[melike]

Not sure if this is the right section so apologies if i've got it wrong.

I'm really not a big golden age/pd guy in terms of how much i know - but id really love to be.

What are the popular guys..im guessing Black Terror et al?

Essentially where would you recommend a guy start- with what characters, comics etc?

Thanks!

--Mike

[Yoc]

Hi Mike,
It might help if you told us who some of your modern favourites are.
Any artists you admire?  Books, movies?
Or are you more interested in just what is popular among the superheros?

-Yoc

[melike]

Well i like most stuff really as long as its rooted in the superhero genre. i guess i was just wondering what the most popular books or runs were..

[Ed Love]

Everybody has their favorites, I'm sure.

I like the quirky Clue Comics with Boy King and his Giant (currently appearing in Project: Superpowers), Zippo, Twilight, Microface, Nightmare & Sleepy. The artwork on most of those are above average.

To get more background on P:S, there's Prize Comics who along the way had Power Nelson, the Black Owl, Yank & Doodle, the Green Lama, Frankenstein Monster, and Dr. Frost who has yet to make an appearance. You read far enough of this title you'll see where a new guy becomes the Black Owl who builds himself an owl-ship which may remind you of a couple of later characters and comics.

I always liked the Mr. Scarlet stories from Wow Comics. But, most Fawcett post-Captain Marvel are very good with above average art and storytelling. It's hard to go wrong whether you're reading Bulletman, Spy Smasher, Minute Man, etc.

Quality is the same way. Almost everything they did lived up to their name and was better in terms of style and such.

MLJ had some sharp looking titles once Novick applied the bombastaty of Simon & Kirby. It's hard to go wrong with the Shield, the Wizard, Steel Sterling, Black Hood and especially the Fujitani Hangman stories.

Sadly, while Nedor had great characters, their stuff tends to be the most generic or simplistic. Some hidden gems here and there, but for the most part... and you'd be harder to find a bigger Fighting Yank fan than me. Why does each company feel the need to kill him off and change him? Although Meskin and Robinson did a few stories of the Fighting Yank and the Black Terror which are the pinnacle of the books.

Centaur wasn't around very long. Like Nedor, they had great characters and interesting concepts. They were also a pioneer in characters and many big-name creators worked here before becoming more famous later on: Will Everett (not working on the local under-sea hero), Carl Burgos, Fred Guardineer, Frank Thomas, George Bremmer, Tarpe Mills. The first shrunken hero was here (Mini-Midget & Ritty and later Mighty Man), arguably comic's first great super-villain (the Great Question), the first cyborg hero (Iron Skull), the first cross-dressing hero (Tarpe Mills' Cat-man), the first stretching hero (Mighty Man and Plymo), a couple of the earliest pre-Wonder Woman female superheroines (Magician from Mars, Blue Lady), first winged heroes with flight as their sole power (Airman, the Owl), first archer hero (the Arrow). A couple were in classes of their very own (the Eye, Speed Centaur). Some stories are well crafted, some have great art but weak on actual story, some are above average all the way around, and some are crude all the way around but possessing their own charm.

[Yoc]

Some good suggestions from Ed there.
You are already using Stardust and Fantomah, two of my more odd favourites.  I've always thought the original DD had a fantastic look.

Ones that stand out for me were -

• Charlton's Yellow Jacket in his own comic. A unique eye-catching costume.
  
  • Prize's Frankenstein monster (from Prize Comics and Frankenstein)
  • Fox's Phantom Lady (the most sexy woman of the GA in All-Top and Phantom Lady)
  • Nightmare & Sleepy (ver1 ) from Hillman Clue Comics# 4-6
  • Quality's Madam Fatal, a male actor dressed as an old lady crime fighter in very early Crack Comics
  • Quality also had The Clock one of comic's first mystery men.  He bounced around but can also be found in early Crack Comics.
  • Fox's The Claw - the most nasty, scary looking size changing villain ever in early Silver Streak and Daredevil Comics
  • Centaur's The Eye was a very unique one. A giant floating eyeball!  Seen in Keen Detective Funnies v2 #12.
  • As Ed mentioned Centaur's Speed Centaur and The Shark were both cool.
    
