Balbo
the Boy Magician. Balbo is a child magician, the son
of a stage magician, who gets real magical powers as well as stage legerdemain.
He is helped by his younger brother Frankie.
Bald
Eagle. Jack Gatling is an air ace who lost his hair while
flying through a fire. His plane is the stubby, Flying Coffin. He
is known and hated by the Japanese, his special enemy.
Banshee.
Jim O'Donnell's stepfather is killed in Ireland by the masked villain the
Scorpion, and Jim emigrates to the U.S., where he finds the Scorpion and
defeats him. He decides to begin fighting crime, to stop others from being
hurt the way his stepfather was. He has no superpowers.
Barney
Mullen. Barney Mullen, the "Sea Rover," is a middle-aged
ship owner. In his one appearance he takes on a job to get to a load of
gold filigree from Lisobon to Rotterdam. This is dangerous, of course,
as Rotterdam is in the war zone. Unfortunately, they are spied on in Lisbon
and so are threatened by an "armored cruiser" on the open waves. Mullen
runs for it and uses a fog bank to escape the cruiser, only to be attacked
by a bomber (the cruiser's anti-aircraft guns fight it off) and a submarine
(which torpedoes the ship once but does not do it in) and a group of mutineers
(a fight drives them off, with Mullen leading the way, fists a-flying).
Just beyond the Straights of Dover the ship's steam engine blows up, and
the crew takes to the life boats. Mullen, being clever, had stored the
gold filigree in the boats, and so his cargo gets delivered on time and
everyone's happy, including Mullen, who was paid enough for the trip to
replace his old ship.
Barry
Finn. "Daredevil Barry Finn" is an explorer and adventurer.
He is assisted by "little Tommy Grey."
Barry
Kuda. No, really. "Barry Kuda." He is a water-breathing
blond Aryan-looking adventurer who is a native of "the underwater kindgom
of Merma." He helps Merma in its fight against "the neighboring midget
kingdom." (Yes, the kingdom is populated by evil midgets.) He is helped
by Algie. He has no superpowers as
such, although he can breath underwater and is good in a fight.
Barry
O'Neill. O'Neill is a wealthy, independent playboy
adventurer who attracts the anger of Fang Gow, the "inscrutable and vengeful
enemy of the Human Race," who is a ruler in China and has cult members
all around the world. Barry and his assistant Le Grand take on and defeat
the forces of Fang Gow, and then move on to attack and defeat other international
criminals, becoming the "ace spy-smashing team of the French Intelligence
Office." Barry has no superpowers but is rich and good in a fight.
Bart Regan. See The Spy. Batman.
Bruce Wayne's parents were shot by a mugger. In response, he traveled around
the world, training himself to fight crime, and, inspired by a bat, put
on a bat costume to do so. In his civilian identity he is a playboy millionaire.
He is partnered with Robin, and is
a member of the Justice Society of America.
He has no powers, but is a very skilled fighter and has a whizzo utility
belt full of cool gadgets.
Ben
Johnson. Johnson, an expert pilot, was an American transport
pilot who joined the Royal Air Force at the start of WW2.
Betty
Bates. Betty is a hungry young lawyer-on-the-make who
is clever and fast and takes down whatever criminals are unfortunate enough
to get in her way. She is helped by Fred Conlin, who does the leg- and
arm-work for her.
Biff
Bannon. Biff is a U.S. Marine who fights against the
Axis menace and has a variety of other adventures. Biff is not bright,
but he is strong, as well as being honest and upright. He has no superpowers.
Biff
Bronson. Biff Bronson and his pal Dan Druff are two young
gadabouts who find crime and fight it wherever they go.
Bill
Barnes. This is the comic book version of the pulp character.
For more information on him, see his
entry on my Pulp
Heroes site.
'Bill'
Hardin. 'Bill' is a sheriff active in the Old West who
travels and goes undercover to catch bad guys.
Billy
Gunn. Old-Timer Billy Gunn is an aging cowboy who helps
the
Vigilante bust heads and capture
criminals. He has no superpowers.
Bill
Handy. "Bill Handy, ex-Olympic champion, forsakes a promising
law career for a life of romance and adventure aboard his trim schooner
Polaris
with Pug, an orphaned cousin, and Marco, a giant West Indian Negro. They
cruise among the islands and Bill becomes a sort of Robin Hood of the sea."
Bill
Wayne. Bill Wayne is "the Texas Terror," a crimefighting
wandering cowboy.
Bird
Man. "Over the vast wilderness of the great Western canyons
swoops the Bird Man, winged hunter of the plains. A descendant of an ancient
Indian god, the Bird Man is gifted with the ability to fly and the keeness
of a bird of prey." He also has a costume suspiciously similar to that
of the Black Condor.
Black Ace. See Black X. Black
Angel. Sylvia Manners, a proper English society woman,
lives in an ancient castle, and when danger threatens from the air she
slips into the castle's underground hangar, puts on her costume, and flies
her special plane against the German scum. She is often partnered with
the "Black Prince," Colonel Prince of the RAF. She has no superpowers but
is an air ace and a good fighter.
