The Heroes of

Ace of Space (A.C. "Ace" Egan)

First appearance: Feature Comics #38 (November 1940)
Featured appearances: Feature Comics #38–41 (November 1940–February 1941)

One day as New York playboy "Ace" Egan was piloting his private plane, he encountered an alien spaceship that landed on Earth. From within emerged a giant alien, looking ill. The creature communicated telepathically to Egan, warning him of an impending attack by the Slogons. The alien was unable to survive in Earth's atmosphere. As it died, it bequeathed a power belt to Ace.

When Ace donned the belt, he grew immediately to a height of nine feet, and he could run at great speed! He left the alien's body with a local hospital and returned to the spaceship, making it invisible. Ace kept these things secret from his butler, Jennings. Soon it was left to Ace to fend off the Slogons. The belt imparted the knowledge to pilot and use the space ship and Egan made quick work of the invaders, sending their ships crashing to Earth. Back home, the newspapers dubbed him the Ace of Space. (Feature #38)

Ace also found that the belt gave him telepathy. This power alerted him to a plot by European dicatators to impersonate United States lawmakers. (#39)

When a friend of his was arrested for embezzlement, Egan uncovered the evil Dr. Devlin, who had developed a serum that gave men super speed. (Feature #40)

POWERS: Telescopic vision, telepathy. leap to great heights

Black Roger

First appearance: Buccaneers #19 (January 1950)
Featured appearances: Buccaneers #19-27 (January 1950–May 1951)

...

Black X aka Black Ace

First appearance: Feature Comics #13
Featured appearances: Feature Comics #13-20 (August 1940–November 1942) • Smash Comics #1–

A manly man who often lost his shirt, but never his monocle.

This strip was titled "Espionage and was a major work by Will Eisner for Quality.

Blue Tracer (William "Wild Bill" Dunn)

First appearance: Military Comics #1 (August 1941)
Featured appearances: Military Comics #1-16 (August 1941–January 1943)

DC presumably owns the rights to this character, but has not published him.

The Blue Tracer was created by Fred Guardineer. Although this character was acquired by DC, along with the rest of Quality Comics' properties in the 1950s, the character lapsed into public domain before that. Either way, he has not been used by any company since his original publication, nor have his original adventures been reprinted, other than a Millennium Edition of his first appearance.

William "Wild Bill" Dunn was a British engineer who

was working with the army in a secluded section of Ethiopia. While working, his team was attacked by a group of supernatural beings named the M'bujies. The M'bujies wounded Dunn and killed his teammates. Dunn was able to escape, because of the help of "Boomerang" Jones, an Australian soldier, who nursed him back to health. After Dunn regained his strength, the two men found the remains of some vehicles and morphed them together to create one vehicle which could become a tank, airplane, or submarine. The two named it the Blue Tracer. They then used it to destroy the M'bujies and escaped the jungle. The two traveled the world and fought the Axis forces during the rest of the war, with Dunn at he head and Jones as his sidekick. The Blue Tracer has not had any recorded adventures after 1942.

Powers: Dunn was a good fighter and great engineer. The Blue Tracer could travel on land, under the sea, and in the air. It had many weapons, and could deflect small arms fire easily.

Destiny (unrevealed)

First appearance (in shadow): Police Comics #15 (January 1943)
Featured appearances: Police Comics #15-36 (January 1943–November 1944)

Created by George Brenner.

The man known only as Destiny was a non-costumed hero who was drawn to crimes by a psychic sense. He first arrived on the scene to witness the murder of the hero called 711. (Police #15) One rainy night he sought shelter in a club where the Prof. Seezall Nozal was performing his tricks of the mind. When Nozal plucked Destiny from the audience, he knew the boy was special. The Professor told him that he had the power to foresee deaths and that he could choose to use that power for good or evil. It was that strange mystic who dubbed him "Destiny," but the young man left before hearing another crucial piece of advice. His path soon crossed with Oscar Jones, 711's killer, but the crook escaped. Following this, Destiny had one last contact with the spirit of 711, who wished him luck. (#16)

Destiny was last seen in 1944. (Police #36)

NOTES: He inspired a character in the Elseworlds series JLA: Destiny.

