While on a safari with his wife and infant son across the bleak steppes of Outer Mongolia, Richard Grey and his expedition were ambushed and murdered by Yakki Raiders, leaving young Richard, Jr. orphaned and alone. A nearby condor took little Dick under her wing and back to her nest.
Growing up, young Grey longed to fly like his brothers and sisters could. He put his keen mind to studying the movement of the wings, the body motions, air currents, balance and levitation. Eventually his determination paid off and he could fly!!
One day, Richard met another human, Father Pierre, who taught him how to speak English. After a year of commuting back and forth between Father Pierre and his condor family, Richard found Pierre near death, having been attacked by Gali-Kan's Raiders. With his final breath, Pierre convinced Richard to go out into the human world and use his power to fight evil.
Failing to stop the plot to kill Senator Thomas Wright, Richard Grey, Jr. used their uncanny resemblance to take Wright's place and began living two lives: as Senator Thomas Wright -- and the
Black Condor!
Created by writer Will Eisner and artist Lou Fine, the
Black Condor debuted in
CRACK COMICS #1 (May 1940) and appeared regularly through issue
#31 (Aug 1943). That was the end of his career until he was revived by DC Comics in the 1970s.
from
CRACK COMICS #16 (September 1941)
written by ?; art by Lou Fine
[sorry it's from such a ratty copy, but it's still mostly readable]
More about the Face:
