Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: elmer wexler, Fighting Yank, golden age, Jon L. Blummer, Ned Pines, Standard/Better/Nedor, startling comics

Supernatural Origin of Fighting Yank, Startling Comics #10 at Auction

Richard E. Hughes and Jon L. Brummer gave Standard/Better/Nedor character Fighting Yank a supernatural origin in Startling Comics #10.

Published Thu, 16 Feb 2023 16:48:11 -0600

by Mark Seifert

Last updated Fri, 27 Sep 2024 08:15:20 -0500

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Along with the Black Terror, the Fighting Yank was among publisher Standard/Better/Nedor's most popular superheroes. The character first appeared in an origin story in Startling Comics #10 (cover-dated September 1941) from publisher Standard/Better/Nedor, by writer/editor Richard E. Hughes and artist Jon L. Blummer, and with a cover by Elmer Wexler. Long considered an important key by collectors, there's a CGC VG/FN 5.0 copy of Startling Comics #10 (Better Publications, 1941) up for auction in the 2024 September 26 – 27 Heroes of the Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40265 at Heritage Auctions.

Startling Comics #10 (Better Publications, 1941) featuring the debut of the Fighting Yank.

Fighting Yank's alter ego was Bruce Carter, a descendant of a Revolutionary War courier serving under General Washington. After being ambushed and killed by British spies before he could complete an important mission, Carter's soul could never rest, compelled to wander whenever his country was in danger. With America about to enter WWII, Carter's ghost showed his descendant where he could find a cloak that would give him great strength and durability. In addition to a lengthy run in Startling Comics, Fighting Yank also got his own series which lasted 29 issues and appeared in several issues of the anthology title America's Best Comics.

Startling Comics #10 cover artist Elmer Wexler also drew the cover of the first appearance of the Black Terror for Exciting Comics #9. Wexler worked for a number of comic book publishers in the early Golden Age, including Standard/Better/Nedor, Fawcett, Quality, MLJ, and Columbia. He had previously done pulp illustrations for Street & Smith among others. During WWII, Wexler served as a combat artist for the Marines. Story artist and co-creator Jon L. Blummer is best remembered as the creator of the comic strip Hop Harrigan, as well as significant work for DC Comics during the Golden Age. Blummer is the creator of Ultra-Man in All-American Comics. He also contributed illustrations to a variety of pulps beginning in the mid-1930s. In addition to Hop Harrigan, Blummer also worked on the Lone Ranger comic strip in 1939.

Coming out nearly five months before the United States' entry into WWII, the introduction of Fighting Yank, along with the prior debut of the Black Terror in Exciting Comics #9, set the stage for Standard/Better/Nedor's war-era superheroes. The copy of Startling Comics #10 up for auction has been graded CGC VG/FN 5.0, and there are only 19 Universal entries for Startling Comics #10 on the CGC census, which is a low number for a Golden Age comic book key. This copy is up for auction in the 2024 September 26 – 27 Heroes of the Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40265 at Heritage Auctions. For those interested in bidding on the Fighting Yank first appearance, Heritage Auctions provides a FAQ about the bidding process and related matters for prospective bidders.