hammer-and-sickle. (#97)

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Soviet-inspired villains were the most common Blackhawk foes, especially after 1950. In some later issues, Russia, Communism, Stalin and the Soviet flag were represented explicitly. But usually pseudonyms were used (like “Stanin” of “Russaga”). The enemy was often described instead as “aggressors,” who took aim at democracy everywhere. The leaders were sometimes drawn resembling Josef Stalin, with his moustache, drab uniform and red stars. Before the king of Voslia died, he wished that his country would become a democracy, but his former confidant seized power using the Iron Emperor, a giant metal robot. (#41) The people of Fusang appointed Blackhawk their new president, but he managed to convince them to hold elections. (#43) The United Council sanctioned the Blackhawks’ use of “The Bomb” against the tyrant called Azar. The Blackhawks were sick at the prospect, but they completed their mission. Azar survived and sent them a special package containing what was supposedly his “isolated brain.” They decided to use the brain’s knowledge for good, but when they learned Azar was alive, they used another H-bomb to finish him off. (#44) In the next issue, Prof. Albert Somers invented a portable atomic bomb. (#45) The team was even briefly infiltrated by a Red, their new member, Antonio Riva of Italy. Riva’s brother had saved Blackhawk’s life during the War, but Antonio was replaced by a spy who led the Blackhawks into a trap. In the end, “Riva” was sent out a window from several stories up. (#52) The Red Chinese were also a threat. When the team dined at the home of Chop Chop’s cousin, the American Wah Jung, he received a message from China saying that unless they paid their uncle Wah Po’s back taxes, he’d be executed. Wah Po gave his life to lead the Blackhawks to a secret Russian base. (#55) In one clever plot, the Communists created a faux time machine. They gassed the Blackhawks and staged a future city from the year 2100. The “leader,” Rajek, claimed that the entire world had been Communist since 1965, but it didn’t fool Blackhawk. The same issue featured another futuristic tale where both the Americans and Russians

sought to make an orbiting base from Asteroid X. Blackhawk took a rocket there and disguised himself as Xmmmla, an alien leader. But just as he was getting the upper hand, the planetoid began to crack and the Communists were left to die. (#59) The Red Executioner took a $1 million bounty on each of the Blackhawks but they were protected by their new uniforms, which were lined with special plastic body armor. (#66) The Future Feuhrer claimed he was really Hitler, but of course, was only a look alike. (#67) The squad caused a ruckus at a conference for The planes Communist dictators. In attendance ABOVE: According to Chuck Cuidera, the first were Mao Tse-Tung, Boleslaw Bei- Blackhawk aircraft were modeled on the obscure rut, Kim Il Sung, Walter Tzbo, and Grumman F5F Skyrockets (never widely produced); from Military #30 (July 1944). Malenkov (Russian). (#69) TOP RIGHT: In Modern #81 (Jan. 1949), they switched to Although he was dead, Blackhawk’s these, based on the Douglas D558-1; from Modern arch rival Von Tepp reappeared a #85 (May 1949). second time, running for leadership RIGHT: Their familiar needle-nosed jets, like Lockheed of Valnadia. This Von Tepp claimed XF-90s, debuted in Blackhawk #32 (Aug. 1950); from that before his death, he’d studied Blackhawk #34 (Nov. 1950). with lamas in Tibet and attained They also used the Hawkmarine, their submersible, in Blackhawk #87 (April 1955). “perpetual life.” Blackhawk sussed out this lie and found that the Reds had manufactured an army of Von Tepps using plastic surgery. (#71) Not long after this story, he appeared War Wheel, a gargantuan tank called the World Destroyer. again with no such explanation, disguised as a new “Human Bomb!” He wore a suit strapped with explosives and waltzed in to destroy Other Players ordnance and steal top secret papers. The Blackhawks eventually fig- The United World Council was a primary player in the Blackhawks’ ured out that there was nothing volatile on his person, and unmasked missions. The organization built a large complex, and when Blackhim as Von Tepp. They behaved as if the villain had never died. (#79) hawk invented Fido, a mechanical dog that could track people’s brain The acrobats called Hammer and Sickle were created by the waves, he gave it to the Citadel of Science. (#48) NKVD under project Red Flag. (#83) And the Super-Communists The Blackhawks’ biggest recurring foe was the Killer Shark. He lived high in snowy mountains and forsook their sight in order to first appeared attacking the European city of Kamard. His band also develop their other senses. (#89) flew airplanes that were decorated like sharks. Killer Shark wore a cap with a fin on top and had sharp teeth, and they used a “squid spray” that emitted a black cloud. In their undersea lair, the Shark The Bigger, the Badder Most of the war machines the Blackhawks encountered were tools was accidentally thrown into a tank of real sharks. (#50) The next time of the Communists. No device was too fantastic here. It began with he appeared, the villain credited his survival to shark repellent. His the King of Winds, who made fierce tornados. (#44) Later the Storm crew returned to destroy a dam. (#70) King did similar things with his giant wind generator. (#93) The Killer Shark later allied with the King Cobra, who had perThere were even living monsters like the giant sea creatures cre- fected a technique to launch aircraft—like missiles with retractable ated by using Professor Jensen’s formula that accelerated the growth wings. At the end of Cobra’s encounter with the Blackhawks, he was launched out of the device as well. (#58) In China, Killer Shark and of marine life. (#47) The Valkyrie employed the Hell Diver, which burrowed out of King Cobra teamed with Fang the Merciless, who had an H-Bomb. the ground and took to the air! (#49) A Red army used a giant Flying Blackhawk managed to turn it back on the villains, apparently blowing them all up. (#80) No such luck; Killer Shark was back one more Octopus filled with noxious gas. (#50) The most recognizable machine was probably Prof. Dekker’s gi- time to attack using a sawfish, electric eel, and a new stingray-like ant War Wheel. This invention was taller than any building, and it amphibious ship. (#81) returned to grace several of DC’s Blackhawk covers. After squashing Only a few characters qualified as truly super-human or alien. aggressors in Malkaria, the Blackhawks were besieged by the Wheel, The short bug-eyed aliens for Ur appeared to be the real deal. Their whose spikes ran right over Blackhawk! He survived by diving between leader, Izmar, intended to decimate the population of Earth. Brawn the studs. With the help of Dekker’s daughter, Blackhawk disguised prevailed and the aliens’ fate was a mystery. (#43) Three scientists himself as the inventor and parachuted into enemy territory. The were transformed into the Future-Men by their chemical science. juggernaut was finally defeated by tricking it into quicksand. (#56) One became a telepath, one could walk through walls, and the third The text in Blackhawk #61 (Feb. 1952) named Stalin and previous wielded lightning. Blackhawk managed to turn one to dust, one had Red threats, and Zavan of Russlo unveiled something similar to the a heart attack from horrific thoughts, and the third was captured with Character profiles 103

Left: Chop Chop graduates to a more respectable look, from Blackhawk #95 (Dec. 1955); art by Paul Gustavson. Right: Finally, a uniform (and name) of his own! From Blackhawk #265 (Dec. 1983); art by Dan Spiegle.

Chop Chop was key in bringing down Vampira and her Bat-Crew in Asia. (#97) In the 1976 DC revival of the Blackhawks, he was called “Chopper.” And the “political incorrectness” of Chop Chop’s Golden Age portrayal was elegantly addressed by Mark Evanier when he wrote the next revival in 1982. These stories took place during World War II, and issue #265 (Dec. 1983) struck directly upon the issue: why was it OK to make fun of Chop Chop, and why wasn’t he a full-fledged member? In that tale, he was given a name, Wu Cheng, and awarded an official uniform. But ironically, he also chose to return to China to fight for his own people. Issue #100 came and went with the usual mix of giant machines, evil ladies, and neo-Nazis. The final Quality issues brought more of the same. One mission of note was that to Planetoid X-1. After narrowly avoiding a meteor, the Blackhawks touched down to find the leader, Harlo, at war with the planet Zarko. (#103)

rubber insulation. (#73) And Thunder the Indestructible arrived from space. The only way to defeat the mindless hulk was to blast him back out there. (#88) Others included the jihadists who attacked outpost Abo-En-Krim. Blackhawk remarked that a holy war could “set the whole world aflame!” (#35) Vulcanar powers sent terrorists around the world to burn All members of the Blackhawks were exgreat monuments. (#38) The Vampire Men ceptional pilots, able to pilot any kind of aircraft, in addition to underwater crafts. were fitted with winged harnesses. (#60) The No member of the Blackhawks possessed Brain was a powerful computer-minded robot super-powers, though they were all exwith destructive rays. (#77) The Blackhawks ceptionally well-trained in hand-to-hand brought the Brain back to life for their own combat, martial arts, and most of them ends, reactivating its gamma rays against bounced back quickly from serious injury another mechanical abomination. (#81) and even survived plane crashes. In Blackhawk #75, the team’s leader suffered a wounded ankle and was stranded in the the Blackhawk mountains. There he bonded with a black moviE serial hawk, whose leg was similarly wounded. Blackie the hawk, from Blackhawk #75 (Apr. 1954); He named it Blackie, and the two healed An ad in Blackhawk #56 (Sept. 1952) alongside one another. Later Blackie returned art by Dick Dillin & Chuck Cuidera. brought readers’ attention to the new to aid him on a mission. Blackie was never Blackhawk motion picture serial, “Fearless used again at Quality, but he did return at DC. Champion of Freedom,” starring Kirk Alyn (who’d played Superman in a 1948 serial). Readers were encouraged to check with their local theaters to find out when it would begin. The introductory credits The Evolution of Chop Chop In Blackhawk #95 (Dec. 1955), a quiet but marvelous change happened even listed Reed Crandall as artist of the comic book (at the suggesin the solo Chop Chop feature—he was drawn more realistically! tion of Busy Arnold?). Paul Gustavson drew it as usual, but gone were the huge buck teeth, ponytail, and cartoon body shape. Oh, he was still chubby, short, a bit buck-toothed, and still spoke with the accent, but the visual depiction was markedly different. This might have been a result of the newly At DC, the Blackhawks continued under the same art team as at implemented Comics Code (although the original Code addressed Quality: Dick Dillin and Chuck Cuidera. Over the years, they beonly sex and violence). It began appearing on Blackhawk #87 (April gan transitioning from fighting big machines to more super-villains 1955). Chop’s new appearance was the last of his solo adventures. He (the Killer Shark recurred often), and sci-fi menaces that mirrored was replaced by generic (non-Blackhawk) adventure tales. In the next the types of stories being produced in DC’s other super-hero titles. issue’s Blackhawk adventure, Chop Chop appeared in his new look. Regardless of the quality, something was working, and the title kept going into the mid-1960s. (#108-196) (#96) He was never awarded an official Blackhawk uniform, however.

DC Comics, Silver AGE

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In 1958, they were joined by Lady Blackhawk, Zinda Blake. (Blackhawk #133) In her first adventure, she failed to make the cut. She appeared off-and-on for some time, and eventually disappeared amid the time fluctuations caused by DC’s Zero Hour mini-series. She emerged decades in the future. (Guy Gardner #24). She was invited by Oracle to join the Birds of Prey as their pilot. (Birds of Prey #75) In Blackhawk #197 (June 1964), their uniforms were updated to a red-and-green scheme that was less military and more akin to contemporary adventurers like the Challengers of the Unknown. (#196-227) Lady Blackhawk came under the thrall of the Killer Shark, as Queen Killer Shark. (#200) In order to keep the Blackhawks hip to the times, an embarrassingly bizarre move was made beginning with issue #228 (Jan. 1967) to recast the Blackhawks as true super-heroes! That issue featured the Justice League on the cover, and on the next, Blackhawk rather desperately cried to the reader, “Don’t quit on us! Everyone says the Blackhawks are washed up… but you be the judge!” (#228-241) Just before it was canceled, DC attempted to return Blackhawk to its traditional setting (and uniforms). (#242-243) Their next DC stint began at the dawn of the disco era, 1976, and the members were reintroduced wearing sexy new deep v-necked uniforms, again blue-and-black, with red. The writers attempted to create another new setting for the characters, whose lives had moved on since readers last saw them. This version was canceled just before the “DC Implosion,” in 1977. (#244–250) When Blackhawk was revived in 1982, writer Mark Evanier and artist Dan Spiegle returned the team to the World War II era (and Blackhawk again became Polish). These stories were more true to the flavor of the originals, making appropriate updates like the depiction of Chop Chop. (#251-273)

DC Comics, Post-Crisis Even though Blackhawk’s identity as a Polish man was very short-lived in Quality Comics, the redefinition of his origin at DC has returned him to the roots set down by Military Comics #1. The groundwork was laid by the character’s first post-Crisis appearances, in the 1988

The all-new Super-Blackhawks! From Blackhawk #230 (March 1967); art by Dick Dillin & Chuck Cuidera.

prestige format mini-series by Howard Chaykin, and in Secret Origins #45 (Oct. 1989). It is difficult to reconcile the new history with the original Quality adventures. The revised names, personalities and cast make it so that there are only rough parallels between them. Janos Prohaska was born on October 31, 1912 in Krakow, Poland, where he experienced ravages of Poland’s war with Russia in 1919. The horrible depression that followed led his father to take his own life, and his mother died of shock in 1929. “Jan” was left with his younger siblings, Józek and Staszka, whom he put in the care of his aunt when he joined the Polish Air Force. He and his good friends Stanislaus and Zeg gained skills in hand-to-hand combat, marksmanship and aviation. By 1936, they were national heroes. When the political climate in Poland grew sour, the young men went into freelance service, which took them abroad, eventually leading them to form the Blackhawks in England. (Secret Origins #45) Chaykin depicted the Blackhawks through a modern lens, which left little room for the continuity of previous incarnations. The biggest difference was the change to Blackhawk’s personality. He was harder, less perfect, and more sexualized. Also, Stanislaus died early, after which the team was joined by Captain Natalie Reed (née Gurdin), a brilliant Russian-American flight engineer. (Blackhawk vol. 2 #2–3) This organization survived until modern times as Blackhawk Express, a charter service specialized in dangerous cargo. It was run by Weng Chan (a.k.a. Chop Chop).

Notes Military Comics #4 (Nov. 1941) has a full-page map of Blackhawk Island. Writer Dick French wrote sheet music, “The Song of the Blackhawks,” which appeared in Military #8 (March 1942; see page 84). Modern Comics #54 (Oct. 1946) showed a diagram comparing the Blackhawks’ jet with a smaller Russian Migh-15.

Left: Lady Blackhawk (Zinda) fails to pass muster first time around, from Blackhawk #133 (Feb. 1959); art by Dick Dillin. Right: Natalie Reed was Howard Chaykin’s lady Blackhawk, though she never truly went by that code name, from Blackhawk vol. 2 #3 (1988); art by Howard Chaykin.

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Bill and Boomerang, from Military #1 (1940); art by Fred Guardineer. Right: A schematic from Military #4.

The Blue Tracer Piloted by William “Wild Bill” Dunn Created by Fred Guardineer NAME + ALIASES: Capt. William “Wild Bill” Dunn FIRST APPEARANCE: Military Comics #1 (Aug. 1941) APPEARANCES: Military Comics #1–16 (Aug. 1941–Jan. 1943)

Bill Dunn wasn’t super-powered, but his outfit qualifies him as a costumed hero. Unlike the Red Torpedo, it was never he, but his impervious ship that was called “Blue Tracer.” The Red Torpedo preceded the Blue Tracer in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940). There was also the brief “Swordfish” feature, about a one-man sub piloted by plainclothes Ensign Jack Smith (Hit #22, June 1942). Military #4 depicts a detailed schematic of the vehicle itself. Fred Guardineer was at his best on this feature, crafting utterly stunning scenes of fantastic battle using both real world and fictional war machines. Captain “Wild” Bill Dunn was an American engineer who was the only survivor of a British “scouting division” in Ethiopia. He soon happened upon Pvt. Boomerang Jones, from Australia, who told him that their enemy was the local tribe called M’Bujies. For months, the two of them toiled to create a war machine from the remains of fascist equipment. This machine was a marvel: the Blue Tracer could travel on land, at sea or in air. Its “hull” resembled a bullet and its chassis included parts from tanks and airplanes. In invading the M’Bujies, they also freed a white woman. (Military #1) On their next mission, their commander discovered they were alive, which might have earned them court martials for desertion, if not for their good deeds. (#2) Dunn and Jones traveled the world with the Blue Tracer, fighting Axis threats wherever they appeared. After fighting Japanese in China, (#3) they made a death-defying dive into a Nazi submarine—splitting it in two and emerging unscathed! Dunn then came across the sunken hull of the S.S. Athenia, and pushed it to the surface to terrorize the Nazis into releasing their British prisoners. (#5) In Russia, they opposed the hook-handed, peg-legged, one-eyed Nazi named Gen. Herman Von Blutt, who managed to capture the Tracer. Just as Bill was about to be hanged, Boomerang saved the day. (#8) And in China, they fought General Muki Zu, the “Yellow

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Butcher of Koko Nor.” (#9) After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dunn returned to defend the home front from the Japanese in the South Pacific. The She-Wolf of the Java Sea was a half-Japanese woman to whom Bill showed films of Japanese brutality in Asia. After the Tracer obliterated a Japanese destroyer, the She-Wolf joined the Allied cause. (#10) More victories against the Japanese followed in Nome, Alaska (#11), and in a face-off against the Tracer’s equal Japanese number—the giant Thing, which was a military robot. Dunn found that the Thing was equally impervious, its Achilles Heel being its human operator. (#12) The Tracer’s final adventures concerned the Nazi threat. The Nazis developed their own Rocket Tank too, which the Tracer beat by riding it from above into a rock. The local Russians finished it off with Molotov cocktails. (#13) President Roosevelt personally enlisted the Blue Tracer for a mission in the mountains of Yugoslavia. Here the machine demonstrated its most powerful feat to date (and taxed it accordingly) by plunging from the sky and burrowing a tunnel straight through a mountain. (#14) Dunn had one brush with the super-human when he encountered Nazi soldiers endowed with rapid healing abilities. The power was activated by radio waves and was counteracted by destroying the control tower. (#15) The Blue Tracer presumably kept up the fight throughout the war. Its last mission targeted Germany’s best sub, the U-1. Dunn and Jones were aided by X-6, a double agent working among the Germans. (#16)

Notes The name “Tracer” may have come from the type of ammunition which was developed in World War One, which was designed to be armor-piercing. Indeed, the Blue Tracer resembles a bullet. The Blue Tracer has never been used by any publisher since Quality’s end (save for a reprint of Military #1 in DC’s line of “Millennium Editions”).

Powers Dunn was a good fighter and great engineer. The Blue Tracer could travel on land, under the sea, and in the air. It had many weapons, could dive like a shell, and could deflect small arms fire easily. Heavily fortified, it could not be pierced.

Bozo the Iron Man and Hugh Hazzard

robot’s back, he soon was able to enter the robot himself (as he had in the first story), and control it from inside. It was also fitted with a telescopic eye. (#6) His “super-sepericonoscope” could receive audio and video from far distances. (#10) It wasn’t until he met the modern day Prometheus called Brutus that the robot truly met his match. Brutus was created by a mad scientist who stole body parts from graves. The two fought to a near stalemate until Bozo threw Brutus into his creator, killing both of them. (#14) Bozo’s creator, Dr. Von Thorp returned once after freeing himself from prison. He reclaimed the Iron Man by making a new device to override Hazzard’s own controls. Top: Hazzard entering Bozo, from Hazzard foiled the doctor by hiding Smash #15 (1940). Middle: The away inside the robot to gain entry Clown, from Smash #25 (1941). to Von Thorp’s lair. The evil doctor Art by George Brenner. Bottom: Notice Bozo on the far right, was wise to him, and locked Hugh from Starman #64 (2000); art by into a flooded room. He survived Peter Snejberg.

Created by George Brenner NAME + ALIASES: None FIRST APPEARANCE: Smash Comics #1 (Aug. 1939) APPEARANCES:

• Smash Comics #1-41 (Aug. 1939–March 1943) • Starman vol. 2 #64

Bozo the Robot was the third hero created by George Brenner for Quality Comics. Bozo even preceded Quality’s first super-hero, the Doll Man, by several months. Save for its robotic nature, historically significant name, and occasional bursts of excitement, the character was forgettable. Bozo was an iron robot originally created by the criminal Dr. Von Thorp, who sent his creation to terrorize the city. The police were at their wits’ end and Commissioner Hunt called their go-to guy, Hugh Hazzard, for help by sending a flare into the sky. (Batman’s Bat-signal didn’t appear until 1942.) Hazzard managed to stow away inside the robot, which led him back to Von Thorp’s hideout, and to a hasty take down. Afterwards, Hugh learned that the authorities intended to send the robot to a watery grave. Hazzard rushed to save it and named him “Bozo the Iron Man,” his new crime-fighting partner. (Smash #1) Hazzard wasted no time and added a flying device to the robot. However, Commissioner Hunt was not pleased to learn that Bozo was on the loose again after he’d ordered the robot destroyed. He demanded that Hugh turn it over, but was interrupted by news of a kidnapping. Hazzard saw this as his opportunity to prove Bozo’s worth. He sent Bozo, via radio control, to capture the kidnapper’s plane. After seeing the robot in action, the Commissioner was convinced of its value in crime fighting. Hunt also liked the fact that he could use Hazzard’s services at no expense to taxpayers. (#2) Herman Weizer of Latavia offered $2 million to Hazzard for Bozo. Hugh refused, declaring that Bozo wasn’t for sale, even after the offer went to $5 million. Since he couldn’t have the robot, Weizer tried unsuccessfully to destroy it with a death ray machine. (#5) In addressing the world at war in Quality Comics, Brenner did like other writers and gave his villains names like “Hitlin” and the “Batzis.” (#8) He crafted one hopeful tale where Hazzard and Bozo got involved in European affairs, and world peace was declared after the evil dictator Motler was sent to his doom. (#9) Hugh continued to improve the Iron Man. Usually riding on the Character profiles 107

by using his pipe as a straw for air. He eventually managed to smash Von Thorp’s control box, and took Bozo back. The Doctor was later shot and killed while trying to flee from police. (#18) Bozo fought a few more weird foes like the Headless Men—mobsters who wore special suits to make themselves look headless in order to frighten their victims. (#24) The Clown was the first “super-villain” to really give Bozo a run for his money. This killer struck with poison, and left a calling card bearing his white faced visage. (DC’s Joker had been around for just over a year.) The Clown continued on a crime spree across the city, aimed at taking over organized crime. Hazzard and Bozo managed to track him down, but had their hands full in trying to capture the Clown. With sheer brute force, the Clown sent Bozo flying into the river. Bozo quickly recovered and followed him back to his hideout. It was Bozo’s turn to deliver a beating, and he turned the Clown over to police. (#25) In the following issue, the evil Akim Topoff and his oriental henchman, Toto, killed the D.A. using a mystical crucible that allowed Topoff to appear and vanish at will. At the end of their struggle, Hugh never thought twice about tying a rock to Topoff’s ankle, and letting him drown. (#26) For most of Bozo’s final dozen-or-so appearances, the feature degenerated into repetitive plots. A couple of issues before its end, Brenner tried stirring the pot with an interesting story that even included funny animals. A lovable hillbilly named Zeke Punkinhed crossed paths with Bozo while on the trail of a wanted crook. The story also included a sort of “parallel story” which occupied the top portion of every page. This secondary story mirrored Bozo’s adventure as a sort of morality play involving a cat and mouse. (#39) Another genius inventor Home Twipple created his own bumbling Iron Man. Bozo proved that Twipple’s suit was second best, and it’s a good thing, too. Once Twipple exited the robot, some mobsters blew it to kingdom come. (#40) Whatever involvement George Brenner had in the feature by the end, he soon gave up creative work and served solely as editor for the rest of his stay at Quality.

Post-Quality The character of Bozo has seen no formal use since 1943. James Robinson, who wrote Starman in the 1990s, made cryptic references to several Quality characters. In Starman #64, you can catch a glimpse of Bozo in the DC universe. By the 1970s, Bozo’s body had found its way into the hands of a Japanese collector who specialized in heroic memorabilia. Bozo appears among other historical robots from DC lore. The fate of Hugh Hazzard remains unexplored. Hugh had no known family, but an unnamed girlfriend made a couple of minor appearances. In a 2007 interview with Newsarama, Justin Gray revealed, “Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard evolved from … an updated version of Bozo the Iron Man.” (“Uncle Sam…”)

Notes Many fictional robots from the early 20th century probably trace their roots to Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent film, Metropolis, which presented a unique future-world and featured a robotic woman, the Maschinenmensch. Squarish, human-sized robots can also be found in the 1935 Gene Autry serial Phantom Empire. Most similar to Bozo was a real-life robot that was contemporary to Brenner’s comics career. The golden robot called Elektro was made by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and presented at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. It was seven feet tall, and performed a variety of feats (but could not house a human). Elektro was also

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wide-shouldered and barrel-chested, though Bozo’s facial “expression” seems a bit more friendly. Brenner referenced the World’s Fair in one of his “Clock” stories. Bozo the Robot preceded television’s famous Bozo the Clown by several years. Marvel Comics’ character, Iron Man, did not debut until Tales of Suspense #39 (April 1963). Bozo was powerful enough to maintain a bi-monthly cover spotlight through Smash #26. The name of the feature began as “Hugh Hazzard and His Iron Man.” In Smash #12 the “Iron Man” portion was dropped permanently in favor of “Bozo the Robot” (and often omitting Hugh’s name entirely). Another Bozo-like robot was used by the Japanese in the humor feature “Private Dogtag” in Police #28 (1943).

Powers Bozo’s prowess was mainly quantified by his mechanical strength and ability to fly. It once plowed right through the earth. At first, Hugh Hazzard controlled Bozo by remote control, and even rode on the robot’s back. Soon he added the ability to control Bozo from the inside, wearing it like armor. The robot was airtight and could perform underwater as well. Hugh Hazzard wasn’t afraid to use his own fists, either.

Captain Triumph Created by Alfred Andriola NAME + ALIASES: Lance and Michael Gallant KNOWN RELATIVES: Unnamed aunt GROUP AFFILIATIONS: U.S. Air Corps FIRST APPEARANCE: Crack Comics #27 (Jan. 1943) APPEARANCES:

• Crack Comics #27-62 (Jan. 1943–Sept. 1949) • The Titans vol. 1 #36

Captain Triumph was one of the few latter-day super-heroes introduced at the height of World War II, when paper was scarce, but Quality had come to understand the kinds of features that would sell. Captain Triumph was obviously inspired by Captain Marvel. Both heroes summoned power from beyond, and were transformed by lightning. The character’s creator, Alfred Andriola, got an early start in comics drawing the popular “Charlie Chan” newspaper strip in the late 1930s. Lance and Michael Gallant were born in 1919 with identical T-shaped birthmarks on their left wrists. Michael joined the U.S. Air Corps while Lance became a journalist. No matter what their differences, they shared an unbreakable empathic bond. In the fall of 1942, Lance and Kim Meredith were watching her boyfriend, Michael, come in for a landing. Soon after he landed, it was apparent something was amiss and the hangar exploded. Even though Lance found his brother alive, Michael’s life gave out just after asking Lance to care for Kim. Lance cried to the heavens for revenge and his brother’s spirit appeared to him in a flash of lightning. Michael’s spirit offered Lance terrific powers: super-strength, flight, and invulnerability. All he need do was touch the birthmark they had shared and Michael’s spirit would combine with Lance’s body, empowering them to become Captain Triumph. Naturally, their first mission was to solve the bombing that took Michael’s life. Some blamed Michael’s friend, Pop Mason, but the true culprit was the Nazi, Baron Von Bragg. (Crack #27) Lance was usually the only one who could see Michael’s ghost, but Lance also helped Kim to see and hear him. Together, they

investigated the murderous twins, A. and Z. Spade. (#29) A. Spade escaped and kidnapped Kim in revenge. Poor Kim was brutally beaten but Spade’s new accomplice, Carim Bombay, double-crossed and killed him, then escaped. (#31) Lance and Kim acquired an ally while on vacation at Winter Wonderland. They took pity on the circus clown, Biff, and used super-powers to help him “spice up” his act. Later, while skiing, Lance and Biff ran afoul of murder. In the course of finding the killer Zero, Lance revealed his dual identity to Biff. At the conclusion, Lance asked Biff to work with him as his assistant. (#30) More “plain” villains followed, such as the Raven, a hideous murderer (#34); a boss called Silent struck fear with only his fists (#43); and Silvertip was a con man who “called upon” ghosts. (#44) Michael and the crew roamed the world, traveling first to Egypt in search of Dr. Marfree and his partner Vossburg, who had created a way to separate water and turn it into flame! Vossberg was murdered for their invention and Lance uncovered Marfree as the killer. (#35) Captain Triumph’s Achilles heel was his need to actually touch his T-shaped birthmark. Writers regularly created circumstances which conspired to render Lance bound or unconscious, thus incapable of making the transformation. Once when Lance was knocked out, Michael compelled his brother to touch his hand to the mark. After changing back to normal, Lance was healed of his injuries, too. (#37) Another time, Michael coaxed a rat into chewing his ropes. (#38) Gallant had unlimited financial resources but Biff was always trying to get rich. Cap helped Biff recover from a gold mine swindle (#42) but also stepped in to help with an oil well that actually struck oil. (#49) The feature’s writing seemed to improve somewhat when Captain Triumph’s adventures began including super-villains like Khor. This strange scientist sought to strengthen humans with animal physiology. He used Captain Triumph as a guinea pig, forcing him with hypnotic powers to submit to his procedure. Triumph’s body resisted the disintegration suffered by Khor’s other victims and when defeated, Khor

killed himself. (#47) In a strange town, Kim was kidnapped by a werewolf. The men took shelter in the home of a man named Raffrey, who naturally turned out to be the beast. Triumph showed no remorse in delivering a fatal blow, even after he’d reverted back into human form. (#51) In the next town, they met the Porcupine, who wore a coat of killer quills that he threw with great accuracy. The quills were charged by electricity from the villain’s own body, a property which he acquired from stumbling into an electric chair at the penitentiary. The Porcupine could also topple walls by hurling himself at them. He died when he was shortcircuited in water. (#52) The death of Michael’s godfather, Emmet Darcy, caused mayhem with his inheritance. With Michael dead, Lance intended to donate the money to medical research. But one Vyra “Gallant” came out of the woodwork claiming to be Michael’s widow. Lance ultimately proved her marriage certificate was a forgery. (#53) The Gallants’ only known relative was an unnamed aunt. (#59) In one issue only, Kim was shown engaged to Lance, and she made public displays of affection towards Captain Triumph. Lance was framed for the murder of a gossip columnist who wrote about the couple. (#56) Kim was now linked to Captain Triumph, and a young woman sought her for Cap’s help against Mr. Pointer (Burke Smyser). This crook could seemingly kill merely by pointing, but in reality he was firing a small sliver of ice laced with a deadly poison. (#61) The feature ran through Crack #62, after which the title was renamed Crack Western in late 1949 (a move which saved the book from cancellation for four more years).

Top: From Crack #30 (1943); Art by Alfred Andriola. Middle: Kim, Biff and Lance, from Crack #42 (1946); artist uncertain. Bottom: The Porcupine, from Crack #52 (1948); art by Reed Crandall.

Captain Triumph is reputed to have shared one adventure with the Justice Society, but no details are available. (Starman vol. 2 #62) In early issues of Starman, the Mist told the Shade that he killed Triumph in the 1970s. The Shade seemed to acknowledge the event, but the Mist suffered from dementia and must have misremembered events. In 2002, Lance Gallant reappeared again in The Titans #36, but it was a less than Character profiles 109

flattering portrayal. Gallant was revealed as the murderer of Liberty Belle’s (another Golden Age heroine) fiancé, Philip Geyer. Triumph had followed Libby and Geyer home one evening and discovered that Geyer’s intentions towards her were less than honorable. In a rage, Gallant slew Geyer. Lance blamed ghostly Michael for the murder. Captain Triumph was a major figure in James Robinson’s Golden Age series. This series was labeled as an “Elseworlds,” and considered outside mainstream continuity. Robinson’s Lance Gallant was tormented by the constant presence of his dead brother. Captain Triumph was the inspiration for the character called Triumph in John Arcudi’s 2002 Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny (see page 54). DC has its own character called Triumph, who also had blond hair, but who was never specifically linked with Captain Triumph.

Powers By touching a T-shaped birthmark on his wrist, Lance Gallant would combine with the spirit of his dead brother, Michael. The lightning-fast transformation infused the resultant Captain Triumph with super-strength, flight, and invulnerability. He needn’t touch the mark personally; touching it against other surfaces also triggered the transformation. As twins, they had always shared an empathic bond. In spirit form, Michael also had limited control over the material world. With great effort he could convey the essence of a message to people and animals, and could move matter in minor ways. After changing back to normal, Lance could find himself healed of mortal injuries. One advantage of Michael’s spirit form was that he was intangible and could investigate anyplace.

Captain Triumph II NAME + ALIASES: Unrevealed KNOWN RELATIVES: None GROUP AFFILIATIONS: The Crusaders, the Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Uncle Sam & Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #3 (January

2008)

Nothing is known about the second Captain Triumph. She is a government operative who joined the Crusaders, a group who opposed the Freedom Fighters. (Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #3) She eventually joined the latter group, too. (#7)

The Clock Created by George Brenner NAME + ALIASES: Brian O’Brien FIRST APPEARANCE, ORIGINAL: Funny Pages vol. 1 #6 and Funny Picture

Stories #1 (Nov. 1936). In Quality Comics: Feature Funnies #3 (Dec. 1937) APPEARANCES, ORIGINAL:

• Funny Pages vol. 1 #6–11 (Nov. 1936–June 1937) • Funny Picture Stories #1–2 (Nov. 1936–Dec. 1936)

introduced a year before in National’s New Fun #6. Dr. Occult was not masked, but possessed mystical abilities. The Clock debuted in Funny Pages vol. 1 #6 and Funny Picture Stories #1 (Nov. 1936), but both comics featured different stories. The stories in Funny Pages (“The Clock Strikes”) appear to have been penned first; the art is rougher, and each issue only printed two pages of the Clock. The last story (#11, June 1937) ended with no resolution. The two tales in Funny Picture Stories (“Alias, the Clock”) featured more pages, supporting characters, and a more well-rounded setting. These titles were published by William Cook and John Mahon for Comics Magazine Co., Inc. Busy Arnold helped these men on the printing side, and became good friends with George Brenner. When the Cook-Mahon enterprise went under, Arnold picked up the Clock for his own new company, Comic Favorites, Inc. (a.k.a. Quality). With less than a year’s break, the Clock next appeared in Feature Funnies #3 (Dec. 1937). One issue before this, Brenner created another new hero called the Hawk. This feature bore the attribution “by Geo. E. Brenner, creator of The Clock.” The Hawk only appeared once. Like the Clock, he wore a suit and mask. Brenner’s features suffered from hurried artwork and an obvious lack of formal skills—sad when contrasted with the rising talent of other Quality artists. His writing was hit-and-miss. In both “The Clock” and his other long-lived feature, “Bozo,” adventures often made head-scratching twists and incredible plot leaps. Sometimes the result was a powerful, fast-paced story. Sometimes not. Quality editor Gill Fox suggested that George Brenner might have owned the Clock. But Martin Filchock, a contemporary of Brenner’s at Cook-Mahon, dismissed that idea in Alter Ego #64 (Jan. 2007). He said, “In those days, nobody owned anything. I mean, the doggone magazine just paid you five bucks and they owned everything.” Even if Cook-Mahon owned “The Clock,” its move to Quality wasn’t strange to Filchock, who added, “if the other magazine wants your stuff… they didn’t care. They were out of the business.” Whatever the case, Brenner died in the 1950s and the Clock’s adventures are in the public domain. The Clock was revived by Malibu Comics along with other heroes from the Centaur family in 1992.

Pre-Quality (Cook-Mahon) The Clock began his adventures as an anonymous masked man in tuxedo and bow tie. His first case involved foiling a bank robbery. (Funny Pages vol. 1 #6) With two-fisted gumption, he made quick work of the gang. (#7) After calling the police he left his calling card which read, “The Clock Struck at…” with the symbol of a clock beneath. (#8) The Clock didn’t turn in all of the gang members. He took “Killer” Katz for a different kind of justice, turning Katz over to his victim’s brother. The next day, the newspaper told the story—an angry mob had killed Katz for his crimes. The Clock, meanwhile, relaxed at home. (#9) In his next case he foiled a diamond robbery (#10), but was in turn caught by the cops (#11) The resolution of this story remained unknown, as Comics Magazine ceased operations. Over in Cook and Mahon’s other title, the Clock was hunting another ring of jewel thieves. In the fight, he used a spring-loaded cane to fire its tip and knock one of them out. (Funny Picture Stories #1)

APPEARANCES, QUALITY COMICS:

• Feature Funnies #3–20 (Dec. 1937–May 1939) • Feature Comics #21-31 (June 1939–April 1940) • Crack Comics #1-35 (May 1940–Autumn 1944)

The Clock bears the distinction of having been the first masked hero created for a comic book. There are precedents in other media, but in comics, the Clock’s only contemporary was Dr. Occult, who’d been

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In Quality Comics Not much changed when the Clock moved to Quality Comics in Feature Funnies #3. He encountered his first masked opponent, the Owl (Feature Funnies #7), and had rigged his suit with tear gas. (#12) Finally, his secret identity—he was playboy and “ace criminologist” Brian O’Brien—was revealed during the case of a murdered mayor. Here he established a relationship with Captain Kane, who spoke to the

it. He theorized that his mask must have been wet and prevented the gas from penetrating. (#31)

Time for Sidekicks

Clock through a screened door that masked O’Brien’s face. (#14) Brenner did not invent the motif of playboyturned adventurer. It was a pulp fiction convention seen in heroes like the Spider, and more contemporaneously with radio’s Green Hornet. The Clock mostly fought pedestrian crooks until one, Boss Marco, got the drop and unmasked him. Marco threatened to reveal the Clock’s identity to the public, but when Marco and his gang left, their car exploded from a container of nitro glycerin. (#20) In 1939, O’Brien visited the spectacular New York World’s Fair. Naturally, he ran into trouble but managed to stop the crooks without ever donning his black silk mask. (Feature Comics #21) As a playboy, O’Brien always tried to work his way onto Inspector Kane’s cases. But Kane considered O’Brien nothing more than a golf buddy, and Brian was left to his undercover devices as the Clock. Kane didn’t mind help. (#23) He confided to O’Brien that he actually preferred it when the Clock stepped in, because his own men were too well known by mobsters to do undercover work. (#25) This didn’t stop other policemen from fingering the Clock for other crimes, as when a crook framed the Clock for his own crimes. O’Brien laid a trap, and hypnotized the crook into confessing to his crimes. (#26) And what kind of eccentric would O’Brien be if he couldn’t fly a plane? He demonstrated his prowess in the air while pursuing thieves who’d stolen a secret military gas formula. He even took a death defying leap from his own plane and landed on another below! And when a secret gas was dispersed, the Clock was unaffected by

Pug and the Clock, from Crack Comics #3 (July 1940); art by George Brenner.

In 1940 O’Brien met Pat “Pug” Brady, a down-on-hisluck former heavyweight boxing champ and all-American fullback who tried to steal Brian’s watch. Pug had survived a murder trial (a case of self defense), but he’d fallen on hard times. Brady followed the Clock and freed him when he was captured, but wound up killing the Clock’s attacker. O’Brien helped him cover up the death, then disguised himself as the dead man and infiltrated his gang. The gang’s boss, Big Shot, wore a white hood over his head and was unmasked as the mayor himself. Afterwards, O’Brien noticed that he and Pug looked rather alike. Pug owed everything to the Clock, and so pledged his loyalty to him and his crime fighting endeavors. (Crack #1) When Pug went with the Clock into the field he wore a simpler white face mask of his own. The guys were always a step behind another crime fighter, the mysterious woman known only as the Orchid. The Orchid asked for the Clock’s help by sending notes to O’Brien (so she knew his secret identity). Brian said he’d met her twice before. (#2) Brenner didn’t get around to developing the Orchid as a character. She appeared only once more, in person but shadowed, in Crack #27. In that case, the Orchid summoned the Clock to the countryside to investigate strange happenings at Morgan Manor. She came to him, partially hidden in the shadows, wearing a green hat and dress. The usual suspects in stories like this would have been a girlfriend or recurring character, but the Clock had no lady gueststars, so readers never learned her backstory. Pug dressed as the Clock when O’Brien was framed and arrested. Their spitting images came in quite handy as O’Brien and the Clock were able to appear side-by-side and fool the authorities. (#3) His rogues gallery included a wanton killer called the Asp, who left a calling card after he committed his crimes. (#4) The masked, gravitydefying criminal called the Jay Bird swooped down on the Clock from the sky. Upon closer observation, he found that the crook was attached to a cable that came out of a plane. Brian and Pug took to the skies and trounced the Jay Bird. Pug wore a mask on this case. (#5) Several other gang leaders wore hooded masks. These included the leaders of the Skull Gang (#6) and the Screw Gang. (#9) The Devil added horns to his green hood. His “robbers from Hades” injected victims with a treatment that generated unbearable heat. The Devil kidnapped O’Brien, too, and Pug helped his boss synthesize an antidote and narrowly escape death. (#7) Mr. Terror wore a red skullcap type of mask. (#18) Among his unmasked foes were the so-called Stuporman, a super-strong and impervious pinheaded monster from Mongolia. (#8)

Three masked villains from Crack #6, 7, and 9 (1940); art by George Brenner.

Character profiles 111

Prescott Taunton was the Werewolf, but it was unclear whether he was a supernatural character or a normal human. (#15)

Perhaps it was O’Brian’s body double, poor Pug, who bit the dust while disguised as the Clock instead.

Sidekick #2: Butch

In Malibu Comics

By late 1941, the industry’s most popular heroes like Batman and Captain America had kid sidekicks. George Brenner jumped on this bandwagon. In Crack #21, he dumped Pug without explanation and introduced a new kid sidekick. On the waterfront, the Clock had done battle with the Mouse, and was riddled with bullets. The hero managed to stumble into a nearby home where he was taken in by a young girl named Butch. Over the course of months, she nursed him to health. When it finally came time to leave, Brian found it not so easy to leave Butch behind. She was fearless: a trash talking, red-headed street urchin who weaseled her way into O’Brien’s life. When she took him in, she’d mistaken the Clock for a gangster, and she fantasized about becoming his “moll.” Her crush on him intensified when the Clock then saved her from death at the hands of a mobster. (#21) When the Clock returned to the streets, he sported a new domino mask (looking very much like the Spirit). With Butch in tow, the Clock’s adventures took a decidedly different tone, but the tension between the two did elevate the interest level of the feature. The more O’Brien tried to exclude Butch from his escapades, the more she got under his skin. On their first case together, Brian acquiThe sassy, brassy Butch, esced only so that he could keep an from Crack #30 (1943); art by eye on her. She’d wanted a gun but George Brenner. settled for using razor blades, which she embedded in a potato to use as a throwing weapon. (#22) Butch usually carried her own weight, even using rat traps as weapons. Despite her bravado, she became paralyzed at the prospect of firing a real gun when it fell into her hands. (#23) Her history came in handy when locating gang members like the “knife throwing gang.” (#24) She witnessed the killing of a D.A. by the Head, whose visage floated in space much like the Wizard of Oz. When the Head was poised to unmask the Clock, Butch “helped” him out by beating the Clock about the head so much that his features were unidentifiable! (#26) Brenner’s stories also addressed (if humorously) the dangerous “reality” of having a child sidekick. By Crack Comics #34 (June 1944), Brenner’s art was markedly different—looser and more cartoony. This was either in response to prevailing trends, or Brenner had someone else ghosting on the feature. The Clock series went out with a whimper in a throwaway tale involving “the little man who wasn’t there”—the inventor of an invisibility gas. (#35) Time had run out for the Clock and the series was replaced by humor feature “Floogy.”

In 1992, Malibu Comics launched a modern revival of Golden Age Centaur Comics heroes. Malibu made the character their own and created something totally new, based on the original. In The Protectors, Brian O’Brien had been the Clock in the 1940s, then he went into the army, and was ultimately elected President of the United States. All the characters in this title were killed in Protectors #20 (May 1994). “The Clock” never appeared on Malibu’s covers.

Modern References The Clock has never made any DC Comics appearances, per se. He has, however, turned up in fictional 1940s journal entries written by the vigilante known as the Shade. The Shade refers once to a misreporting of the Clock’s death circa 1944 (when the character’s series ended). A man named Hubert Mason reported having killed the Clock, believing that the hero was an agent of Satan. (Starman vol. 2 #19) But the Shade later remarked that the Clock was still alive, operating out of Chicago as “a barely adequate protector of the innocent.” (#78)

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Notes Brenner’s friendship with Busy Arnold was referenced in Crack Comics #5, where the Clock refers to his pal Pug as “Busy.” The Clock was featured on the covers of Feature #25, 28 and 29, until the Doll Man began to grow in popularity. In Crack Comics, he alternated cover appearances with Black Condor, nabbing all odd issues through #19. The Clock was the inspiration for the character of the same name in John Arcudi’s 2002 Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny (see page 54).

Powers The Clock had no super-powers but wasn’t afraid to use his fists, or a gun, or a “paralyzing” gun. He once also used a cane with a springloaded tip which could fire the knob as a projectile. His hat was made of sponge rubber to absorb impact. Among his other talents: ventriloquism, a “neuroparalysis” pinch, a “hypnotic stare” from his “piercing eyes,” chemistry, and impersonation.

Death Patrol Created by Jack Cole FIRST APPEARANCE: Military Comics #1 (Aug. 1941) APPEARANCES: Military Comics #1–12, 20–52

The creation of Death Patrol is documented with contradiction. Anyone reading Military Comics #1 will notice the similarities between this feature and the lead, “Blackhawk.” Both strips were populated by multinational bands of aviators, but they differed greatly in tone. It’s impossible to say whether Jack Cole was aware of Blackhawk when he created the Death Patrol. If he did, it might have been at the direction of Will Eisner, who edited Military’s content. The author of Will Eisner’s biography, A Spirited Life, twice credited “Death Patrol” to Eisner’s studio, and the writing to Bob Powell. But this is rather discredited by the additional, erroneous statement that the feature “later became Blackhawk”; they were published simultaneously. Editor Gill Fox confirmed that Jack Cole created the feature, but had to abandon it soon thereafter. Fox added, “They started out killing a character in every ‘Death Patrol’ story, but Arnold got annoyed and decided to cut that out. I don’t think he liked that strip. I followed Cole and Dave Berg on that strip and wrote it, too. And what a pair of artists to keep up with! That’s pressure.” Freelancer Dave Berg took over for Military #4-12. A letter from Busy Arnold to Will Eisner (printed in Eisner’s biography) revealed Arnold’s dissatisfaction with the series, that of Military Comics #5, to be exact. He described the story as “atrocious” and the artist (Berg) as a “ham.” (Arnold to Eisner, 20 Aug. 1941) One day, Berg would become a noted cartoonist, but Arnold was right; Berg’s “Death

Top: A stunning panel by Dave Berg that presages his future MAD magazine greatness, from Military #6 (1942). Bottom: A Jack Cole splash page from Military #28 (1944).

Patrol” was nowhere near Quality’s standards. Regardless, Jack Cole set the tone for “Death Patrol,” which read like a cross between “Midnight” and “Blackhawk.” Cole produced the first three episodes and his successors did a crack job of maintaining the unpredictable sense of adventure. The feature’s first dozen installments were a revolving door of characters who lived up to the group’s name: on every mission, a Patrol member lost his life.

The Death Patrol were a band of aviators—contemporaries of the Blackhawks. Led by Del Van Dyne, the group was rounded out by convicts: Butch, Hank, Peewee, Slick Ward and Gramps. When Van Dyne was fired from his airline pilot’s job, he decided to head for England to join their Royal Air Force. Just then, a gang of five prison escapees hijacked his plane. Van Dyne convinced them to join the war effort and atone for their crimes. In British airspace, Van Dyne made a show of taking down Nazi planes, which was noticed by the Colonel. The Colonel sent Del and the others on an impossible mission to prove themselves, but they actually succeeded—despite losing Peewee. They were awarded their own special uniforms and dubbed themselves the “Death Patrol.” (Military #1) In their second adventure, they donned uniforms that were in the style of a pilot’s, but printed with a prison uniform’s black-and-white stripes. None of the convicts were pilots. They flew in Del’s plane and were joined by a new recruit, Stoney Rock. Stoney was also their next fatality, on a mission saving a Red Cross shipment bound for France. (#2) Next time out, someone else had learned to fly, because the squadron had two planes. Zazzy, another convict, joined them and Slick died. (#3) When Dave Berg took over the feature, each member was promoted to pilot and given their own plane. Chief Chuck-a-Lug joined them in defying orders and attacking the Nazis. Butch went “kamikaze” and took down several Nazi planes with him. (#4) The Patrol’s planes quickly evolved into small, nub-nosed, colorfully painted machines. Zazzy died while rescuing undercover agents and was replaced by King Hotintot, whose African nation was invaded by the Axis. (#5) Boris the Borsht Eater joined the squad in time to square off against the Nazis’ own all-female version of the Death Patrol. Their wiles went to waste on the D.P., who were a bunch of woman-haters. This time it was Gramps who sacrificed himself to save the others. The Patrol donned the womens’ clothes in order to escape, which left the ladies with their uniforms. The women were mistaken for the Patrol and shot on sight. Dave Berg demonstrated a flash of brilliance in this tale. One page boasts a stunning illustration depicting the cross section of a house, and a member fighting in each room. (#6) They managed to fly two missions without a casualty. In the first, they were joined by the Patchwork Kid (called “Frere Jacques” in #9 and “Jackie” from #20 on), a refugee from France. (#7) They were fearless, often invading Germany, like they time they broke into the Wilhelmstrasse and Del impersonated Hitler! He gave orders designed to undo much of their tyranny, including the release of “political prisoners” in their concentration camps. Then, a French female assassin—“Mademoiselle” from Armentieres—shot Del thinking he was the Führer. She was forced to flee with the Death Patrol. (#8) The South American Goucho was next to join and returned with them to “Naziland” to rescue Del. They succeeded, but at the expense of another founding member, Hank. (#9) King Hotintot perished next and was replaced by his son, Prince Totinhot. (#10) After another casualty-free episode, the Patrol learned that many of their fallen members were actually alive! When Del flew through a strange gas, he believed that he was hallucinating his fallen comrades (Hank, Gramps, and King Hotintot) and their voices had guided him safely home. When he regained his senses he was amazed to find that they had indeed returned and been nursed back to health. (#12) Character profiles 113

Taking from the Top

The text teased: “see Destiny in the background—that daring new “Hey kids! They’re back again!” declared the title of Military #20. character—who starts in where 711 left off.” (See 711’s bio on page Del explained their absence since #12: their adventures had been too 183.) Destiny was an unnamed, non-costumed character who wore top secret to be told in the wake of Pearl Harbor. So why resurrect a plain brown suit and hat. Destiny’s first case began as he—a solitary, pathetic figure—wanthe “Death Patrol”? (Only “Lady Luck” shares that distinction.) Most likely the feature ended when Dave Berg stopped freelancing dered the rainy streets in search of shelter. He entered a club where for Will Eisner, or Busy Arnold finally killed it. Perhaps Arnold later the Professor Seezall Nozal was performing his tricks of the mind. recognized the benefit of having a Blackhawk clone in his line-up Nozal plucked our hero from the audience and instantly sensed that (as he’d done with “Midnight,” after “The Spirit”)? When “Death the young man was special. The Professor declared that he had the Patrol” was revived, Eisner was in the Army and the strip was pro- power to foresee death and that he could choose to use that power for duced in-house by Quality’s editor Gill Fox. That wasn’t the only good or evil—“you are Destiny!” The young man left the club before learning more from Nozall. Soon Destiny discovered that when he change—there would be no more death for the Death Patrol. The membership settled into a more regular cast, like the Black- focused his mind, he would be transported to the scene of impending hawks. The first new installment featured Del, Boris, Gramps and death. The first time his powers were activated, Destiny’s path crossed Hotintot, joined by a telepath/telekinetic, the Yogi from India. Their with 711’s killer, Oscar Jones. Jones escaped and Destiny lingered to speak to the spirit of 711, who wished him luck. (#16) striped uniforms were temporarily gone, too. (#20-21) Perhaps his new career also brought newfound wealth, because In Military #22, master cartoonist Al Stahl stepped in and stayed with “Death Patrol” until its end. He returned the squad to their in the next installment, Destiny was living a comfortable existence, roots, reinstating the striped uniforms and bringing back Hank relaxing in his home. The next opportunity to use his powers brought and young Jackie for a mission to Japan. Jackie and Hank gradually death to his own door, as Oscar Jones returned to tie up loose ends. became the stars of the feature and the other members appeared in When Destiny attempted to enter his “trance” state and disappear, rotation. Stahl’s flair for the fantastic put the Death Patrol’s planes he found he’d gone nowhere. Jones lay in wait for him and managed underwater—with no air domes. They were swallowed by a whale to graze Destiny with a bullet. Jones fled and went on a killing crime spree, but Destiny redeemed himself in (#25) and freed with the help of Mamie the end (and avenged 711) by bringing the Mermaid. (#26) Stahl briefly entered the crook to justice. (#17) the military and Jack Cole returned to draw the stories in Military #27-31. George Brenner left (or partially It was a different ball game now; left) the feature with Police #19, but the splash page from Military #30 the subsequent tales showed no notable announced that one member “nearly departures from form. Destiny was, dies this month.” But Stahl kept the however, again portrayed as a tramp. excitement high when he returned in The new creator(s) never got around to issue #32. For the duration of the war, illuminating Destiny’s true identity. (#23) their four-page adventures crossed the Destiny would come to discover globe on Allied missions. They even that his powers were more powerful established their own island base (again, than first expected. Once while he was like the Blackhawks). (#41) asleep, his trance-like mind also sensed a murder and he was transported to the After the war they described themhome of one Sherlock Doyle. (#19) Twice selves as “International Super-Assistants.” he was transported rather far away. In (#42) Del and the Yogi took a backseat Death Valley, he found himself amid the to Hank and Jackie, who hogged the Destiny “trances” himself away, from Police #21. The art in discovery of a hidden treasure. During spotlight. The crew now helped civilians this issue only bears passing resemblance to Brenner’s. a fight with one of the thieves, Destiny against major threats such as icebergs, wrested the gun towards his quarry’s geysers, and fires. And their costumes were altered slightly so that the stripes were colored black, white own face, and the villain was shot in the mouth! (#22) His power also and blue. brought him as far as Nazi-occupied Poland, where he tussled with a werewolf. (#30) Notes With experience, Destiny began to use his power more proactively There was a single story titled “Death Patrol” that ran in G.I. Combat and prevented the murders to which he was drawn. His cunning grew, too. Once he happened upon a pitiful young man who’d been cursed #11 (Nov. 1953) and featured “true life” war stories. by a witch, and only by taking the life of another human would his torment end. Destiny’s solution was simple: he helped the man to enlist in the armed forces, and the man went on to become a crack killer pilot. (#29) Created by George Brenner When he met a wrongly accused man, Destiny took a bold gamble and used his trance state to secure an audience with Death himself. Death was angry but conceded that he was under orders to “keep NAME + ALIASES: Unrevealed his hands off” Destiny. Death shepherded Destiny to the Master of FIRST APPEARANCE: Police Comics #15 (Jan. 1943) the Underworld himself, a red devil who challenged the hero to a APPEARANCES: Police Comics #15–36 (Jan. 1943–Nov. 1944) duel. Destiny used jujutsu (as many Quality heroes did) to best the In his first appearance (Police #15), Destiny was a mere silhouette. devil and returned to the waking world and cleared the doomed man

Destiny

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of his crime. (#32) Soon criminals got wise to Destiny’s modus operandi. The mob boss Tools threatened to kill one of his own men and sure enough, Destiny walked through his door. Tools’ ambush failed and they were mopped up. (#35) Destiny was last seen in 1944. (#36)

to himself as the “Destroying Devil,” but his enemies called him a “Destroying Demon.” After this caper, he revealed his identity to their commanding officer, Col. Jordan of the War Department. (#3940) Blackburn tried the cable stunt one more time, in foiling another Fifth Column ring. (#40) Blackburn never used the costume again. He was last seen in 1942. (#56)

Notes

Doll Man

Destiny was the inspiration for a character (in name only) in John Arcudi’s 2002 Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny (see page 54). Arcudi’s character was a woman with precognitive powers.

Created by Will Eisner and Lou Fine

Powers

NAME + ALIASES: Darrel Dane

Destiny’s powers were innate, and unlocked by a mentalist. By concentrating and entering a trance state—“making his mind a blank”—Destiny was enveloped by a whirlwind and transported to the scene of some crime, trouble, or death. There seemed to be no limits to this power; he teleported as far as Poland, and it even worked subconsciously, transporting him in his sleep. The teleportation would only be triggered if the threat was real, and not staged.

KNOWN RELATIVES: Martha Roberts (Doll Girl, wife, deceased), Prof.

Destroying Demon

Roberts (father-in-law, deceased), Tommy (brother-in-law), Thomas Dane (great-grandfather), Jeremiah Dane (ancestor) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: All-Star Squadron, Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Feature Comics #27 (December 1939) APPEARANCES:

• Doll Man Quarterly #1–47 (Autumn 1941–Oct. 1953) • Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #1–15 • Feature Comics #27–139 (Dec. 1939–Oct. 1949) • Justice League of America #107–108 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #3–8

Created by Harry Francis Campbell NAME + ALIASES: Bruce Blackburn GROUP AFFILIATIONS: US Military FIRST APPEARANCE, As Bruce: Feature Comics #32 (May 1940) As the Demon: Feature Comics #39-40 APPEARANCES: Feature Comics #32–56 (May 1940–May 1942)

Doll Girl NAME + ALIASES: Martha Roberts, a.k.a. Midge KNOWN RELATIVES: Darrel Dane (Doll Man, husband), Prof. Roberts

(father, deceased), Tommy (brother) FIRST APPEARANCE, As Martha: Feature Comics #27 (Dec. 1939).

Bruce Blackburn was one of three regular adventurers who took As Doll Girl: Doll Man #37 (Dec. 1951) super-brief forays into costumed heroing (the others being Chic APPEARANCES, AS DOLL GIRL: Doll Man #37–47 (Dec. 1951–Oct. 1953) Carter and Wings Wendall). The name of this feature was “Captain Bruce Blackburn, Counterspy.” In his first adventure, Captain Bruce The Doll Man holds the title for being the first super-powered hero Blackburn and his double, Lieutenant Jackson, faked their own published by Quality Comics. He was however, preceded by four deaths by placing two medical costumed heroes (the Hawk, the Clock, Bozo school corpses into a car, lighting it and the Invisible Hood). Like many of Quality’s up, and pushing it off a cliff. This most memorable heroes, he was created by Will was necessary because someone Eisner (before his split with Jerry Iger). Today had leaked Blackburn’s picture Doll Man’s appearances on the covers of Feature to the newspapers. To hide their Comics are classics. Many of them were drawn identities, it was necessary to visit a by Gill Fox, who began with Feature Comics #54 plastic surgeon. Dr. Bland changed (1942). Inside, the feature was a proving grounds both Blackburn’s and Jackson’s Bruce Blackburn, for exceptional talents like Lou Fine, Reed Cranfeatures so they were now differ- and the Destroying dall, and Al Bryant. The feature was a favorite ent from their originals, and both Demon, from among readers—and Busy Arnold himself, who Feature #35 and #39 men could now pass for identical (1940); art by Harry Francis Campbell. later promoted the character to its own solo title. twins. Using an antique store as Scientist Darrel Dane had developed a revoa front for their espionage, they lutionary formula, but with a suggestion from his caught the man who’d blown their covers. (Feature #32) friend, Prof. Roberts, he perfected it into a fluid using the chemical Blackburn briefly donned a costume during his adventures. This acid called “aqua regia.” Dane found that the resulting concoction was inspired by a boy who attempted to emulate a comic book and could reduce a human to the size of a doll! And despite his small size, called himself Colossal Guy. The stunt gave Blackburn an idea to he now also had the strength of twenty men. Against the Professor’s help him crush the so-called “Un-American Band.” Blackburn made warning, Dane used the formula on himself. Sure enough, he shrunk, a red-and-yellow costume with a horned hood and short cape, and but he was driven temporarily mad. Roberts challenged him: would perfected a trick using a rubber cable to drop from above. He called Darrel use his new powers for good or evil? As Dane’s mind cleared, himself the Destroying Demon. The title of this story, in Feature his choice was obvious. In his first adventure as a crime fighter, #39, was “Demon of Destruction.” In it, Blackburn also referred Dane followed his fiancé, Martha (the Professor’s daughter), who Character profiles 115

was being blackmailed. Using his new strength, he saved her from the extortionist, and crafted a new name for himself—Doll Man. Curiously, Martha was privy to Darrel’s transformation in this tale, but she soon completely “forgot” about it. It would be years before Martha (re)discovered the truth. (Feature #27) Doll Man’s first costume was like a wrestler’s, consisting only of a pair of shorts. The first story was created entirely by Will Eisner and the second was drawn by Lou Fine, who added gloves, a cape, and a shirt with “D” emblem (Fine soon took over the art chores completely). Will Eisner confirmed that he created “Doll Man,” but credited the additional costume development to Fine. Perhaps they alternated or shared chores on the feature, because in the next issue (Feature #29)—on the very same page—Doll Man was depicted both in the shorts-only and fully-costumed looks! Even the name of the hero wavered between one and two words. This was also when Darrel distilled his formula into a pill. In Feature #30-31, he was clearly drawn wearing a sleeveless shirt, but colored as if bare chested. The feature was always signed with the pen name “William Erwin Maxwell.” Doll Man quickly became Feature’s most popular character, and he appeared on the cover of Feature #30, after which he alternated with humor features. He took over the lead feature the next month. In that story, he borrowed the model plane of young Tim Smith to use as his personal aircraft to catch Grimes, a hideous jewel thief. When he returned the plane, he left Tim with $10 as well. (#31) Darrel and Prof. Roberts’ scientific research formed the basis for many of Doll Man’s cases. Darrel soon needed no special pill in order to shrink. He invented another pill that made the body rigid and the heartbeat imperceptible. (#33) Pulp fiction infused tales about the freakish Python, who nearly stole Doll Man’s brain, (#36) and the puppet master Bombasto, who used shrunken corpses. (#37) And Prof. Roberts fell under the spell of the beautiful and ambitious Mademoiselle de Mortire who enticed him into divulging his secrets. When Darrel investigated her, he discovered that her name was Yvette and she was under the cruel spell of her haglike sister. Once restored, Darrel and Martha even double-dated with her. (#61) Early on, Darrel, Martha and the Professor traveled the country, first descending into the lands of the Old West, where they found the El Diablo Blanco, a horse descended from Montezuma’s own steed. Doll Man hid behind the horse to give the effect of speech. In doing so, he helped Wampum, Roberts’ Indian friend, save his land. Doll Man then tamed the horse and pursued their enemy straight off a cliff! (#34) The Professor and Martha were kidnapped en route to South America. Doll Man hitched a ride on a bald eagle to Devil’s Island, where he took down Nazis under the command of Ernst Huller. (#48) Martha was alternately depicted as brave and superficial. Sometimes she would insist upon leaping into danger, but she also jumped from job to job with some sense of entitlement. Only once did we meet her brother, Tommy. Tommy was asked by a friend to help contact Doll Man so that they could catch some kidnappers. (#43) Martha’s proximity to Doll Man often put her in danger. She was kidnapped by De Swank who not only owned a department store, but turned women into lifelike Manikins with a serum he intended to sell to Fifth Columnists. (#59) Darrel taught Martha self-defense and she put it to good use against some spies. Somewhere along the line, she even managed to fly a plane. (#63) And when the terrible thief Mephisto saw Dane at the scene after a brush with the Doll Man, he kidnapped both Darrel and Martha, forcing Dane to use his own two fists until he could steal a moment to change. This adventure began with the couple shopping for jewelry. Afterwards, Darrel decided at last to up the ante and bought Martha a diamond—the diamond—and proposed marriage (even though they were described as engaged in his first ap-

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Top: From Doll Man’s first adventure, Feature #27 (1938); art by Will Eisner. Above: Shrinking much like his DC successor, the Atom, from Feature Comics #47 (1941); art by Reed Crandall. Right: The Vulture, from Doll Man Quarterly #1 (1941). Artist uncertain.

Splash page from Feature Comics #48 (1941); art by Reed Crandall.

pearance). (#76) Darrel’s question symbolized a greater yearning within the couple. Secretly, both wished they could partner in Doll Man’s escapades. Somehow, the act of their simultaneous wishes unlocked a shared super-power which shrunk both of them. Martha became a bona fide “doll girl,” and she sought adventure of her own. Naturally, their paths crossed, but even though neither wore a mask they didn’t recognize one another. Martha called herself Midge and together they solved a murder plot. Afterwards they went their separate ways and wished themselves back to normal size. (#77) The war was still raging and the Doll Man fought several Axis threats. He first encountered the Japanese menace in Virginia, where agent Ituri sought to sabotage the military’s sub-detecting invention. (#54) The Japanese forced their own scientist, Dr. Hoto, to reproduce the Doll Man’s shrinking serum. After several failed attempts, Hoto succeeded in shrinking a wrestler, whose strength was increased, but his mind was destroyed. The arch-foe was well-matched but outwitted by Doll Man, who tricked him into a cannon and shot him to the sharks. (#57) Martha and her father succumbed to a disease that instilled fear in the American people. This was the plot of the Dishonorables, a group of Americans who’d been dishonorably discharged from the armed service. (#58) In mid-1941, the hero was awarded his own title, Doll Man Quarterly, which contained no fewer than five Doll Man adventures. It ran regularly until 1943 when paper shortages put it on hiatus. It resumed in 1946. The first issue featured villains like the Phantom Duelist, the fanged Vulture (who returned in Feature #129), and hooded Black Gondolier. The stories in this issue varied widely in tone and quality and differed significantly from its sister title, Uncle Sam Quarterly, where Will Eisner flexed his creative muscles. Successive issues of D.M.Q. were a mix of creators and story types. Villains in this series included Nazi and pedestrian threats such as the Night, Dr. Thirteen, Murko the Magician, the Death Dolls, (Doll Man #4) Pedro the talking Tiger, and the Mask. (#5) The most noteworthy was the unnamed scientist who created mute Little Green Men by shrinking people. Darrel showed no mercy for them. With no way to restore the Men to normal, he chose to trap them all and blow the place up! (#6) Quality published a good number of super-heroes, but they were seldom challenged by sufficiently cunning or powerful super-villians. Doll Man had many over the years, like the Corpse, who could instill rigor mortis in living people. He turned out to be Slick Murdock, a man who went to the electric chair in 1939. During a chase, the Corpse’s car went off a cliff but the question remained, would he rise again? (Feature #66) The Image was an invisible killer who could only be seen in reflections. He was an engineer transformed by a television experiment that altered the makeup of his body. (#92) And Grim tried to put Martha and her friend Luther into suspended animation coffins, the reason being that in one hundred years, they could easily conquer the weaklings who would surely have proliferated by then. (Doll Man #10) Many of the challenges Darrel faced concerned others of small stature. The misdirected Dr. Highe was a little person who envied the Doll Man’s ability to change size. (Feature #68) The diminutive Professor Rudio tricked Doll Man into submitting to tests to unlock the secrets of his powers. Darrel was intrigued enough by Rudio’s proposal to concede, but he soon found himself trapped. Once he escaped, he discovered that Rudio had merely been distracting Doll Man from his real invention, the thieving Mechanical Man. (#83) After a twoplus year hiatus, Doll Man Quarterly returned with issue #8 in 1946. That issue featured more mini-meanies, created by Dr. Vargo. Vargo shrunk men down to Doll Man’s size, leaving them savage. Doll Man

got dumped on Vargo’s island, where Vargo was forced to flee from his victims. They blew up his castle with everyone still inside. (Doll Man #8) Darrel found another race of naturally tiny people in Siratuba, a land valued for its platinum. A man named Gorney convinced the locals to mine the metal, but his greed led to an explosion that killed himself and the little people. (Feature #101) Bolini, a modern day Gepetto, made marionettes that killed. (Doll Man #10) After these fell a plethora less interesting men and women with sinister agendas and frightening names. The Black Atom could vanish in a puff of smoke. (Feature #65) Bascom discovered a new plastic but was disfigured. He used the polymer to transform his face and impersonate Darrel, shooting Prof. Roberts. (#86) Darrel and Martha encountered a victim whose face was twisted by Madame Diablo. Martha pursued the villainess and Darrel found the object of her crimes, the Sacred Eye of Ras-Aryat. (#98) When the dim-witted Docker was beaten by his boss, his face was paralyzed and frozen into a laugh. Docker took the name “the Hyena” and killed his tormentors. The Hyena sought help from a doctor, but Doll Man intervened and the villain fell on a scalpel and died. (#99) Dr. Roberts had a hand in putting away the Crimesmith who returned with a mechanical killing gauntlet. (#107) Cateye wore a cat mask and exploited an old Indian demon legend. (#108) Martha encountered the robotic Dress Suit, and in the western desert, Dr. Verne created a monster using a gibbon’s brain and other tissues. The result was a paleolithic-looking beast called It who followed his commands. Doll Man killed It in a furnace. (Doll Man #9) And the Queen of Beauty commanded her Beasts to horde cosmetics so that she could be the only looker in the city. (#11) Martha becomes Midge! From Feature #77 (1944).

