u/MadMikeyD

I recently ran across listings of Marvel & DC issues that fell through the cracks and didn't have their copyrights renewed. Most don't have super heroes, and few of those that do have any first appearances, but they do give us Marvel monster Fin Fang Foom and Flash villains Gorilla Grodd and the Pied Piper. I'm sure the list is incomplete.

DC PD books:

A Date with Judy - #2, 4-7, 18-79

Adventures of Rex, the Wonder Dog - #1, 31

All-Star Comics - #1-4

Big Book of Fun Comics - #1

Flash Comics - #15-16

Gang Busters - #13

Girls' Love Stories - #9, 13-14

Girls' Romances - #7, 11-12

Jimmy Wakely - #10-16

Leave it to Binky - #45

More Fun Comics - #7-30, 42-44

Movie Comics - #1-6

Movietown's Animal Antics - #24-31

Mutt & Jeff - #1-54, 56

New Adventure Comics - #12-27

New Book of Comics - #1

New Comics - #1-11

New Fun Comics - #1-6

Pat Boone - #4

Real Screen Comics - #22-24

Rip Hunter... Time Master - #1-18

Superman's Christmas Adventure - #1-2

Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane - Annual #1

The Brand New Adventures of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Annual #1

The Flash - #106, Annual #1

Wonder Woman - #30-32

World's Finest Comics - #6-8, 35-38

Action Comics Free Souvenir Edition - (1947)

All-American Comics - Ashcan, #1-11, 24-25

All-American Men of War - Ashcan

Double Action Comics - #2

Double Action Comics - Ashcan, #2

Comic Cavalcade "Tomorrow the World!" - #1

Flash Comics Miniature Edition - #1

Make Way for Youth - #1

New York World's Fair Comics - #1-2

Star Spangled War Stories - Ashcan

Superman and the Great Cleveland Fire - #1

Superman Special Edition (Kellog's) - 1954, 1955 1A, 1B, 1C

The Adventures of Superman (Py-Co-Pay) - #1

Marvel PD books:

Journey into Mystery #1-41

Strange Tales #42-44, 85-95

I found a bunch of new (reprint) comics at Dollar Tree, including a reprint of Batman #440 (rebranded A Lonely Place of Dying #1). I remembered having it when it came out (though it was the only part of the arc I had), so I picked it up. Any other DC comic I grabbed at Dollar Tree had the story and 2 pages of ads for various TPBs. This has the classic #440 story plus a 6 page preview of the first volume of Absolute Batman. It was a surprise to see. The DT books must be doing ok enough to a) keep releasing different issues, and b) add "bonus" content.

Grabbed the recent releases of Amazing Spider-Man #14, Showcase #4 and Detective Comics #27. Found Millennium Editions of Whiz Comics #2 and All-Star Comics #3. It was the first time I've seen Millennium Editions in the wild. Facsimiles are my favorite new comics.

[supprimé]

I decided to reread my Project Superpowers comics in the reading order I put together. (I'm only missing 14 of the 68 issues of what I have decided is my canon.) Chapters 1 & 2 and the initial spin-offs read like a cohesive story and universe. Black Terror doesn't even really become a solo book until the last 4 issues or so. The Owl spin-off - about 2 years removed from the rest of the line - is like reading Batman or Daredevil after reading a long stretch of Justice League or Avengers. It could easily be the same world, just a different corner of it. Then comes "Volume 3." Here are some of my thoughts.

It starts decently. 'Devil appears to the Green Lama. Lama knows Bart Hill is dead and the being is revealed as being the sentient costume (as previously established). He can talk now, but we mention that it is a new development. They review the story of the Fighting Yank and the urn. The 'Devil was previously hinted to have been a demon, while this volume implies he is possessed.

Now we see the American Spirit being present at a Superpowers battle in WWII Normandy, though that was never the case in the previous issues. In Chapter One, Lama is surprised to learn about the American Spirit. Here, Lama saw him in WWII and it brought him comfort. Then the Spirit shows up in the present, and everyone just knows that the Spirit needs a "new host." This is an element that was never present in the previous storylines.

