| Streamline | |
|---|---|
 Cover toStreamline Comics #1 Art byDenis Gifford. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Cardal Publishing |
| First appearance | Streamline Comics #1 (1947) |
| Created by | Denis Gifford Bob Monkhouse |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Keenan King |
| Abilities | Superhuman speed Regenerative healing factor Force field generation |
Streamline is a BritishGolden Agesuperhero, which appeared in the short-lived magazineStreamline Comics (1947), which only ran for four issues. The character was co-created byDenis Gifford andBob Monkhouse, and later appeared as a character in the2000 AD stripZenith and the independent titleBlack Tower Comics Group Adventures.
Streamline was co-created by Denis Gifford and Bob Monkhouse, first appearing inStreamline Comics #1 (1947) published byCardal Publishing. The comic ran for four issues, black and white throughout inside,[1] with Streamline the main feature. TheStreamline strip was drawn in #1 by Denis Gifford, and in #2-4 by science-fiction writer Bryan Berry.[2]
In Streamline's debut appearance,The Adventure of the Flaming Fiends, scientist Keenan King is suspicious when he witnesses a fire at the 21st National Bank, returning to his laboratory to experiment on himself with the mysterious Elixir X. Obtaining a suitable costume, he encounters another bank on fire and discovers robbers in asbestos suits but is beaten back by the heat and forced to leave in order to a rescue the bank security guard. By the time of the next bank fire, he has formulated a liquid that dissolves asbestos. Splashing it over the robbers who are then vulnerable to the heat and flames, and hits them out of the bank to the awaiting police.
Streamline Comics #4 promised more adventures of "Britain's Superman"[3] inStreamline Comics #5 but this was never published.
A reimagined Streamline made a guest appearance in the2000 AD stripZenith,[4] along with other vintage British superheroes, debuting in2000 AD Prog 629 (cover date 3 June 1989). TheZenith strip was written byGrant Morrison and drawn bySteve Yeowell.Zenith'sStreamline became a traitor serving the evil alien racethe Lloigor and was killed in Prog 660 (cover date 6 January 1990) when super-hero DJ Chill makes the temperature drop severely within Streamline's force field.
Since 1986, the original run ofStreamline Comics has been reprinted along with several other out-of-print Golden Age superheroes by British independent comics publisher Black Tower Comics Group, collected inBlack Tower Gold Collection. In 2005, the online comicStarscape[5] publishedStreamline to begin its selection of British Golden Age strips, shown in Comic Display reader format. Since the 1980s,Streamline has appeared inBlack Tower Comics Group Adventures, also published by Black Tower Comics Group, drawn by creator/publisher Terry Hooper.[2]
Having injected himself with the experimental formula Elixir X, scientist Keenan King becomes "the fastest fighter in the world", gaining super speed,[6] and can rapidly regenerate from even serious, life-threatening injuries. As a character inZenith,Streamline also had a protective force field.
Streamline's costume in the original 1940s run was yellow with a lightning-bolt 'S' in the middle of the chest, and included a yellow mask, with blue boots, gloves, belt and cape. When he was revived in Zenith, his costume no longer included a cape, and the 'S' was in a circle and had moved to the left breast, while the boots and gloves were flush with the rest of the costume. The Zenith run was printed in black and white.
Gifford and Monkhouse, the co-creators of Streamline, went on to found the publishing company Streamline Publications[7] circa 1949, which reprinted titles from US publishers such asAtlas andHarvey, including other Golden Age superheroes Captain Might[8] andMaster Man, as well as titles in other genres such as the WesternFlash Streamline Comics and crime titleSpectacular Stories magazine.