Character profiles 117

From top left: The Undertaker, from Feature #91 (1945). The Huntress, from Doll Man #17 (1948). Tom Thumb, from Feature #114 (1947). Bottom left: The Hag, from Feature #121 (1948). Bottom Right: The Dollplane, from Doll Man #22 (1949). Artists uncertain.

Martha Roberts Goes to Work Doll Man was one of the few Quality heroes who battled regular arch foes. The first of these was the macabre and sadistic Undertaker. When Martha heard about a condemned hotel, she announced that she’d been trying to get a job as a reporter. She was certain this hotel held the kernels of a great story but soon found herself face-to-face with dangerous parties keen on preventing its destruction. One was the movie star Randolph Perry, who sought records of his lost love in the hotel. Meanwhile, Doll Man ran afoul of the Undertaker, “Lord of the Plunderworld.” This balding villain was obsessed with anything related to death and sought to raid the hotel’s valuables. (Feature #91) The Undertaker returned three issues later to plunder the dead again, this time in Canada. In the end, he went down in a boat amid frozen waters. (#94) Nothing could keep him down. He shot at people willy-nilly and even fought Doll Man in the air. (#125) He kept a cache of mini-coffins for Doll Man, tossing the hero from planes and into water. His resources also included a “helicycle.” (Doll Man #15, 20, 24) Martha put reporting on hold and opened a new shop selling mirrors. An underworld boss called the Peacock came in and destroyed her inventory and murdered her clerk, Joe. After Doll Man rounded him up, Martha said she wanted to open another shop selling hats. (Feature #95) The Peacock soon escaped from prison and took control of a flock of pigeons to help him commit more robberies. (#97) Next Martha got a job as an aquarium guide, where she met the pointynosed Sword Fish. He killed a researcher with a sword in order to get at a rare black pearl. (#106) Lois Lane might have been an intrepid reporter, but she never did figure out Superman’s secret identity on her own. Martha Roberts, on the other hand, did. She’d long been frustrated by Darrel’s all-too-fre-

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quent unexplained disappearances, which he soothed with various attempts to buy her forgiveness. The breakdown began when a man named Dawkins invited Darrel to join Brains Incorporated, a front for organized crime. Darrel fought his way up the organization’s chain of command and summoned Prof. Roberts, who arrived with a truth serum (and Martha). Afterwards, Darrel agonized over the fact that he’d never told Martha his secret. (#109) When the mobster called Fat Catt (with cat eyes, whiskers and wispy hair) targeted Prof. Roberts, Doll Man fought through Catt’s pet cat to rescue him. Darrel’s disappearance that day was fishy to Martha, who began seeing a strong link between the two men. When she spoke to her father, she realized that Darrel dashed off around at the same time as Doll Man’s arrival. She scrutinized Doll Man’s features, realizing the similarity. This emboldened her to suggest to Darrel that the two were “awfully good friends.” The comment made Darrel nervous. (#110) When the Undertaker murdered again, Doll Man was quick on his heels. Martha nosed her way into this case for the express purpose of discovering the truth. The villain attacked her but teamwork prevailed. Afterwards, Martha caught Doll Man changing back into Darrel. He was both surprised and relieved, it being the only secret he’d ever kept from her. The revelation brought the two of them closer together. (#111) It took some getting used to, Martha’s knowing, but she was fully supportive. Martha finally landed a job as a reporter for the Daily Bulletin. Her first story became an account of Doll Man’s recent case against the Undertaker. (#123) She began working more in collaboration with Doll Man then, going undercover as a cigarette girl. Between Martha’s investigation and Doll Man’s fists, they broke up a crime ring. (#132) Doll Man Quarterly dropped the last word in its title with issue #17 (Spring 1948), reflecting its new bi-monthly schedule. That issue introduced Diane, who was dumped and abused by her fiancé, George Barrows—Martha’s editor. Diane turned to her archery skills for revenge. Darrel witnessed the crime, but Diane escaped and kidnapped Martha, calling herself the Huntress. (Martha also nabbed solo stories in issues Doll Man #10 and 13.) Ms. Roberts also became the object of affection for Doll Man’s second great recurring villain. This was the feisty Tom Thumb, who was a circus performer that was naturally as small as Doll Man. (Feature #114) The pint-sized genius yearned to be normal size, and found a way,

by using growth vitamins. He pursued his crush on Martha, winning her favor by “saving” her from a mugger. But Tom couldn’t stay away from crime and ended up back in prison where, deprived of sufficient food, he shrunk back down to small size. (#128) He escaped repeatedly, first by faking his death. (Doll man #16) then by blackmailing his cell mate, the Great Gazabo, whose gang broke them out. Doll Man fought Tom in the air, with Thumb piloting a helicopter and Doll Man using the Dollplane. (#22) Doll Man’s two greatest foes also once teamed up. When the Undertaker and Tom Thumb inadvertently helped each other steal Egyptian treasure, they decided that whoever could kill Doll Man could have the jewels. (#28) One other villain appeared twice. The ugly Hag was actually the beautiful Patricia Wentworth, exposed for terrorizing her own munitions plant. (Feature #121) In prison, Wentworth was asked to play the witch in Macbeth and given access to chemicals, which she used to engineer her escape. (Doll Man #19) Two unique foes were both called the Minstrel. The first was a garish ghoul who stole the rare violins. (#23) The other was a troubadour with a trick banjo/gun. (Feature #138) From 1947–49, “Doll Man” generally featured two types of antagonists. The first was an endless parade of common criminals, perhaps with odd features and colorful names: Mr. Curio, who stole collectable miniatures (Feature #112); the gambling Sphinx (#115); Polka Dot, a department store owner clad head-to-toe in a dotted suit (#117); the Brow (#133); Miss Murder (Doll Man #13); Professor Piranha, whose arm was devoured by the fish (#16); and the Stunt Man. (#18) The other type of villain often related to Darrel’s vocation as an inventor. This set the stage for all sorts of supernatural foes, some of whom were the result of strange experiments and inventions themselves. Darrel discovered a glowing meteor that amplified electricity and was stolen by Mr. Thrawn, who fashioned it into a weapon. He was killed when it attracted a lightning bolt. (#25) Others were Pluvius, who invented a rainmaking device (#28); the inhuman Crimson Claw had talons like an eagle (Feature #119); Magog the giant died from his own serum, which increased the size of humans (#135); and a scientist brought the Mandragora root to life, which escaped and grew into a terror. (#139) A couple of tales involved the legacies of Darrel’s ancestors. Sheriff Thomas Dane, his great-grandfather, had once caught a highwayman named Erik Drum. Erik possessed his descendant, John Drum, who became the masked Highwayman. (#113) And his ancestor Jeremiah Dane fought a witch who cursed the seventh of his line—Darrel. Doll Man fought the witch’s descendant, Margaret Dagru, the Black Witch, who was compelled to do evil but died in her own flames. (Doll Man #29) In Feature #140 (Nov. 1949), “Doll Man” was replaced by “Stunt Man Stetson,” but it was business as usual in his solo title.

Doll Girl: The Last Quality super-hero Just before Martha donned her own costume, she’d actually been eliminated from Doll Man completely. She was replaced by Elmo, a dog adopted by Doll Man to help him fight crime. Elmo served primarily as transportation for Doll Man. In their first case, Darrel used the reward money to help establish a new crime lab. (Doll Man #31) Elmo became a regular fixture, and as with Quality’s remaining super-hero features, the foes became more ordinary. In Chinatown, they ran into the hooded Secret Six who temporarily swapped Elmo

with a vicious look alike. (#36) Perhaps readers were voicing their opinions because after a few months’ absence, Martha returned—this time as Doll Girl! Feature Comics had been canceled for over a year, so Doll Girl made only a handful of appearances in Doll Man, beginning in issue #37 (Dec. 1951). Doll Girl was the last super-hero added to Quality’s roster. Doll Girl’s story began with a train trip on which Martha was reading up on will power. This train was raided by the Skull, who was after Darrel’s cargo of thorium. Elmo was also kenneled in that compartment and he tipped off Doll Man. Martha was knocked unconscious by the Skull and when she awoke she felt strange. When Doll Man was captured, she focused all of her own will power to gather “cosmic forces” and she was miraculously transformed into the Doll Girl! Darrel was perplexed but grateful for the save. Originally, Darrel had needed a serum to acquire his power, but Martha had tapped into the ability by sheer force of will (similar to the time she’d become Midge). (#37)

Above: Doll Girl arrives! From Doll Man #37 (Dec. 1951). Right: The Count and Countess de Grasso, from Doll Man #38 (1952). Artists uncertain.

She didn’t appear again in that issue, but returned in the next and became a cover costar too. In 1951–53, Doll Man contained many fun and interesting science fiction, horror, and space-age themed stories. Darrel also stopped trying to protect Martha and committed himself to working with her. The pair happened upon the home of the jaundiced Count and Countess de Grasso. Records traced this family back to Transylvania. The Dolls entered the home after a body was found drained of blood. They discovered that indeed these people were supernatural, witnessing the monsters emerge from their slumber in coffins. When morning came, the two were reduced to bones by the sunlight. In the same issue, they uncovered Dr. Voodoo’s horrific wax museum that covered his nefarious deeds. (#38) The Monk stole Darrel’s experimental new narcotic plant, intending to sell it as “zombie weed.” The Dolls burned his growing operation to the ground. (#39) A supernatural monster called Kain came to life from his creator’s Character profiles 119

typewriter, and then turned on his creator, killing him. He was dispelled when Doll Girl typed him out of existence! (#42) Johann Durfo created artificial life called the Thing and the Dolls were summoned to burn it. In Haiti, Martha and Darrel faced a witch doctor and his hypnotic Emerald Eye of Evil. (#43) And scientist Harvey Kane became the Radioactive Man, but was consumed by his own powers. (#44) The Cold War crept into the pages of Doll Man with his first Russian foe, Metal Face, who was hired specifically by the Russian intelligence to take on Doll Man. The hero managed to bring down his plane, but the Russian got away. Afterwards, headlines heralded the coming of “peace feelers” from the Kremlin. Martha hypothesized that this was the follow-up to their failed attempt to start a new war. (#45) The next adventure was even more far-fetched; a spaceship from planet X-T-B-2 landed in Washington DC, where Darrel and Martha learned that the green-skinned aliens were seeking precious metals for medicinal purposes. Darrel was suspicious and they stowed away on the spacecraft to discover that the aliens were actually led by Professor Borkmann, a former Nazi scientist who had built an airborne base 100 miles from Earth. (#45) Darrel’s experiments also included time travel. When he set his time machine for 2053 AD, it exploded and brought through a suited man called Frio. His body temperature had acclimated to Earth’s new environment and was one degree above absolute zero. Frio had also built a machine to bring himself back in time. Sadly, Frio was bent on stealing Fort Knox’s gold. They managed to contact a policeman in 2053 who advised them to defeat him with a super-heat gun. After Frio was brought down, Darrel vowed to abandon time travel. (#46) More foes also had the size element. Darrel discovered a growth vitamin that was stolen by Sarconi who used it on his gang so they could commit thefts. (#40) A Tom Thumb wannabe called Jumbo Gerad studied and impersonated Doll Man. Gerad knew everything about Doll Man, but his lack of experience led to his downfall. Their last foes were the Mad Hypnotist, who invented special glasses, and Mr. Magic. (#47) “Doll Man” was behind only “Plastic Man” and “Blackhawk” in terms of publishing tenure and ran for over thirteen years.

M.F. Enterprises: Same but Different In early 1966, an ambitious publisher launched a strange reinvention of Captain Marvel. In addition to pinching Plastic Man, the second issue introduced a mighty mite called Tinyman—Plastic Man’s ally and Captain Marvel’s enemy. Like Doll Man, Tinyman could shrink. He was a circus performer who in the fourth issue actually reformed and became Captain Marvel’s ally. DC’s shrinking Atom hit stands later that same year. Tinyman returned in two issues of Captain Marvel presents the Terrible Five (1966–67).

DC The original Martha Roberts has never appeared in a DC Comic, but Doll Man next appeared in 1973’s Justice League of America #107–108. Darrel was reintroduced to readers along with other former Quality heroes as the Freedom Fighters. This story and the successive Freedom Fighters series are no longer in DC continuity because they involved Earth-X, an Earth in DC’s former multiverse. In that series, Doll Girl was said to have perished on Earth-X. Subsequently, Doll Man met her Earth-One counterpart, also named Martha Roberts. (Freedom Fighters #5) For the details on this series and summary of events, see “The Freedom Fighters” on page 41. For Doll Man’s current continuity in the DCU, we jump ahead to Roy Thomas’ 1982 series, All-Star Squadron. In the early days of this team, Doll Man made the short list of heroes being reviewed for membership. (All-Star Squadron #13) On the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Doll Man was tracking the hero known as Uncle Sam and encountered Midnight, who was on the same mission. They were too late to catch Sam, but both heroes dove into his teleportal. Instead of materializing near Pearl Harbor, they were transported to occupied France, where they joined Mademoiselle Marie in the French resistance for several months. They intercepted a message concerning a second Japanese attack on Santa Barbara, California. But before they could act, they ran afoul of the evil Baron Blitzkrieg. As fate would have it, Uncle Sam’s portal appeared again just as the Baron blasted Doll Man. Midnight carried him through the portal to New York City and sought help from the All-Star Squadron. Midnight and Doll Man finally met Uncle Sam and Doll Man joined Sam’s splinter group, the Freedom Fighters. That team stopped Baron Blitzkrieg’s invasion of Santa Barbara. (All-Star Squadron #31-35) Doll Man remained with this group for the remainder of the war. The F.F. separated from the All-Stars and were based in Washington D.C. (Who’s Who ‘87 #5) Doll Man allegedly shared one adventure with the Justice Society. (Starman vol. 2 #62) Darrel Dane went undercover at some point and was believed to be in an insane asylum. (Uncle Sam & the F.F. vol. 1 #5)

Powers By injecting or ingesting a special formula, the Doll Man could “compress the molecules in his body” and shrink to about six inches in height. He could not achieve any intermediate sizes. At first, the effects would wear off and required additional dosages. While small, he had the strength of twenty men. His weight appeared to fluctuate at will because one moment he could ride atop a bird, and the next he could knock out a full-sized man. Sometimes Dane’s clothes shrank with him, other times only his uniform. He had some measure of imperviousness, too. He could weather being shot from a cannon, and could alter the course of a missile in flight. He once shrunk in order to tap into the Doll Man’s more analytical mind. (Feature #79)

Tinyman, from Captain Marvel #4 (1966); art by Carl Hubbell.

Doll Man II (Molecule) NAME + ALIASES: Unrevealed GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Teen Titans FIRST APPEARANCE: Titans Secret Files #2 DEATH: Terror Titans #1 (December 2008)

A pair of young heroes once took the names Doll Man II and Doll Girl II. This pair were apparently a couple and attended a recruitment party for Teen Titans in Los Angeles. (Titans Secret Files #2) It is unknown what relation, if any, these two had to the originals. This Doll Man

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presumably changed his name to Molecule and briefly joined the Titans at a time when the team was in much turmoil. (52 #32, Teen Titans vol. 3 #38) He was killed by the Terror Titans’s Persuader. (Terror Titans #1) Doll Girl’s fate is unknown.

Doll Man III Created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Daniel Acuña NAME + ALIASES: Lester Colt KNOWN RELATIVES: Dr. Emma Glenn (wife), Julia (daughter), Richard

Glenn (father-in-law, deceased) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: S.H.A.D.E., Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #3

(July 2006) APPEARANCES:

• Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #3-6 • DCU: Brave New World #1 • Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #6–9 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1, #1-8 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2, #1-8

Lester Colt was a decorated soldier, master of martial arts and gymnastics, and student of international politics. Colt volunteered to be a nonmilitary test subject for miniaturization, administered by Dr. Richard Glenn and his daughter, Dr. Emma Glenn. Glenn theorized that a smaller population would consume less of the world’s resources. But after Lester had been shrunk, Glenn’s lab was invaded by government agents who killed Glenn and stole his work. Lester was trapped at six inches tall and became the third Doll Man. (Uncle Sam & the F.F. vol. 2 #3)

This led to his military career and service with a special-ops task force called S.H.A.D.E., run by Father Time. This team was called in to investigate radioactive anomalies in the city of Blüdhaven and to deter other metahumans. (Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #3) Despite his six-inch stature, Colt was a thorough soldier who followed orders and charged fearlessly into battle. He also employed various weapons such as neural shockers and hover machines. (#4) At this time, S.H.A.D.E. encountered some morally questionable situations, and some members including Doll Man began to doubt their place in it. (#5) When leadership on the battlefield became fractured, Doll Man assumed control. (#6) Off the battlefield, Lester pined Top: Lester Colt, Doll Man III, for Emma Glenn, who also now from Uncle Sam & the F.F. vol. 1 worked for S.H.A.D.E., but wor- #1 (2006); art by Daniel Acuña. Bottom: Darrel Dane returns, ried they could never be together from Uncle Sam & the F.F. vol. 2 #3 because of his height. But Lester, (2008); art by Renato Arlem. the “Human Action Figure,” was a competent scientist in his own right. They worked together to find a solution to his condition. (Uncle

Heartland and work on his size problem. (#8)

Sam & the F.F. vol. 1 #1)

As his team’s mistrust grew, they were persuaded by Uncle Sam to join a new Freedom Fighters and fight against S.H.A.D.E., which had been overtaken by an alien shape-changer. (#2) Emma’s home became their headquarters when Phantom Lady teleported it into another dimension called the Heartland. In the Heartland, Lester discovered he was his normal height. The F.F. also “stole” S.H.A.D.E.’s research facility and Emma ostensibly joined the team in a technical support role. (#4) When the Freedom Fighters defeated the alien menace in government, they were placed in charge of S.H.A.D.E. but Lester declined to join them. He opted instead to live with Emma in the

Return of the Original Lester and Emma soon discovered that her father’s size-change research had been used to build a miniature city within the Pentagon. The original Doll Man, Darrel Dane, was recruited by Father Time to manage the experiment, leading an army of tiny soldiers. Officials abandoned the experiment, which left its inhabitants suffering from starvation and mental side effects. Darrel was especially militant because the government had promised a cure for Martha’s cancer. She died while he was trapped in the small city. His shrunken army retaliated by kidnapping the Vice President. Lester and Emma ofCharacter profiles 121

fered to help restore them (as it was Lester’s goal too). (US&FF vol. 2 #3-4) Emma (who was now pregnant) once again had access to her father’s stolen notes, (#5) but a malfunction in her procedure bonded all the shrunken people into a giant monster. (#6) She narrowly prevented the military from killing this thing, (#7) and succeeded in freeing Lester, but none of the others. It is unknown whether she has since succeeded. (#8) Emma bore a daughter named Julia and did succeed in developing a serum which allowed Lester to change size at will. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #6) Lester now prefers a civilian life to costumed adventure.

a grip of steel. (Doll Man #2) Throughout the Dragon’s adventures, no other Chinese men were named (one wielded a cleaver like the Blackhawks’ Chop Chop). Instead, more American characters crept into the mix. The war got personal when his enemy captured the beautiful Princess Lotus Moon, whom McGraw knew in grade school. (#3) Along the way, they saved an American woman who joined them and served as a nurse. (#5) In his final adventure, yet another unlikely American joined the cause, playboy Mortimer Van Dine. (#6)

Notes

Firebrand

Colt’s co-creator, Justin Gray, said “Doll Man went through a few design changes, but the basic premise was to present a badass soldier who had seen more than his share of battles. A living G.I. Joe with some modern military hardware.” (“Uncle Sam…”)

Rod created by Reed Crandall NAME + ALIASES: Rod Reilly

Powers

KNOWN RELATIVES: “Emerald” Ed Reilly (father, deceased),

Originally, Doll Man III was trapped at six inches tall. With the help of his wife, Emma Glenn, he can now change between that and full height. When small he also appears to possess super-strength and density control.

The Dragon Created by Fred Guardineer NAME + ALIASES: Sgt. Red McGraw

unnamed mother, Danette Reilly (Firebrand II, sister) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: All-Star Squadron, Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941) APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Squadron #1, 4, 13, 50 • Cancelled Comics Cavalcade #2 • Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, 9 • Freedom Fighters #11–15 • JSA #42 • Justice League of America #193 • Police Comics #1–13 (Aug. 1941–Nov. 1942)

FIRST APPEARANCE: Doll Man Quarterly #2 (Spring 1942) APPEARANCES: Doll Man Quarterly #2-6 (Spring 1942–Summer 1943)

The Dragon was a character that pushes the definition of super-hero. If not for the kooky/scary face on his shirt, anyone would think Marine Sergeant Red McGraw was just your same old leader of a colorful band of Chinese guerillas. Because of his valor, he earned the nickname of “the Dragon” and fought battles in Japanese occupied territories. In his first escapade, he single-handedly took out a Japanese battleship. His second-in-command, Chang, attacked with

From Doll Man Quarterly #4 (1943); art by Fred Guardineer.

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“Firebrand” is a character better known to DC fans as the sister of the original, who was featured prominently in All-Star Squadron. The original Firebrand had everything going for it except, perhaps, more interesting adventures. Most of his stories were drawn by the rising talent, Reed Crandall. Crandall eventually moved onto “Blackhawk,” for which he is best known. Firebrand also held the cover spotlight through Police #4, soon conceding it to the more popular Plastic Man. And that fancy sheer shirt? It was preceded by the Red Bee’s by a year. To the world, Rod Reilly was an idle playboy, son of “Emerald” Ed Reilly, who made his fortune in steel. But as Firebrand, Reilly held aloft his “blazing torch,” and stuck it to spies. Reilly’s own parents even expressed their concern about Firebrand’s vigilantism, but Rod only revealed his dual identity to one person, the ex-prize fighter “Slugger” Shea (later Dunn), who was Firebrand’s crime fighting partner. Usually they encountered mobsters and/or Fifth Column spies like the Baron Von Hanson. Once he put an end to Von Hanson’s collaboration with the mob, Firebrand left his signature torch for the police to find. Reilly was also engaged at this time to Joan Rogers. (Police #1) Rod and Slugger’s adventures took them all over the hemisphere. In the Caribbean nation of Libertad, they thwarted a coup by General Alfredo Muerte. Slugger and Firebrand took a plane and parachuted into the island nation, single-handedly tracking and stopping the tyrant. (#2) In the spirit of “Doc Savage,” Firebrand was an all-around wonder. He even developed a combat bomber that could take off or land with only 50 yards of strip. Naturally, the Nazis tried to steal it, but once that was over with, the military ordered 5,000 planes. (#4) Joan played an occasional part in Firebrand’s adventures. While volunteering at the Red Cross, she discovered that Dr. Kruger had poisoned the blood banks. (#6) Joan and Slugger were kidnapped by Nazi spies who were after Rod’s British friend, Sir Falcon Farnsworth. To save them, Firebrand had to swim past a deadly shark. (#7)

Firebrand was the only Qual- Above: Firebrand, from Police ity super-hero to be called up for #5 (1941); art by Reed Crandall. Left: Original art from Freedom selective service during America’s Fighters #14 (1978); art by Dick pre-war defense preparations (a Ayers and Jack Abel. Artwork courtesy couple tried to volunteer). Both of Nick Katradis. Rod and Slugger joined the Navy reserve on the destroyer Russell. Naturally, their mission to escort a British vessel was interrupted by Nazis. (#8) They sailed on to Cairo, where they actually met Joan with the Red Cross, and, as one might expect during those days, Nazis. (#10)

DC In current DC continuity, Rod’s story picks up with the introduction of his sister, Danette, in All-Star Squadron (read below). But before this, he appeared briefly in the 1976 Freedom Fighters series. Those stories are no longer in continuity and in fact, Rod was intended to die in an unpublished tale. For more on this, see “Earth-X” on page 43. His current status in the DC universe is unknown.

Powers Rod was an Olympic-level athlete and superb combatant. He had trained to the height of physical perfection. He was a good hand-tohand fighter and accomplished swimmer. Special skills included high wire balancing, scaling buildings with suction cups, and using a lariat.

Firebrand II Created by Roy Thomas & Rich Buckler NAME + ALIASES: Danette Reilly KNOWN RELATIVES: Ed Reilly (father, deceased), Rod Reilly (Firebrand I,

brother), Terri Curtis Rothstein (goddaughter) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: All-Star Squadron FIRST APPEARANCE, As Danette Reilly: Justice League of America #193 (Aug.

1981). As Firebrand: All-Star Squadron #5 (Jan. 1982) APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Squadron #1-9, 11-22, 24-27, 31-35, 38-44, 46-51, 54, 55, 57-60, Annual #2 • All-Star Squadron, 66 issues (1981-87) • Crisis on Infinite Earths #1, 2, 4, 5 • Justice League of America #193, 207-209 • Young All-Stars #7, 9

Rod Reilly’s wartime story picks up in the pages of All-Star Squadron.

By this time, Rod and Slugger’s navy duties led Rod to doff his Firebrand duds for good. The two of them were stationed in Hawaii on the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, Dec. 7, 1941. They were nearby on Oahu’s Wheeler Field when Japanese planes arrived. Slugger was hit in the leg and Rod in the chest. Meanwhile, his sister, Danette (a geologist), was having her first encounter with a super-hero herself. She met the Shining Knight (Sir Justin) while studying a volcano, and they were attacked by Per Degaton. (All-Star Squadron #1) She was tough enough to escape momentarily, but the villain Wotan threw Danette into a lava pit. Luckily, this happened just as the Justice Society freed themselves from the villains, and Danette was rescued by the intervention of the Spectre. (#2-3) When she learned that Rod was in a coma from his injuries, she rushed to Hawaii with Justin. (#4) Slugger gave her a key from Rod, which she was to use should anything happen to her brother. The key opened a secret room in his New York residence where Danette discovered Rod’s Firebrand outfit and a photo of him in action. On a whim, she donned the outfit herself and at that moment, her new metahuman abilities manifested—she was aflame and shooting fire from her hands! The All-Star Squadron helped get her under control, and she joined them as Firebrand II. (#5) Danette and the Shining Knight grew closer, even sharing a New Year’s Eve kiss, (#9) but the war kept them fairly separated. Later when Rod recovered, he gave Danette his blessing to continue as Firebrand. He and Slugger resumed their military service. (#13, 50) The quest for Danette Reilly’s affections was common. When the All-Star Squadron came into conflict with the Ultra-Humanite, she discovered that her ex-beau, Terry Curtis (née Kurtzberger), Character profiles 123

now called himself Cyclotron, and was working with the fiend. (#22) Eventually Terry revealed that he’d been blackmailed by Ultra, who threatened harm to his daughter, Terri. Terri’s mother had died, and the girl was afflicted with the effects of Terry’s atomic super-powers. In the end, Terry decided to sacrifice his own life in taking down Ultra. Danette assumed guardianship of Terri, and the Atom offered to help raise the infant, too. (Annual #2) Danette was never romantically involved with the Atom, but her fellow All-Star, Hourman, did his best to woo her. He was her date at one of her father’s galas. This party was attacked by the German agents called Night and Fog, who flung Ed Reilly out a window. Danette caught her father, but the momentum of the fall was too great, and he perished. Before dying, he confessed to her that he had once worked for Hitler against the British. (#44) After the war, Danette mostly abandoned adventuring to raise Terri Kurtzberger as her own daughter, with help from the Atom. They were also a part of Terri’s son’s life. She married Phil Rothstein, and bore a super-powered son, Albert (a.k.a. Nuklon/Atom-Smasher).

#12) In recent years, the Shining Knight was given reason to doubt the veracity of the Dragon King’s claim. Whether he ever investigated this possibility remains unknown.

(Infinity, Inc. #1)

NAME + ALIASES: Alejandro “Alex” Sanchez (deceased)

Things had gone nowhere with Hourman, but Danette and Sir Justin continued to see each other. She assisted him in his quest for the Holy Grail, which led to Blue Valley, Nebraska, and the Two pages of original art from headquarters of the Dragon King. All-Star Squadron #5 (1982)— The Dragon King badly injured Danette Reilly becomes Firebrand Shining Knight, and supposedly II. Art by Rich Buckler and Jerry murdered Danette. (Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Ordway. Courtesy of Michael Dunne.

KNOWN RELATIVES: Unnamed parents, Christina (sister, deceased),

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Note Read more about Danette’s creation in the interview with Roy Thomas on page 48.

Powers Danette was a metahuman who could project fire from her hands, surround herself in a field of fire, and fly. She could control any flame in her immediate vicinity, and could absorb fire into her body harmlessly.

Firebrand III Created by Brian Augustyn and Sal Velluto

Javier (brother) FIRST APPEARANCE: Firebrand #1 (February 1996) APPEARANCES:

• Firebrand, 9 issues (1996) • JSA Secret Files #2 • Showcase ‘96 #4

one finds that the art in this series was truly stunning. Sal Velluto elevated comics’ zeitgeist and delivered dynamic, convincing anatomy and portraiture. Velluto’s hero leapt with all the grace of Lou Fine’s Black Condor. The title never took off, though, and this Firebrand suffered an ignoble end at DC. A few years later, Sanchez was killed, as Firebrand, in an underground super-casino while under the influence of its owner, Roulette. (JSA Secret Files #2)

Powers Alex Sanchez had no super-powers, but wore a uniform that downloaded energies from a satellite. With it he possessed 120% of a normal human’s abilities. Each download lasted four hours, mostly for the safety of the person inside. The suit generated flames for show only, and was cooled internally. The suit made him more agile and strong, could withstand standard gunfire, and had infrared visibility.

Firebrand IV Created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Daniel Acuña

The 1990s reinvention of Quality characters continued under writer Brian Augustyn (who also wrote Black Condor) when he created an all-new Firebrand in 1996. The third Firebrand was Alex Sanchez, who had no relation to his predecessors. His history was tainted by fire, having lost his baby sister Christina in a conflagration that he himself escaped. Then as an adult, while working as an NYPD detective, he escaped yet again, but not completely unharmed. An explosion left him in need of a walking cane for life. Noah Hightower offered him the chance to turn his misfortune around by becoming the Firebrand. Sanchez would don a suit that could download an energy surge from a satellite. This empowered him with 120% of normal human capacity, but he could only “fire up” the suit once a day for four hours, lest his body burn out. Also, the suit was designed with a horrific visage and claws, to instill fear in its opponents. (Firebrand #1-2) Sanchez’s career was brief. In his time he battled freaks like Doctor Browning who created a cyborg gang, (#3-4) and the hideous cyborg, Serpentine. (#8) His supporting cast was rounded out by a detective partner, Leo McClosky, and his brother Javi (a priest), and Devlin, his “handler.” Hightower also set Sanchez up in a day job with the Childfind Network, which was run by the renown detective Jason Bard (a.k.a. Nemesis). On its face, Firebrand was a classic example of “extreme” 1990s comics, with a severe-looking protagonist, but scratching the surface Left: Alex Sanchez, from Firebrand #2 (1996); art by Sal Velluto. Right: Andre Twist, from Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #1 (2006); art by Dan Jurgens.

NAME + ALIASES: Andre Twist KNOWN RELATIVES: Unnamed parents GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #1

(Early June 2006) APPEARANCES:

• Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #1-6 • DCU: Brave New World #1 • Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1-9 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1, #1-8 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2, #1-8

A “firebrand” is a person with a penchant for militancy in speech and/ or action. This description fits the most recent namesake to a ‘T.’ During the “Infinite Crisis,” the villainous super-group called the Society killed many of the Freedom Fighters and destroyed the city of Blüdhaven, though some of its inhabitants were transformed. That blast unlocked the metagene in Andre Twist, who found that he could generate great heat and flame. One year later, Twist remained on the scene as Firebrand IV to help the refugees camped outside the city walls. (Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #1) Andre revealed just a bit about his childhood. He once called his father a “nasty drunk,” and said that his mother had left them. (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #2)

Firebrand argued loudly in the mass media for the restoration of the rights of Blüdhaven’s citizens, just as powerful forces in governCharacter profiles 125

ment were looking to take the city’s secrets for its own. (Crisis Aftermath #2) When he and his allies Monolith and Tilt decided to enter the city, they were stopped by the Teen Titans, who found a stealthier route inside. (#3) Once inside, they clashed with agents of S.H.A.D.E. (#4) But Firebrand’s destiny lay elsewhere. Andre became the first recruit in Uncle Sam’s new Freedom Fighters, answering Sam’s call to the south Mississippi River. (#5, DCU: Brave New World) Uncle Sam knew that the White House was in danger, and sent Firebrand to Washington D.C. to lure out the agents of S.H.A.D.E. Andre was shot and captured, but the plan worked.

“G-2” filled a void in National Comics after the cancellation of the “Merlin” and “Wonder Boy” features. The feature generally bore uncharacteristically poor artwork in comparison with its contemporaries. “G-2” was preceded at Quality by “G-5,” a feature which ran in Hit Comics #5–17. The G-5 character was never given a civilian name. The premise of the feature sort of begs the question: why would an agent with undercover resources choose to don an attention grabbing costume? G-2 was Capt. Don Leash, an officer in the Army Intelligence department of the same name. In the real world, the Army G-2 was a (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #1) When S.H.A.D.E.’s agents met Sam, they joined G-2 in two panels from National Comics #36 (Oct. division charged with operational and tactical intelligence. (Also, the Freedom Fighters, too. They sprang Firebrand 1943); artist uncertain. “G-Man” is slang for “governfrom his cell and set about their plan to rout the alien ment man.”) In Leash’s second infiltrator in the Presidency. (#2-8) Andre remained one case, he met up with an insidious of Uncle Sam’s most devoted followers, and developed duo of terrorists, Gothro and feelings for his teammate, Jenna Raleigh (the Red Bee). Dr. Agony. These enemy agents Andre Twist was maimed in battle with the Jailtortured a U.S. Naval officer, and breakers, then killed by the Jester. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #5-7) plotted an attack on New York Upon his death, the spirit of Uncle Sam was resurrected City. The villains possessed a using Twist’s body as a portal back to America. Andre submarine that housed planes was honored with a statue at the Freedom Fighters ready to attack. Despite suffering memorial in Arlington Cemetery. (#8) a gunshot wound, G-2 managed to alert the U.S. military, and sink Notes the Nazi vessel. (National #28) Twist’s co-creator Justin Gray said they didn’t want him to look like the original: “Firebrand has been There were occasional offbeat spared any connections to the previous costume, touches to the feature such as Leash’s which would look right at home during an ice-skating encounter with the so-called mysticompetition with the sheer puffy sleeves, tights and cal “murder gun” (#29), and his first bandana. This Firebrand is inspired by the youthful masked opponent, the Nazi King exuberance and his lack of an accurate world view. He’s Spy. His Fifth Column ring took passionate and often opinionated, a troublemaker like over a hotel, and began taking out his namesake.” (“Uncle Sam…”) prominent Washington officials. (#34) In China, Leash met another undercover agent, QX-4: Jean Powers Carroll, alias the Cantow Poppy. Andre Twist, like Danette, was a metahuman with the She was a counterspy to foil the power to wield flames. He often employed a staff used Japanese. Before she sacrificed in martial arts-style fighting. herself to take them out, she gave G-2 a goodbye kiss. (#30) Fraulein Thura was a Nazi spy chief sent specifically to capture G-2. He got the drop on her and turned her into authorities because, as he Created by Len Wein, Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano put it, “I don’t shoot women!” (#36) This team was created by DC Comics using the Quality And in China, he met a freedom Comics stable of heroes. Read their complete history fighter called Lady Wang—the beginning on page 41. “Eastern Joan of Arc”—and saved her people by routing the Japanese invaders in her village. (#42) In the latter part of his wartime service, Leash moved into operations in the Pacific theater. In his last adventure, he worked with an art expert, Professor Joaquim, to recover treasures stolen by the Created by Rubén Moreira Axis forces in the Pacific. In the country of Tambang, the Japanese had taken the Kwan-Yin Vase, which was said to bestow leadership NAME + ALIASES: Capt. Don Leash on its possessor. (#46) FIRST APPEARANCE: National Comics #27 (Dec. 1942) His whereabouts after the war are unknown. APPEARANCES: National Comics #27-46 (Dec. 1942–Feb. 1945)

The Freedom Fighters

G-2

“The U.S. Intelligence Department has many heroes among its members… but one outstanding individual, Don Leash, becomes the dreaded G-2, scourge of all enemies of America…”

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Powers G-2 had no metahuman powers, but he was a skilled hand-to-hand combatant.

Ghost of Flanders

The Great Defender

Created by George E. Brenner

Created by Maxwell Elkan

NAME + ALIASES: “Rip” Graves

NAME + ALIASES: Stormy Foster

FIRST APPEARANCE: Hit Comics #18 (Dec. 1941)

KNOWN RELATIVES: Unnamed granddaughter, Von Hammer

APPEARANCES: Hit Comics #18–25 (Dec. 1941–Dec. 1942)

(great grandson) FIRST APPEARANCE: Hit Comics #18 (Dec. 1941)

The Ghost of Flanders was not one of George Brenner’s finest creations. The premise of the hero’s backstory had some significant holes. “Rip” Graves was reported dead at Flanders, an exceptionally bloody site in World War I. Graves had actually survived, but when he finally returned to the United States, he found that he’d been honored as the “Unknown Soldier” at the tomb in Washington D.C. Instead of reclaiming his civilian life, he made the odd decision to take up residence beneath the The Ghost of Flanders, from Hit Unknown Soldier’s crypt. In secret, #21 (1942); art by George Brenner. he battled for his country as the Ghost of Flanders. (Hit #18) The Ghost wore a Brodie style helmet and patriotic chest plate. His quarters were rather nice for having been somehow secretly installed beneath a national monument. Perhaps this was due to his relationship with contemporary U.S. intelligence. He was known to have worked with FBI chief Egbert Weever. Weever once asked him to deliver sensitive documents to the War Department. This he did, but only after battling a German brute called Haggenschmitt. Though this giant was nearly superhuman in strength, the Ghost took him out with a single mighty blow. (#20) The story from Hit #22 (June 1942) was one of Quality’s first to reflect the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and America’s entry into the war (ads in the issue also called for rubber reclamation). Brenner declared “the United States is at war!” But despite the Japanese menace, the story still dealt with Nazi spies. Within this tale, Rip sang lyrics from the 1940 song “I Am an American.” (#21) The Ghost’s foes were mostly Axis-based, like the Nazi Hans Sheink. (#19) And on a nearby island, he discovered that the Japanese were hiding their planes beneath giant mushrooms! (#24) The Ghost of Flanders was last seen in 1942. His final adventure was about an American defector, William Jones, who tried to dodge the draft. The Ghost tracked down this man and by working together, they stopped a Nazi infiltrator. Emboldened, the man then fearlessly enlisted. (#25)

Notes “Rip” is usually a nickname for “Ripley” (but also stands for “Rest In Peace”). Nothing was ever revealed about Graves’ personal life. The first American Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dedicated in Nov. 1921. It does in fact contain the remains of an unidentified soldier from World War I.

Powers The Ghost of Flanders had no super-powers. He was an exceptional hand-to-hand fighter with military training, and handy with throwing knives. He could also pilot planes.

APPEARANCES: Hit Comics #18–34 (Dec. 1941–Winter 1944)

Despite the feature’s title, which was “Stormy Foster,” the hero’s public referred to him as “the Great Defender,” and Stormy Foster’s identity was a secret. His “mask” was naught but a fake moustache, but his creator, Max Elkan, did a great job at making the two appear different. Stormy Foster ran later than most of Quality’s costumed heroes and starred on the cover of Hit Comics from #18–23. During the day, Stormy Foster was a shy, bespectacled drug clerk—but the Great Defender in times of need. When thieves came to pillage Doc Vaughan’s drugstore, Stormy applied a false moustache and popped a super-vitamin which imbued him with the strength of ten men. His escapades were sometimes aided by the Chinese delivery boy named Ah Choo. (Hit #19) Ah Choo didn’t have a stereotypical accent at first, but in time he unfortunately began speaking like the Blackhawks’ Chop Chop—with ‘L’s for ‘R’s. You wouldn’t think it, but Stormy’s day job often led to intrigue. On a delivery to nearby Death Valley, Foster and Ah Choo found a dying man and trailed his murderers. Even though Ah Choo took part in many of his cases, Foster never disclosed his secret to the youngster, (#21) but Doc Vaughan did later disclose it to Ah Choo. (#29) Foster was sweet on Miss Jean Dale, a member of the Motor Corps who preferred humble Stormy to the Great Defender. Jean was genuinely concerned for Stormy’s safety when he disappeared (to become the Defender). (#24) He was more than a mere clerk at the pharmacy; he was also the inventor of his super-vitamin formula. He continued to improve the drug, but when he succeeded in making it five times stronger, it was stolen by a crook whose heart couldn’t handle it; he died. His cohorts weren’t so unlucky and they gave the Great Defender a good run. Stormy’s cunning saved him in the end. (#26) The Great Defender’s only costumed adversary was the evil Archer, Joseph Villard, who fell out a window to his death. (#27) The featured rather degraded when it began attempting to emulate the humor of other popular strips. Ah Choo met a new friend, a black boy named Asbestos (#30) and Ah Choo tried to woo the pretty young Ah Mee. Ah Choo thought a vitamin regimen would impress her and he wound up taking Stormy’s super-vitamins! Naturally, when the lad’s exploits made the papers, Ah Mee was interested, but it was too late. Other girls were now swooning left and right. To prevent any more outings by the “Chinese Great Defender,” Stormy vowed to keep his vitamins better hidden. (#33) In his last recorded adventure, the Great Defender came to the aid of the Clovis Construction Company, only to find the person who’d been sabotaging their skyscraper was Mr. Clovis himself. (#34)

DC/Legacy From the afterlife, Foster’s contemporary, the Red Bee, characterized him by saying “I was one of the jokes … But Johnny Thunder, Stormy Foster… I bet all of them are more regarded than I am.” (Starman vol. 2 #37) Foster fathered at least one child. The hero Mon-El once met a man named Von Hammer in Germany, who had inherited a bit of invulnerability from his mother, whose grandfather was Stormy Foster. (Superman #689) Character profiles 127

Notes

Ready for action! From Hit #21 (1942); artist unknown. Bottom:

Stormy’s penchant for vitamins Splash page from Hit #24 (1942); might have been inspired by his art by Max Elkan. fictional predecessors. At DC, Hourman took “Miraclo” from the start (Adventure #48, 1940). And though the popular Blue Beetle didn’t take “vitamin 2X” when he first debuted, he did in Mystery Men Comics #13 (July 1941), several months before Stormy’s first appearance. The name “Stormy” is usually a nickname, but in this feature, Foster’s name is never used in quotation marks, so it’s assumed to be his real name. These days, “Stormy” is more commonly a girl’s name.

Powers After taking a super-vitamin, the Great Defender could make great leaps, bend bars, and was speedy enough to dodge bullets. He sometimes used a “paralysis gas” that issued from a gun stored in his cape.

The Hawk Created by George Brenner NAME + ALIASES: T. James Harrington II ONLY APPEARANCE: Feature Funnies #2 (Nov. 1937)

“When the police fail, the Hawk doesn’t…” began the long-winded introduction to a short-lived hero. George Brenner’s obscure second creation appeared only once but holds the title as Quality’s first masked hero. Brenner’s Clock predated the Hawk at a different publisher, but at Quality, the Clock came one issue after the Hawk. At the end of the Hawk’s adventure, text heralds the Clock’s arrival in the next issue. In his only adventure, the Hawk was revealed as T. James Harrington II, a former football star and wealthy heir. Deputy Inspector Pat Doyle had known Jimmy’s father, dismissing him as a no-account socialite, unlike the Hawk, whom Doyle both sought and admired. When Harrington overheard the police talking about some mysterious crimes, he donned a suit, and threw an oversized handkerchief over his head. He also wore one taloned glove. Numbered panels ensured that the reader would correctly navigate the fast-paced action. The Hawk took the perpetrator back to his lair, where his allies, Link and Rollo, delivered the crook into custody, while the Hawk taunted Doyle with a letter. (Feature Funnies #2)

Quality’s first masked hero, the Hawk, from Feature Funnies #2 (1937); art by George Brenner.

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Hercules Created by Dan Zolnerowich NAME + ALIASES: Joe Hercules KNOWN RELATIVES: Unnamed mother (deceased) FIRST APPEARANCE: Hit Comics #1 (July 1940) APPEARANCES:

• Hit Comics #1–21 (July 1940–April 1942) • Starman vol. 2 #35 (mention)

Just in case, Hercules’ first adventure began with the proclamation (disclaimer?): “He didn’t come from another planet… He wasn’t made by a mad scientist or by some other fantastic manner… He’s a real American youth, imbued with the greatest strength mortal man ever possessed.” If anything, Hercules resembled Quality’s own hero, Doll Man. Both features were created by Eisner/Iger men and both drawn at some point (though not created) by Reed Crandall. Joe Hercules’ first adventure attempted to move him a step away from Quality’s own fictional universe; the story asserted that Doll Man was only a character who existed in the comic books of Joe Hercules’s world. Before long, Hercules’s powers grew far beyond those of mortal men but the sales didn’t grow to match. It wasn’t for lack of promotion. Quality featured Hercules on the covers of Hit Comics #3, 10-17 and put him in the first feature slot. Curiously, “Hercules” was replaced by a similar strongman, Stormy Foster, and the two overlapped for a few months. The first story was signed with the pen name “Dan Enloz” (spelled backwards yields the beginning of “Zolnerowich”). With the second issue, the byline changed to “Gregg Powers,” which was probably Zolnerowich, but Reed Crandall also used that alias when he drew it (Hit #11–16). Joe Hercules was described as a country boy (even a “hick” by his enemies). He lived with his mother in the Midwest town of Maryville. Supposedly, he was not super-human, but celebrated as one of the strongest men alive. He’d planned to use the money he earned to help people as a doctor or lawyer. But the greedy J. Willistone Jyppe killed Joe’s mother in order to own all of Maryville. Joe took his quarrel directly to Jyppe and was arrested. In jail, he was inspired by his comic book hero, “Doll Man.” He busted out of jail, fashioned an outfit not unlike the diminutive hero’s, and set out for revenge. (Hit #1) Hercules’ strength grew along with his confidence. He began lifting cars and boats in bringing down the Koffin gang. (#3) He was always shirtless, which made for quick transformations from civilian to adventurer. Like Tarzan, Hercules would frequently strip to his shorts for underwater excursions. (#5) Spots the firedog tagged along once but then disappeared. (#7) As news of his deeds spread across the nation, Hercules garnered public honors and was chased by the press and women alike. This made the small town boy uncomfortable and he fled the spotlight— leaping out of a skyscraper window to safety. Finally, he accepted a invitation from a movie producer to play a jungle hero. He suffered through the production only to become faint at the premier. He fled again to the solitude of the country just as the film became a hit. (#11) His opponents were everyday mobsters and saboteurs who were no match for his strength. Joe’s love life wasn’t a priority. He once came to the aid of a woman named Lois, a bored oil heiress, and descended underwater to fix her father’s oil rig. He discovered Orientals stealing Texas oil via a great pipeline and personally carried a huge vat of oil back to Texas.

(#6) In Hercules’ last adventure, he came upon a circus and helped to protect its owner from a mobster. (#21) Maybe he was sweet on the circus owner’s daughter, Laura Nichols, and decided to stay?

Splash page from Hit Comics #12 (1941); art by Reed Crandall.

DC At DC, one mention was made of Hercules. His fate was revealed by Green Lantern (Alan Scott), who said to Starman, “Did you see that story in Newsweek about that hero from the 1940s, Hercules? He has Alzheimer’s. At least I’ve got my wits.” Both heroes admitted that they didn’t remember Hercules. (Starman vol. 2 #35)

Notes Another Quality hero, the Unknown, also looked like Hercules and Doll Man. One month before Quality, two other publishers unveiled their own Hercules. Timely’s was a remarkable strongman (Mystic Comics #3). And MLJ’s Hercules was about the Greek hero coming to modern-day America (Blue Ribbon Comics #4). The popular films starring Steve Reeves weren’t released until the late 1950s.

Powers Hercules, when he first debuted, was supposedly non-superpowered. His brawn grew rapidly to allow impossible feats of strength, like stopping and lifting a cars, crushing guns, and leaping up mountains. He seemed to be invulnerable, even surviving a fall from a tall building. Character profiles 129

The Human Bomb Created by Paul Gustavson NAME + ALIASES: (Lt.) Roy Lincoln KNOWN RELATIVES: Prof. Lincoln (father, deceased) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941) Hustace Throckmorton: Police Comics #15 (Jan. 1943) The Bombadiers: Police Comics #21 (Aug. 1943) APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Squadron #31-35, 50 • Canceled Comic Cavalcade #1-2 • Damage #0, 8, 10, 11 • DC Comics Presents #62 • Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #1-15 • JSA #49-51 • Justice League of America #107-108 • Police Comics #1-58 (Aug. 1941–Sept. 1946) • Young All-Stars #27

“The Human Bomb” was a popular feature created by Paul Gustavson, who created a number of successful super-heroes for Quality. Roy Lincoln was the son of a gifted scientist who invented a super-explosive called 27-QRX—five times more powerful than nitroglycerin. When spies arrived to steal the formula, they killed Roy’s father. To keep it from falling into their hands, Roy took drastic measures and swallowed the capsule. His body began to glow and he was imbued with deadly explosive power, centered in his hands. Roy’s first fight ended with a punch that brought down the entire building. To protect the world from his touch, Roy built a full-body suit laced with the same sort of “fibro-wax” used to contain the original explosive. As the Human Bomb, Roy waited for the thugs to return and learned the whereabouts of their boss, an Axis diplomat. When the rat fired on Roy, the bullets exploded on contact, leaving the hero unharmed. With no one as witness, Roy delivered another blow to kill the spy. (Police #1) Roy gathered up what notes he could from his father’s lab and took them to Major Adams at the War Department. In everyday life, Roy was now forced to cover his hands. Again he was attacked for the formula and pursued the thieves to an underwater lair (his suit was also equipped with oxygen for self-contained use). This German “suicide squadron” was bent on destroying eastern seaports. (#2) Roy was called away from his fiancé, Jean Caldwell, to the White House by the President himself, who asked Roy to oversee a new lab. He hadn’t time for such an endeavor but while he was there, he noticed a note mentioning a deadly purple mist—the same mist he’d witnessed on his way in. He flushed out a spy in possession of purple glasses which, when worn, revealed Nazi assassins hiding within the mists. (#3) Roy was an accomplished chemist in his own right. He invented another explosive that scared his co-workers so much that he moved the experiment to his own private lab. It was formulated into a substance that was harmless on its own, but detonated when it came into contact with Roy’s hot hands. The Human Bomb used it to take down a Nazi vessel that he encountered en route to Havana. (#4) Jean was present during most of the Human Bomb’s early adventures (before his sidekick debuted). In Police #6 her last name was changed to “Adams.” She was a petulant sort who grew increasingly impatient with Roy’s disappearances. She nearly saw Lincoln’s face when he changed to fight the Nazi Black Vanguards. Instead of his

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powers, the Bomb used a standalone Splash from Police #14 (1942); art chemical to take them down. (#6) by Paul Gustavson. Roy might not have revealed his identity to Jean, but he did so to a newspaper boy who helped him find an impostor Human Bomb. (#7) Nazis were everywhere; he even found them in Argentina, where they seized an aluminum mine. (#9) Roy stayed on there to clean out even more “Rats.” (#10) His first “super-villain” was Hoiman Schtrugmeyer, a master of physics who played a destructive flute. (#11) The Living Dead of Skull Valley turned out to be Nazis and were felled by a paralyzing gas. (#13) And Roy’s former chemistry teacher, Prof. Thorndike, went mad and invented an invisibility cloak and a disintegrating light gun. He attacked the Bomb as the Chameleon, and died when he accidentally touched Roy’s bare skin. (#14)

Hustace Throckmorton: The “Human Booby-Trap” In a desperate situation one day at a hospital, Roy was called upon to donate blood for one Hustace Throckmorton. Afterwards Lincoln kept tabs on the man—and for good reason. The transfusion gave Hustace similar powers, but instead of explosive hands, he found that his feet produced charges! Roy was forced to reveal his secret to Throckmorton and loaned him a pair of his own asbestos gloves to use as slippers. Hustace’s girlfriend, Honeybun, was a hulk of a woman who taught fighting tactics to military men. (Note: This story made mention of the Black Condor.) (#15) Throckmorton continued to cause trouble, especially when a shoe flew off and his powers began causing chaos. (#16) When newsmen Olaf Olson and Lars Larson got a picture of the Human Bomb taking off his costume, Hustace threw them off

the trail by donning the suit and Top: Hustace Throckmorton discovers his new powers, from pretending that he was the Human Police #15 (1943). Bottom: The Bomb (and destroying property in Bombadiers (Curly, Swordo, and Red) from Police #21 (1943). All art the process). (#17) Jean had a couple more appear- by Paul Gustavson. ances in her. She got the invention bug and hired an engineer to create a dynamite propelled rocket-car for her. Roy foresaw the problem with this but Jean insisted on taking it for a test drive. To convince her to give it up, the Human Bomb substituted his own powers for the dynamite and caused the car to blast around uncontrollably. She was sufficiently cowed and vowed never to use her brains for science again. (#18) In Jean’s last appearance, Roy helped her aunt Sophie, who’d feared she’d bought a haunted house. Roy discovered that Sophie’s husband, Henry, was behind the haunting and wanted to prevent her from buying the house. (#19) Paul Gustavson was poised to move from “Human Bomb” and take over the popular feature “Midnight” from Jack Cole. His last two Human Bomb stories introduced an entirely new supporting cast called the Bombadiers. Roy Lincoln tried and was denied enlistment in the U.S. armed forces. He was rejected, however, on the grounds that his services were too valuable domestically (as was the case with Plastic Man). Still itching to get his licks in, Roy threw in with two other rejects, Montague T. McGurk (a.k.a. Curley) and Swordo the sword swallower. They were overheard by the scrappy young female pilot, Red Rogers, whose brother Tommy was a prisoner of the Japanese. To ensure their success, Roy boldly revealed his secret identity and furnished his new allies with their own capsules of 27-QRX! The Bombadiers managed to fly undetected into Japan and rescued a bunch of P.O.W.s, but Red’s brother died. (#21) They touched down next in Japanese-occupied China where they busted up an enemy nest and freed another prisoner. (#22) Someone decided that this new direction was ill-timed, because after Gustavson moved on, the new (unsigned) creators shifted the feature back to its roots. Hustace returned, but Jean did not. (#23) The Bomb helped Hustace win back his girl, Honeybun, by pitting the weakling against his rival, a boxer. A little of Roy’s formula applied to Hustace’s glove produced a punch impressive enough to regain Honeybun’s favor. (#24) Hustace wasn’t as altruistic as Roy. When one case led to lost treasure, Hustace was greedy while Roy preferred to donate the money to charity. (#27) For better or worse, Hustace became Roy’s assistant in the new Lincoln-Throckmorton Laboratory. His two careers were so time-consuming that Roy proclaimed he had no time for romance. Hustace, on the other hand, was easily distracted by femme fatales such as the killer, Nola (#29) and Miss Walpurga, the would-be vampire lady. (#30) For the duration of the “Human Bomb” feature, Hustace was the character who drove the most engaging stories. The Bomb encountered relatively few super-villains. One was Patch-Eye, an evil genius roboticist. (#26) Another was Mustapho the stage magician, who kidnapped Hustace. It turned out that Mustapho was under external mental influences, so his sentence was commuted and he took to charitable work. (#31) A couple of stories reflected unique aspects of their time, like when Roy invented a soft drink that required no sugar. This was useful because of sugar rationing. (#33) Another case was cracked when the boys witnessed a murder via “television telephone.” (#57) In time, Roy began to lament his situation. His suit rendered him more of a monster than the (as he put it) “glamorous” heroes like the Spirit and Blackhawk. As fate would have it, he met a pretty young

inventor named Lucille. She’d invented a robot that looked just like the Human Bomb. But after Roy destroyed her robot, she wanted nothing to do with him. (#35) Another inventor produced a mechanical sea serpent that launched cannonballs. (#44) Paul Gustavson returned to the Human Bomb with Police #37 (Dec. 1944), sporting a fresh drawing style that appears inspired by Jack Cole’s. His byline didn’t reappear until #43, but his signature facial construction shows before that. Gustavson saw the feature through to its end. Those final features were fun enough, but not generally noteworthy. In that time, Hustace became an inventor, too, creating a perfume that made men crazy for Honeybun. This was good because Hustace was interested in a new gal. (#54) Just before the end, a potential arch-villain appeared. The scientist Yarboe recreated Character profiles 131

Roy’s explosive formula and the Bomb responded by destroying his lair—with Yarboe still in it. (#56) The strip died quietly, with a typical tale of the Human Bomb once again pulling Hustace’s fat out of the fire. (#58)

DC The Human Bomb next appeared in 1973’s Justice League of America #107-108. Roy was reintroduced to readers along with other former Quality heroes as the Freedom Fighters. This story and the successive Freedom Fighters series are no longer in DC continuity. For the details on this series and summary of events, see “The Freedom Fighters” on page 41. The Human Bomb’s origin was supposed to have been retold in the pages of Secret Society of Super-Villains #17, which never went to press. Instead the title was canceled amid the so-called “DC Implosion.” The story’s pencils were printed in 1978’s Canceled Comics Cavalcade #2 (an ultra-rare photocopy printed by DC for copyright purposes only). There is one other astonishing recreation of the Human Bomb’s origin that was drawn for Cartoonist Profiles #36 in 1977 by C. C. Beck (of “Captain Marvel” fame). Beck’s version was a tribute to Paul Gustavson, who died that year. This was reprinted in AC’s Golden Age Men of Mystery #12 (1999). The Human Bomb’s current DC continuity picks up just after the U.S. entrance into World War II, when the hero decided to enlist his services with the All-Star Squadron. At his first meeting, he met Uncle Sam and joined his Freedom Fighters. They moved to stop Baron Blitzkrieg’s invasion of Santa Barbara, California. (All-Star Squadron #31) For the remainder of the war, Roy stayed with this group, which separated from the All-Star Squadron and were based in Washington D.C. (Who’s Who ‘87 #5) After the war, Roy Lincoln stayed in touch with Phantom Lady, and he was one of the few people who knew that she survived her disappearance in the 1960s. Roy Lincoln eventually retired to a boat in Florida and also remained longtime friends with Phantom Lady’s husband, Iron Munro. Roy eventually helped Munro find his wife.

Above: Andy Franklin’s original costume, from Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1 (2007); art by Daniel Acuña. Right: New costume paying homage to the original hero, from Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #9 (2011); art by Travis Moore and Trevor Scott.

(Damage #8, 10, 11)

Roy could still be coaxed out of retirement in times of crisis. He occasionally reteamed with Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters. (JSA #49-51) Roy Lincoln’s distinguished career came to an end when he was killed by Bizarro alongside other new Freedom Fighters. (Infinite Crisis #1)

Notes “The Human Bomb” was replaced by “Honeybun” in Police #59. This was also created by Paul Gustavson, but it was a male character—not Hustace’s girlfriend. The Human Bomb also appeared in the mini-series Enginehead. In issue #6, he blew himself up, but that series is generally considered to be out-of-continuity. It also used irreconcilable versions of other heroes. The Human Bomb was the inspiration for the character of the same name in John Arcudi’s 2002 Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny (see page 54).

an explosive chemical that he used as a projectile.

Human Bomb II NAME + ALIASES: Andy Franklin GROUP AFFILIATIONS: S.H.A.D.E., Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #2 (Late

July 2006) APPEARANCES:

Powers

• Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #2–6 • DCU: Brave New World #1 • Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1-9 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #1-8 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #1-8

The Human Bomb possessed enough explosive power in his hands to level an entire building. To prevent accidents in his civilian life, he had to wear gloves. These and his costume were made with a special “fibrowax” that was also used to encase explosives. Bullets and knives would explode on contact with his body, giving the effect of invulnerability (described as “invulnerable armor”). The suit was also airtight and waterproof; he once remained underwater in it. By putting his hands on the ground, he could propel himself into the air. Roy also invented

Soon after Roy Lincoln’s death, his successor was borne among the toxic rubble of the city of Blüdhaven. This city had been destroyed by the Society, the same group responsible for Roy’s death. Many died but some like Andy Franklin were transformed. Franklin was working as a researcher in the city when it was bombed, and his girlfriend was one of the first to die. When Franklin’s metagene was activated, he destroyed even more of his facility. (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters #5)

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As the second Human Bomb, he was enlisted by Father Time to join the covert ops organization, S.H.A.D.E. (Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #1) S.H.A.D.E. made for Franklin a suit that would protect the world from his destructive touch. (#2) Even a sliver of Franklin’s fingernail was powerfully deadly. (#3) During his time with S.H.A.D.E., Andy became isolated. His temper resulted in the destruction of an entire neighborhood. (#4) His moral compass was still strong, though, demonstrated by his refusal to fight a Green Lantern. By this time, some of the members of S.H.A.D.E. were starting to realize that the organization’s motives were often less than altruistic. The team fractured and began to question Father Time’s leadership. (#5-6) His teammates were leery of Andy, even after he began taking nano-pills to slowly release his energy, and stabilize him for 24 hours. S.H.A.D.E.’s next mission was to bring down Uncle Sam himself. (Uncle Sam & the F.F. vol. 1 #1) In the course of this battle, however, Human Bomb and most of the others were actually persuaded into joining Sam’s cause: the Freedom Fighters. When they returned to Washington D.C., Andy was forced to kill his former S.H.A.D.E. teammate, Bigfoot, for which he felt great remorse. (#2) He had little time to grieve as the F.F. discovered that the very presidency itself had been overrun by the alien called Gonzo. (#4) After routing Gonzo, the team accepted the new President’s invitation to take over S.H.A.D.E. and act as an American security force. (#8) In their next mission, against alien insectoids, Andy’s teammate the Red Bee was driven mad and attempted to force him to “mate” with her. The attempt unleashed a lethal explosion that was absorbed by Miss America. (US&FF vol. 2 #5) Though the Red Bee was righted, Andy remained bitter towards her. (#8) Just as Franklin was coming out of his shell, he learned that the Freedom Fighters had lost their government sanction. He fashioned a new, white suit for himself that showed his face, and he looked to the Ray to sponsor him on some other team. On his last mission with the team, his suit was breached again, and he was forcefully taken into custody by a man named Trumont, who cited national safety. Franklin’s fate is unknown. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #9)

Powers

Following the release of his memoir, Al Jaffee’s Mad Life, Jaffee talked about Inferior Man in an interview with Mother Jones: “I decided I want to get into [comic books], but I can’t draw like Superman. I’ll do the opposite. I’ll draw like Inferior Man. …[Will] Eisner was intrigued by Inferior Man, and he hired me on the spot. Ten dollars a week, which was a fortune!” Despite the opportunity, Jaffee found his style ill-suited for the wartime hero books: “Within a couple of months, it just wasn’t going anywhere.” (Mechanic) Lowly little Courtney Fudd was the quartermaster at Fort Bang. His stature didn’t reflect the size of his courage, as demonstrated when the Green Terror came to town. He sprang into action after donning an emblem and cape to take care of business. He defeated the Terror by whipping out his “sissy serum” and turned the terror into a dancing dandy. (Military #7) No soldier could match his feats, like when he strapped himself to a rocket and targeted a Nazi bomber which he then dismantled in mid-air. (#13) Neither did his courage always equal his smarts. When he “bought” the Brooklyn Bridge, he asked Kitch the Witch to move it with her magic to his hometown of Screamin’ Ridge, New Jersey. (#10) He tried unsuccessfully to resell the bridge, even offering it up to Adolf Hitler! Public outcry forced Inferior Man to have the witch restore the bridge to its rightful place—but she also made it invisible. (#11) When Jaffee gave up the strip, it went to another competent cartoonist, Al Stahl. The strip moved into Feature Comics and lasted only eight issues. It didn’t have Jaffee’s warped sense of fantasy, and Inferior Man’s adventures became less military-focused. A freak show began in Feature #66, when Inferior Man met Sparks, a Martian who had lost his way to Venus. He rubbed the Inferior Man the wrong way and was made to be Fudd’s slave; he was brought down by a lightning rod. Other foes included Four Arm Joe, the wrestler, who took to theft as the Octa Puss, (#70) and a sort of hypnotist who ordered people to kill themselves right in front of Courtney (who seemed to have no problem with it). (#72)

Powers Inferior Man demonstrated mighty strength and inversely proportionate intelligence.

Andy Franklin’s powers could be near-nuclear in strength, and he is capable of destroying entire city blocks. Without the aid of a special drug that siphons away his powers, his whole body is volatile when he’s not inside his uniform.

Inferior Man Created by Al Jaffee NAME + ALIASES: Courtney Fudd KNOWN RELATIVES: Unnamed father GROUP AFFILIATIONS: U.S. Army FIRST APPEARANCE: Military Comics #7 (February 1942) APPEARANCES:

• Military Comics #7–13 (Feb. 1942–Nov. 1942) • Feature Comics #65–72 (Feb. 1943–Oct. 1943)

Inferior Man was a short (and short-lived) strip created by Al Jaffee, who is better known for his later work in Mad magazine. This strip was astoundingly anachronistic for its parody of the super-hero genre. It reads somewhat like DC’s lovable Silver Age doofuses, the Inferior Five.

Inferior Man from Military Comics #7 (1942); art by Al Jaffee.