The transformation of NYC into New Shangri-Las is ignored in this series. NYC is plain old NYC. Instead of it being a haven for the returned heroes, most of the heroes have gone into hiding.

Masquerade's powers are now altered without explanation. She can just remotely possess people. Previously she needed to be next to them. Also, she is called Masquerade during the War flashbacks, while previously she was acknowledged as Miss Masque.

We then meet our alien antagonist, P:andora. I have no issue with having an alien threat. But he is after "his" urn, stolen right out of his chest. Previously, the Urn was created by Zeus (as in mythology), and given to Pandora, who already exists as a character in this universe. He kills the Green Lama without even a fight. His "box" (while he mentioned the Urn, which we know was destroyed) is now shown as a glowing cube hidden in the dimensional folds of the American Spirit - again, a new idea never previously hinted at.

More nit-picks:

While P:andora wreaks havoc, no other heroes show up. We were told they exist, but apparently decided to sit out the alien invasion.

Samson now claims to be a descendant of the Biblical Samson, while he previously believed himself to be THE Biblical Samson.

Black Terror's flying galleon has vanished and the currently assembled heroes take P:andora's spaceship as a flying headquarters.

Many of the characters, whom previously had individual personalities, are now spouting quippy MCU-style dialogue.

This series was five years after the Owl mini and ignored or retconned a lot of previous continuity. On its own, it's a decent story. As part of the greater universe, it is lacking. I am disappointed that Dynamite chose to ignore/alter the continuity that flowed so strongly for the first 6 years of connected books. It was followed a few years later by Fractured States, which, having it's own inconsistencies, is more in line with the previous books, but contradicts some of this volume. Now we're several years removed from even that "Days of Future Past"-esque tale. I hope to see some kind of revival in time for the 20th anniversary of Chapter One in 2028.

Real Name

John Aman

First Appearance

Amazing Man Comics #5 (September 1939)

Original Publisher

Centaur

Created by

Bill Everett

Origin

In 1914, an orphaned child named John Aman was chosen by the Tibetan Council of Seven to be trained to both mental and physical perfection. Aman was also given an injection of an experimental formula that would allow him to become invisible, the effects were temporary and he would need to inject himself weekly. When he was 25, he was ready to fight crime in the outside world. He returned to America and did just that, by stopping a railroad president from causing more train derailment. He was helped by Zona Henderson, a female investigator, but later traded her out for her kid brother, Tommy the Amazing Kid. Amazing Man's powers include super strength, invulnerability, and the ability to make himself disappear in a cloud of green vapour. It is because of that last power that he is also known as the "Green Mist." Amazing Man's arch-enemy is The Great Question, an evil telepath who was exiled from the Council of Seven after Aman exposed his true nature.

In his second adventure, he is kidnapped. While a willful prisoner, the Great Question telepathically causes the villainous aspects of Aman to come to the fore, actually physically transforming his face to match his new evil. Eventually, Aman is able to shake off the effects.

https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Amazing\_Man

Edit: Project Superpowers Continuity

Amazing Man fought alongside the heroes during World War II. His post-Urn status is unknown.

Real Name

Jethro Dumont

First Appearance

Double Detective vol. 5 #5 (April 1940) (pulps)

Prize Comics #7 (Dec 1940) (comics)

Original Publisher

Prize

Created by

Kendell Foster Crossen

Origin

Jethro Dumont, a rich resident of New York City, spent ten years in Tibet studying to be a lama (a Buddhist guru) and learning many mystical secrets in the process. He returned to the United States in order to spread the Buddhist teachings, but after witnessing a murder he realized he could be of more help by fighting evil and crime. He receives his Green Lama powers by reciting the mantra "om mani padme hum." Dumont is also endowed with superhuman abilities acquired through his scientific knowledge of radioactive salts.

