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If this year’sThe Batmanproved anything , its that the Golden Age of Comic Books produced some of the most long - live heroes in funny book history . Despite this , there were a long ton of great heroes who only faded aside . The period between the late ' thirty and mid-’50s was a tumultuous clock time in comics , and only a select few achieved icon position .
From the original Black Cat to empty-headed heroes like The Green Turtle , some of the Golden Age ’s big flesh bomber did n’t make it past the end of the era . Though many Golden Age heroes disappeared , only the good leave an imprint on readers and have highly sought - after gatherer ’s items to this day .
Fantom Of The Fair
Superheroes are usually know for protect their city ; Batman has Gotham , Superman has Metropolis , and the Fantom of the Fair protected the 1939 New York World ’s Fair . dress in a menacing pitch-black kit , the Fantom exist in an underground den and fought baddie with his superior scrap skills , though he possessed no evident superpowers .
debut in mid-1939 for Centaur Publications , the Fantom was one of the sometime Golden Age heroes , but he sadly would n’t make it long into the forties . Because of his bullying manoeuvre and reliance on a secret lair , the Fantom was an obvious predecessor to vigilantes like Batman , though he lacked the same staying power .
Spider Widow
Though the ultimate wanderer - themed superhero would make hisdebut in the Silver Age of comedian , Quality Comics ' Spider Widow blazed the trail for future arachnid - esque crimefighters . Spider Widow was a wealthy jock with too much time on her custody who teach she could fight criminal offence using the black widows that she had the ability to ensure .
Donning a stereotypical hag ’s costume , the Spider Widow stood out amongst the female bomber of the solar day by dissemble her beauty under of a horrendous disguise . Horrific is the surgical word with the Widow , and her grim power has yet to be matched by any modern-day web - slinger . She lasted less than a year in photographic print but nevertheless scared her way into the hearts of reviewer .
Super Rabbit
ThoughMarvelandDCwould eventually have their own lines of silly beast heroes , Timely Comics ' Super Rabbit had them beat by ten . Living up to his name , Super Rabbit was a meek newsperson who , through the power of a magic ring , was accord all of the powers of a stereotypical Hero of Alexandria .
Over the yr , Super Rabbit did struggle with all form of animal foes and even call for on the Nazis during WWII in the flesh of an evil pig villain with a silly moustache . He appear sporadically through the ' 40 until finally sputtering out in the other ' 50s as bigger publishers commence taking mission of the industry .
The Flame
create by fabled author Will Eisner , The Flame scorched his way into Fox Feature Syndicate ’s cartoon strip in mid-1939 . Trained in a Tibetan synagogue , The Flame developed the mystic ability to control fervency , his own body temperature , and even move from lieu to place through flame .
law of similarity could be draw in between The Flame andthe pre - wonder characterthe original Human Torch , as they both debut in the same class , but The Flame won out by a few months . Unfortunately for him though , he did n’t have the same length of service as his contemporary , and disappeared when his publisher went out of business in the other ' XL .
The Green Turtle
Despite his silly name , The Green Turtle was actually a groundbreaking hero for the time in which he was published . First appearing in Rural Home Publications ' comic strip in 1944 , The Green Turtle was created by artist Chu F. Hing , and boast a cape and mask emblazon with the figure of speech of a green turtle .
The Green Turtle had no world power , but was a highly trained fighter and aided the the great unwashed of China against the invading military unit of Japan during WWII . Though he only come out in five comic issues , The Green Turtle is significant because he very well may be the first Asiatic American superhero in history . Hing never imbibe the fiber without his masquerade party , therefore his actual ethnicity was never known to readers .
The Face
The 1940s was the geological era of the masked vigilante hero , and was most likely spur on by the tremendous achiever of Batman . The Face was a suave radio announcer by day , who donned a hideous mask to struggle crime by dark .
Columbia Comics ' The Face had a passably significant political campaign throughout the ' 40s , though he did finally trench the goblin mask midway through the decennary . His braggart appeal as a hero was his creepy-crawly appearance , and he was one of thescariest laughable playscript superheroesof his solar day . As with a lot of Golden Age heroes , The Face fleet as his publisher went under , though he was briefly revived for a one - off in the 1980s .
Atomic-Man
The story of comics is litter with atomic - power superheroes , but Prize Comics ' Atomic - Man hold up the note of being the first . When Dr. Adam Mann was inundated with radiotherapy during a bomb calorimeter test , he discover that he was imperviable to most damage and could transmit his newfound atomic energy into hefty attack .
While his characteristic seem stock - criterion today , Atomic - Man was in reality way ahead of his sentence for the mid-’40s . Though he was only around for a handful of military issue , Atomic - Man blazed a lead for future hero to follow , and was a precursor to the atomic compulsion that was presently to come in in the 1950s .
Blue Bolt
Longevity was rarefied for sub of the Golden Age , and Blue Bolt was one of the early success of the standalone laughable medium . First appear in the book that bear his name , Blue Bolt was a tremendous succeeder for Novelty Press and ran for the totality of the ' XL and into the ' fifty . A former college football star who had been doubly struck by lightning , Blue Bolt harnessed lightning through his serious lightning gun .
Though somewhat science fiction in its approach , Blue Bolt was nevertheless a typical hero of his day . He lasted long enough to see major change in his own narrative , and he finally dropped the superhero outfit in favor of plainclothes . Interestingly , the ascent of horror comics in the early ' fifty led to his book being transformed into an EC - stylus horror anthology , and the Blue Bolt was lost to time .
Moon Girl
Though EC Comics is best remembered now for their phenomenal line of 1950s repugnance comics , they in reality dabbled with superheroes in the late ' XL . Moon Girl was a warrior princess imbue with telepathic powers from a moon rock that she carried , while by day she posture as a mild - mannered school day teacher .
Her run was short - live , but it nock an interesting period in the publishing house ’s legendary story . As Moon Girl tardily fleet out of circulation , it was actually a one - off horror story in her book that led EC author to press for more horror - themed cognitive content . Even though it led to her ruin , Moon Girl ’s turn for the macabre lead to a revolution in the funny book culture medium .
Black Cat
Not to be obscure with the Marvel character of the same name , Harvey Comics ' Black Cat had an entirely different life story . The daughter of a silent Western film actor , Linda Turner herself became a moving picture maven while fighting crime on the side as the incomparable Black Cat .
Her history as a stunt performer gave her all sorts of useful skills , and Black Cat normally shell her foe using example she larn from her metre in Hollywood . Black Cat is unequalled among her Golden Age contemporaries in that she actually hold up well into the Silver Age before fading away . Though she is n’t as well known , the original Black Cat has sure as shooting earned her place among the good role todebut during the Golden Age .
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