Character profiles 133

The Invisible Hood Created by Art Pinajian NAME + ALIASES: Kent Thurston KNOWN RELATIVES: Tyson Gilford (Blindside, grandson),

Kent Thurston II (grandson, deceased) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Smash Comics #1 (Aug. 1939) APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Squadron #32 • Secret Origins vol. 2 #26 • Smash Comics #1-32 (Aug. 1939– March 1942) • Starman vol. 2 #2

Many sources confuse the name of this hero with the name of the feature. In Smash Comics #1 it was titled “Hooded Justice” and it starred the Invisible Hood. In his first appearance, he did not have the power of invisibility. With the second issue, the title changed to “Invisible Justice,” though the hero himself was still—and always would be—called the “Invisible Hood.” Kent Thurston was a former private detective whose costumed adventures began with a call from Inspector Bill Blake, seeking Kent’s knowledge of precious gems. Thurston investigated the case of a stolen Indian necklace, donning a red cloak and mask to become the Invisible Hood. He was also armed with a gas gun to help “convince” someone to cooperate. (Smash Comics #1)

Kent was bothered that he was invisible in name only. He’d taken the name because no one knew his identity, but he wished he could be invisible for real. As fate would have it, when he turned on the radio, he learned of a new phosphorescent chemical created by Professor Hans Van Horn which caused invisibility. The news got Van Horn kidnapped and the Invisible Hood leapt to action. Kent found the Professor, who had prepared enough of his chemical to coat Thurston’s uniform. An hour later, he was truly invisible! Van Horn died in the crossfire of the battle, leaving the Invisible Hood the sole beneficiary of his invention. (#2) The Invisible Hood fought a veritable gallery of freakish rogues, most of whom appeared only once. The first was an extortionist called the Green Lizard. (#4) Others included the vengeful racketeer Judge Hyde (#5); the Voodoo Master, who operated from within an island castle and was killed by the Hood with a sword through the chest (#8); the Green Ghost, who resembled the Hood and was in fact two men working as a team (#11); Ah Sin, the Golden Dragon (#13); and the spy Mr. Mite who looked like Captain Marvel’s foe, Sivana. (#21) On a tropical island in the south Pacific, he encountered other invisible opponents. In fact it was a ruse by men bent on acquiring valuable gas deposits. How surprised they were to encounter a “real”

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ghost! (#14) He failed to add another invention to his repertoire: anti-gravity, which was invented by his friend, Professor James. James discovered an ancient Egyptian artifact imbued with this attribute (like Hawkman’s own “ninth metal”). (#16) The evil Dr. Moku was the creator of a special light that made the Hood visible. No matter, Thurston dove after the villain and took him down by force. (#18) After crash landing in the Arctic, Kent and his pal Chuck (who was privy to Kent’s secret) came upon a tropical place with cavemen and extinct animals. Their Cro-Magnon leader Belthor explained that the land was heated by volcanic steam. His people had been enslaved by men who were drilling for oil. (#19) Pinajian’s artistic tics were on full display in the manly form of the Crystal Queen and her partner Caglio the magician. The two villains squabbled over a mystical and lethal blue gem. Caglio killed the Queen before he himself succumbed to an explosion. (#23) Only one foe made a return appearance, the White Wizard. The Invisible Hood followed some oddly dressed thugs through the city of Metropolis to an underground lair where he found a hidden city—the Wizard’s domain. When faced with defeat, the Wizard escaped just before his city exploded. (#27) The White Wizard returned to steal Kent’s hood and managed to do what Kent could not—he isolated the invisibility compound. With it, he created a horde of invisible raiders whom the public believed were aliens. Kent Top: The managed to burn the Wizard’s hideout but “Visible Hood” only managed to save one of the cloaks. in his original The Wizard escaped again. (#30) muumuu from Smash #1 (1939); In his final adventure, he saved the life art by Art of one Miss Jane Watson from abusive Pinajian. Middle: thugs. (#32) The Invisible Hood was not The Green known for his love interests, but perhaps Lizard, from Smash #4 (1939). Jane caught Kent’s fancy. In the Hood’s few Bottom: The DC mentions, he’s reputed to have heirs. invisibility cloak, from Smash #15 (1940). All art by Art Pinajian.

Powers

The original Invisible Hood had no superhuman abilities. His cloak was invisible and shielded anything beneath it from view. Kent also had experience in crime fighting as a civilian and was not afraid to use his fists. Like many of his contemporaries, he could also fly airplanes.

DC/Legacy The Invisible Hood returned forty years later only to suffer a hasty end in Roy Thomas’ All-Star Squadron #32 (1984). In this wartime story, the Invisible Hood joined Uncle Sam as one of the first members of the Freedom Fighters. Their mission was to stop the Japanese en route to Pearl Harbor. They nearly succeeded, but a surprise attack supposedly left Thurston for dead. Somehow he survived and sired one or more children before his true end. The super-villain called

the Mist claimed that he murdered the Invisible Hood. This fact was recorded by the Shade, whose journal recounted his conversation with the Mist: “As I recall, it was the Invisible Hood you killed. He’d semi-retired by then. Moved to Austin, Texas. And… um… wasn’t it ’74?” (Starman vol. 2 #2)

Invisible Hood II & Blindside

Powers The second Invisible Hood inherited Kent Thurston’s invisible cloak. It’s unclear whether he was able to duplicate the formulation, or whether he repurposed his grandfather’s own fabric, but the power worked the same. Blindside’s powers of invisibility are innate.

The Jester

NAME + ALIASES: Kent Thurston II KNOWN RELATIVES: Kent Thurston (grandfather, deceased)

Created by Paul Gustavson

GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #5

(Jan. 2007) APPEARANCES: Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #5-6

The original Invisible Hood had at least one grandson, Kent Thurston II. He and his friend Jenna Raleigh (the new Red Bee) were among heroes kept in reserve by Uncle Sam and called to action with the Freedom Fighters. (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters #5) Wearing a new version of his grandfather’s invisibility cloak, the Invisible Hood II rescued the F.F. at a critical moment. Kent had just declined full-time membership with the team when a traitor—the Ray III—appeared and killed Kent outright. (#6) A young African-American hero called Blindside (Tyson Gilford) believed that he might also be the grandson of the original Invisible Hood. Tyson had the innate power to become invisible. Gilford was adopted by Deborah and Oren Weinberg. When the Weinbergs died, he and his siblings formed a supergroup called the Relative Heroes. The first issue of that six-issue mini Top: Kent Thurston II makes a prophetic statement. Bottom: speculated, “it has been suggested Gone well before his time, from that [Tyson] is the grandson of the Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters Invisible Hood, though that has vol. 1 #5 (top) and #6 (bottom; yet to be confirmed.” 2007); art by Daniel Acuña.

NAME + ALIASES: Charles “Chuck” Lane KNOWN RELATIVES: Unnamed parents (deceased), unnamed wife and

daughter, unnamed son (deceased), Charles Lane (grandson, Jester II) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: The Arcadians, Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Smash Comics #22 (May 1941) APPEARANCES:

• Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #4–5 • Smash Comics #22-85 (May 1941–Oct. 1949) • Starman vol. 2 #46

The Jester was another long-running creation by Paul Gustavson, who did the feature for its first two years. The hero’s original costume featured a skull that disappeared after six installments. Recently, the Jester’s history has been greatly embellished by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti in the pages of Freedom Fighters. Officer Chuck Lane’s Quality adventures remain intact, but the DC story revealed that his family was descended from Walter Delane, the court jester to King Arthur. His family members were part of a secret society called the Arcadians, who helped found America and manipulated its progress. On his death bed, Lane’s father advised him to police not only his city, but also his nation. He assured Chuck that America would win World War II thanks to a new weapon in development. Chuck took his father’s advice and interpreted it by emulating other mystery men. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #4) As an officer, Lane was a rookie on the New York City police force. As the Jester, he gleefully fought crime in ways beyond his policeman’s purview. In costume, he employed a rubber clown head (dubbed Quinopolis in Smash #47) to bean his pursuers—a calling card designed to taunt the police. In his first case, Lane was called to the home of a wealthy woman whose fortune was targeted by Looie the Moose. As the Jester, he tied a rope onto a thug and threw the man out the window. Vigilante antics like this infuriated Lane’s boss, Inspector Mulligan. (Smash #22) The Jester did nothing to disabuse Mulligan of the notion that the Jester was a criminal. In Smash #27, Mulligan was swapped for Detective Hustace McGinty, who looked the same and held the same low opinion of the Jester. In that tale, the Jester met the socialite Jean Waldorf, who took a liking to him. Paul Gustavson kept the feature fairly light, pitting the Jester against non-powered hoodlums. Early on, the Jester adopted a dog named Scrapper, the pet of a one-time foe. (#26) Mobsters like the Sextuplets (six dapper bank robbers) were common. (#35) A judge agreed to release the minor Tough Tony into Chuck Lane’s custody. The boy reformed when he learned that Lane was the Jester, and Tony helped him capture his former gang. (#37) The Jester and McGinty narrowly escaped Lady Satan, who was the strongarm for a woman that married men for their life insurance policies. (#41) Satan deduced Rookie Lane’s dual identity and attempted to blackmail Character profiles 135

friends, the two now began to tolerate one another. Such was the case when Officer Lane was asked to escort the famous actress Starr Emery safely in public. She encountered some thugs from her past and it was up to the Jester to bring them in. McGinty actually praised him: “nice work, Jester—as usual.” The artist who took over from Gustavson (possibly Sam Citron, it was always unsigned) drew the series until its end. (#49) The Jester’s rubber toy, Quinopolis, also got an upgrade. It now sported handles protruding from the sides. When thrown, it was said to strike with “the force of a bullet.” (#47, 50) As it turned out, Lane was also the police boxing champion. He taught lads at the Boys’ Club how to fight on the side. And when McGinty was challenged by an old opponent, Lane helped get him back into shape. (#57) Lane allowed McGinty to set up a double date with a comely French maid named Celeste. Of course, they couldn’t have dinner without solving a crime. Afterwards, Celeste was more enamored of the Jester than of Lane. (#56) When Lane messed up by escorting the wrong violinist, he allowed a thief to make off with a Stradivarius. For this, he was assigned to school traffic duty. As the Jester, he saved his own hide by recovering the instrument. (#65) Near the end of the character’s run, he finally encountered a true super-villain: Prof. Wolfgang Stugg, a physics professor surrounded by a green atomic glow. The powers required replenishment via syringe, but Stugg’s body ultimately disintegrated. (#75) Another sci-fi tale involved a television program broadcast by Hypo, a master hypnotist. It went “on a special beam” into the living rooms of the wealthy. (#76) Two western themed tales featured the killer, St. Louis Kid (#78) and a masked Jesse James that robbed trains at gunpoint. (#79) In his final case, he protected wealthy theatergoers at a performance of The Mikado. (#85)

Top: Splash from Smash #50 (1944); artist uncertain. Middle: The enforcer, Lady Satan, from Smash #41 (1943); art by Paul Gustavson. Bottom: Prof. Wolfgang Stugg, from Smash #75 (1948); artist uncertain.

him into helping her commit crimes. He pretended to go along, but fooled her in the end. (#42) When petty thief Oscar Oople got Lane to swallow a truth pill, Lane showed McGinty that he was the Jester. McGinty was too skeptical, and didn’t believe it. (#43) Some tales featured fantastic devices like a machine that could turn solids intangible, (#29) and a spray that reduced a man to three inches tall. (#36) Gustavson left the series after Smash #46 and the Jester’s relationship with McGinty changed. While they were never proper

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The Jester’s first DC Comics appearance was as a member of the AllStar Squadron. After Pearl Harbor, he decided to enlist his services with this group (All-Star Squadron #31) and participated in several of their missions. (#50, 60) He also joined the Freedom Fighters. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #4) After the war, Lane threw himself into the service of the Arcadians. He married and had a son and daughter. This son was a dissenter among the Arcadians, and they killed him. Chuck raised his grandson, Charles, to one day exact their revenge. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #4) By 1954, Detective Chuck Lane had largely abandoned the guise of the Jester. His last known costumed adventure was one in which he pursued the criminal Bobo Benetti to Opal City. There Lane sought help from Starman. Their search was waylaid by a trio of villains (the Fiddler, Icicle and the Gambler), and Benetti gave them the slip. Soon Benetti was caught in another crime and he was extradited to Lane’s jurisdiction. (Starman vol. 2 #46) Chuck Lane lived to a very old age and sacrificed his life as part of he and his grandson’s mission to take down the Arcadians. When agents of S.H.A.D.E. tracked him down, he blew them and himself up. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #5)

Notes Paul Gustavson’s “Honeybun” strip in Police #72 also featured a character dressed up in a red-and-green jester suit.

Powers The Jester had no metahuman powers. He was a crack marksman when it came to throwing his rubber accessory, Quinopolis. The weapon packed a powerful punch and somehow returned to sender.

Wright was a lumberjack who had grown up as an orphan. One day he received a telegram that summoned him across the country to the offices of Cronin, Fox and DiPreta (also the names of Quality staff members). Mr. Cronin informed Wright that this being his 26th birthday, he stood to inherit his parents’ fortune. He explained that after Wright’s parents were murdered, he’d lost track of Justin, who had bounced from home to home. The newfound wealth was little consolation to Justin, who would have much preferred to have known his parents. At the home he inherited, Justin found some of his parents’ possessions. Among them was a sheer red scarf that belonged to his mother. At that moment, Justin vowed to avenge them by fighting crime. Wearing a blue suit and that scarf over his eyes, he hit the streets as Just ‘N’ Wright. Using “two rock-like fists as his only weapons,” he mopped up not one but two mobsters, and left a signature note for the authorities bearing his signal: the scales of justice.

From Starman #46 (1998); art by Gene Ha.

Kid Eternity

The Jester II

Created by Sheldon Moldoff

NAME + ALIASES: Charles Lane II

NAME + ALIASES, Quality: Unrevealed. DC: Christopher “Kit” Freeman.

KNOWN RELATIVES: Charles “Chuck” Lane (Jester, grandfather),

KNOWN RELATIVES, Quality: Unnamed grandfather (deceased).

unnamed father and grandmother (deceased), unnamed aunt GROUP AFFILIATIONS: The Arcadians FIRST APPEARANCE (OBSCURED): Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1 (Nov. 2010) Fully Revealed: Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #3

The second Jester was also named Charles Lane, the grandson of the original. When the Arcadians murdered his father, this boy trained with his grandfather for revenge. The plan involved kidnapping the Vice President, Marion Allstot. He challenged the Freedom Fighters to collect a series of artifacts for him in exchange for her life. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1)

This Jester revealed himself to the Freedom Fighters only when the team had managed to secure all the artifacts. But he was shocked to learn that Uncle Sam—the final necessary element in his plan—had been destroyed. The Jester killed Firebrand, which resurrected Uncle Sam. (#4-7) Sam managed to take down the Jester, removing and then crushing his powerful Helmet of War. (#8)

DC: Freddy Freeman (Captain Marvel Jr., brother), David

& Rebecca Freeman (parents, deceased), Dan Troop (grandfather, deceased), Jacob Freeman (grandfather, deceased). GROUP AFFILIATIONS, DC: Marvel Family FIRST APPEARANCE: Hit Comics #25 (Dec. 1942) First DC appearance: Shazam! #27 (Jan.-Feb. 1977) APPEARANCES:

• Adventure Comics #491-492 • Hit Comics #25-60 (Dec. 1942–Sept. 1949) • Kid Eternity #1-18 (Spring 1946–Nov. 1949) • Secret Origins vol. 2 #4 (reprint, 1973) • Shazam! #27 • World’s Finest Comics #268, 276, 279-282

Powers The second Jester had no metahuman powers but wielded three powerful Arcadian artifacts: the lantern of Paul Revere, the Helmet of War, and the sword, “Sherman’s Wrath.” Together, they provided near-limitless power.

Just ’n’ Right Created by George Brenner NAME + ALIASES: Justin Wright ONLY APPEARANCE: Doll Man Quarterly #1 (Winter 1941)

Like George Brenner’s first Quality creation, the Hawk, Just ’N’ Right appeared only once. Justin

Justin has a brainstorm, from Doll Man Quarterly #1 (1941); art by George Brenner.

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Left: Comparing Hit #25 (1942) with Secret Origins #4 (1973). Notice that DC added the credit for Sheldon Moldoff, as well as a copyright for Quality. Right: The Lightning Man, from Kid Eternity #7 (1947); artist uncertain.

Kid Eternity was engineered by Quality in 1942 to boost one of its lower-selling titles, Hit Comics. The hero’s artistic creator was Sheldon Moldoff, who confirmed in an interview with Roy Thomas (Alter Ego #4, Spring 2000) that he was a freelancer at the time. He answered a call from Quality to draw this feature, but he admitted, “it didn’t work out, and I just did maybe a couple of stories, and that was it.” The story in Hit #25 doesn’t bear his byline, but it was added by DC when they reprinted the story in Secret Origins #4 (Sept.-Oct. 1973). For the most part, Moldoff worked for DC at the time. The writer at Toonopedia cites Otto Binder and Sheldon Moldoff as the Kid’s creators. Binder wrote mostly for Fawcett, Archie and Marvel at the time. Some sources erroneously attribute the art in early “Kid Eternity” stories to Mac Raboy. Busy Arnold cleared this up: “Mac Raboy never did any work for Quality Comics.” (Arnold, 30 June 1972) Raboy was the primary artist for Fawcett’s Captain Marvel, Jr., who later became Kid Eternity’s fictional brother at DC. This might have spurred some indexers to wishful thinking. The character definitely borrowed elements from Fawcett’s successful Captain Marvel family. Like them, the Kid summoned aid from beyond and used a special magic word—“Eternity!”—to access his powers. Also like the Marvels, Kid Eternity was an adolescent. He behaved rather impetuously, and was sometimes ungrateful and disrespectful towards his mentor, Mr. Keeper. The life of this unnamed boy changed on the day he sailed aboard his grandfather’s boat, off the east coast of the United States, where they were hit by an Axis submarine. Not content to sink the ship, the Nazis also shot and killed those who leapt to safety—including the boy. An American destroyer chased it off but it was too late. When the boy arrived at the Pearly Gates, he was stopped; it seemed his name wasn’t “on his list.” The gatekeeper called for Mr. Keeper, whose mistake it was that the boy had come to heaven. To atone, Mr. Keeper brought the lad’s spirit back into his body, and with a clap of his hands, a ray of light struck the boy’s corpse and he lived again! Further, Mr. Keeper endowed him with great powers, reciting the creed: “Justice shall never perish from the realm of the Living. It shall exist throughout eternity!” Upon

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the word “eternity,” they were transported through the Corridor of Time. Uttering it again, they entered the Land of Eternity (a.k.a. the afterlife, or heaven) where they observed history’s heroes: Hercules, Samson, George Washington and more. As Kid Eternity, the boy was now neither dead nor alive. On Earth, he could call upon any of these historical persons. (Hit #25) On his first case, he followed a missing person into the lair of Doctor Pain, who fancied himself a modern day Dr. Frankenstein. Kid Eternity summoned up Robin Hood (one of his more frequent helpers) and then Blackhawk. (#26) Matching Kid Eternity’s pace was quite the job for Mr. Keeper, who preferred napping and not to exert himself. Sometimes Mr. Keeper had to teach the Kid a lesson by withholding his powers. The Kid’s next case became a debacle after he tricked “Keep” into transforming two ordinary guys into he-men. For misusing his power, Keep removed Kid Eternity’s powers. Meanwhile, some crooks had witnessed these men’s transformations and told their leader, Her Highness. This diabolical granny sent her agent, the beguiling Silk, to capture the men. When the Kid investigated, Keep saw fit to restore his powers, and he called upon Samson to defeat Her Highness’ gang. Mr. Keeper’s trust in Kid Eternity’s judgment was restored, and he allowed the boy to return the two men to their “improved” selves. Her Highness and Silk weaseled out of prosecution. (#27) These anti-heroines were spun off into their own feature, which ran in Hit Comics #28–57. Rather than solving the world’s problems, Kid Eternity chose personal charity cases. His powers were quickly broadened to include fictional characters, so it was a “mere technicality” to bring Sherlock Holmes back (because he seemed real to many). (#29) It was mayhem on Earth when Father Time’s time machine was broken, and Kid Eternity found that his library of helpers had come to life all at once. When a Roman Caesar took over New York, the Kid called upon a dizzying array of champions such as Vercingetorix the Gaul, Jim Jeffries, and Zybisco, until the problem was resolved. (#30) Kid Eternity’s lack of education affected his ability to conjure appropriate helpers for a given situation. Mr. Keeper tried in vain to

encourage him to study history at the library. When Eternity was faced with rescuing people from a flaming oil rig, he couldn’t think of anyone to help. Keeper himself summoned the god Mercury to usher everyone to safety, and the Kid learned his lesson. (#33) The first woman summoned by the Kid was the silent film star Sarah Bernhardt. This was during a case involving a bratty young actress, Rita Rowley. When Rita went on location in the Southwest desert, the Kid found an opportunity to reunite her with her long-lost father and correct her selfish ways. (#34) The heroes could also travel back through time, going to 1636 to lift an old curse, (#36) and to visit Paul Revere. (Kid Eternity #2) When Thor was summoned and his hammer missed its mark, the god was incensed. The god managed his own return and together they solved the mystery: his bolt missed its target because of a hidden antenna. (Hit #38) The first issue of Kid Eternity featured a trio of super-villains. The first was the beastly Thuggoths (evil counterparts to the phoenix), which emerged from an Egyptian tomb. King Tut-ankh-amen was summoned to re-imprison them. Queen Matilda and her Amazonlike sisters enslaved men until she was shown how superior men were. And the Kid chose to finish off the evil Kali with his own fists, sending him to a watery grave. (Kid Eternity #1) The stories in Kid Eternity sometimes sprinkled in historical events as well as characters. Subjects included the Middle Ages, the time of Treasure Island, and the Wright Brothers. The latter was a sprawling tale about the inventor of a steam-powered plane, and a land of dinosaurs and cave men. (#5) Sometimes he found it necessary to summon history’s villains. But after summoning Attila the Hun, he found that Mr. Keeper had again taken away his powers, and the magic word failed to send the Hun back. Once he’d learned his lesson, the Kid brought in Genghis Khan to show Attila that “evil doesn’t pay.” (Hit #40) Captain Kidd and his crew managed to escape from Eternity because someone had forgotten to “check them in.” They declared war on the US Navy but John Paul Jones helped bring them down. (#41) This happened again when a million year old man wasn’t checked in to Eternity and ran amok on Earth, leading conquerors to victory (not unlike DC’s Vandal Savage). Kid Eternity called another cave man to send him to his rightful death. (#52) Lally Lawton became enamored of the Kid’s abilities and for romance advice, he called upon Lord Byron, who advised him to make her jealous. He won her over instead by saving her from kidnappers who were after her inheritance. Afterwards, she invited him to a party. Keeper allowed it—if he maintained a low profile. (#46)

Murder Marton was scheduled for the electric chair. His gang rigged the chair so that he was imbued with super-lightning powers, becoming the Lightning Man. Ben Franklin used a lighting rod to stop (and kill) him. (Kid Eternity #7) Perhaps the heroes’ biggest battle was a real invasion of men from Mars! Eternity warned the Air Force about their green blanket of “mould” that caused semi-paralysis over Junction City. The Martians ordered everyone to vacate the country as the Kid was taken to their leader, Lt. Kona. The scientist, Steinmetz, identified their machine and helped neutralize the mould. (Hit #50) A real magician called Skir made paintings come to life, and could walk through walls; he got speared by the Salem witch judge, Hathorne. (Kid Eternity #9) When green bat-winged men attacked from another dimension, the Kid followed them home, where they were no match for a British tank. Their leader, Zotar, was killed and the rest surrendered. (#10) And the inventor Professor Zbloni hypnotized Kid Eternity with his super-video-telepathizer, making him call upon Adolf Hitler. (#13) Two tales introduced the infernal opposites of Kid Eternity and Mr. Keeper. Keep revealed that he had an evil twin brother who was banished from Eternity over a million years ago to Stygia. This twin escaped, knocked out Keeper, and fooled the powerless Kid Eternity, who managed to send him back to Stygia using the “Cup of Jove.” (#11) The Kid’s Stygian equal was the Master Man, empowered by the devil to summon the likes of Rasputin and Torquemada by shouting “Stygia!” Master Man’s Batu Khan lost against Eternity’s Charles Martel. For his failure, the devil brought Master Man back to Hell. (#15) Kid Eternity’s adventures in both Hit Comics and his own title ended around the same time, in 1949. Hit was retitled Buccaneers with #19. In the last adventure, the boys watched helplessly as Egyptologists fell one-by-one to the curse of the pharaoh Ra-Kut. The ancient king helped reveal the true killer, Dr. Spencer. (#60)

Eternal Life, at DC Kid Eternity was reintroduced by writer E. Nelson Bridwell at DC Comics, nearly 30 years after his last appearance. In Alter Ego #17, Bridwell cited several Golden Age heroes among his childhood favorites, one of which was Kid Eternity. His tales in Shazam! remained fairly true to the Golden Age. He and artist Kurt Shaffenberger placed Captain Marvel’s Family on “Earth-S,” where they’d been trapped in a globe of Suspendium since 1954. Nearly two decades later the Suspendium melted in the sun and they were freed. When Captain Marvel faced his old foe Sivana again (Shazam! #27, Jan./Feb. 1977), the mad scientist used his

Left: The Master Man, who was later resurrected by DC, from Kid Eternity #15 (1949); artist uncertain. Right: Silk and Her Highness, from Hit #38 (1945); art by Janice Valleau.

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time machine to dredge up historical villains. Billy Batson implored his benefactors Mercury for help and the god sent Kid Eternity and Mr. Keeper to him. The Kid mopped up the villains in a snap by summoning their equal number in historical heroes. Afterwards, the two heroes parted ways with little fanfare.

Master Man. The Marvels mopped up the Master Man’s champions and Kid Eternity kayoed the Man with his own fists. (Adventure #491-492) Note: “Master Man” was also the name of a short-lived Fawcett character that debuted right after Captain Marvel.

Kid Eternity II: Kid Infernal? NAME + ALIASES: “Kit” GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Lords of Chaos, Teen Titans FIRST APPEARANCE: Kid Eternity vol. 1 #1 (1991) APPEARANCES:

• JSA #1 • Kid Eternity vol. 1 #1-3 (1991) • Kid Eternity vol. 2 #1-16 (1993) • Teen Titans vol. 3 #31, 67, 68, 72-74 • Teen Titans Annual 2009 #1

Bridwell continued the Marvel Family’s adventures in World’s Finest Comics. In issue #268 (May 1981), readers learned that Kid Eternity was the brother of Captain Marvel Jr. (Freddy Freeman)! Their father, David Freeman, was a fisherman who was lost in a great hurricane. His mother, Rebecca Troop Freeman, also perished in the storm. Freddy and his brother—Christopher “Kit” Freeman—went to live with their only surviving relatives. Kit went to their grandfather Dan Troop, and Freddy to their grandfather Jacob Freeman. A few years later, both were transformed into super-heroes. Bridwell’s decision to link Kid Eternity with Captain Marvel Jr. undoubtedly stemmed from their similar origin stories. Both lost their grandfathers while boating and had similar power sources. Kid Eternity helped the Marvels in secret by summoning troops from World War II to help defeat alien invaders from Prenzor. (World’s Finest #276) The Marvels were confused by this sudden appearance of historical helpers. Eternity sent Jack (of beanstalk fame) to Cap Jr. (#277) and the Norse hero Thjalfi to help Mary Marvel. (#278) Freddy recalled a similar incident during World War II, when he was aided by someone resembling the fabled Sherlock Holmes (this, from an actual tale in Captain Marvel Jr. #2!). After sending the ancient healer, Asklepios, to help them, Kid Eternity revealed himself as their benefactor. It was then that Captain Marvel Jr. recognized Eternity as his brother, Kit. (#279) Catching up, the brothers realized that their fates had been reversed: on the day that Kit Freeman had been unjustly whisked to the afterlife, Freddy Freeman’s life was saved by Captain Marvel. The Marvels sought the counsel of Shazam, who verified their history. (#280) Now a member of the “Marvel Family,” Kid Eternity helped them take down Mister Mind. Kit used both of his powers to defeat the worm. First, he called upon Sigurd Fafnir’s-Bane to free the Marvels, and then he became invisible and disabled Mind’s power device. (#281) His next adventure (by Bridwell and artist Gil Kane) featured the surprising return of Her Highness and Silk. The “ladies” teamed with the Marvels’ foe, Aunt Minerva. Kid Eternity and Mr. Keeper overheard their plans to steal charity proceeds. By working together, they easily mopped up Her Highness’ men. Eternity even summoned two heroines to help: Annie Oakley and Penthesileia, the Amazon. (#282) In his last pre-Crisis appearance, Kid Eternity’s return prompted Satan to assemble an army of super-villains, including his creation, the From Shazam! #27 (1977); art by Kurt Shaffenberger.

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Kid Eternity was “rebooted” after the Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1991, by Grant Morrison, who wrote a three-issue limited series. Morrison flipped Kid Eternity’s entire Quality origin on its head, crafting a tale in which the Kid learned that “everything he knew was wrong.” Instead of going to Eternity, he’d gone to Hell with an abusive man that he only referred to as “grandpa.” This was engineered by five Lords of Chaos and their servant, Mr. Keeper. Kid Eternity was led to believe that he’d gone to Heaven, but even his powers were a mask for the truth. Any time he had summoned “historical figures,” these were actually demons who wore the necessary disguise. The Lords’ ultimate goal was to elevate the human race so much that they could rise and challenge the Lords of Order (who resided in heaven). Their mission began with the creation of Kid Eternity, who could straddle Hell and Earth. After his initial shock, Kid Eternity decided their mission was just, and helped them preserve the lives of Jerry Sullivan (whose mind came to rest in the body of the murderous Reverend Goodfellow) and Val Hoffman. These two were destined to birth an “enlightened human.” (Kid Eternity #1-3) Two years later, the character returned to star in his own series under DC’s new Vertigo imprint. In it, the Kid fell for a woman named Chelsea, who encouraged the Kid to find out about his parents. (#1112) He confirmed that he’d been an orphan, lived in various foster homes, and was abused, (#14) except for a man named Ricketts, who truly cared for the Kid. Ricketts died in a fight with the Devil but gave the Kid a clue to his parents—he should find a barmaid named Hope. (#15) The series ended with him setting out on that quest. (#16) The current DC universe incarnation of Kid Eternity borrowed his looks from the “Vertigo” version. This Kid described his origins in a familiar way: he died in a fishing boat accident, and a higher power sent him back to Earth with an aide called Mr. Keeper. When he shouted “eternity!” he could call any dead person to his aid. (Teen Titans vol. 3 #31) The character idled until 1999, when he was “killed” by the evil mage, Mordru. (JSA #1) In Hell, he was enslaved by Brother Blood and forced to use his powers in reverse—to hold open the doorway to the living. Kid Eternity helped the Teen Titans defeat Brother Blood by commanding Blood’s zombies back into the underworld. Kid Eternity remained in Hell. (Teen Titans vol. 3 #31) Brother Blood soon escaped and left an open door for Kid Eternity to Earth. He went to Titans Tower. (#67) Kid Devil and Kid Eternity returned to Hell, where they tried to free Red Devil from a contract with a demon. (#68) Kid Eternity joined the Teen Titans for a brief time but was soon kidnapped by the Calculator, (#73) who used the Kid to repeatedly bring back his son, Marvin. (#74) When the Titans finally caught up to the Calculator, Kid Eternity had died at the villain’s hands. (#92)

Given the nature of his being, it is likely Kid Eternity will continue to move between the realms of the living and dead.

Powers The original Kid Eternity had two primary super-powers. Because he was technically dead, his natural state was “ghostlike.” In that state he was invisible, and could fly through space, even quickly across great distances. Upon uttering his magic word, “eternity,” he became tangible, visible, and effectively mortal. Kid Eternity used that same word to summon an unlimited number of people from the afterlife—which was also called Eternity. Fictional or real, Kid Eternity only needed to know of an individual to summon him. There was no apparent time limit on the people’s visits. In his first case only, Kid Eternity transformed himself into the historical person. The Kid wasn’t the best hand-to-hand combatant, but that didn’t stop him from using his fists. Mr. Keeper had the power to withhold Kid Eternity’s powers. And if Keeper was absent or incapacitated, the Kid was powerless. Keeper was unable to intervene directly in matters on Earth (most of the time).

Lady Luck Created Chuck Mazoujian NAME + ALIASES: Brenda Banks KNOWN RELATIVES: Bickford a.k.a. Bruce a.k.a. Fred J. Banks (father),

unnamed mother, Gen. Banks (uncle) FIRST APPEARANCE: The Spirit Section, June 2, 1940

was entangled and required a save from police chief Hardy Moore (and his partner Feeny O’Mye). Moore was a handsome, rugged hero who was taken by the Lady’s beauty. He spoke to her again that night (she, still in her green dress and wide-brimmed hat). (The Spirit Section 7/7/1940) The next week, Brenda was kidnapped and Moore was shown a photo of Banks. He was surprised and remarked that she looked exactly like Lady Luck. Brenda was clever enough to make him doubt his suspicions. (7/14/40) Lady Luck was resilient enough to survive the sinking of a steamer in the Pacific. She washed ashore on an island and was rescued by a dashing sailor. Together they saved another boat from the same fate. (9/1/40) She continued her travels abroad, in Singapore, Armenia, and Australia—often wearing her costume during the daytime. She left a trail of men in her wake, and when she returned home, she stumbled across a theater boasting an appearance by… Lady Luck! When she investigated, she happened to catch some thieves in the theater and took them down in front of a live audience. (11/10/40) When Nick Cardy began drawing the feature in Spring 1941, he kept the pen name “Ford Davis.” Brenda’s father’s name changed to Fred J. Banks, and her parents introduced their chauffeur, the mountain of a man called Peecolo. Brenda wondered how she would ever ditch him long enough to become Lady Luck, but soon realized that his brawn could be an asset in crime fighting, so she revealed her secret identity to Peecolo. (5/18/41) The family went to South America and visited Peecolo’s father’s ranch (though Peecolo was Italian), where they rooted out saboteurs. (6/15/41) Note: Cardy was interviewed for Alter Ego #65 (2007). Klaus Nordling is the artist most often associated Lady Luck. His first installment was March 1, 1942, after both Mazoujian and Cardy

APPEARANCES:

• The Spirit Section (June 2, 1940–Nov. 3, 1946 [#1-336 whole]) • Smash Comics #42-85 (April 1943–Oct. 1949) • Lady Luck #86–90 (Dec. 1949–Aug. 1950) • Lady Luck #1-2 (1980), reprints published by Ken Pierce

Lady Luck was Quality’s first female costumed hero, and is owned by the estate of Will Eisner. Her strip began in the first edition of the Sunday Spirit Section on June 2, 1940. Chuck Mazoujian created Lady Luck’s look, upon a request from Eisner for a lady crime fighter, and he always signed the strip “Ford Davis.” Mazoujian said that he wrote the first two or three Lady Luck stories and after that, Toni Blum took over writing. He praised her writing: “Most of Toni’s stories were pretty interesting, so I didn’t have any urge to change them.” (Alter Ego #48) However, Will Eisner historian Cat Yronwode stated that Eisner created her but she was “never drawn or written by him.” She and Eisner credited Dick French with the writing. (Alter Ego #48, Lady Luck #2, 1980) Maurice Horn’s book also states that Eisner wrote the first few stories. The availability of original “Lady Luck” stories is a bit spotty in comparison with other Quality heroes. “Lady Luck” was reprinted in Smash Comics, and in two volumes by Ken Pierce (1980). Collectively, these sources help us paint a fairly thorough portrait of the heroine. Lady Luck’s early adventures revolved around the socialite lives of Brenda Banks and her father, Bickford Banks (“Bruce” in Smash #69). Allotted only four pages per week, there wasn’t a lot of room This original artwork is labelled for nuanced characterization. “Lady Luck” at the top, but the In the sixth episode, she demon- page does not appear in any strated her skill in driving a boat. stories from that title. This could indicate that it was unpublished. But when she dove below the waves Art by Klaus Nordling. Artwork to catch some jewel thieves, she courtesy of Terry Austin. Character profiles 141

Left: Lady Luck was sometimes a “Good Girl.” From Smash #79 (1948). Right: Giraffe Tentoes, from Smash #81 (1949). All art by Klaus Nordling.

were drafted. Nordling’s adventures were the only ones reprinted in the pages of Smash Comics, beginning in early 1943. The strip’s transition was marked by his addition of a translucent green veil to her costume. Prior to this, the character had been drawn with her wide-brimmed hat casting a shadow over her face. Nordling’s first tale opened at the Club 711, where she met a new friend, the everdestitute Count Raoul DeChange (later DiChange). When the Count wooed Brenda, some crooks kidnapped her in hopes of scoring a ransom from him. Although she’d been caught without her mask and costume, she fooled her captors into thinking Lady Luck had snuck into their lair. As the police took her battered quarry away, Lady Luck left a new calling card behind: the ace of diamonds. (Smash #42) Banks shared a comfortable friendship with the diminutive DiChange while he persistently proposed marriage. She always rebuffed it, but clearly enjoyed his company, and frequently accepted his invitations to various functions. DiChange was more than a bit gullible and always oblivious to danger around him. Lady Luck frequently pulled his fat from the fire, like the time he was suckered by an impostor Lady Luck that made counterfeit war bonds. (#44) The Count was always broke, too. She accompanied him to an illegal gambling parlor that was raided by the cops. But Lady Luck wasn’t above salvaging some of the Count’s winnings for him to keep. (#83) She inspired the Lady Luck Patrol which was led by Brenda, as a civilian. These young women were not unlike Wonder Woman’s “Holiday Girls,” and helped prevent crimes. (#45) One Patrol girl, Daphne Dymple, was enlisted to help Brenda fool a mobster who had learned her secret identity. In this complex plot, Daphne dressed as Lady Luck; when she was unmasked, the mob was confused. She’d also been made up to look like she had smallpox. As the thugs panicked, Peecolo stepped in to play “doctor,” administering a truth serum to them. Meanwhile, in the Banks household, Brenda’s maid Helga was pining for Peecolo, but he only had eyes for his boss lady. Yep, all that happened in four pages. (#51) The war inspired tales like that of the devious Japanese Yokukasa Brothers. (#46) It was continued the next week, when Brenda found them attempting to turn children’s toys into death bombs. (#47) While searching for spies, she found herself forced on stage as an exotic dancer. (#50) At a country retreat, she and her father found a secret passage that led to the discovery of a Japanese spy. (#53) Soup Bone and his thugs were caught red… legged—wearing silk stockings while attempting to hoard and resell them. (#55) And Lady Luck agreed to appear in a

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film so she could donate her earnings to the U.S.O. (#57) One installment appeared to poke fun at Busy Arnold. Brenda helped an editorial cartoonist, Ernest Eagers, who was being blackmailed by “Busy” Armonk. (#60) Colonel Eustace Snath was a persistent foe who discovered Lady Luck’s identity and tried to have her killed. For a time, she let him think he’d succeeded. (#61) Brenda set Snath straight by convincing him she and the heroine were two women. With Peecolo’s help, she cleverly made it seem as if both were in the same room, even though they weren’t seen at the same time. (#71) Snath reappeared in Smash #85. Some of her more colorful opponents included the Indian Thuggee, Hadja Jodhpur, (#66) Mr. Brimstone, inventor of a robot bomb, (#78) and a very odd crook called Giraffe Tentoes, who had an elongated neck and nose. (#81) When Fred Schwab took over the Sunday strip in early 1946, the story and art got kookier. He introduced an arch foe, the Warped Brain. A gang of women sought the Brain’s advice about dealing with Lady Luck and devised a plot to discredit her. As Brenda, she outwitted them and the Brain was arrested. Schwab really let loose with the art on an adventure to a surrealist art opening. The pages were adorned with abstract drawings while the Count squabbled with one of the eccentric artists. (Lady Luck #2, Ken Pierce) Nordling later drew a similar tale in her solo title. Brenda and the Count brushed elbows with the Bohemian masses at a modern art opening. They met cubist and Dada artists and uncovered a conspiracy between one of the artists and a critic to split the prize money. (Lady Luck #87) According to Cat Yronwode’s introduction to 1980’s Lady Luck, paper shortages led to “Lady Luck” being dropped from the downsized Spirit Section. Her Sunday adventures ended on November 3, 1946, but they continued to be reprinted in the pages of Smash Comics well into 1949. When Smash Comics ended, the title was changed to Lady Luck and she became the star. Klaus Nordling returned to the feature at this time. It coincided with the cancellation of Nordling’s Barker, so the writer/artist was free to contribute all-new adventures to the solo book (which resumed the numbering of Smash). “The Count” was also spun into a supporting feature. In Lady Luck #86 (Dec. 1950), Brenda was being wooed by various ne’er-do-wells (including the Count) while vacationing at Stony Point. The Count stayed in a rundown house where they discovered a treasure map that indeed led them to a small treasure. A full-sized comic allowed for the addition of colorful foils like the Jolly Sisters, who were heavies for a pyramid scheme; and the thief called Wingfoot, who was the fleet and nimble ballet dancer, Danchine, with his benefactor, Madame Panilova. (Lady Luck #86) Nordling played up the “Good Girl” factor. Brenda could frequently be found in her undergarments or changing clothes. She doffed her dress in order to wrestle the giantess, Rose. (#88) In her final appearance, Brenda’s father met an inventor called Pluvius, who created a weather machine. (#90) (There was also a Pluvius in Doll Man #28.)

Powers Lady Luck had no super-powers, but she carried a pistol, especially in her early adventures. She was a keen detective who relied on her wits and her mastery of jujutsu.

Madam Fatal Created by Art Pinajian

Powers Madam Fatal often used a cane to double as a weapon, but had no powers besides his own formidable strength.

NAME + ALIASES: Richard Stanton

Magno

KNOWN RELATIVES: Unnamed wife (deceased), unnamed daughter FIRST APPEARANCE: Crack Comics #1 (May 1940)

the Magnetic Man

APPEARANCES: Crack Comics #1-22 (May 1940–March 1942)

Created by Paul Gustavson NAME + ALIASES: Tom Dalton (deceased) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Smash Comics #13 (Aug. 1940) APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Squadron #32 • Secret Origins vol. 2 #26 • Smash Comics #13-21 (Aug. 1940–April 1941)

Richard Stanton was an accom- From Crack Comics #3 (1940); art plished stage actor and female by Art Pinajian. impersonator who retired in 1930 when John Carver kidnapped his daughter. Carver had been in love with Stanton’s wife, and committed the crime out of jealousy. When police could not recover the girl, Stanton’s wife died of grief, and he took drastic measures. He would get revenge on Carver by donning his last stage costume—that of a little old lady—to become the world’s first cross-dressing hero. No one ever suspected that the harmless old woman was actually a costumed mystery man—until it was too late. Eight years later, he caught up to Carver, who accidentally shot himself. But before he died, Carver revealed that Stanton’s daughter was still alive! (Crack #1) Though Stanton never found his daughter, he once aided a friend, Fielding Garr, in finding his son. When Stanton arrived at Garr’s house, he was struck by a chemical lightning and Garr’s son Tom was kidnapped. As Madam Fatal, he rescued Tom from the crooks’ “House of Terror.” (#7) His first costumed opponent was the Tiger Woman, who led gang of savages in retaliation for stolen treasures from her home country. She went over a high wall after a struggle with the Madam. (#9) Another was the Black Witch of Haiti, who wanted to kill another friend’s wife. (#18) Madam Fatal also briefly had allies in the field: Tubby White and Scrappy Nelson, who formed the “Sure Fire Detective Agency.” (#20) In their second case, Fatal was shot. After a successful surgery, the doctor was careful not to reveal Stanton’s secret to his sidekicks. (#21) Madam Fatal’s series ended abruptly even though Crack #22 had assured “more of Madam Fatal” in the next issue. Normally, those “next issue” blurbs were accurate. In her last appearance, the splash page featured her ugly mug drawn alongside those of her new sidekicks. Perhaps Pinajian hoped these additions might liven up the feature. Art Pinajian is known to have served in the military so perhaps his enlistment signalled its end.

Magno was a short-lived hero that debuted during the height of Quality’s super-hero expansion. The stories focused mainly on his costumed adventures, leaving Tom Dalton’s personal life mostly unexplored. Magno’s amazing powers of magnetism were the result of “having been electrocuted by 10,000 D.C. volts, then being shocked back to life by an equal current of A.C. volts!” With these powers, Tom Dalton became a blue collar man with an extraordinary secret. As a lineman in a coastal town, he often needed to make quick excuses to duck out and fight injustice. (Smash Comics #13) Magno was a natural, and showed great cunning, skill, and mastery of his new powers. His opponents were mad scientists and racketeers. In one jam-packed adventure, he pursued a goon by diving into the depths of a swamp and uncovering a labyrinth. Dozens of prisoners had been transformed by a madman, whom he overthrew, and destroyed his complex. (#18) When his passenger plane was Magno demonstrates a dizzying hijacked en route to Alaska, he array of athletic feats, from defended the home front by unSmash #15 (1940); art by Paul covering an invasion plot. (#19) Gustavson.

DC Madam Fatal’s activities after the war are unrecorded, so we don’t know if he ever found his lost daughter. Eventually, Richard Stanton passed away, of presumably natural causes. He was buried in Valhalla Cemetery. Sadly, the only mourners at his funeral were reputed to be the touring company of “La Cage aux Folles.” (JSA #1) Character profiles 143

His last adventure involved the search for a missing archaeologist and an arcane Egyptian secret. (#21) Either Gustavson or Busy Arnold didn’t care for Magno because just as things were heating up for him, he was replaced in the next issue (Smash #22) by another Gustavson creation, the Jester.

DC DC’s use of Magno picks up right where Quality’s left off. In All-Star Squadron #31, Uncle Sam explained how he had recruited Magno and others to form the Freedom Fighters. Sam had received a premonition of the attack on Pearl Harbor and these heroes went to prevent it. After a good rally, they were ambushed and the entire team was left for dead. Magno was the only one who truly died that day (though at the time of this tale’s publication, it was suggested that all of the Freedom Fighters, except for Uncle Sam, had been killed). (All-Star Squadron #31)

Notes Another hero called Magno debuted just after Quality’s hero ended, in Ace’s Four Favorites #1–26 (Sept. 1941–Nov. 1946). There is no connection between the two.

Powers Though his name suggests that he wields magnetism, Magno was actually more of a living battery; he channeled electricity. Using the currents inside him, he could create a variety of effects. He had a sort of “super eyes” that would see great distances. He wore metal wristbands that created a powerful electromagnetic field when he applied his powers. The resulting force could propel him at super-speed. He could also create a sort of force field that could repel metallic objects. And naturally, he could manipulate metallic objects as well.

Magno II NAME + ALIASES: Unrevealed GROUP AFFILIATIONS: The Crusaders, Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Uncle Sam & Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #3 (Jan. 2008) APPEARANCES: Uncle Sam & Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #3-8

A second Magno has recently appeared, as a member of the Crusaders—an opposition group to the modern-day Freedom Fighters. (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #3) Magno II eventually joined the Freedom Fighters, but nothing is known about his personal history. (#7)

Manhunter Created by By Tex Blaisdell and Alex Kotzky

NAME + ALIASES: Donald “Dan” Richards (deceased) KNOWN RELATIVES: Marcie Cooper (Harlequin II, granddaughter,

deceased) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: All-Star Squadron, Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Police Comics #8 (March 1942) APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Squadron #31-32?? • Infinity, Inc. #46-47, Annual • Manhunter vol. 4 #7–8 • Police Comics #8-101 (March 1942–Aug. 1950) • Secret Origins vol. 3 #22 (1988)

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Manhunter is a Quality character that is now deeply interwoven into the DC Universe mythology. As such, this profile begins with a DCU context, but after the character’s origin, his Quality adventures stand on their own. In the DC Universe, the Manhunters were a race of androids created 3.5 billion years ago by the Guardians of the Universe. These Manhunters were conceived as a galactic police force, but over many millennia they came Top: Manhunter’s original black uniform, from Police #8 (1942); to resent their mission and their art by Alex Kotzky. Below: The creators. For their impertinence, Voodoo Queen and her aides, the androids were banished to all from Police #9 (1942); artist parts of the universe, where they uncertain. gradually reorganized over the ages. The Guardians replaced the Manhunters with living agents, the Green Lantern Corps. In 1066, the Manhunters came to Earth, whose sector had no Green Lantern. When a Green Lantern finally debuted in the 1940s (Alan Scott, not a member of the Corps), the Manhunters recruited several new agents to monitor him. The first was Dan Richards. (Secret Origins vol. 3 #22) Donald “Dan” Richards began his career in Empire City as a costumed hero after graduating from the police academy. Sadly, his name was called last, indicating that he’d finished last in his class. Richards’ excuse was that he’d spent much of his time profiling criminals and now could track anyone (this premise was quickly abandoned). His lady friend, Kit Kelly, was unimpressed by this and her brother, Jim, was also a policeman. When Jim was framed for ties to the mob, Richards resolved to use his special knowledge base to track the crook. (Police #8) At the moment of his resolve, Richards was summoned by the Grandmaster of the android Manhunters. Dan followed a glowing energy trail through a portal and found himself in a secret headquarters. The Grandmaster claimed that the Manhunter organization served the cause of justice in secret, and Richards was to be their newest agent. He was given a uniform to hide his identity, and a helper: a

large dog named Thor. What Dan never knew was that Thor, like the Manhunters, was also an android. (Secret Origins vol. 3 #22) Richards donned his costume and became the first human to take the code name Manhunter, fighting crime as a so-called “mystery man.” Together with Thor, he cracked Jim Kelly’s case and left a calling card in the shape of a shoe print (the same as his chest emblem). (Police #8) Manhunter’s costume changed very often, perhaps more often than any Quality character. In Police #19, he was described as “black clothed,” but it was rendered black-and-blue in print for most of his adventures. In Police #9, the shoe print disappeared from the circle; in #10 it changed to a small shield. The shield moved off his chest and onto his belt with #11. He was bare-legged with #15 and the shorts stayed through #22 (except for issue #17), then reappeared in #28. The best explanation for this is that colorists working on this feature used inconsistent reference materials. By day, Richards sometimes played the “dumb” rookie but when a murder occurred on Dan’s beat, it was up to Manhunter to make amends. As Manhunter, he mopped up the killer and changed back to police attire in time to take credit as Dan. (This type of story was very similar to those in “The Jester,” who was also a lowly beat cop.) Nearby, a trio of freaks—the beguiling Voodoo Queen, the giant Xaxol and the Priest—watched and secretly aided our hero. (#9) But when the Voodoo Queen cast her spell on a tycoon, Richards was first on the scene. He tracked them to their cemetery lair and after a brief battle, left it ablaze. (#10) Prof. Hooker created a laughing gas that was stolen by his Original art from Police #13 (Nov. colleague, Uriah Heap (also the 1942); art by the character’s name of a character in Charles creator, Alex Kotzky. Artwork Dickens’ David Copperfield). Soon courtesy of Jerry Bails & Hames Ware. Manhunter was on the trail and

discovered the antidote to the gas (onions). (#11) His early cases were peppered with costumed foes like Samson the strongman/murderer (#13), and the evil masked Cobra and his pet King, which managed to tag Manhunter. As the Cobra turned to leave, Thor charged in and was shot by the Cobra’s men. The snake had used most of its venom on its first victim and the dog, bleeding, managed to crawl over to Manhunter and revive him. Cobra went too far when he ambushed police. In the dark, Dan unmasked Cobra and took the credit for his arrest. (#14) Richards enjoyed one-upping Sergeant Clancy in order to catch the murderous maestro, Sivan Orsky. (#15) Thor was little more than window dressing for the first handful of adventures. The dog was consistently portrayed as a rather large breed, but the precise breed was never named. Thor took center stage when some crooks began using an identical dog to do their killing. When the same crooks caught Manhunter, Thor saved him from certain doom and put down the rival canine. (#16) Manhunter ran up against Red Haired Kate, a vamp with a killer whip, (#17) and a masked blackmailer called the Sexton (Max Suttle), whom he actually took down while wearing his police uniform. (#19) Still, as a rookie cop, Dan Richards was never as successful as his alter ego. When a jeweler on Richards’ beat was murdered, Dan was suspended. Naturally, Manhunter solved the crime and Richards’ suspension was commuted. (#20) Eventually, Manhunter came to work very closely with law enforcement and was given access to their files. (#24) A former Vaudevillian, Mr. Fearless took to crime as the Ghostmaster. With his expert skill in make-up arts, he impersonated people dead or alive. When he attempted to impersonate Dan Richards, the Manhunter was there to stop him. (#26) When officer Richards brought in a local gangster, the court remanded the man’s little brother, Tommy Tolan, to Dan’s custody. Tommy had no designs on the straight and narrow and instead betrayed Dan to his brother’s gang when he discovered that Dan was Manhunter. But just as they had the hero in their grip, Tommy learned that they had also betrayed his brother. Tommy kept Dan’s secret and turned on the gang to help Manhunter escape his bonds. (#28) Most of Manhunter’s threats were rather pedestrian (for a costumed crime fighter, that is), but the stories were often solidly written murder mysteries, like the one about a painting that came to life and then was murdered. (#39) In between the straight stories came plenty more unconventional villains. The brilliant violinist, Sonjak, was hit by a truck and lost his arm, which was replaced with a hook. He took to murder and kidnapping but Manhunter’s “mighty blow” jolted him back to reality and he realized the error of his ways, becoming a conductor instead. (#40) The bug-eyed Gnome was a hideous but run-of-the-mill gang leader. (#41) On a film set, actor John Reeves took his character, the Masked Pirate, to heart in a jilted lover’s revenge plot. Reeves killed his co-star for real, on set. (#55) Most villains were just differently-dressed thugs like the Vengeance, who was hell-bent on securing an old tycoon’s riches. (#57) Others included the shadow killer called the Hatchet (#58), the gangster Jawbone (#60), and a trained ape named Spine-Snapper. (#64) One of the more creative tales adeptly laid the Mother Goose rhyme of “Humpty Dumpty” over a Manhunter case. It began with the death of the villain, H. Dumpty, who was pushed off a wall. The rhyme was abandoned once the premise was established. But the culprit was after jewels, and like the Queen of Hearts, she baked into tarts (and used a trained raven called Edgar Allen Poe to steal for her). (#68) In time Richards earned credibility and Manhunter’s feature could well have been written about a talented policeman after a point. There was no reason for him to be costumed. For the last few years of the Character profiles 145

Notes The art on “Manhunter” was ever-changing, but it’s known that prominent artists such as Reed Crandall and Alex Kotzky drew a number of issues. Police #21 was a rarity, signed by John Cassone.

Powers Manhunter had no superhuman powers. He relied on his physical ability, and police detective skills to find and capture his prey. Thor was an android with considerable super-strength, though this was not revealed until just before the dog’s destruction.

Margo the Magician Creator uncertain

feature’s run, most were purely detective stories. The last of his strange foes were Goldilocks, a dwarf who disguised himself as a girl, (#82) and Maddin the Mastiff Man, who trained his dogs to kill. Thor’s skill bested the mastiffs’ savagery. (#85) When the page count in Police was lowered to 36, Manhunter was alternated for a few months with the Spirit, skipping issues #89, 91, and 93. Manhunter’s final appearance in Police #101 (Aug. 1950) finished with the line “Manhunter ought to take a rest and let a poor run-of-the-mill cop get a chance at some glory!” Indeed, in the next issue, the feature was replaced by an ongoing series of miscellaneous police stories. The first of these featured a radio patrolman, Dan Ryan. Flanked by Harlequins old and new, Richards discovers that Thor is an android, from Infinity, Inc. #46 (1988); art by Vince Argondezzi.

NAME + ALIASES: Margo Webster KNOWN RELATIVES: The Great Presto (father, deceased), Jimmy

(brother) ONLY APPEARANCE: Uncle Sam Quarterly #2 (Winter 1941)

DC National’s (DC) Manhunter, Paul Kirk, first appeared one month after Quality’s, in Adventure Comics #73 (April 1942). When DC wrote the history of the android Manhunters in the 1980s, both Richards and Kirk were cast as secret agents of the androids. Dan Richards retired his mask in 1950 but continued to serve as a police officer. There are no details regarding his personal life (only a couple of his Quality adventures included a love interest), but presumably fathered at least one daughter. Decades later, the android Manhunters reentered Dan’s life, asking to recruit his granddaughter, Marcie Cooper. Dan still wasn’t aware of their nefarious aims and he actually encouraged Marcie. Around that time, Cooper had become the girlfriend of the hero Obsidian and donned a costume herself, becoming the Harlequin III. But Marcie was truly evil and commanded Dan’s dog, Thor, to attack. Only then did Richards realize that Thor had been an android all those years. Cooper hunted her own grandfather, driving him off the road. (Infinity, Inc. #14, 46) He returned to confront Marcie, who shot him before she was taken down. (#47) Dan recovered and later attended the wedding of two members of Infinity, Inc., Hector and Lyta Hall. (#51) Marcie managed to escape the defeat of her android masters and joined the villain team called Injustice, Unlimited. By controlling the monstrous Solomon Grundy, the Harlequin killed the Infinitor Skyman. (#51) She was, in turn, killed by Grundy. (#53) After surviving so many perils, Dan met a tragic end when he was killed by Mark Shaw (the third man to take the name “Manhunter”). Shaw was under mind control and murdered Richards in his cabin home in Lake Placid, New York. At the time, Richards had adopted another dog named Thor. Police soon found bodies. (Manhunter vol. 4 #7-8)

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Today, Margo the Magician seems Margo demonstrates her power, rather like a parallel universe ver- from Uncle Sam Quarterly #2 (1941); artist uncertain. sion of DC Comics’ Zatanna character. Both inherited their magical abilities from their fathers. In Margo’s case, her father was the Great Presto. Presto lived a nomadic life, traveling the world with Margo and her brother Jimmy to book random performances. In Shanghai, the family found themselves aiding two Chinese soldiers (brothers Hi and Lo) who were fleeing from the occupying Japanese. When gunfire broke out, Presto called upon his true supernatural abilities, diverting the shots away from his children—and onto himself! As he died, he whispered the secret of those powers to Margo. The Chinese soldiers swept Margo away, but Jimmy was captured by the Japanese. Using the power of hypnotism, Margo made her enemies believe various illusions, and tricked her way into the jail where Jimmy was held. She also freed an American reporter, Chick

Benson. They met up again with Hi and Lo, who helped them to liberate a supply train with provisions to feed the Chinese people. More adventures were promised, but Margo passed into obscurity. It’s too bad. The feature was well written and drawn. The feature was probably created by Will Eisner. It was signed with a pen name, “Bill Bydem.” Rearrange “Bydem” and you get “Demby,” and Busy Arnold credited Emanual Demby in his staff, but no information exists on him. Who’s Whose credits Bill Bossert, but the art is not comparable to Bossert’s other features.

The Marksman Created by Ed Cronin NAME + ALIASES: Baron Povalski, alias Major Hurtz KNOWN RELATIVES: Countess Stephanie Winowski (cousin),

unnamed cousin (deceased) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: None FIRST APPEARANCE: Smash Comics #33 (May 1942) APPEARANCES: Smash Comics #33–58 (May 1942–April 1945)

The Marksman debuted only several issues after another Quality archer’s feature ended (the Spider, in Crack #30). It’s unclear whether “Baron” was the Marksman’s name or title. It was spoken as his name. Fred Guardineer added a dramatic but temporary “M” symbol to his shirt when he took over in Smash #40. The Marksman’s outfit changed slightly over time but he usually sported a dark reddish cloak, light brown pants and a yellow or white shirt. It’s not known how Baron Povalski came to infiltrate the Nazi army. The Polish patriot disguised himself with a monocle and moustache to pass as a Nazi, Major Hurtz, but he always kept his red cape folded tightly in his uniform. As the Marksman, Baron terrorized the Nazis and left a symbolic red feather in his wake. He managed to work in secret from high in a tower in the Baron’s own castle—which was taken over by the German army. His manservant, Vorka, was an indispensable aide who also served the Nazis in the castle. (Smash #33) In order to get out of a Nazi function, Povalski purposely crashed a plane and had Vorka declare he was medically unfit for duty. Then as the Marksman, he met the general with TNT-laden arrows, blowing his train off the rails. He also saved his ally, the young woman Zita, whom he sheltered in his secret place. (#35) The Marksman found no end to the ways he could use his Nazi connections against them. As “Hurtz,” he appeared to kill the Marksman so that he would be invited to Berlin. There he freed a Polish inventor, Wakovsky, and smuggled him to Africa in a bomb casing. When the Marksman freed Wakovsky, Hitler himself reprimanded Major Hurtz. (#36) The next time he went to Berlin, he actually had Hitler on the run, but the Führer escaped in an autogyro. (#43)

Povalski had many connections within the European underground like the Three Shadows, whom he helped smuggle Nazi plans to the British. (#37) The Marksman even met his match in a Nazi arch-foe called Cross Bow, who wore a helmet that covered his face. Cross Bow killed several members of Povalski’s resistance and the Marksman took a bolt to the stomach from his enemy’s weapon. He was saved by a protector made of cork, under his costume, and the fight came down to fisticuffs, in which Baron won out. (#40) Another German agent was the athletic Fraulein Halunke, who suckered him in to her web and discovered his dual identity. She was mistakenly killed by her own men. (#48) Baron gradually spent less time as Major Hurtz and inevitably discovered for himself the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto. The Marksman went so far as to hunt down a particularly hated Nazi officer all the way to China. (#46) Our hero continued his globe-trotting in Mexico. Povalski found love in that unlikely setting, catching up with an old friend, Anna. (#49) Anna traveled fearlessly with him across South America to Brazil. (#50) From there they followed a Nazi map into the Andes to a Japanese nest and destroyed a hydrogen zeppelin, (#51) through Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, and on to Nomua Island, where the Marksman and Anna battled one last time with Japanese Major Sinushi. With the aid of their friends among the locals, they survived Sinushi when a great typhoon struck. The lovers were last seen waiting for their rescue, in a rare moment of solitude, there on the tropical isle. (#58)

DC The Marksman was mentioned once in passing by the original Mr. Terrific, who said he knew of two mystery men who were operating undercover as S.S. Officers (the other being DC’s Americommando). This story took place in February 1945, at the time of the Allied firebombing of Dresden, Germany.

Notes The Marksman was the inspiration for the character of the same name in John Arcudi’s 2002 Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny (see page 54).

Powers

Top: The Marksman in his short-lived ‘M’ shirt. Below: An arch-foe, the Cross Bow. Both from Smash #40 (1943); art by Fred Guardineer.

The Marksman had no superhuman powers. He demonstrated exceptional skill with a bow and arrow. Sometimes he employed “trick” arrows such as an explosive arrow and he could shoot multiple arrows at once. He was also an above average athlete and combatant. As Major Hurtz, Baron Povalski was skilled in the art of disguise.

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Merlin Created by By Dan Zolnerowich NAME + ALIASES: Jock Kellogg (deceased) KNOWN RELATIVES: Jepson Kellogg (unspecified relative), Ronnie

Kellogg, (unspecified ancestor), three swordsmen (unspecified ancestors), Merlin (ancestor) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: All-Star Squadron FIRST APPEARANCE: National Comics #1 (July 1940) APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Comics vol. 2 #1 • National Comics #1-26 (July 1940–Nov. 1942)

Both of the magicians, Merlin and Merlin weaves a backwards spell, Tor, were at one point written from National #13 (July 1941); art by Fred Guardineer. and drawn by Fred Guardineer (who had previously created the magician Zatara for DC’s groundbreaking Action Comics #1 in 1938). Guardineer stayed at DC only into 1940 (Action #29, Oct. 1940 was his last on Zatara). At Quality, he created Tor (Crack #1, Feb. 1941) and soon after took over “Merlin” as well, with National #12 (June 1941). According to Alter Ego #21, Dan Zolnerowich worked for the Iger shop at this time, but Guardineer did not. (Both signed the strip “Lance Blackwood.”) Guardineer also created a fourth magician that ran simultaneous to Zatara, Marvelo, in Columbia’s Big Shot Comics #1–10 (May 1940–February 1941). Guardineer’s artwork was spectacular, but he spent little effort in distinguishing the magicians from one another—or from his other works. Like Zatara, both Merlin and Tor sported moustaches, plus capes over their tuxedos (Merlin added a hood). But most significantly, under Guardineer both Quality magicians began speaking their spells backwards at the same time (but not at their inceptions). Merlin only began speaking reverse spells when Guardineer took over (National #12). And although Guardineer worked on Tor from its debut, that hero only began speaking in reverse around the same time (Crack #14, July 1941). Both series also ended at the same time, but Guardineer continued to work for Quality through 1944. When English playboy Jock Kellogg learned that his uncle was dying, he couldn’t wait to inherit the fortune. Instead, he received a different kind of inheritance. His uncle’s money was gone, but he told Jock that he was descended from Merlin, the ancient wizard of Camelot. Jock received Merlin’s cloak, which was imbued with

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considerable magical powers. Kellogg was incredulous, but he soon found value in its powers, and went straight to work helping to fight the war. As Merlin, his first super-adversary was Mars, the very god of war, who had chained the goddess of peace. Merlin defeated Mars’ minions, Hunger and Poverty, then wrestled the war-god himself. Upon Merlin’s victory, peace was declared on the ground as well. (National #1) He continued his travels to the river Styx, where he saved a wayward damsel from a dead prince. (#2) His first super-powered nemesis was the hideous Dr. Morbidd, who brought the dead back to life. From him, Merlin rescued a woman named Elaine. (#5) Once at a museum, Merlin summoned the spirit of the Greek Oracle of Delphi. She empowered him to return to his era and send Axis tyrants (Ribbo, Gasolini and Molo) back to ancient Greece. After forcing them to call off their troops, the dictators were left as prey for ancient monsters. When he returned to the 20th century, he witnessed a return to peace in Europe! (#8) Jock’s identity quickly became inseparable from Merlin; his absence was noticed by the Kellogg family gardner named Angus, who assumed that Jock was dead. Angus’ master was Jock’s Scottish relative, Jepson Kellogg, who was staying in Tahiti. Angus took over Jepson’s mansion and helped a gang of men kidnap a girl named Daphne. Merlin caught wind of this and brought his family portraits to life—Ronnie Kellogg, a pugilist from 1890, and three swordsmen. His ancestors helped him purge the mansion of the racketeers. (#10) The great gods returned—Ares and Wotan no less—and Merlin inexplicably traveled back to the time of the Druids to save a young man and woman from being sacrificed to their gods. He brought them back to the 20th century where they ostensibly served for the gods as convoluted examples for peace. (#11) Merlin began speaking his spells backwards without explanation, but ironically his adventures became somewhat less fantastical under Guardineer. He went into the Himalayas in hopes of claiming a legendary diamond to bolster Britain’s war relief funds. When the priests of the temple foolishly tried to stop him, he conjured the great spider god, Agor. He reached the diamond, turned its defenders into bats, and impaled the high priestess, Nang Tu, with a spear. Not satisfied with killing nearly everyone in the temple, Merlin destroyed it completely before returning to the U.K. where he presented the gem to the Prime Minister himself. (#13) He then began contributing to the mundane war effort and was commissioned to fly General Sir Reginald Foxx over Southeastern Asia. They were brought down in New Guinea by Killer Ernst, an Australian Fifth Columnist. Merlin’s magical mastery made quick work of him (with a cannon, then a crocodile). (#14) Thus began an odyssey of sorts among the lands under Axis occupation. He helped the Chinese by resurrecting ancient dead Chinese soldiers. (#15) Then in Greenland, he boosted the native people’s campaign against Nazi thieves with a giant walrus. (#16) In Greece he invoked Zeus to drive off the Nazis and save a girl named Helena. Zeus gave Merlin the use of the winged horse, Pegasus, and they left for the safety of Egypt, where Helena was entrusted to the British. (#17) The story in National #19 was an interesting herald for times to come. In Iraq, European nations vied to control its oil fields. Merlin employed the ancient beheaded figure of Goliath, Noah’s ark, and the Tower of Babel against the Nazis. (#19) An acquaintance, the mad scientist Professor Mordecai Twitch, turned up dead at the hands of his assistant, Fang, who was a Japanese spy. Fang used the Prof’s formula to create giant killer spiders. Merlin fooled him by transforming himself into Emperoro Hirohito. (#25) In his last adventure, Merlin finally made his way to the United

States where, naturally, Nazis were poised to strike. (#26) Merlin seemed unable to make up his mind whether to help or squash the natives where he traveled. His motives seemed to arbitrarily fluctuate between downright disdain and genuine empathy. Merlin’s feature in National Comics was replaced by G-2. Fred Guardineer, moved onto “Quicksilver” after this.

