Quality Comics was a comic book company from theGolden Age of Comic Books. It operated from 1937 to 1956 and sold many anthology comic books that starred superheroes, many of which were adopted byDC Comics when they purchased Quality Comics, and others were not, entering thepublic domain.
711 was created byGeorge Brenner and published byQuality Comics. 711 first appeared inPolice Comics #1 (August 1941) and lasted until #15 (January 1943), when he was killed.[1]
Daniel Dyce was aDistrict Attorney who was almost an exact twin of his friend, Jacob Horn. Jacob was soon to be sent to prison, but wanted to see his wife give birth, so Daniel agreed to become a prisoner in Jacob's place. However, Jacob is killed in a car crash on the way to the hospital, so Daniel was stuck in jail. Daniel was able to tunnel himself free, but instead of escaping, he decided to return to his cell. Each night he uses his tunnel to go outside and fight crime, then returns before the morning.[2] Dyce adopts the name 711, a reference to his prisoner number. One of his enemies is the costumed villain Brickbat.[3]
After two years of adventures Daniel Dyce was killed by the mobster Oscar Jones. The heroDestiny sees this take place, and starts his crime fighting career when 711 died, replacing his feature inPolice Comics.[4]
Like many earlycomic book heroes, 711 did not wear a traditional costume but rather was modeled after the traditionalpulp magazine heroes.[5] He wore a green cape, a brown business suit, and a wide-brimmed fedora which cast his eyes in shadow. 711's trademark was a calling card made of a mirror with bars painted over it; when an unlucky criminal would look at the card, they would see themselves behind bars.
Brenner replaced 711 with a new hero — a mysterious figure who discovers that he has the powers of clairvoyance and teleportation, and uses them to bring 711's murderer to justice. The new hero christens himself "Destiny", and continues the series.[6]
Following the Golden Age, many of the Quality Comics characters were purchased byDC Comics, while others lapsed into thepublic domain. DC has used 711 only once in their publications, aMillennium Edition reprint of his first appearance.
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Abdul the Arab first appeared inSmash Comics #1 (August 1939). Abdul is an Arabsheikh who is aligned with theBritish intelligence agencies in the Middle East.[7][8] He was originally created by Vernon Henkel.[7]
The Ace of Space first appeared inFeature Comics #38 (November 1940).
Angles O'Day first appeared inKen Shannon #1 (October 1951).
Archie Atkins, Desert Scout first appeared inMilitary Comics #1 (August 1941).
Arizona Ames first appeared inCrack Western #63 (November 1949). His name was changed toArizona Raines without explanation in issue #66 (May 1950).
Atomictot first appeared inAll Humor Comics #2 (Summer 1946).
Carnie Calahan was acircus barker who first appeared inNational Comics #42 (May 1944).
Betty Bates, Lady-at-Law first appeared inHit Comics #4 (October 1940). She is a tough criminal defense attorney in 1940's New York who relied on unconventional (and dubiously legal) methods. She was notably one of the only female attorneys practicing at the time.
Elizabeth Bates appears in theCreature Commandos episode "Chasing Squirrels", voiced byLinda Cardellini.[9] This version isWeasel's lawyer.
Bill the Magnificent first appeared inHit Comics #25 (December 1942).
The Black Condor first appeared inCrack Comics #1 (May 1940).
The Blackhawks first appeared inMilitary Comics #1 (August 1941).
Black Roger first appeared inBuccaneers #19 (January 1950).
Black X (Richard Spencer) is a secret agent who first appeared in Quality'sFeature Funnies #13 (1938). In August 1939, Black X moved fromFeature toSmash Comics.[10] In the first five issues ofSmash Comics, the character was calledBlack Ace, then he reverted to the original name.[11] His sidekick is Batu, a telepathic Indian.
According toJess Nevins'Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, his enemies include "the foreign spy Baron Basil, the Death Squadron and their Suicide Torpedoes, Proxoss the Revolutionary, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Legion of Living Bombs, and thefemme fatale Madame Doom."[12]
In 1939, Black X tangled with the seductive spy Madame Doom, and over the course of several stories, he fell in love with her, wondering if he could betray his country to be with the agent of an enemy nation. Discovering that she's building an army of exploding human bombs in a 1940 story, Black X renounced his affection, and Madame Doom apparently died in an explosion—although she continued to return periodically through 1943.[13]
The character continued inSmash Comics until issue #85 (Oct 1949).[11]
Blaze Barton first appeared inHit Comics #1 (July 1940).
