golden age Archives

Will Eisner was enamored with calling characters "The Flame."  In 1935, he created samples for an (unpublished) detective comic strip featuring a character of that name as part of his early attempts to break into syndicated newspaper strips.  In 1936, a feature called The Flame, better known by its retitled name Hawks of the Seas,[...]

The Green Mask who debuted in 1940s Green Mask #1 was a complete reboot of the character whose previous existance had been a mystery indeed.

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[...]

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

In the Golden Age, comic book superheroes often didn't spring onto the comic page fully formed.  Sometimes, changes from issue to issue were due to a lack of attention to detail as publishers tasked creators to just get the stories out quickly to try to take advantage of the comic book superhero boom of the[...]

Weird Comics #18 features one of the strangest and fun covers from a golden age book, featuring the Eagle and his sidekick Buddy.

Wonderworld Comics #22 features the Flame, Black Lion and much more in a classic WWII-era issue from Fox Feature Syndicate.

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[...]

Although Fox Feature Syndicate published its last comic book in 1951, several characters it published have had life after Fox.  The Flame, Phantom Lady and Samson were later used by Ajax-Farrell for example, and more famously, Phantom Lady (who had started life at Quality Comics) and Blue Beetle ended up at DC Comics.  The little-known[...]

Overall, the idea that a then 11-year-old Blatty who lived in a specific neighborhood of East 35th Street and went on to a successful career as an author and screenwriter might be the same William Blatty who was a seemingly avid Mystery Men Comics reader in the same neighborhood in 1939 is convincing.  It's hard[...]

Debuting in the appropriately titled Weird Comics from Fox Feature Syndicate, the Dart certainly qualifies as a weird superhero even by the standards of the Golden Age.  As his origin in Weird Comics #5 explains, Caius Martius was a citizen of the ancient Rome of "2200 years ago" who fought the racketeers and extortionists of[...]

PrintWatch: DC Comics' New Golden Age line expands this October with the launches of Wesley Dodds: The Sandman, Jay Garrick: The Flash, and Alan Scott: Green Lantern and to help readers catch up with this world, DC Comics is rush-soliciting offers two key reprints, also now going on sale in October. #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float:[...]

1940 was the Blue Beetle's year.  After launching in June 1939 in Mystery Men Comics #1, Dan Garrett, the Golden Age Blue Beetle would get a newspaper strip starting in January 1940, and his own series which hit newsstands around the same time A radio show started in May 1940 Like a lot of superheroes,[...]

The Folio Society has teamed up with DC Comics to publish DC Comics: The Golden Age (1938-1956), a collection of eighteen stories from the formative age of American superhero comic books, including the debut adventures of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and more. The edition is the first in a series of DC "Ages" collections which[...]

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

Given Victor Fox's reputation, it is often assumed that the Flame is little more than a Human Torch rip-off, but the answer is more complicated than it seems.  The founder of Fox Feature Syndicate was one of the most notorious publishers of the Golden Age of comic books, and navigated the Golden Age via lawsuits[...]

A historically important part of the Golden Age, there's a complete set of the six-issue Fox Features Samson series up for auction in the 2022 May 29-30 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122222 at Heritage Auctions. #1 (Fox Features Syndicate, 1940) Samson #1 (Fox Features Syndicate, 1940) Condition: GD+. Bob Powell and George Tuska art Overstreet[...]

It may be late, but the JSA is bringing the Golden Age right back up to date As no matter what the world throws at you, at Bleeding Cool, you can still read all about comics, merch, TV shows, games, movies, and more The Daily Lying In The Gutters remains a long-running run around the[...]

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

But the JSA, the Justice Society Of America,, is reuniting the Golden Age characters that were introduced as having been deleted from canon – even more than those who actually were with the New 52 And this week's Justice Society Of America #6 runs some reunions for Dawn Of DC, with the hope that they[...]

The Eagle first appeared in the venerable Fox Feature Syndicate early 1940 release Science Comics #1.  As the series name implies, the origin of his powers was based in science: "Bill Powers, young scientist, discovers an anti-gravitation fluid which, when placed on his specially designed wings, enables him to fly like a bird."  But Fox[...]

Anyone who's been reading comic books and/or watching comic book movies for any length of time knows that superhero origins are subject to change.  This has been going on since the Golden Age We discussed some early Blue Beetle origin revisions recently, and a similar situation developed with another Fox Features Syndicate hero named Green[...]

1940 was the Blue Beetle's year.  After launching in June 1939 in Mystery Men Comics #1, Dan Garrett, the Golden Age Blue Beetle would get a newspaper strip starting in January 1940, and his own series which hit newsstands around the same time A radio show started in May 1940 Like a lot of superheroes,[...]

Matt Baker's first South Sea Girl cover for Seven Seas Comics #3 would lead to work on Phantom Lady, Rulah and beyond.

In Seven Seas Comics #4, Matt Baker's South Sea Girl stars in a movie which seems to point to the character's film inspirations.

Printwatch: DC Comics' New Golden Age expands this October with the launches of Wesley Dodds: The Sandman, Jay Garrick: The Flash, and Alan Scott: Green Lantern and to help readers catch up, DC will offer two reprints, on sale this October. Justice Society of America: Gold Edition will reprint the sold-out Justice Society of America issues #1, #2, and[...]

If you've ever wanted a convention-style experience that was just about vintage paper, Collectors Summit sounds like the event for you.  Their upcoming event will be held at Heritage Auction headquarters in Dallas on November 4-5, 2023, and it's geared towards serious collectors of Golden Age to Bronze Age comic books, pulp magazines, original artwork,[...]

After a brief pause, the Harry "A" Chesler comic book line returned to comics in 1944 with Bulls-Eye Comics #11 featuring Lady Satan.

Undeniably, the lure of an intriguing cover plays a significant role in sparking a collector's interest in Golden Age comic books, and the unusual cover of Speed Comics #28 is another great example Published by Harvey Comics at the height of World War II in 1943, the cover here by an unknown artist serves as[...]

In which the elusive Liberty Comics #14 gives us a hook into understanding the sometimes murky world of the comic book industry of its era.