DC Merlin might have been a member of the wartime group called the All-Star Squadron. His only appearance in a DC comic was as part of the “Justice Society Returns” event. In February 1945, Merlin threw in with a group of mystics against a villain called Stalker. He died that day. (All-Star Comics, vol. 2 #1)

Powers Merlin could perform any variety of feats like levitation, astral projection, self-transformation, transmutation, animation, time travel, and intangibility. With the mastery of reverse-magic, he added a dizzying array of godlike abilities as well. No matter the situation, a few “back-words” was all it took!

Midnight Created by Jack Cole NAME + ALIASES: Dave Clark FIRST APPEARANCE: Smash Comics #18 (January 1941). Gabby: Smash #21

(April 1941). Dr. Wackey: Smash #23 (June 1941)

Midnight’s men… Top left: Midnight meets Gabby the talking monkey, from Smash #21 (1941); art by Jack Cole. Left: Using his vacuum gun against Doc Wackey, from Smash #23 (1941); art by Jack Cole. Above: Rounding out the cast were Sniffer Snoop and Hotfoot the bear, from Smash #42 (1943); art by Paul Gustavson.

APPEARANCES:

• Secret Origins vol. 2 #28 (1988) • Smash Comics #18-85 (Jan. 1941–Oct. 1949) • Ms. Tree Quarterly #1–8 (Summer 1990–Spring 1992)

The Spirit was such an immediate success that Quality’s publisher, Busy Arnold, asked Jack Cole to create a Spirit knock-off. Cole wasn’t comfortable with that, so he spoke to the Spirit’s creator, Will Eisner. In an interview with Alter Ego, Eisner recalled the visit from Jack, who asked for his opinion. Eisner wasn’t thrilled but understood the situation. (Alter Ego #48) Despite this, Cole did create the copy, but did his best to make “Midnight” an entirely different kind of feature. Ironically, Jack Cole was one of the artists who produced “The Spirit” while Eisner was in the Army. Midnight was the perfect warm-up to Cole’s future blockbuster: Plastic Man. The character wasn’t the only Spirit copy; less successful Spirit-clones at Quality included the Mouthpiece and the Whistler. Lively storytelling and an appropriate amount of continuity helped give Cole’s strip the momentum to outlast most other super-heroes at Quality, and Cole’s own run on the feature. “Midnight” was published all the way into 1949 and was Smash Comics’ sole cover star beginning with issue #28 (Nov. 1941). Dave Clark’s days as a mystery man began in mid-1941, as a humble spot announcer for station UXAM (later XABC). On his way home one evening, a building collapsed and Dave rushed to aid in the recovery effort. He noticed that the building materials were shoddy, and wasted no time taking up the matter with the building’s owner, Carleton. Clark became the masked Midnight, a Robin Hood-esque hero who collected money from the corrupt, and distributed it to the victims of the collapse. He failed to ensnare Carleton, and was captured, then lashed to a crumbling dam. Clark was anticipating his end when the dam cracked, freeing him. He managed to warn the town below, but much damage was done. Midnight returned to Carleton’s house to

trounce him and his gang, then secured ten million dollars for the relief. (Smash #18) Note: This origin story was faithfully retold in DC’s Secret Origins #28 (1988). Before long, Midnight acquired his first sidekick (as the Spirit had). This was Gabby, a talking monkey who originally belonged to Miss Alice O’Day. O’Day gave animals the power of speech, and originally intended to give Gabby to the government. Thugs attacked and killed Alice, and burned her secrets, and Midnight gained custody of Gabby. This story also introduced Midnight’s primary weapon, the vacuum gun (a diagram of it can be found in Smash #23). It was an automatic that projected a suction cup connected to a self-winding reel of fine silk cord. It was strong enough to hold a man’s weight, and its suction held to almost any surface. (#21) Gabby became an integral part of Dave’s crime fighting career. When Dave went to work at the radio station, he set Gabby on a mission to expose two dueling milk companies that were endangering the public. Jack Cole’s talents were at full-strength in this tale; when Midnight was captured and the crooks attempted to unmask him, he protected his identity by making a nonstop series of funny faces until Gabby managed to free him. (#22) In the next issue, the cast grew to include Dr. Mortimer Wackey (first name given in #32). Wackey was a foe who administered a pill that regressed people to infancy. He tricked Midnight into ingesting the drug, too. Gabby took a chance with the antidote—which might kill the subject—but Dave was restored. Instead of turning the doctor in, Midnight gave Wackey a chance to reform, working with him and Gabby to better promote his genius. (#23) Dave’s social life suffered for his dual identity. For instance, when out with Miss Taylor, his attention wandered to busting up pickpockets. Doc and Gabby snuck in too, intent on testing Wackey’s new mind-reading invention. (#24) Wackey created many useful inventions, including the Visoscope, with which they could survey any part of Character profiles 149

the city. (#25) Dave was seen with another lady friend named Right: Chango returns, from Smash #29 (1941); Alice, who was, alas, the last woman he dated. (#26) art by Jack Cole. Below: Midnight’s first “super-villain” was Chango the evil magician The White Queen, from Smash #33 (1942); art by (#20), who on his second appearance kidnapped Gabby. Chango enticed people into his fortune telling shop, and hypnotized Jack Cole. them into giving up their valuables. He was fairly powerful, able to pass through walls, and even transform Midnight into a dog! (#29) The Ghost of Robin Hood was the former millionaire, Mr. Mills, who targeted the rich to help the poor—namely, himself. He was a skillful archer who tagged Midnight in the back with a deadly arrow. (#27) The boys were attacked by the White Queen and her men in the Everglades. She was descended from a former slave shipmate who freed slaves, and founded a hidden community. They’d been apart from civilization for so long they didn’t know that slavery had been abolished. Midnight absconded of the story, Dave with the Queen to show her this, and she received a letter from Two Face challenging him to a duel. The duel returned to tell her tribe the news. (#33) was slated for the next issue, but it never happened. (#38) As with many of Quality’s lead features, Midnight’s antagonists The torch was passed to Paul Gustavson, whose style is evident alternated between costumed fiends and common mobsters. Prof. in the issues leading up to Smash #43, which was the first to bear his Craft attempted to take over city government with dupes made via signature. Those first unsigned features by Gustavson reveal a vain plastic surgery. (#30) When Dave was assigned to broadcast from a attempt to emulate Cole’s work4. When Gustavson stopped trying movie premiere, he stumbled onto the murder of actress Joy Devine. to imitate Cole, he added two more recurring cast members, the bumbling detective Sniffer Snoop and his miniature polar bear pal, Many of her associates died before Midnight found the killer. (#34) Doc Wackey’s inventions fueled quite a number of plots, like the Hot-Foot. Snoop sought to mentor Midnight in detective work, but machine that changed atomic structure of matter. (#31) This was called found himself in need of Midnight’s help. Dave took pity on Sniffer the Atom Reviser, and Doc turned it over to the U.S. military for free. and Hot-Foot, and the two of them became permanent house guests. With Gabby and Hot-Foot, “Midnight” was now a borderline funny (#32) Prof. Porgie, an old pal of Wackey’s, afflicted the town with a formula that caused them to bounce like rubber. Meanwhile another animal feature. (#42) Half a year later, Gustavson introduced Selwyn potion turned Wackey back into a criminal. He and Porgie boarded the meek, and his burly gal Gertrude. These were blatant copies of a rocket bound for a distant planet made of gold. When they awoke, Hustace Throckmorton and Honeybun from “Human Bomb,” which Wackey had regained his senses, and learned that they’d traveled Paul also created. Mercifully, they appeared only once. (#49) around the Earth and landed back home. (#35) Aside from this, Gustavson’s stories maintained the same relative When Midnight tumbled to his death from a battle with Cyclops wackiness. When Midnight plunged off a cliff, he found himself in a Ceylon, Wackey declared him dead, and the city mourned. In the circus of the Land of Flight where he met Velvet, and Robustia the afterlife, Midnight was declined entrance to heaven, and chose Hades Queen of Flight. They sent him on his way in a rocket that disappeared instead in order to take a crack at “the worst criminal of all,” the once he was safely home. (#40) Professor Drizzpan engineered a hoax Devil. He was surprised to find that the true engineer to Hell’s agony involving a “rocket from Mars” that unleashed a strange mechanical was Satan’s wife, who subjected Midnight to unspeakable tortures. creature that destroyed homes with its death ray. (#48) Other colorful Meanwhile, a mysterious professor appeared to Doc Wackey, and foes included the Laughing Killer (#56) and the dancing temptress, offered to exchange his life for Midnight’s. The gambit worked, and the Lorelei. (#62) Cyanide Cindy was a gun-toting beauty out for the hero left Hell just as he’d convinced its inmates to revolt (and money the honest way—from a beauty contest. (#65) prevent further Nazi evils in the “waking world”). (#36) The next week, Wackey was still on a roll, inventing a helium filled canoe for airthe stranger returned for Wackey’s life, and used Doc to create and borne escape, (#44) and a “time pill” that transported the gang to ancient test a super-speed formula. Midnight took the serum just to catch Rome. Conveniently, a special vitamin in the pill also allowed them to up with Doc, and eventually it wore off. (#37) speak the language. (#52) His friend, Professor Padsel demonstrated Jack Cole stopped signing the feature after Smash #36 (Oct. 1942) the ability to switch the minds of individuals. (#61) but the art in the next two issues looks like he had another inker (studio Things were always eventful at the radio station. When Dave background man and inker Tony DiPreta snuck his name onto one voiced the latest installment of “The Mask”—the day’s most popular story). Cole took a leave of absence from the feature, his last issue adventure—a real life Mask appeared, and murdered several of the probably being #38, which featured Zor the Caveman. Zor was a mis- crew before Midnight could stop him. (#43) Lady mob boss Darla Dee treated oaf whom Midnight helped escape from the Dingling Brothah’s dropped in on Dave to announce her takeover of the city. When he circus. There he uncovered more sad homemade freaks. At the end refused to lead her to Midnight, she framed him for murder. (#53) When

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Dave promoted the engagement of two of the station’s biggest stars, Thrush and Swooner, jealous fans came out of the woodwork, and one of them was poisoned to death! (#60) Jack Cole returned to his creation with issue #68, and kept Gustavson’s additions. Most of these issues were unsigned, which had become the norm in features during the middle of the war. Cole managed to sneak his signature onto Smash #82-83, however, and the art in that issue matches the art from #68 on. One of the livelier tales followed the gang to a lighthouse, from which Clark’s radio program was broadcasting. It was complete with a lost treasure and the death of the lighthouse keeper. (#71) Another adventure echoed Cole’s other creation, “The Barker,” when Midnight went to the fair and protected a prize cow named Angela. (#72) They weren’t done with bovines: Hotfoot the bear squared off against a bull in the stock market. The raging animal was calmed after his master, a disgruntled investor, was uncovered. (#73) A trio of tales had that “olde tyme” flavor. Dave’s boss was obsessed with thinking up new ways to improve the station’s ratings, and offered $5000 for the oldest man in the world. When a 200-year-old Revolutionary war vet stepped forward, he was shot by the descendant of a Redcoat. (#75) Another introduced Willie the Kid, a bad old man of the Wild West. (#81) Woodland Boy was a mesmerizing

DC The classic Midnight has only appeared in DC Comics a couple of times. On the eve of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Midnight was tracking the hero known as Uncle Sam. En route, he encountered the Doll Man, who was on the same mission. They were too late, but just before Uncle Sam departed, both Midnight and the Doll Man dove into Sam’s tele-portal. Instead of materializing near Pearl Harbor, they were transported to occupied France, where they joined Mademoiselle Marie in the French resistance for several months. They intercepted a message concerning a second Japanese attack on Santa Barbara, California, but before they could act, they ran afoul of the evil Baron Blitzkrieg. As fate would have it, Uncle Sam’s portal appeared again just as the Baron blasted Doll Man. Midnight carried his partner through it to New York City, and barely made it to the All-Stars’ meeting in the Perisphere. Midnight was more than willing to keep fighting, but Dr. Mid-Nite hospitalized him instead. (All-Star Squadron #32) After this, Midnight was not known to be active with the All-Stars or Uncle Sam’s group, the Freedom Fighters.

Notes On the splash page of Smash #36, Gabby announced that the feature was expanded to nine pages, like the readers “asked for” (although it had already done so the issue prior). Fiction House also published a feature called “Midnight” about a black stallion, in Jumbo Comics. Midnight was the inspiration for a character of the same name in John Arcudi’s 2002 Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny (see page 54). This character’s name was William Cole, in homage to Dave Clark’s creator, Jack.

Powers

flutist who was victimized by Song Thief Danny, who tricked him into signing away the rights to his song. (#82) Wackey and Snoop were kidnapped by Professor Hangnail for a supposed trip to Mars, which was actually a ploy to generate public hysteria while his gang looted the town dressed like aliens. (#79) In his last adventure, Dave Clark’s career took a promising turn towards television. It began with Midnight’s move to protect the radio station’s most popular singer, Peggy, who was being swindled by her agent, Percentage Graftly. Graftly retaliated by hiring a hillbilly hag whom he hoped would ruin Dave’s first television show. The hag’s suitors caused such a ruckus on air that the show was a hit! The next day, the newspapers lauded Clark’s success. (#85)

A couple of great signature panels by Jack Cole, from his original run on the series, Smash #32 (1942).

Midnight had no super-powers, but frequently used a vacuum gun. This automatic weapon projected a strong suction cup that could adhere to any surface, and was connected to a super-strong silk cord. He also had a wrist radio to communicate with his helpers. Doc Wackey invented many other devices that helped on cases as needed. Midnight wore a reversible suit: blue during the day and black as the “midnight sky” when he was masked.

Midnight II NAME + ALIASES: Robert Mason FIRST APPEARANCE: Ms. Tree Quarterly #1 (Summer 1990) APPEARANCES: Ms. Tree Quarterly #1-7

Midnight was reinvented in DC’s Ms. Tree series. This back-up feature was “of its time,” depicting a somewhat grim and ruthless vigilante. This Midnight was perfectly willing to kill if he thought it was justified. Midnight operated from St. Michael’s church, where troubled citizens would light a candle for help, at midnight. If he agreed to take their case, he would appear the following night and Character profiles 151

hand them his clock-faced calling card—but he never spoke. He didn’t wear a mask, but his fedora cast a mask-like shadow over his eyes. His uniform was less formal than his predecessor: dark casual jacket, pants and gloves, and a striped tie. (Ms. Tree Quarterly #1) In issue #4, he was identified as the red-haired, 35-year-old private detective Robert Avery. (The last name was changed to Mason in #6.) He fell for a client named Claire Reynard, only to discover that she was a con artist, Sarah Todd. Still, he turned her over to authorities, and she was convicted of murder, and executed. This Midnight never exhibited any super-human powers, nor did he use any special weaponry.

Miss America Created by Elmer Wexler NAME + ALIASES: Joan Dale Trevor, Miss Cosmos KNOWN RELATIVES: Admiral Derek Trevor (husband, deceased),

Hippolyta Trevor Hall (Fury II, adopted daughter, deceased), Hector Hall (son-in-law, deceased) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: F.B.I., Freedom Fighters, All-Star Squadron, Justice Society of America FIRST APPEARANCE: Military Comics #1 (Aug. 1941) APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Squadron #32 • Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #3–9 • Infinity, Inc. #48, 49, Annual 1 • Military Comics #1–7 (Aug. 1941–Feb. 1942) • Secret Origins vol. 2 #26 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1, #6-8 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2, #1-8 • Wonder Woman vol. 2 #184-185 • Young All-Stars #12, 14, 27

As patriotic heroines go, Miss America appeared just before Wonder Woman, but both were preceded by Quality’s own USA by several months. Joan Dale’s costume changed frequently and the flag-themed look didn’t actually show up until her fourth appearance. In Military Comics, Miss America was hot-tempered and her powers were near limitless. A revolving door of creators might have been its downfall. Elmer Wexler only drew her first two adventures (his only signed Quality Comics contributions). At DC, Miss America’s history has been greatly embellished, but because the original feature was so short-lived, the changes do not necessarily affect the “continuity” of her Quality appearances. Writer Roy Thomas pulled in Miss America after DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, to fill a void in continuity left by the erasure of the Golden Age Wonder Woman. Thomas’ revised origin for Miss America was roughly the same as that from Military Comics #1… In the late spring of 1941, while visiting Bedloe’s (Liberty) Island, young reporter for the Daily Star Joan Dale was overcome by sleep and dreamt of the spirit of Lady Liberty. When she awoke, she found she’d been granted “magical” powers. Pointing to a tree, she wished it were gone—and it disappeared! When she saved a man from some thugs, the man thanked her and called her “Miss America.” Joan liked the nickname and decided to create a persona around it. Back at the newspaper, her boss sent her to a bomb site, where she was able to divine clues from objects in the rubble. There she overheard murmurs of an attack, but when she told the Chief Inspector of the FBI, he didn’t believe her. So she set out to bust up the spies herself. She

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Top: Splash page from Military Comics #1 (1941) shows Miss America’s non-costume; art by Elmer Wexler. Bottom: The costume had little consistency, with stars and stripes and shapes in constant movement, from Military #7 (1942); artist uncertain, GCD credited as Tom Hickey.

used her new powers to deflect the bomb and crush the getaway car. (Military #1)

In that story she wore no real “costume,” just a simple red tailored outfit. Her origin story was retold at DC in Secret Origins #26 (1988). In that, things were changed so that she only believed that she’d dreamt of Lady Liberty. In truth she had been gassed and kidnapped by a top secret government agency called Project M. There Professor Mazursky was expecting a male subject on which to experiment, but he went with Joan anyway. The professor thought he’d botched her transformation and returned her to Liberty Island. But she was far from damaged; in fact, she was now probably one of the most powerful beings on Earth. Joan went obliviously about her business as Miss America. As a reporter, she was very brash and adventurous (perhaps bolstered by her powers). On her second outing, after foiling a spy plot, she was kidnapped and recognized. Her captors were no match for her

In 1998, the status of the Golden Age Wonder Woman was altered again. Writer John Byrne found a way to restore Wonder Woman by using her mother, Hippolyta. (Wonder Woman vol. 2 #130-133) Hippolyta then joined the Justice Society, but it was never made clear whether Miss America’s membership was “retconned” out. While Hippolyta was in the 1940s, her daughter Diana was also briefly sent back in time. Diana disguised herself as Miss America to fool her mother, but Hippolyta deduced the truth after Diana had gone. (#184-185)

magic. (Military #2) She worked one more case as a reporter (#3) before an unsigned artist took over the feature in Military #4. Then Miss America’s more familiar patriotic costume appeared in a flash (but no mask), and Joan quit her job at the paper in favor of a position in the FBI. She now worked for Tim Healy, but seemed to like her new boss no better than she’d liked her editor. (#4) Healy was an inconsequential figure in her adventures. On a boat ride, she stumbled across a submarine and then investigated a nearby house—naturally it was a Fifth Column nest where she was ambushed by a brute. (#5) Joan kept tinkering with the design of her costume; the stripes moved from her skirt to her shirt, and stars appeared on the skirt (à la Wonder Woman?). (#6) Her only marginally exotic foe was the non-costumed silk thief called the Moth. The Moth used cards that burst into flames when thrown, but they were no match for Miss America’s power. (#7)

Like New Again Recently, Joan lost both of those closest to her. Lyta and her husband, Hector Hall, perished under mysterious circumstances. (JSA #80) Next, her husband Derek succumbed to old age. Upon his passing, Joan revealed a great secret: she had used her powers for decades only to effect the appearance of aging—for Derek’s sake. Her “loss of powers” had also been a ruse. (Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #6)

Joan chose to return to adventuring just as Uncle Sam’s new Freedom Fighters were battling an android Miss America. The fake was in the service of the spy organization, S.H.A.D.E. Like Joan, it was massively powerful and possessed personal information on all the Freedom Fighters. Joan brought the android down herself. (#5) She then accompanied the Freedom Fighters back to their headquarters, an other-dimensional land called the Heartland. (#6) Joan enthusiastically threw herself back into crime fighting, joining Sam’s band as they took on Gonzo, an alien who posed as President of the United States. (#7) In their next case, the F.F.’s Red Bee went mad and caused the Human Bomb to explode. Joan acted fast, absorbing the blast and heading into space where she seemingly died in an explosion. (US&FF vol. 2 #5) Her atoms were strewn, but her powers were so great that she was able to reassemble herself into a new heroine called Miss Cosmos. (#7) She returned to Earth at a key time, and destroyed an invading alien ship (#8) Since then, her “cosmic” powers have trickled away. When the Freedom Fighters were decommissioned, Joan remained a special liaison to the President. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #7, 9)

Joan Dale returns as Miss Cosmos, from Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #8 (2008); art by Renato Arlem.

And then she died. Before Miss America was looped into the DC role of Wonder Woman, she appeared in All-Star Squadron #32 as a charter member of the Freedom Fighters. This tale picked up her story late in her first year, on the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Her fellow patriotic hero, Uncle Sam, got wind of the attack and assembled a group of heroes to prevent it. Their mission was a near-success but a sneak attack apparently killed them all, save for Uncle Sam. Miss America probably would have stayed dead if not for the Crisis. Returning to her retooled origin story in Secret Origins #26, we learned that Joan had survived the Japanese attack and her comatose body was reclaimed by agents of Project M. She was discovered by Robotman and the Young All-Stars, who visited the facility. (Young All-Stars #12) There a battle with the Ultra-Humanite broke out, which awakened Joan from her coma. (#14) She promptly returned to the defense of her country and in late May 1942, even joined the Justice Society as the group’s secretary! (Annual #1) “Secretary” had also been the title awarded to Wonder Woman when she joined the JSA, in All-Star Comics #12 (Aug. 1942). The first reference to this switch was in Infinity, Inc. #49, April 1988. After Crisis, several Golden Age JSA cases were re-depicted showing Miss America in place of Wonder Woman, including the battle with the Lorelei. (All-Star Comics #39, Infinity Inc. #50) After the Justice Society was forced to disband in 1951, Joan found that her powers were waning. (Infinity #49) She settled down and married Admiral Derek Trevor (the stand-in for Wonder Woman’s Steve Trevor). During her time with the All-Stars Joan had struck up a friendship with the young heroine called Fury (Helena Kosmatos). (Young All-Stars #27) Later when Fury gave birth to a baby girl named Lyta, Helena entrusted the newborn to Joan and Derek, who raised the girl as their own. They never revealed Lyta’s true parentage to her, and the identity of Lyta’s biological father was never revealed. (Infinity #48) When she was grown, Lyta took the name Fury II and joined the group called Infinity, Inc.

Notes Timely (Marvel) also had a “Miss America” that was considerably more successful, but who debuted after Joan, in Marvel Mystery #49 (Nov. 1943). The Miss America pageant was begun in 1921.

Powers Miss America possesses formidable telekinetic abilities. She is an expert in their use; not only can she use them to affect objects, but can transform matter on a molecular level. There may be a mystic element to Joan’s powers, which could be the explanation for her extended longevity. Character profiles 153

Mr. Mystic Created by Will Eisner and Bob Powell NAME + ALIASES: Ken (last name unrevealed) FIRST APPEARANCE: The Spirit Section, June 2, 1940 APPEARANCES:

• The Spirit Section (June 2, 1940–May 14, 1944 [#1–207 whole]) • Will Eisner Presents #1 (Dec. 1990)

fatale named Eléna, an Axis agent with a thirst for magical power. Eléna was a wily fascist who first demonstrated only the powers of hypnosis and marksmanship. Mystic was charmed by this woman, who returned many times. (6/9/40) Next time, she made a grab for Mr. Mystic’s new necklace, which was a gift from the lamas that made his power “supreme.” (6/23/40) Eléna soon secured magical power of her own that was granted by “Cardin the Terrible.” It came with one caveat: if she were ever defeated in a duel, the power would be withdrawn. With the playing field leveled, Mr. Mystic indeed proved that he was superior. Minus her powers, Eléna reverted to the form of a little girl. Easily fixed—Mr. Mystic restored her womanhood with a gesture so that the two of them could finally be together. (7/21-28/1940) The couple was soon engaged to marry and when she was kidnapped by Sarku, Mystic sensed her peril and followed his foe into the future. There Sarku had teamed with Tan Tan, the king of the moon. (9/1/1940) He also saved her from the ghost of Don Juan De Leon. (12/15/1940) As his reputation grew, others began to seek out the aide of Mr. Mystic, including the U.S. military. The onset of war brought a sometimes lighter tone and cases involving Axis intrigue (but still punctuated by fanciful tales and ancient alchemy). According to his ex-wife, Bob Powell entered the Army Air Corps in 1942, but his work appeared on “Mr. Mystic” into 1943. Perhaps he was able to work on the feature while in training. Fred Guardineer took over the strip until its end. Before this, Guardineer had drawn the magicians Merlin and Tor for Quality, and Zatara for DC. Guardineer’s stories

Mr. Mystic followed in the footsteps of Will Eisner and Bob Powell’s Yarko the Great, published by Fox in Wonder Comics #2 (1939). Both heroes wore yellow turbans, red capes and tuxedos. Yarko was most likely inspired by Mandrake, a popular turbaned magician that was syndicated in newspapers starting in 1934. “Yarko” was prepared at the Eisner & Iger studio, but when Will Eisner separated from Iger to create his new Sunday Spirit Section, Powell moved with him. They retooled Yarko as “Mr. Mystic.” Powell’s last Yarko feature was Wonderworld Comics #10 (Feb. 1940), and Mr. Mystic debuted on June 2, 1940. Yarko continued through Wonderworld #33, so the two were published simultaneously for a time. (DC had a similar hero, Sargon the Sorcerer, who first appeared in All-American Comics #26, May 1941.) According to Will Eisner, Mr. Mystic’s paramours were reflections of those in Bob Powell’s own life. When Powell got married, Mr. Mystic also settled, on the lovely Penny. (These details come via Cat Yronwode, in Will Eisner Presents, 1990.) “Mr. Mystic” appeared in five pages every week as the last of the three features in the Spirit Section. Along with the Spirit and Lady Luck, the character has always been under the copyright of Will Eisner. According to Eisner, Bob Powell wrote and drew Mr. Mystic Below: Yarko, from Wonderworld Comics #8 (Fox, 1939). Right: Mr. Mystic, from The Spirit himself. (Alter Ego #48) Section Sept. 1, 1940. Bottom: The taming of his Mr. Mystic’s war against evil began in “a tiny former foe, Eléna, from July 28, 1940. All art by country in the path of an invader.” This land Bob Powell. was ostensibly Tibet, where American diplomats were forced to flee from Asian aggressors. One of them, a man named Ken, selflessly gave up his seat on the plane to an important scientist. Ken hopped another abandoned plane and attempted to fly to safety, but he was shot down in the Himalayas. This was his fate, preordained by a council of seven lamas (spiritual masters). These monks retrieved Ken from the wreckage and transformed him. Before he could learn much more, the lamas ascended to the clouds. Ken stood stranded and confused when a voice boomed from above and declared that henceforth he would be called Mr. Mystic. He became magically attired in a turban, cape and tuxedo and with his slightest wish, his broken plane was repaired! His forehead was now emblazoned with an arcane symbol (which resembled the “pi” symbol). His new powers were limitless, and he wasted no time in ousting the European invaders. (Spirit Section 6/2/1940) Only another strong mystic could truly match Mr. Mystic’s powers. In Arabia, he stood for hours on the desert sands locked in mystical battle with an old fakir, Kabula. (6/16/40) But his most formidable foe might have been a femme

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shifted to a more mundane, two-fisted approach, and Mr. Mystic was discontinued about a year later. In May 1944, it was replaced by “Intellectual Amos.” In comparison with some of his 1940s contemporaries, Bob Powell’s art might not be considered the “tops,” but he was more than adept at creating compelling stories and exotic scenes. Mr. Mystic himself was a bit stiff (his formal attire allowed Powell to eschew detailed anatomical drawing) but his female co-stars were a lively mix—from girls-next-door, to foreign temptresses, to stern officers.

Notes Unlike the Spirit and Lady Luck, Quality did not reprint Mr. Mystic’s adventures in its monthly titles. The first five Mr. Mystic adventures were reprinted in black-and-white by Eclipse in one volume of Will Eisner Presents (1990). Some of the features were reprinted in Kitchen Sink’s Spirit Magazine. More appear in IDW’s trade paperback John Law: Dead Man Walking (2004).

Powers

a German destroyer. The Parisian newspaper Le Petit Journal exclaimed that Monsieur X was lost at sea, but actually, he dove back into the English Channel and swam back to France to further torment the Nazis. Military Comics #8–13 also featured a French heroine, X of the Underground. The phrase “Monsieur X” appears throughout French arts and culture. Le Petit Journal is archived online only through 1940; a search yields no evidence of the story represented in McWilliams’ tale. Henri Rousseau painted the Portrait of Monsieur X (Pierre Loti, a novelist who died in 1923). It was also the name used by an erotic photographer of the 1920s-30s. And in 1948, Édith Piaf recorded a song called “Monsieur X.” It is a melancholy song about a beautiful man who wandered in sadness by the Seine.

The Mouthpiece Created by Fred Guardineer

Mr. Mystic’s vast powers included teleportation, astral projection, control over the elements, physical transformations of all sorts—any fantastical feat, really. The powers were partly derived from amulets, or “luck charms,” worn as necklaces or on his cape.

Monsieur X Created by Al McWilliams NAME + ALIASES: Unknown ONLY APPEARANCE: Military Comics #6 (Jan. 1942)

NAME + ALIASES: Bill Perkins FIRST APPEARANCE: Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941) APPEARANCES: Police Comics #1–13 (Aug. 1941–Nov. 1942)

The Mouthpiece was curiously similar to two predecessors, Will Eisner’s Spirit, and its copy, Jack Cole’s Midnight. Was this another attempt by Busy Arnold to cash in on “The Spirit”? The Mouthpiece ran in Police Comics until just after that book began reprinting the Spirit’s Sunday adventures (the two features co-existed for two issues). Like all of Fred Guardineer’s features, the Mouthpiece was great fun to look at, but writing was not his strength. Stories tended to be jerky. Newly elected District Attorney, Bill Perkins, didn’t bother to wear a different suit when he donned a mask to become the Mouthpiece. He used this alter ego as a tool to gather evidence more… creatively. Freed from the confines of the law, the Mouthpiece even placed a chain around an opponents’ wrist, twisting to cause pain. His first case was against Peg-Leg Friel, who smuggled European refugees inside fish carcasses! When Peg-Leg made for escape, the Mouthpiece didn’t think Splash from Police #7 (1942); art twice before grabbing a harpoon by Fred Guardineer.

From Military Comics #6 (1942); art by Al McWilliams.

Monsieur X is an interesting anomaly. The character appeared only once, in the “Secret War News” feature of Military Comics. This feature presented itself as depicting real life military stories. The tale in Military #6 (Jan. 1942) promised that it was “based on inside facts gathered from British information bureaus,” but it’s a story that’s hard to believe. Written by Al McWilliams, the mysterious Monsieur X was a French freedom fighter. Dashing in his moustache and domino mask, X liberated a German ship filled with British prisoners at Calais, France. With the help of another British ship, they took out

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and sending him into the deep. (Police #1) He also sent another foe, the Nazi Underwaterman, to a watery grave. (#12) The Mouthpiece’s foes were brutal thugs (whom he miraculously knew where to find) and maniacs like the hooded Professor Snook. Snook took a plunge over a castle wall rather than be captured. (#5) He caught brothers Skul and Morbidd Van Deth in the act of disposing of a body. In the course of the ensuing chase, Skul too died, tumbling from the rooftop. (#8)

Notes A person named the “Mouthpiece” appeared in Dr. Mid-Nite #1. He was a modern-day man who’d lost his family to AIDS and advised Dr. Mid-Nite.

Neon the Unknown Created by Alex Blum NAME + ALIASES: Thomas Corbet GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Hit Comics #1 (July 1940) APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Squadron #32 • Hit Comics #1-17 (July 1940– Nov. 1941) • Secret Origins vol. 2 #26 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #5

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The “Neon” feature was signed with the pen name “Tagor Maroy,” which leaves some question as to the hero’s creator. Since Hit Comics was one that Will Eisner co-owned with Busy Arnold, it’s reasonable to assume that Eisner might have created the character concept and written the first stories, as he did with characters like the Ray, Doll Man and Uncle Sam. Alex Blum is the most likely artist on the feature. Blum is known to have worked on the “Strange Twins” feature and his style is recognizable after a brief study. Forms and faces seen frequently in “Strange Twins” and elsewhere also appear in “Neon.” Quality published another hero named simply “the Unknown.” He debuted after Neon’s feature ended, in National Comics #23 (June 1942). Neon snagged several covers of Hit Comics, issues #2, 4, 8 and 9, but his feature was very short-lived. Tom Corbet was serving in the French Foreign Legion when the war in Europe had begun. In northern Africa, his platoon was ordered to put down a native tribe that was being supplied by the munitions manufacturer, Morgan Crooke. It was a suicide mission. On foot, all but Corbet perished in the heat. With his last effort, Tom stumbled upon a mystical oasis. When he drank from its phosphorescent waters, he was transformed… glowing! He found that he was able to emit neon-like rays (which were powerful enough to kill). He also could fly, and discovered an impending air attack. Taking the name Neon the Unknown, Corbet led his Left: From Hit #8 (1941); art by former comrades in the Legion Alex Blum. Right: The all-different Neon, from Uncle Sam & the to victory. (Hit Comics #1) Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #5 (2008); Neon sped on, directly to Eu- art by Renato Arlem.

rope and visited Rachaw, one of the notorious concentration camps in the country of “Dunland.” He allowed himself to be captured, then led a mass escape. He helped the people overthrow Dunland’s dictator, Radolf. (#2) Neon continued his freelance adventures at the North Pole, rescuing a British polar explorer from a strange tropical isle hidden beneath the glaciers. (#3) The writing on “Neon” was as meandering as its character’s own adventures. His powers allowed him to traverse the globe quickly, encountering the likes of Fritz Cardif, inventor of the invisible ray (#6); Oriental telepaths (#7); and Scar Lioni, who created a formidable tractor beam of sorts that Neon could not escape (except by turning his body into energy). (#16) He once returned to aide his friends in the French Foreign Legion and revealed his identity to his comrades, who believed he was dead. He kept a low profile (lest he be brought in for desertion) and defeated an Axis plot to tunnel from Morocco to Gibraltar. (#9) His only recurring foe was European dictator Otto Schickler. He discovered Schickler in South America where he worked with an ancient wizard, Damus. Damus conjured evil demons and a dragon but when Shickler turned his wrath on the old man, Neon convinced Damus to defect. (#11) Back in the Balkans, Neon prevented Schickler from invading the nation of Slovia and encouraged its people to work towards establishing a democratic government. (#12) Neon returned to the U.S. amid a rash of kidnappings and sabotage perpetuated by the treacherous Dr. Marko, who worked with Indians. (#13) From there he found German underwater mines in New York Harbor. He killed their commander and destroyed their underwater base. (#14)

The Orchid was a mysterious figure who appeared only twice in the pages of “The Clock.” In Crack Comics #2, the Orchid is described by the Clock as a mysterious woman crime fighter. Occasionally she would ask for the Clock’s help by sending notes to Brian O’Brien, indicating that she knew his secret identity. Brian also mentioned that he’d met her twice before. (#2) The Orchid appeared to the Clock only in shadow, from Crack #27 The Orchid was a plot device (1940); art by George Brenner. that George Brenner never got around to developing. After this first mention, she only reappeared over two years later—in person— in Crack #27. In that case, the Orchid summoned the Clock to the countryside to investigate strange happenings at Morgan Manor. She came to him in shadows, wearing a green hat and dress (similar to Lady Luck). The usual fictional suspects in a case like the Orchid might have been a girlfriend or other recurring character, but the Clock had no lady guest stars other than the girl, Butch (who didn’t like the Orchid one bit).

Phantom Lady Sandra Knight created by Arthur Peddy NAME + ALIASES: Sandra Knight KNOWN RELATIVES: Harold Henry Knight (father, deceased), Arnold

DC Neon’s next appearance was at the Freedom Fighters’ first battle just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. There he supposedly died (his body was not recovered). (All-Star Squadron #32) After many decades, Corbet was revealed to have escaped death again. When he’d awakened after the Japanese attack, he found his powers had returned him to the African oasis from which Neon had been borne. But Corbet became something less human and preferred to remain there. In a time of crisis, Uncle Sam sent the original Ray to enlist Neon’s aid. Neon refused, then disappeared. In response, the Ray decided to drink from the same mystic waters that had powered Corbet. It worked, and Terrill became the new Neon. (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #5)

Powers The original Neon could channel powerful light energy into “neonic beams.” This energy could be used to fly, to blind, as force, or as lasers. It was known to be powerful enough to kill a tiger, disintegrate solid matter, and disable a fleet of airplanes. Its application was near limitless. Neon could also turn his own body into pure intangible energy, sometimes assuming a swirling “neonic” shape. Once when someone was describing another person, an image of that person appeared in Neon’s head.

The Orchid Created by George Brenner FIRST APPEARANCE, Mentioned: Crack Comics #2 (June 1940). Depicted: Crack Comics #27 (Jan. 1943)

“Iron” Munro (ex-husband), unnamed son (deceased), Walter Pratt (son, deceased), Katherine Spencer (Manhunter VII, granddaughter), Ramsey Robinson (great-grandson), Priscilla (aunt), Ted Knight (Starman I, cousin, deceased), Jack Knight (cousin, Starman VI) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: All-Star Squadron, Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941) APPEARANCES, QUALITY & DC:

• All-Star Squadron #2-4, 25 41, 44 • All-Star 80-Page Giant #1 • Birds of Prey vol. 2 #14-15 • Damage #6, 11, 12 • Feature Comics #69-71 • Freedom Fighters, #1-15 • Justice League of America #107-108 • Police Comics #1-23 (Aug. 1941–Oct. 1943) • Starman vol. 2 #44, 73 Fox:

• All Top Comics #8-17 (Nov. 1947–May 1949) • Phantom Lady #13-23 (Aug. 1947–April 1949) Ajax:

• Phantom Lady #1-4 (Dec. 1954–June 1955)

Given her historical popularity, it’s surprising to find that Phantom Lady’s early appearances in Police Comics suffered from rather poor scripts and characterization (but rather nice artwork by Arthur Peddy). Frank Borth drew her adventures beginning with Police #17, and he added the famous split-top to her costume. (Her Quality contemporary, Wildfire, wore a much skimpier top!) Borth also engineered P.L.’s crossover with his other creations, Spider Widow and the Raven. This crossover is one of the few examples of such in Quality Comics. Both Character profiles 157

of Borth’s features ended around the same time, which undoubtedly coincided with his enlistment in the army. Sandra Knight’s Quality and DC continuities marry fairly well. Her origin was first retold in Freedom Fighters #15 (July-Aug. 1978). But the story from 1985’s All-Star Squadron #41 added two major things: the assertion that she aided in developing her black light gun, and that she was related to Ted Knight (Starman). Sandra Knight was the debutante daughter of Senator Harold Henry Knight. Known for her social activiAbove: Phantom Lady uses her ties, she hid the fact that she was black light gauntlet, from Police actually a quite brilliant scientist. #7 (1942); art by Arthur Peddy. Sandra worked with Prof. Abraham Right: Her briefly-worn mask, from Police #15 (1943); artist Davis, whose inventions would one uncertain. Bottom: Dueling with day supply the technology behind the Spider Widow, from Police her “blackout” wristbands. But be- #21 (1943); art by Frank Borth. fore that, Sandra was instrumental in jump-starting another mystery man’s career—her cousin, Ted Knight’s. She introduced Ted to Prof. Davis, who helped him perfect Ted’s “gravity rod” technology. The device channelled energy from the stars for various uses. Ted eventually used the rod to become the original Starman. (All-Star Squadron #41) In mid-1941, Sandra made her own foray into crime fighting (albeit out of costume), saving her father from a would-be attacker. In this instance, the attackers marveled at the presence of some “phantom lady,” a name which she also uttered to her father before receding into the darkness. (Freedom Fighters #15) This prompted her to adopt an alter ego. By day, the young socialite put on a bored front. But now she was ready for danger. She first donned her costume on a trip with her father to a bomb testing site. When they arrived, they found the field under attack by a U.S. navy plane. A man named Wenner had kidnapped Dr. Raphael’s bomb and escaped in the plane. Sandra took to the night as the Phantom Lady to investigate and unveiled her sole weapon: a “blacklight lantern” that emitted a cone of nulled light. Her car was also equipped with the black rays, used to disguise her escape. She found a remote hideout where she narrowly rescued Raphael and his bomb formula, which he decided to give to the War Department. Later, Sandra dined with her beau, Don Borden, who was a State Department Investigator. (Police #1) When an attack on the embassy of the nation called Herma threatened to drag the U.S. into Europe’s war, Sandra devised a clever plan to catch the perpetrators. She took her father’s oriental antiques to a dealer to sell them, which flushed out the Oriental saboteurs (who stole them). The dealer recognized the men and led Phantom Lady to their lair—the embassy of Herma’s rival nation. The mastermind turned out to be an American man convicted of treason. Sandra freed the Hermese ambassador and persuaded him not to declare war on the U.S. (#2) Both Don and Senator Knight were targets for attack. Sandra magically managed to locate Don’s kidnappers after being knocked unconscious herself. At a remote hideaway she freed him. Somehow, though she didn’t wear a mask, Don didn’t recognize Phantom Lady as his girlfriend. (#3) Don was jealous when the Paradoran Captain Ortega took notice of Sandra. He took the Paradoran ambassador’s daughter to the ball that night. Naturally, it turned out that Ortega

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was secretly a Fifth Columnist. (#5) Murder at a costume ball led to crooks at the zoo. Phantom Lady showed no hesitation in shooting one of them and another was left to be eaten by a lion! (#7) When Sandra learned that Japanese nationals were planning to kill her father, the Phantom Lady completely botched an attempt to save him. Instead of alerting authorities, she got herself kidnapped then failed to prevent the Japanese from shooting the Senator on the Senate floor. Luckily the wound wasn’t fatal and she caught the shooter while he was fleeing. (#9) Her friend Maisie became an occasional guest-star. (#12) When Sandra failed to turn up for a social function, Maisie and Don located her and fell prey to an impostor Phantom Lady. Sandra got lucky and freed herself, then her pals. (#13) Her only other known relative was her aunt Priscilla whom she visited in West Point. Priscilla discovered her dual identity but Sandra

got out of it with some quick talking. (#14) After infiltrating the School for Spies, run by Baron Torpe, Phantom Lady finally realized that a mask would be beneficial to her crime fighting career and she wore a silk drape over her face. (#15)

The Borth Era When Frank Borth took the helm on Phantom Lady’s adventures, he dispensed with Sandra’s new mask, but a domino mask appeared in Police #18, and was gone again the next issue. He also began a multipart adventure that crossed over with his other Quality feature, the Spider Widow. That case began with a series of attacks by an unseen mob boss on the life of Sandra’s father, at a party in the Senator’s home. (#17) Another spy attacked the Senator while dressed as the Easter bunny. (#18) After the next attack, it became clear to Sandra that she’d have to be more proactive in finding the man behind these attacks. They struck again while she was boating with her friends Jake (a comic strip artist) and Heidi on Lake Erie. Sandra took to the aquaplane (a platform for waterskiing) and was overtaken by men bent on revenge against her father. She stealthily donned her costume and commandeered another boat to round them up. (#19) Sandra was soon contacted by another mystery man, the Raven, who informed her of her father’s capture. His note led her to the docks where Phantom Lady found that the Raven had also been captured. She freed the hero, then her father, and quickly ditched the Raven in order to usher her father to safety. The crooks escaped. (#20) During the course of this caper, the Raven must have deduced the Phantom Lady’s dual identity, and he contacted Sandra, wanting to introduce her to his crime-fighting partner, the Spider Widow. Dianne was immediately jealous of Sandra and the two began to bicker. Raven maintained a tenuous peace and the three determined to find Senator Knight’s tormentors once and for all. They hopped the subway (yep) on the trail of one of the gangsters whom Raven had recognized. Even amid danger the two women quibbled; the Spider Widow was angered that Phantom Lady was stealing the show. (Feature #69) Both heroines soon received notes that challenged the other to a duel—and neither hesitated to accept. The Raven would officiate. But the duel was orchestrated by their true quarry, who had hoped to kill three birds with one stone. As a bonus, the crooks discovered that the women were dueling without their masks on, and their identities were compromised. At the first sign of gunfire, the heroes dove to safety. The Raven took a slug to the back but Sandra and Dianne mopped up the gunmen. They sped him off to the hospital where, true to form, the women reverted to arguing over who would look after him. (Police #21) Despite their disdain for one another, the partnership continued. The Raven infiltrated the crime ring they’d been trailing and fingered its boss, Larkin. Larkin intended to disguise himself as Senator Knight. At last the trio took him down, but before he could be brought to justice, he was killed by one of his own gang’s bullets. (Feature #70) In their last adventure together, the Raven attempted to mend relations between the girls. His prank, however, turned sour when mobsters intervened and captured him and Phantom Lady. After one timely rescue by the Spider Widow, the gals became pals. (#71) After bidding adieu to her partners against crime, Sandra returned to safeguarding Washington D.C. at the launch of a new “super” submarine. (#22) Phantom Lady’s own career began to jeopardize her father’s life. When paranoid mental patients broke free from their confinement, they headed for the home of Senator Knight and tied up all the staff! (#23) That’s all they wrote for the Phantom Lady at Quality Comics. Her original features lasted barely two years, but her legend continued to

grow beyond it…

Phantom Ladies at Infinite Publishers In 1947—four years after exiting Quality Comics, and just as long after the decline of the super-hero— Jerry Iger resurrected “Phantom Lady” for Fox Features Syndicate. There’s sufficient evidence to place Phantom Lady’s creation within Iger’s shop. By the time Police #1 was launched, he had separated from Will Eisner. Both her Quality artists, Arthur Peddy and Frank Borth, are known Iger employees at that time. What is less clear is whether Phantom Lady was produced by Iger for Quality directly, or whether she was part of the package that Will Eisner subcontracted to Iger after their partnership ended (which Eisner admitted to doing). This begs the question: who owned Phantom Lady? Was the character owned by Quality under the assumption of work-for-hire? If so, why was Iger allowed to republish her? The simplest conclusion is that, regardless of copyright, Quality’s publisher, Busy Arnold, didn’t care. James Robinson swore that By 1947, Quality had moved away Phantom Lady’s nemesis, the from super-heroes. Prairie Witch, wasn’t an homage Still, why choose Phantom Lady, to Spider Widow. For more see, page 50, from Starman #44 (1998); whose adventures were relatively art by Mike Mayhew. short-lived? Regardless, Phantom Lady might never have become the cult icon she is today if not for her appearances at Fox, and for the artist who reinvented her: Matt Baker (using the pen name “Gregory Page”). Baker’s style is now synonymous with “Good Girl Art”— otherwise good girls who are suggestively posed in revealing attire. Phantom Lady was retooled slightly in the pages of her own series and in All-Top Comics. Baker’s Phantom Lady was based on Quality’s; this Sandra Knight was also the daughter of Senator Wright, but her costume was tweaked, and recolored dark blue and red. The black light ray was back, and so was Don Borden. These pre-Comics Code adventures were well written and liberally adorned with lovely ladies. The covers are curiously repetitive, though, nearly identical in some cases. In 1954, Iger revived her once more at Ajax/Farrell, which published four issues of a new Phantom Lady series. This character was like the one published by Fox. The nascent Comics Code’s seal appears on issue #3, and inside, her skirt became more like (short) shorts. In issue #4, the shorts were lengthened significantly. The Fox/Ajax version of Phantom Lady has never appeared in DC’s comics. That’s not to say DC hasn’t laid claim to that version of the character… in a way. AC Comics intended to use Baker’s Phantom Lady but was blocked by DC. Read about this in our case study, on page 34. Character profiles 159

Delilah Tyler makes her public debut, from Action Comics #637

Phantom Lady appeared at DC (1989); art by Chuck Austen. Comics in 1973’s Justice League of America #107-108. Sandra was reintroduced to readers wearing her original Quality uniform along with other former Quality heroes, as the Freedom Fighters. This story and the successive Freedom Fighters series are no longer in DC continuity. For the details on this series and summary of events, see page 43. Dialing back the “continuity clock” just a bit, Phantom Lady’s current DC continuity picks up with World War II. In 1983, Roy Thomas created the All-Star Squadron, a World War II era supergroup. He cast Phantom Lady as a primary character, and picked up her story (more-or-less) where her Quality adventures left off… Sandra was in her home in San Francisco on Dec. 7, 1941, when air raid sirens began to blare in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As fate would have it, the newly formed All-Star Squadron was also in town and she joined them in battle against Per Degaton. By this time, Phantom Lady had realized that wearing a mask was more effective than blinding everyone with black light. She was present in San Francisco with her father, the Senator, when Per Degaton’s group of villains attacked the All-Stars, of which she became a founding member. (All-Star Squadron #2) After this mission, she returned home to check on her father, but re-teamed with the Squadron frequently throughout the war. (#4) Sandra made considerable upgrades to her equipment. Her new goggles enabled her to see amid her own darkness, and she also developed a way to internalize the power of her gun. By doing so she could make herself invisible. It came in handy when she and the All-Stars were attacked by the time-tossed Infinity, Inc. (#25-26) When the All-Star Squadron expanded, they held an open call at their new headquarters in the Perisphere, in New York. There Sandra met Uncle Sam and joined his splinter group, the Freedom Fighters, who stopped Baron Blitzkrieg’s invasion of Santa Barbara, California. (#31-35) Also during this mission, the Phantom Lady lent the use of her black light ray to activate the Miraclo residue in Hourman’s body. (#35) For the remainder of the war, Phantom Lady remained with the Freedom Fighters, which separated from the All-Star Squadron and were based in Washington DC to keep closer ties to the White House. (Who’s Who ‘87 #5) Sandra even teamed with her cousin, Starman (Ted Knight), to battle the Prairie Witch in Opal City. (Starman vol. 2 #44) After the War, Sandra met her first husband, the young powerhouse known as Iron (Arn) Munro. Before the two of them were married, Sandra conceived a child—which she never revealed to him. She confided only in the Atom (Al Pratt) who helped her put the child up for adoption. The hospital mistakenly put Al’s name as father on the child’s birth certificate and the child was named Walter Pratt. (Manhunter vol. 3 #23)

In the 1960s, both Sandra and Arn joined a new branch of the O.S.S., a spy agency called Argent. As Sandra put it, they “became lovers, then married on the spur of the moment, while vacationing in Monaco—and quarrelled every day for a month after.” Their union was indeed cursed. She undertook a fateful mission to Poland to hunt down Baron Blitzkrieg and his psionic ally, Kodrescu. Phantom Lady walked into a trap, and only then learned that she was pregnant with her second child. The Baron stole her child and left her to die. When she escaped, she returned and sought the help of the Human Bomb, who hooked her up with Sarge Steel of the CBI agency. She formed her own intelligence academy called the Université Notre Dame des Ombres (“Our lady of the shadows”), in France. Sandra hoped this new network would help find her child, but to no avail.

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Still, the school trained promising young students in the covert arts. Iron Munro presumed she was dead, and she did not contact him. The fate of their second child is unknown. (Damage #11)

Legacies Sandra’s first child—Walter Pratt, whom she’d given up for adoption—grew into a homicidal maniac. Because of the false information on Pratt’s birth certificate, the public believed that he was the son of the original Atom. Pratt murdered the mother of his child, a woman named Lydia. Their daughter (Sandra’s granddaughter) Katherine Spencer later became Los Angeles’ Manhunter and wound up battling Walter Pratt. After Pratt’s death (he was cut in half midstream in teleportation [Manhunter #19]), Spencer learned her true lineage from the Justice Society’s Dr. Mid-Nite and paid a visit to her grandmother, Sandra Knight. (#23) Kate also has a son, Ramsey Robinson. Sandra and Iron Munro have since reestablished an easy friendship and are helping to raise Ramsey. (#33-34)

Notes Sandra’s father’s name was first told as Harold “H.” Knight in Police #20. Later stories dubbed him “Henry” Knight, which we take to be his middle name. Argent, the covert agency that Sandra was said to have joined in Damage, and its leader, Control, first appeared in DC’s G.I. Combat #192. Ironically this was a title that moved from Quality to DC. It was a division of Task Force X which also spawned the Suicide Squad. Phantom Lady is also the title of a 1942 novel by Cornell Woolrich which was adapted into a film in 1944.

Powers Sandra Knight originally had no innate superhuman abilities, but practiced martial arts such as jujutsu. She was also nimble as an acrobat. She relied on her original “black-out” wristbands which created a field of darkness. The bands were eventually altered to also render her invisible under normal light. She later developed goggles that allowed her to see amidst her black-out rays.

Phantom Lady II Created by Len Strazewski and Chuck Austen NAME + ALIASES: Delilah “Dee” Tyler KNOWN RELATIVES: Albert A. Tyler (father), Diana (mother, deceased),

Beau Tyler (uncle) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Action Comics Weekly #636 (Jan. 1989)

yielded no results except for a trap laid by Kodrescu. (#9) Munro’s friend, the Human Bomb, ultimately led him back to Washington DC Meanwhile, Dee Tyler had also brought Damage there to see Sandra. (#10) Sandra put to rest the questions Damage had about his own parentage; she was not his mother. Outside the Université, Iron Munro learned at last that Sandra could be found within; he chose not to see her. (#11) The second Phantom Lady eventually teamed with other heroes of Golden Age legacy, (JSA: Our Worlds at War) which led her to join Uncle Sam in the Freedom Fighters. (JSA #49-51) She was also on-hand to help Starman’s son, Jack Knight (Starman VII), stave off hordes of villains in Opal City. Ted Knight died in this fight and Sandra Knight said a few words at his funeral. (Starman vol. 2 #61-73) Dee’s career was cut short when she was murdered by members of the Society. During the chaos wrought by Alexander Luthor, she was killed with a sword by Deathstroke. (Infinite Crisis #1)

APPEARANCES:

Powers

• Action Comics Weekly #636-641 • Damage #6, 11 • Infinite Crisis #1 • Starman vol. 2 #47, 61-63, 67, 69–73

Dee Tyler was an Olympic level athlete trained by Sandra Knight, and used the latest upgrades to Phantom Lady’s technology. Dee’s costume sported a medallion that could cast an endless varieties of illusions. She also wore night vision goggles.

Sandra Knight’s star pupil at the Université Notre Dame des Ombres was Delilah “Dee” Tyler, whom she awarded Phantom Lady’s costume and equipment. (Action Comics Weekly #636) The equipment was upgraded to include a wrist-mounted laser blaster, and a holographic projector that could be used to create convincing illusions. The projector was worn like an amulet at the convergence of her cape. Dee was also an expert in the martial art called “savate” (French kickboxing). Dee’s mother Diana had also been a member of the Université. Diana met Dee’s father Albert A. Tyler there in France, when he was in the Navy. Although the two seemed mismatched, they were soon married and returned to New York City, where she helped guide his political career. Diana passed away when Dee was still young. (Action #641) After her own graduation from the Université (officiated by Dean Sandra Knight), Dee returned home to Washington D.C. where she set up an apartment near her father. Like Sandra’s father, Albert had become a high ranking U.S. official. But Dee sensed something was wrong about Albert. A bit of digging on her part uncovered the fact that he was being blackmailed by Edwin Guerrehart. (Action #636) Guerrehart was the head of the international crime cartel called Les Mille Yeux (“thousand eyes”). He was bold enough to even try to kidnap the Vice President. Phantom Lady was just in time (with her father’s gun-toting aide, Roger Richter) to save him. (#638) They sneaked into Guerrehart’s costume ball and uncovered more clues about the blackmail afoot, but they had to flee when her father was injured in the ensuing fight. (#639) She returned and saw the photos in question, which showed her father with the Ku Klux Klan. Phantom Lady scorched Guerrehart’s face, blinding him, and she took all of the photos and negatives. Later her father explained that it was his older brother, Beau, who had been a member of the Klan. Albert was there the day Beau instigated the murder of a black man, and the photos were taken so that Albert would stay quiet. After this, Albert fled into military service and was stationed in France. (#640-641) Dee, Sandra, Iron Munro and the new hero called Damage (Grant Emerson) were drawn together amid the time fluctuations caused by the Zero Hour event. Munro had been searching for Sandra for decades, and the time distortion allowed her to appear unto him—from a point when she was in Blitzkrieg’s custody. (Damage #6) Now thirty years later, Munro was re-energized to discover her true fate. A trip to Poland

Phantom Lady III Created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Daniel Acuña NAME + ALIASES: Stormy Knight KNOWN RELATIVES: Senator Henry Knight (father, deceased),

unnamed mother GROUP AFFILIATIONS: S.H.A.D.E., Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #2 (Late

July 2006) APPEARANCES:

• Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #2-6 • DCU: Brave New World #1 • Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1-9 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1, #1-8 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2, #1-8

Not long after Dee Tyler’s death, her successor emerged as a member of Father Time’s covert ops organization, S.H.A.D.E. The third Phantom Lady was Stormy Knight, daughter of another Senator Henry Knight. Stormy’s public image as a party girl (her dual identity is publicly known) belies the fact that she holds a degree in quantum physics. Her moral compass was always true. In one mission, she did not hesitate to express her distaste for “collateral damage” on S.H.A.D.E. missions. (Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #2) Stormy’s father was on track to become President, and Senator Knight clashed with Father Time over his plans against metahumans. (DCU: Brave New World) Still, when Knight ran for President, he criticized teams like the Justice League and advocated a government-sponsored team, which was all-too convenient for Father Time. Time introduced Knight to a shape-changing alien called Gonzo, who took Knight’s form, then killed him. (Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #1) Gonzo, as Knight, was elected President. Elsewhere, the hero called Uncle Sam had sensed this treachery and convinced Phantom Lady and her teammates to join his Freedom Fighters instead. (#2) Phantom Lady’s powers were generated by a pair of wristbands which could manipulate the fourth dimension. Stormy’s bands allowed her to shift partially into that dimension and become immaterial. It is Character profiles 161

unknown whether Stormy was related to Sandra Knight, or whether her equipment was based on Sandra’s black light ray. Among the Freedom Fighters, she unlocked even greater potential: near limitless teleportation. Stormy successfully teleported whole buildings into Uncle Sam’s other-dimensional Heartland. These became the Freedom Fighters’ base of operations. Naturally, Stormy was conflicted about battling her own father, but Uncle Sam soon confirmed that her father had been killed. (#4) After Gonzo was exposed, the new President put the Freedom Fighters in control of S.H.A.D.E. (#8) For all her bravery, there were times when Stormy’s night life interfered with her “day job” as Phantom Lady. She’d previously admitted that she used substances to relieve the stress of her work. During one such binge, Stormy became a media sensation—and a liability to the Freedom Fighters. In a battle against the Futurist Militia, Phantom Lady killed the metahuman called the Thunderer. Her teammates responded by sequestering her to the Heartland. After visiting her mother, a patient at the Templeton Psychiatric Center, Stormy attempted suicide. (#2) She was found by Doll Man, who saved her from death. Once she regained her faculties, Uncle Sam challenged Stormy to clean up. (#3) The team later learned that Stormy’s actions may have been due to manipulations by a rogue associate, the telepath Director Robbins. (#4) Stormy did indeed clean up, and took some time off to act in a film called Kindness of Strangers, for which she garnered critical acclaim. (#8) Since then, she and John Trujillo (the Black Condor) have given in to their mutual attraction. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #6)

Plastic Man Created by Jack Cole NAME + ALIASES: Patrick “Eel” O’Brian KNOWN RELATIVES: Lucas “Luke” Ernie McDunnagh (Offspring, son),

Angel McDunnagh (ex-wife), Edwina (ward) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: FBI, All-Star Squadron, Freedom Fighters, Justice

League of America FIRST APPEARANCE: Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941) FEATURED APPEARANCES:

• Action Comics #661, 762, 791 • Green Arrow/Black Canary #8-12 • Green Lantern vol. 3 #103, 115–116, 134-136 • Green Lantern/Plastic Man: Weapons of Mass Deception #1 • House of Mystery #160 • JLA #14–76, 87-89, 91-93, 100, 109, 109, 111-114 • Justice League of America vol. 1 #144 • Justice League of America vol. 2 #35-38, 40, 42 • Plastic Man vol. 1, 64 issues (1943-56) • Plastic Man vol. 2, #1-10 (1966-68) #11-20 (1976-77) • Plastic Man vol. 3, 4-issue limited series (1989) • Plastic Man vol. 4, 20 issues (2004-06) • The Plastic Man Archives, volumes 1–8, (1999-2006); reprinting Police Comics #1-77 & Plastic Man #1-10 • Plastic Man Special, one-shot (1999) • Police Comics #1-102 (1941-53)

Woozy Winks

Notes Stormy’s co-creator, Justin Gray, offered, “[Daniel Acuña’s] decision to exaggerate her breast size only stood to further her reputation and presented an interesting duality. …At first glance we see this anatomically impossible figure and that causes people to judge her in a certain light, but the more you get to know her you discover that not only are appearances deceiving but they can also be a negative when trying to be taken seriously. She’s a genius but few people can see past her chest. Yes, make jokes now to illustrate my point.” (“Uncle Sam…”)

NAME + ALIASES: “Woozy” Winks KNOWN RELATIVES: Wanda (wife), Weezer (son), Blinky Winks (uncle) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: None FIRST APPEARANCE: Police Comics #14 (Dec. 1942)

Powers Stormy Knight employs advanced technology. She holds degrees in quantum physics, and her wristbands can warp time and space itself. Like her predecessor’s, the bands can also create total darkness, but her most formidable ability is teleportation. There appears to be no limit to the size or distance she can manipulate with this technology.

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Stormy Knight battles Lady Liberty, from Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #5 (2007); art by Daniel Acuña.

The Quali t y Compa nion

Plastic Man was the unique creation of Jack Cole, a cartoonist whose work on the character has elevated him to the status of “comic book royalty,” but whose career was cut short by suicide. The seeds for this character (Quality’s second most popular, after Blackhawk) can be seen in Cole’s earliest work. In 1935, Jack drew autobiographical cartoons for an article in Boy’s Life about his cross-country bike trip from Pennsylvania to California. In these single-panel cartoons, his style was already fully developed. They show Jack making fun of himself: a wiry, bendy figure with a goofy face, and the panel borders are twisted and off-kilter. Naturally, Cole had been a fan of newspaper comic strips. His figures were more in league with E.C. Segar’s Popeye than Hal Foster’s Flash Gordon, but fate threw Jack Cole into the burgeoning world of the comic book hero, where he invented intriguing ways to infuse cartoons with adventure. Jack Cole’s experiences on that bike trip informed his stories, and the colorful characters within them. Plastic Man’s adventures spanned many American locales, and revealed Cole’s keen sense for pop culture. Jack infused his stories with elements of

entertainment and science, including early refer- Above: A classic early splash page and fight scene between ences to television and rocketry. Prior to creating Plastic Man, Cole warmed up Plastic Man and the immortal brain of Cyrus Smythe—alive and with Midnight, a character that Busy Arnold intended enlarged! From Police #11 (1942). to be a copy of Will Eisner’s “The Spirit.” Whatever Right: Woozy becomes a “Plastic Arnold’s intentions, Cole’s Midnight was nothing like Man.” From Police #24 (1943). All Eisner’s Spirit. Midnight debuted in Smash Comics art by Jack Cole. #18 (Jan. 1941), only about a half-year ahead of “Plas.” That boisterous feature displayed some of the elements that also split down Cole wold bring to his own original creation. the middle, colPlastic Man debuted in Police Comics #1, in the summer of 1941, ored red on the as a six-page back-up feature. The cover star of that issue was Reed left, black on the Crandall’s “Firebrand,” but that wouldn’t stand for long. The first right—just like installment was an origin story. Our hero—who began as a com- the Daredevil, a mon criminal named “Eel” O’Brian—was orphaned when he was hero whom Jack young, leaving him to fend for himself on rough streets. (Later stories Cole drew for explained that he earned his nickname by being so adept at eluding Lev Gleason the authorities.) O’Brian was left behind by his gang at the Crawford beginning with Chemical Works, and after being shot and doused by acid, he limped Silver Streak to safety on a remote mountain. When he awoke, he found he’d Comics #7 (Jan. been taken in by a monk at a place called Rest-Haven. The acid had 1941). The stoimbued him with the incredible ability to stretch and mold his body ries were simiinto any shape! He saw the opportunity to turn over a new leaf and larly boundless, vowed to use these awesome powers to fight crime. When he left the but with Plastic Haven, his first mission was to take revenge against his former gang. Man, Cole brought a new level of finish to his storytelling. Cole He donned a red rubber suit and returned to infiltrate them. They abandoned “Daredevil” to create Plastic Man, but he also continued were stunned by the freakish powers of Plastic Man and fled to their to do “Midnight” for well over a year. By issue #5, Plastic Man’s bigetaway car—which was driven by O’Brian. He promptly dropped colored costume was red only. And when O’Brian took the form of them off (literally) at the nearest police station. (Police #1) Plastic Man, he made a conscious effort to differentiate his features. In his second case, he approached the police and offered to solve a Plastic Man’s costume included black boots in his first two appearances, but afterwards he was always bare-legged. His costume was case for them. In exchange they would have to let him on the force. Character profiles 163

Captain Murphey of the Mammoth City police (first spelled “Murphy”; city named in #18) agreed, but only if Plastic Man would also round up Eel O’Brian! He infiltrated a gang that was smuggling drugs inside corpses from Canada. Plas followed the trail to its boss, a senator, and just as the police arrived, Eel O’Brian escaped. Afterwards, Plas argued that the police let Eel escape, and Murphey allowed Plas onto the force. (#2) Captain Murphey had an uneasy alliance with the new hero. He mandated that Plas must solve one major case per month, or lose his badge. (#3) Madam Brawn’s Crime School for Delinquent Girls led a campaign to take over the protection racket in Windy City. While Eel O’Brian wiggled his way into the racket, Plastic Man tried to reason with Brawn. He was rewarded by being tied into knots. After escaping, he granted her leniency, but she vowed revenge. (#4) The cigar-chomping Brawn returned unrepentant. In the battle, Gassin Gert used her gas gun and Brawn fell on a spike and died. Before her end, Plas actually revealed his secret identity to her. (#5) The man with the Stealing Hands was cursed by an Indian prince and his hands became capable of detaching themselves from their owner’s body. He couldn’t stop them from stealing, and eventually cut them off. Plas threw the hands into a furnace to set the man free. (#6) Plas wasn’t above stealing some furs in order to infiltrate and join the United Crooks of America. One wiseguy opposed Eel’s joining when he noticed that all of O’Brian’s other gang buddies wound up in jail. He was right; before the night was over, the UCA were rounded up. (#7) Jack Cole’s uninhibited style led to great freaks like Prof. McSneer, who invented the Eight Ball, a rolling destructive machine that attracted precious metals. (#8) Hairy Arms was a gang leader who served Axis powers. When his gang learned about that, they defied him and sought help from Eel O’Brian. Plastic Man followed up with fellow cop, Officer Plotz. Hairy Arms kidnapped a boy and left a ransom note instructing authorities to leave $50,000 at Wildwood Cemetery, where he was found manufacturing an army of robots. His own men helped take him down. (#9) Note: Wildwood Cemetery was the home of the Spirit! There is also a real world cemetery by that name in Massachusetts, a state to which Cole later moved. His first super-powered villain was Cyrus Smythe, who was killed by a monster of his own creation in 1642. The monster left him in a chemical bath that allowed Smythe’s body to die but made his brain immortal. He was buried for centuries until soldier Tad Wilkins died near Smythe’s opened grave. The medics mistakenly inserted Smythe’s brain into Wilkins, and Cyrus assumed the soldier’s life back in America. Like Smythe’s monster, he could now grow to great heights, and soon came into conflict with Plastic Man. The battle resulted in the body’s death, but Smythe’s brain was buried alive again. (#11) Note: DC’s villain, the Ultra-Humanite, also had a mobile brain. He first appeared in Action Comics #20 (1940). A similar freak, Giganta, came in Wonder Woman #9 (1944). She had elements of both size-changing and brain transference. The Swami had super-powers that were hindered by Plastic Man’s very existence. (#12)

Getting Woozy When Woozy Winks casually saved the life of Zambi the Soothsayer, little did he realize that he’d be rewarded with invulnerability and immunity to pain. Winks described this as “protection from Mother Nature.” To decide his path, Woozy flipped a coin and pursued a life of crime, soon becoming partners with Eel O’Brian. Plas eventually convinced Woozy to turn himself in, but the police discovered that because of his powers, Woozy couldn’t be held, and could simply

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saunter out of custody. Rather “Busy” Arnold (Quality’s than serve his sentence, Winks Publisher) saves the fictional Jack Cole from doom, but leaves was offered redemption—he could Woozy to his own devices, from help Plas catch Eel O’Brian. (#13) Police #20 (1943); art by Jack Cole. Plastic Man convinced Murphey to release Woozy into his custody. (#14) Boreas, the north wind, was “controlled” by a machine in the possession of Don Snitzel. The wind was useless on Woozy, who shrugged off all attacks; any punches were also met with equal and opposite spontaneous force. (#15) Woozy became a regular co-star. He appeared in most of Plastic Man’s adventures after his introduction. And without fail, if Plastic Man told Winks to bug off, he would inevitably ignore the request and muck up the case. Winks claimed that he had no living relatives, (#14) but he and Plas once met his uncle, Blinky Winks, on a case in the countryside town of Hay Hollow. (#30) Their next case took them undercover on the Blackfoot Indian reservation to squash an uprising led by Chief Great Warrior. The Chief had the mystical ability to project himself through reflective surfaces. (#16) Later Woozy got his own feature beginning in Plastic Man #3 (March 1946). This feature bore more of Cole’s signature style, at a time when other artists had begun drawing “Plastic Man,” too. Woozy was always short on money, so he decided to emulate his pal and bring in crooks for the reward. He freed a prisoner thinking he’d turn the man in, but instead Winks wound up in the slammer, too. (Plastic Man #3) Woozy usually found himself done in by the crooks he was trying to catch, and he solved cases rather by accident. By this time, the pretense of his “invulnerability” was forgotten. Woozy occasionally struggled to stay on the straight-and-narrow himself,

and was a bit of a kleptomaniac. Also, it was suggested that “Woozy” inferred “tired,” not “drunk.” He was never really a boozer, but he was definitely lazy.

