golden age Archives

Rang-A-Tang was one of the first dog stars in Golden Age comic books, predating the likes of Green Lantern's Streak and Superboy's Krypto An important dog star who was launched at the beginning of a significant comics publishing empire, there's a Blue Ribbon Comics #2 (MLJ, 1939) CGC FN+ 6.5 Cream to off-white pages copy[...]

He often combined superheroics or adventure with horror to great effect, such as in the Captain America Comics #50 story "The Walking Dead" or the Whiz Comics #45 Lance O'Casey story "Canibal Isle." There's an interesting example of this underappreciated artist's work as penciler/inker on the cover and inker on the interior Shield stories in[...]

An early rival of sorts to Superman, possibly created by Will Eisner with artist Alex Blum, there's a Samson #1 (Fox Features Syndicate, 1940) CGC VG/FN 5.0 Off-white to white pages copy up for auction at the 2025 December 11 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase Auction IV #40315. #1 (Fox Features Syndicate, 1940) Samson was one of Fox Feature's[...]

Stevens, beginning in Our Army at War #218, are among his best-remembered works. The story "Bombs Over Berlin" by Bob Powell is also of particular interest, as it revolves around a suicide mission plan to kill Hitler, Himmler, and Goring with the timely destruction of the Berlin Sportpalast.  The site was considered symbolic of Nazi Germany[...]

According to a lawsuit over the creation of Ace Periodicals comic books during this era, Magno the Magnetic Man and the rest of the material in Super-Mystery Comics #1 was the creation of a comic production studio run by Patrick Lamar.  At least two stories in this issue were based on plots from past Ace[...]

government, and his battle with such plots against America is a fascinating window into the dawn of the World War II era.  An underrated character who is much more fascinating than he appears, Top-Notch Comics #1 (MLJ, 1939) CGC Apparent FN 6.0 Slight (A) Off-white to white pages copy up for auction in the 2025[...]

Captain Courageous's origin and powers are vague.  He is super strong and durable, and appears to defend Democracy when needed as a kind of patriotic force of nature.  This sort of superheroic shorthand was not uncommon outside of major publishers like DC Comics, Marvel/Timely, and Fawcett.  After the Golden Age had progressed for a bit,[...]

Suspense Comics #3 is one of the most infamous Alex Schomburg covers ever published, and it's a theme that Schomburg would use from time to time during the Golden Age.  Terrific Comics #5 and All-New Comics #8 are Schomburg covers with similar themes.  These Nazi/Bondage/Horror/War covers wrap up the terrors of that era in a[...]

E and Sky Chief, along with other stories featuring Kitty Kelly, Hale the Magician, and the Unholy 3, up for auction at the 2025 December 11 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase Auction IV. Punch Comics #1 (Chesler, 1941) Burton Strong, Sky Chief, was a "secret aerial operative" for the FBI specializing in stopping crime, sabotage, and terrorism[...]

One of the most successful early superheroes published by MLJ, the company that would subsequently become best known for Archie, Top-Notch Comics #9 has long been known as a tough comic to get among knowledgeable collectors.  There's a solid CGC VG+ 4.5 copy of Top-Notch Comics #9 (MLJ, 1940) up for auction in the 2025 October[...]

One of the most memorable female characters of the Golden Age with an iconic cover by Kida, there's a very nice CGC FN 6.0 copy of her first appearance in Air Fighters Comics V2#2 (Hillman Periodicals, 1943) and a CGC VF 8.0 copy of her second appearance in Air Fighters Comics V2#7 (Hillman Periodicals, 1944)[...]

The emphasis is on story and character values."  While Air Fighters Comics, which introduced Airboy in its second issue, is certainly not a superhero comic book, Victory Comics is another matter entirely.  That series features a character called the Conqueror, very decidedly a superhero, created by the legendary Bill Everett of Sub-Mariner fame.  An overlooked[...]

There's a Prize Comics #24 (Prize, 1942) CGC GD 2.0 Off-white to white pages copy up for auction in the 2025 October 16 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase Auction III at Heritage Auctions. Prize Comics #24 featuring Frankenstein vs superheroes (Prize, 1942). There's typically more focus on the humorous version of Briefer's Frankenstein, particularly as chronicled in much of[...]

Mystery Men Comics #3 is best known for its spectacular Lou Fine cover featuring the Green Mask.  Comics featuring Fine's covers are highly sought after on that basis alone, and virtually all the comics he worked on have historical importance for many other reasons as well.  While Mystery Men Comics #3 features one of the[...]

