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Batman #11 (1942, DC Comics) has long been one of the most sought-after early issues of the series, but is it also the first death of Robin?
Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Bell Features, canadian comics, Nelvana
Nelvana, Speed Savage & Captain Wonder, Triumph Comics #21 at Auction
Triumph Comics #21 features a rare Nelvana cover (in her Alana North secret agent identity), plus Captain Wonder, Speed Savage and much more.
Article Summary
- Nelvana dazzles on a rare Triumph Comics 21 cover, featuring her secret agent Alana North identityh.
- Discover the rich legacy of Triumph Comics evolving from Hillborough Studio to Bell Features in the Golden Age.
- Featuring dynamic artwork from Adrian Dingle, Ted Steele, and Ross Saakal fueling classic hero stories.
- Uncover iconic features like Speed Savage and Captain Wonder that showcase the era’s creative prowess.
Far and away the most famous Canadian superhero of the Golden Age from our modern perspective, Nelvana of the Northern Lights debuted in Triumph-Adventure Comics #1 (cover-dated August 1941) from Hillborough Studio. Hillborough was founded by Nelvana creator Adrian Dingle, brothers Rene and Andre Kulbach, and an unknown financial backer. After publishing the first six issues of Triumph-Adventure Comics and one issue of Top Fight Comics, Hillborough was absorbed by Bell Features. Bell continued the series as Triumph Comics, with Nelvana continuing through issue #31, the last original-material issue of the series. Nelvana was also featured in the now-iconic 1945 Nelvana of the Northern Lights one-shot. with her final Golden Age appearance in the color comic book Super Duper Comics #3 (F.E. Howard, 1947). Triumph Comics #21 is a rare Nelvana cover-feature (in her Alan North identity).
Triumph-Adventure Comics and Triumph Comics had a remarkable range of features, and Nelvana was not the primary cover feature of very many of them (discounting smaller insets). Triumph-Adventure Comics #2 is her first cover appearance. She is also featured on the covers of Triumph Comics #7 and #12. In her last cover-appearance in the series, Nelvana is featured on the cover of Triumph Comics #21 in the secret identity of Secret Agent Alana North, part of the Nelvana of the Northern Lights and the Ice-Beam saga from issues #19-23. Counting the Nelvana of the Northern Lights one-shot and Super Duper Comics #3, that's just seven Nelvana covers during the Golden Age. Some of these, particularly Triumph-Adventure Comics #2, are virtually never available at auction.
Including this Nelvana story by Adrian Dingle, Triumph Comics #21 has some big-time Golden Age creative energy with features like Speed Savage by Ted Steele and Captain Wonder by Ross Saakal. Speed Savage is a highly trained criminologist and athlete who had first appeared in issue #7, while Captain Wonder is generally a Captain Marvel-inspired character who had been transformed by the power of the gods of wisdom, speed, and power from Valhalla (although this transformation seems to have been permanent after the first lightning bolt). A spectacular example of the Canadian Golden Age from one of its core series and a rarely-available Nelvana cover, there's a Triumph Comics #21 (Bell Features, 1944) Condition: FN- copy up for auction in the 2025 March 13 Canadian Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40290 at Heritage Auctions.
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