Blimpy first appeared inFeature Comics #64 (January 1943).
Captain Bill Dunn andBoomerang Jones, crew of The Blue Tracer, first appeared inMilitary Comics #1 (August 1941). The Blue Tracer is the name of Bill Dunn's super-vehicle, which can become a tank, airplane, or submarine.[14]
The Blue Tracer appeared in issues #1 through #16 ofMilitary Comics.[15] The characters were acquired byDC, along with the rest ofQuality Comics' properties in the 1950s. However, these characters had lapsed intopublic domain before that.
The Blue Tracer's origin story is told in the first appearance, inMilitary Comics #1. William "Wild Bill" Dunn is an Americanengineer working with thearmy in a secluded section ofEthiopia. While working, his team is attacked by a group ofsupernatural beings named the M'bujies. The M'bujies wound Dunn and kill his teammates. Dunn is rescued by "Boomerang" Jones, anAustralian soldier who had been given up for dead and is now fighting his own private war against theNazis.[16] After Dunn regains his strength, the two men create a super-vehicle out of captured Nazi equipment that they name The Blue Tracer. It can become a tank, airplane, or submarine. They then use it to destroy the M'bujies and escape the jungle.[17] The two travel the world and fight theAxis forces during the rest of the war, with Dunn at the head and Jones as hissidekick.
According toJess Nevins'Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, the Blue Tracer's foes "range from Nazis to the Yellow Butcher of Koko Nor to Dr. Schwein, who has created a regeneration formula for German soldiers."[18]
The last appearance of the Blue Tracer was inMilitary Comics #16, according to theGrand Comics Database.[19]
Neither Dunn nor Jones have any superpowers, but Dunn is a good fighter and skilledengineer. The Blue Tracer allows Dunn and Jones to travel on land, under the sea, and in the air. It has many weapons, and can deflect small arms fire easily.
CreatorFred Guardineer drew a detailed half-page diagram of the vehicle in the fourth issue.[20]
The Blue Tracer would later appear many years later in the 2018 Freedom Fighters series. The vehicle is portrayed as the Freedom Fighters mobile base and is piloted by a man named Cache.
Bob Masters andSwab Decker first appeared inHit Comics #1 (July 1940).
Bozo the Iron Man andHugh Hazzard first appeared inSmash Comics #1 (August 1939).
Bruce Blackburn first appeared inFeature Comics #32 (May 1940). He becameThe Destroying Demon in issue #39 (December 1940).
Burp the Twerp first appeared inPolice Comics #2 (September 1941).
Candace "Candy" O'Connor first appeared inPolice Comics #37 (December 1944).
Captain Cook of Scotland Yard first appeared inFeature Funnies #13 (October 1938).
Captain Daring first appeared inBuccaneers #19 (January 1950).
Captain Jim Flagg first appeared inHit Comics #22 (June 1942).
Captain Triumph first appeared inCrack Comics #27 (January 1943).
Casey Jones first appeared inHit Comics #1 (July 1940).
Chic Carter first appeared inSmash Comics #1 (August 1939). He becameThe Sword in issue #24 (July 1941).
Choo Choo LaMoe andCherry Lane first appeared inMilitary Comics #35 (January 1945).
Clip Chance, student athlete at Cliffside College, first appeared inFeature Funnies #7 (April 1938).
The Clock first appeared simultaneously inFunny Pages v1#6 (November 1936) andFunny Picture Stories v1#1 (November 1936) published by the Comics Magazine Company. He debuted at Quality Comics inFeature Funnies #3 (December 1937).
Lt. Douglas "Comet" Kelly first appeared inHit Comics #22 (June 1942).
Cyclone first appeared inNational Comics #1 (July 1940).
Daffy Dill first appeared inSmash Comics #41 (March 1943).
The Death Patrol first appeared inMilitary Comics #1 (August 1941).
Destiny first appeared inPolice Comics #15 (January 1943).