• Toonpedia: 711

Destroying Demon (Bruce Blackburn)

First appearance, as Bruce: Feature Comics #32 (May 1940)
As the Demon: Feature Comics #39 (December 1940).
Featured appearances:Feature Comics #32–56 (May 1940–May 1942)

In his first recorded adventure, War Department Colonel Bruce Blackburn and his double, Lieutenant Jackson, faked their own deaths by placing two medical school corpses into a car then lighting it up and pushing it off a cliff. They reportyed to a Col. Jordan. It was necessary because someone had leaked Blackburn's picture to the newspapers. They then visited a plastic surgen who made both men look like idential twins, and different from their original selves. Afterwards, they set up shop behind an antiques store , a front for their espionage, and caught the man who'd revealed them to the world. (Feature #32)

Blackburn briefly donned a costume during his adventures. This was inspired by a boy who attempted to emulate comic book heroes by dangling from a rope and calling himself Colossal Guy. The stunt gave Blackburn an idea to help him crush the so-called "Un-American Band." Blackburn maed a costume, perfected a trick using a rubber cable to drop from above, and called himself the "Destroying Demon." After this caper, he reported back to Col. Jordan and admitted to his alter ego. (#39-40)

He tried the cable stunt one more time, in foiling another Fifthe Column ring. (#40)

Blackburn never used the costume again. He was last seen in 1942. (#56)

NOTES: The name of this strip was called "Captain Bruce Blackburn, Counterspy." The title of the story in Feature #39 was "Demon of Destruction." In that story, Blackburn also referred to himself as "Destroying Devil" and his enemies called him a "Destroying Demon."

 

Ghost of Flanders (Rip Graves)

First appearance: Hit Comics #18 (December 1941)
Featured appearances: Hit Comics #18–25 (December 1942–December 1942)

"Rip Graves," reported dead in the first world war, learned that he was honored as that war's Unknown Soldier... From beneath the crypt, in secret, he battled for his country as the Ghost of Flanders.

Rip was last seen in 1942 (Hit Comics #25)

"Stormy" Foster, the Great Defender

First appearance: Hit Comics #18 (December 1941)
Featured appearances: Hit Comics #18–34 (Spring 1945–Winter 1944)

Shy drug clerk by day, the Great Defender in times of need...

From the afterlife, Foster's contemporary, the Red Bee, characterized him by saying "I was one of the jokes ... But Johnny Thunder. Stormy Foster... I bet all of them are more regarded than I am." (Starman v.2 #37) Stormy was last seen in 1944, (Hit #34) but apparently fathered at least one child. Mon-El once met a man named Von Hammer in Germany, who had inherited a bit or invulnerability from his mother, whose grandfather was Stormy Foster. (Superman #689)

Stormy outlasted most of his other costumed cohorts and starred on the cover of Hit Comics from #18-24. The only hero to make it past him in that title was Kid Eternity, who replaced him on the cover of Hit Comics beginning with #25.

The Hawk (T. James Harrington II)

First and only appearance: Feature Funnies #2 (November 1937)

The Hawk appeared only once and is the little known title-holder of Quality's First Masked Hero. This distinction is usually attributed to The Clock, however The Hawk was created by the same man, George Brenner. Before bringing The Clock over to Quality Comics from Centaur, the Hawk debuted four issues sooner. But he was never seen again. At the end of this adventure, the text heralded the Clock's arrival in the next issue (#3). One wonders if Brenner had planned to write both strips, but Busy Arnold pulled the plug on the Hawk?