The solo Plastic Man title was first published in 1943, but due to publishing restrictions, only two issues were produced during the war. In addition, Jack Cole was spread thin by the absence of Quality’s art staff, who were off serving in the military. After the war, Cole G-Plastic-Man could devote more time to his creation, and Cole’s second major change to the world of Plastic Man was restarted, featuring four new Plastic Man was enlisting the hero with the tales in every issue. By issue #10, it was obvious FBI. Plas had been deferred from civil service that other artists were also being employed to during the war because Captain Murphey fill the book. Most of Cole’s early work was needed him more on the home front. It was signed, but by 1946 it was Quality’s preference the President himself who requisitioned Plastic to omit bylines from its comic features. Stories Man’s services for the FBI. The post was conin Plastic Man are all unsigned, and some are firmed by a telephone call; Plas would work clearly lacking in Cole’s signature style. Those for the government on counter-espionage. (#18) that were drawn by Cole probably employed a Plas was a natural undercover agent because separate inker, which made the finished product he could shape his features in any way. His look a little less “wacky” than those early Police first case as a “G-man” took him to the north Comics appearances. woods Hadley Lumber Company. It was for Stories were also now probably written by sale, but lumbermen were turning up dead separate writers, and they followed familiar left and right. Further investigation revealed formulas. Many dealt with Plas’ detective work, a boneyard in the forest which was protected and some introduced super-powered villains to by killer trees! The trees’ inventor was a challenge him. Fargo Freddie was transformed mad scientist who’d successfully engineered after plunging into a volcano. Inside he met animals to be plants, and vice versa. As the a 500-year-old man who showed him how to forest was consumed by flames, Plas thought become lava. As Lava Man, he slipped out of he was finished and revealed his identity to Plastic Man’s grip, but was defeated when his the scientists’ henchmen. After they were body was cooled and hardened. (Plastic Man #2) saved, Plas let the crooks go in exchange for Top: The Green Terror, from Police #58 (1946); keeping his secret. (#19) (He also fought a Lava King in issue #43.) art by Jack Cole. Bottom: The Grasshopper, Professor Chase injected a thief with a serum Cole wrote himself into the story for Police #20 from Plastic Man #6 (1947); art by Jack Cole. that turned him into the Grasshopper, with as a stuttering dweeb. It was a “dream” tale in the ability to leap long distances. (#6) Police which the heroes were knocked unconscious in an explosion. Then Woozy called upon Jack Cole to draw the faces of scientist Dr. Ray invented a gun that could imbue living creatures crooks Abba and Dabba for a “wanted” poster. In the dream, Cole’s with the ability to generate great heat. When Ray came face-to-face unnamed (and obscured) publisher freed him from the crooks. (#20) with the gangster called Hot Rod, the gun caused Hot Rod to burst At the FBI, Plastic Man answered to Chief Branner, who was into flames because of the presence of gunpowder. (#7) Electra ate red strict in his ideas about jurisdiction. He denied P.M.’s request to help hot coals and produced electricity from her fingertips. (#10) The river the darling mute boy called Bright Eyes. One look into at Bright was home to the horrible freak called Riverman, who sported fins, Eyes and the beholder was powerless to do wrong. The boy was the claws and webbed feet. He was the last of his kind—humans born prisoner of his own disfigured father, the Sphinx, who used the boy’s with gills and banished to the deep. (#12) persuasive eyes to get away with murder. Only the Sphinx’s death Back in Police Comics, it was business as usual. By comparison, the allowed the boy to speak again, and tell of the abuse he’d suffered at stories in this title involved fewer super-powered menaces and more his father’s hands. (#22) murders, midgets and mad scientists. He and Woozy traveled to the British Island of Bladau when they Pinky Flowers teamed with Dr. Phineas T. Gleason to create their own Plastic Men out of reclaimed rubber, and controlled them with believed Winks was the beneficiary of his dead uncle, Jeffrey Winks. robotics. Woozy found their laboratory and was himself transformed Woozy stood to inherit the title of “Earl” and a million dollars a year! into a Plastic Man. His survival ability enabled him to live through In the end, he found that the true inheritor was Moozy Winks, and the process and he helped solve the case. (#24) Number Seven was a Woozy was no relation at all. (Police #39) disfigured World War I vet who wielded a gun that shot liquid fire. (#25) One complicated tale followed the rich man, Van Rooten, and To his credit, Chief Banner ultimately discovered that Plastic Man his attempt to return New York City to the Indians who’d originally was in fact a “most wanted” criminal. The jig was up! Plas was ready sold it to his family. The Indians turned out to be frauds and Van to submit and do his time, but Chief Branner found him too valu- Rooten realized his error. (#45) able. The Chief gave him one day to prove himself by bringing in Doctors Doser and Slicer sought to unravel the secret to Plastic not one, but three slippery felons. Each was a unique challenge, one Man’s powers, but found that Plas couldn’t be pierced or cut in any of brawn, one brains, and one of soul (a werewolf, no less). Branner way. (#47) was impressed and absolved O’Brian of his past. (#26) After this, Eel Woozy’s friend Jasper Tipple invented the city of tomorrow. O’Brian all but disappeared as a player in Plastic Man’s cases. In his Sadly, the only backer he could find to build it was the mobster, Big post at the FBI, Plastic Man’s cases were split between domestic af- Beaver. They built Futuria and Plastic Man had to root the crime out fairs and those relating to the war. He even went to Hollywood to of it. Afterwards Tipple vowed to use the city as a teaching tool. (#48) consult on a film being made about him. (#28) Other foes included the super-hypnotist Thelma Twittle (#49); Character profiles 165

Plas Menagerie!

➊

➋

➌ ➍

➎

➏

Great freaks ➊ The Riverman, Plastic Man #12 (July 1947). by Jack Cole: ➋ The Lava Man, Plastic Man #2 (1944).

➌ Electra, Plastic Man #10 (Winter 1948).

➍ The Scientists from Saturn, Plastic Man #45 (March 1954); artist uncertain.

➎ Gargantua, Police Comics #81 (Aug. 1948). ➏ Concrete, Plastic Man #14 (Nov. 1948).

Miss Sheila Sorrell was turned to super-strong stone and driven mad by Professor Carlon (#51); Dr. Erudite invented a Protoplasm machine and created a duplicate of himself (#53); Sleepy Eyes could hypnotize people to sleep, but Woozy was immune because of his natural sleepiness. (#55) The guys met a bona fide Martian called Mr. Misfit, who alerted Plastic Man to Professor MacGhoul’s plan to launch a rocket to Mars. Misfit wanted to protect the planet’s riches from MacGhoul. After Plastic Man prevented the launch, Mr. Misfit disappeared, leaving his disguise behind; they never got to see the Martain underneath. (#57) The Green Terror worked for years with strange plants and began to take on their characteristics. He took revenge on Woozy for destroying one of his experiments, and subjected him to a great “smother plant” that exhaled large quantities of carbon dioxide to suffocate its victims. This villain bled green blood when he was stabbed by his own weapon. (#58) More eccentrics followed… Miss Van Doom was beautiful but deadly (#62); the Crab had wide mouth and sharp teeth and kept a hideout below an amusement park (#63); candy makers Cherry and Gumdrop were also counterfeiters (#64); the Gag Man robbed banks after calling loads of kids to Plastic Man’s FBI office to cause chaos (#67); and the Brain Trust attacked Plas and Woozy in Hollywood, where they’d been invited to be technical advisers on an FBI movie. (#68) Plastic Man had only a few foes whose abilities mirrored his own. One was Stretcho, the circus’ India rubber Man who was nearly as adept as Plas in contorting his body but had limits and could feel pain when he pushed it too far. Stretcho feared that Plas would steal his thunder (and income) at the circus. (#69) Mr. Scroggs invented a dream control machine. (#78) And the freakish Eaglebeak swooped down from above, riding a huge eagle, Rollo. (#79) Mad professors abounded: Prof Spindrift created a mechanical headless man to be worn like a suit of armor. (#60) Prof. Abelson talked Woozy into helping him break into a museum where he brought a Greek statue of Eloc (“Cole,” backwards) to life. Eloc caused much mayhem but reverted to stone and was crushed to bits in the end. (#77) The brilliant and disgruntled Prof. Growley applied his talents to crime, discovering an equation that would disperse his own atoms so he could pass through solids. As Penetro, he helped steal rare treasures. Plas disguised himself as a woman and tricked Penetro into turning solid so he/she could “embrace” him. (#80) Gargantua the Phi Beta gorilla was transformed by Prof. Brewster. His cosmic ray turned Gargantua into an intelligent talking creature that attempted to put his brain inside Woozy’s body! Plas got Brewster to revert the ape. (#81) By Police #83 (Oct. 1948) the art on “Plastic Man” bore less and less of Cole’s signature facial quirks. The features are unsigned, so we can’t say for sure, but it’s very likely that Cole either ceased drawing it, ceased caring, or his inkers altered the feel significantly. The last dozen-or-so issues of that series featured fairly unmemorable tales, save perhaps for the Black Widow, who divined secrets from a crystal ball. She killed herself when her poisonous bullets bounced off Plas and back at her. (#96) And the landmark Police #100 wasn’t celebrated in the way comic publishers do today, but it did feature a pretty classic Cole creation, Thrilla, another woman with electricity jumping from her fingers—and lips. When she tried to kiss Plastic Man, whose form was insulated against her, the feedback knocked her out. (#100) Over in Plastic Man, there were lots of far out characters coming to town. The odd-looking Cargill became Concrete. (Plastic Man #14) The astounding Uno came from 4 million A.D. seeking people to help him repopulate Earth. The first people he encountered were the Rattler and his moll, Tina, who were whisked away to the future in Uno’s

spherical ship. On a return trip, the Rattler used Uno’s disintegrating ray on Plastic Man. Luckily, it had a reverse setting. Tina and another woman ultimately decided to stay with Uno in the future. (#17) Sadly-Sadly Sanders had a face so pitiful that looking upon him induced uncontrollable sobbing. He used this to commit robberies and Plas solved this by getting Sadly to laugh. (#20) Amorpho was a blob-like creature who arrived from outer space. He was capable of mimicking Plastic Man’s power, but was no match for his prowess, so he agreed to get back in his ship and return home. (#22)

Post-Police Comics Cole produced “Plastic Man” fairly consistently through its run in Police Comics, which ended in #102 (Oct. 1950). After that, the title changed to all adventure features, but Plastic Man continued bimonthly for another six years. In Plastic Man #43 (Nov. 1953), Quality began inserting reprint stories (it was also done in issue #34). After that, reprints were common and by #53 (April 1955), reprints filled the entire book. The title continued to issue #64 (Nov. 1956), when Quality ceased publishing. In his latter-day tales, Plastic Man still worked at the FBI for Chief Banner. (Plastic Man #26) He fought a fair number of garden variety mystics and magicians like Bazooka Khan, (#20) Kra Vashnu, (#21) Hypno, (#27) Hypo, (#35) and Dick Tracy-style thugs such as Spadehead, (#12) Bubblehead, (#32) and the high-domed Mastermind. (#49) At the chemical plant, a hapless window washer’s bucket water was transformed into an agent that dissolved glass. Willie Glasswipe took advantage of it to commit theft and found he could also pass through walls. At sea, Woozy was swallowed up by the giant Monster of Llendwymorra, which was actually the vessel of the pirate, Dutyfree. (#28) Mr. Fission was created by a trip into a cyclotron, from which he emerged with the power to cast radioactive rays. (#32) On a north woods vacation, an animal trainer and wannabe lumberjack dressed his men up as the Wolf Men. (#34) The Porcupine shot quills from the back of his jacket. (#35) And Plastic Man’s strangest quarry might have been the scientifically advanced elves of Inner Earth. (#37) The tales in Plastic Man #38-43 (Nov. 1952-Nov. 1953) took a strange turn to the dark side. These stories were laced with horror and dark shadows and were no doubt influenced by contemporary trends in the comics industry (not to mention Cole’s involvement with True Crime Comics for Magazine Village and Web of Evil for Quality). Plastic Man #38 first featured a grim and humorless tale which followed Plas and Woozy into the Korean War (which had begun two years earlier). Men were succumbing to a strange germ warfare and Plas helped fend off Communist attacks. Woozy agreed to be a decoy in order to discover the North’s chemical lab. This enabled Plas to steal a sample that could be used to develop an antidote and vaccine. The second tale in that issue was also dark—literally—as Plastic Man was depicted covered in shadows. When the corpse of Monk Mauly and others crawled out of their graves, Plas pretended to be Satan and frightened them all back into the ground. In the third, the creepy Karlo Karzon unleashed his voodoo powers, which he applied to enchanted wigs to kill his rival actors. (#38) The following issue was strewn with similar themes and dark shadows, voodoo, skeletons, hellfire and ghosts. Even Woozy’s adventure was creepy. “The Beast with Bloody Claws” introduced a great mechanical dragon controlled by the Communist Chinese. (#41) Zelda, the “Witch of the Wailing Woods” was a dark seductress. Plastic Man reversed her voodoo powers by making himself look like her. Then when her henchman twisted his head, it was she who died from the trauma. (#42)The creepy Count Character profiles 167

Dronga was actually a good guy, framed by Sam Gahoul. (#43) Someone soon realized that horror and Plastic Man made a poor pair, and the tone of the book returned to form with issue #44. The remainder of Plastic Man’s original Quality Comics adventures were very much in the straight super-hero vein. Marloff Ogre used his Stamina Machine to transform a man into the strong, fast Ogre. Orange scientists from Saturn could become invisible and tried to kidnap Woozy until Plas put their rocket on a return trip home. (#45) The hairy black Spider was an inventor, Mr. Stacy, who used a wire-shooting gun. (#46) A pair of Russian spies worked for the Soviet Union’s NKVD. Their agent, Iron Fist, wore a metal glove and commanded the sumo, Agent DX and the Egyptian Saber. (#50) Madam Morpheus used a hypnotizing eye beam. (#51) Plas’ last case was against the multi-talented Wizard. (#52)

in tow: Tinyman (Doll Man?). If you can imagine, things got even crazier with the third and fourth issues. Another villain called “the Bat” was introduced and sure enough, the next issue his name was also changed, to “the Ray.” Elasticman returned once more in Captain Marvel presents the Terrible Five #1 (1966).

Plastic Man II

Notes In Police #6, Plas addressed the reader, thanking them for sending letters about the feature. He asked if readers would like to see the feature go from six to nine pages. That it did, relatively soon; with issue #9, Plastic Man jumped to the lead spot, but he’d already taken over the cover with #5. Woozy mentioned the Human Bomb in Police #17.

Pit Stop: M.F. ENTERPRISES In early 1966, just before DC revived Plastic Man, another ambitious publisher attempted to cash in on some Golden Age properties. M.F. Enterprises was probably the first to gamble that these characters might no longer be protected by copyrights. If only their comics had been good, we might today have a very different comics landscape. M.F. Enterprises launched their own Captain Marvel title, which lasted for less than a year. Marvel Comics wouldn’t create their own Captain Marvel until a year later. The first issue (April 1966), introduced a Captain Marvel that was goofy as all-get-out. By yelling “split!” his limbs and head Above: Evil Plas, from would disattach. Conversely, “xam!” Captain Marvel #1 (1966, M.F. would reassemble him. His arch foe Enterprises); art by “Francho.” was Plastic Man… yes, “the most dangerous man from the planet of the blue men.” The blue men were aliens who had come to Earth. Plastic Man escaped and returned the next issue. A month later, Plastic Man was “Elasticman” and he had a friend

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In 1966, DC Comics was experi- Baby Plas, from Plastic encing a renaissance fueled by the Man vol. 2 #7 (1967); art by Win Mortimer. popularity of the new Batman television show. By this time, DC’s own stretching hero, the Elongated Man—also sporting a red outfit with a yellow belt and a deep v-neck—had been appearing in The Flash for over five years (The Flash #112, May 1960). Plastic Man fit the bill for a campy revival that began with a preview of sorts in House of Mystery #160 (July 1966). This issue by Dave Wood and Jim Mooney starred Robby Reed in the “Dial H for Hero” feature. As the cover proclaimed, this issue featured “a new old hero.” Reed’s wristwatch, when dialed, would transform him into a different super-powered hero every time. Carrying the concept further, Reed would also use the Dial to transform into an “old new hero” and a “new old hero.” Saving Plastic Man for last, the writer conjured “that famous crimefighting hero of years ago”—Plastic Man. Reed used the power of plastic mostly to form elongated limbs and to shape himself into a ball. It was a far cry from Jack Cole, but power enough for Robby to

outwit his foe, the wizard Drago. Later that same year, DC officially relaunched the hero in his own title, heralding “an epic event” on the cover. The series was penned by Arnold Drake (creator of the Doom Patrol) and drawn by Gil Kane. The new Plas wore red tights instead of his famous bare legs. In issue #7 (1967) we learned that this Plastic Man was the son of the original. Plastic Man had married (an unnamed woman) and “baby Plas” was born without special abilities. One day early in his life, “Junior” got into his pop’s stash of the acid that originally transformed him into Plastic Man (he’d kept it as a memento). The boy was likewise transformed and grew up to take on his father’s mantle as Plastic Man II. In his first adventure, the new Plastic Man was generally recognized in public. The supporting cast was all-new, too. Woozy was replaced with the young Gordon K. “Gordy” Trueblood, who owned a pet store. Plastic Man’s girlfriend was heiress Micheline “Mike” deLute III. Space-age and mod forms were on the rise and evident in his new arch-foe, Dr. Dome and his daughter, the whip-wielding Lynx. Curiously, Dr. Dome’s lackey was named Professor X. (Plas was also opposed by Mike’s mother.) (Plastic Man vol. 2 #1) The new Plastic Man could change his color as well as shape. Dr. Dome was a recurring villain who sported an oversized silver helmet that covered his eyes, and he wore gauchos. Dome claimed that he’d been doing battle with Plas for seven years already. In order to destroy him once and for all, the villain devised a plan to unearth Plastic Man’s origin. Lynx would interview three people close to him (police Capt. McSniffe, Mike’s mother, and Gordy). Each told them a different “origin.” McSniffe told Lynx that he once met a man called “the Eel” who came from Migraine, Missouri to infiltrate a gang and bring it down from within. Together they crafted a sting on the gang leader called the Spider. During their scuffle, the Eel fell into a vat of “nutty putty” and emerged as Plastic Man! Mrs. De Lute said that Plastic Man was an undercover detective who saved her from the Japanese Beetle and was transformed by a tank of acid. Gordy believed that Plas gained his powers from a tainted batch of yogurt. When Gordy asked Plas about these discrepancies, he replied that his origin was his own secret. (#2) This Plastic Man may not have always been intended to be the son of the original. But due to readers’ demand to see Woozy Winks, the creators were left with a dilemma. In Plastic Man #7 Plas and Gordy teamed up the elder Plastic Man and Woozy, who were now running an old folks’ home called Plastic Acres. The residents there were exceptionally lively due to a special “spa” which gave them extra vigor. Soon a crook called the King of Spades (and his Queen of Hearts and Jack of Diamonds) were plotting to get at this fountain of youth. They let him have it; it was infused with booze and it wasn’t long before the King and his gang were out cold. The revival lasted only ten issues. No doubt fans of Jack Cole’s Plastic Man were left wanting by Drake’s interpretation. Marc Svensson interviewed Drake and said via e-mail that the writer, while proud of his work, never felt that he got a complete handle on Cole’s character. Perhaps the only legacy from this series was the addition of Plastic Man’s blond bimbo love interest, which appears in most successive incarnations of the character (even in the 1979 cartoon). Plastic Man made a brief cameo in 1967’s Inferior Five #2. That appearance essentially placed him on DC’s “Earth-12” in the preCrisis multiverse (this Earth was designated during the Inferior Five’s appearance in the Oz/Wonderland War). Plas helped the Five take down a group of villains who parodied the Fantastic Four. Of

course, he was key in defeating the stretchable Mr. Manplastic.

Back Again When Plastic Man was relit in 1976 (with the same numbering sequence), it was “business as usual” with Plas—and Woozy Winks. His origin was retold in issue #17; it was identical to that of Police #1. Editors had taken note of the fans’ requests and returned the character to classic form. It lasted for another ten issues. Steve Skeates’ revival series reads much more cleanly than its forebear because it’s not bogged down by DC’s mid-’60s obsession with “groovy go-go” this and that. Ramona Fradon’s art was much truer to Jack Cole’s, and Plastic’s uniform was back to its original look, too. Plas was again working for the government, but at DC it was called the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation). Issue #11 unveiled his new supporting cast: the NBI’s ditsy office girl Sundae Supplement and rival agent Gully Foyle. This Plastic Man was definitely part of the mainstream DC universe. He made a guest appearance with lots of other heroes in Justice League of America #144 (July 1977). The creators had some fun by returning Robby Reed and his H-Dial. This time Robby was under the influence of a villain and when he dialed up Plastic Man again, the two duked it out. (#13) Agent Foyle was eventually revealed to have been the victim of a ray gun that turned him into the evil Kolonel Kool. (#16) They’d finally gotten it right, it seemed. Fradon’s art started out so wonderfully… “plasticky”… but by the end had become very “super-hero-ey.” The following year, this and many of DC’s books were canceled in the so-called “DC Implosion” of 1978.

Modern Plastics In the period up until the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Plastic Man appeared only as a member of the World War II era All-Star Squadron. In this series, Roy Thomas grouped heroes from all DC properties together under a common umbrella. Thomas was faithful to the Quality lore and made Plas a sort of liaison between the government and the hero community. The Crisis collapsed DC’s infinite Earths into one (ostensibly) easyto-follow Earth and timeline and 1989’s Plastic Man mini-series was a bona fide “reboot.” It introduced a modern-day Eel O’Brian. Filled with action by Phil Foglio and Hilary Barta, this story was perhaps the best of DC’s to date. It followed Eel through the acid bath and out onto the streets where he struggled to get a grip on his new powers. Even his old gang was frightened of him, but not Woozy Winks. Winks was newly paroled from Arkham Asylum and encouraged Eel to use his abilities for financial gain—whether for good or evil, they’d see which paid better. They began by applying the rubber-acid to an old circus outfit to create a costume for Eel. Together they successfully brought down Eel’s old gang, but the police offered no reward. The press mobbed Eel and asked his name, to which he hastily replied “Elastic Man?” The reporter heard something different and declared the new hero: Plastic Man. Because of that mini-series, for a time it was unclear whether DC intended Plastic Man to be a Golden Age character or not. The timeline set forth in Zero Hour #0 (1994) also placed his debut in the Silver Age, but some writers ignored that. Plas later mentioned having worked with the Golden Age heroes Wildcat. (JLA #28) and the Red Bee. (#38) Other JLA stories by Mark Waid and Joe Kelly certain details called that timeline into question. For the most part, his Quality adventures seem now to be “canon,” and Plastic Man’s DC history begins with his involvement in the All-Star Squadron. After Pearl Harbor, Plastic Man worked closely Character profiles 169

with the White House (via the FBI) and revealed his true identity to members of the Justice Society when they and other heroes converged in Washington D.C. (All-Star Squadron #1-2) He has never been shown as a member of the Freedom Fighters but landed a major role in Grant Morrison’s mega-successful revival of the Justice League, JLA. Batman recruited him to help the JLA against a new Injustice Gang (JLA #11) and was soon inducted as an official member. (JLA Secret Files #2) He served with the JLA for quite some time.

Offspring NAME + ALIASES: Lucas “Luke” Ernie McDunnagh KNOWN RELATIVES: Patrick “Eel” O’Brian (Plastic Man, father),

Angel McDunnagh (mother) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Teen Titans FIRST APPEARANCE, Original, of Earth-22: The Kingdom: Offspring #1

(Feb. 1999) Current, of Earth-0, as Luke: JLA #65 (June 2002) Current, As Offspring: 52 #32 (Dec. 2006)

In the pages of JLA, Plastic Man’s personal life was explored more deeply than ever. When Mark Waid took over the series, he was even so bold as to finally give the hero a first name: Patrick (it happened in JLA #50). Waid said, “it just fit with the story—our first real good in-depth look at the pre-accident Eel.” Waid said that “Patrick” was the most Irish name he could think of (and regrets misspelling his last name throughout that tale). More surprising was the discovery that Plas had a son… JLA #65 (2002) introduced ten-year-old Luke McDonagh, who had inherited his father’s powers. Plas and his ex-wife, Angel, had long since divorced on bad terms. Though the boy was never told his father’s identity, he knew the truth. Luke could change color as well as shape. When he got mixed up in trouble, Plastic Man requested Batman’s help in scaring him straight. Batman challenged Plas to push his own powers to change color, too. Woozy Winks also returned, with a family—wife Wanda and son Weezer. Plastic Man spent Christmas with the Winks. (JLA #60) After a particularly taxing mission involving 3000 years in ancient Atlantis, Plastic Man resigned from the JLA and dedicated himself to helping raise his son. (JLA #76) Plastic Man’s 20-issue series from 2004 was created by Kyle Baker, whose zany style came the closest ever to replicating the magic of Jack Cole. Baker’s work on the series won him three Eisner Awards between 2004-2006, and similar honors in those years in Harvey Awards. Baker’s Plastic Man also worked for Chief Branner at the FBI, had Woozy in tow, and was assigned a partner, the sexy blond, Agent Morgan, who turned out to be Eel’s old girlfriend, Nancy! This series even made mention of Plastic Man’s adventures in Police Comics, (Plastic Man vol. 4 #1-6) and his ex-wife Angel returned, with Luke. (#8) When Plastic Man killed a vampire, he also became the de facto guardian of the monster’s fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, Edwina. (#10) The JLA also made frequent guest appearances. A few years before this, DC had introduced a character called Offspring, also said to be Plastic Man’s son. He appeared in Kingdom: Offspring #1 (1999), but this person was from Earth-22, and his name was Ernie. After the Infinite Crisis, Luke was “melded” with the persona of Offspring. He reappeared in mainstream continuity in 52 #32 (2007) and joined the Teen Titans. In 52 #35, Plastic Man called his son “Ernie,” not Luke. This was explained later; “Ernie” was Offspring’s middle name (and he didn’t like his father using it). (Countdown to Mystery #2)

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Plas returned to the JLA for another short tour of duty (JLofA vol. 2 #35-38) but survived an attack by Prometheus that left him unable to hold his shape. (Justice League:

Plastic Man rushes to his son Ernie’s (Offspring) side, from 52 #35 (2007); pencils by Dan Jurgens.

Cry for Justice #6)

Powers Plastic Man can change his body into any shape that he can imagine. His physical make-up was changed in such a way that his entire body was composed of the same malleable substance. His body could survive almost any attack of force, including projectiles or heavy pressures. As a balloon, he could create the effect of super-breath. In the beginning, he could change his color, as well. In tales at DC Comics, he has struggled with that aspect. Being made of a rubber-like substance, he was insulated from electromagnetic energies. His weaknesses involve extreme temperatures and glue. In recent appearances, acetone was used to “dissolve” him. Plas’ friend Woozy Winks also had metahuman abilities. Upon saving “Zambi ze Soothzayer” from drowning, he was granted protection of nature, meaning nothing could harm him. (Police #13) He tested this by hitting himself on the head with a hammer and jumping off a cliff without being hurt. Woozy’s power provided him with a sort of shield from harm. Not only could he feel no pain when struck, but other disasters (like lightning, earthquakes, etc.) simply “slipped” off of him.

Quicksilver a.k.a. Max Mercury Created by Nick Cardy NAME + ALIASES: Real name unrevealed, a.k.a. Max Crandall,

Ahwehota/Windrunner, Whip Whirlwind, Lightning, Blue Streak, Max Mercury KNOWN RELATIVES: Dr. Helen Claiborne (daughter) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom Fighters

FIRST APPEARANCE: National Comics #5 (Nov. 1940) As Max Mercury: The Flash vol. 2 #76 (May 1993) APPEARANCES:

• Flash vol. 2 #76-79, 91,96-101, 108-112, 130-132, 138-142, 145150, 152-154,157-159, Annual #11-12 • Flash Secret Files #1 • Flash 80-Page Giant #1 • Impulse, 90 issues (1995–2002) • Impulse Annual #2 • National Comics #5-71 (Nov. 1940–April 1949) • Speed Force Special #1 • Uncle Sam Quarterly #2

Although Quicksilver’s feature began in National Comics #5, his actual first appearance was in issue #4, where a small blurb at the end of the “Windy Breeze” cartoon heralded him with text and picture: “Tell your friends about it!” He was one of Quality’s longest-running super-heroes, outlasting most until National #71 (April 1949). Unlike his speedy contemporaries, Quicksilver used his powers more as an acrobat (which was his former profession), seen bouncing, leaping and tumbling through the city streets. These were feats never performed by the likes of DC’s Flash. It’s no surprise that “Quicksilver” became popular—it was a thrill to read, and early stories were sparse on words. Though the first Quicksilver adventure was unsigned, the art matches the successive tales, which were signed by his creator, the young Nick Cardy (then Viscardi), starting with National #10. DC’s Flash was the first speedster on the scene, by a few months (Flash Comics #1, Jan. 1940). DC’s Johnny Quick came after both, in More Fun Comics #71 (Sept. 1941). In Quicksilver’s Quality Comics adventures, he was a madcap

Left: Cardy’s drawing style is evident in Quicksilver’s adventures from National #1–9. The first appearance wasn’t signed but you find the same flat profile, wonky anatomy and slender legs as in later tales. Right: Classic madcap antics, courtesy of Jack Cole, from National Comics #13 (July 1941).

adventurer with no origin story or alter ego. Today the character is known as Max Mercury, and he’s a frequent presence in DC’s Flash family. Writer Mark Waid cast Max as a major figure in the life of the young speedster, Bart Allen (a.k.a. Impulse, the grandson of the Silver Age Flash). His appearances in Flash and Impulse revealed a rich backstory concerning his life before and after the 1940s. (Flash: Secret Files #1) Since so much has been added to Quicksilver’s backstory, the following profile weaves both DC and Quality continuities together. Although much has been revealed about this hero’s past in the DC Universe, his given name remains a mystery. When Bart Allen inquired about his alias, Max Crandall, Max responded, “How do you know that’s not my real name?” But he never confirmed it. (Impulse #1) In this profile, the name “Max” will generally suffice. Some information below was originally provided by Kyle Wellington and Benjamin Hall.

Secret Origins: Windrunner (DC) Max’s story began in 1838. As a young fort messenger, he became friends with the local Blackfoot clan. His commander didn’t share his affections for the tribe, and ordered them to be massacred. By the time Max discovered this, the only Indian left alive was their shaman. As he died, the shaman warned Max of another impending ambush and said a prayer to his wind and storm god. Max wept for his friend but did not believe in magic; he despaired that he could not prevent the ambush. But as he ran, he found himself travelling faster Character profiles 171

Left: The Wasp, from National #67 (1948); art by Bill Quackenbush. Right: The Man from the Moon, from National #70 (1949); artist uncertain.

than humanly possible! When he came upon the violence, he quickly stripped the army of its weapons and easily caught every arrow. Soon, the battle was finished—with no loss of life. From that day forward, Max vowed to prevent war between Americans. The Blackfoot dubbed him Ahwehota, “he who runs beyond the wind.” (Flash vol. 2 #97) In 1844, Max found that his speed powers caused him to jump forward in time. He reemerged in July 7, 1881, in Mesa City, Arizona, which was beset by lawless men. Max’s arrival in this time was witnessed by the sheriff’s son, Johnny Tane. The boy saw Max emerge from a flash of lightning, and lay unconscious. Sheriff Tane took Max into his home but didn’t trust him, and so locked him up in jail. The next day Max styled himself into the Windrunner and broke out of jail to end the gang’s terror. The gang was greeted by a freak windstorm, which deterred most of them, but a few began setting the town on fire. Young Johnny picked up a gun and joined the fight. Once the dust had settled, Max raced off, having inspired another hero—one day Johnny Tane would become the great Western gunfighter, Johnny Thunder. (Impulse Annual #2) In 1893, Max went by the name of Whip Whirlwind in New York. He discovered Lady Pritchard’s orphan asylum was a child slavery operation fronted by the Schott Toy Company. It was owned by a Archimedes Schott (ancestor of Winslow Schott, the Toyman). Schott attempted to cut and run, setting the factory on fire and endangering the children inside. One managed to escape and find Whip. (Speed Force Special) In early 1893, Whip was blamed for the deaths of the family of Lucius Keller. Keller was insane and it was his own experiments that accidentally killed his family. (Impulse #58, 71) Later that year, Keller escaped from the asylum, and hunted down all the people Max had ever saved. (#58) In 1921, as Lightning, he helped Babe Ruth shake some thugs who wanted him to throw the World Series. Lightning rescued Ruth in time to race him to the game, where Max watched from the bleachers. (Flash 80-Page Giant #1) His next jump in time brought him to the brink of war, 1941.

Golden Years: Quicksilver (Quality) Many times during his adventures as Quicksilver, Max mentioned having worked in a circus as an acrobat. (National #28, 45) Those days remain a mystery, as do the motivations for becoming Quicksilver. “The laughing Robin Hood” as he was called, Quicksilver was an enigma of the Golden Age. He first burst onto the scene like a whirlwind in New York City, battling the diminutive and vengeful Von Lohfer, who had a vendetta against one J.B. Rockland. Quicksilver wasted

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no time—in a matter of minutes he dismantled Von Lohfer’s plans and captured the villain before he even knew what was upon him. (National #5) One tale might have given a clue to Quicksilver’s civilian identity, but the truth was never revealed. When the News Star paper ran a story criticizing the Rascelli mob, a reporter there tried to warn his editor about it. Sure enough, the mob later tried to kidnap the editor—and Quicksilver was there to protect him. (#12) Somehow he also had inside information that helped him clear the name of a man slated for execution. Our hero uncovered the true mastermind, crime boss Bikazo, who had sought to discredit the District Attorney. (#17) His next case also involved a D.A.’s case, that one against mobster Dutch Hanson. Hanson kidnapped the State’s witnesses (including one Miss Carol Thomas) and had his own gang impersonate them at the trial. Quicksilver turned the tables and freed the captives, making them up to look like Hanson’s gang. In the courtroom, the accused was confused, and confessed to everything. (#18) Jack Cole drew one fill-in adventure, and made fighting gangsters look fun. In that high energy tale he stopped V. Snatch McGatt and Wizard Ward from rigging a boat race. In the midst of the mayhem, Quicksilver revealed that he was wearing a bulletproof suit. (#13) The fear of war crept into his adventures, too. He found C.J. Merton paying men across America to stir up dissent in a scheme to become President under a new party banner, and to rule as a dictator. (#16) The game got serious when Japanese bombers approached San Francisco. Quicksilver took to the air and dismantled the fleet. (#22) Few could match his mettle until he met a crime boss who invented a drug that would give his henchmen ten times their normal skill. One of them, Joe, became ten times faster. But Quicksilver’s guile and unpredictability swung the battle in his favor. (#20) His super-speed was played more frequently in his earlier tales, before acrobatics became the focus. Forget today’s speed-of-light-speedsters; it took him over a day to run to South America (for no apparent reason), where he uncovered a strange German plot in Zimbamboo to fake the eruption of a volcano and obtain cheap labor. (#26) Fred Guardineer took over in National #27, and he made some changes. Quicksilver went back to his acrobatic roots and was described as an “ex-circus acrobat and the fastest human being.” He returned to the circus, where he tracked down the murderous duo of Sandor the strongman and his love, Zarna. Although Sandor was guilty of murder, he did it to win Zarna’s love. When the police came for Sandor, Quicksilver pleaded mercy for him, implicating Zarna as the ringmaster. Regardless, it was too late for Zarna—Sandor had killed her in a rage. (#28) He once returned to his old circus and visited his clown friend, Joe. (#31) The tone of Quicksilver changed during the war. The laughter ended as the hero started “pitching in.” As America entered the war, the feature borrowed a page from “The Spirit,” and Quicksilver set up a secret headquarters under Oakwood Park, complete with a Chinese helper, Hoo Mee. Quicksilver also began demonstrating a knowledge of chemistry and invented an x-ray liquid that temporar-

ily imbued Hoo Mee with x-ray vision. Even lounging in his lair, he remained in costume. Perhaps because he came from the circus, such a thing didn’t bother him. (#29) He met his romantic match during the heat of battle, stealing a kiss from the femme fatale, Idaho. Later, her gang captured the hero and she was charged with killing him. She faked her shot and they retaliated by killing her. Quicksilver was upset by the news. (#30) Like many of his contemporaries, he could pilot a plane. It was 1943, and Quicksilver joined the Civilian Air Patrol, watching the South Pacific for Japanese activity. He also claimed that taking a “good swig of ocean water” kept him in shape by replenishing his body’s salts. (#34) The Indian man Shoshone helped him search for Japanese in Alaska. After saving the widow Bailey together, the woman took a shine to Shoshone, inviting him to become her handyman. (#36) He found other Nazis killing American cattle in the Southwest. (#39) The Vardoni brothers were circus acrobats who took revenge as the Three Black Cats. Tom, Tiger (and one other) sought revenge on circus owner Martin Brun for the death of their brother. They wore skin tight black suits with cat ears and moustaches and sliced up Brun with their claws. Quicksilver stopped them from murdering Brun’s partners. (#41) Bill Quackenbush took over the feature from Fred Guardineer. The artists managed to sneak in his signature on National #46. (Especially after the war, artists were discouraged from signing their work. Only occasionally did a byline slip by the editors.) During the war, the writing chores were being separated from the art, and Quicksilver’s feature became very formulaic—not unlike other long-lasting contemporaries, the Jester and Manhunter. The stories were grabbed from clichéd B-movies and super powers were curbed in favor of fisticuffs. His foes were lowly gangsters and nondescript masked figures. But as the strip neared its end, the unsigned art changed, and stories were a bit more inventive. A man named Jonas was exiled in Australia, earned a fortune, and returned to kill his former partners with his boomerang skills (which he passed off as “magic”). (#59) General Smallo turned out to be a kid, a pawn of his shyster parents. (#61) Quicksilver returned to sliding down electrical wires when he uncovered a giant magnet beam invented by a tycoon named Biggsby. He was bent on destroying city hall with it, but Quicksilver used the machine to ensnare the crook’s getaway car. (#65) Perched atop a clock tower, he noticed the strange and portly Mr. Miacca, who launched himself from the rooftops and bounced like a rubber ball! He was revealed as Maynard Scrope, who wore a costume filled with gas. (This crooks’ name was taken from a fairy tale by English writer Joseph Jacobs.) (#66) The Wasp had mechanical wings mounted to his back, and a stinging syringe. This jilted inventor wound up pricking himself with his own stinger, and dying. (#67) Slumber wore a gas mask and used sleeping gas. (#68) His most bizarre foe was the Man from the Moon, who operated from a flying mansion in the sky. This fiend was Moony Masters, a brilliant inventor who made a bulletproof aluminum vest and helmet and weird alien-looking mask. Quicksilver gained entry to his lair and made quick work of the crook. (#70)

His farewell appearance was a convoluted story involving an art thief. This thief had stolen the painting of an artist who was participating in color transmission tests for color television. When the artist noticed that his painting’s colors were off, he deduced that it was a fake, and they caught the thief. (#71)

Max Mercury—DC’s Zen Master of Speed Quicksilver lay in limbo for many years, most likely because DC had plenty of its own popular speedsters. The character made cameo appearances in the pages of Roy Thomas’ All-Star Squadron, set during wartime. When the DC universe still had infinite Earths, Quicksilver heeded a call by Uncle Sam and joined a group called the Freedom Fighters to fight the Axis powers on a parallel world dubbed “Earth-X.” (All-Star Squadron #50, Crisis #1, Who’s Who Update ‘87 #5) This group included all heroes originally published by Quality Comics. It is still possible that Quicksilver fought with the Freedom Fighters, but when the multiverse was collapsed by the “Crisis,” Earth-X was no more. Quicksilver also joined the All-Star Squadron in 1942, but never came out of the background. (Young All-Stars #27) Max’s story picked up from the pages of The Flash… In 1947, Max helped Jay Garrick (the original Flash) on an investigation against the Screaming Skull. Max was soon captured by the Skull and placed inside a ‘supersonic fear generator’, which due to the vibrations, added to his own speed causing him to fade away. Jay matched his vibrations to Max to free him. After defeating the Skull, Jay noticed they now moved faster, as if they were tapping into something (later described as the “Speed Force,” the source of power for all DC’s speedsters). (Flash Secret Files #1) Note: Some accounts placed this in 1949, which would conflict with the following event. By 1948 he’d taken the name Max Mercury and saved the town of Manchester, Alabama from the toxic bombs of Dr. Morlo. The gas put him in a coma for nine weeks, during which time he was tended

Top: A “Golden Age” adventure with the Flash, versus the Screaming Skull, from Flash Secret Files & Origins #1 (1997); art by Craig Rousseau & Jose Marzan, Jr. Right: Max and Laura Claiborne, at the moment of their indiscretion, from Impulse #16 (1996); art by Humberto Ramos.

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Top: Jay Garrick (the Flash) and Johnny Quick fetch Max from his retirement, from Flash #76 (1993); art by Greg LaRocque. Below: Helen Claiborne unwittingly meets… her father! From Impulse #3 (1995); art by Humberto Ramos.

there. Helen met him when she noticed he was reading books by an author named Cardy. (#3) He brushed Helen off, wanting to keep his distance, but he eventually told her the entire truth about his affair with her mother. (#16) When Wally West broke his legs, Max and others took turns donning the Flash’s uniform to keep him in the public eye. Max was then possessed by a villain called the Suit, who was dispatched by West. (Flash vol. 2 #130-132) While he mentored Bart Allen, he was always on hand to help the Flash against larger threats. (#138) Max used hypermeditation—where he listened for microfluctuations in the Speed Force—to warn Wally of the “Black Flash,” a deathly force that he’d encountered in the past. (#139-140) In the Impulse series’ final months, Max was kidnapped into the Speed Force by the villain called the Rival. (Impulse #89) He remained missing for a number of years, until the time of the Infinite Crisis, when he and other “dead” speedsters emerged long enough to help Jay and Wally take Superboy Prime into the Speed Force. (Infinite Crisis #4) Three years later, Max returned from the Speed Force permanently, along with the second Flash, Barry Allen. (Flash: Rebirth #3) Since then he has maintained a relatively low profile.

Powers

by Dr. David Claiborne and his wife, Laura. Her loneliness led them to sleep with one another. When David came in, Max ran off in shame, and jumped forward in time once again, to 1957. By that time, Laura had died and Max read in her obituary that she had borne a daughter, Helen, whom she raised without David. (#16) Max retired from the hero game but returned to action decades later, coaxed out of retirement by both Jay Garrick and Johnny Quick. They found him working in a subway token booth. (Jay also knew of Quicksilver’s other aliases.) The speedsters tricked him into using his quick reflexes, which finally gave him away. (Flash vol. 2 #76) As Max Mercury, he agreed to help Jay and Johnny against the threat posed by Professor Zoom. In his first confrontation with Zoom, Max demonstrated his prowess as the so-called “Zen master of speed.” He’d lost none of his cunning or agility. (#77) When Max met the (third) Flash, Wally West, he helped the young hero overcome his perceived “speed limits.” Max claimed that the only thing holding Wally back was his own fears. (#78) After failing to capture Zoom, Max and the others visited Jay in the hospital (from a broken leg). Max reminded Wally that to beat Zoom, Wally would have to overcome his fears. Wally succeeded, suckering Zoom into returning to his own time. (#79) When Wally tapped into a higher level of speed, Max appeared to him for counsel. He forced Wally to walk through the city and accept that he couldn’t be everywhere at once. (Flash vol. 2 #91) Max agreed to become the guardian for Bart Allen (Impulse, grandson of the second Flash) and they moved to Manchester Alabama, where life was slower. Bart’s attention deficit created a number of challenges for Max, who found enlightenment in being still. His new secret identity was as Bart’s uncle, Max Crandall. (Impulse #1) This city was no casual choice; Max’s daughter, Helen Claiborne, lived

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Quicksilver (Max Mercury) possesses super-speed, derived from tapping into the Speed Force. He used his ability in a more acrobatic way than other speedsters. He would often combine his speed with gymnastic maneuvers. He could also use his speed to fly (or perhaps to effect the result of flying by building sufficient momentum). In comparison to other speedsters, Max is faster than Johnny Quick but perhaps not as swift as the Flashes. However, his mastery of the Speed Force allowed him a degree of cleverness which gave him advantages.

The Raven The Raven’s story is intertwined with that of his partner, the Spider Widow. Please see that entry on page 187.

The Ray Created by Will Eisner & Lou Fine NAME + ALIASES: Lanford “ Happy” Terrill, Neon II KNOWN RELATIVES: Gayle Terrill (wife, deceased), Joshua Terrill

(Spitfire, son), Nadine (ex-wife), Raymond C. Terrill (Ray II, son), Thomas H. Terrill (brother, deceased), Hank (nephew) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom Fighters, All-Star Squadron FIRST APPEARANCE: Smash Comics #14 (September 1940) APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Squadron #31-35, 50 • Black Condor #10 • Black Lightning vol. 1 #11 • Canceled Comics Cavalcade #1-2 • Crisis on Infinite Earths #5-7, 10, 12 • DC Comics Presents #62 • DC Super-Stars #10

Top: A classic Lou Fine rendering, from Smash #30 (1942). Top right: Cadava, from Smash #15 (1940). Right: Bud uses his “Ray Ring,” from Smash #23. All art by Lou Fine.

• Freedom Fighters, 15 issues (1976) • Justice League of America #107-108 • The Ray vol. 1 #1-6 • The Ray vol. 2 #1-11, 27-28 • Smash Comics #14-40 (September 1940–February 1943) • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #6-8

The Ray is one of Quality’s most iconic and recognizable superheroes, made so by the breakout artwork of Lou Fine. The character’s powers and costume were also fairly distinctive, and he has arguably enjoyed the most successful DC Comics reinvention of any Quality property—including Plastic Man. DC’s The Ray was an intensely personal series that delved into the character’s family life, but his Golden Age adventures did not. Happy Terrill only had a girlfriend for one issue. The Ray was created by Will Eisner and drawn by Lou Fine for nearly its entire run (through Smash Comics #34). This was just before Will Eisner went to war and Fine moved on to take over chores on “The Spirit.” Here (and on the sister strip “Black Condor”) Fine let loose and gave us some of his most dynamic and meticulous drawings. The Ray was featured on the cover (not drawn by Fine) every other month in Smash #17–27. The Ray’s debut was promoted in Hit Comics #3 (Sept. 1940). His origin has been somewhat tweaked during the character’s DC lifetime. The essence remains the same, but many details were added to the early life of this hero in the pages of The Ray series. In both versions, cub reporter “Happy” Terrill was sent on an assignment to cover the launch of Prof. Styne’s “strato-balloon” into the upper atmosphere. Happy became a passenger on the balloon which encountered a “cosmic storm” that left him transformed into the Ray! (In his first adventure only, his legs were colored bare instead of yellow.) The balloon mission had also uncovered a powerful new gas, which was stolen

by the thug, Anton Rox. (Smash Comics #14) But there was more to DC’s side of the story… It went back to the dawn of time when a Light Entity was “born” at the same time as the Earth. This Entity wandered the universe hoping one day to “reunite” with the Earth. By the 1940s, a man named Dr. Dayzl had discovered this truth, and theorized that the only way to stop the Entity from destroying the Earth was to communicate with it, with light. He secretly engineered the balloon launch and tricked Happy into manning the mission, thereby being exposed to the radiation that transformed him into the Ray. (The Ray vol. 1 #5) Also, just before the incident, fate intervened and Happy met his son, Raymond Terrill, who had come back through time. Ray saved his father from being run over by a streetcar but soon realized that he had nearly caused Happy to miss the balloon launch. (The Ray vol. 2 #9) Once that was righted and Happy became publicly known as the Ray, he was summoned to the White House, where both Rays met President Roosevelt and another important man: Senator Tom Wright—the Black Condor. (#10) When Raymond returned to the future, Happy went about developing both his careers. The Ray’s first freakish foe was Cadava, a once handsome man turned bitter from society’s scorn. Cadava unleashed a destructive ray on the city, but died in struggling with the Ray. To help reconstruct the city, the Ray created a giant form of himself to lift large building materials into place. (#15) Bela Jat, a Hindu mystic, was the Ray’s first super-powered foe. He could transform himself at will into an “ectofluid.” Jat’s murderous reign was ended when the police caught him in solid form and put a knife in his back. (#16) After his transformation, Happy had hastily insisted that his old self was “dead,” but he soon resumed his reporting career. He trailed a band of old Vaudeville freaks—seven dwarves in alliance with one Miss White. (#18) Happy was a persistent reporter, and even jumped onto an airplane’s wing as it took off to make a flight. Their destination: the Pacific, where Asian incursions threatened American security. The plane was shot down and the passengers, including a boy named Jackie, washed ashore at the island home of Captain Blue. Blue imprisoned the Ray in a circle of light and revealed that he intended to attack Hawaii. Weakened, the Ray had to rely on his human strength to send Blue over a ledge to his death. (#21) In the next issue, Jackie had returned home with Happy as if he Character profiles 175

was now Terrill’s ward, but he was renamed “Bud.” The following the Ray long enough to lay siege to Moscow. Once recovered, the adventure might have only been in Bud’s dream because after the boy Ray did away with Khan, throwing him from the top of St. Basil’s fell asleep, he was abducted by a wraith called Lupo who rode away on Cathedral. (#35) a six-legged horse, Blitzen. They deposited Bud in a fairyland called Back home, things were no easier. Happy was framed by the Elixir. Somehow the Hammer Hand—a criminal with a mallet for a Ray knew how and hand—arrested for bank robbery, and fired from where to intervene. He his job. (#36) His relationship with Sue Saunders found Elixir invaded changed dramatically when the competitors actuby Kulik and the really began dating. As the Ray, he saved her from turned Captain Blue, the ax-wielding Headsman. (#38) Their romance who had helped arm had nowhere to go (though Bud remained with these once peaceful him throughout), because “The Ray” ended two people. The Ray once issues later. In his final adventure, he witnessed a again saved the day, new destroyer being sunk. (#40) then sent Bud home on a rocketship. When Ray of Darkness it crashed, Bud woke In early 1966, an ambitious publisher launched a up and Happy assured total reinvention of Captain Marvel. In addition him it had all been a to pinching Plastic Man, Doll Man and Dr. Fate, dream. (#22) M.F.Publications also created a villain called “the Bat” in Captain Marvel #3. Not surprisingly, in During a case inthe fourth issue the Bat’s name was changed—to volving feuds between the Ray. A lightning bolt was merely added to the clans in Chinatown, chest of this otherwise bat-like character. This Ray the Ray gave Bud a returned once more in Captain Marvel presents the “ray ring” that emitted Left: The Bat—, … Ray, from Captain Marvel #4 (1966, M.F. Terrible Five #5 (1967). a beam to blind peo- Publications); art by Carl Hubbell. ple. (#23) Ray and Bud temporarily joined DC the circus after saving some aerialists from attack. They discovered Quality’s Ray did not reappear until 1973, in DC Comics’ Justice that an undercover FBI agent was also there to take down Vera, the League of America #107–108. Happy was reintroduced to readers along equestrienne. (#24) Happy didn’t always put Bud in harm’s way. He with other former Quality heroes as the Freedom Fighters. This showed concern for Bud’s safety after the lad witnessed a shooting. story and the successive Freedom Fighters series are no longer in DC If only Bud had the same concern for his safety. Bud independently continuity, but in Freedom Fighters #3, Happy’s true first name was sought additional help from the Secret Service. (#26) Many foes pos- revealed as “Langford” (later also printed as “Lanford”). For details sessed powerful weapons, like the man with an atom-smasher that on that series, see “Freedom Fighters” on page 41. During this time, the Ray was singled out for a higher profile, as could turn people and things to liquid or dust. The weapon had the the back-up feature in of Black Lightning. This was cut short by the effect of immobilizing the Ray. (#27) Happy Terrill eventually became a war correspondent, which put so-called 1978 “DC Implosion.” The Ray made only one appearthe Ray’s adventures on the world stage. Naturally this meant Bud ance, in issue #11 (Oct. 1978), in a story that was intended to come would have to stay behind. But astonishingly, Bud threatened to reveal after a canceled story slated for Secret Society of Super-Villains #16. Happy’s alter ego to the world, and Terrill caved. In Syria they met The latter story was printed for copyright’s sake in the photocopied Sue Saunders of a rival paper and uncovered a French surveillance Canceled Comics Cavalcade #2. The unpublished Black Lightning #12 device disguised as the giant Monsieur le rat. (#31) On the way home, was printed in Canceled Comics Cavalcade #1. In that story, the Ray was the boys—and Sue—stopped off in Greece where Syrian gangsters on the verge of drowning and recounted his origin. It also introduced followed them on the search for a prophetic scroll of Hippotius. (#32) a new arch foe, the Dark. The Ray’s current DC continuity instead begins with his appearSmash Comics #33 (June 1940) was one of Quality’s first war stories. Happy was sent to ride along with fighters over the Pacific, and the ances in the pages of All-Star Squadron, which were set in wartime. plane was shot down by the Japanese. He and the pilot were taken After the U.S. declared war, the Ray decided to enlist his services with prisoner. The Ray took out an entire squadron, then allowed himself the All-Star Squadron. At his first meeting, he met Uncle Sam and to be taken to a prison camp as a civilian. His retaliation incited the joined his splinter group, the Freedom Fighters. They moved to Japanese to kill all their prisoners, which forced the Ray to resurface. stop Baron Blitzkrieg’s invasion of Santa Barbara, California. (All-Star He carried a rack of bombs from above and sank three Japanese battle- Squadron #31) For the remainder of the war, the Ray remained with this ships. (#33) This kind of story is interesting for its pre-war optimism. group, which separated from the All-Star Squadron and were based Before the U.S. was actually at war, it was easier to fantasize that the in Washington, D.C. (Who’s Who ‘87 #5) enemy could be dispatched so quickly. After stopping in Hungary, (#34) Happy was kidnapped by Mongols Powers and taken to Russia. The Russians shot down the Mongol plane and The Ray could absorb light, heat and electromagnetic energies from his captor died, leaving a map with his plans. Upon investigation, the outside sources, discharge these energies from his body, and modulate Ray found a special Russian division called the Flame Troops. They their intensities. The beams could be as harmless as regular light, were trained by the Khan, a descendant of Genghis and Kublai Khan, or used as destructive laser blasts. He once used a “magni-ray” to who had great strength and mystical knowledge. The Khan waylaid allow him to take photographs with a miniature camera. The Ray

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was “charged” by the presence of light and could fly at super speeds. His powers were not internally produced. If light was removed, he might fall from the sky until it was restored. The Ray could turn his body into immaterial light energy or conversely, create objects made of solid light. He once created a giant solid construct of himself. A similar application of power could be used to imprison him. Despite his fantastic powers, Happy often chose to fight his battles with his physical prowess. If he was not concentrating on his powers, he could revert to normal and be knocked out. Today, as Neon II (see below), his powers are similar, but have near infinite application. They are also based on controlling electromagnetic waves and energy.

The Ray II Created by Christopher Priest, Jack C. Harris and Joe Quesada NAME + ALIASES: Raymond C. Terrill KNOWN RELATIVES: Langford “Happy” Terrill (Ray I, father), Nadine

Terrill (mother), Joshua Terrill (Spitfire, half-brother), Thomas H. Terrill (uncle, deceased), Hank Terrill (cousin) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Justice League International, Forgotten Heroes, Young Justice, Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: The Ray vol. 1 #1 (February,1992)

Happy puts his son, Spitfire, on ice, from The Ray vol. 2 #28 (1996); art by Jason Armstrong.

APPEARANCES:

• Black Condor #9-10 • Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1-9 • Identity Crisis #1 • JSA #49, 73 • Justice League America #71-91 • Justice League Task Force #0, 17-37 • Justice League Quarterly #15 • The Ray vol. 1, #1-6 (1992) • The Ray vol. 2, #1-28 (1994–96) • Resurrection Man #24-27 • Teen Titans vol. 3 #21 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #1-8 (2006) • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1-8 (2007) • Young Justice #41-55

Happy’s personal story at DC is one of the most extensive of all Quality characters. This is due to the success of the 1992 reinvention of the character in which Jack C. Harris and Joe Quesada presented Happy’s son, Raymond: the new Ray. According to the series’ editor, Christopher Priest, the series was modeled in part after his own pitch called “The Avenger.” (Digital-Priest.com) The story of Happy Terrill’s sons began back during wartime. In 1946 he met his first wife, a woman named Gayle, and they had a son, Joshua Terrill, that same year. Joshua inherited his father’s powers and Happy chose to make him his sidekick, Spitfire. But his powers and mind were unstable and in a tantrum Joshua killed his own mother. Happy’s solution was to place eight-year-old Joshua in cryogenic suspension. (The Ray vol. 2 #28) Note: There was also a non-super-hero feature at Quality Comics called “Spitfire,” about U.S. Air Force soldier Tex Adams. He first appeared in Crack Comics #15 (Aug. 1941).

Ray meets his father, the Ray, from The Ray vol. 1 #4 (1992); art by Joe Quesada.

Happy later remarried a woman named Nadine. They also had a son, Raymond Terrill. Like Joshua, Ray inherited his father’s powers. After the nightmare of Spitfire, Happy decided it would be best if the boy never knew anything about his powers or heritage. Happy told Nadine that the child died at birth but instead, he entrusted his son to the care of his brother, Thomas Terrill. (The Ray vol. 2 #0) Little Ray was told that he was “photosensitive,” meaning even the slightest exposure to light would cause extreme burns. In truth, the slightest exposure could trigger his metahuman powers. Ray grew up in Philadelphia, isolated, and became known locally as “Night Boy.” His one “ray of sunshine” was his friend, Jennifer Jerden. On his death bed, Thomas showed Raymond a photo album loaded with pictures of the super-hero called the Ray, suggesting that it had been he. Ray met his cousin Hank Terrill for the first time at Thomas’ funeral. Ray was eager to embrace his powers and immediately stepped into the light. On his first outing, he saved Jenny Jurden from bank robbers. All clear? Not a chance. Just when Raymond thought he understood, he received a visit from his father, the original Ray. (The Ray vol. 1 #1) Raymond had a whole lot more to learn about himself. Happy sought not to clarify things for the boy, but to manipulate him into fulfilling a strange destiny. Their powers, he said, came from a cosmic “Light Entity” that threatened to obliterate the Earth, and Raymond was the only one who could communicate with the Entity and divert it. That mission was a success but Ray found it impossible to forgive Happy for all his lies. Their relation-

Character profiles 177

were introduced as mother and son. (#28) Some time thereafter, Ray teamed with the loose-knit Forgotten Heroes (Resurrection Man #24) and later, Young Justice. (Young Justice #41) During the Imperiex War, Ray was called in as a JSA reservist on a mission to disrupt Imperiex’s link to his ship’s power supply. (JSA: Our Worlds at War #1) After this adventure, Ray joined with other heroes whose legacies were tied to the Freedom Fighters. This new team, like its predecessor, worked under Uncle Sam for the U.S. government. (JSA #49, 73)

The Ray III Created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Daniel Acuña NAME + ALIASES: Stan Silver GROUP AFFILIATIONS: S.H.A.D.E., Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: DCU: Brave New World #1 (Aug. 2006) APPEARANCES: Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #1–8 (2006)

Left: Stan Silver (the Ray III) kills the second Invisible Hood, from Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #6 (2007); art by Daniel Acuña. Right: Happy Terrill becomes the new Neon, from Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #6 (2008); art by Renato Arlem.

ship would deteriorate even more as time went by. (#1-6) Any trust Ray had was shattered when he learned that his mother was still alive; Happy had lied to both Ray and Nadine. Still, Ray couldn’t bring himself to tell Nadine the truth. (The Ray vol. 2 #5, 0) Ray’s exploits earned him the notice of the super-hero community, and he accepted an offer of membership in a new formation of the Justice League led by Wonder Woman. (Justice League America #71-91) He stayed with the JLA for quite a while, eventually moving onto the Justice League Task Force, a “training arm” under the Martian Manhunter. (J.L.T.F. #0, 17-37) The Ray soon found himself battling the behemoth called Brimstone with the help of Superboy—which was easier than dealing with his personal life. Ray took a fast food job and suffered through a series of failed romantic entanglements. (The Ray vol. 2 #1-2) He pursued Jenny but learned that she didn’t share his feelings. Meanwhile, he had also come under the wing of the Black Canary. Ray relied on her for moral support, and the two of them undertook a mission that catapulted them through time. At the conclusion of that mission, the Canary made a decision she immediately regretted: she slept with Ray. (#6-11) A battle with Dr. Polaris attracted a fragment of the Light Entity to Earth again. (#3-4) Unbeknownst to Ray, the fragment took up residence inside a computer program of his own creation. It was called “Death Masque,” designed as a training aide to provide a solid light adversary that knew everything about him. (#6) The program’s wealth of knowledge mixed with the Entity’s sentience grew into a nearly undefeatable menace that kidnapped and impersonated Happy. (#11) The neverending plot involving Death Masque ultimately killed The Ray. Over a year’s worth of stories, Masque took over the country and became entangled with the immortal villain, Vandal Savage. (#12) Meanwhile, Ray’s long-lost brother Joshua was unearthed from a silo in Colorado. (#17) All these parties converged in Philadelphia, where Ray and Joshua met for the first time. (#21) When Happy was rescued (#27) he finally told Nadine the whole truth and she and Ray

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The third man to call himself the Ray was Stan Silver. He appeared as a part of Father Time’s metahuman strike force, S.H.A.D.E. (DCU: Brave New World) Silver was a handsome 26 year-old foreign correspondent for the Washington Sun who, similar to Happy Terrill, went into space and was exposed to radiation in space from a comet. This gave him the power to transform into solid light. Stan Silver was also a fitness nut, a narcissist, and a traitor. (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #1) He and his teammates soon jumped ship and joined Uncle Sam’s Freedom Fighters, whose mission was to take down an alien impostor in the White House. (#2) But even the great Uncle Sam didn’t realize that Silver was working for their adversary. Silver struck at the F.F. during a moment of down time and killed the new Invisible Hood. (#6) Silver was quickly taken out by Uncle Sam’s secret weapon, Ray Terrill, and was remanded to S.H.A.D.E. (#7) The new President put the Freedom Fighters in charge of S.H.A.D.E. and Ray Terrill remained with the team. (#8) Ray’s father, Happy, returned as well to join Uncle Sam at Arlington Cemetery, where they visited a new memorial to the Freedom Fighters. As always, Happy reached out to Ray but their relationship remained strained. (U.S. & the F.F. vol. 2 #1) Happy joined Uncle Sam’s reserves and was called upon to recruit another old friend, an original Freedom Fighter called Neon. Only Uncle Sam knew that Neon had not died at Pearl Harbor. He sent Happy to Neon’s hidden desert oasis (#5) but Neon no longer had any interest in the outside world. When Neon disappeared, Happy took matters into his own hands and drank from the same mystic waters that had powered Neon. This rejuvenated him and bestowed the energy powers of his namesake; he took the name Neon II. (#6) Happy’s new powers were similar to his old ones. He could zip through the air and emit powerful energy beams. After ending the threat du jour, Ray finally agreed to make peace with his father. (#7-8)

Notes Silver’s co-creator, Justin Gray, described him as “the kind of egotistic bastard people loved to hate. His uniform is slick to match his Teflon personality; a beam of living light fits a guy who thinks he’s better than everyone else.” (“Uncle Sam…”)

Powers Ray Terrill inherited the same powers as his father. He requires the occasional “recharging” of his light powers from an external source. In the dark, he becomes powerless.

Left: Splash from Hit #11 (1941); art by Witmer Williams. Right: A valiant end, from All-Star Squadron #35 (1984); art by Rick Hoberg and Bill Collins. Original art courtesy of Fred Deboom.