Lt. Commander Harvey Blake, the skipper of the U.S.S. Pawnee (Destroyer 171), andExecutive Officer Fred Conroy first appeared inNational Comics #23 (June 1942). Blake's name was given as "Lake" in issues #23-24, #26 and #29, and as "Blake" in issues #25, #27-28 and #30-53.
Martha Roberts first appeared inFeature Comics #27 (December 1939). She becameMidge inFeature Comics #77 (April 1944), followed byDoll Girl inDoll Man #37 (December 1951).
Doll Man first appeared inFeature Comics #27 (December 1939).
Don Glory first appeared inHit Comics #8 (February 1941).
Eagle Evans first appeared inPolice Comics #1 (August 1941).
Eric Falcon first appeared inBuccaneers #19 (January 1950).
Ezra Jones first appeared inBlackhawk #9 (Winter 1944).
The Fargo Kid first appeared inFeature Comics #47 (August 1941).
Fear first appeared inModern Comics #49 (May 1946).
Firebrand first appeared inPolice Comics #1 (August 1941).
U.S. Marshal Bob Allen first appeared inCrack Western #63 (November 1949).
G-2 first appeared inNational Comics #27 (December 1942).
Sir Tyrone Neville first appeared inFeature Funnies #7 (April 1938).
The Ghost of Flanders first appeared inHit Comics #18 (December 1941).
The Hawk (T. James Harrington II) first appeared inFeature Funnies #2 (November 1937).
The Hawk first appeared in the U.K. inWags #17 (April 23, 1937). This story was reprinted in the U.S. inFeature Funnies #3 (December 1937). Note: This character is different from the 'T. James Harrington II' version (see above).
Her Highness andSilk first appeared inHit Comics #27 (April 1943).
The Human Bomb first appeared inPolice Comics #1 (August 1941).Hustace Throckmorton first appeared inPolice Comics #15 (January 1943).The Bombardiers first appeared inPolice Comics #21 (August 1943).
Inferior Man first appeared inMilitary Comics #7 (February 1942).
The Invisible Hood first appeared inSmash Comics #1 (August 1939).
Jack Doe and his wifeJill Doe first appeared inHit Comics #1 (July 1940).
The Jester first appeared inSmash Comics #22 (May 1941).
Joe Hercules first appeared inHit Comics #1 (July 1940).
Johnny Doughboy first appeared inMilitary Comics #14 (December 1942).
Just 'n' Right first appeared inThe Doll Man Quarterly #1 (Autumn 1941).
Ken Shannon first appeared inPolice Comics #103 (December 1950).
Danny "Kid" Dixon first appeared inNational Comics #1 (July 1940).
Kid Eternity first appeared inHit Comics #25 (December 1942).
The Kid Patrol first appeared inNational Comics #1 (July 1940).
Lady Luck first appeared inThe Spirit Section #1 (June 2, 1940). Her adventures were reprinted in Quality Comics beginning withSmash Comics #42 (April 1943).
Lee Preston of the Red Cross first appeared inCrack Comics #1 (May 1940).
Lion Boy first appeared inHit Comics #6 (December 1940).
Loops McCann andBanks Barrows first appeared inMilitary Comics #1 (August 1941).
Madam Fatal first appeared inCrack Comics #1 (May 1940).
Magno the Magnetic Man appeared in Quality Comics from 1940 to 1956.[21] The character was created byPaul Gustavson. His first appearance was inSmash Comics #13 (August 1940).[22] He was one of the characters that were purchased byDC Comics when Quality Comics sold their assets. However, the copyright on these comics expired before that, making thempublic domain.
