Ace Periodicals developed a vibrant superhero line in the 1940s, introducing Lightning Girl soon after Wonder Woman.
Flash Lightning, inspired by Captain Marvel and Dr. Fate, debuted in Sure Fire Comics before Lightning Comics.
Lightning Comics v3 #1 features Lash Lightning's power transfer to Isobel Blake, creating Lightning Girl.
The Ace Periodicals comic book line, including Lightning Comics, is underappreciated and hard to find in the market.
When Ace Periodicals entered comics in 1940 with the title Sure Fire Comics, the field was already booming. The publisher wasted no time in catching up with the field and developing a superhero comic book line with a wide range of characters. For example, less than six months after the debut of Wonder Woman in All-Star Comics #8, Ace had launched Lightning Girl, a female counterpart for one of its most popular superhero characters. There's a lot of superhero worldbuilding going on in these early Ace comics, but they are all pretty difficult to get.
Lightning Comics V3#1 (Ace, 1942).
Ace Periodicals entered the comics field in early 1940 with the title Sure Fire Comics, which featured Flash Lightning by Robert Turner and Harry Lucey. A superhero with a broad range of lightning-powered abilities, Flash Lightning's origin takes some fairly obvious inspiration from Fawcett's Captain Marvel. But it is arguably even more similar to the origin of Dr. Fate, and Sure Fire Comics #1 pre-dated Dr. Fate's first-told origin in More Fun Comics #67 by over a year. Robert Morgan was an American studying in Egypt who encountered an ancient Egyptian figure known as "The Old Man of the Pyramids", who taught him ancient arts and sciences, and gave him "the Amulet of Annihilation, the weapon of the forces of right."
Sure-Fire Comics was renamed Lightning Comics with issue #4 and lasted until issue #6. Lightning Comics was then rebooted with a new #1 later in 1941. While Flash Lightning's adventures were far more standard superhero fare than Dr. Fate's, the saga made references to Egyptian themes from the obvious "lightning pyramid" symbol on his chest, to the Mummy supervillain that was introduced in issue #5. DC Comics reportedly objected to the "Flash in the character name "Flash Lightning", and the character's name was shortened to simply "Lightning" with issue #6. The series was rebooted with a volume 2 #1 in 1941, where he was renamed "Lash" Lightning and the character also appeared in Ace's Four Favorites title.
There's only one issue in Lightning Comics volume 3, but it's a doozy. Going undercover in Dutch Harbor, Alaska with a woman named Isobel Blake, Lash Lightning is captured and temporarily depowered by a ring of Fifth Column spies. Using the same device that the spies used on him, Lightning managed to transfer his powers to Isobel, creating Lightning Girl. The entire Ace Periodicals comic book line is woefully underappreciated, a bunch of it is next to impossible to get.
Lightning Comics V3#1 (Ace, 1942)
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Co-founder and Creative director of Bleeding Cool parent company Avatar Press since 1996. Bleeding Cool Managing Editor, tech and data wrangler, and has been with Bleeding Cool since its 2009 beginnings. Wrote extensively about the comic book industry for Wizard Magazine 1992-1996. At Avatar Press, has helped publish works by Alan Moore, George R.R. Martin, Garth Ennis, and others. Vintage paper collector, advisor to the Overstreet Price Guide Update 1991-1995.
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