Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Fox Feature Syndicate, golden age

Fox's The Eagle Gears Up for War, Up for Auction

The Eagle first appeared in the Fox Features Syndicate 1940 release Science Comics #1, but then the super-scientist became a super-soldier.

Published Sat, 02 Sep 2023 11:02:09 -0500

by Mark Seifert

Last updated Sat, 30 Sep 2023 19:01:55 -0500

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The Eagle first appeared in the venerable Fox Feature Syndicate early 1940 release Science Comics #1. As the series name implies, the origin of his powers was based in science: "Bill Powers, young scientist, discovers an anti-gravitation fluid which, when placed on his specially designed wings, enables him to fly like a bird." But Fox was in the habit of giving his characters a level-up reboot with the debut of their own series. And the American comic book industry was moving particularly fast during this period of history, and following directly in the wake of the release of Marvel's Captain America #1, rival Victor Fox rebooted the super-scientist into a super-soldier, complete with a sidekick named "Daredevil Boy" Buddy (the most obvious telltale that the new Eagle was influenced by Captain America, based on his sidekick Bucky). A classic and obscure early WW2-era Fox Features Syndicate title, there's a complete run of the short-lived The Eagle (Fox, 1941/1942) up for auction in the 2022 December 1 Fox Comics Showcase Auction #40214 at Heritage Auctions.

The Eagle storylines will have a familiar feel to fans familiar to Golden Age Captain America comics. As Bill Powers and Buddy, the Eagle and Daredevil Boy become U.S. Army soldiers stationed at Camp Richards somewhere in the United States. From there, the pair become entangled in all sorts of Fifth Columnists and spy plots against the country. The lead story of The Eagle #1 includes no less than Adolf Hitler, Hermann Goering, and Josef Goebbels directing an underling called the Green Spider in a plot to use chemical weapons against American soldiers while simultaneously developing an army of giant Nazi super-soldiers.

Early Fox Features Syndicate comic books are usually tough gets, and this one is no exception. And as we've noted recently, The Eagle #2-4 also contain the short-lived but fascinating character Spider Queen. A classic and obscure early WW2-era Fox Features Syndicate title, there's a complete run of the short-lived The Eagle (Fox, 1941/1942) up for auction in the 2022 December 1 Fox Comics Showcase Auction #40214 at Heritage Auctions. If you've never bid at Heritage Auctions before, you can get further information, you can check out their FAQ on the bidding process and related matters.