Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: fiction house, golden age, reed crandall, will eisner

Reed Crandall, Power Man & the Monster of Madness Mystery, at Auction

Rip Regan, Power Man was an early Fiction House hero, Fight Comics #12 also features the earliest known comic book work by Reed Crandall.

Rip Regan, Power Man was one of the early superhero characters to appear from Fiction House, and his debut in Fight Comics #3 also features a classic cover by the legendary Will Eisner. Eisner's cover for the issue is unusual for the title, and some have speculated it was originally meant for Planet Comics. This might be the case, but as the Rip Regan, Power Man saga progressed in Fight Comics, another possible connection emerged with issue #12 — which happens to be the earliest identified published comic book work of legendary artist Reed Crandall.  There's a Fight Comics #12 (Fiction House, 1941) Condition: GD/VG at the 2024 July 7-9 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122428 at Heritage Auctions.

Power Man was a costumed superhero created by writer Herman Bolstein and artist John Celardo. The character appeared in Fight Comics issues #3-14, running for a little over a year during 1940-1941. In Fight Comics #3, Rip Regan is given a "Power Suit" by a scientist named Dr. Austin. The suit is made of a chemically treated metal that is lighter than air, but stronger than any metal on Earth. The suit also gives Regan super strength after a few episodes. In Fight Comics #12, a Power Man cover feature appears with a highly similar concept to Eisner's Fight Comics #3 cover. The issue #12 cover is by Reed Crandall, and the interior story is by Bolstein and Witmer Williams. The plot of the story is that a mad scientist's experiments creates a rampaging giant in South America. Whether Eisner's cover inspired the later story or the plot concept existed from the beginning of the Power Man series is unknown, but there certainly seems to be a thematic connection.  The giant is green on the cover for no particular reason it seems, and is otherwise very similar to the giant in the interior story.

Herman Bolstein wrote a small handful of comics for Fiction House and Quality Comics via Iger Studio 1940-1942.  John Celardo had an extensive career in comics 1940-early 1980s with work for Fiction House, Quality Comics, Gold Key, DC Comics, and others.

Reed Crandall would go on to an extensive career in comic books 1941-1974, working for practically every major publisher in the business in the process.  He would become best remembered for his work at EC Comics. The brief Power Man saga is an underappreciated gem, and there's a Fight Comics #12 (Fiction House, 1941) Condition: GD/VG featuring Crandall's earliest identified work at the 2024 July 7-9 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122428 at Heritage Auctions.

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