The FIGHTING YANK in "The Case of the Extra Nazi Prisoner!"

The Fighting Yank (Bruce Carter III) meets Baron Karl Mannfred Von Khill, Der Fuehrer's greatest secret agent!!

from
AMERICA'S BEST COMICS #14 (June 1945)
story by Richard Hughes (?); art by ?

The ORACLE in "The Strange Case of Dr. Vantoni!"

Gifted with strange, prophetic powers, Bob Paxton, alias The Oracle -- pits his strength and unusual mental abilities against crime and evil...

Bob Paxton, a young engineer, was in British Guiana as a technician with the Army Air Force. While searching the jungle for a location for a secret air strip, Bob found a rusty metal cylinder that the Nazis had intended to use as an attack on Columbia Field. A stray Nazi bullet pierced the cylinder and released a gas which knocked Bob into unconsciousness.

The doctors diagnosed Bob as semi-paralyzed, having lost his 5 senses. But while unconscious, Bob had a vision of the Nazis bombing Columbia Field. Suddenly Bob awoke and rushed to Columbia Field to avert the tragedy.

It was determined that the Nazi gas had been intended to destroy the 5 senses, but the rusting cylinder had changed its composition and gave Bob a 6th sense!!

Unfortunately, it only worked when he was unconscious. So he ended up getting knocked in the head at least once every adventure. Makes you wonder what his quality of life was like in his later years...

The Oracle debuted in STARTLING COMICS #20 (March 1943) and appeared in issues #21-25, 27, 29-32, and 35-40 (May 1943-July 1946) as well as FIGHTING YANK #11 (March 1945).

from
STARTLING COMICS #37 (January 1946)
story by ?; art by Henry Kiefer?

The WOMAN IN RED: Restless at Resthaven!

The Woman in Red made 31 appearances in THRILLING COMICS, from her first appearance in #2 (Mar 1940) through #46 (Feb 1945). She also appeared in AMERICA'S BEST COMICS #1-2 (Feb-Sept 1942). Depending on what your criteria is for being a superhero, Woman in Red was arguably the first female superhero. Fantomah beat her by a month, but was not quite of the superhero mold.

Peggy Allen was a police officer who, like many others (including Dan Garret), used a mask and costume to battle crimes in ways that were a little outside the law.

Woman in Red was succeeded in 1946 by Miss Masque as Nedor/Better/Standard's token non-powered masked heroine.

Read more about The Woman in Red at Toonopedia.

from
THRILLING COMICS #20 (September 1941)
story by Richard Hughes?; art by George Mandel







That last line just cries out for a closing laugh track!

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!

PYROMAN: "The Case of the Disappearing Japanese!"

Pyroman made his debut in AMERICA'S BEST COMICS #3 (Nov 1942), although he was likely supposed to have had his first appearance in STARTLING COMICS #18 (Dec 1942), as that's where the character and his origin were introduced.

Although "pyro" means fire, and Pyroman glows as if aflame, his actual powers are electrical in nature. Dick Martin had been wrongly charged with murder and sentenced to the electric chair. For unknown reasons, instead of being fried, Dick became the electrically charged hero, Pyroman!

Pyroman appeared in AMERICA'S BEST COMICS #3-8, #10, #12, #13, #17-22, #24, #28-#29 (Nov 1942-Jan 1949) and STARTLING COMICS #18-26, #28-43 (Dec 1942-Jan 1947).

Read more about Pyroman at Toonopedia and Wikipedia.

from
STARTLING COMICS #37 (January 1946)
story and art by ?; cover by Alex Schomburg


Notice how all the natives on the cover are wearing masks -- except the one getting punched, who apparently has horns growing out of his head!! And why are most of them wearing scary masks, while the one on the top left opted for Daffy Duck?
Seems Alex Schomburg had some trouble deciding if Pyroman's glow should be in front of or behind his parachute straps!

You gotta love this "evil-twin" splash page which has, oh yeah, nothing to do with the story!


Luckily, they just happened to have an electrical generator with a loose wire lying around!

The GHOST grapples at the Gold Rush!

Trained by the Yogis of India as a master magician, George Chance masquerades as "The Ghost" in fighting crime!

The Ghost debuted in THRILLING COMICS #3 (April 1940) and appeared in almost every issue through #52 (February 1946). He also made appearances in AMERICA'S BEST COMICS #9 (April 1944) and BLACK TERROR #7 (August 1944).

Most of The Ghost's early adventures involved time-travel, as he chased after his arch-nemesis, the evil Professor Fenton, inventor of the time machine.

The Ghost's "Venerable Father," apparently some sort of mystic-Yogi-protector-type apparition, could almost be considered a deux ex machina, except for the fact that he filled that role in almost every adventure, making it the norm. The Ghost's career probably wouldn't have lasted very long if he hadn't continually had his @$$ saved by outside intervention!

from
THRILLING COMICS #20 (September 1941)
story by Richard Hughes?; art by Ed Wexler

CAPTAIN FUTURE and the Problem of the Purple Plague!

Today we have the first appearance and secret origin of Captain Future!!

Scientist Andrew Bryant discovered that the crossing gamma and infrared rays would grant him superpowers -- so naturally he decided to become a superhero and battle crime!!

Captain Future appeared in STARTLING COMICS #1-40 (June 1940-July 1946) and AMERICA'S BEST COMICS #1-3 (Feb-Nov 1942), 5 (April 1943), and 22 (June 1947).

from
STARTLING COMICS #1 (June 1940)
story by ?; art and cover by Kin Platt













More info about Captain Future: Wikipedia | International Super Hero

The SPHINX! "Let me go, you - you --- fiend!"

Ellsworth Forrester, whose friends consider him a debonair socialite, works unrecognized as The Sphinx — fighting the sinister forces of gangdom!

from
EXCITING COMICS #4 (July 1940)
story by ?; art by Kin Platt?



You can download EXCITING COMICS #4
and lots of other awesome golden-age goodness
from Golden Age Comics Downloads!