The Red Bee Creator uncertain

NAME + ALIASES: Richard Raleigh KNOWN RELATIVES: Jenna Raleigh (great grandniece) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: All-Star Squadron, Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Hit Comics #1 (July 1940) DEATH: All-Star Squadron #35 (March 1984) APPEARANCES:

• All-Star Squadron #31-35 • Hit Comics #1-24 (July 1940–Oct. 1942) • Starman vol. 2 #37

It’s hard to suppress a laugh when reading some of the Red Bee’s adventures. But consider: he was preceded by the “Green Hornet,” and “Blue Beetle,” both successes. Blame it on the trained bee. Regardless, the character is immortalized as much for its absurdity as it is for having been featured on the cover of Hit Comics #1, 5 and 7—elegantly drawn by Lou Fine. Fine drew the Red Bee on the cover of Hit Comics #1, but did not draw the first adventure, which looks like it was drawn in the Iger studio. The art is poor, and resembles the work of Charles Nicholas (Wojtkoski), but it was always signed with the pen name “B. H. Apiary” (an apiary is a collection of beehives). Later appearances (beginning with Hit #10) are clearly the work of Witmer Williams (who sometimes signed his work “by Clark Williams”). Williams’ characters in the “Eagle Evans” feature in Police Comics are dead ringers for the forms seen in his “Red Bee.” Williams was also known to be an Iger studio employee at this time. (Alter Ego #21) Still, this feature was neither one of “quality” nor a “hit.” His fancy sheer shirt preceded Firebrand’s by a year and his pants lost their stripes in Hit #4. Rick Raleigh, the assistant District Attorney Hawkes of Superior City, decided to expedite the process of law and order by becoming a mystery man—the Red Bee! He dared to fight crime with naught but his own two fists and a trained bee named Michael. In his first case,

he brought about the conviction of Boss Storm, head of a corrupt political machine. (Hit Comics #1) Most of his time was spent in the efforts of homeland security. When American ships were raided at the Panama Canal, the Red Bee did his part to show that war was not necessary for the United States. (#9) His adventures were largely fast and forgettable, but he boasted a few exotic foes like Dr. Marah (#4) and Shanghai Joe. (#10) His final adventures were an embarrassing mess. In Hit #19, Raleigh met the young spitfire Valerie Ransome, who came into the D.A.’s office seeking help with a stolen car she’d bought. Rick didn’t hesitate to involve her in the case. She held her own, swinging away at the crooks. Successive adventures usually featured a brunette similar to Valerie but the character was never named as such. She ostensibly became “Nancy” in Hit #20, a character named on the splash page but then never seen in the story.

DC The Red Bee’s DC and Quality histories mix seamlessly, especially because his original adventures were so few. After the U.S. entrance into World War II, the Red Bee decided to enlist his services with the All-Star Squadron. At his first meeting, he met Uncle Sam and joined his splinter group, the Freedom Fighters. They moved to stop Baron Blitzkrieg’s invasion of Santa Barbara, California. There the Red Bee sacrificed his life in the effort; he was murdered by Blitzkrieg, who broke Raleigh’s body on a jagged outcropping. (All-Star Squadron #31-35) Character profiles 179

Decades later, in the afterlife, the Red Bee befriended the son of the original Starman, David Knight (Starman VI). To this netherworld, David sometimes brought his brother, Jack (Starman VII). David and Jack dined with the spectres of several other deceased mystery men. In this state, the Red Bee expressed some resentment towards other heroes, many of whom thought of him as a joke. But he had great respect for the original Starman because he had treated him as an equal. (Starman vol. 2 #37)

Powers The Red Bee had a lone trained bee named Michael. Stored in his belt, Michael could be unleashed on opponents. (Michael was not a honey bee, because he did not die after releasing his stinger.) Raleigh was also a superb fighter.

The Red Bee II

The Fighters’s next mission brought great change to the new Bee, who underwent serious metamorphosis after being captured by insectoid aliens. Jenna was able to learn their language and drove off their queen. (Uncle Sam & the FF vol. 2 #1) But the new powers didn’t stop there; Jenna’s body fashioned a new cocoon from which she emerged with red skin and antennae. (#2) Tests revealed that she’d also gained super-stength. (#3) Jenna was the first to discover that the Freedom Fighters’ aide, Director Robbins, was up to no good. But in the effort to take him down, Robbins messed with Jenna’s mind (#4) driving her mad. The Red Bee attempted to “breed” with the Human Bomb and enslaved her teammates. (#5) When they restored her sanity, Jenna sensed that the alien queen was returning with an armada. (#7) Her powers were instrumental in helping kill the queen aboard her ship but afterwards Jenna’s relationship with the team was left strained. (#8) After Jenna was dispossessed of the alien, her physical features reverted to normal. Since then, Jenna has returned to research. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #8)

Powers Jenna uses a formidable array of advanced weaponry that enables her to fly, and emit stinging blasts from her wrists. Temporarily, she was empowered by an insectoid alien race which gave her mental control over humans and transformed her body. Her red skin and antenna receded once she was cleared of this “infection,” but she did maintain some empathic link with that race. She may still have some residual communicative ability with insects.

THE Red Torpedo Created by Henry Kiefer NAME + ALIASES: Capt. Jim Lockhart GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Crack Comics #1 (May 1940) APPEARANCES:

Above: Jenna Raleigh, transformed, from Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #2 (2008); art by Renato Arlem.

NAME + ALIASES: Jenna Raleigh KNOWN RELATIVES: Rick Raleigh (Red

Bee, great uncle, deceased) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom

Fighters FIRST APPEARANCE: Uncle Sam and

the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #5 (Jan. 2007) APPEARANCES:

• Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #8 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters, vol. 1 #5-8 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters, vol. 2 #1-8

Rick Raleigh is succeeded by the granddaughter of one of his siblings, Jenna Raleigh (Red Bee II), who joined Uncle Sam’s new Freedom Fighters. Jenna was among several heroes kept in reserve by Uncle Sam and called to action when the Presidency was infiltrated by the alien called Gonzo. (Uncle Sam & the FF #5) She had received Rick Raleigh’s old equipment from Uncle Sam and fashioned it into formidable mechanical weapons, including a suit that enabled her to fly, and robot bees that delivered a powerful “sting.” (#6) When Gonzo was defeated, Jenna remained full-time with the Freedom Fighters, now again an official American security force.

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• All-Star Squadron #32 • Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #42, 50–54 • Crack Comics #1–20 (May 1940–Jan. 1942) • Secret Origins vol. 2 #26 • Starman vol. 2 #77

The Quali t y Compa nion

There were two other Quality heroes who commanded fantastic vehicles. Before the Torpedo there was the brief “Swordfish” feature, about a one-man sub piloted by plainclothes Ensign Jack Smith (Hit #22, June 1942). The Blue Tracer came a year later in Military Comics #1 (Aug. 1941); it was part tank, part bomber, and part sub. The Red Torpedo was the only costumed man among Quality’s naval heroes, and the feature had more consistency in its supporting cast than many of its contemporaries. The hero’s arch foe, the Black Shark, appeared in almost all his adventures. Red Torpedo’s creator, Henry Kiefer, used the pen name “Drew Allen” and he did the strip for its entire run. (He also created “Blaze Barton” for Hit Comics #1.) When U.S. Navy man Jim Lockhart invented a human-guided one-man sub, his superiors in the military rejected it. Not to be deterred, he took to the private sector, and with his fiancée, Meg, built it on their own. In their first mission, Lockhart donned a mask and saved an American ship from European aggressors. (Crack #1) The Red Torpedo’s costume was quickly pared down and made more versatile. With Crack #4, his long-sleeved shirt became sleeveless, but frequently he chose to doff it altogether (but never his mask)

and enter the water. The Torpedo quickly made enemies with the sea marauder called the Lone Shark, who also had an underwater ship. The Shark docked his craft in a secret wharf and the two first did battle from within their ships. (#5) The next time they met, he was called the Black Shark. Lockhart followed him deeper into the sea than the Torpedo had ever gone and battled a giant sea creature. Both Lockhart and the Shark allied with different bands of undersea peoples. Jim was rescued by the Mermazons of Merezonia, a water-breathing tribe of women whose ruler was Queen Klitra. The Mermazons’ enemy, the King of Caverns, aided the Shark and stole the Red Torpedo. Lockhart defeated them with the help of the Mermazons. (#7) Lockhart forced the Shark into aiding him against Axis treachery once by pinning the Shark’s sub. He then used its ability to release a screen of oil to surround Nazi submarines poised to attack the British. Afterwards, the villain beat a hasty retreat. (#8) Near Holland, the Torpedo intercepted enemy Asian sailors and used their ship to lead their fellows into a trap—in Africa. (#11) The super-sub must also have been unusually fast because its next mission found him all the way over in the South Seas, where he saved a native girl from the Black Shark and his Japanese cohorts. (#13) With the constant recurrence of the Black Shark, this feature read more like a film serial. In fact, the feature was even titled “Red Torpedo vs. the Black Shark” in Crack #17-18. In these final two adventures the rivalry heated up. The Red Torpedo went fearlessly into the Shark’s lair via parachute without his ship. (#17) They were last seen in battle at Satan’s Island where the Shark had allied with a Mongol admiral who forced them to fight to the death. The Torpedo won, of course, but insisted that he spare the Shark’s life and take him prisoner. His arch enemy was ungrateful and once free tried to bomb the Red Torpedo. (#18)

Legacy

From Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #42 (2006); art by Butch Guice.

The Red Torpedo languished in obscurity until the early 1980s when Roy Thomas resurrected, then killed the character in one crack. In All-Star Squadron #32, the Red Torpedo joined Uncle Sam as one of the first members of the Freedom Fighters. Their mission was to stop the Japanese en route to Pearl Harbor. They nearly succeeded, but a surprise attack left Lockhart dead in the water. Or so it seemed (Secret Origins #26) Somehow, Lockhart survived and was known to aid other heroes in creating a new Starman in 1951. When Ted Knight

Top and left: The Red Torpedo—“The Robin Hood of the seas” and his ship. Panels from Crack Comics #6 (Oct. 1940); art by Henry Kiefer. Bottom: From All-Star Squadron #32 (1984); art by Rick Hoberg and Bill Collins.

was unable to continue his mission in Opal City, Lockhart helped Charles McNider (Dr. Mid-Nite) to build a fantastic “star-ship.” (Starman vol. 2 #77) Jim Lockhart is still alive and now operates Winward Home, a city that floats on the oceans and serves all manner of maritime interests. It is also the home of the Sea Devils. When Lockhart met the new Aquaman, he said he’d created Lockhart Navionics after the war and made billions in military contracts. He built Winward to be a cross-specialization think tank. His associate Elsa Magnusson was the former wife of Prince Ra-Man. (Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #42)

Powers The Red Torpedo had no super-powers. However, he was a gifted engineer and his submersible boasted many impressive features. Most of all, the torpedo was agile in the water. It could snare things with its spear-tip, emit a cloud into the water, grind through ice, and use its tip as a spear. Lockhart himself was an accomplished swimmer. He once dove into freezing waters and made it back to his sub.

Red Torpedo II NAME + ALIASES: None KNOWN RELATIVES: Professor T. O. Morrow (creator), the Red Tornado,

Red Volcano, and Red Inferno (“siblings”) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: None FIRST APPEARANCE: Red Tornado vol. 2 #1 (Nov. 2009) APPEARANCES: Red Tornado vol. 2 #1-6

In the post-war era, the robotics madman/genius T.O. Morrow also created an android Red Torpedo, a water elemental and predecessor to his Red Tornado. Given a female form, this Red Torpedo was made in an abandoned auto facility in Czechoslovakia. Morrow wanted to create an enforcer he could sell, but to his surprise he found that she was sentient! All the better for him; he commanded her to steal Character profiles 181

Left: From Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #42 (2006); art by Butch Guice. Right: The second Red Torpedo, from Red Tornado #6 (2010); art by Jose Luis.

money, then weapons for him. She was first seen publicly in Prague, and named “Red Torpedo” by the press. The android soon developed a conscience and rebelled against Morrow. He responded by shutting her down and placing her body in the torpedo bay of a downed ship at Pearl Harbor. (Red Tornado vol. 2 #1-2) The Red Torpedo lay there for decades until her “brother,” the Red Tornado, began picking up a signal emitted from her. Morrow confirmed the Torpedo’s existence and the Tornado freed her. (#2) Red Tornado discovered that his “sister” lacked some concern for human life but they were fast allies against their creator’s other creation, the Red Volcano. Afterwards she departed with the intent of making a new life for herself. (#3-6)

Powers The second Red Torpedo is a very powerful android with elemental control over water. Her body is exceptionally impervious and rustproof. It was suggested that her sentience is the result of contact with the same Tornado elemental that now resides in the Red Tornado.

Rusty Ryan

and the Boyville Brigadiers Created by Paul Gustavson

NAME + ALIASES: None FIRST APPEARANCE, Rusty: Feature Comics #32 (Aug. 1941) Boyville Brigadiers: Feature Comics #45 (June 1941) APPEARANCES: Feature Comics #32–135 (May 1940–June

1949). In costume as the Brigadiers: Feature Comics #45–102 (or 103)

The “Rusty Ryan” feature began as a simple young boy’s adventure story, with the title character finding himself smack-dab in the middle of every scandal in Boyville. Rusty and his friends resided at the dormitory of a boy’s school and frequently wore shirts adorned with a large “B.” Rusty’s best friend was Smiley Scott and others included Ed, Whitey and Scotty. The others’ names were rarely mentioned even after they adopted colorful patriotic costumes and became the Boyville

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Brigadiers. This change came a year into the feature, during which time Paul Gustavson had aged the boys somewhat. Too young to join the army, Rusty and his pals received special commission from army intelligence to become the Brigadiers. Their uniforms were dead ringers for Captain America’s (who debuted just before the boys’ switch, in March 1941). Rusty created the Boyville Brigadiers after uncovering Fifth Columnists at Boyville. They were part of a gang led by Babyface Malone of Chicago. (Feature #45) They were very successful in rooting out Nazi saboteurs and faced some real grown-up drama when they decided to challenge the Japanese Black Dragon Society. To this end, they accepted Moi Yutong, a young Chinese woman, into their ranks. Soon after meeting Yutong, she was kidnapped in front of their eyes. It took some gunplay and rough stuff to rescue her. (#57) The Black Dragon returned to mine the San Francisco Bay, and killed the Brigadiers’ commander, Col. Ames. (#58) In 1943, the feature went in a different direction when Gustavson introduced two colorful sidekicks on an adventure in North Africa: the Arab Alababa and Pierpont Lee, a zoot-suited African-American. (#65-69) The number of Brigadiers fluctuated between five and six. After the addition of Alababa and Pierpont the Brigadiers became (a still unnamed) four. It took a long time for them to return home. They meandered through the South Pacific where Pierpont found a magic lamp and wished them up a boat. (#71) Alababa was a great help as they made their way across Arabia or wherever, sometimes finding Axis enemies, the occasional femme fatale, or a dinosaur island. The feature eventually reverted to simply “Rusty Ryan” again in Feature #101 (Aug. 1946). The Brigadiers took a hike while Rusty, Alababa and Pierpont continued their plainclothes globe trotting. A regular feature of the strip was the “Commando Tactics” where the reader was warned to pay special attention so they could Splash from Feature #58 (1942); learn a combat move from Rusty. art by Paul Gustavson.

The Scarlet Seal Created by Manning de Villeneuve Lee

Database falsely credits the feature to Harry Francis Campbell. The art does not resemble Campbell’s. The features were signed “Duane Byrd Monroe,” a pen name for which no references can be found.

NAME + ALIASES: Barry Moore

711

KNOWN RELATIVES: Captain Pat Moore (father) FIRST APPEARANCE: Smash Comics #16 (Nov. 1940) APPEARANCES: Smash Comics #16–24 (Nov. 1940–July 1941)

The “Scarlet Seal” feature borrowed conventions from popular fictional Chinese characters of the day such as Charlie Chan, except that the lead character was Caucasian. The Seal’s adversary, Manchu Sing, from Smash #18 is also a ringer for Fu Manchu. The Scarlet Seal was depicted with pale yellow skin, a common convention for Asian characters in comics of the time. This feature sported great artwork, but the text slipped through “Quality control.” Early features have punctuation problems that require a double take. The alter ego “Barry Moore” is a play on the famous screen actor family, the Barrymores. Before fighting crime, Barry Moore was a top character actor in the movies. After finishing the From Smash #16. Art by Manning film Oriental Horror, Moore went de Villeneuve Lee. to work for his father, Capt. Pat Moore, in the police department. Barry quickly took to solving crimes disguised as a Chinese-American called the Scarlet Seal, who always left a red circular stamp upon his adversaries. In the beginning, Moore thought nothing of hopping out of a cab and entering through the front door of his secret lab (a fake store front). (Smash #16) Moore’s fortune financed his capers, and procured props such as firecrackers and flash powder. He was also adept with jujutsu. The Scarlet Seal was successful in negotiating a resolution between two Chinese “tongs” (or secret organizations) to prevent a war between them. The war had been designed by a Fifth Columnist who was killed in the end by the Chinese, but the Scarlet Seal took the blame for the killing. (#18) Some of the Seal’s adventures were dizzying 12-panel-per-page goose chases. In one, he invented a complex scheme to save his father’s job, which was on the line because the Captain had failed to catch the Scarlet Seal. (#22) He took the law into his own hands to stop the murderous embalmer Morta, who was killing young women and posing them as lifelike sculptures. (#23) Just as his feature came to an end, the Scarlet Seal met love interest Judy Wilson while protecting her brother Henry from mobsters. (#24)

Created by George Brenner NAME + ALIASES: Daniel Dyce FIRST APPEARANCE: Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941) APPEARANCES: Police Comics #1–15 (Aug. 1941–Jan. 1943)

711 and his successor Destiny, were created by George Brenner. Brenner served as editor of Quality Comics for many years and was close personal friends with Busy Arnold too. 711 bears a strong resemblance to the popular Shadow; both wore a hat and cloak/cape, their faces shadowed by their hats. Together 711 and Destiny ran for three years in Police Comics. Brenner “killed” 711 just before he became an editor at Quality. Both characters’ backstories were fairly interesting, even if their adventures were not. Daniel Dyce was a promising young attorney—and a gullible one at that. His friend Jake Horn convinced Dyce to take a rap for him, on account of the impending birth of Horn’s child. But after Dyce was convicted and sent to prison as “Horn”, the real Horn was killed in an accident and Daniel was left with no way of proving his innocence. Now known merely as convict #711, Dyce spent two years secretly digging a tunnel out of Westmoor Prison. During that time Dyce concluded that his life on the “outside” was now dead, and so he chose to remain in the prison, but fight crime as “711” in public. Dyce wore a crimson jacket and cape and a hat which cast a heavy shadow over his face. (Police #1) Life in prison availed Dyce of many details regarding criminal plots, overheard from new convicts. His adventures usually centered around the take-down of an existing gang, or to clear the name of another The splash from Police #5 unjustly convicted fellow. (#2) (1941) shows 711’s familiarDyce was a model prisoner looking foe, the Brick Bat; art by George Brenner. and he was awarded freedoms

Notes Manning de Villeneuve Lee’s byline appears only on the Scarlet Seal’s very first adventure. Lee was an accomplished fine artist and book illustrator who specialized in historical subjects—which showed in the fine rendering of his figures in Smash #16. Afterward, the Grand Comics Character profiles 183

that enabled him to dash in and out of Bernard Klein. Henkel did work on the the prison on a whim, but usually under feature later, but it is clearly not his style cover of darkness. He became a trustee of drawing in Military #5. Likewise, Klein’s usual writing partner, Ted Udall, wrote and worked in the prison offices where he some early installments, but Klein’s art is had access to daily news. Outside, he met his first masked foe, the Brick-Bat (whose also different from that in this first appearcowl bore more than passing resemblance to ance. This character has similarities to the Batman’s), who forced a scientist to create Marksman, but the features do not share a lethal brick which released a deadly gas any common creators. Both operated out of upon impact. He quickly found the fiend Europe, hopped around at will, and ended and brought him to justice. (#5) their runs fighting the Japanese. The Sniper was a European guerilla 711 wasn’t above protecting guys on the soldier—a Robin Hood with a gun—who inside, too, such as the informant, Lush operated across the continent to foil Nazi Chikko, who had testified against a local tyranny. His name and nation of origin mob boss. Chikko was wise enough to wonwere unknown, but his impact was great der if there was a connection between the across Nazi-occupied Europe. He was first number on Dyce’s uniform and his savior, seen ambushing Gestapo officers in Austria 711 (though he never made mention of it). in 1940. Aided by a local girl, Paula, he (#6) He also managed to stop a large prison outwitted and killed his pursuers. (Police #5) break from within. His cover was nearly blown afterwards when 711 met with the He fearlessly took his campaign right into prison warden—and the warden wanted to Berlin, targeting Nazi chemist Kronitz who summon Dyce. Quick talking got him out The Sniper from Military Comics #7 (1942); turned men into monsters. (#6) He found artist uncertain. of that jam. (#7) another mad Nazi, Dr. Heinrich Holtz, in the Black Forest. Holtz went Doll Man one Dyce even found a way to contribute to step further with a process to turn troops the national defense when Nazis threatened into microscopic size. He put these troops inside the body of a suicide to recruit agents from within the prison. (#9) For all his success, 711 got sloppy and more inmates discovered bomber headed for England. When the reverse serum was applied, his identity. Conveniently, they all perished afterwards. (#12-14) His these men would burst out from the pilot’s corpse. The Sniper, who carelessness ultimately led to Dyce’s demise. 711 was shot and killed was also a pilot, shot down the saboteur’s plane over water, and Holtz by the racketeer Oscar Jones. 711’s swan song was a long-winded killed himself. (#14) tale detailing Jones’ ignoble life and how his prison stay led him into In Egypt, the Sniper was rescued by the woman Temket, who fisticuffs with 711. Jones won the struggle only with the benefit of revealed ancient secret tunnels. (#16) The Nazis crafted an impenetrable his gun. Even after the first shot, Dyce fought to rally, but he was flying battleship which the Sniper set aflame. (#19) riddled with more shots from the barrel. (#15) After America entered the war, the Sniper’s adventures turned At the moment of his death, another hero called Destiny stepped towards the Japanese occupied lands of Southeast Asia (ostensibly into light, appearing over Dyce’s body. (See “Destiny” on page 114). because Germany had sufficiently “dug its own grave”). His tour began in the Philippines, where he offered his services to American forces under Paul Hammond. (#23) Notes Bat-fan trivia: in the 711 story in Police #4, Daniel Dyce learned of a There the Sniper met an arch foe, Suratai, the chief assassin of the plot to “snatch the Van Dern pearls.” Van Dern is the name of Bat- Japanese Black Dragon Society. (#24) The hero even spared Suratai’s man’s maternal family, and pearls are a symbol linked to his mother’s daughter’s life, but the villain then killed her himself—for betraying death (modern revelations). Japan. Suratai’s superior did not approve of such extreme actions and The significance of 711’s name is likely rooted in gambling. Seven imprisoned him for misconduct. (#25) Suratai was too valuable to them and eleven are winning numbers in craps. “711” was also the name to remain locked up. He returned immediately to lead the hunt for of the gambling club in the very first Lady Luck story. the Sniper. (#30) For his repeated failures, Suratai was eventually put in charge of a battalion of Japanese prisoners. These ex-convicts made expendable soldiers for the express purpose of routing the Sniper. Powers 711 had no special powers. He was an accomplished hand-to-hand Though he failed, his superiors saved his life in order to prop him up again. (#32) combatant. The Sniper’s final fate is unknown. In his final adventure, he freed an American woman, the soldier Sgt. Judy Martin. As she sailed away, the Sniper told his comrade “Never mind how I feel! The war’s still going on and we’re still helping to win it!” (#34)

The Sniper Creator unknown

Powers NAME + ALIASES: Unrevealed FIRST APPEARANCE: Military Comics #5 (Dec. 1941) APPEARANCES: Military Comics #5–34 (Dec. 1941–Nov. 1944)

Some sources list Vernon Henkel as the Sniper’s creator, and others

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The Sniper was foremost a crack marksman with a gun. He was also multilingual and adept at impersonating various European accents. He would often forewarn his targets of his attack by sending them a bullet bearing his name.

The Spider Created by Paul Gustavson NAME + ALIASES: Tom Ludlow Hallaway (deceased) KNOWN RELATIVES: Linda Dalt (wife), Lucas Ludlow Dalt (Spider II,

son), Thomas Ludlow Dalt (“I, Spyder,” son) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Seven Soldiers of Victory FIRST APPEARANCE: Crack Comics #1 (May 1940) APPEARANCES:

• Crack Comics #1–30 (May 1940–Aug. 1943) • The Shade #3 • Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. #9

Paul Gustavson’s first hero for Quality was the Spider, but it wasn’t his first archer. He’d previously created “The Arrow” for Centaur’s Funny Pages #11 (Nov. 1938). This feature was titled “Alias the Spider” (like the Clock before him), but the hero’s name was just “the Spider.” The Spider’s adventures were short and felt contrived. The title character usually appeared from nowhere, and could perform many amazing feats without explanation. The Spider was introduced in civilian attire, as a member of a “fashionable sportsman’s club.” But in response to danger, this young man took on the alias under which the public knew him best—the Spider. The Spider was a supreme archer who crafted a special kind of arrow that burst into flame upon firing. The arrow’s tip left behind the Spider’s mark, a scarab-like medallion, that served as a warning. His first adventure came at a time when his city was gripped by the terror of the Cricket. Like the Spider, the Cricket left a calling card bearing his symbol. With cunning, the Spider tracked him down and sent him into a watery grave. (Crack #1) The Spider was wealthy enough to hire helpers like Harry (#3) and Chuck. Our hero was most often seen already attired in his blue-and golds, and soon he unveiled a formidable automobile called the Black Widow (over which he demonstrated limited control). The Black Widow was an ultra-long bullet of a vehicle fortified against bullets. (#7) The car gave even the Batmobile a run for its money—it could careen horizontally along the face of a building! (#9) As for the Spider’s morals, he did not hesitate to kill a kidnapper when a boy’s life was in danger. (#8) Like most heroes of the early 1940s, the Spider soon ran afoul of Fifth Columnists bent on compromising U.S. security. When the Baron Karl Von Ernst escaped Nazis with his jewels and was killed by a bomb, the Spider uncovered B-16, an operative of the Crickets. B-16 led the Spider to the Big Cricket. In the fight, the Spider never once used an arrow; he was forced to flee gunmen and fight the Crickets another time. (#11) The Spider fought some weird foes, too, like the old crone who had been locked in a tomb for decades and sought revenge on young girls. (#14) Then in Manhattan, a green gas was unleashed by the Green Horde, an army of monster men. The Spider succumbed and was taken beneath the streets to their leader, who claimed that his network of caverns crisscrossed the Earth. The Spider eventually choked him to unconsciousness and his Horde fell asleep as well. (#17) The Spider’s secret identity remained obscure until Crack Comics #16, when he was named Tom Hallaway. (Over at Timely, Gustavson’s other creation, the Angel, had also recently been named “Tom Halloway” in Marvel Mystery Comics #20, June 1941! This could be described as “efficiency” on Gustavson’s part, in an era when such things were beneath notice.) The Spider’s foes usually bore the names of the predators and

prey of spiders. He had one recurring foe, the scar-faced underworld boss called the Crow. (#18) When the Crow broke out of prison and killed, Chuck helped Tom round him up. (#21) Then there was the murderous Fly, Ted Tembroke, who was Top and left: The Spider, from Crack #14 business partner to the (1941); art by Paul Gustavson. Above: The former Human Fly. (#29) “flaming seal,” shot from his bow, from The Spider was wise Crack #4 (1940); all art by Paul Gustavson. enough to keep upgrading his equipment, too. When he was shot by Japanese spies, he was saved by his new bulletproof suit. Their agent, the Yellow Scorpion, eluded him. (#23) In Gustavson’s penultimate Spider tale, millionaire Arthur C. Clark was attacked by his own employee, the hooded Dr. Monk, and transformed into a monster. (This was an interesting choice of name, as the author Arthur C. Clark would not become well known until the publication of his 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968. But in the 1940s, he was a minor pulp writer. Perhaps Gustavson was a pulp reader himself.) (#26) The Spider lasted only three more adventures drawn by Joey Cavallo. Several issues after the Spider’s feature ended, another archer—the Marksman—debuted in Smash #33 (May 1942). They do not appear to have anything in common.

The Next Issue Project Picking up where Quality left off, sort of… Image Comics released a solicitation for Crack Comics #63, which features a Spider tale by Adam McGovern and Paolo Leandri. Image co-founder Erik Larsen created the “Next Issue Project,” which pays homage to public domain Golden Age characters. Each issue continues the numbering from the title’s last published issue, but the stories are more loosely inspired by its former characters. The authors received a sneak peek at this tale, which reads rather like pulp fiction. Character profiles 185

The Dark Spider of DC The Quality Comics Spider had no family ties whatsoever. Writer James Robinson (a fan of obscure heroes) saw an opportunity to reinvent the Spider in the mythos of pages of his 1994 Starman revival. DC’s Spider served two purposes: as a foil to Starman’s friend, the Shade, and as a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory. When DC universe continuity changed after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC’s Golden Age team, the Seven Soldiers (a.k.a. Law’s Legionnaires) needed new members to stand in for the Green Arrow and Speedy. Those heroes had been “retconned” out of DC’s Golden Age. Roy Thomas wrote the first revision to the SSoV, merely adding sidekicks to total seven. (Young All-Stars #27) After another chronal shake-up, the Zero Hour, the DC universe changed again and Green Arrow had now been replaced by another archer—the Spider. But secretly? This Spider was evil. His fellow Soldiers tolerated his tendency for violence in light of his useful connections to the underworld. But in October 1948, the Spider betrayed their trust by calling them to St. Louis for their final adventure. Hallaway tricked the Soldiers into building a “nebula rod” to defeat their old foe the Hand. By then the Soldiers had become suspicious enough and sent the Vigilante’s mentor, Billy Gunn, to check Above: The Fly, from Crack #29 the Spider’s background. The (1943); art by Joey Cavallo. Below: Spider killed Gunn and another The Spider’s betrayal, from Stars member, Wing, subdued the and S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (2000); art by Scott Kolins. Spider and escaped. Wing sacrificed himself that day but told the other Soldiers the truth about the Spider—before they were scattered throughout time. (Stars

Afterwards, the Shade leaked his findings to the news media. (The Shade #3)

Notes Fictional archers trace their roots to the legend of Robin Hood. The Spider was also preceded by Fawcett’s Golden Arrow (Whiz #2, Feb. 1940), but Green Arrow and his Arrowcar came over a year later (More Fun Comics #73, Nov. 1941). There was also a popular pulp hero called the Spider, who first appeared in a self-titled magazine cover dated Oct. 1933 (by Popular Publications). This character was not an archer. Another comic book contemporary was the Black Spider, from Ace Magazines’ Super-Mystery Comics #3 (1940). Like the Red Bee, the Black Spider had trained arachnids to help him.

The Spider II NAME + ALIASES: Lucas Ludlow Dalt (deceased) KNOWN RELATIVES: Tom Ludlow Hallaway (The Spider, father,

deceased), Thomas Ludlow Dalt (“I, Spyder,“ brother) FIRST APPEARANCE, Hidden: Starman vol. 2 #47 (Oct. 1998) Revealed: Starman vol. 2 #64 (April 2000) APPEARANCES:

• Hawkman v. 4 #3–6 • Starman vol. 2 #47, 63, 65, 67–70, 80 • Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #3

Spider III a.k.a. I, Spyder NAME + ALIASES: Thomas Ludlow Dalt GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Seven Soldiers of Victory

186

father, deceased), Lucas Ludlow Dalt (Spider II, brother, deceased) FIRST APPEARANCE: Seven Soldiers #0 (April 2005) APPEARANCES:

• Seven Soldiers #0–1 • Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight #3–4 • Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #3

and S.T.R.I.P.E. #9)

Note: The members of the Seven Soldiers also joined the All-Star Squadron (a pre-Crisis tale), so it is reasonable to assume that in retroactive continuity the Spider was part of that group, too. (All-Star Squadron #13) James Robinson defined DC’s evil Spider as descendant of the English Ludlow family, who were mortal enemies of the Shade. After betraying the Seven Soldiers, the Spider continued his ruse and took up residence in Keystone City, home of the Flash, when the Flash went into temporary retirement. The Spider put on a good show. He even granted an interview with reporter Linda Dalt, revealing his secret identity to her. By this time, the Shade had unearthed the Spider’s secrets. When the Spider moved to murder the hero called the Flash, the Shade killed Hallaway first.

KNOWN RELATIVES: Tom Ludlow Hallaway (The Spider,

Below: I, Spyder stands revealed, from Seven Soldiers of Victory #0 (2005); art by J.H. Williams.

The Quali t y Compa nion

Before his death, Tom Hallaway fathered two children with Linda Dalt, whom he apparently married. (Linda—or any love interest—did not appear in any Golden Age stories.) The first of these, Lucas Ludlow-Dalt, eventually took up his father’s mantle and followed the Shade to his next home, Opal City. Luke became a dark vigilante, the Spider II. (Starman vol. 2 #47) The new Spider wore his father’s classic uniform and was recruited by the Shade’s mortal enemy, Simon Culp. Culp’s goal was to take down the Shade, a vengeance for which Luke had trained himself. This Spider was sure of his own agenda, but felt uneasy as part of a larger, murderous gang. (#65, 67-68) When he was finally given the chance for revenge upon the captive (and powerless) Shade, policeman Matt O’Dare stepped in and the Spider fled. (#70) The Spider might have tried to take revenge on the Shade’s ally, Jack

Knight (Starman). One day an arrow was fired at Jack but struck Mason O’Dare. (O’Dare was healed by the spirit of Zatara.) The Shade vowed to track down this archer. (#80) Lucas was found murdered, skewered with arrows in his secret headquarters. The culprit could have been the Shade, but FBI authorities fingered Lucas’ brother instead, Thomas Ludlow Dalt. (Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #2)

Thomas became the third Spider and clad himself in black with sunglasses and a red spider on his chest. After taking on this family mantle, he heeded summons to Slaughter Swamp, armed with a quiver full of arrows. There he was bitten by an ancient faerie, one of the Sheeda. Its venom would have killed Tom if not for the intervention of his mysterious benefactors, the Seven Unknown Men. The Seven set to work transforming Tom into a weapon of sorts. As I, Spyder, Tom was sent to join a new grouping of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, led by the original Vigilante. Thomas now possessed “cold blood and perfect aim” and knew more than his fair share about spiders. This was handy, as the Soldiers’ quarry was a monstrous supernatural spider. They defeated it, but all of them were killed by the resulting Sheeda invasion, heralded by Neh-buh-Loh (a.k.a. the Nebula Man). (Seven Soldiers Special #0)

I, Spyder survived thanks to his new gifts. He was recruited by the Sheeda Queen herself, who was set to destroy all of civilization. Dalt played her faithful servant and even killed another Soldier, Don Vincenzo. (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight #3-4) The Queen next sent him to kill the Bulleteer, a shot which he missed on purpose. When Spyder discovered that the Vigilante had also survived (he was a werewolf), he rejoined the fight against the Sheeda. (Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #3) As the Vigilante’s double agent, Spyder shot the evil Queen through the neck. (Seven Soldiers #1)

Powers The Spider and his son Lucas had no superhuman powers. They were both top notch archers and marksmen. The original Spider drove the lightning-fast Black Widow automobile, which was as long as a limousine, and could reach speeds of 160 mph. It came after the Batmobile—Detective Comics #27 (May 1939)—but before Green Arrow’s Arrow Plane (a car) in More Fun Comics #73 (Nov. 1941). Tom Hallaway was an impressive athlete who relied as much on his agility and strength as he did his arrows. He dabbled in “trick arrows,” once using a magnesium arrow for light and heat. I, Spyder trained himself to be a supreme archer. After he was transformed by the Seven Unknown Men, he gained a supernatural edge. He is now cold blooded and has perfect aim. He also has an affinity for arachnids. I, Spyder flies a black helicopter.

Spider Widow and The Raven Created by Frank M. Borth

Spider Widow NAME + ALIASES: Dianne Grayton KNOWN RELATIVES: John Keller (uncle) FIRST APPEARANCE: Feature Comics #57 (Jan. 1942) APPEARANCES

• Feature Comics #57–72 (Jan. 1942–Oct. 1943) • Police Comics #21–22 (Aug.–Sept. 1943)

The Raven NAME + ALIASES: Tony Grey FIRST APPEARANCE: Feature Comics #60 (Sept. 1942) APPEARANCES:

• Feature Comics #60–71 (Sept. 1942–Sept. 1943) • Police Comics #20–22 (July–Sept. 1943)

“She weaves a web of justice to trap the insects of corruption!” He? “Mysterious, powerful and terrifying, the Raven is the symbol of fear to all the underworld.” Together the Spider Widow and Raven made for an unusual pair and a unique case among the Quality pantheon of heroes. Not only was this sort of pairing of heroes unparalleled at Quality, but their creator, Frank Borth, teamed them with the Phantom Lady when he was writing both features. The beautiful, wealthy, and athletic Dianne Grayton could not abide the pervasive apathy she found in her well-to-do friends. In times when the newspaper headlines consistently read of murder, sabotage and injustice, Grayton resolved to do her part. Opportunity literally came knocking at her door when a pair of mobsters visited her home in need of gasoline for their getaway car. Dianne donned an old green rubber mask, gathered some of her gardener’s pet spiders, and hid inside the crooks’ trunk. Back at boss Jake Lardo’s lair the men revealed their allegiance to Hitler; they had blown up a train shipment of oil. At first, Dianne chose stealth, scaring the men with her black widow spiders. Then she pounced, revealing herself as the Spider Widow. In struggling with Lardo, more spiders swarmed over the boss. Thus incapacitated, the cops were called to round them up. They also found a note from the Spider Widow that made the next morning’s headlines. Her friend Bob Ableson (of the idle rich set) ribbed Dianne and suggested that if she’d like to hunt criminals, she could take a few lessons from the Spider Widow. (Feature #57) Her spiders also sussed out the Japanese collaborator, Madame Largossi (#58), and a murderous circus owner J.P. Darbun. (#59) Not long into her career, the Spider Widow answered a call for help in the newspaper—one placed by Axis spies. But the ad also drew the attention of another mystery man who was interested in meeting the Widow. Dianne fell into a trap, but she was pursued by her mystery admirer, who adopted the guise of the Raven. He freed her and together they delivered the menace into the hands of the US Navy. In the dark of the night, Spider Widow thanked him with a kiss, but later they were both left to wonder who was behind the masks. (#60) Next the pair unwittingly found each other aboard the same train bound for the mountains, when it was hit by Nazis. Each came out in costume but they retreated together when the army arrived to clean up the mess. (#61) In their mountain vacation spot together they stopped some Japanese saboteurs. (#63) Dianne took up acting as a hobby, doing summer theater outside New York. She uncovered one of her fellow actors as a spy and the Raven stepped in again. The two of them began wondering if they were meant to be together, yet they always stopped short of revealing their true selves. (#64) After this, they established a means of contacting one another. (#65) Her greatest nemesis might have been the Spider Man, a villain who commanded a gigantic mechanical spider named Herman. As it happened, he terrorized a factory owned by Dianne’s uncle John. (#66) Bizarre circumstances conspired to ultimately prompt the Raven to reveal his true identity. Dianne’s uncle, John Keller, had become the executor of his friend’s considerable fortune. The will required that four “random” people would have to compete for the fortune. One of these, Miss Withington, killed one of the other four and Character profiles 187

moved to attack Dianne when she discovered that she was the Spider Widow. Another one of the four was Tony Grey, who put a stop to Withington—as the Raven! (#67) Their next adventure together was truly bizarre and unexplained. When the Raven summoned Dianne to a cemetery, she happened upon the lair of the Tiglon Man. This creature had the head of a tiger and he commanded the very artifacts that the Raven had meant to show her. In escaping from him, the Spider Widow had to destroy all of it. (#68) The Raven’s sleuthing led the pair into a series of team-ups with the Phantom Lady. Raven somehow discovered her secret identity and contacted her with information about her kidnapped father. (Police #20) At their second meeting, the Raven introduced Phantom Lady to the Spider Widow. Jealousy tainted their relationship from the start and the Raven was left to mediate. (#69) The women were too-easily fooled into dueling one another by gangsters. During the duel, both of their identities were exposed and the crooks shot the Raven in the back. The ladies continued to argue even in the hospital about who would care for Raven. (Police #21) It was the Raven who finally made some headway in their search for the crooks who had it out for Phantom Lady’s father. He went undercover and become the “boss” of that gang. Dianne phoned Phantom Lady for help and the three of them mopped up. (Feature #70) In their last adventure together, the Raven attempted to mend relations between the girls. His prank, however, turned sour when mobsters intervened and captured him and Phantom Lady. After one timely rescue by the Spider Widow, they buried the hatchet. (#71) The couple said farewell to Phantom Lady, (Police #22) and the Raven was never seen again. The last case of the Spider Widow did not involve the Raven.

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Her friends Alice and Emory had Two great splash pages. Left: From Feature Comics #67 (April succumbed to headhunters in the 1943). Right: The Raven and jungles of South America. The Phantom Lady, from Feature villain nearly killed Dianne, then Comics #70 (1942). All art by leapt out a window to his death. Frank Borth. (Feature #72) This feature seemed to end before its time, probably a victim of Borth’s entry into military service.

Notes Dianne did not appear in costume in Feature #70 or Police #21. Her hairdresser must have been very busy. In her early adventures, she regularly sported different hair colors. Neither hero has been used outright by DC Comics, but the Spider Widow bears striking resemblance to a Starman villain called the Prairie Witch, which creator James Robinson said was coincidental. Not long after his debut, the Raven became co-headliner of the feature. His alter ego, Tony Grey, shares a last name with another avian Quality hero, the Black Condor (Richard Grey). Spider Widow was also the inspiration for a character called the Widow in John Arcudi’s 2002 Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny (see page 54).

Powers Neither the Spider Widow nor the Raven possessed metahuman powers. However, Dianne was skilled at controlling her black widow spiders, and she also once mesmerized a tiger into submission. (Feature #59) As the Raven, Grey could fly, but it appeared to be due to his large artificial wings. In his civilian life, Grey knew how to pilot his own monoplane. The Raven’s wings were powerful enough to enable him to carry another person in flight.

The SPirit Created by Will Eisner NAME + ALIASES: Denny Colt, Jr. KNOWN RELATIVES: Denny Colt, Sr. (father, deceased), Unnamed uncle FIRST APPEARANCE: The Spirit Section, June 2, 1940 FEATURED APPEARANCES (CHRONOLOGICAL):

• The Spirit Section (June 2, 1940–October 5, 1952) • Police Comics #11–87 (Sept. 1942–May 1949) • The Spirit, 22 issues (1944–Aug. 1950, Quality) • The Spirit #1-2 (1966, Harvey) • The Spirit #1-2 (1973, Kitchen Sink Press) • The Spirit, 16 issues (April 1974–Oct. 1976, Warren magazine) • The Spirit, 41 issues (Wtr. 1977–June 1983, Kitchen Sink Press) • The Spirit: The New Adventures of the Spirit #1-8 (1998, Kitchen Sink Press) • The Spirit Archives, 26 vols. (2000–09, DC) • Batman/The Spirit, one-shot (2007, DC) • The Spirit, 32 issues (2007-09, DC) • The First Wave, 6-issue limited series (2010, DC) • The Spirit, current (2010–, DC) • First Wave Special #1 (2011, DC)

The Spirit was the cornerstone of The Spirit Section, a special 16-page comic book-sized insert syndicated to newspapers by Quality and its partner, the Register and Tribune Syndicate. The feature was by some measures Quality’s most successful. Over 600 editions of the Section appeared between June 2, 1940 and October 5, 1952. At its height, it appeared in twenty papers. The Sunday adventures were reprinted in Quality’s Police Comics from 1942–49, and in The Spirit comic book from 1940–50. (These were not reprinted chronologically, and only reached through mid-1946.) In addition, “The Spirit” daily newspaper strip ran from October 13, 1941 to March 11, 1944. The Spirit made a lasting impression on a whole generation of Sunday comics readers. It influenced comic creators, too. The strip’s (and Eisner’s) reputation is one of experimentation; it stemmed from Eisner’s growing desire to use comic books as a medium to tell graphic stories for grown-ups. Will Eisner always owned the Spirit, per his original agreement with Busy Arnold and the Register and Tribune (for details, see page 13). Today his estate manages the reprinting and licensing of the character. Both Dark Horse and DC Comics have published original ongoing series, though they were produced without input from the Estate. Because of the vast amount of extant research, exposition, and documentation about “The Spirit,” this profile only provides an overview of the character and its publishing history. You can find suggestions for further reading in the Bibliography (in addition to the core series listed at the beginning of this profile). Considering its lofty reputation as a pillar of the comic book form, “The Spirit” began rather unexceptionably. (By Eisner’s own admission, some of his best work was done after he returned from the Army.) Limited to only seven pages, each episode of “The Spirit” had to move quickly. Eisner wrote and illustrated the densely packed action, setting the pace in the feature’s very first installment. The Spirit was Denny Colt, a criminologist and private detective who worked closely with Commissioner Eustace Dolan of the Central City Police. One night, Colt tracked the escaped villain Dr. Cobra to a Chinatown hideout. Shots were fired and a vat of chemicals washed over Colt. By the time Dolan arrived with officers, Colt was dead and shipped off to the morgue. The following night, Dolan was visited

by a man in shadows who called An iconic splash page from The himself the Spirit. Both men Spirit Section, Aug. 25, 1940; art by Will Eisner. tracked Dr. Cobra through his henchmen, beginning at the site of Colt’s rebirth: Wildwood Cemetery. Dolan took a cab there, driven by a young African-American (named Ebony White in the third episode). There the Spirit revealed his identity to Dolan, explaining that the chemicals had placed him in suspended animation, and that he’d crawled out of his own grave. Instead of returning to a normal life, he chose for Denny to remain “dead.” He now preferred to fight crime in a manner that could extend beyond the reach of law enforcement. When the Spirit flushed Cobra into the open, Dolan shot him. Before departing, the Spirit left his calling card, a tiny tombstone reading “The Spirit, Address: Wildwood Cemetery.” (The Spirit Section 6/2/1940)

The Spirit wore no mask in his first appearance. It appeared the next week, when Eisner expanded the supporting cast to include Dolan’s daughter, Ellen. She met the Spirit when he hitched a ride in Ebony’s cab at the same time as Ellen and her fiancé, Homer. She fell prey to Dr. Cobra, who’d returned without explanation. After their rescue, the Spirit gave Ellen a kiss that made her reassess her engagement. (6/9/40) Eisner recreated and amended this origin for Warren’s The Spirit #10 (Oct. 1975), adding details about Dr. Cobra’s chemical—now specifically formulated to induce suspended animation. Cobra was in league with the Octopus (a foe who appeared in mid-1946) and plotting to take over the city. The new story focused more on the battle in Cobra’s lair and showed Colt’s body being carted off. Ellen was portrayed as if she already cared for him, and when the Spirit appeared to Dolan for the first time, he had his mask in hand and told Dolan all about his plan for Colt to “stay dead.” The first of many femmes fatales was the Black Queen, a normally dressed woman connected to mob boss Slot Gorgan. The Spirit rounded up Gorgan’s whole gang and enlisted Ebony as his official Character profiles 189

driver, to take them to Wildwood and secure a confession to murder from the boss. The Spirit attended the trial in disguise—a skill he used frequently—but the Queen went free (she returned three weeks later). (6/16/40) The Black Queen later got a make-over complete with a dark skimpy costume and cape. (11/10/40) When emerging from his underground lair, it looked as though the Spirit was rising from the grave. There he had a laboratory, the fruits of which yielded capsules that produced a smoke screen. (6/23/40) The Spirit’s first super-villain was Mr. Midnight, a blue skinned fiend with poisonous fingernails. This tale amped up the intrigue, complete with a dark stony lair, a Quasimodo-like helper, and a great and high escape from fire. (7/14/40) His relationship with the police went sour after he took the fall for a murder. This plot was somewhat nonsensical, and seemed to be designed for the sole purpose of putting the Spirit on the outs with authorities. He escaped from his cell using a pipe bomb and vowed to continue fighting crime, “but without the aid of the police.” (7/21/40) Part of the feature’s charm was its stolen moments, those meaningful or humorous interactions between the title character and his friends. In time Ellen called off her engagement to Homer (9/28/40) and threw herself at the Spirit. He enjoyed teasing her but eventually it was obvious that he was sweet on her as well. (This didn’t stop him from accepting kisses from his female adversaries, though—something that didn’t escape Ellen’s notice.) If there was room, Eisner made use of larger or whole-page splash panels, like the iconic one from August 25, 1940, depicting the smiling bust of the Spirit. October 13’s issue featured a great splash page that was made to look like a newspaper, complete with the text of the “articles.” Another “newspaper” heralded the next week’s tale, too, in which the Spirit attempted to sign up for military service. The commander made a deal that allowed the Spirit to keep his secret identity and serve in a special capacity. (10/27/40) Ebony gradually spent more time with the Spirit in his lair, and eventually it was said to be his home, too. His role as driver extended to the operation of the Spirit’s Autoplane (part car/part plane), which first appeared on July 7, 1940.

Off to War: The Creative History Eisner talked about his waning role in creating the Spirit after his enlistment. (Alter Ego #48) Naturally, he would need to hand off the feature’s production to other creators. Cat Yronwode’s “Spirit Checklist” names many of the creators and others spoke to Jim Amash. (To find the Checklist, search the web for “Spirit checklist.” Yronwode’s web sites have lapsed into disrepair, but it’s recoverable.) Will Eisner was the primary creator of “The Spirit” before he left for the Army, with occasional help by Bob Powell. He was also assisted in writing by Toni Blum. But after May 3, 1942, Eisner was forced to work remotely,

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and cut his duties back to scripting and layouts. Only occasionally was he able to provide the art. Instead, Lou Fine became the primary artist, inked by John Belfi, Joe Kubert, Aldo Rubano, Jack Keller, Robin King and Alex Kotzky. Manly Wade Wellman and Bill Woolfolk stepped in to write. Throughout the war, it was primarily Fine on the art, with additional help from Robin King and Jack Cole (who probably wrote his own episodes). Gill Fox wrote six weeks of the daily strip. The wartime “Spirit” was The Spirit’s supporting cast. Top left: a more optimistic, lightCommissioner Dolan. Above: Ebony hearted feature. For a hero White; both from The Spirit Section, July 7, 1940. Left: Ellen Dolan, from with a morbid pretense, Jan. 27, 1946. Art by Will Eisner. his personality was written quite the opposite. He enjoyed playing pranks on his friends and was easy to smile. He laughed at mortal danger. The antagonist were usually gangsters, but might also include giant robots or even aliens. Will Eisner returned on December 23, 1945, but he continued to employ many others on art and story. Post-war contributors included Klaus Nordling, John Spranger, and Marilyn Mercer. By 1947, Eisner was again the primary creative force behind “The Spirit.” He was then assisted by André LeBlanc and Jerry Grandenetti. Jules Feiffer had begun working for Eisner as a colorist in 1946 and began scripting in 1948. By 1951, Eisner handed over even more of the reins. Artist Al Wenzel did some of the art in 1951–52, and Wally Wood was a big contributor to the series’ final opus, “The Spirit in Outer Space.”

Recurring characters The British agent Silk Satin became a recurring guest-star. She was sent on a mission to get the Spirit, who had a vial of experimental explosive. Satin fell for him as he cozied up to her, in disguise. In the end, the Spirit revealed that he was hired by the Army just to “raise a scare” and divert attention from the real explosive, which Satin somehow secured anyway. For her success, her superiors expunged her criminal record. (10/5/41) The young boy Algernon Tidewater never spoke but packed a wallop. (The episode from Sept. 29, 1946 asked readers to suggest a better name for him.) Ebony overheard that the boy was a genius and attempted to cash in on the kid’s alleged smarts. (10/12/41) This boy continued to pop up for years in panels of “The Spirit.” Ebony was often featured prominently and had his own supporting cast, including his friend Pierpont and his girlfriend Scarlett. When Eisner returned to “The Spirit,” the tone changed considerably, and his drawing style became more fully developed. In 1946, he introduced some new supporting characters. Chief among them were the Spirit’s arch foe, the Octopus, and the persistent P’Gell. The Octopus was a faceless war criminal who operated from Central City’s waterfront. He was usually drawn in shadow, identifiable only by the three parallel lines on his gloves. Satin returned to help the Spirit against this killer. (7/14/46) A duel with the Octopus was a violent

satisfied by this inadvertent proposal. (2/2/49) Will Eisner always defended his depiction of Ebony, but perhaps by 1949 the complaints were too numerous to ignore. Ebony gradually receded into the background and was replaced with a new boy sidekick, Sammy. (8/14/49) The two appeared simultaneously for a short while, but by 1950, even Sammy was allotted some featured stories as Ebony Left: Panel from July 14, 1946, first appearance of the Octopus. Above: Meeting P’Gell, from Oct. 6, once was. (3/5/50) 1946. Art by Will Eisner. On the character’s tenth anniversary, Eisner penned affair. He was depicted shooting a man in the head, and even graz- a surprising tale that illuminated Denny Colt’s personal history. It ing the Spirit with a bullet. (8/24/46) Like the Spirit, the Octopus was began with a visit from the U.S. Treasury Department, investigata master of disguise, and even once posed as the Spirit. (12/5/48) Eisner ing the Spirit for tax evasion. If he was dead, where was the death wrote a new tale for Warren’s Spirit #10 (Oct. 1975), in which the certificate? He acquiesced and told the authorities everything: he unmasked himself and revealed that he lived off the inheritance from Octopus returned to Central City to lead the mob. P’Gell was an exotic French woman—more a “black widow” than a his father, Denny Colt, Sr. He even told Ellen the truth. The Feds super-villain. In her first appearance, she went through three husbands, chose to bury the case and leave him be. (4/16/50) the first of which was a Nazi war criminal. (10/6/46) Dolan actually hired The Spirit’s swan song was an experimental adventure that, while P’Gell to help capture another ex-husband, Don Carlos. The Spirit exciting, drove the nails into the Spirit’s coffin for good. According followed her to Paris but she stayed one step ahead of him. In the to the introduction of this story’s collected edition, Will Eisner had end, she collected the reward and made off with Carlos’ stolen jewels. hoped to redefine the Spirit for the 1950s, but found that his vision was unwelcome among the client newspapers and regular readers. (5/23/48) P’Gell became a French instructor at Riverbend University in order to marry Prof. Acyd, creator of a valuable new formula. (9/10/50) The tale followed the Spirit as he led a rocket’s crew to the moon, Larcenous ladies were common co-stars. Others included Wild Rice, where they discovered war criminals! The Spirit lost several men a girl born to wealth who rebelled, and happily died Bonnie-and-Clyde and was forced to return to Earth. Likewise, the Spirit Section had style with her bank robbing husband. (4/4/48) Plaster of Paris was another lost subscribers and its last edition was inserted on Sunday, October French woman who turned to defend the Spirit just before dying. (11/7/48) 5, 1952. A collected edition of this story arc (The Outer Space Spirit: The Spirit pretended to fall in love with Thorne Strand to get at her 1952, 1989) also included some lost artifacts and details about stories husband, a gang leader. (1/23/49) The severe Miss Cosmek posed as a that never saw print. fortune teller but claimed to be an agent from Mars! She desperately wanted not to return to Mars and was locked up as crazy (but her fellow Other Publishers agent, Mister Nimbus the weather man, took off wearing a jet pack). In following decades, there was renewed interest. Publishers like Harvey (1966), Kitchen Sink Press (1973), and Warren (1974) re(2/13/49) The Irish Wisp O’Smoke made off with Mr. Carrion’s pot o’ gold. (Carrion was another recurring villain, from April 21, 1946.) (4/3/49) printed and contracted new Spirit stories. Eisner never produced it Satin returned, too, (6/12/49) but the woman closest to Denny Colt’s again regularly, aside from drawing new covers and some stories for heart was Sand Saref. Sand was Denny’s childhood playmate. Her the Harvey magazine (and another new story in 1966 for the New father was a cop, a friend of Denny’s uncle (with whom Denny lived). York Herald Tribune). The original Sunday Spirit Sections have been His uncle’s gang ties led to the death of Sand’s father, and she came reprinted chronologically in hardcover archives by DC Comics to despise the police. They grew apart and Sand became a thief. She and Dark Horse Comics. Both of those publishers also created new married and moved to Germany in 1939. She abandoned that man for Spirit stories without creative input from Eisner or his estate. The a German officer, then betrayed him to the French underground in 2007 DC series by Darwin Cooke was particularly adept in captur1940. Though her heart was usually in the right place, she was always ing the excitement of those early adventures, while applying a sort out for number one. She worked her way through men in Arabia and of “nostalgic update.” In 2008, the Spirit was updated and brought returned to Central City. (1/8/50) Sand starred in a multi-part adventure to the big screen, played by Gabriel Macht and directed by comic (which were not uncommon) that began with she, the Spirit, and Mr. book creator Frank Miller. It featured the Octopus and Sand Saref. Carrion after the same jewel. (3/12/50) They became stranded on an island in the Indian Ocean and built a raft to sail away. (3/19/50) After defeating POWERS pirates in the Red Sea, they used their radio to call for rescue. When The Spirit had no super-powers but given his cheat of death, he he returned to Central City, the Spirit’s friends were elated to see acted as if he had no fear of it. Once when doctors examined him, him, but Ellen rushed off, consumed by jealousy over Sand. (4/9/50) they remarked how he’d run for miles yet had a normal heart rate. The Spirit’s marriage avoidance with Ellen was an amusing plot (7/21/40) He wouldn’t hesitate to jump out a window (but might admit, thread. Once when he learned that Lt. Carson intended to propose “Someday I’m going to get hurt doing this!”). Like a cat, he always to Ellen, the Spirit flipped out. Ellen pressed him, asking what other landed on his feet. He was an excellent hand-to-hand fighter. In early offers did she have, to which he replied “Me, by golly, me!” She was stories, he and Ebony used the Autoplane, a car that took to the air. Character profiles 191

The Sword a.k.a. Chic Carter Created by Vern Henkel NAME + ALIASES: Chic Carter FIRST APPEARANCE, As Carter: Smash Comics #1 (Aug. 1939) As the Sword: Smash Comics #24 (July 1941) APPEARANCES:

• Smash Comics #1–24 (Aug. 1939–July 1941) • Police Comics #1–18 (Aug. 1941–April 1943) • National Comics #33–47 (July 1943–April 1945) As the Sword: Smash Comics #24 • Police Comics #1, 2, 5 (July– Dec. 1941)

The last time Chic wore his costume, he’d brought it aboard a luxury liner bound for South America. Good thing, too, because Chic ran afoul of a murder plot where he once again became a suspect. Carter solved the crime as the Sword, and defended the honor of one Tamara de Vielle, daughter of the ruler of Brazilia. Despite his success, he was forced to flee from authorities once again. (#2) Back home, Carter would abandon his alter ego and return to his “normal” life as a reporter. Things were squared away with the police as well. (#4) In Police #5, the title returned to just “Chic Carter” but the introductory text added that Chic “often becomes the Sword.” He couldn’t resist donning the mask one last time, but this time he wore a tuxedo to rescue his colleague Gay Nolan. Gay saw through his disguise. (#5) The costumed adventures were short-lived, but Carter still encountered exotic foes like the masked Hangman. (#7) And he fought “ghostlike” enemies who wore hoods like those of the Ku Klux Klan. (National #45)

Notes The Sword was the inspiration for a character (in name only) in John Arcudi’s 2002 Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny (see page 54). This character was a superhuman.

Tor Created by Fred Guardineer NAME + ALIASES: James “Jimmy” Slade GROUP AFFILIATIONS: All-Star Squadron FIRST APPEARANCE: Crack Comics #10 (Feb. 1941) APPEARANCES:

Vernon Henkel created two noncostumed heroes who took very brief turns in costume. One of these was Chic Carter, a police reporter for the Daily Star (the same name as Superman’s original newspaper). Chic was often sent abroad on assignment, and so saw much of the world’s wartime strife. For a civilian, Carter encountered more than his fair share of eccentric antagonists, like the almost-masked, goggled villain who could walk through walls! This “mystery man” was Professor Krauss, who had invented a way to use radium to pass through solids. (Smash #11) Other villains included Hugo, a freakish phantom of the opera, who was the tool of a greedy opera singer (#15), and the Black Death, who used blow darts. (#23) Super-heroes were basking in popularity by 1941, so Henkel briefly tried transforming Carter into a costumed hero, too. In Alter Ego #48, Henkel said, “[super-heroes] didn’t interest me. I was more into adventure stories, like those in the movies. I liked realism.” Perhaps this was why Chic Carter only remained costumed for a handful of issues. It began when he was framed for murder by “One Thumb” Hogan. Carter was forced to don a yellow-and-red outfit and mask to create an alter ego, the Sword. As an Olympic fencing champion, the gig was a snap. The disguise worked; the Sword was able to extract a confession from Hogan and clear Carter’s name. The caper was such a success that Carter decided he might just try it again. (#24) While reporting on the will reading of Curtis Randall, Chic uncovered a murder plot by the deceased’s brother Harvey, the Black Baron. Harvey invented a skull mask to try to claim his brother’s fortune, but fell to his death in the end. (Police #1) From Smash #24 (1941); art by Vernon Henkel.

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• All–Star Comics vol. 2 #1 (May 1999) • Crack Comics #10–26 (Feb. 1941–Nov. 1942)

For some background information on this hero, read the introduction of the entry for Merlin, page 148. Tor was an everyman—press photographer Jimmy Slade. With but the addition of a fake mustache and cape, Slade fought crime as Tor the Magic Master. Tor’s powers were in line with the contemporary pop culture ideas of magic: mind control, illusions, telekinesis, transfiguration. Like other hero/photographer characters, Tor used his adventures as material for Slade’s photo assignments, and vice versa. Slade’s colleague, reporter Lucy Stone, often found herself in jeopardy during Tor’s escapades. Of course, after the criminals were arrested, Jim had the best photos of the deal. (Crack #11) While on assignment in Alaska, he came upon a ring of spies keen on stealing U.S. munitions. When they destroyed his car, his magical bag of tricks proved somewhat limited; he was forced to traveling into town on foot. Unlike Merlin, he didn’t seem to be able to “whip up” a fast solution. Though Tor could not fly, his magic let him walk on water to reach the spies’ submarine. There he snapped pics of them just before they ran into underwater American mines. (#13) Without explanation, Tor began speaking his spells backwards (a kind of magic practiced by his contemporaries, Merlin and Zatara). (#14) It seemed that Slade found greater power when his spells were spoken thus. He began traveling the world, transforming himself and others in all sorts of ways. In war-torn London, he rode a bomb in midair to personally destroy Nazi planes. (#21) His only marginally “costumed” foe was the top-hatted Doc Moke. Tor stretched his arm like Plastic Man to catch him. (#23)

• Freedom Fighters, vol. 1 #1–15 • Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #1–9 • JSA #49–51 • JSA: Our Worlds at War #1 • Justice League of America #107–108 • National Comics #1–45 (July 1940–Dec. 1944) • Secret Origins vol. 2 #19 • The Spectre vol. 3 #37–50 • Uncle Sam #1–2 (1997) • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1, #1–8 • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2, #1–8 • Uncle Sam Quarterly #1–8 (Autumn 1941–Fall 1943)

Tor from Crack Comics #24 (1942);

Tor might have been a member art by Fred Guardineer. of the wartime group called the All-Star Squadron. His only appearance in a DC comic was as part of the “Justice Society Returns” event. In February 1945, Tor threw in with a group of mystics against a villain called Stalker. He died that day. (All-Star Comics, vol. 2 #1)

Notes Quality’s Tor has nothing to do with the popular hero of the same name, created by Joe Kubert. He was a Tarzan analog that debuted in St. John’s 3-D Comics in 1953 and was later published by DC.

Powers Tor was more modestly powered at first, limited to zapping stuff. Using Guardineer’s backwards-spoken spells, his powers became near-limitless. He could transform objects, but more frequently himself. He would shrink, grow wings, stretch, and could become immaterial and invulnerable.

Uncle Sam Created by Will Eisner & Lou Fine NAME + ALIASES: The American Spirit, Taylor Samuel Hawke,

Samuel Augustus Adams, Sam Wilson, Patriot KNOWN RELATIVES: Bea (Hawke’s wife), Columbia (“sister”) GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Freedom Fighters, All-Star Squadron FIRST APPEARANCE: National Comics #1 (July 1940) Retooled as the American Spirit/Taylor Samuel Hawke/The Minuteman:

Spectre vol. 2 #38 As Samuel Augustus Adams (Uncle Sam I): The Spectre vol. 2 #38

(Feb. 1996). As Sam Wilson (Uncle Sam III): National Comics #1 (July 1940)

(“Wilson” named in Spectre vol. 2 #49) As The Patriot: The Spectre vol. 2 #50 (March 1997) APPEARANCES:

• Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #5 • DCU: Brave New World #1

Uncle Sam’s origin has been told four times, first in National Comics #5, which was retold rather faithfully in Secret Origins vol. 2 #19 by Len Wein and Murphy Anderson. There is also a text feature in Uncle Sam Quarterly #1 written from the perspective of Buddy, Sam’s sidekick. It’s a testament to Sam’s moral qualities: “He worked awful hard to make this country as swell as it is today, and he gets good and mad when anybody tries to upset his way of living.” Then Sam’s fictional history at DC was retooled for modern times by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake in their epic “Haunting of America,” which ran in The Spectre vol. 3 #38-50. Ostrander’s retelling retained the essentials but added a bit more real life history to the mix. Whereas originally, the American Spirit had always been called Uncle Sam, Ostrander’s version was first called “the Minuteman” during the Revolutionary War. In real history, the term “Uncle Sam” wasn’t coined until the early 1800s, so Ostrander’s spirit went by other names such as “Brother Jonathan”—a similar figure in top hat and striped pants—until that time. The first historical mention of “Uncle Sam” in print was in 1816’s Adventures of Uncle Sam in Search After His Lost Honor by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy. His now-recognizable appearance came much later, in 1861. Ostrander’s Samuel Augustus Adams was created as a contemporary of real life political cartoonist Thomas Nast. Nast’s cartoons criticizing the Tweed gang are represented (as Adams’) in The Spectre #38.

1777: The American Talisman is Born The being known as “Uncle Sam” is actually the manifest, mystical spirit of America. In different eras, this spirit has chosen to bond with like-minded individuals, many of whom happened to bear the name “Samuel.” In 1777, just after the American colonies had declared their independence, a group of thirteen patriots, one from each state, convened to define and protect the new nation’s spirit. To help in this mystical endeavor, they enlisted an alchemist named Taylor Samuel Hawke. With the combined will of the men, an American Talisman was created. This Talisman provided a physical link to the new spirit, which manifested itself as a great eye atop a pyramid. Likewise, the Talisman itself sported this image; and on the reverse, an eagle. Hawke was entrusted with the Talisman, and at a key point in the Revolutionary War, he undertook a suicide mission to divert Hessian soldiers away from a supply convoy. The gambit worked, but Hawke was slain by the Hessians. As he lay dying, the American Spirit came to him and offered new life. Hawke became a host for the new Spirit, and the new nation would come to call this being The Minuteman. (National #5, The Spectre vol. 2 #37-38) Note: In the National Comics origin, the first host’s name was only “Samuel” and the hero was only ever called “Uncle Sam.” With the retooling in The Spectre, his aliases were changed to be historically appropriate. Character profiles 193

In one account, the original Sam (Hawke) was shown in his home, with his wife, Bea. She worried that the old man was biting off more than he could chew by serving in the revolution. (In his younger days, he’d served in the French and Indian conflict.) (Uncle Sam #1) After the revolution, the American Spirit waned. It would rise repeatedly in times of great crisis to serve as a beacon for Americans. In the period leading up to the War of 1812, it was reborn as Brother Jonathan, a figure in top hat and suit. During the Civil War, the Talisman was split in two, creating opposing spirits, Billy Yank and Johnny Reb. (#38)

Uncle Sam and WWII The character of Uncle Sam grew in America’s popular culture throughout the 1800s. In the 1870s, he was given form by a Nast political cartoonist named Samuel Augustus Adams. As it happened, Adams had come to possess the halved American Talisman. His cartoons drew fire from his detractors—literally. Adams was accosted at gunpoint for expressing his views. The American Spirit saved his life as it had others before, and the mighty Uncle Sam was borne. The American Spirit manifested itself again as Uncle Sam during World Wars I and II. (The Spectre vol. 2 #38) When the threat of Axis evil began to threaten America, the spirit came across Samuel Wilson in the town of Glen Valley. Seeing the potential in this mercantile owner, the spirit empowered “Old Man Sam,” and he was created as the third Uncle Sam. There he overthrew the threat of the Black Legion. (National #5, Spectre vol. 2 #49) Note: Again, the last name “Wilson” was a DC addition, first mentioned in The Spectre #49. The spirit of America began taking a direct role in defending the Two versions of Uncle Sam’s origin… In 1777 (left), and then the Spirit merging with Uncle Sam in the 1940s (below), from National Comics #5; art by Lou Fine. Right: In 1777, the American Talisman takes a host, Samuel Augustus Adams, to become the Minuteman, from The Spectre vol. 3 #38 (1996); art by Tom Mandrake.