Tom Dalton was a lineman for an electric company until he was shocked and killed by 10,000 D.C. volts of electricity. He was brought back to life by a coworker, who used 10,000 A.C. volts. Tom Dalton became Magno. He was powered by the very electricity that saved his life, and he used it to fight crime with his magnetic and electrical abilities. He sometimes ran out of power and had to recharge himself by touching exposed wires.[23] He was featured inSmash Comics until issue #21 (April 1941). He then moved to two Ace Magazines comics:Super-Mystery Comics, from v1 #1 to v6 #4 (July 1940–February 1947, 34 issues); and toFour Favorites, from issue #1 to #26 (Sept 1941-Nov 1946).[24]
In his fourth story, Magno was joined by a sidekick—Davey, a young man with the powers of magnetic attraction and repulsion.[25] Davey was the little brother of female private eye Carole Landis.[26] Davey's powers had no origin in particular. Magno and Davey became partners, and worked for the government on secret missions.[27]
According toJess Nevins'Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, "Magno and Davey take on a variety of foes: human-sacrificing Aztec cultists, the four-armed, fangedYellow Peril Professor Octopus, and Magno and Davey's recurring foe, the Clown, who works out of a traveling circus and uses hyper-intelligent trained rats to carry out his crimes".[28]
Magno was briefly revived in 1984 for two issues ofAll-Star Squadron, #31 and 32 (March–April 1984). In this story, Magno is contacted byUncle Sam hours before theattack on Pearl Harbor to join theFreedom Fighters and defend the base. Magno accepts, and dies while fighting the Japanese, along with the other members of the Freedom Fighters. While most of the other members are later revealed to have survived, Magno is not.[29] He's also seen inSecret Origins vol 2 #26 (May 1988), in the origin story forMiss America.
An unnamed, second Magno appeared inUncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters v2 #3. Also having the power ofelectrokinesis, Magno was under mind control from Director Robbins' and was a member of his Crusaders team. AfterRed Bee evolved into an alien bug hybrid, she killed Director Robbins which allowed the Crusaders to be free from his mind control. Magno and the Crusaders then joined the Freedom Fighters' team.
Manhunter first appeared inPolice Comics #8 (March 1942).
Margo the Magician first appeared inUncle Sam Quarterly #2 (Winter 1941).
The Marksman first appeared inSmash Comics #33 (May 1942).
Marmaduke was atalking animal character created by Ernie Hart in 1944 and was Quality Comics' third longest-running title behindBlackhawk andPlastic Man. He first appeared inHit Comics #35 (Spring 1945) where he was a minor character for several issues, eventually receiving his own series in 1946 which ran for 65 issues, until December 1956.[30] According to theEncyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels, the series "was, in the beginning, were solidly drawn and reasonably funny, but lacked a convincing sense of action and character."[31]
Merlin the Magician first appeared inNational Comics #1 (July 1940).
Midnight first appeared inSmash Comics #18 (January 1941).
Miss America first appeared inMilitary Comics #1 (August 1941). She did not don a costume until issue #4 (November 1941).
Mitymite first appeared inAll Humor Comics #1 (Spring 1946).
Molly Maloney first appeared inCrack Comics #1 (May 1940).
Monsieur X first appeared inMilitary Comics #6 (January 1942).
The Mouthpiece first appeared inPolice Comics #1 (August 1941) and lasted until #13.[32] He was created byFred Guardineer.[33] Although, like all Quality characters, he is ostensibly owned byDC Comics after it acquired Quality's assets, he lapsed intopublic domain prior to the said acquisition.
Bill Perkins was aDistrict Attorney who thought that the law was not strong enough. He decided to don a costume to apprehend criminals that escaped justice, and became the Mouthpiece.[34] He carries a gun and handcuffs.[35] He was ruthless, and was prepared to kill criminals when he needed to. Once, he even threw aharpoon into the back of a fleeing opponent (he'd run out of bullets), rather than let him get away.
He was a skilled brawler and marksman, an above-average detective and an expert in criminal law.
Neon the Unknown first appeared inHit Comics #1 (July 1940).
The Old Witch first appeared inHit Comics #1 (July 1940).
The Orchid first appeared inDetective Picture Stories #2 (January 1937) published by the Comics Magazine Company. She debuted at Quality Comics inFeature Funnies #3 (December 1937).
Pen Miller first appeared inNational Comics #1 (July 1940).
Tiger Shark andCaptain Seth Perkins, crew of The Phantom Clipper, first appeared inMilitary Comics #9 (April 1942).
Phantom Lady first appeared inPolice Comics #1 (August 1941).
Plastic Man first appeared inPolice Comics #1 (August 1941).
Poison Ivy first appeared inFeature Comics #32 (May 1940).
Private Dogtag first appeared inMilitary Comics #14 (December 1942).