Powers and Abilities

The Green Lama has superhuman strength, is nearly invulnerable, can levitate, and can summon ghosts to aid him

https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Green_Lama

Edit: Project Superpowers Continuity

Green Lama was not chosen for the Urn. He retired to a quiet life in Shangri-Las after World War II. The Fighting Yank found him and confessed what he had done. Lama, who had become seemingly one with nature, travelled with Yank to Dynamic Man's headquarters in their effort to free the trapped heroes.After a big battle with the Dynamic Forces, Lama's plants largely overtook New York, where the returning heroes set up their base of operations

Real Name

David Merrywether

First Appearance

Crash Comics Adventures #4 (September 1940)

Original Publisher

Holyoke

Created by

Irwin Hansen

Origin

The Merrywether family was traveling through the jungles of Burma when bandits killed the mother, father, and sister. Young David was the only survivor. He was found and raised by a Tigress and gradually gained all the powers of the cat family. When he became an adult, he decided to return to the United States. Upon arriving there, he was appalled to discover that the city was full of crime and evil he found. He decided to fight it, both as a private eye in his civilian identity and as the costumed Cat-Man.

Later, David encountered Katie Conn, an 11-year old orphan. Her unscrupulous uncle was using her to help him steal. After putting her uncle behind bars, David took Katie in as his ward. He was initially reluctant to let her fight crime with him, but after she put on a costume and fights as the Kitten and helped him defeat the latest villain, David changed his mind.

When World War II broke out, David joined the military. He was never deployed. A year before the war ended, he was discharged under unspecified circumstances and he and Katie moved to Center City, home of the Deacon. While their sidekicks were already good friends, the two crime-fighters barely interacted and only teamed up on two occasions.

Powers and Abilities

Cat-Man had cat-like powers: he can see in the dark, leap many times his length, and climb anything. He also had nine lives. He was watched over by a guardian angel in the form of a tigress who brings Cat-Man back to life if he is murdered. Some of his supernatural powers were de-emphasised over time. He originally carried a silent-firing pistol called the Power Gun.

https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Cat-Man_(Holyoke)

*Edit: Project Superpowers Continuity*

Cat-Man emerged from Pandora's Urn much more feral than he went in. His cat powers seemingly mutated him into a Cat/Man hybrid, referred to as Man-Cat. He was captured by the Inheritors, a group of returned sidekicks led by Boy King. He was the only one who knew Kid Terror was, in fact, a robot, and was very protective of Kitten. Once Kid Terror was revealed to be Dynamic Boy in disguise and Kitten was safe, David escaped and disappeared into the jungle.

I love that we are living in the age of facsimiles. Growing up we'd get Marvel Tales reprinting old Spider-Man issues and Classic X-Men reprinting the X-Men. You didn't see any classic stories otherwise. Eventually Marvel did Marvel Milestone Editions and DC had the Millennium Editions, neither of which I was able to get at the time. I did acquire several Marvel Milestones at a later time, but never any Millennium Editions. Being able to have classic stories in your hands for relatively cheap is pretty awesome.

About 30 years ago I tried my hand at creating a superhero universe. I did complete one 48-page comic. Eventually I made the characters open-source/public domain. When I was working on the comic, I wanted to have action figures of the characters. I found some generic dollar store wrestling figures and thought, "I'll just paint them." I pulled them out of a box today.

https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Outworlder

https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Jackpott

https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Cyber-Knight

Real Name

Gary Preston

First Appearance

Wonderworld Comics #3 (July 1939)

Original Publisher

Fox Features

Created by

Will Eisner & Lou Fine

Origin

When Gary was a baby, his father, Charteris Preston, worked as a missionary in China. The elder Preston was washed away in a flood but managed to save baby Gary by placing him in a basket. The basket was washed downstream to Tibet, where Gary was rescued by a group of lamas. They raised Gary in the lamasery, where they trained him in their mystical ways.

After the Flame was injured battling the Octopus, he instructed Linda Dale, his girlfriend, to use a secret formula that gave her the secret powers of the flame people, making her into Flame Girl.