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U.S.A. His first foe was the Cobra, and his henchmen Snyle and Scar. (The Spirit’s first foe was also called Dr. Cobra.) Cobra was attempting to organize disillusioned citizens under a Nazi-esque banner called the Purple Shirts (real Nazis were often called “brown shirts”). Their foreign benefactors also made their move and kidnapped the U.S. President. When they captured Sam as well, the hero’s rhetoric stirred some of the recruits, inciting them to revolt against the Shirts. The Army arrived then and Uncle Sam delivered the President to safety. Uncle Sam also adopted a sidekick, the young boy named Buddy Smith, whose father Ezra was killed by the terrorists. Buddy was a convenient vehicle by which Eisner could teach young readers “what they could do.” On one hand, Sam was unafraid to send Buddy into mortal danger, and on the other, he constantly panicked about the boy’s resulting predicaments. (National #1) Sam took time to train Buddy, teaching him skills like tracking. (#5) He once referred to Buddy as his nephew, thought this was not biologically true. As Sam explained it, “every red-blooded American boy is my nephew!” (#20) For being a contemporary incarnation of the nation’s zeitgeist, Sam sometimes acted in odd ways. For example, he would scale a building instead of using a modern convenience like the elevator. And even though he was silver-haired, Sam was always drawn to look fit (sometimes shirtless) and fairly young in National Comics. Uncle Sam wasn’t beneath tackling mundane threats like J.P. Potter, who sickened kids with inferior candy. (#2) But more often his adventures concerned national security, like when he stepped in to help the Philippines against an expansionist power of Mias and his brute of a general, Yiffendi. Sam rallied the locals to take back their land. (#3) America wasn’t yet at war but Uncle Sam uncovered plenty of foreign threats. European dictators built a “sub tank” that crossed

the ocean floor to attack America. By coincidence, Uncle Sam was enjoying a fishing trip and discovered their approach. (#7) The Black Legion returned again, attempting to infiltrate America’s manufacturing. Somehow they managed to cause mass blindness, but Sam traced them to a Pacific Island and alerted the military to intercept their foreign invasion. He cured the blindness, too. (#14) Spies found a fertile ground for an attack on the movie set of director Emil Von Blon. The Warren Bros. director was so successful and powerful that he procured the use of a fleet of US Navy ships. The picture was meant to stir American patriotism, but the set was infiltrated by Nazi Fifth Columnists. Buddy—who was onboard one of the submarines to help with the filming—got wise and turned the tables on the saboteurs, taking one of their guns and making his escape through a torpedo bay. Meanwhile, the spirit of George Washington appeared to Uncle Sam and alerted him to the danger. Buddy and Sam defeated the spies, but only after several ships had been destroyed. (#16) Tales like this one were typical across the Quality line, where Axis countries and leaders were not named explicitly, but the intention was clear. National #16 clearly depicts a swastika.

A Dime for a Quarterly At about this time (mid-1941), Uncle Sam was awarded his own quarterly title. When pointing to Will Eisner’s best work, people ofen cite “The Spirit,” but at this point in history, Eisner’s work on Uncle Sam Quarterly far outshines that feature. The first issue was a beautiful creation featuring some of his most creative artwork to date. It consisted of four chapters and a double-page map of Sam’s hometown, Everytown. Unlike Doll Man Quarterly, which launched at the same time, this issue only ran stories about the title character. Uncle Sam Quarterly lasted for only eight issues before being retitled

Left: The fictional attack on Pearl Harbor, from National #18 (1941); art by Lou Fine. Right: A somewhat experimental page from Uncle Sam Quarterly #2 (Winter 1941); artist uncertain. Notice the cameos by other Quality super-heroes!

Blackhawk. The tales in this title were much more fanciful than those in National Comics. When Senator Northrup Bristol forced a “Youth Training Bill” through Congress, children across the country were herded into near-slavery. Bristol’s ambitions grew so far as to kidnap the President and assassinate his detractors in order to pass further fascist laws. In time they came to recruit Buddy as well. Uncle Sam was powerless to save him—it was the law. Meantime, Bristol hired a sculptor named Curwen to mold faces and create a duplicate of Uncle Sam and others. Bristol cried for war, but the nation wasn’t ready. Uncle Sam freed himself and rallied the country and military to end Bristol’s fevered plans. (Uncle Sam Quarterly #1) Issue #1’s second tale reads like the Spirit. In it, the strange Dr. Link and Dr. Blink brought King Killer back to life à la Frankenstein. Killer was nigh unstoppable; with fangs and fearsome strength, only a protracted battle with Uncle Sam could bring him down. Killer returned in U.C.Q. #2 for round two. Uncle Sam was forced to bury him in a collapsed mine shaft. Another monster was created by biologist Jeremiah Korntooth, who engineered the fanged and pinheaded Mongrol Men. He offered these men to the Axis powers; these also tested Sam’s strength and cunning. (U.C.Q. #4) The remaining tales of Uncle Sam Quarterly #1 speculated about American life under fascist rule. But for all his strength, Uncle Sam’s greatest weakness was his country’s lack of faith. After the Star-Record newspaper ran an article doubting his existence, Sam’s powers began to Character profiles 195

spirit of Capt. John Paul Jones, the “Father of the American Navy.” That inspired Sam to use America’s retired frigates to encircle the enemy in fire. In the meantime, Boston was also invaded by enemy soldiers (#18) Many stories, especially those in the Quarterly title, dealt with historical topics. The spirit of Simón Bolívar (the first president of Columbia) even approached the spirit of George Washington to recruit Uncle Sam to help fight the Nazis in South America. Together he and Buddy decimated an air attack launched from Africa. (#20) One time he intervened during the sentencing of some underage thugs, and begged the court’s mercy. Instead, Sam took the four boys under his wing (all save one, who had actually killed a man). Surprisingly (for a story by a Jewish writer), the boys’ reformation began with a Sunday trip to church! (#22)

World War II

Right: The third (World War II) Uncle Sam is barely alive, but readies himself to merge into the Patriot. Left: The Patriot is created—a living American Talisman, from Spectre vol. 2 #50 (1997); art by Tom Mandrake.

wane. According to a rebuttal written by Buddy: “The only time that anyone ever came close to licking him was the time that the people stopped cheering for him and he lost his strength.” As steel-helmeted invaders took over America, Uncle Sam fell ill and disappeared completely. He found himself in another world where he was told the only way back was to fight through “swamps of ignorance and of jungles of lies.” After completing these trials, he returned to America and its citizens embraced him again. This gave him the strength to overthrow their captors. (U.C.Q. #1) The second issue was another masterwork. One sprawling tale followed Sam and Buddy into Kidland, an underground fantasy world where children never grew old. Sam saved the residents of Kidland from the Wicked Witch Queen and her giants. In another, he faced the Fiddler of death whose violin sounds could control animals. The splash page of this story even prints sheet music for the Fiddler’s song! Another stunning feature took an unconventional approach to storytelling and broke the “fourth wall” between Quality’s characters and readers. In it, the comic book villains revolted and leapt from the page to enslave the comics’ creators. The story is written in rhyming verse and ultimately Uncle Sam righted things by convincing the villains to return to their role: “Cause the kids must have their heroes, And the heroes must have foes, So the villains should return to work, Before the trouble grows.” (#2) The story in National Comics #18 featured an eerily ominous bombing of Pearl Harbor. Although the cover is dated the same month as the attack, Dec. 1941, this comic was probably produced as much as six months before that. In the previous issue (#17), the Black Guard (formerly Legion) returned to threaten U.S. forces in Panama. The Axis spread a wider net next, attacking Pearl Harbor, Guam, and Portland, Maine. It was Buddy’s idea to build a wire net that was carried below airplanes to foul up the invaders’ plane props. While defending the seas near Maine, Uncle Sam encountered the

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You can’t write a feature titled “Uncle Sam” and not have stories about the U.S. involvement in the war. The cover of National #23 (June 1942) may have been one of the first produced after Pearl Harbor; it depicts the Japanese as enemies. Here, another interlude about Sam’s role in the DC universe… In All-Star Squadron #31-32, Uncle Sam told the story of how he’d assembled the first team of Freedom Fighters (Invisible Hood, Magno, Miss America, Neon, the Red Torpedo, and Hourman). This team tried unsuccessfully to stop the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. They all seemingly perished, and later Uncle Sam assembled a second team who fared better. They eventually broke off from the All-Star Squadron to work directly for officials in Washington. Whether because of Eisner’s departure from the feature, or for the passions of war, the tone of “Uncle Sam” shifted considerably with National #28 (Jan. 1943). The art was signed by Al Gabriele, and the lettering style was new. In a story narrated by “Father Time,” Sam took out a machine gun and mowed down the enemy Japanese. Sam also appeared in that issue’s “Kid Patrol” feature, as a mentor. He encouraged them to perform in order to raise money for war bonds. (#28) Sam traveled into the heart of Nazi Germany itself to assist his friend, the guerilla leader called the Vagabond. Sam and Buddy supplied the Vagabond’s band with weapons to fight the Führer. (#37) Uncle Sam was removed from the cover of National Comics beginning with #42 (May 1944), and replaced by a non-super-hero, the Barker. His feature ended in National #45 (Dec. 1944), with a case south of the border, in the country of Zatlan. The country’s president requested Uncle Sam’s aid in ferreting out a ring of criminals who incited Zatlan’s people to revolt.

At DC Pre-Crisis: Earth-X Uncle Sam’s first actual DC appearance was in 1973’s Justice League of America #107-108, where he was reintroduced to readers along with other former Quality heroes as the Freedom Fighters. This story and the successive Freedom Fighters series are no longer in DC continuity because they concerned the Quality characters’ lives on the parallel Earth-X. For the details on this series and summary of

events, see the Freedom Fighters profile on page 41. In Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #4, Uncle Sam made a very curious statement, acknowledging his pre-Crisis life on Earth-X: “I am the spirit of an alternate America on another Earth.” A mystical being, he remembered the first crisis and Earth-X—which he described as his “home” Earth. Like only a handful of other super-heroes, he recalled the original multiverse. Despite this, he also verified that his current history includes the incarnations as Minuteman, Johnny Reb, etc., which means his retooled origin from The Spectre stands in continuity.

The Haunting of America: The Patriot In the DC universe, Uncle Sam disappeared after World War II, as he had after past American wars. The American Talisman was further fragmented as the nation struggled with racism, corruption and an unpopular war. (The Spectre vol. 2 #38) During this time, a new group called the National Interest formed to collect the pieces of the Talisman. From their base inside the former Norad Mountain, they began amassing cultural artifacts for mystical power. One of these was an alien craft acquired from Roswell, New Mexico. They could not crack its secrets—until they met Sam Wilson. Somehow the former Uncle Sam merged with the craft. His mind now resided therein, but amnesiac; the N.I. called him the Sorcerer. Wilson’s empty body was then used as cloning material to create a supernatural servant called Shadrach. (#46) Shadrach crossed paths with the Spectre, who quickly learned the importance of the fragments of the Talisman. (#37) With some difficulty, the Spectre destroyed Shadrach beyond the National Interest’s ability to repair. (#38-39, 43) During this time, the true spirit of America began exerting its influence from beyond, reaching out to various Americans to form a new Talisman. These people included little Sojourner TsangeTaylor and her parents Anna Tsange and Randall Abaki Taylor(#42); Madam Xanadu’s daughter, Helen Belcanto (#43-44); and American Indian twins Victorio Cutter and Tahzey Wovoka. (#46) Just as these and seven others were converging on Mount Rushmore, the National Interest succeeded in reuniting all the fragments of the original American Talisman. Their aim was to recreate the avatar in their own perverted image. But the National Interest had discounted the fight left in old Samuel Wilson, inside their Sorcerer. When the Sorcerer discovered his old body lying comatose and learned what

they had done to him, he rebelled against the N.I., scooped up his withered body and headed for Mount Rushmore as well. (#49) When Wilson arrived in the Black Hills, he joined the others, who were all willing to give themselves over to the creation of a new American Talisman. This time, the Talisman and its avatar were one and the same. All thirteen individuals merged to form the Patriot. The Patriot immediately sensed the danger back at Norad, where he discovered that the National Interest had succeeded in their goal. They’d created the American Scream, a vile twisted version of Uncle Sam. The Spectre destroyed the Scream. Afterwards, the Patriot returned most of its hosts to their homes. Two of them, however—Tahzey Wovoka and Sam Wilson—no longer had living bodies. Thus, the form of the Patriot was their permanent “home.” (#50) For unexplained reasons, this Patriot was seen only once again (JSA: Our Worlds at War) before again taking the form of Uncle Sam. (Superman vol. 2 #178)

A Case of Vertigo In 1997, Uncle Sam was the unlikely subject of a two-issue prestige series illustrated by fan-favorite Alex Ross. The events of this series don’t fit with the Spectre tale above. Still, it’s a fascinating study that finds Sam emerging from nowhere—delirious and fevered—suffering from all manner of social injustices. Most passersby dismissed Sam as a vagrant and a psychopath. But as he wandered the country, he recalled all his past lives until he remembered his true purpose. (Uncle Sam #1) He was aided by an old friend, the former spirit of America called Columbia. This womanly spirit transported Sam to her domain, which resembled her last glory days (at the 1940 New York World’s Fair). She inspired Sam to return to America and fight again. He realized that “the only way to know how freedom works, is to work at it.” To resume his mission, he confronted an alternate version of himself, one built on greed and excess. Sam defeated this spirit—whom he admitted might be the spirit of a nation, but not of America. (#2)

Freedom Fighters, versions 3–4 Uncle Sam was next seen several times leading a new band of Freedom Fighters who assisted the Justice Society. (JSA #49-51) These heroes were massacred by the Society during the “Infinite Crisis.” Sam was destroyed as well. (Infinite Crisis #1) The Freedom Fighters were revived in full force very soon afterwards when Uncle Sam rose in response to an alien threat that

Above: Steve Darnell and Alex Ross took Uncle Sam through America’s darker side, from Uncle Sam #1 (1997); art by Alex Ross. Right: Ready, as always, from Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #8 (2007); art by Daniel Acuña.

Character profiles 197

invaded the White House. He recruited brand new heroes bearing the names of his old friends to rout the corruption. At the conclusion of the case, these Freedom Fighters were put in charge of the covert action organization called S.H.A.D.E. (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters #1-8) Recently, Uncle Sam was destroyed by elementals called the Renegades. (Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #2) He was soon resurrected when his friend, Firebrand, was killed by the Jester. Firebrand’s body served as the portal for Sam’s return to America. (#7)

Notes Sam’s creator, Will Eisner, was drafted into the military in 1942. His byline appears on the Uncle Sam feature through National Comics #26 (Nov. 1942), but it’s unknown how long he continued to write it. Quality’s greats, Lou Fine and Reed Crandall, contributed the art throughout much of the feature’s lifetime. In some ways, Sam and Buddy parallel Captain America and his boy sidekick, Bucky. Sam debuted in 1940, a year before the Marvel legend (Captain America Comics #1, March 1941).

Powers Uncle Sam is fast, strong and nearly invulnerable. It was clear that he could neither fly nor teleport, but he found himself in battle all over the world. He was a “universal translator,” couldn’t be photographed, and had to hold his breath underwater. He was privy to counsel from the spirits of other historical American figures, including George Washington, Capt. John Paul Jones and Miss Columbia. Buddy Smith was also able to see these spirits. In many of Sam’s cover and DC appearances, he is depicted towering over landscapes, but he didn’t exhibit size-changing ability, per se, in his National Comics adventures.

The Unknown Created by Ted Udall and Bernard Klein NAME + ALIASES: Unrevealed, alias Pete Walker FIRST APPEARANCE: National Comics #23 (June 1942) APPEARANCES: National Comics #23-41 (June 1942–April 1944)

The Unknown looked very similar to another Quality hero, Hercules. Both were bare-chested and wore red capes. There was another Quality hero called “Neon the Unknown” who was significantly different. It’s clear that the Unknown’s first several appearances were drawn by several different artists. His costume changed slightly with every issue. He began with a shirtless costume but later developed a sense of propriety and adopted a white shirt. Some artists drew a “U” on his belt. The Unknown was an American man whose true name is lost to time. His story begins in France, June 7, 1940, after the Nazi invasion. As a civilian, he found himself allied with the French forces. Although America hadn’t entered the war, he sided with the French and survived a gunshot wound. But his injuries threw him into amnesia—he no longer remembered his own name or country. The man made his way to the historic battle of Dunkirk, where he donned a costume and fought the Nazis alongside the British and French as “the Unknown.” The Unknown refused an offer by the British military to return to England. He vowed instead to remain in Europe to fight the Nazis head-on. As he put it “I have forgotten much… but I will never forget cruelty and injustice!” (National #29) Though he never fought a masked opponent, he once met a Ger-

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man commander who took a dose The Unknown frees prisoners of cocaine for additional “courage.” from the Dachau concentration The Colonel gained super-human camp! From National #30; artist uncertain. strength from the drug. Still, he was no match for the Unknown’s innate strength. (#25) At Vichy, the Unknown broke up a state rally aiming to prop up support for the German occupation. There he condoned mowing down the Nazis. (#26) In Russia, he took the alias “Pete Walker” while undercover and feigned drunkenness to plant misinformation. There a German femme fatale, the spy called X-19, was working undercover among Russians. Naturally, he triumphed over her, stating, “I wish women, especially beautiful women, would keep out of this war mess.” (#28) The Unknown was fearless within Europe, and went so far as to infiltrate the Dachau concentration camp, where he freed a train full of prisoners. (#30) He found a shirt to wear in time for his battle against Adolf Hitler. After Mars, the god of war, had appeared to the Führer in his dreams, the Unknown received a message from the goddess of Victory. She broke him out of his jail cell and turned the tables on the Nazis. (#34) Next he uncovered a trio of criminals called the Murderous Three—Piano Charlie, Marion Wells and the Dutchman. They ran a powerful ring responsible for many atrocities across the globe. The Three went down in flames when the Unknown shot their plane. (#36) Well into 1943, the Unknown felt that he was “needed more in the Pacific area,” and so began by helping Koreans battle the Japanese. (#37) Note: Though victory in Europe was a ways off, 1943 was a pivotal year. The Allies successfully invaded Italy and began heavier bombing of Germany. When he returned to Europe, he was aided by the German Dr. Stussborg, who dyed the hero’s hair black to fool the Nazis. (#40) The Unknown was last seen in late 1943. By that time, the word had spread that he was the savior to freedom fighters across the continent. When people were being shipped of to camps, they looked to him for salvation. He managed to stop another Nazi train and freed its prisoners. Once empty, he rammed the train into its destination station. (#41) The last Unknown feature (National Comics #41) promised a new adventure the following month. Alas, no.

Notes The Unknown made a cameo in an unconventional story in Uncle Sam Quarterly #2 (1941). The Unknown was the inspiration for a supernatural character in John Arcudi’s 2002 Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny (see page 54).

Powers The Unknown had no super-human powers. A true soldier, the Unknown never hesitated to use whatever means necessary to win a

battle—including the use of firearms or the killing of enemy troops. He was a superb hand-to-hand combatant, and fearless in battle.

USA Created by Maurice Gutwirth NAME + ALIASES: Unrevealed FIRST APPEARANCE: Feature Comics #42 (March 1941)

ball. USA hasn’t been seen since 1941. (#48)

Powers USA’s magic flag would droop in times of danger. She also carried the torch of freedom: “As long as the torch of freedom lights the way, our might on land and sea might not perish.” The torch dispensed kinetic force for offensive use or flight. She was also invulnerable and capable of magical disguise. The threads of her flag could be granted to others, to bring them good fortune. The flag itself could deflect bullets.

APPEARANCES: Feature Comics #42–48 (March 1941–Sept. 1941)

The Voice Created by Stan Aschmeier NAME + ALIASES: Real name unrevealed, a.k.a. “Mr. Elixir” KNOWN RELATIVES: Unnamed parents FIRST APPEARANCE: Feature Comics #32 (May 1940) APPEARANCES: Feature Comics #32-37 (May 1940–Oct. 1940)

USA was Quality’s second lady super-hero, behind Lady Luck (though USA was their first superpowered heroine and the first to appear in an anthology title). She was clearly inspired by the early American icon called Miss Columbia. Columbia was once a patriotic symbol as prevalent as Uncle Sam, but has since lapsed into some obscurity. (In fact, Columbia appears as a character in DC’s two-issue Uncle Sam.) As flag-adorned heroines go, USA predated Wonder Woman by about six months, and Quality’s own Miss America by several months. USA was, like Uncle Sam, the embodiment of an American ideal. As a young girl, she was alive in 1777 and witnessed Betsy Ross’ creation of the new flag. Afterwards, she grew ill, but she carried some threads from that first flag in a locket. The locket was buried with her when she died. In 1941, the locket was unearthed and when opened, USA was borne! With her magic flag and torch of liberty, she showed European loyalists the errors of their fealty. (Feature #42) USA stopped all manner of spy within the U.S., in the Navy and government offices. USA was quite intolerant of Fifth Columnists, squashing even their right to free speech in America when she punched out a speaker in New York City. She was swift to follow them to their lair and learn their secret plot. (#46) She took to working alongside civilian women in a bomb factory (not bothering to hide her identity). Naturally, she uncovered a spy there, too: her supervisor, Mrs. Cragg. (#47) In her last adventure, she met a man who could have become a romantic interest, Pvt. Allen Marshall. After saving him from saboteurs, they shared a dance at the base’s masquerade Splash from Feature Comics #44 (1941); art by Maurice Gutwirth.

In the year 1790, a ship was sunk by a typhoon in the south seas. A man, his wife and their small boy survived the disaster. They drifted to a small tropical island and found only rare life-giving herbs for food. The man and his wife died but the magic of the herbs preserved the life of the boy. One-hundred fifty years later, a ship stopped at this unknown island and an old man was taken away from its shores. Back in London, the old man who was that lost boy found that without the herbs, he would soon die. Known as Mr. Elixir to his neighbors, he feverishly attempted and succeeded in recreating the plant, which also gave him super-strength. Elixir befriended a neighbor to help him fight organized crime. Having studied magic as well, he set up some crooks, then tipped off the police via radio message as “Elixir—The Voice.” (Feature #32) As a 150-year-old “invisible detective,” Elixir kept both the good and bad guys off his trail with a combination of trick microphones and ventriloquism. In his next case, he was none too discreet about his new identity. He brazenly took access of a bank speaker system to send an alert as the Voice, leading to the rescue of the bank’s kidnapped president. (#33) These successes led Elixir to commit himself to crime fighting. The Voice began fielding requests for help and installed a special one-way mirror. He would speak to potential “clients” from behind it. He even found himself up against his own masked villain, the Black Mask. (#34) The Voice also employed the aid of his building’s bellhop, Tommy. (#35-36) In his last adventure, the Voice also wore a cape and hat when he took to the streets. Elixir was last seen in 1940. (#37) Taking his pill, and off on a mission, from Feature Comics #36 (1940); art by Stan Aschmeier.

Notes The Voice’s creator, Stan Aschmeier, also produced Quality’s “Captain Character profiles 199

Cook of Scotland Yard.” In one of Cook’s cases, from Smash #7, the villain in the story impersonated the Voice. At the conclusion of the case, Cook found that a thief had been using the Voice’s M.O. to throw them off. Aschmeier (sometimes signed “Asch”) is also credited as the creator of DC’s Dr. Mid-Nite. Though his work on “the Voice” was unsigned, his figure and face drawings are easily recognizable from other signed work. The Voice’s first adventure depicted London’s Daily Mail newspaper and mentions Park Lane. Doll Man fought a whispering menace called the Voice sin Feature #90 (1945). Two other Golden Age characters called “the Voice” appeared at other publishers and have no connection—creators or otherwise—to Quality’s. Dell’s Voice appeared just after Quality’s, in Popular Comics #52 (June 1940). Dell’s character looked more like the Invisible Hood than Mr. Elixir. A third Voice appeared once only, in Centaur’s Amazing Man Comics #22 (May 1941). He played tricks with his voice using a special mask.

Powers Mr. Elixir’s secret herbs gave him enhanced strength and longevity, but he needed to take them in continuous doses. While on the island, he ate natural herbs. Back in civilization, he formulated a chemical that, when poured on plants, gave the same effect. Whether herbinduced or not, he also exhibited super-hypnotism.

The Whistler

in National #54 (June 1946) was drawn by a different artist.

Splash from National #52 (1946); art by Vernon Henkel.

Note The Whistler was also the name of a popular radio mystery drama which began in 1942. It was adapted into a series of film noir B-movies by Columbia. This production had nothing to do with jazz or reporters.

Created by Vernon Henkel NAME + ALIASES: Mallory Drake FIRST APPEARANCE: National Comics #48 (June 1945) APPEARANCES: National Comics #48–54 (June 1945–June 1946)

The Whistler was an odd addition to the Quality line-up. By 1945, there were few masked heroes being created—in fact most of them were being discontinued. What’s even more unusual was that the Whistler was created by Vern Henkel, who admitted he didn’t care for super-heroes. That said, the Whistler was barely “super.” When Mallory Drake was hired as a police reporter, he rushed off to tell his brother Jerry, who performed as a jazz whistler. Jerry noted that Mallory himself was quite the mimic, and a master whistler himself. Just then, thugs came in to harass Jerry’s boss. When Jerry defended him, he was shot and killed. With his dying breath he asked his brother to use his eerie whistling ability to strike fear into criminals. When Mallory donned a mask (looking like a red Spirit), he found that something about the vibrational tone of his whistle put terror into even the truest heart. Although his masked career was a success, Mallory’s editor didn’t buy his story about a “Whistler,” and rejected it. (National #48) With further practice he discovered he could throw the sound of his whistle across space, and create blood-chilling, paralytic reactions in his foes. When he was tied up, he even whistled so acutely that it fired a gun! (#50) Drake’s biggest challenge was to outwit both the police and his own boss, who had teamed up to ensnare the Whistler. Neither appreciated the vigilante. He tricked them all by involving a local crime boss and giving them all the slip under cover of darkness. (#51) His ability to outwit police was surprising given that he didn’t even change suits while he was masked. Nonetheless, he continued to outwit everyone. Henkel left Quality in 1946, and the Whistler’s final adventure

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Wildfire Created by Jim Mooney and Robert Turner NAME + ALIASES: Carol Martin (nee Carol Vance) KNOWN RELATIVES: Frank Vance (deceased), Mr. and Mrs. John Martin

(adoptive parents) FIRST APPEARANCE: Smash Comics #25 (Aug. 1941) APPEARANCES: Smash Comics #25-37 (Aug. 1941–Nov. 1942)

Wildfire was the only Quality Comics creation by Jim Mooney, who is better known for his work at DC, especially on “Supergirl.” When she was a small girl in the Northwest, Carol Vance survived her parents in a forest fire. Her father, Frank Vance, succumbed to the flames, but Carol was noticed by a mystic Lord of Fire. He was impressed by her survival and granted her bona fide immunity to fire. In addition, she could create and manipulate flames. Local socialites Mr. and Mrs. John Martin took pity on the orphan and adopted her. By the time she grew to adulthood, she had decided to use her powers to fight evil. In her first adventure, she exposed some arsonists and their ringleader, the Nazi zealot called the Green Masked Bund. (Smash #25) Naturally, most of her adventures revolved around fire in some way. She uncovered a corrupt superintendant at the Midville orphanage who planned to lock up all the children under his care, leave them to burn, and abscond with the funds for his facility! (#26) Note: Supergirl’s alter ego, Linda Lee, also lived in an orphanage, in Midvale. Carol was attuned to fire on a subconscious level as well. The evil flames of Fire-Devil and his Fire Cult reached out to her sleeping mind and awakened her to danger. (#27) Her adoptive parents had no clue about Carol’s dangerous ad-

ventures even though they were usually in close proximity. On a trip across the country to Hollywood, Carol made a quick change to stop sabotage on a movie set. (#29) Heading back across the Southwest, she ran across crooks who were set upon sabotaging an oil field. These criminals were the first to really challenge Wildfire by tagging her with their “freezo” gun. The gun shot liquid air that turned its targets to ice. But in the course of their destructive actions, an oil rig was set aflame and thawed Wildfire out. (#30) At Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the murderous Frog employed a similar weapon, his cold water gun. Evidence pegged him as a disgraced Army vet, Froggy Miller, who was out for revenge. (#32) When she returned home, she visited her friends Anne and John Haynes in their castle-like home only to discover they’d been invaded by Mad Merlin the magician and his men. (#34) With experience, Carol became more proactive in her crime fighting by answering an ad placed in a newspaper by Micky Kane. She gave him a small magic flame that would signal her in times of trouble. He had cause soon enough, when his brother was kidnapped. The magic flame released a fire pixie that alerted Wildfire to the trouble. (#36) Carol might have found her true calling when she became an air raid warden during the war. During a “blackout test,” she and others were kidnapped by the Top: From Smash #29 (1941). Above: The Fire-Devil from Smash #27 Dean of Darkness. As Wildfire, (1941). Right: From Smash #25 (1941). All art by Jim Mooney. she forced him out of his hideout and then chose to make a spectacle in public by finishing him off with her fists—as Carol. Perhaps she considered her for All-Star Squadron, but he didn’t want to risk conenjoyed this civilian side of duty more than her costume, because fusion with DC’s other Wildfire, a member of the Legion of SuperWildfire was never seen again. (#37) Heroes. Artist Paul Smith managed to sneak her into one panel in The Golden Age #4 (1994). And the character inspired a namesake in John Arcudi’s 2002 Elseworlds series, JLA: Destiny. Notes Jim Mooney mentioned Wildfire in an online interview with The Silver Lantern (thesilverlantern.com). He said he’d hoped that Wildfire Powers would “be a sensation and take off, but it really didn’t make much Wildfire could create, channel and absorb flames. Sometimes she used of a splash.” them to form shapes like a high-heat shield that could melt bullets. While Phantom Lady is often remembered as wearing a risque When using her powers to fly, her hair left a flaming trail behind her costume, her appearances in Quality Comics were tame compared (rather like Starfire of the Teen Titans). She had a sort of empathic to the immodest costume of Wildfire. In Smash #36, the costume was relation with fire that allowed her to sense it at a distance, to use it colored to cover up more of her torso (but drawn the same as always). to divine certain truths, and to track its trace on others. Sometimes Wildfire has never been fully used by DC. Writer Roy Thomas she relied only on her keen detective skills and flight. Character profiles 201

Wings Wendall

Wonder Boy

Created by Vernon Henkel

Creator uncertain

NAME + ALIASES: Captain “Wings” Wendall

NAME + ALIASES: Unrevealed

FIRST APPEARANCE: Smash Comics #1 (Aug. 1939).

FIRST APPEARANCE: National Comics #1 (July 1940)

APPEARANCES: Smash Comics #1–37 (Aug. 1939–Nov. 1942). In costume: Smash Comics #24-25 (July–Aug. 1941)

Captain “Wings” Wendall was an aviator for the U.S. Army Intelligence. He wore a costume and mask only for three issues, and was created by Vernon Henkel, who put his other creation, Chic Carter, through a similar temporary transformation. In one of his earliest adventures Wings battled a masked villain called the Hooded Terror (Smash #3), and another in a golden mask. On this case, Wings also began using his signature plane, the Bullet-plane, designed by mechanic pal Spinner Benson. (#18) “Wings” never revealed his true first name. He took to wearing a costume by circumstance one day when intelligence discovered an invisible enemy air base. Using the Bullet-plane, Wings took down one of their planes. On the ground, he donned the enemy’s hood and goggles, which he found allowed him to see their invisible floating hangar. Wearing the rest of the blue-and-yellow costume, he infiltrated to destroy their organization from the inside. (#24) Wendall must not have liked the outfit, because it only lasted for a short time. He met Captain Krawl whom Wendall captured with his great clouds of sleep-gas. (#25) Wings must have realized that the costume gave him no special advantages, and he abandoned it after this adventure. In 1942, Wings battled another notable villain called the Red Menace (this, in pre-Cold War times) over the course of Smash Comics #30-32. Their fanged leader was depicted with vaguely Asian features. Issue #31 is notable for containing the early depiction of an atomic bomb in a comic book. This story would have been written before Pearl Harbor. Newspapers in America proclaimed that the Red Menace had created the atomic bomb, and was threatening San Francisco. As Wings made his way to the West Coast, the city was blown up, leaving a “gigantic pit!” Fortunately, by story’s end, Wings blew up the Menace’s stockpile of A-bombs. He met one other masked foe, the Nazi femme fatale, Izan. (#35)

One of Wendall’s few costumed adventures, from Smash #25 (1941); art by Vernon Henkel.

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APPEARANCES, QUALITY:

• National Comics #1–26 (July 1940–Nov. 1942) APPEARANCES, Elliot: Bomber Comics #1-4 (Spring–Winter 1944) APPEARANCES, Ajax/Farrell:

• Samson #12–13 (April–June 1955) • Terrific Comics #16 (March 1955) • Wonder Boy #17–18 (May–July 1955)

Wonder Boy might have been created by Jerry Iger himself. Iger began his career as a cartoonist and he revived this character twice after the feature ended in National Comics. The Who’s Whose? web site credits Toni Blum & John Celardo as creators, which isn’t unlikely; they worked for Iger at that time. Interestingly, in 1939, Eisner & Iger created a red-clad hero named Wonder Man for Fox Features Syndicate (Wonder Comics #1, May 1939), but they were sued by National (DC) for it being too similar to Superman. Wonder Boy was similarly fantastic—strong and impervious. Maybe the fact that he was merely a boy allowed him to slip under the radar. Ironically, DC didn’t capitalize on a Superboy until More Fun Comics #101 (Jan./Feb. 1945). But of course, Wonder Woman debuted in All-Star Comics #8 (Dec. 1941). Novelty Press published a character called “Dick Cole, Wonder Boy,” but this character was a non-costumed hero whose feats were great through hard work plus some special “rays.” He appeared in 1940’s Blue Bolt Comics #1 and ran through 1949. “The strength of a hundred full grown men in one little boy!” Wonder Boy hailed from the destroyed planet Viro, and fell to Earth in Chicago. He was picture of humanity, aside from his powers. The crash killed many people, but the boy survived. Nobody believed his origins and he found himself in an orphanage. Meanwhile, in Mongolia, a general took Wonder Boy’s craft as an omen to begin warring on Europe. Wonder Boy heard this news and swam all the way to Europe to help, where he successfully led the army to victory over the Mongolians. (National #1) The Mongolians took revenge by kidnapping Wonder Boy in Paris. They tried to force him to steal jewels for them, but he easily turned the tables on his captors. (#2) Next he rescued a lost expedition from savages on a tropical isle. (#3) Wonder Boy also wrangled dinosaurs in the Western plains and adopted one of the hatchlings. (#4) Paul Darrow was amazed by Wonder Boy’s strength. He met the lad in the American Southwest and asked him to accompany him on a South American expedition. Meanwhile Richards, the crewman whom Wonder Boy replaced, got jealous and plotted vengeance. He allied with natives to attack Darrow and the boy. In the end, Wonder Boy easily foiled Richards’ scheme and coaxed the local tribes into a truce. On this mission, he showed no hesitation in maiming a crocodile and leaving it to die. (#13) When Wonder Boy found a man named Papi was being held against his will by a circus, he helped return Papi to his South Pacific island home. (#16) He later helped another unnamed tribe fight off brigands. (#18) Although he couldn’t enlist, Wonder Boy offered his services directly to the Army Air Corps, where he reported to Sgt. Crane. Naturally, this division had been infiltrated by spies. (#17)

stories beginning with Terrific Comics #16 (March 1955). These tales were more about intrigue than super-heroics and Wonder Boy relied much less on his fantastic powers and more on his wits. Sally was still his main supporting character—a good sport who found herself in dangerous predicaments every time. Terrific Comics was renamed Wonder Boy for issues #17-18 (1955), and he also appeared in Samson #12-13 earlier that year. The tone in these stories is similar to those of DC’s “Superboy”—wholesome, home town and patriotic—except that Wonder Boy rarely demonstrated the use of his super-strength.

Notes Jerry Iger’s Golden Features #2 (1986) printed three Wonder Boy stories drawn by Matt Baker, but the volume did not identify the date of their creation. None of them are the same as what appeared in the Elliot or Ajax/Farrell comics. It is likely that these were unpublished stories, and the art is roughly the same as the published material, though it does not exhibit Baker’s usual finesse.

Powers

Two panels from “Wonder Boy,” from National Comics #13 (July 1941); art by Nick Cardy.

He took a shine to several young ladies, Doris Emery among them. He helped save her family from eviction. (#22) In one of his last adventures, Wonder Boy saved New York’s Holland tunnel from attack by Nazis. (#26)

Elliot’s Bomber Comics (1944) Bomber Comics was a fourissue series printed by a very obscure publisher, Elliot. Jerry Iger revived a raft of former features including “Kid Dixon,” “Kid Patrol,” “Eagle Evans” and “Wonder Boy” from Quality; “Samson” from Fox; “Bobby” from Famous Funnies; and some new material, too. At Quality, the last of those features appeared in National Comics #32 (Sept. 1943). Wonder Boy had acclimated to life on Earth and took to wearing civilian attire, but did not fuss with an alter ego. He also had a girlfriend, a young debutante named Sally Benson. Sally’s friend, Page Mason was a Fifth Columnist and Wonder Boy orchestrated her downfall. (Bomber Comics #2) He also had to defend himself from Sally’s other suitors, like Armand, the French count. He was a spy, too. (#3)

Ajax/Farrell (1955) The Ajax/Farrell company went by many names but at one time Jerry Iger was listed as “Art Editor” in the comics’ indicia. He brought Wonder Boy and Phantom Lady back in reprinted and original

Wonder Boy possessed super-strength, invulnerability and super-speed. In his later adventures, his strength seemed much more limited than when he debuted. Notably, Wonder Boy could not fly. His internal chemistry was susceptible in various ways such as poisoning and tear gas. More than once, when hit upon his head, he was momentarily knocked unconscious.

Yankee Eagle Created by Phil Martin NAME + ALIASES: Jerry Noble KNOWN RELATIVES: Walter Q. Noble (father) FIRST APPEARANCE: Military Comics #1 (Aug. 1941) APPEARANCES: Military Comics #1–8 (Aug. 1941–March 1942)

The Yankee Eagle was a minor hero whose outfit changed occasionally, from a green and/or plaid jacket, to a red-shirt-plus-scarf ensemble. On the day Jerry Noble went to see his father, Senator Walter Q. Noble, he brought along his pet eagle, Sam. Jerry had a knack with animals, and could even coax natural enemies to get along. Sometimes he spoke to them by imitating their sounds. The Senator poo-pooed Jerry’s skills, so he set out to prove that it was more than just kid stuff. When the U.S.S. America was overrun by spies in Annapolis, Jerry dubbed himself the Yankee Eagle and launched an attack on the Germans, using Sam and a flock of seagulls to drive the spies out. Afterwards, he asked the Captain not to mention his involvement. (Military Comics #1) While visiting a nearby zoo, he quieted a fight between two large cats. He bought the puma from the zoo and dubbed it Queen. Now with two pets to aid him, he found himself well equipped to save his father from kidnappers. (#2) Noble got around. On the West Coast, he saved another American ship using Sam, and calling in help from seals and monkeys, too. Together they found the freighter, and destroyed the pirates’ base. (#3) The Yankee Eagle even had an arch foe: the violinist named Rapp. His Character profiles 203

Zero, Ghost Detective Created by Dan Zolnerowich NAME + ALIASES: Unrevealed, a.k.a. Mr. Zero KNOWN RELATIVES: Sally (niece) FIRST APPEARANCE: Feature Comics #32 (May 1940) APPEARANCES: Feature Comics #32–72 (May 1940–Oct. 1943)

Splash from Military #7 (1942); art by Phil Martin.

evil equal controlled a large chimpanzee, whom Jerry could not. (#4) Jerry was a Nazi magnet. He was onboard a cruise liner struck by a Nazi mine, and over a dozen people died. (#5) One of his foes described him as the “animal man.” (#6)

Yankee Eagle II When the “Yankee Eagle” feature returned in the pages of Crack Comics later that year, the hero’s name changed to Larry Noble, and he was now an ex-stuntman. Gone was any talk of lovable pets or the strange powers to speak to them. Larry’s adventures centered on using his considerable athletic skills to foil second-rate crooks. (Smash #38) One nemesis, the Crow, was similar to the Batman’s foe, the Penguin. (#40) The feature ran in Smash Comics #38–47 (Dec. 1942–Oct. 1943).

Notes In an online interview, Phil Martin identified himself as the creator of the “Swing Sisson” feature in Feature Comics. The art in that feature is very much the same as that in “Yankee Eagle,” which was signed “John Stewart.” (Simonson)

Powers The first Yankee Eagle could persuade and communicate with most land animals, including birds and mammals. He could also pilot a single passenger plane. The second Yankee Eagle exhibited no super-powers.

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Zero, the Ghost Detective wore no mask, had no other name, and was an expert in the ways of the occult. His powers were mostly investigative, but on occasion he demonstrated some true supernatural talent. As the feature’s title indicated, his cases usually involved war against the “criminal denizens of the phantom realm.” His clients referred to him as “Mr. Zero,” and he operated from an official high rise office. His first case involved the ghostly return of three brothers, who in their youth had made a pact—if one of them were to die, they must return in the form of an ogre, to care for the others. In their adulthood, one of the brothers died, returned as the ogre, and killed a brother. Zero unearthed the body and drove a stake through its heart. (Feature #32) A fellow mystic, Madam Aura, sent him into the spirit world after a young woman, where he used his “ring of the moon” to affect the spirits under moonlight. (#38) Several times he performed an incantation by drawing a circular pattern—or zero—that transported him into the past, and also summoned ghosts. (#41, 44) He defeated the giant ghost of Joe Rucks by talking at him. By repeating the word “evil” (“live,” backwards—the one thing a ghost cannot do), Zero reduced the ghost in size. From there, Rucks continued to shrink with every word uttered. (#47) Sometimes he was summoned by law enforcement, as in the case of the Gibson Street Ghoul, a mysterious ghost bent on vengeance. (#50) Zero didn’t seem to have much of a personal life, but once he and a “girl friend,” Julie, indulged in a favorite pastime: reading epitaphs. In this case, he met Xavier Jones, a chemist who invented a “ghost disintegrator.” (#57) He later used the machine on the spirit of a werewolf. (#71) He had one known relative, a niece named Sally, to whom he paid an impromptu visit. Conveniently, he was able to save her sorority from a killer ghost. (#58) In a story that predated the first appearance of Superman’s boyhood girlfriend, Zero helped Lois Ugar summon her deceased twin sister, Lana! Lois was sweet on Zero. (#66) In his final adventure in 1943, he defeated the possessed mummy of the Egyptian pharaoh, Rutatutakhmen. (#72)

Powers Usually Zero did not demonstrate any real magical abilities, though he was the master of many magical artifacts like the “ghost disintegrator” and the “Q-Ray” detector. Zero described himself as an “ally” with death, which gave him powers to battle the supernatural undead. (Feature #48) Sometimes he drew a circle—or “zero”—on the ground as part of a spell to affect ghosts. He dispelled ghosts with a mere gesture, and caught glimpses of the The magician draws a “zero” in the sand, future. from Feature Comics #44; artist uncertain.

They also ran!

From Feature #68 (1943); art by Al Stahl.

Quality published scores of other adventurers who were neither costumed nor super-powered (and/or from the future). For a thorough run-down of Quality’s features, see Quality Titles on page 213. Some of the more notable heroes include: Betty Bates, attorney at law, was a very long-running feature. She once ran afoul of the Masked Intruder, who was a butler named Jeffries. He wore a white cape and hooded mask and sought only to protect the master of the house. (Hit #33) Betty was also adept at jujutsu. APPEARANCES: Hit Comics #4–65 (Oct. 1940–July 1950) Black Roger wasn’t a super-hero, per se, but a masked historical hero in the vein of Zorro or the Black Pirate. His feature began when Kid Eternity was renamed Buccaneers in 1950. Roger Randolph was newly minted English lawyer during America’s colonial period. His enemies kidnapped him and put him aboard a ship for America. When it was attacked by Corsairs, he proved his mettle with a sword and became the new captain, Black Roger. (Buccaneers #19) His victories against Barbary Coast pirates earned him the praise of English authorities. (#22) He and his young first mate, Barty, encountered the Firedrake, a monstrous suit of Arab armor, (#23) and the beautiful spy, Princess Shareen. (#25) They traveled as far as the Orient, (#26) but never to America. In his last adventure, he rescued the Lady in the Iron Mask, the Princess Jotphar. (#27) APPEARANCES: Buccaneers #19-27 (Jan. 1950–May 1951) “Espionage,” was the name of the long-running feature that starred Black X (also called “Black Ace” in Smash #1-5). It’s notable for being one of Will Eisner’s earliest Quality creations (signed “Will Erwin”). X was a dapper, non-costumed spy who often lost his shirt, but never his monocle. APPEARANCES: Feature #13-22 (Oct. 1938–July 1939) • Smash Comics #1–85 (Aug. 1939–Oct. 1949) Blaze Barton was a Flash Gordon wannabe who lived in a time after the year 5029 (though Hit #2 used the year 3000), when Earth’s orbit was nearer to the sun. The surviving surface people warred against a race of subterranean monsters that appeared from within the planet’s hot core. APPEARANCES: Hit Comics #1–13 (July 1940–July 1941) “Blimpy the Bungling Buddha,” was a humor feature that bordered on the definition of “super-hero.” As an Aladdin-like being, Blimpy possessed amazing magical abilities. He was an “ancient Oriental Buddha” statue brought to life when young Tabby Tyler spoke the magic words, “Oggle doggle woggle ibbidy bibbidy sibbidy sab, dictionary down the ferry, out goes ipso facto with the floy-floy!” Blimpy was prone to mischief. He covered his blue skin with coal

dust and tried to pass for African American, calling himself Rufus Rastas Sassafrass O’Brain. (Feature #64) He fell in love with a lady statue, the Diamond Eyes, whom he stole from her sculptor. Tabby also brought her to life. (#66) He even took trips to other planets (#79), and met evil genies (#82), as well as Twerlin the Sorceror. (#83) APPEARANCES: Feature Comics #64–133 (Jan. 1943–April 1949) Cyclone was another space-age feature set in the year 3000. When Professor Nebula discovered a new planet in Earth’s solar system, all the other planets raced to lay claim to it for colonization. Earth’s president sent Cyclone, who edged out Mars’ champion, Murdo. APPEARANCES: National Comics #1–4 (July–Oct. 1940) Daffy Dill was an Amazonian woman wrestler who wasn’t blessed with a mask or any powers but sure seemed to find herself battling those who did, like the boy called Atmos Fear, who was cursed with the ability to become super hot or cold. Daffy tied him up and used him as her home’s heating and air conditioning unit. (Smash #44) APPEARANCES: #41–85 (March 1943–Oct. 1949)

“Hit” comics indeed! “Betty Bates” ran for an impressive ten years. This panel is from Hit #45 (March 1947); artist uncertain.

Don Glory did his best with a red white and blue tie and two good fists. APPEARANCES: Hit Comics #8–12 (Feb. 1941–Feb. 1943) Her Highness and Silk spun off from a “Kid Eternity” caper. When one of Highness’ thugs witnessed Eternity’s amazing deeds, the feisty granny set out to exploit his powers for her own selfish ends. Her Highness’ chief agent, Silk, had a pretty face, but she threw a powerful (super-powered?) punch! Silk possessed the pugilistic prowess and speed of a boxing champ. Kid Eternity managed to rescue the kidnapped men, but Her Highness and Silk eluded permanent capture (Hit #25) In their own feature, the ladies took over a Japanese warship and sank it. (#29) In later Character profiles 205

tales, Silk ceased to display such physical prowess as in her initial appearance. APPEARANCES: Hit Comics #28–57 (July 1943–March 1949)

Outer space adventures in the vein of “Flash Gordon” never caught on with “Blaze Barton.” From Hit Comics #12 (June 1941); art by Maurice Gutwirth.

Miss Lee Preston of the Red Cross was an intrepid young aviatrix who got her pilot’s license, then flew the world to lend a hand. APPEARANCES: Crack Comics #1–9 (May 1940—Jan. 1941) Lion Boy was a Tarzan takeoff. APPEARANCES: Hit Comics #6–21 (Dec. 1940–April 1942) The Phantom Clipper was an odd ship. On the outside it bore old style sails, but it was actually fortified with heavy armaments. It was commandeered by Lt. “Tiger” Shark, who formed the Yankee Clippers along with Capt. Seth Perkins’ ragtag band of longshoremen. APPEARANCES: Military Comics #9–16 (May 1942–Feb. 1943) The Purple Trio were three Vaudevillians—Tiny Todd the midget, Rocky Hill the acrobat, and Warren the magician. When they were ousted from the faltering performance industry, they found that the combination of their talents served well to conquer crime. They dubbed themselves the Purple Trio because Rocky wore a red suit and Warren wore blue. Tiny wore yellow, but “Brown Trio” wouldn’t have been a very exciting name. APPEARANCES: Smash Comics #13–37 (Aug. 1940–Nov. 1942) Art Pinajian’s Reynolds of the Mounted once battled a villain called the Black Bat, a kidnapper whose father dressed up as “Madam Dupre” (shades of Pinajian’s concurrent Madam Fatal). The Bat took to the sky to escape, but fell to his death when his wings malfunctioned. (Feature #43) APPEARANCES: Feature #14-62 (Nov. 1938–Nov. 1942) Samar was a Tarzan clone who encountered vampires, King Kongs and saber-toothed tigers. APPEARANCES: Feature Comics #32–63 (May 1940–Dec. 1942) “Samar” featured art by various artists but was always signed “John Charles.” From Feature #49 (Oct. 1941); artist uncertain.

The Space Legion was set in the future, when all nations of Earth

were at peace—but not so in space. The Legion’s adventures concerned Capt. Rock Braddon who commanded the ship Mercury, and his home base was the city of Metropolis. At this time, there was a civilization on Mars. APPEARANCES: Crack Comics #1–18 (May 1940–Nov. 1941) Swing Sisson, was a jazz band conductor who foiled crimes. He fought foes such as the Maestro, whose violin playing mesmerized his victims (Feature #54), and Dr. J.P. McNulty who invented an invisibility serum. (#72) Swing was accompanied by singer Bonnie Baxter and saxophonist Toby Tucker. APPEARANCES: Feature Comics #49–142 (Oct. 1941–Jan. 1950). Wizard Wells was a former All-American halfback, now inventor (not a magician). Despite his athletic background, he disliked physical combat and preferred to help people by using his wits (and his witless sidekick, Tug). His solutions usually centered around the electromagnetic spectrum of energies, i.e., infrared, ultraviolet light, microwaves, electric eyes. APPEARANCES: Crack Comics #1-14 (May 1940–July 1941) X of the Underground was a female agent (most likely French) posing as a man, who infiltrated many Axis camps. Her efforts were complicated by reporter Bob Gray, who discovered her secret. (Military #8) In her sometimes gruesome adventures, she inspired women across Europe who joined in forming a covert operation. Repeatedly she would ditch Gray only to be found again. He was keen to join X’s organization, but the women voted him down. (#9) In her final appearance, she barely escaped a Nazi massacre and rallied her allies to take down a powerful German officer. (#13) APPEARANCES: Military Comics #8–13 (March 1942–Nov. 1942)

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Endnotes I

n lieu of footnotes, we provide endnotes hereunder to discuss the major sources of information for each section. The bulk of the factual information in this book is compiled from an independent reading of Quality (and other) comics, and from Jim Amash’s priceless interviews with the men who worked for the company. These appeared in various issues of Alter Ego magazine, and are listed in their own section in the Bibliography; see “TwoMorrows Publishing” on page 211). In many instances, Jim’s interviewees corroborated each other’s recollections about people and events. Supplemental facts and information from external sources are credited using standard journalistic attribution style, directly within the text. When you see these citations—

The Early Days of Comics Details about the features contained in Golden Age comics were gleaned either from data in the Grand Comics Database (in the case of DC material), or by our own readings of digital comics found largely at the Digital Comics Museum. These were cross-referenced with Howard Keltner’s self-published Golden Age Comic Books Index: 1935-1955. Busy Arnold’s relationship with Cook and Mahon is documented by Arnold himself in his letter to Jerry Bails, May 15, 1972. The history of Centaur’s predecessors was discussed by artist Martin Filchock in Alter Ego #64 (Jan. 2007). His recollections match the company profile found at the GCD, although he did not recall Cook-Mahon’s immediate successor, Ultem. He worked for Cook-Mahon and Centaur proper.

“Busy” Arnold In addition to the letters Arnold sent to Jerry Bails (see the Bibliography), a great many details about Busy Arnold’s career and family life were revealed by his son, Dick Arnold, to Jim Amash for the interview appearing in Alter Ego #34 (March 2004).

Comic Favorites, Inc. The only concrete reference to Busy Arnold’s partnership with the Markey Syndicate is contained in Steranko’s History of Comics, although anyone who reads the early issues of Feature Funnies can pick out Markey’s copyright on “Lala Palooza” and “Big Top.” There is no doubt that Frank

e.g., (Andelman 92) —please reference that publication in the Bibliography, which begins on page 209. The authors have high regard for some of the existing comics reference material, but with some reservations. The web site Lambiek.net is a fairly reliable source of information regarding Golden Age creators. Bas Schuddeboom told us that some of its initial information came from Maurice Horn’s World Encyclopedia of Comics. But Lambiek’s content extends far beyond that book. Some of their information comes directly from relatives of artists (as in the case of Charles Nicholas). Most of the information on Lambiek is unattributed. Of course, Jerry G. Bails and Hames Ware’s Who’s Who is a gold mine. Over time some of their data has been enhanced, and in other instances refuted. Still, it’s a great starting point for cross-referencing data about creators. Another web site that contains unique nuggets of Golden Age information is Donald Markstein’s Toonopedia.com. Efforts to contact Markstein have gone unanswered, so we cannot verify the source or veracity of his information. Though his career lends credibility to his work, we consider Toonopedia’s information as speculative.

Markey was involved in Quality’s formation, but the sparse details about his career in comics syndication are confusing. In Comic Book Culture, Ron Goulart states the Markey was an executive of the McNaught Syndicate, but he clearly also formed a separate syndicate, whose features bore his name/ copyright. Evidence suggests that it was very short-lived. Markstein described the Markey Syndicate as “a very small outfit, with company ties to McNaught.” In 1939, Markey lost “Lala Palooza” to the Register and Tribune Syndicate, probably because Rube Goldberg moved to that syndicate in anticipation of his newest strip, “Side Show.” This suggests that Goldberg owned his features and had the right to move them between syndicates. “Lala”’s copyright changed from Markey to the Register as of Feature #21 (June 1939), and “Side Show” soon became a hit for the Register and Tribune. “Side Show” was also reprinted by Quality beginning with Feature #23 (Aug. 1939), and later in Crack Comics through 1946. Goldberg gave up on “Lala Palooza” either because it wasn’t popular or he became too busy with “Side Show” and political cartooning. Rube’s byline (and the Register and Tribune stamp) disappeared from “Lala” after Feature Comics #23 (Aug. 1939). Perhaps Quality bought the feature, because “Lala” appeared (without a byline) in Feature Comics until the title’s end in 1950. “Big Top” continued under Markey through Feature #26 (Nov. 1939). It also appears to have been bought by Quality because like “Lala,” the copyright was dropped and the byline changed from its original creator’s, Ed Wheelan, to Quality’s own Johnny Devlin. “Big Top” also ran in Feature until its end. Some sources (especially online) erroneously link Quality in its early days to Harry “A” Chesler, who was a comics

Appendices 207

packager/supplier—but not a publisher in the 1930s (he became a publisher in 1940). Our research cannot find any link between Quality and Chesler, either in business or in comics features. The material for Quality’s earliest comic, Feature Funnies, was supplied by the three syndicates, the Eisner & Iger shop, and freelancers. The Grand Comics Database lists the Cocomalt Big Book of Comics as a joint venture between Quality and Chesler, but this is also wrong. When it was published in 1938, all the artists that contributed to this Big Book (including Jack Cole and Paul Gustavson) were working for Chesler. Many of those artists later worked for Quality. Multiple sources told Jim Amash that Harry Chesler’s son, Jay Chesler, worked briefly for Quality. A wealth of information about the Cowles brothers can be found at Drake University’s Cowles Family web site.

Quickly Onwards Busy Arnold mentioned his friendship with Rube Goldberg, as well as the details about these early personnel in his letters to Bails. The comics indicia and a New York Times article (“Business Leases,” Aug. 31, 1937) confirm the address of the editorial offices. Rube Goldberg’s syndication history is more or less corroborated between sources at Lambiek and Toonopedia (though neither of these sites list their own sources on the matter). Presumably one could discern this for themselves by reading the published strips, too. The quote from Gill Fox (indeed, all quotes from him) comes from Jim Amash’s interview in Alter Ego #12 (Jan. 2002). Will Eisner’s comment is from the interview in Alter Ego #48 (May 2005). Vernon Henkel talked about his early involvement at Quality in that same issue.

Will Eisner In Will Eisner’s interview with Jim Amash in Alter Ego #48, the legendary creator reiterated many of the same details found in Bob Andelman’s authorized biography, A Spirited Life. Whenever a detail can only be found in Andelman, we cite his work. If not cited, quotes, facts and events relating to Eisner’s career come from the man himself, in Amash. The facts between both authors agree. Information pertaining to Jerry Iger here comes primarily from Eisner’s Alter Ego recollections, Andelman, and Jay Disbrow’s Iger Comics Kingdom (reprinted in Alter Ego #21, Feb. 2003). The address of their studio can also be found in the New York Times “Business Leases,” Nov. 6, 1936. Many times throughout this book, the author relies on the Iger list of personnel assembled for Alter Ego #21. After repeated crossreferencing, the author has found no discrepancies with that list. Eisner stated, “We were packaging features for Feature Funnies before Busy Arnold owned the title. It was only natural that we continued to supply work for Arnold.” No other account exists to dispute the fact that Arnold co-owned Comic Favorites (and thus, Feature Funnies) from the outset, so this statement is disregarded in our history of Quality Comics. Perhaps Eisner assumed that, prior to the McNaught buyout, Busy wasn’t an official partner? Arnold’s name does not appear in the indicia until Feature Comics #29 (Feb. 1940), when he’s listed as “General Manager,” but that isn’t necessarily a reflection of ownership.

The Expansion Team Lou Fine’s comics career is well-indexed, probably because his works are so collectable and widely renown. His credits in the GCD seem to be accurate.

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Dick Arnold recalled that “Doll Man” was one of his father’s favorite features. Paul Gustavson’s given name, and the name his family uses today, is spelled with an “f,” not a “v.” However, his features were all signed with the latter, so this book uses that. Gill Fox’s stories from Alter Ego #12 are invaluable to this narrative. But in some cases, his memory was inaccurate. If so, we make note of it.

A Spirit Rises There’s an interesting anecdote about the split with McNaught that suggests that Busy Arnold was keeping secret his plans to divorce from his partners. In Alter Ego #48, artist Vernon Henkel (who had been working for Quality since 1937) clearly recounted a time, circa 1938, when he received a letter from Frank Markey. The letter bore the same address as the Quality offices and it informed Henkel that the McNaught Syndicate thought Henkel’s work had newspaper syndicate possibilities. When Henkel went to New York to meet Markey, he was steered away from him by Busy Arnold, who “wined and dined” Vern at the Hotel Commodore. He never did meet Markey. It’s one of many examples of Busy Arnold aggressively securing the best talent. Henry Martin’s contributions were recounted by Will Eisner in Alter Ego. There is contradictory evidence about which Quality titles were actually co-owned by Will Eisner. In the end, it doesn’t matter much because Eisner eventually sold the titles back to Busy Arnold. Further, both Eisner’s and Iger’s staffs continued to produce features for all of Quality’s titles. Quality paid Eisner and Iger individually for their contributions to Hit and National Comics, as described in a letter from Busy Arnold to Jerry Iger. (Dec. 26, 1941, reprinted in Andelman) The only proof for Eisner’s co-ownership is his own statements citing Hit and Police Comics (Hit Comics is the most often mentioned). The features in Hit #1 are riddled with pen names, some of which are difficult to identify (which usually indicates work from the Iger shop). Both Military and Police Comics were heavily outsourced and featured contributors from both camps. In a letter to Iger, Eisner said “it is very important to me to have Military Comics the best-published book I could turn out.” (Andelman 68) Police #1 contained the work of mostly freelancers, plus known Iger contributors Reed Crandall, Witmer Williams and Arthur Peddy. Military #1 by contrast contains work by freelancers and Eisner shop personnel like Chuck Cuidera, Bob Powell and Tex Blaisdell. Jerry Iger later took full credit for National Comics, even though it featured Eisner and Fine’s contribution on “Uncle Sam.” In 1985 Iger reprinted the entire issue titled as “Jerry Iger’s National Comics #1.” Eisner and Fine were also responsible for Smash Comics’ “The Ray” and Crack Comics’ “Black Condor.” Eisner’s figure of $20,000 can only be found in Andelman.

Stretching Themselves Further Details about Jack Cole come from his brother, Dick Cole, in an interview with Jim Amash for Alter Ego #25 (June 2003). As with Eisner, a great and detailed biography also exists: Art Spiegelman’s Jack Cole and Plastic Man. When a fact can only be sourced from Spiegelman, it is properly cited. In addition, most Alter Ego interviewees contributed their impressions of Cole. These are sprinkled into the narrative, and used corroboratively. Details about Reed Crandall come mostly from his contemporaries. Alex Kotzky and Chuck Cuidera talked about him in Alter Ego #34 (March 2004). Some cited facts come from the biography written by Steve Stiles. Stiles’ own work was assembled from vari-

ous sources. Jim Steranko also interviewed Crandall for his second volume. Sales figures were discussed by Dick Arnold, and appear in an internal communication from the Register and Tribune. (Koester)

Pre-war Jitters and Pearl Harbor Details about Bob Powell’s enlistment (and life) can be found in Alter Ego #66–67 (March-April 2007), by Michael T. Gilbert and others.

Wartime Rationing The effects of the war on the comics industry were discussed by many of the Alter Ego interviewees, especially editors Al Grenet (Alter Ego #34) and Dick Arnold. The New York Times article by Sidney Shalett about the Army’s expanded list of approved reading materials referenced the “soldier vote law,” which is tied to several other Acts related to military censorship. This brief summary of those circumstances is assembled from the excellent paper by Penton, and minor details from Wikipedia. The details around this are many, but we choose not to delve into the soldier vote law. There is not much information available regarding Vital Publications, or William C. Popper. His name appears in Who’s Who (copied from the statement in Quality’s Vital books), and in a 1900 volume titled Biographical directory of the state of New York, which is accessible via Google Books. In that, he was also affiliated with a publishing concern. Popper should not be confused with William H. Wise, who also did some proxy publishing for comics.

Post-war Though Lou Fine passed away in 1971, Jim Amash assembled an extensive and colorful picture of the artist’s life in interviews with Fine’s son, Elliot, daughter Laurie, and sister-in-law, Pearl Cherry. For loads more, read Alter Ego #17 (Sept. 2002).

Bibliography and List of Works Cited The following publications provided the background for the research presented in this book. If a particular fact or passage is taken directly from a source, it is cited in the text. This section is divided into three sections, roughly: Books, Periodicals, and Online. Definitive and recommended works are noted with an asterisk (*). There have been numerous reprintings of The Spirit, which this section does not attempt to list comprehensively.

The End of the Anthology Eisner discussed his post-war outlook with Jim Amash. A simple search in the Grand Comics Database yields the list of romance comics titles. Dick Arnold provided the insight regarding the sales figures of Quality’s romance books. Read Bill Ward’s official site, Womenofward.net, to learn and see a lot more about his career in men’s cartoons.

Then There Was One The Koesslers are named as owners of Great Lakes Color Printing in a court document, National Labor Relations Board, Petitioner, v. Rapid Bindery, Inc., and Frontier Bindery Corporation, Respondents (United States Court of Appeals Second Circuit. Argued February 6, 1961. Decided July 11, 1961.) I.C.D.’s initials appear on Quality’s covers beginning in 1948. They are replaced by “ANC” (American News Company, Quality’s final distributor) in 1954. Reed Crandall’s drinking habit was discussed by Alex Kotzky, Chuck Cuidera, and Al Grenet.

Comics Under—and on—Fire There is a whole lot of discussion concerning the scourge of comic books in the mass media of the 1940s and ’50s. The New York Times published many such articles covering the controversy, some of which are listed in the Bibliography. Another great resource for this topic is the web site called Seduction of the Innocent.org (seductionoftheinnocent.org). The webmaster, Stephen O’Day, has documented every aspect of it. Much of the wellknown data in this section is corroborated by that web site. The text of the Comics Code Authority is reliably reprinted online at Wikipedia and discussed by David Hajdu.

Books, Collected Editions, and Recommended Reading *Andelman, Bob. Will Eisner, A Spirited Life. Milwaukie, Or.: M Press, 2005. This is the authorized biography; it’s pretty much the final word on all things Eisner. *Arnold, Everett. Letter to Jerry Bails. 15 May 1972. This letter included Arnold’s account of his own personal history, that of Quality’s formation, and his list of Quality staff. Reprinted in Alter Ego #67 (April 2007). *Arnold, Everett. Letter to Jerry Bails. 1 June 1972. Arnold details his editorial staff. *—. Letter to Jerry Bails. 30 June 1972. Arnold clarifies certain points. *Bails, Jerry and Hames Ware, eds. The Who’s Who of American Comic Books vols. 1-4. Detroit, Mich.: 1973–1976. These four selfpublished volumes laid the groundwork for all current comics indexing. They have been digitized and updated at http://www.bailsprojects.com.

Appendices 209

Bechtel, Louise Seaman, “A Juvenile Yardstick.” New York Times. 14 Apr. 1946: 130.

“Martin Retiring, Horton Takes Over.” Editor & Publisher. 28 Nov. 1959: 54.

*Black, Bill, ed. Golden Age Greats Spotlight, vol. 2. AC Comics, 2007. Reprints loads of complete Quality Comics stories.

Neavill, Gordon B. “Publishing in Wartime.” Library Trends 55.3 (2007): 583-596.

Brennan, T. Casey. “The Untold History of I.W. Comics.” The Comics Journal 57. Summer 1980: 118-119.