Captain Prop Powers of the U.S. Coast Guard first appeared inNational Comics #1 (July 1940).
The Purple Trio first appeared inSmash Comics #13 (August 1940).
Quicksilver first appeared inNational Comics #5 (November 1940).
The Raven first appeared inFeature Comics #60 (September 1942).
The Ray first appeared inSmash Comics #14 (September 1940).
The Red Bee first appeared inHit Comics #1 (July 1940).
The Red Torpedo first appeared inCrack Comics #1 (May 1940).
Robin Hood first appeared inRobin Hood Tales #1 (February 1956).
Rookie Rankin first appeared inSmash Comics #25 (August 1941).
Rusty Ryan first appeared inFeature Comics #32 (May 1940). He first donned a costume in issue #45 (June 1941).The Boyville Brigadiers first appeared inFeature Comics #45 (June 1941).
Sally O'Neil, policewoman first appeared inNational Comics #1 (July 1940).
Samar first appeared inFeature Comics #32 (May 1940).
The Scarlet Seal first appeared inSmash Comics #16 (November 1940).
Colonel Sam Shot andSlim Shell first appeared inMilitary Comics #1 (August 1941).
The Sniper first appeared inMilitary Comics #5 (December 1941).
Captain Rock Braddon of The Space Legion first appeared inCrack Comics #1 (May 1940).
The Spider first appeared inCrack Comics #1 (May 1940).
The Spider Widow first appeared inFeature Comics #57 (June 1942).
Will Eisner'sThe Spirit (Denny Colt) first appeared in Iowa'sRegister and Tribune Syndicate newspaper insertThe Spirit Section #1 (June 2, 1940). Two years later, on July 3, 1942, The Spirit made his first actual comic book appearance inPolice Comics #11 (September 1942); it reprints his 1940 origin from strip #1. The Spirit's Quality Comics appearances end in issue #102 (November 1950).
Tex Adams, ace test pilot, first appeared inCrack Comics #15 (August 1941). He was nicknamedSpitfire in issue #16 (September 1941).
Steele Kerrigan first appeared inPolice Comics #1 (August 1941).
The Great Defender first appeared inHit Comics #18 (December 1941).
Inspector Douglas Strange of Scotland Yard and his criminal twin brotherRodney Strange first appeared inHit Comics #1 (July 1940). They learned that they were brothers in issue #7 (January 1941).
Swing Sisson first appeared inFeature Comics #49 (October 1941).
Ensign Jack Smith, who piloted an electric battery driven one-man submarine named The Swordfish for the U.S. Navy, first appeared inHit Comics #22 (June 1942).
Treasury Agent Pete Trask first appeared inPolice Comics #103 (December 1950).
Tommy Tinkle first appeared inHit Comics #1 (July 1940).
Tor first appeared inCrack Comics #10 (February 1941).
Torchy Todd first appeared inDoll Man Quarterly #8 (Spring 1946).
Two-Gun Lil first appeared inCrack Western #63 (November 1949).
Uncle Sam first appeared inNational Comics #1 (July 1940).
The Unknown first appeared inNational Comics #23 (June 1942).
USA the Spirit of Old Glory first appeared inFeature Comics #42 (March 1941).
The Voice first appeared inFeature Comics #32 (May 1940).
After the murder of his brother inNational Comics #48 (June 1945), Mallory Drake becameThe Whistler.
Wildfire first appeared inSmash Comics #25 (August 1941).
Will Bragg first appeared inModern Comics #47 (March 1946).
Wings Wendall first appeared inSmash Comics #1 (August 1939). He first donned a costume in issue #24 (July 1941).
Wizard Wells first appeared inCrack Comics #1 (May 1940).
Wonder Boy first appeared inNational Comics #1 (July 1940).
X of the Underground first appeared inMilitary Comics #8 (March 1942).
X-5, Super Agent first appeared inHit Comics #1 (July 1940). His codename was changed toG-5 in issue #5 (November 1940).
Jerry Noble, The Yankee Eagle first appeared inMilitary Comics #1 (August 1941).
Larry Noble, The Yankee Eagle first appeared inSmash Comics #38 (December 1942).
Zero first appeared inFeature Comics #32 (May 1940).