    • Many MLJ heroes are cool. The Web had a fun look starting in Zip Comics #27
    • The Comet also from MLJ was ruthless and the first hero to die in a story. The Hangman is introduced in the same story - Pep #17
    • Oddball Atomic Thunderbolt who appears on a single cover but never in a story from Atomic Thunderbolt #1.  Great costume


Those should keep you busy checking.

[MadMikeyD]

Hydroman from Eastern Color Printing's "Reg'lar Fellers Heroic Comics" (later just "Heroic Comics") is a personal favorite of mine.  Mostly because it took me so long to figure out who the heck he was.

Of course Nedor's Black Terror, Fighting Yank, American Crusader, Pyroman, et. al. 

Lev Gleason's Daredevil, the Claw, Silver Streak (never any silver in his costume) and the Ghost (the hero in several Claw features) in "Silver Streak Comics" and "Daredevil Comics", are also lots of fun.

The Face and Skyman from Colubia's "Big Shot Comics" are also interesting.

Fox's Blue Beetle and Samson are some other "big names."

[crimsoncrusader]

Ace Comics - Magno, Sword, Vulcan, Lash Lightning, Lightning Girl, Captain Courageous, Unknown Soldier, Flag, Dr. Nemesis. Most of these guys are featured in project superpowers as the Super Mysterymen and the Patriots. Dr. Nemesis was featured in Marvel comics such as the Invaders and recently the X-Men.

Holyoke - Besides Cat-man this company also had characters such as Strongman, Hood, Miss Victory, Duke of Darkness, and Volton.

Magazine Enterprises -  The original Ghost Rider, Presto Kid, Black Phantom, Red Mask, and the Avenger.

Harry 'A' Chesler - Dynamic Man, Dynamic Boy, Lady Satan, Rocketman, Rocketgirl, Yankee Doodle Jones, Major Victory, and the original Spider Woman.

Harvey - Captain Red Blazer and Spark, Shock Gibson, War Nurse, Captain Freedom, Zebra, Spirit of '76, and Fly-Man.

Novelty - Sub-Zero, Twister, White Streak, Target, and the Targeteers.

Spark - Golden Lad, Atoman, Shaman, Flame (Female), Lieutenant Hercules, and Swiftarrow.

United Features -  Iron Vic, Mirror Man, Sparkman, and Triple Terror.

Pelican - Green Giant

That's just a handful. Most are on the wiki. If not check out Toonopedia, International Hero, and the Golden Age Heroes Directory for more info on the characters that we've mentioned.

[narfstar]

Atomic Thunderbolt sure does appear in his book. Not in costume in his own story but his origin is there. He appears in costume in the next story featuring Rigor and Mortis.
I agree that Better has some good looking characters but I can not get much out of the stories. Love Fujitani's Hangman. Zippo is totally cool. Duke of Darkness by Giunta good stuff. Chesler Rocketman and the really cool Black Dwarf. From Tops the Jack of Spades has a neat look and the Black Orchid had a knack for losing her clothes. Would like to see how she would have fared in a full sized comic. I thought Sparks Golden Lad pretty lame but Atoman looked pretty cool. No one has yet mentioned the Green Turtle or happen to notice my avatar.

[Ed Love]

Hey, somebody else that thinks Zippo is cool!

I've only read one story with Sparkman. It was a pretty solid and interesting tale.

The Green Turtle's are all right, but not necessarily one that I'd recommend as being popular or especially noteworthy other than the oddity of not showing his face (I've rejected the idea that it was because he was Asian: there were Asian sidekicks and Asian detectives and minority lead heroes and the character was obviously colored to be caucasian as he had a bare torso and legs, big no-no if trying to disguise his race).

[darkmark]

The art on some of the Better stuff improved in the postwar period.  I still like Judy of the Jungle as well as or better than most of the jungle gals, and Princess Pantha was hot!  Also, in MYSTERY COMICS, Brad Spencer--Wonderman had a trio of the wonkiest villains around, which made the stories a lotta fun to read.  When Jerry Robinson was drawing the Black Terror, you couldn't go wrong reading it.  You have to look sometimes for what you want to read, but if you try sometimes...you just might find...

...you get what you'll read!

[Yoc]

Thanks Narf.
I stand corrected on 'Atomic Thunderbolt'. 
I just finished reading the book and enjoyed the origin.

-Yoc

[melike]

Wow.. a lot to consider - thanks everyone for all your help - i need to start searching through the site methinks