“News and Notes of the Advertising Field.” New York Times. 1 Apr 1938: 36.

“Business Leases.” New York Times. 3 Aug. 1937: 37.

“News and Notes of the Advertising World.” New York Times. 19 May 1938: 38.

“Business Leases.” New York Times. 6 Nov. 1936: 48. “William Eisner, art studio, in 299 Madison Av.” *Chabon, Michael. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay: A Novel. New York: Random House, 2000. Though it is fictional, Chabon’s own Golden Age research shines through in this Pulitzer Price winning novel. “Clean-Up Started by Comics Books as Editors Adopt Self-Policing Plan.” New York Times. 2 July 1948: 23. *DC Comics. Blackhawk Archives vol. 1. New York: DC Comics, 2001. Reprints Military Comics #1-17. *—. Plastic Man Archives vols. 1-8. New York: DC Comics, 19992006. *—. The Spirit Archives vols. 1-26. New York: DC Comics, 20002009. Disbrow, Jay. The Iger Comics Kingdom, Blackthorne Publishing, Inc. 1985. *Eisner, Will. The Dreamer: A Story from the Birth of Comic Books. Princteton, Wis.: Kitchen Sink Press, 1986. This story was written as an allegory to Eisner’s early days with Iger and Quality. Feiffer, Jules. The Great Comic Book Heroes. The Dial Press, Inc., 1965. A comprehensive look at the Golden Age. Goulart, Ron. Comic Book Culture: An Illustrated History. Collectors Press, 2000.

“Priest Warns of Perils in Comic Books.” New York Times. 24 Aug. 1946: 13. Rhoades, Shirrel. A Complete History of American Comic Books. Peter Lang Publishing, 2007. “Quarters Leased for Realty Firms.” New York Times. 14 Apr. 1939: 44. Robbins, Trina. The Great Women Super Heroes. Kitchen Sink Press, Northampton, Mass., 1996. This work touches on USA, Doll Girl, Wildfire, and Phantom Lady. Sadowski, Greg. Supermen!: The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes 1936-1941. Fantagraphics Books, 2009. Touches on some Quality creators, among others. Shalett, Sidney. “189 Magazines Put on New Army List.” New York Times 20 July 1944: 8. Sheridan, Martin. Comics and Their Creators. Boston: Ralph T. Hale and Company, 1942. A very early work on comic strip artists, revised in 1944 and reprinted in the 1970s. “Some Comic Books are Called Shocking.” New York Times. 14 Feb. 1946: 27. *Spiegelman, Art and Chip Kidd. Jack Cole and Plastic Man: Forms Stretched to Their Limits. New York: DC Comics, 2001. This book covers pretty much everything you’d want to know about its subjects... a definitive work.

—. The Great Comic Book Artists. St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1986. Steele, Henry. Quality Comic Group: A Golden Age Index. San FranThis book includes 2-page profiles of many notable Quality artists such as cisco: A. Dellinges, 1978. With redrawn artwork by Al Dellinges. Jack Cole, Reed Crandall, Will Eisner, Lou Fine, Fred Guardineer, Paul Gustavson, Klaus Nordling and Bob Powell. *Steranko, James. The Steranko History of Comics vol. 1. Reading, PA: Supergraphics, 1970. This volume largely covers the big players, DC —. “Looking Back on the Golden Age: The Quality Gang: Part 1.” and Marvel. Comics Feature 27. Jan.-Feb. 1984: 44-49. *—. The Steranko History of Comics vol. 2. Reading, PA: Supergraph—. Ron Goulart’s Great History of Comic Books. McGraw-Hill/Conics, 1972. This volume contains one of only two known conversations temporary, 1986. with Quality publisher Busy Arnold, and probably the only published interviews ever conducted and superstar artists Reed Crandall and Lou Horn, Maurice. The World Encyclopedia of Comics. Broomall Penn.: Fine. Topics: the Marvel Family, Fawcett heroes, Blackhawk, “Flying Chelsea House Publishers, 1999. Heroes,” Plastic Man, Quality heroes, and the Spirit. *Jones, Gerard. Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book. New York: Basic Books, 2004. An exceptionally well- “Super-heroes with Åland roots.” Ålandsposten frimärken 1-2011: 16-19. Details about Paul Gustavson. researched account of comics’ (especially DC’s) early days. *Keltner, Howard. Golden Age Comic Books Index: 1935-1955. Gainesville, TX: Howard Keltner, 1998. A staggering self-published tome that indexes almost every Golden Age comic book, including feature titles and page counts. Kilgannon, Corey. “Closing on a House, and a Life’s Story, Told in Art.” New York Times. 14 Mar. 2007. *Koester, Carl T. Letter to Gardner Cowles. 29 May 1950. Details the sale of the Register & Tribune’s interest in Quality back to Arnold. Mackenzie, Catherine. “‘Superman,’ ‘Dick Tracy’ et al Here to Stay, Educators Find in an Evaluation of Comics.” New York Times. 15 Dec. 1944: 22.

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U.S. Copyright Office. (2008). Copyright Basics. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. —. (2010). The Copyright Card Catalog and the Online Files of the Copyright Office. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Weisman Mary-Lou and Al Jaffee. Al Jaffee’s Mad Life. It Books, 2010.

Periodicals, Articles and Oddball Comics This section lists periodicals by publishers that have run multiple articles on topics related to Quality Comics.

A.C.E. Comics

• Ace Comics Presents #3. A.C.E. Comics, September 1987. “The Golden Age of Klaus Nordling,” featuring black-and-white reprints the “Barker” and “Bob and Swab.” • Ace Comics Presents #4. A.C.E. Comics, November 1987. “The Art of Lou Fine,” featuring a biography, illustrations, and black-and-white reprints the “The Ray” and “Hack O’Hara.”

AC Comics and Blackthorne Publishing

• Golden Age Men of Mystery #12. AC Comics. 1999. Contains: • “I Wouldn’t Change a Thing!” An interview with Chuck Cuidera • reprint of a 1977 redrawing of Paul Gustavson’s Human Bomb origin story (Police #1) by C. C. Beck., done in honor of Gustavson’s death • reprints from Quality’s “Espionage,” (Smash #13) and “Death Patrol” (Military #3) • reprints Fiction House’s “Stuart Taylor” from Jumbo Comics • reprints Fox’s “Dr. Fung” and “Yarko” from Wonderworld Comics • Jerry Iger’s Golden Features #1-6. Blackthorne Publishing, Inc. 1986Jan. 1987. Exclusive reprints and unpublished material from Jerry Iger. Issue #2 features Wonder Boy. • Jerry Iger’s National Comics #1. Blackthorne Publishing, Inc. 1985. Reprints a black-and-white scan of the entire original issue of National Comics #1 (July 1940), with an additional higher quality black-and-white reproduction of an unpublished(?) “Kid Patrol” story, signed “Lee Ames.” The cover is a close reproduction of the original. • Men of Mystery #45. AC Comics. 2004. Reprints a Wonder Boy story.

Pure Imagination

• Theakston, Greg, ed. Lou Fine Comics Treasury. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Pure Imagination, 1991. Reprints Dollman (Feature #32); the Black Condor (Crack #6 & 18); the Ray (Smash #20); Uncle Sam (National #16); Stormy Foster (Hit #22 1942); and Hack O’Hara (Smash #23). • —. The Lou Fine Reader vol. 1. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Pure Imagination, 2003. Reprints some of the stories from the original volume plus others. • —. The Lou Fine Reader vol. 2. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Pure Imagination, 2008. Reprints the Ray, Doll Man, Black Condor, and Uncle Sam. • —. The Reed Crandall Reader. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Pure Imagination, 2011. Reprints from Hit #5 & 11; and Modern #67, 68, 77, 79 & 83.

TwoMorrows Publishing

• Alter Ego #12 (Jan. 2002). Interviews with and about editor Gill Fox • Amash, Jim. “Gill Fox: Quality Control.” 5-39. • Thomas, Roy. “A Matter of Quality.” 2-4. • Alter Ego #17 (Sept. 2002). Lou Fine issue… • Amash, Jim. “A Fine Influence…” 9-14. • —. “…And A Fine Family!” 15-33. • —. “Murphy Anderson on Lou Fine and Fiction House.” 34-44. • Beaulieu, Dennis. “Lou Fine—A Comic Book Artist of Quality.” 3-6. • Toth, Alex. “Toth on Fine.” 45-46. • Alter Ego #21 (Feb. 2003). Iger Studio issue... • Disbrow, Jay Edward. “The Iger Comics Kingdom” 3-48. • Thomas, Roy. “A Footnote on the Eisner and Iger Shops.” 4951. • —. “Writer/Editorial: The Iger Counter.” 3. • Alter Ego #23 (April 2003). • Amash, Jim. “ ‘Fuje’ for Thought!” 3-20. Interview with Bob Fujitani.

• Alter Ego #25. Jack Cole issue… • Amash, Jim. “Jack Cole—Artist and Enigma.” 4-10. • —. “Other super-heroes WEren’t Like That!” 16-26. Interview with Dick Cole. • —. “He Was a Very, Very Interesting Talent!” 33-35.Interview with Bill Seay. • Thomas, Roy. “He Could Do Anything!” 27-28. Interview with Creig Flessel. • —. “He Stretches, Shrinks, and Bends!!” 2-3. • Toth, Alex. “A Lonnnnnng Stretch of Tall Talent.” 11-15. • Alter Ego #34, March 2004. Quality Comics issue… Side One… • Amash, Jim. “Men of Quality.” 3-15. Interview with Dick Arnold. • —. “I Created Blackhawk!” 16-28. Interview with Chuck Cuidera. • Nolan, Michelle. “Better Read Than Dead.” 29-35. Blackhawk’s transition to DC Comics. • Toth, Alex. “Another Fine Talent Lost.” 36-38. About artist Reed Crandall. Side Two… • Amash, Jim. “When Anything Happened, I Was Working on a Comic!” 3-15. Interview with Alex Kotzky. • —. “The Last Quality Editor.” 21-37. Interview with Al Grenet. • Alter Ego #47, April 2005. • Becattini, Alberto. “Baker of Cheesecake.” 3-35. About Matt Baker, who worked on Phantom Lady after she was moved to Fox Comics. • Alter Ego #48, May 2005. Will Eisner/Quality issue… • Amash, Jim. “I Always Felt Storytelling was as Important as the Artwork.” 7-26. Interview with Will Eisner. • —. “I Always Liked Working.” 47-56. Interview with Vern Henkel. • —. “I Was Doomed to be an Artist.” 40-46. Interview with Chuck Mazoujian. • —. “Will Eisner… Still Cares!” 27-30. • “Comic Crypt: The Wonder of it All!” 57-67. Reprint of Eisner’s 1939 Wonder Man story. • Mercer, Marilyn. “The Only Real Middle-Class Crimefighter.” 4-7. • Saviuk, Alex. “The Last Spirit Story?” 36-39. • “The Spirit of Will Eisner.” 31-35. • Alter Ego #59, June 2006. • Amash, Jim. “It Only Took 40 Years … to Be the Steve Roper Artist!” 48-59. Interview with artist Fran Matera. • Alter Ego #60, July 2006. • Amash, Jim. “We Were a Very Happy Group” 43-60. Interview with Tony DiPreta. • Alter Ego #64, Jan. 2007. • Amash, Jim. “They Treated Me Like I Had Talent!” 22-40. Interview with Martin Filchock. • Alter Ego #65, Feb. 2007. • Amash, Jim. “When You Do a Lot of super-heroes, All You’re Drawing is Men in Long Underwear” 3-33. Interview with Nick Cardy. • Alter Ego #66, March 2007. • Lane, Ed. “The Peerless Power of Bob Powell” 3-37. All about Bob Powell. • Alter Ego #67, April 2007. • Thomas, Roy. “The Powell/Eisner/Arnold Connection” 37-44. With vintage letters from Bob Powell, Will Eisner, & Busy Arnold. • Alter Ego #99, Jan. 2011 • Amash, Jim. “I Was Contemptuous, Basically, of the Comics’” 37-52. An interview with Bill Bossert. • Cassell, R. Dewey. “An Artist for All Seasons” 3-36. On George Tuska.

Miscellaneous Publishers & Fanzines

• Beck. C. C. “The Human Bomb.” Cartoonist Profiles 36 (1977). In this issue, Beck redrew the Human Bomb’s origin story in homage to Paul Gustavson, who’d just passed away. Appendices 211

• Don Maris Reprints/Nostalgia Inc. Unnumbered. c. 1973-75. A Grand Comics Database. 25 April 2011 <http://www.comics.org>. fanzine-like publication that reproduced whole issues in black-and-white. The mother of all comics databases. See <http://stlcomics.com/gallery/light_maris> Ingram Tony. “Who in the World Were IW Comics?” BrokenFron• Blackhawk #9 tier.com. 22 Feb. 2008. 25 May 2011 <http://www.brokenfrontier. • Hit Comics #1 com/columns/p/detail/who-in-the-world-were-iw-comics>. • Plastic Man #2 • Police Comics #1 An International Catalogue of Super-heroes. 25 April 2011 <http:// • Uncle Sam Quarterly #1 www.internationalhero.co.uk>. Biographies of varying lengths for • Flashback Special Edition Reprint. Alan Light, ed. mid-1970s. A many Golden Age characters. fanzine-like publication that reproduced whole issues in black-and-white. See <http://stlcomics.com/gallery/light_maris>. Lambiek Comiclopedia. 25 April 2011 <http://lambiek.net/artists/ • #5: Military Comics #1 index.htm> The authority on the careers of many comic book creators. • #9: Doll Man Quarterly #1 *Love, Edward. “Copyrights and Comics of 1940s.” Golden-Age • #11: Plastic Man #1 Comic book Super-heroes & Villains Encyclopedia. 25 April 2011 • #31: Hit Comics #1 • #33: Plastic Man #2 <http://www.herogoggles.com/copyright1.html>. • Special Edition Series #2 reprints Black Condor stories from *Markstein, Donald D. Don Markstein’s Toonopedia. 25 April 2011 < Crack • Hill, Roger, ed. “Lou Fine Issue.” CFA-APA 8 (March 1987): 241 pp. http://www.toonopedia.com>. Markstein’s site reveals information not found in any other sources, though he does not cite his sources. This fanzine is published by the Comic and Fantasy Art Amateur Press Association. Mazzenga, Maria and Jordan Patty. “An Interview with Frank M. • Koppany, Bob, ed. “The Artists of Quality Comics.” CFA-APA 47 Borth.” 10 May 2006. The Washington Research Library Consor(Fall 1998): 241 pp. tium. 25 April 2011. <http://dspace.wrlc.org/doc/get/2041/48309/ • Lady Luck volume 2. Theakston, Greg, ed. Park Forest, Ill: Ken borthinterviewtext.html> One of the artists on “Phantom Lady.” Pierce, 1980. Reprints 16 stories from the Spirit Section plus an essay by Cat Yronwode. Mechanic, Michael. “Mad Man: Meet Al Jaffee, Cartoonist Icon • Miller, Raymond. The Rocket’s Blast Special #6: The Quality Comics of America’s Longest-Lived Humor Magazine.” MotherJones. Group (Fall 1965). Features a lengthy article on Quality. com. 24 Sept. 2010. 25 April 2011 <http://motherjones.com/me• Neavill, Gordon Barrick, “Publishing in Wartime: The Modern dia/2010/09/interview-al-jaffee-mad-life-snappy-answers>. Library Series during the Second World War.” Library Trends 55. 3: (2007): 583-596. Mougin, Lou. “Blackhawk Index.” DarkMark’s Comics Indexing Do-

Online Resources Black, David R. “A Freedom Fighting First.” Fanzing. Michael Hutchison, ed. 25 April 2011 <http://www.fanzing.com/mag/fanzing46/feature4.shtml> . Black, David R. “Fanzing Secret Files: The Freedom Fighters.” Fanzing. Michael Hutchison, ed. 25 April 2011 <http://www.fanzing.com/mag/fanzing23/feature3.shtml>. “Cartoonist Henry Martin donates art, books.” Princeton University. 7 April 2010. 25 April 2011 <http://www.princeton.edu/main/ news/archive/S27/07/02O04>.

main! 25 April 2011 <http://darkmark6.tripod.com/bhawkind.htm>

—. “Freedom Fighters Index.” DarkMark’s Comics Indexing Domain! 25 April 2011 <http://darkmark6.tripod.com/freedom_fighters_index.html>. Norwitz, Michael. “An Earth-X Timeline.” 2011. Mikel Midnight’s Golden Age Directory. <http://blaklion.best.vwh.net/timelineX. html>. Norwitz, Michael. “Freedom Fighters Villains List.” 2011. Mikel Midnight’s Golden Age Directory. 25 April 2011. <http://blaklion. best.vwh.net/gav_ffs.html>.

Denis Kitchen and Kitchen Sink Press. 25 April 2011 <http://www. deniskitchen.com>. One of Will Eisner’s most prolific publishers.

O’Day, Stephen. Seduction of the Innocent.org. <http:// seductionoftheinnocent.org>. Great site all about the early ’50s attacks on comics.

Digital Comics Museum. 25 April 2011 <http://digitalcomicmuseum. com>. Downloadable public domain comics.

Penton, Ted “Arming Soldiers with Ballots.” Patriot.net. November 1999. 20 Aug. 2011. <http://patriot.net/~eastlnd2/sv.htm>.

Digital-Priest.com: Christopher James Priest. <http://www.digitalpriest.com>. Editor/writer behind DC’s 1990s relaunches.

Perez, Roger. “Alan Light ‘Flashback’ & Don Maris ‘Remember When’ Golden Age Reprints Cover Gallery & Checklist.” STL Comics. 25 April 2011 <http://stlcomics.com/gallery/light_maris>.

Electro-Comics Golden Age Comics Downloads. 25 April 2011 <http:// www.electro-comics.com/lists/quality.htm> Good quality comic downloads, for a charge. Femforce-Femfans. “An Interview with Bill Black.” 17 November 2009. 15 June 2011 <http://www.femforce-femfans.com/interviews/an-interview-with-bill-black>. The Golden Age Directory. 25 April 2011 <http://www.dpccomics. pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/theamericancomicshop/index.php?file=gad>. A database of Golden Age heroes. Golden Age Comics. 25 April 2011 <http://goldenagecomics.co.uk>. Downloadable public domain comics. Google Books: Catalog of Copyright Entries. 25 April 2011 <http:// books.google.com/googlebooks/copyrightsearch.html>

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Quattro, Ken. “DC vs Victor Fox: The Testimony of Will Eisner.” The Comics Detective. 1 July 2010. 5 Aug. 2011 <http://thecomicsdetective.blogspot.com/2010/07/dc-vs-victor-fox-testimony-ofwill.html> Rozakis, Bob. “Canceled Comics Cavalcade,” parts 1-9. ComicsBulletin.com. 4 Aug. 2011 <http://www.comicsbulletin.com> Simonson, Mark. “Interview: Phil Martin.” Typographica.org. 18 May 2004. 15 May 2011 <http://typographica.org/2004/on-typography/interview-phil-martin>. Stiles, Steve. “A Look at E.C. Great, Reed Crandall.” Stevestiles. com. c. 2000. 25 April 2011 <http://stevestiles.com/reedc.htm>.

Stratton, Jerry. “The Annotated Will Eisner Dreamer.” 16 Aug. 2009. Negative Space. 25 April 2011 <http://www.hoboes.com/ Comics/dreamer/>. Strentz, Herb. “John Cowles.” Drake University, Cowles Library. 25 April 2011 <http://www.lib.drake.edu/heritage/GardnerCowlesFamily/JohnCowles.html>. “Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters Sketchbook.” Newsarama. 8 August 2007. August 7, 2007. <http://web.archive.org/ web/20071012202944/http://newsarama.com/dcnew/FreedomFighters/sketchbook/preview.html>. Offenberger, Rik. “Bill Black, Mark Heike and John Gotschall talk about FemForce.” First Comics News. 31 March 2010. 15 June 2011 <http://www.firstcomicsnews.com/?p=2407>. United States Copyright Office <http://www.copyright.gov>. United States Copyright Office Public Catalog. <http://cocatalog. loc.gov>. United States Patent and Trademark Office. <http://www.uspto. gov>. The University of Pennsylvania. “The Online Books Pages.” 15 June 2011 <http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/cce>. Includes scans of the Catalog of Copyright Entries. Unofficial Blackhawk Comics Web Site. Dan Thompson. 25 April 2011 <http://ourworlds.topcities.com/blackhawk>.

Who’s Whose in DC Comics. 25 April 2011. <http://dccomicsartists. com/new%20quality/QUALITYframe.htm> This project attempts to list all the original creators for DC, Quality and Fawcett characters, and is fairly accurate. Wildwood Cemetery: The Spirit Database. 25 April 1011 <http://www. wildwoodcemetery.com>. This site has lapsed into disrepair but determined individuals can dig up its information. Will Eisner: Official Web site. 2011. Will Eisner Studios, Inc. 25 April 2011 <http://www.willeisner.com>. Womenofward.net. <http://www.womenofward.net>

Libraries A few brick-and-mortar libraries (aside from the Library of Congress) contain considerable comic book collections that include a good number of Quality Comics. The Michigan State University Libraries, Special Collections Division. <http://comics.lib.msu.edu/rri/qrri/qualit.htm>. In East Lansing, Michicgan, this has an extensive microfilm collection, among other things. Ohio State University: Cartoon Research Library. 27 West 17th Ave. Mall Columbus, OH 43210-1393. <http://cartoons.osu.edu>. Ohio State has a large collection of Will Eisner materials. This link takes you to a guide to their extensive Will Eisner Collection.

Quality Comics— List of Titles Super-hero (Chronological) • Feature Funnies #1-20 (Oct. 1937–May 1938) … retitled Feature Comics #21-144 (June 1939–May 1950) • Smash Comics #1-85 (Aug. 1939–Oct. 1949) … retitled Lady Luck with #86 • Crack Comics #1-62 (May 1940–Sept. 1949) … retitled Crack Western with #63 • Hit Comics #1-65 (July 1940–July 1950) • National Comics #1-75 (July 1940–Nov. 1949) • The Spirit Section (2 June 1940–5 Oct. 1952) • Military Comics #1-43 (Aug. 1941–Oct. 1945) … retitled Modern Comics #44-102 (Nov. 1945–Oct. 1952) • Police Comics #1-127 (Aug. 1941–Oct. 1953) • Doll Man Quarterly #1-47 (Autumn 1941–Oct. 1953) • Uncle Sam Quarterly #1-8 (Autumn 1941– Fall 1943) … retitled Blackhawk with #9 • Plastic Man #1-64 (Summer 1943–Nov. 1956) • The Spirit #1–22 (1944–Aug. 1950) • Blackhawk #9-107 (Winter 1944–Dec. 1956) … published by DC Comics #108-243 • Kid Eternity #1-18 (Spring 1946–Nov. 1949) … retitled Buccaneers with issue #19

Humor and Funny Animal • All Humor Comics #1-17 (Spring 1946–Dec. 1949) • The Barker #1-15 (Autumn 1946–Dec. 1949) • Buster Bear #1-10 (Dec. 1953–June 1955) • Egbert #1-20 (Spring 1946–1950) • Gabby #11/1-9 (July 1953–Sept. 1954) … continued from Ken Shannon with #11, then renumbered for the Gabby title with #2 • Hickory #1-6 (Oct. 1949–Aug. 1950) • Jonesy #85/1-8 (Aug. 1953–Oct. 1954 … continued from Crack Western • Marmaduke Mouse #1-65 (Spring 1946–Dec. 1956) • Torchy #1-6 (Nov. 1949–Sept. 1950)

Romance Most of Quality’s romance titles were short-lived, beginning in late 1949 and lasting for less than a year. Those that survived, however, made it until the company’s end. • Brides Romances #1-23 (Nov. 1953–Dec. 1956) • Broadway Romances #1-5 (Jan. 1950–Sept. 1950) • Campus Loves #1-5 (Dec. 1949–Aug. 1950) • Candy #1-64 (Fall 1947–July 1956) • Diary Loves #1-31 (Nov. 1949–April 1953; called Love Diary for #1) Appendices 213

… retitled G.I. Sweethearts #32-45 (June 1953–May 1955) … retitled Girls in Love #46-57 Sept. 1955–Dec. 1956) • Flaming Love (Dec. 1949–Oct. 1950) • Forbidden Love (March 1950–Sept. 1950) • Heart Throbs #1-46 (Aug 1949–Dec. 1956) … continued with Heart Throbs #47 by DC Comics • Hollywood Diary #1-5 (Dec. 1949–Aug. 1950) • Hollywood Secrets #1-6 (Nov. 1949–Sept. 1950) • Love Confessions #1-54 (Oct. 1949–Dec. 1956) • Love Letters #1-51 (Nov. 1949–Dec. 1956) • Love Secrets #32-56 (Aug. 1953–Dec. 1956) … continued from Love Letters, although that series continued to publish as well • Love Scandals #1-5 (Feb. 1950–Oct. 1950) • Range Romances #1-5 (Dec. 1949–Aug. 1950) • Secret Loves #1-6 (Nov. 1949–Sept. 1950) • True War Romances #1-21 (Sept. 1952–June 1955) … retitled Exotic Romances #22-31 (Oct. 1955–Nov. 1956) • Untamed Love #1-5 (Jan. 1950–Sept. 1950) • Wedding Bells #1-19 (Feb. 1954–Nov. 1956)

Adventure, Horror, Western, War • Buccaneers #19-27 (Jan. 1950–May 1951), continued from Kid Eternity • Crack Western #63-84 (Nov. 1949–July 1952), continued from Crack Comics … retitled Jonesy with issue #85 • Exploits of Daniel Boone #1-6 (Nov. 1955–Oct. 1956) • G.I. Combat #1-43 (Oct. 1952–Dec. 1956), continued at DC Comics • Intrigue #1 (Jan. 1955) • Ken Shannon #1-10 (Oct. 1951–April 1953) … retitled Gabby #11-on • Modern Comics #44-102 (Nov. 1945–Oct. 1952) • Robin Hood Tales #1-6 (Feb.–Dec. 1956) • T-Man #1-38 (Sept. 1951–Dec. 1956) • Web of Evil #1-21 (Nov. 1952–Dec. 1954) • Yanks in Battle #1-4 (Sept.–Dec. 1956)

Arnold Magazines, Inc. Busy Arnold’s magazines (mostly digest-sized) were begun just as his comic book business was ending. They were also edited by Quality’s Al Grenet, which he discussed in Alter Ego #34. The address listed in these magazines was “1 Appleton Street, Holyoke, Mass.” Frank Motler (a men’s magazine indexer) and Phil StephensenPayne, who runs Galactic Central (www.philsp.com) helped assemble the following list of titles. Phil’s site compiles information from many sources and includes checklists and cover images and Phil allowed us to use his data to flesh out this list. A definitive index has yet to be verified, hence the question marks. • Blazing Guns, Oct. 1956–Apr. 1957? • Classic Photography, Spring–Winter 1957? • Courage, Nov. 1957–Apr. 1958 • Crime and Justice Detective Story Magazine, Sept. 1956–Mar. 1957 • Gusto: He-Man Adventures, Oct. 1957–Dec. 1957? • Hit Crossword Puzzles • Homicide Detective Story Magazine, Sept. 1956 • Killers Mystery Story Magazine, Nov. 1956–Mar. 1957 • Man’s Exploits, June–Nov. 1957? • Master Photography, 1957 • Rage for Men, Dec. 1956–Aug. 1957 • Terror: Detective Story Magazine, Oct. 1956–Apr. 1957

Quality Heroes at DC • Blackhawk #108-243 (1957-1968), #244–250 (1976–77), #251–273 (1982–84) • G.I. Combat #44-288 (1957-87) • Plastic Man vol. 2, 20 issues (1966-68, 1976-77) • Freedom Fighters, 15 issues (March/April 1976–July/Aug. 1978) • All-Star Squadron, 67 issues (1981-87) • Secret Origins vol. 2, 50 issues (1986-90). Relevant issues: #8 (Doll Man), #19 (Uncle Sam), #21 (Black Condor), #22 (Manhunter), #26 (Miss America), #28 (Midnight), #30 (Plastic Man), #45 (Blackhawk) • Young All-Stars, 30 issues (1987-89) • Blackhawk vol. 2, 3-issue mini-series (1988) • Blackhawk vol. 3, 16 issues (1989-90) • Plastic Man vol. 3, 4-issue limited series (1989) • The Ray, vol. 1, 6-issue limited series (1992) • Black Condor, 12 issues (1992-93) • Kid Eternity, 3-issue limited series (1993) • Kid Eternity vol. 2, 16 issues (1993-94) • The Ray, vol. 2, 29 issues (1994-96) • Firebrand, 9 issues (1996) • Uncle Sam, 2-issue prestige series (1997) • Plastic Man Special, one-shot (1999) • Plastic Man vol. 4, 20 issues (2004-06) • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1, 8-issue limited series (2006) • Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2, 8-issue limited series (2007) • Freedom Fighters vol. 2, 9 issues (2010–11)

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A sampling of covers of Busy Arnold’s magazines, published between 1956–1958. From the top: Rage (Dec. 1965), Gusto: He-Man Adventures, Hit Crossword Puzzles, Master Photography, and Terror Detective Story. Cover scans courtesy of George Hagenauer, Al Grenet and Phil Stephensen-Payne.

Publishing Notes The issue date of a Golden Age comic book was generally postdated two months after its street date, which one can easily discern from house ads. Many comics hyped the next issue by listing its exact date of sale. For example, “April issue on sale Feb. 26.”

coincidence but there were indeed some minor changes in both books around the end of the year. In Crack Comics, Madam Fatal, the Red Torpedo and Space Legion all ended. And in Hit Comics, Neon and X-5/G-5 came to a close. What replaced them was a new mix of super-hero and adventure features.

The production cycle—or the time it took between the creation and the street date—seems to be something like three to four months. Police Comics #9 (May 1942/street date March 1942) contained a story about New Year’s Eve. This can also be tracked by the appearance of stories that cite the U.S. involvement in World War II. After Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), it was about three-to-four-months before stories made mention of it. The “Black Condor” story in Crack #23 (May 1942) was one of the first to directly reference Pearl Harbor and it even dated the events of its own story as “March 15, 1942” (which could have been post-dated with the knowledge of the story’s street date).

In issues dated September 1940, all titles began sporting a tiny seal that read “Quality Comics Group” even though the actual company name remained the same, Comic Magazines. Quality’s seven titles were branded in earnest in the house ads that appeared on the inside covers. The ads encouraged loyalty by alerting readers to “look for this sign when you buy.” This was also about the time that Arnold and the Register & Tribune Syndicate formed their partnership with Will Eisner and bought out the McNaught Syndicate.

Busy Arnold encouraged reader participation, and his son Dick alluded to the fact that he also kept his “ear to the ground” with local newsstand owners. In Smash #7 (Feb. 1940), readers were asked to suggest the names of Quality’s future titles—for a prize of $50! They were also asked to list, in order, the features they enjoyed most. In Smash #9 (Apr. 1940), the winner was announced; the new book would be titled Crack Comics.

Some interesting (and confusing) details were revealed by the “Statements of Ownership” that began appearing yearly in 1942. In all of them, the owners were listed as Busy Arnold, his wife Claire C. Arnold, and Henry Martin (although Martin was never an individual investor, but an agent for the Register & Tribune). The Editor’s attribution reflected the current “editor-in-chief,” except in a few curious instances. In the statements published in Police #7 and Military #7 (Feb. 1942), the book titles are swapped, but the one appearing in Police #7 read (for “MILITARY COMICS”) “Editor: William E. Eisner.” Further, the Statement in Hit Comics #20 (a title that Eisner repeatedly claimed was one he co-owned), the editor is listed as “S.M. Iger.”

Another survey ran in Crack #11 and Hit #10 (March/ April 1941) again asking readers to rank their favorites—and those of Quality’s competitors. “Tell us how to improve,” it said. The deadline was March 15, 1941. Perhaps it was Appendices 215

Feature Funnies #1-20 • Oct. 1937–May 1938

Feature Comics #21–144 • June 1939–May 1950 Feature Funnies was the title that started it all for Comic Favorites, Inc.. The book was filled with material from Busy Arnold’s three partners, all comic strip syndicates: McNaught, Frank J. Markey, and the Register and Tribune. They moved from Eastern Color’s Famous Funnies. Some of the McNaught reprints bore copyrights dating back to 1935. The only original feature in the first issue was “Jim Swift,” by Quality’s early editor, Ed Cronin. George Brenner’s “The Hawk” and “the Clock” came with issues #2 and 3, respectively. Quality’s first super-powered hero was the Doll Man, debuting in Feature #27 (Dec. 1939). He was created by Will Eisner (while still partnered with Jerry Iger). The logo changed with issue #19, to emphasize the word “Feature” instead of “Funnies.” Two months later, the title was also changed slightly to Feature Comics. With Feature #32 (May 1940), a sea change occurred when Quality ended its partnership with the McNaught Syndicate. Twelve features were dropped or shifted, and the void was filled mostly by new heroes, super or not. At that time, some of the remaining syndicated strips (the Register’s “Side Show,” “Jane Arden,” “Ned Brant,” “Off the Record”) were moved to Crack Comics. Only “Big Top” and “Lala Palooza” remained in Feature—and lasted until the title’s end. The inside back cover of #30 (March 1940) boasted a new slate of features in the coming months: the Voice, Zero, Samar, Poison Ivy, Rusty Ryan and Bruce Blackburn. Feature slowly became a non-super-hero book, even as early as 1941. It returned to its roots, containing mostly humor features. Note: Some online references link Feature Funnies and Quality Comics to the Harry “A” Chesler shop. Though Chesler might have supplied the odd strip for Quality, there is no solid evidence to suggest he was ever involved with Quality on a higher business level. The information about the syndicated strips below comes from Lambiek.net, verifiable Wikipedia pages, and Sheridan.

Character Crack Casey

Appeared in Issues… #1 (Oct. 1937)

Original creator + Notes Nothing known about this strip.

Syndicated strips by McNaught Syndicate (all previously in Eastern Color’s Famous Funnies, and later Quality went on to Big Shot Comics at Columbia) The Bungle Family

#1–31 (Oct. 1937–April 1940)

Created in 1918 by Harry J. Tuthill.

Dixie Dugan Flossie Joe Palooka, boxer

#1–31 (Oct. 1937–April 1940) #1–17 (Oct. 1937–Feb. 1939) #1–31 (Oct. 1937–April 1940)

Mickey Finn, Irish policeman Toddy

#1–31 (Oct. 1937–April 1940) #1–31 (Oct. 1937–April 1940)

Began as “Show Girl” in 1929, by John H. Striebel. By Al Zere. Super–popular cartoon created by Ham Fisher in 1920 & printed in 1928. By Frank E. “Lank” Leonard in 1936. By George Marcoux.

Syndicated by Frank Jay Markey Syndicate Big Top

#1–144 (Oct. 1937–May 1950

Lala Palooza

#1–144 (Oct. 1937–May 1950)

By Edgar Wheelan (better known for “Minute Movies,” which ran in Flash Comics). By Rube Goldberg.

Syndicated by Register & Tribune Syndicate Jane Arden, girl reporter

#1–31 (Oct. 1937–April 1940)

Lena Pry, gags

#1–11 (Oct. 1937–Aug. 1938)

Ned Brant, all–American sportsman Off the Record, gags

#1–31 (Oct. 1937–April 1940) #1–31 (Oct. 1937–April 1940)

Panel comic by Ed Reed. Moves to Crack Comics.

Slim & Tubby, cowboys

#1–31 (Oct. 1937–April 1940)

By John J. Welch. Tubby later appeared in “Jane Arden.”

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Created in 1927 by Monte Barrett. Quality reprints drawn by Russell Ross. Moves to Crack Comics. Originally run on the same page as “Jane Arden.” By Monte Barrett. Quality reprints signed by Russell Ross. By Bob Zuppke & Walt Depew. Moves to Crack Comics.

Quality begins contracting original material Jim Swift

#1–6 (Oct. 1937–March 1938)

The Hawk The Clock

#2 (Nov. 1937) #3–31 (Dec. 1937–April 1940)

Hawks of the Seas

#3–12 (Dec. 1937–Sept. 1938)

Clip Chance Gallant Knight

#7–16 ( April 1938–Jan. 1939) #7–24 (April 1938–Sept. 1939)

Archie O’Toole “Espionage,” starring Black X

#10–22 (July 1938–July 1939) #13–22 (Oct. 1938–July 1939)

Captain Cook of Scotland Yard #13, 18–22 (Oct. 1938, March 1939–July 1939) Reynolds of the Mounted Richard Manners, the Super Sleuth

#14–62 (Nov. 1938–Nov. 1942) #17–21 (Feb. 1939–June 193 )

Rance Keane, cowboy Charlie Chan, detective

#22–46 (July 1939–July 1941) #23–31 (Aug. 1939–April 1940)

Side Show

#23–31 (Aug. 1939–April 1940)

Captain Fortune, pirate Doll Man Spin Shaw of the Naval Air Corps

#25–35 (Oct. 1939–Aug. 1940) #27–139 (Dec. 1939–Oct. 1949) #29–100 (Feb. 1940–July 1946 )

By Ed Cronin, who was originally Ham Fisher’s assistant. This strip is the only one not marked with a syndicate copyright. By George Brenner. By George Brenner (creator–owned strip). Previously in Funny Pages and Funny Picture Stories (Comics Magazine). Moves to Crack Comics. By Will Eisner (“Willis B. Rensie”). Moves to Jumbo Comics (Fiction House). By George Brenner (“Scott Sheridan”). Moves to Smash Comics. By Vernon Henkel. A Prince Valiant knock–off. Henkel moves on to “Capt. Fortune.” By George Tuska (“Bud Thomas”). Moves to Smash Comics. By Will Eisner (“Will Erwin”). A non–costumed (but monocled) spy in a suit. Moves to Smash Comics. By Stan Aschmeier. Moves to Smash Comics. By Art Pinajian. By Frank Frollo.

Retitled Feature Comics By Will Arthur. McNaught syndicated feature by Alfred Andriola. Chan began his comic book appearances at Quality. Moves to Big Shot (Columbia). Syndicated cartoon (Register) by Rube Goldberg (Register). Moves to Crack Comics. By Vernon Henkel. A Terry & the Pirates knock–off. By Will Eisner and Lou Fine. Also in Doll Man Quarterly. By Bob Powell (“Rex Smith”).

End of McNaught Partnership—More Heroes, fewer Syndicated strips Beginning of Arnold’s partnership with Eisner. The Voice Zero, Ghost Detective Samar, Jungle King Poison Ivy

#32–37 (May 1940–Oct. 1940) #32–72 (May 1940–Oct. 1943) #32–63 (May 1940–Dec. 1942) #32–132 (May 1940––March 1949)

Rusty Ryan, boy prodigy

#32–135 (May 1940–June 1949) #32–56 (May 1940–May 1942)

Captain Bruce Blackburn, Counterspy, a.k.a. the Destroying Demon Dusty Dane, sailor Ace of Space Homer Doodle and Son USA the Spirit of Old Glory The Fargo Kid, Tim Turner Swing Sisson, jazz maestro Spider Widow and the Raven Blimpy, the Bungling Buddha Inferior Man Professor Noodle and Morguen Perky Roscoe Officer Shenanigan Rims Stunt Man Stetson

#36–50 (Sept. 1940–Nov. 1941) #38–41 (Nov. 1940–Feb. 1941) #38–68 (Nov. 1940–June 1943) #42–48 (March 1941–Sept. 1941) #47–63 (Aug. 1941–Dec. 1942) #49–142 (Oct. 1941–Jan. 1950)) #57–72 (Jan. 1942–Oct. 1943) #64–133 (Jan. 1943–April 1949) #65–72 (Feb. 1943–Oct. 1943) #73–74 (Nov. 1943–Jan. 1944) #75–132 (Feb. 1944–March 1949) #101–132 (Aug. 1946–March 1949) #114–144 (Sept. 1947–May 1950) #136–144 (July 1949–May 1950) #140–144 (Nov. 1949–May 1950)

By Stan Aschmeier. By Dan Zolnerowich. By Chuck Mazoujian (“Ted Cain”). By Gill Fox. A mischievous midget who masqueraded as a baby. By Jack Cole #89–100. By Paul Gustavson. Later joined by the Boy Brigadiers (#45–102/103) By Harry Francis Campbell.

By Vernon Henkel. By Harry Francis Campbell. By Art Pinajian. By Maurice Gutwirth. By Alex Koda. By Phil Martin. By Frank Borth. Also in Police Comics. Raven in #60–71 By Seymour Reit and Al Stahl. By Jack Cole #76–77. By Al Stahl. Also in Military Comics By Sid Lazarus. By Sid Lazarus. First in Crack #31 (Oct. 1943) & Doll Man #15, 22–25. A cartoon wolf. A hapless cop. By Michael Senich. A bespectacled geek. By Harry Sahle. Adventure.

Appendices 217

Smash Comics 85 issues • Aug. 1939–Oct. 1949 • Became Lady Luck #86–90 (Dec. 1949–Aug. 1950) Smash Comics was Quality’s second title. It continued the formula of Feature Comics, containing a mix of syndicated material and new features. It was Quality’s first title to hit the stands with super-heroes on parade: Bozo the Iron Man and the Invisible Hood. In early 1940, when Quality bought out its partner, the McNaught Syndicate, freelancers and the Eisner and Iger studio filled in with a plethora of new super-heroes: the Ray, Magno, Midnight, and the Jester. Smash Comics stayed with hero and adventure strips a bit longer than other titles. In fact, even towards its end, Midnight, Lady Luck, and the Jester were all loaded towards the front of the book.

Feature

Appeared in Issues…

Original creator + Notes

Abdul the Arab Archie O’Toole Chic Carter, reporter Clip Chance, athlete Captain Cook of Scotland Yard

#1–24 (#1 Aug. 1939–July 1941) #1–81 (Aug. 1939–Feb. 1949) #1–24 (Aug. 1939–July 1941) #1–15 (Aug. 1939–Oct. 1940) #1–13 (Aug. 1939–Aug. 1940) #1–85 (Aug. 1939–Oct. 1949)

By Vernon Henkel. Later by Bob Powell (“Powell Roberts”). By George Tuska (“Bud Thomas”). Also in Feature Comics. By Vernon Henkel. Moved to Police and National Comics. By George Brenner (“Scott Sheridan”). Also in Feature Comics. Previously in Feature Comics. By Will Eisner (“Will Erwin”). A non–costumed (but monocled) spy in a suit. Previously in Feature Comics. Called “Black Ace” in Smash #1–5.

#1–41 (Aug. 1939–March 1943)

By George Brenner (“Wayne Reid”).

#1–32 (Aug. 1939–March 1942)

By Art Pinajian (“Art Gordon”).

#1–13 (Aug. 1939–Aug. 1940) #1 (Aug. 1939) #1–37 (Aug. 1939–Nov. 1942)

By John Devlin. By Ed Cronin. By Vernon Henkel. Briefly costumed in #24–25 (1941)

#3–12 (Oct. 1939–July 1940) #4–12 (Nov. 1939–July 1940)

By Harry Francis Campbell. This is different than the character of the same name created by Will Eisner (similar to the Spirit) in 1948. By Paul Gustavson.

#6–70 (Jan. 1940–April 1947)

By Gill Fox #6–19; by Jack Cole #20–70.

“Espionage,” starring Black X a.k.a. Black Ace Hugh Hazard and Bozo the Iron Man “Hooded Justice”/”Invisible Justice” starring the Invisible Hood Philpot Veep, detective Simple Simon Wings Wendall of the Military Intelligence, aviator John Law, Scientective Flash Fulton, newsreel camera man Wun Cloo

Early 1940: End of Quality’s Partnership with McNaught and Beginning of Arnold’s partnership with Eisner—More Heroes, fewer Syndicated strips. The Purple Trio, Vaudevillians

#13–37 (Aug. 1940–Nov. 1942)

Magno the Miracle Man The Ray The Scarlet Seal

#13–21 (Aug. 1940–April 1941) #14–40 (Sept. 1940–Feb. 1943) #16–24 (Nov. 1940–July 1941)

Midnight The Jester Rookie Rankin Wildfire

#18–85 (Jan. 1941–Oct. 1949) #22–85 (May 1941–Oct. 1949) #25–70 (Aug. 1941–April 1947 ) #25–37 (Aug. 1941–Nov. 1942)

The Marksman Daffy Lady Luck

#33–58 (May 1942–April 1945) #41–85 (March 1943–Oct. 1949) #42–90 (April 1943–Aug. 1950)

Spunky, boy cartoon Batch Bachelor Citronella

#59–74 (June 1945–Dec. 1947) #71–81 (June 1947–Feb. 1949) #75–81 (Feb. 1948–Feb. 1949)

By Alex Blum (“S. M. Regi”). By Paul Gustavson. By Will Eisner and Lou Fine (“E. Lectron”). By Manning de V. Lee (#16). By Jack Cole. By Paul Gustavson. By Arthur F. Peddy (“Kenneth Julian”). By Jim Mooney and Robert Turner. By Ed Cronin, then various. By Gill Fox. Reprints from the Sunday Spirit Section, by Klaus Nordling. By Sid Lazarus. A bachelor who tries to avoid proposing to his girlfriend, Bunny. Citronella Rumpus, girl hillbilly.

Retitled Lady Luck #86-90 (Dec. 1949–Aug. 1950) The Count, Raoul DiChange

#86–90 (Dec. 1949–Aug. 1950)

Sir Roger

#89–90 (June 1950–Aug. 1950)

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By Klaus Nordling. A spin-off character from “Lady Luck.” A hifalutin hobo. Also in Hit Comics.

Crack Comics 62 issues • May 1940–Sept. 1949 • Becomes Crack Western, #63-84 (Nov. 1949–July 1952) Crack Comics was Quality’s third anthology and it hit the ground running. Whereas its predecessors, Feature and Smash, had featured a couple of costumed adventurers at a time, Crack’s inaugural issue boasted five! It was the first title to begin after the partnership was formed between Quality and Will Eisner. Eisner’s shop produced “Black Condor,” and “Lee Preston.” The rest was filled by freelancers or syndicated strips. Crack Comics’ launch coincided with Quality’s buyout of their original partner, McNaught Syndicate. Four of the remaining syndicated features from Feature Comics (“Side Show,” “Jane Arden,” “Ned Brant,” and “Off the Record”) moved into Crack. Erik Larsen of Image Comics has intended to publish a new Crack Comics #63 in 2011, but that project has yet to see the light of day. Solicitations for the issue promised stories featuring Captain Triumph, the Clock, Spitfire, Molly the Model, the Spider, Space Legion, the Red Torpedo, Hack O’Hara, and Slap Happy Pappy. This is part of Larsen’s “Next Issue Project,” which revives Golden Age anthology titles with new stories by today’s creators. The first two volumes were Fantastic Comics #24 (from Fox) and Silver Streak Comics #24 (from Lev Gleason). Character

Appeared in Issues…

Original creator + Notes

“Alias” the Spider Black Condor The Clock Jane Arden

#1–30 (May 1940–Aug. 1943) #1–31 (May 1940–Oct. 1943) #1–35 (May 1940––Autumn 1944) #1–25 ( May 1940–Sept. 1942)

Lee Preston of the Red Cross Molly the Model

#1–9 (May 1940—Jan. 1941) #1–62 (May 1940–Sept. 1949)

Ned Brant, sportsman

#1–25 (May 1940–Sept. 1942)

Madam Fatal The Red Torpedo Rube Goldberg’s Side Show

#1–22 (May 1940–March 1942) #1–20 (May 1940–Jan. 1942) 1–40 (May 1940–Winter 1945)

Slap Happy Pappy, lovable geezer The Space Legion with Rock Braddon Wizard Wells, Miracle Man Snappy Tor

#1–59 (May 1940–March 1949)

By Paul Gustavson. By Will Eisner and Lou Fine. By George Brenner. Also in Feature Comics. From the Register and Tribune Syndicate. Previously in Feature Comics. By Bob Powell (“Terence McAully”). Syndicated cartoon by Jonny Devlin. Unrelated to Marvel’s Millie the Model (1945). Syndicated cartoon (Register & Tribune) by Bob Zuppke, later drawn by Walt Depew.” Previously in Famous Funnies (Eastern Color), and Feature Comics. By Art Pinajian. By Henry Kiefer (“Drew Allen”). Syndicated cartoon by Rube Goldberg that featured his well–known “inventions.” Also in Feature Comics. By Gill Fox, then Jack Cole (“Ralph Johns”), #9–59.

#1–18 (May 1940–Nov. 1941)

By Vernon Henkel. A Flash Gordon knockoff, set in the future.

#1–14 (May 1940–July 1941) #4–26 (Aug. 1940–Nov. 1942)

By Harry Campbell. A scientist, not a magician. By Arthur Beeman. Humor strip about a boy. By Fred Guardineer.

#10–26 (Feb. 1941–(Nov. 1942) #15–27 (Aug. 1941–Jan. 1943) #19–26 (Dec. 1941–Nov. 1942)

By Al McWilliams. By Vernon Henkel.

#21–62 (Feb. 1942–Sept. 1949)

By various.

#23–60 (May 1942–May 1949) #26 (Nov. 1942) #27–62 (Jan. 1943–Sept. 1949) #28–60 (March 1943–May 1949)

By Klaus Nordling. Also in National Comics. By Charles Sultan. By Alfred Andriola. By Al Stahl. Inkie, the size of your pinky, jumped off the drawing board and came to life.

Spitfire (Tex Adams), test pilot Don Q, monocled international man of mystery Hack O’Hara, cabbie/crime– hater Pen Miller Yankee Guerrilla Captain Triumph Inkie Ike an’ Dooit

#31 (Oct. 1943)

Beezy Bumble Floogy the Fiji

By Jack Cole. #32–62 (Dec. 1943–Sept. 1949) By Bernard Dibble. A serial dater. #36–59 (Winter 1944–March 1949) A Fiji native and Lone Wolf the bear pirate.

Jonesy Kiki Kelly

#36 (Winter 1944) #39–51 (Autumn 1945–Nov. 1952)

By Bernard Dibble. Moves to Hit Comics. Teen troublemaker.

Appendices 219

Hit Comics 65 issues • July 1940–July 1950 By some accounts (including Busy Arnold in Steranko, and Will Eisner in Alter Ego #48), Hit Comics was perhaps Quality’s least successful title. It launched before the war boom, but even afterwards it suffered from paper rationing and a bi-monthly schedule. Hit Comics also did not make the War Department’s distribution list, which would have boosted sales. (Shalett) There are no standout “hits” to be found in this title. The first issue featured the Red Bee, a character that is now an easy target for ridicule. But greats like Lou Fine contributed cover art (rare for the time) and Reed Crandall’s work on “Hercules” and “Stormy Foster” was as good as ever. Will Eisner often referred to Hit as a title he co-owned, which was ironic because the first issue featured art by artists from Jerry Iger’s studio (who subcontracted from Eisner). For what it’s worth, the Statement of Ownership from Hit #20 cites “Editor: S.M. Iger,” but the information in those Statements is somewhat inconsistent. With issue #22 (June 1942), Quality rushed to add three new strips in response to the U.S. entry into the war; all lasted for only three issues. With issue #35 (Spring 1945), the title converted to mostly funny animal features, which kept it afloat for another five years. Character

Appeared in Issues…

Blaze Barton, future explorer

Hit #1–13 (July 1940–July 1941)

Bob and Swab, sailors Casey Jones, conductor Hercules

#1–65 (July 1940–July 1950) #1–3 (July 1940–Sept. 1940) #1–21 (July 1940–April 1942)

Jack and Jill, super sleuths

#1–7 (July 1940–Jan. 1941)

Neon the Unknown

#1–17 (July 1940–Nov. 1941)

The Red Bee Strange Twins (Douglas and Rodney Strange) Tommy Tinkle and Mary Lou Weird Tales / The Old Witch

#1–24 (July 1940–Oct. 1942) #1–24 (July 1940–Oct. 1942)

Original creator + Notes By Henry Kiefer (#1–3). GCD incorrectly credits Maurice Gutwirth, who signed #12 only. By Klaus Nordling. By veteran cartoonist Munson Paddock. By Dan Zolnerowich (“Dan Enloz”). By Reed Crandall (“Gregg Powers”) #10–20. Signed “Lowell Riggs.” Also in National Comics. By Alex Blum (“Jagor Maroy”). Signed “B. H. Apiary”; by various. By Alex Blum (“S.M. Regi”).

#1–25 (July 1940–Dec. 1942) #1–14 (July 1940–Aug. 1941)

Don Glory, Champion of Democracy Dan Tootin, the Madcap Chemist

#8–12 (Feb. 1941–Feb. 1943) #9–46 (March 1941–May 1947)

By Pauline Comanor. By various (“Pierre Winter”); Steranko’s History of Comics quotes Busy Arnold as saying this strip was one of Lou Fine’s earliest. The Witch never exhibited any magical powers. By Will Eisner and Charles Sultan (“Cary Weyt”). Eisner created and earlier strip titled “ZX–5” in Fiction House’s Jumbo Comics. By Bob Powell (“Stanley Charlot”). By George Tuska (“Merton Holmes”). A Tarzan–like boy who survives his parents’ plane crash in Africa. By Nick Cardy (“Lincoln Ross”). A nondescript all–purpose suit–and– tie fighter. By Jack Cole (“Ralph Johns”).

Danger Darrow, a.k.a. “Hell Diver” Ghost of Flanders “Stormy” Foster, the Great Defender

#14–17 (Aug.–Nov. 1941)

Signed “Ace N. Hoell.”

#18–25 (Dec. 1941–Dec. 1942) #18–34 (Dec. 1941–Winter 1944)

By George Brenner. By Reed Crandall #18–20.

X–5 (#1–4) / G–5 (#5–17), Super #1–17 (July 1940–Nov. 1941) Agent Betty Bates, Lady at Law #4–65 (Oct. 1940–July 1950) Lion Boy #6–21 (Dec. 1940–April 1942)

PEARL HARBOR Captain Flagg, U.S. Marines

#22–24 (June 1942–Oct. 1942)

Comet Kelly, aviator The Swordfish, Ensign Jack Smith Bill the Magnificent Kid Eternity Woopy of Shoot’n Creek, hillbilly Willie the Wisp, imaginative boy. Billy Blackfeet Her Highness and Silk

#22–24 (June 1942–Oct. 1942) #22–24 (June 1942–Oct. 1942)

220

By Toni Blum (“Anthony Blum”) and Nick Cardy. By Vernon Henkel. By Fred Guardineer.

#25–34 (Jan. 1943–Winter 1944) #25–60 (Dec. 1941–Sept. 1949) #26–29 (Feb. 1943–Sept. 1943)

Unsigned. By Sheldon Moldoff. Also in Kid Eternity #1–18

#27 (April 1943)

Unsigned.

#28–34 (July 1943–Winter 1944) #28–57 (July 1943–March 1949)

An Indian character. 1st app. in Hit #27’s “Kid Eternity.”

The Quali t y Compa nion

By Art Gates.

Sea Change: Hit COMICS #35 Big Brother feat. Big Feller and #35–58 (Spring 1945–May 1949) Mitie Feller #35–40 (Spring 1945–May 1946) Egbert and the Count, the unlucky chicken and his fox pal Jonesy, everyday doofus #35–48 (Spring 1945–Sept. 1947) Marmaduke Mouse Charlie Horse Sir Roger Rasputin and Merwin, monkeys Peachy Pitts Jeb Rivers and Catfish

#35–41 (Spring 1945–July 1946) #41–47 (July 1945–July 1947) #42–65 (Sept. 1945–July 1950) #48–53 (Sept. 1947–July 1948) #55–57 (Nov. 1948–Mar. 1949) #61–65 (Nov. 1949–July 1950)

Unsigned. By Ernie Hart. Moved to his own series for 15 issues.

1st app. in Crack Comics. Also in The Spirit #6–22 (1946–50). By Ernie Hart. Moved to his own series for 65 issues. Cowardly horse and his friend, Jeepers Creepers, the rabbit. A hifalutin hobo. By Michael Senich. Also in Crack Comics. By Ernie Hart. Teen “good girl.” Unsigned. Historical; riverboat he–man. Takes over the cover.

National Comics 75 issues • July 1940–Nov. 1949 National Comics was an impressive title that boasted two of Quality’s longest running super-heroes, “Uncle Sam” and “Quicksilver” (and later, “The Barker”). Another long-running feature was the non-super-hero “Sally O’Neil.” National was Quality’s fifth title, debuting one month after Hit Comics (it was heralded on the inside back cover of Hit #1). These titles were part of Quality’s ongoing initiative to produce original material. Busy Arnold hired both the Eisner and Iger studios (by this time they had split) to create many of the features for National and Hit. Jerry Iger later took some of his features (“Kid Dixon,” “Wonder Boy,” “Kid Patrol”) to the pages of Fox comics (see “Jerry Iger’s Features” on page 13). In fact, in 1985 Iger published the entire first issue as Jerry Iger’s National Comics #1. National stayed on a monthly schedule through most of 1944, then went to bi-monthly until its end. Character

Appeared in Issues…

Original creator + Notes

Uncle Sam

#1–45 (July 1940–Dec. 1944)

By Will Eisner & Lou Fine. Also in Uncle Sam Quarterly #1–8

Cyclone, future adventurer

#1–4 (July–Oct. 1940)

By Henry Kiefer.

Kid Dixon (boxer)

#1–32 (July 1940–May 1943)

By George Tuska (“Bob Reynolds”). Also in Bomber Comics, published by Elliott.

Kid Patrol (Porky, Sunshine, Teddy, Spunky & Suzy)

#1–36 (July 1940–Oct. 1943)

Signed “Dan Wilson.” Also in Bomber Comics, published by Elliott. Like the Little Rascals.

Merlin (Jock Kellogg)

#1–26 (July 1940–Nov. 1942)

By Dan Zolnerowich, then Fred Guardineer (#12–26).

Paul Bunyan (historical)

#1–22 (July 1940–April 1942)

By Herman Bolstein and John Celardo.

Pen Miller (cartoonist)

#1–22 (July 1940–April 1942)

By Klaus Nordling. Also in Crack Comics.

Prop Powers (pilot)

#1–26 (July 1940–Nov. 1942)

By Iger shop.

Sally O’Neil (policewoman)

#1–75 (July 1940–Dec. 1949)

By Chuck Mazoujian.

Windy Breeze

#1–60 (July 1940–June 1947)

By Bill Newcombe. By Jack Cole #9–60

Wonder Boy

#1–26 (July 1940–Nov. 1942)

By Iger shop.

Quicksilver

#5–71 (Nov. 1940–April 1949)

By Nick Cardy.

Jack and Jill

#8–22 (Feb. 1941–April 1942)

By “Lowell Riggs.” Also in Hit Comics.

Miss Winky

#9–29 (March 1941—Feb. 1943)

By Arthur Beeman.

Cyclone Cupid

#13–37 (July 1941–Nov. 1943)

By Gill Fox.

The Unknown

#23–41 (June 1942–April 1944)

By Ted Udall and Bernard Klein.

Destroyer 171, Lt. Cmdr. Harvey Blake

#23–53 (June 1942–April 1946)

By Al McWilliams.

Salty Waters

#23–70 (June 1942–Feb. 1949)

Cartoon about a sailor/goof.

G–2 (Don Leash)

#27–46 (Dec. 1942–Feb. 1945)

By Rubén Moreira (“Rubimor”).

Chic Carter, crime reporter

#33–47 (July 1943–April 1945)

By Vernon Henkel. Previously in Smash Comics. Appendices 221

super-heroes give way to humor features… The Barker, Carnie Calahan

#42–75 (May 1944–Dec. 1949)

By Jack Cole #42–49. Also in The Barker (15 issues).

Intellectual Amos

#46–61 (Feb. 1945–Aug. 1947)

By André LeBlanc. A very odd looking boy genius and his pal Wilbur the hobgoblin.

Lassie and Laddie

#47 (Apr. 1945

By Bernard Dibble. Kid troublemakers.

The Whistler

#48–54 (June 1945–June 1946)

By Vernon Henkel.

Tinker Tom

#54–56 (June–Oct. 1946)

By Al Stahl. A humorous inventor.

Steve Wood, private investigator

#55–75 (Aug. 1946–Dec. 1949)

By Al McWilliams.

Granny Gumshoe

#57 (Dec. 1946–)

By Gill Fox. Inventor and investigator.

Anthrop

#62–70 (Oct. 1947–Feb. 1949)

By Michael Senich. A teenage doofus.

Honeybun

#71–75 (Apr.–Dec. 1949)

By Paul Gustavson. Also in Police Comics.

Military Comics 43 issues (Aug. 1941–Oct. 1945) Becomes Modern Comics #44-102 (Nov. 1945–Oct. 1952) Quality’s last anthology titles were its most successful. Military Comics was driven by “Blackhawk,” who went on to star in his own series and was Quality’s highest selling title. Military might have been co-owned by Will Eisner (see page 208). He took personal interest in this title, but was still forced to subcontract some of the work to Jerry Iger’s studio. (Andelman 68-69) This book launched with the conceit that the front half featured Army stories, and the back half Navy, but this distinction was often blurry. Stories that were clearly aviation-based appeared in the Navy section. The stories in Military stood out for their “true life” feel; they encouraged bravery among young girls and boys and sprinkled in factoids, military trivia, emblems, and even collectable hero “stamps” featuring past military heroes. (And take a look at that logo… a lot like the shield on Justice League of America!) Character

Appeared in Issues…

Original creator + Notes

Archie Atkins, desert scout

#1–3 (Aug. 1941––Oct. 1941)

Creator uncertain.

Blackhawk

#1–43 (1940–45)

By Chuck Cuidera (#1–11).

Blue Tracer

#1–16 (Aug. 1941–Jan. 1943)

By Fred Guardineer.

Death Patrol

#1–12, 20–52 (Aug. 1941–Aug. 1946)

By Jack Cole (#1–3, 27–30) and Dave Berg.

Loops and Banks, pilots

#1–13 (Aug. 1941–Nov. 1942)

By Bob Powell and/or Buddy Schroeder (“Bud Ernest”).

Miss America

#1–7 (Aug. 1941–Feb. 1942)

By Elmer Wexler.

Q–Boat

#1 (Aug. 1941)

By Henry Kiefer.

Sabotage

#1–4 (Aug. 1941–Nov. 1941

A cartoon by Tex Blaisdell.

Shot and Shell

#1–19 (Aug. 1941–May 1943)

By Klaus Nordling.

Yankee Eagle

#1–8 (Aug. 1941–March 1942)

By Phil Martin (“John Stewart”).

Sniper

#5–34 (Dec. 1941–Nov. 1944)

Unsigned; later by Vernon Henkel.

Inferior Man (Courtney Fudd)

#7–13 (Feb. 1942–Nov. 1942)

By Al Jaffee. Also in Feature Comics.

X of the Underground

#8–13 (March 1942–Nov. 1942)

Creator uncertain.

Phantom Clipper, and the Yankee Clippers

#9–16 (May 1942–Feb. 1943)

Lt. “Tiger” Shark forms the Yankee Clippers along with Capt. Seth Perkins’ ragtag band of longshoremen, using the fortified Phantom

Johnny Doughboy

#14–52 (Dec. 1942–Aug. 1946

By Bernard Dibble.

Pacific Patrol

#14–35 (Dec. 1942–Jan. 1945)

By Al McWilliams. Appeared intermittently.

Private Dogtag

#14–52 (Dec. 1942–Aug. 1946)

By Bart Tumey.

222

The Quali t y Compa nion

P.T. Boat with Ensigns Paul Harvey & Perry Tobias

#17–46 (March 1943–Feb. 1946)

By Andre LeBlanc.

Sailor Danny

#17–23 (March 1943–Oct. 1943)

By Art Gates.

Choo Choo and Cherry

#35–83 (Jan. 1945–Mar. 1949)

Borderline Good Girl feature.

Ezra

#36–102 (Feb. 1945–Oct. 1950)

An Archie knock–off by Harry Sahle.

Retitled Modern Comics (#44-102) Will Bragg

#47–102 (Mar. 1946–Oct. 1950)

Poodle McDoodle

#53–75 (Sept. 1946–July 1948)

Prudence

#53–71 (Sept. 1946–March 1948)

Torchy

#53–102 (Sept. 1946–Oct. 1950)

Also in Doll Man and Torchy.

Fuzzy

#78–88 (Oct. 1948–Aug. 1949)

A doofus, by Jack Cole.

By Michael Senich.

Police Comics 127 issues (Aug. 1941–Oct. 1953) Police Comics was a home run. Its pages were heavy with heroes both super and not. Although he wasn’t the original cover star, Plastic Man eventually led this title to greatness. (And ironically, this lead character actually fled the police.) Police was also the birthplace for Phantom Lady, the Human Bomb and Firebrand. The “Destiny” strip in Police #16 shows a movie marquee that reads “Gil Fox in The Big Snatch.” Gill Fox was one of Quality’s editors.

Character

Appeared in Issues…

Original creator + Notes

Chic Carter, a.k.a. the Sword

#1–18 (Aug. 1941–April 1943)

By Vernon Henkel.

Dewey Drip

#1–93 (Aug. 1941–Aug. 1949 )

Humor strip.

Eagle Evans, pilot

#1–10 (Aug. 1941–July 1942)

By Witmer Williams.

Firebrand

#1–13 (Aug. 1941–Nov. 1942)

By Reed Crandall.

The Human Bomb

#1–58 (Aug. 1941–Sept. 1946)

By Paul Gustavson (“Paul Carroll”).

Phantom Lady

#1–23 (Aug. 1941–Oct. 1943)

By Arthur Peddy.

Plastic Man

#1–102 (Aug. 1941––53)

By Jack Cole. Also in Plastic Man.

Super Snooper

#1–23 (Aug. 1941–Oct. 1943 )

Cartoon by Gill Fox.

The Mouthpiece

#1–13 (Aug. 1941–Nov. 1942)

By Fred Guardineer.

#711

#1–15 (Aug. 1941–Jan. 1943)

By George Brenner.

Steele Kerrigan

#1–13 (Aug. 1941–Nov. 1942)

By Al Bryant.

Burp the Twerp

#2–55 (Sept. 1941–June 1946)

Cartoon by Jack Cole.

Manhunter

#8–102 (March 1942–Oct. 1950)

By Tex Blaisdell and Alex Kotzky.

The Spirit

#11–87 (Sept. 1942–May 1949)

By Will Eisner. Also in The Spirit.

Destiny

#16–36 (Jan. 1943–Nov. 1944)

By George Brenner.

Flatfoot Burns

#19–67 (May 1943–June 1947)

By Al Stahl. Also in The Spirit #4–22 (1946–50).

Candy (Candace O’Connor, troublemaker)

#37–102 (Dec. 1944–Oct. 1950)

By Harry Sahle. Also in her own title.

Specks

#56–82 (July 1946–Sept. 1948)

By Michael Senich.

Honeybun

#59–88 (Oct. 1946–March 1949)

By Paul Gustavson. Also in National Comics.

Heroes dropped Ken Shannon

#103–127 (Dec. 1950–Oct. 1953)

Also in his own title.

T–Man (Treasury Agent) Trask

#103–127 (Dec. 1950–Oct. 1953)

Also in his own title.

Inspector Denver

#103–127 (Dec. 1950–Oct. 1953)

Adventure.

Pict–O–Crime

#103–127 (Dec. 1950–Oct. 1953)

Dan Leary, State Trooper

#103–107 (Dec. 1950–Aug. 1951)

Adventure. Appendices 223

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ISBN-13: 978-1-60549-037-3 ISBN-10: 1-60549-037-7 53195

9 781605 490373

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