Powers and Abilities

Gary obtained the ability to control fire and heat. He can raise his own body temperature to the point where he can burst into flames or melt bullets. He can control and direct any flame in his presence. He can also teleport from place to place by appearing inside of any fire source, no matter how small. The Flame's one weakness is water, which can severely weaken him. In order to provide fire whenever he needs it, the Flame carries a small, pistol-sized flame thrower.

https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Flame\_(Fox)

Real Name

Dick Martin

First Appearance

Startling Comics #18 (Dec. 1942)

Original Publisher

Nedor

Created by

Jack Binder

Origin

Pyroman is the secret identity of research student Dick Martin. Due to his work with high voltage electricity, his body developed the ability to store current. He discovered this ability after he was wrongly charged with murder; sentenced to die in the electric chair, he instead found himself possessed with electricity-based powers. After clearing his name, he decided to use his powers to fight crime.

https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Pyroman

Real Name

Bob Blake

First Appearance

Reg'lar Fellers Heroic Comics #1 (Aug. 1940)

Original Publisher

Eastern Color Printing

Created by

Bill Everett

Origin

Harry Thurston, a young chemical engineer, accidentally compounded a formula to convert human flesh and blood into water. A huge container of this remarkable solution was spilled and splashed over Bob Blake, Harry's friend, causing him to disintegrate and become a pool of water on the laboratory floor! Promptly, an antidote was concocted, and with the aid of this, Bob regained his natural form. He then discovered that he could control this phenomenal change merely by the power of thought.

Donning aviator goggles and tights left over from a costume party, he took on the identity of Hydroman to battle an army of "Oriental" invaders. He discovered it was in fact run by Nazi fifth columnists.

Harry invented a fabric "made of translite - it's transparent, like cellophane, but tough - nothing can penetrate it - not even bullets." Hydroman had a suit made of this material.

https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Hydroman

Real Name

Bert McQuade

First Appearance

Dynamic Comics #1 (October 1941)

Original Publisher

Harry 'A' Chesler

Created by

Unknown

Origin

First Origin

Dynamic Man was created by Dr. Moore to fight the forces of darkness personified by the Yellow Spot. The Spot used his evil witchcraft to kill off or enter the minds of American scientists. He could travel as a bat and went into the home of Dr. Moore to kill him. While being stabbed, Moore somehow managed to throw the switch, giving life to his creation. The Yellow Spot's fiendish plan was put to a stop by Dynamic Man, who released the trapped minds of the other scientists and eliminated the Yellow Spot, who could only be killed in his bat form.

Second Version

High school basketball coach Bert McQuade get put through a series of treatments by Dr. Stahl. These result in Bert gaining super powers. Bert puts on a costume and, with brother Ricky as his sidekick, Dynamic Boy, fights crime.

Powers and Abilities

In both cases, the Dynamic Man could fly, was strong enough to lift a car, and was invulnerable to bullets and acid. The first origin had above-average intelligence by the virtue of being an android.

https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Dynamic\_Man\_(Chesler)

Real Name

Archibald (Archie) Masters

First Appearance

Thrilling Comics #19 (Aug. 1941)

Original Publisher

Nedor

Created by

Max Plaisted

Origin

Archie Masters was a timid, cautious astronomy professor who taught at Grand University somewhere in the eastern United States. A colleague created a device called an atom smasher, but the initial test went awry when Masters, preoccupied in his thoughts went into the room where the device was being used. He was bathed in atomic radiation but instead of killing him, the accident endowed him with various superhuman abilities such as strength, flight and invulnerability. With his confidence boosted, he used these powers to fight crime as the American Crusader. In his civilian identity, he pretended to be a meek pushover he once was, to the endless frustration of his secretary, Jane Peters, who would have loved to be Archie's girlfriend if he wasn't (as far as she could tell) so absent-minded and cowardly.

Archie later left his job at the university and fought Nazi forces throughout the European front. He found an assistant in Mickey Martin, an American teenager who was stranded in France when Nazi forces invaded it.

https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/American\_Crusader