golden age Archives

Rather remarkably, Yellowjacket, the headline character of Yellowjacket Comics, was not the first Golden Age comic book superhero with the power to control bees The Red Bee, a Quality Comics character debuting in Hit Comics #1, created by Toni Blum and Charles Nicholas, used trained bees But while Quality Comics and all of its titles[...]

Bill Everett's The Conqueror debuted in Victory Comics from Hillman Periodicals as a superhero transformed by cosmic rays.

The saga of the Fox Feature Syndicate character the Flame is more complicated than it appears.  The character, his powers, and his backstory evolved steadily, sometimes without explanation, from his 1939 introduction in Wonderworld Comics #3 through his final Golden Age appearances in the January 1942 cover-dated issues of Big 3, The Flame, and Wonderworld[...]

The idea behind the obscure comic Thrilling Adventures in Stamps was simple but clever: tell stories that important postage stamps represent.

All-New Comics #4 (Harvey, 1943) contains a story "Poison in the Universe" based on real WWII history.

Argentine-born comic book artist Louis Cazeneuve is perhaps best known for his DC Comics work in the Golden Age on a number of titles including Detective Comics, Action Comics, More Fun Comics, Star Spangled Comics, Adventure Comics, and others on characters such as Aquaman and Shining Knight.  He also co-created the Timely Comics character Red[...]

The Golden Age's first Flame-based superhero, Fox Feature Syndicate's The Flame debuted in Wonderworld Comics #3.

Fox Feature Syndicate's Murder Incorporated includes a wide array of true crime figures from Dutch Schultz to Bill the Butcher.

Dick Briefer's Rex Dexter of Mars may draw inspiration from a pair of All-American Comics sagas, which he takes in weird directions.

This is not unusual, as much of that short lived 1955 Blue Beetle #18-21 series is composed of reprints of original Golden Age series material.  But the 1948 issue #55 is still not the first time this story has appeared — most of it, anyway.  Interestingly, this story started life as the cover feature of[...]

Golden Age Blue Beetle #31-45 sees the character powering up dramatically and adventuring into science fiction and fantasy.

But collectors have widely considered this character the Golden Age version of Lady Blackhawk She generally resembles Zinda Blake, the Silver Age Lady Blackhawk who first appears in Blackhawk #133 (cover-dated February 1959), and while Sugar only appears in this single July 1943 cover-dated issue, this memorable story drawn by Reed Crandal, possibly from a[...]

Fox Feature Syndicate's Women Outlaws #2 features legendary Frank and Jessie James associate, the infamous Belle Starr.

Best remembered for his work at EC Comics, Jack Kamen also did some stand-out art for Fox Feature Syndicate, including Rulah.

After successfully suing Victor Fox over Superman similarities, DC Comics did it again over copying Batman & Robin in Mystery Men Comics.

Thor, God of Thunder from Fox Feature Syndicate's Weird Comics was one of the most interesting comic book takes on the character.

Jack Kamen is best remembered for his science fiction, horror, and crime work for EC Comics, but he also did notable work for Fox Feature.

Crimes by Women #10 from Fox Feature Syndicate was the subject of discussion in Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent.

There were a lot of strange superheroes created during the Golden Age of comic books, but Volton might be in a class all his own.  Volton was apparently the creation of Charles Quinlan, perhaps in collaboration with Cyclone Comics series editor Worth Carnahan.  A distinctive stylist who is also known for some unusual and inventive[...]

During his 1948 war on comic books, Indianapolis Mayor Albert G. Feeney singled out a story that appeared in Famous Crimes #1.

The lead feature of Crimes by Women #2 tells the sordid true crime tale of serial killer Belle Gunness, nicknamed "Hell's Belle."

Victor Fox's important early Golden Age title Science Comics chronicles how Timely/Marvel beat him to the name Electro.

 He got his first cover on Mystery Men Comics #7 and had his own series a few weeks after that.  Between the times of the releases of Mystery Men Comics #1 and issue #7, major comic book keys ranging from Marvel Comics #1 to Whiz Comics #2 had been published, and the superheroes of the[...]

Popper & Co.-published items, Vital Publications published at least two Blackstone comic book giveaways, in 1948 and 1949, one of which also includes Timely-published material.  Proskauer was in the Blackstone publishing business throughout this entire period. Overall, Blackstone's history in comics takes some fascinating twists and turns, and includes contributions from important creators in Gibson and[...]

On March 6, 1942, the notorious Golden Age publisher of Blue Beetle and much more, Victor Fox was forced into bankruptcy by creditors.  Fascinatingly, one of those creditors, printer Holyoke Press took over the title, and with Fox's Blue Beetle and other titles the publisher acquired under similar circumstances from Frank Z Temerson, Holyoke decided[...]

Superheroes with various kinds of fire-based power were practically their own category in the Golden Age.   Marvel/Timely's Human Torch and his sidekick Toro are the most famous of these, of course, but there's also Fox Feature's the Flame, MLJ's Fireball, Centaur's Fireman, Quality's Wildfire, Nedor's Pyroman, and numerous others.  Legendary cover artist Alex Schomburg played[...]

Fox Feature Syndicate founder Victor Fox was one of the most notorious publishers of the Golden Age of comic books — and that's saying something.  Through lawsuits over copying characters from other publishers, two bankruptcies, and tangling with the War Production Board over violating paper quotas, Fox was a man who wasn't afraid to get[...]

In between helping to pioneer the modern comic book with The Funnies and Famous Funnies, and becoming a juggernaut best known for Disney comic books, Dell Publishing made a brief excursion into superheroes along with the rest of the comics industry during the Golden Age A character called the Owl was one of the most[...]

The short-lived and obscure title Future Comics may be one of the weirdest comic book series of the Golden Age — and that's saying something.  Best known for its covers that include a strange-looking science fiction character named Rebo wearing bizarre headgear, the story behind that imagery may be even stranger than the covers implies. [...]

The incredibly obscure Star Studded Comics from Cambridge House Publishers features Ghost Woman plus work by Carmine Infantino.