In his only recorded adventure, he was revealed as T. James Harrington II, a former football star and wealthy heir. Deputy Inspector Pat Doyle had known Jimmy's father and considered Jimmy to be a typical socialite. But when a case came up, Jimmy jumped on Doyle's police case, donning a suit, a ghost-like mask, and another identifying feature—a taloned glove. The Hawk took the perpetrator back to his lair, where his allies, Link and Rollo delivered the crook into custody. (Feature Funnies #2)

Hercules (Joe Hercules)

First appearance: Hit Comics #1 (July 40)
Featured appearances: Hit Comics #1–21 (July 1940–April 1942) • Starman v.2 #35 (mention)

"He didn't come from another planet… he wasn't made by a mad scientist or by some other fantastic manner… he's a real American youth, imbued with the greatest strength mortal man ever possessed."

Oddly enough, like Midnight was a Spirit knock-off, Hercules is a Doll Man imitator. His strip began with the pretense that heroes like Doll Man exist only in comic books—in Joe Hercules's world.

Joe Hercules was described as a country boy (even a "hick" by his enemies). He lived with his mother in Maryville, in the Midwest. He was not super-human, but was celebrated as one of the strongest men alive. He'd planned to use the money he earned to help people as a doctor or lawyer. But the greedy J. Willistone Jyppe killed his mother in order to own all of Maryville. Joe took his quarrel directly to Jyppe, but he was arrested. In jail, he was inspired by Doll Man in the comics; he busted out of jail, fashioned an outfit not unlike the diminutive hero, and set out for revenge. (Hit #1)

Demonstrated that his strength was something quite more than human. In bringing down the Koffin gang, he (#3)

no fuss with a costume, simply took his shirt off and was good to go (#5)

comes to the aid of Lois, bored socialite. descended underwater to fix an oil rig, found Orientals stealing Texas oil via a great pipeline. Carries a huge vat of oil back to Texas. (#6)

Spots the firedog tags along, alerting Joe to danger (#7)

arrested for telling tall tales (#9)

Hercules's fate revealed was by Alan Scott, who said "Did you see that story in Newsweek about that hero from the 1940s, Hercules? He has Alzheimers. At least I've got my wits." Both Starman and Green Lantern admitted, they didn't remember Hercules. (Starman v.2 #35)

POWERS: Supposedly non-super-powered, but performed feats that seemed quite impossible like stopping and lifting a cars, crushing guns, and leaping up mountains. Invulnerable, survived fall from tall buildling.

Hercules snagged the cover of Hit Comics in issues #3, 10-17, when he was replaced there (and soon inside as well) by Stormy Foster. Later strips were signed by Gregg Powers. Moves into first feature slot with Hit #8.

Just 'N' Right (Justin Wright)

First and only appearance: Doll Man #1 (Winter 1941)

With his two rock-like fists as his only weapons, Justin Wright went forth to fight crime and evil—whether the criminal was one or many, those flying fists flailed in the name of justice...

Magno the Magnetic Man (Tom Dalton)

First Appearance: Smash Comics #13 (August 1940)
Featured Appearances: Smash Comics #13-21 (August 1940–April 1941)

Created by Paul Gustavson

"His amazing powers were the result of having been electrocuted by 10,000 D.C. volts, then being shocked backto life by an equal current of A.C. volts!"

Tom Dalton was a blue collar man with an extraordinary secret. As a lineman in a coastal town, he would often need to find excuses to duck out and fight injustice.

Magno was the only one of the original Freedom Fighter who actually perished at Pearl Harbor in 1941. (All-Star Squadron #31)

POWERS: Though his name suggests that he weilds magnetism, Magno was actually more of a living battery; he channeled electricity. Using the currents inside him, he could create a variety of effects. He had a sort of "super eyes" that would see great distances. He wore metal wristbands that created a powerful electomagnet when he applied his powers. The resulting force could propel him at super-speed. He could also create a sort of force field that could repel metallic objects. And naturally, he could manipulate metallic objects as well.

