September 1941: Justice in a Tri-Cornered Hat

Mix Superman and Captain America, throw in a pinch of the Spectre, and you might well end up with a character like Nedor’s Fighting Yank.

“During World War II, when the superhero genre first took over comic books, American patriotism was perhaps at its all-time high,” observed comics historian Don Markstein. “Naturally, strongly patriotic-style characters like the Shield and Captain America abounded. Fighting Yank, who came along after both of those were firmly established, showed that even a superhero doesn’t have to wrap himself in a flag, like they did, to prove his patriotism.”

With flag-draped superheroes proliferating, how do you design a patriotic champion who stands out? This publisher went with a Revolutionary War theme. A green cloak and a snappy tri-cornered hat made for a distinctive look.

In times of trouble, Bruce Carter III’s 18th century ancestor and namesake would pitch in. The ghost had been martyred fighting for George Washington.

“DC Comics later used a similar shtick in its war series The Haunted Tank,” Markstein noted. “It was the Revolutionary War Bruce who showed the World War II Bruce where to find a magic cloak able to protect him from harm and impart super strength…. His girlfriend, Joan Farwell, was in on the secret, and usually accompanied him on adventures. Depending on the needs of the story, she could be either an assistant or a hostage.”

The feature was introduced in Startling Comics 10 (Sept. 1941), drawn by Jon L. Blummer and written by Richard E. Hughes, who later handled lots more ghosts as the editor of the American Comics Group.

The Fighting Yank also starred in his own title and America’s Best Comics during his eight-year run. 

He first appeared on newsstands in August 1941, just two months after Hitler sent four million troops to invade the Soviet Union. Though not yet officially in the world war, the United States, through President Roosevelt’s Lend-Lease Bill, was already openly supporting the beleaguered Allies.

June 1940: A Tale of Two Futures

He was the other Captain Future.

The first, created by Better Publications editor Mort Weisinger and written by Edmond Hamilton, was a science fiction hero who appeared in his own pulp magazine from 1940 to 1951. 

The interplanetary exploits of that Captain Future, Curtis Newton, were initially set in the far future of 1990. The red-headed adventurer shared them with the intelligent robot Grag, the android shape-shifter Otho and the living brain Simon Wright, who cared for Newton after his parents’ death and raised him to fight for justice.

The second Captain Future appeared several months later in the same publisher’s comic book division, Nedor, but shared only a name with the first. 

In fact, the distance between the two provides a thumbnail sketch of the differences between the superhero conventions that were typical in pulp and comics at the time. 

The pulp Captain Future was a smart, athletic adventurer who had high-tech vehicles and capable aides, like Doc Savage and the Shadow. The comic book Captain Future was a Superman clone, Nedor’s stock in trade.

While some comic book companies like MLJ tended to offer Batman-like heroes who were costumed bruisers without powers, Nedor’s heroes routinely ran to Superman types — super-strong guys who could shrug off bullets and also fly, usually. The Black Terror, Doc Strange, the Fighting Yank, the American Eagle and Captain Future all fell into that category.

By “crossing the infrared band with the gamma ray,” research engineer Dr. Andrew Bryant accidentally gave himself an array of electromagnetic powers, including sufficient super strength to pick up and throw a criminal’s car (now where have I seen that before?). 

His “radio mind” can hear broadcasts, distant sounds and even the “thought flashes” of others. Flying at a speed of 500 miles per hour, he can repel bullets with an invisible magnetic field.

Drawn by Kin Platt, the character debuted in Starling Comics 1 (June 1940) after Weisinger suggested the publisher recycle the name.