Adventure Comics - "Manhunter"!

Next up in my "A 'Slight' History of Golden Age Comic Books" look at the heroes of National (DC) Periodical's "Adventure Comics" is a lesser known character in the DC universe, but oddly enough, one that's been used more than you might think, "The Manhunter"!

The feature "Paul Kirk, Manhunter" began in Adventure #58 (1940), but he wasn't a costumed adventurer as we're spotlighting here, but rather an investigator who helped the police with tough cases. Running around in a suit and a tie stopping the bad-guys like so many in the early golden age.

In issue #72 however, he got a make-over courtesy of the great Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and a snazzy red and blue outfit with a very unusual full face mask, and became "The Manhunter"! Um...kind of... The character's name was now Rick Nelson and NOT Paul Kirk...until 2 issues later in #74 when they changed his name back, but kept the costume and new feats of heroic derring-do!


Simon and Kirby only stayed with the character until #80 and the character fell to other staffers. I don't have any of the Kirby stories from this era, but here's a couple of cool Kirby Adventure Comics covers I did latch on to!

And even one without the funky mask!

The feature only lasted until #92, when wartime paper shortages cut back the magazine from 64 pages to 52 and the character wasn't seen again until he was ret-conned by Kirby himself in the early 70's during the bronze Age of comics, and that's not what we're talking about here, now is it.

Here's the only golden age Manhunter story I have, done by an unknown artist and writer. Still good stuff though, and a rare glimpse into this little used character with a cool mask.

Enjoy!

Meanwhile in the back room at "Ye Olde Drink Hole"...

Talk to you soon.

Adventure Comics - "The Shining Knight"!

Next up in my "A 'Slight' History of Golden Age Comic Book Super Heroes" look at the heroes of National (DC) Peridocals "Adventure Comics, is "The Shining Knight".

The Shining Knight made his debut in the September 1941 issue #66 of Adventure and was created by Crieg Flessel. A knight in King Arthur's court of Camelot and member of the legendary Knights of the Round Table, Sir Justin was battling an ice ogre, when he fell into a crevass and was frozen solid, only to be preserved until scientists in 1941 found him and thawed him out. In one little nap, he went from battling dragons and ogres in merry old England, to fighting the dreaded Hun and evil Niponese scurge of World War II!


Oh, I forgot to mention. During his tenure at Camelot, he was rewarded for his bravery and steadfastness by Merlin the Magician and endowed with magic bullet-proof chain mail, an enchanted sword which could cut through any material and his horse Victory was given wings.

Hitler never had a chance.

Here's Sir Justin in a 1945 exploit from Adventure Comics #101. It has a little flash back to his origin, and shows some nice insight into Sir Justin's private life, working as a shlub in a museum to hide his gallant true self, and being taught the ways of the 20th century by a kindly old curator.

It really is a fun little story. Enjoy!

Meanwhile, in case you were concerned, Jeffy's Angels have lent the back-room of "Ye Olde Drink Hole out to a little Super-Hero-Elixir-aholic support group. Let's wish Roger Ramjet, Underdog, Hourman and Super Chicken all the best.

Talk to you soon.