Notes: Another hero called Magno debuted just after Quality's hero ended, in Ace's Four Favorite s #1–26 (September 1941–November 1946)

Freedom Fighters

Marksman (the Baron Povalski alias Major Hurtz)

First appearance: Smash Comics #33 (May 1942)
Featured appearances: Smash Comics #33–58 (May 1942– April 1945)

A European nobleman who fought the Nazis with a bow and arrow. Last seen in 1945 (Smash #58 or 65??).

NOTES: The Marksman debuted only several issues after another archer's—the Spider's—strip ended (in Crack #30).

He inspired a character in the Elseworlds series JLA: Destiny.

The Mouthpiece (Bill Perkins)

First appearance: Police Comics #1 (August 1941)
Featured appearances: Police Comics #1–13 (August 1941–November 1942)

Young, newly elected District Attorney Bill Perkins drew the ridicule of older officials because of his alert action methods. When out after evidence, Bill wore a mask and to brought terror and grim respect as... the Mouthpiece! In his first recorded adventure, he brought down an alien smuggling racket. Police #1)

The Mouthpiece was last seen in 1942. (#13)

A second person named the "Mouthpiece" appeared in Dr. Mid-Nite #1. He was a modern-day man who'd lost his family to AIDS and advised Dr. Mid-Nite.

• Toonpedia: The Mouthpiece

711 (Daniel Dyce)

First appearance: Police Comics #1 (August 1941)
Featured appearances: Police Comics #1–15 (August 1941–January 1943)

Daniel Dyce was serving a life sentence for a crime he never committed. Before this, he was a promising young attorney—and a gullible one at that. His friend Jake Horn convinced Dyce to take the rap for him, on account of Horn's impending baby's birth. But after Dyce was convicted (as "Horn"), Horn was killed in an accident and Daniel was left with no way of proving his innocence. Now just convict #711, Dyce slowly found a way to dig a tunnel out of Westmoor Prison. Dyce concluded that his life on the outside was dead, and chose to remain in the prison, but fight crime as "711" on the outside. (Police #1)

Dyce was ultimately killed by the racketeer Oscar Jones in 1942. At the moment of his death, another hero called Destiny first came to light, appearing over Dyce's body. (#15)

NOTES: Destiny assumed 711's strip in Police Comics. 711 wore a brown business suit, fedora, green cape and shadowy black mask.

Sniper (unrevealed)

First appearance: Military Comics #5 (December 1941)
Featured appearances: Military Comics #5–34 (December 1941–November 1944)

Last seen in 1944. (Military #34)

 

 

The Sword aka "Chic" Carter, ace reporter

First appearance, as Carter: Smash Comics #1 (August 1939)
As the Sword: Police Comics #1 (August 1941)
Featured appearances: Smash Comics #1–24 (August 1939–July 1941) • Police Comics #1–18 (August 1941–April 1943) • National Comics #33–47 (July 1943–April 1945)

Created by Vern Henkel

Chic Carter was a police reporter for the Daily Star. Often sent abroad on assignment

Encountered an almost-masked, goggled villain who could walk through walls! He discovered that this was "Mystery Man" was Professor Krauss, who'd invented a way to use radium to pass through solids. (#11)

Ran up against a freakish phantom at the opera, Hugo, who was the tool for a greedy opera singer. (#15)

who for a brief time donned a costume and hit streets as The Sword. Carter abandoned his costumed persona in 1941. (Police #5)

fought "ghostlike" enemies who wore hoods much like those of the Ku Klux Klan. (#45)

He was last seen, out of costume, in 1945. (National #47)

Strange to have the same name as Superman's newspaper (the Daily Star). Took over the Destroyer 171 strip in National.

Vern Henkel interviewed in Alter Ego #48.

Although in Police #5, chic only wears a domino mask, the splash page still says that Chic "often becomes the Sword."

He inspired a character in the Elseworlds series JLA: Destiny.