An artist who became legendary for his cover artwork in particular, Matt Baker had only done six of them before his first South Sea Girl cover, on Seven Seas Comics #3.  What's more, this piece is his first true Good Girl cover, on a series that very likely helped raise his profile in the comic[...]

Hitting newsstands around the same time that All-Star Comics #8 gave the world its first look at Wonder Woman, Bang-Up Comics #1 debuted another female superhero who, unfortunately, would not achieve the Amazon's popularity or longevity.  But Bang-Up Comics' Lady Fairplay is still an underappreciated and unusual character in a series full of such forgotten mysteries.  Released in[...]

Joe Simon and Jack Kirby are among the most famous creative teams in American comic book history.  They are the legendary creators of comic book titles and characters like Captain America and Bucky, Newsboy Legion, Boy Commandos, Manhunter, Boys' Ranch, Fighting American, and numerous others.  Every team starts somewhere, and the earliest collaborations of these[...]

This would all change dramatically when the character got his own series, and there's a CBCS FN+ 6.5 copy of Green Mask #1 (Fox Features Syndicate, 1940) up for auction in the 2025 October 16 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase Auction III at Heritage Auctions. Green Mask #1 (Fox Features Syndicate, 1940) Both Blue Beetle #1 and Green Mask[...]

His soldiers and spies are everywhere, and all hope of liberty seems gone forever." The source of Power Nelson's power is left vague in Prize Comics #1, which simply states that "A scientific way has been discovered to endow one man, and one man only, with tremendous power."  Chosen to receive "the strength of a steam[...]

This scene of raw, underwater conflict has made the comic a grail among Golden Age collectors A copy graded CGC 9.2 sold for an  $81,000 in February 2023, while another at CGC 7.5 hammered at $31,200 in September 2024.  This CGC FN+ 6.5 Off-white to white pages copy is up for auction in the 2025[...]

There are several issues of the early Golden Age Speed Comics title up for auction in the 2025 September 18 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase Auction II at Heritage Auctions. Speed Comics #6 (Brookwood, 1940) Speed Comics star Shock Gibson was a pretty typical superhero in the Superman mold.  An experiment involving chemistry and electricity went awry[...]

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." [...]

Hughes and David Gabrielsen, and with a cover by Elmer Wexler, there's a CGC VG 2.5 copy of Exciting Comics #9 (Nedor, 1941) featuring the first appearance and origin of the Black Terror up for auction in the 2025 September 18 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase Auction II at Heritage Auctions. Exciting Comics #9 (Nedor Publications,[...]

It features an adaptation of the first Captain Future story from the pulp Captain Future v1 #1 with the lead character renamed Major Mars, an adaption of the first Jim Hatfield, Texas Ranger story from Texas Rangers v1 #1, and perhaps most interestingly, an adaption of Pines' first Black Bat story from Black Book Detective[...]

This CGC VG 4.0 Cream to off-white pages copy of Thrilling Comics #2 (Better Publications, 1940) is up for auction in the 2025 September 18 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase Auction II at Heritage Auctions. There are several other issues of Thrilling Comics available as well. Thrilling Comics #3 (Better Publications, 1940) with a Woman in Red[...]

The series launch of the Hangman, a uniquely dark character from the Golden Age of comics, appropriately begins amid a veil of mystery Surprisingly, MLJ debuted the series for this foreboding character under the blandly neutral title Special Comics #1, rather than with the eponymous "Hangman Comics" name right from the start — like MLJ[...]

While not one of the best-remembered patriotic heroes of the era, The Flag, who first appeared in Our Flag Comics #2 from Ace Periodicals about seven months after the debut of Captain America, is an interesting example of how patriotism could be represented in WWII era comic books.  In addition to the prerequisite red, white[...]

The short-lived Major Victory Comics series contains a range of great examples of the Chesler line.  Even the superheroes and adventure characters are off-beat and weird, and tend to be viewed through a horror-tinged lens at times.  Patriotic character Major Victory's origin moment is sparked by a character called Father Patriot, "a spirit born in[...]

Giant Comics Editions #12 Diary Secrets features one of the most iconic and infamous covers in comics history.  The Overstreet Price Guide has had it at the top of their list of top ten most valuable romance comic books for a long time.  And really, one can think of a list of perhaps hundreds of[...]

An underappreciated Golden Age character in the mold of the Spectre, there's a CGC GD/VG 3.0 copy of the first appearance and origin of Mr Justice in Blue Ribbon Comics #9 (MLJ, 1941), is up for auction in the 2025 July 18 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase at Heritage Auctions. Blue Ribbon Comics #9 featuring Mr Justice (MLJ, 1941) In[...]