The Whistler (Mallory Drake)

First appearance: National Comics #48 (June 1945)
Featured appearances: National Comics #48–54 (June 1945–June 1946)

When Mallory Drake was hired as a police reporter, he rushed off to tell his brother Jerry, who performed as a whistler. Jerry noted that Mallory himself was quite the mimic and a master whistler himself. Just then, thugs came in to harrass Jerry's boss. When Jerry defended him, he was shot and killed. With his dying breath he asked his brother to use his eerie whistling ability to strike fear into criminals like those. Mallory donned a mask and found that something about the vibrational tone of his whistle put terror into the truest heart. Although his masked career was a success, Mallory's editor didn't buy his story about a "Whistler" and rejected it. (National #48)

Wildfire (Carol Vance Martin)

First appearance: Smash Comics #25 (August 1941)
Featured appearances: Smash Comics #25-37 (August 1941–November 1942)

Red-haired, red-suited Wildfire was really Carol V. Martin, adopted by a wealthy society family. She had fire-related powers, and was possibly a fire elemental.

Wildfire was last seen in 1942. (#37)

NOTES: Wildfire was originally drawn by Jim Mooney and patterned after his wife. Wildfire had a very strange hairdo that is supposed to look like flames! Writer Roy Thomas wanted to use her in the All-Star Squadron but DC nixed the idea because there was already a Wildfire in the Legion of Super-Heroes. Thomas created Firebrand II instead. She inspired a character in the Elseworlds series JLA: Destiny. She can also be seen briefly in-panel in The Golden Age #4 (1994).

Yankee Eagle (Jerry "Larry" Noble)

First appearance: Military Comics #1 (August 1941)
Featured appearances: Military Comics #1–8 (August 1941–March 1942) • Smash Comics #38–47 (December 1942–October 1943)

 

Zero, Ghost Detective (Mr. Zero)

First appearance: Feature Comics #32 (May 1940)
Featured appearances:Feature Comics #32–72 (May 1940–October 1943)

Zero, the Ghost Detective, wore no mask but was expert in the way sof the occult. Wages a war against the "criminal denizens of the phantom realm" Though his real name was nevr given, his clients referred to him as "Mr. Zero." He operated from an official high rise office and his first recorded case involved the ghostly return of ...in a three brothers who in their youth had made a pact—if one of them were to die, they must return in the form of an ogre, to care for the others. In their adulthood, one of the brothers died, returned as the ogre and killed a second. Zero unearthed the body and drove a stake through its heart (Feature #32)

With a magic gesture, he dispells a ghost (#33)

helped damsels in distress fight off occult menaces used a Q-Ray to detect a ghost. (#36)

fellow mystic Madam Aura, who sends him into the spirit world after a young woman. Used his "ring of the moon" which under moonlight affects spirits. (#38)

POWERS: Zero never demonstrated any truly magical abilities but he was the master of many magical artifacts.

Zero was was last seen in 1943. (Feature #72)

Other Features

Quality published scores of other adventurers who were neither costumed, nor super-powered (and/or from the future). Some notable ones include

• "Espionage," starring Black X. Notable for being another Will Eisner creation (signed "Will Erwin"). A non-costumed (but monocled) spy in a suit. Also one of Quality's longest running strips. The hero was called "Black Ace" in Smash #1-5.
  Feature #13-22 (October 1938–July 1939) • Smash Comics #1–85 (August 1939–October 1949)
• Blaze Barton, lived in a time after the year 5029, when Earth's orbit was nearer to the sun. The surviving surface people warred against a race of subterrenean monsters that appeared from within the planet's hot core. (Hit #1) Hit #2 described the year as 3000.
  Hit #1–13 (July 1940–July 1941)
• Captain Cook of Scotland Yard had a (Crack) coupel notable adventures. Solved a case where a black bat symbol was being used to terrorize citizens before they were robbed, the plot fo the wealthy Mr. Graystone. (#10) An exotic Indian primate called a Panola that was trained to imitate humans. (#11)
  Feature Comics #13, 18–22 (October 1938, March 1939–July 1939) • Smash Comics #1–13, August 1939–August 1940
• Cyclone
  National Comics #1–4, 13–37 (July–October 1940, July 1941–November 1943)
• Destroyer 171 was the name of a ship that focused on Lt. Commander Harvey Blake (National #??)
  National Comics #23–53 (June 1942–April 1946)
• Don Q
  Crack Comics #19–26 (December 1941–November 1942)
• The Dragon
  Doll Man #2–6 (Spring 1942–Summer 1943)
• Miss Lee Preston of the Red Cross was an intrepid young lady who also got her pilot's licence. This aviatrix flew the world to lend a hand.
  Crack Comics #1–9 (May 1940—January 1941)
• The Purple Trio When this trio of Vaudevillians—Tiny Todd the midget, Rocky Hill the acrobat and Warren the magician—were ousted from the faltering performance industry, they found that the comination of their talents served well in conquering crime. They dubbed themselves the Purple Trio because Rocky wore a red suit and Warren wore blue.
  Smash Comics #13–37 (August 1940–November 1942)
• Samar encountered vampries, King Kongs, sabretooth tigers,
• The Space Legion was set in the future, when all nations of Earth are at peace—but not so in space. The Legion's adventures concerned Capt. Rock Braddon who commanded the ship Mercury and his home base was the city of Metropolis. At this time, there was a civilization on Mars.
  Crack Comics #1–#18 (May 1940–November 1941)
• Wizard Wells former All-American halfback, now inventor. Despite his athletic background, he disliked physical combat. He helped people by using his wits, along with his witless sidekick, Tug. infrared, ultraviolet light, microwaves, electric eyes
  Crack Comics #1-14 (May 1940–July 1941)
• Wings Wendall was an aviator who didn't wear a costume himself, but he did battle a masked villain called the Hooded Terror (Smash #3) and another in a golden mask (#18)
  Smash Comics #1–#37 (August 1939–November 1942)
• X of the Underground
  Military #8–13 (March 1942–November 1942)

The Toonpedia site profiles these non-costumed characters…

• Toonpedia: The Barker
• Toonpedia: Burp the Twerp
• Toonpedia: Death Patrol
• Toonpedia: Swing Sisson

Owned by Will Eisner

The Spirit, Lady Luck and Mr. Mystic were published exclusively by Quality, but the copyright has always been owned by Will Eisner. He made this very clear in his authorized biography, A Spirited Life, and interviews with Jim Amash for Alter Ego. Eisner also said that he originally co-owned the characters he created for Military and Police Comics. But he sold his share of those back to Busy Arnold during the war. These three heroes starred in a weekly "comic book section" that was inserted into newspapers across the country. The Spirit and Lady Luck were also reprinted in other Quality books.

The Spirit (Denny Colt)

First appearance: The Spirit Section, 2 June 1940
Featured appearances: The Spirit Section (2 June 1940–5 October 1952) • Police Comics #11–87 (September 1942–May 1949) • The Spirit #nn [1]-22 (1944–August 1950) … and numerous other titles after Quality Comics

Created by Will Eisner

 

Lady Luck (Brenda Banks)

First appearance: The Spirit Section, 2 June 1940
Featured appearances:The Spirit Section (2 June 1940–5 October 1952) • Smash Comics #42-85 (April 1943–October 1949) • Lady Luck #86-90 (December 1949–August 1950)

Created by Chuck Mazoujian

Lady Luck is an interesting anomaly because she went on to star in her own book just as costumed heroes were waning in popularity.

Unconfirmed—supposedly, DC reprinted one Lady Luck story in the late 1970s, just before their "implosion." Afterwards, the editor announced in the letters page that DC did not have the rights to her.

Mr. Mystic

First appearance: The Spirit Section, 2 June 1940
Featured appearances:The Spirit Section (2 June 1940–5 October 1952)