Black
Avenger. Formerly
the Thunderer, Jerry Carstairs was
a radio operator who after becoming the Thunderer changed costumes and
motifs to fight crime. He has no powers.
Black
Buccaneer. "The daring exploits of English privateers
are among the most colorful pages of history--top on the list of dangerous
English pirates is the name of Jeffrey Scott and his black ship--The
Raven!" He's also a fencing instructor in Versailles and a spy, occasionally
helped by his brother Ronnie.
Black
Canary. Dinah Drake, who owns and runs a flower shop,
is outraged by crime, so she puts on a blonde wig and a revealing costume
and uses her martial skills (she knows judo) to fight the bad guys. She
is partnered with private eye Larry Lance, who sees Dinah as Just A Friend
but is hot for Black Canary. She has no superpowers.
Black
Cat. Linda Turner, daughter of a movie star and a stunt
man, became one of Hollywood's biggest stars but got bored with the make-believe
life of Hollywood and decided to fight crime instead as the Black Cat.
She trained herself in secret an did so. Her sidekick is Kit Weston, a
young, orphaned circus acrobat. (Circus kids often get orphaned, it seems).
She has no superpowers but is a skilled fighter, knows karate and acrobatics,
and is good with javelin and lariat.
Black
Cobra. Jim Hornsby puts on a costume, teams up with his
younger brother, Bob, aka Kid Cobra,
and fights crime. He has no superpowers.
Black
Commander. Barry Haynes is a light-hearted American pilot
when he is framed for treason. He is sentenced to be shot, only to be helped
out by the British Chief of Military Intelligence, who gives him an escape
plan. He escapes, only to be shot down by the Germans, who capture him
and alter his looks so that he now looks like a German agent, and the Germans
think he is. Unfortunately, the British Chief of M.I. has been captured,
and he's the only one who knows that Haynes is a double agent. So Haynes
steals an experimental plane, the Black Commander, and goes into
action against the Germans, wanted by both sides.
Black
Condor. Richard Grey, Junior, is orphaned when his archaeologist
parents are attacked and slain by Mongol warriors. Junior is raised by
giant black condors and taught how to fly. Years later, he meets a hermit
monk, who names him "Black Condor" and encourages him to use his powers
for good. Junior agrees, and makes his way to the U.S., where he replaces
the recently-murdered Senator Thomas Wright (his visual double) and fights
for good as a Senator and as a costumed hero. The Condor has the ability
to fly, strongly enough that he can carry others with him, and he also
has a black ray gun.
Black
Crusader. Joe Mills faints and after being examined by
a doctor is told that he has a blood clot in his brain and that he could
die at any time. Feeling, justifiably, that he has nothing left to lose,
he puts on a costume and fights crime with a vengeance. He has no superpowers.
Black Diamond. Ronald Byrd, Devourer of Worlds, donates the following: The Black Diamond was Bob Vale, who adopted his masked identity when his family was slain by outlaws. Wielding the typical six-guns and basically indistinguishable from many another masked cowboy (although he had a diamond insignia on his shirt, that was distinctive), the Diamond would leave a playing card of that suit as a calling card, and eventually became an official U.S. Marshal, possibly the only masked one in history. A reader contest gave his horse the name Reliapon.First Appearance: Black Diamond Western #9 (Gleason) Black
Dwarf. Shorty Wilson retires from professional football
and decides to use his athletic skills to "turn the heat on the Underworld."
He is assisted by: Arsenic, his best gal and lethal shootist; Nitro, an
explosives expert; and the Human Fly, who is a human fly. The Dwarf has
no powers but is athletic and a good fighter.
Black
Fury. John Perry, a gossip columnist for the Daily
Clarion, also writes crime reports. He decides that he can best get
information by going undercover, so he puts on a disguise and goes out
investigating and crime solving that way. He is partnered with "Chuck"
Marley, the son of a slain cop. The Black Fury has no superpowers, but
is in excellent physical shape.
Black Fury (II). See Rex King. Blackhawks.
A young Polish fighter pilot takes on the German Butcher Squadron during
the German invasion of Poland and shoots most of them down but is gunned
down in the end. He survives the crash and goes to his parents' farm, only
to find them already killed by the Germans. He vows bloody destruction
for the Germans and puts together both his own airplane as well as a crack
team of international pilots. He and they become the dreaded Blackhawks,
among the greatest of the pilots of the Golden Age. The Blackhawks are
Blackhawk, Andre, Stanislaus, Hendrickson, Olaf, Chop-Chop, Boris, Zeg,
and later Chuck. They have no superpowers but look really cool.
Black
Hood. Kip Burland, a night cop, is framed for a jewel
robbery. While investigating the real crook, he is shot. He is discovered
by a hermit who helps him heal and gets him into top physical shape. With
a costume designed by the hermit, Burland becomes the Black Hood and clears
his name. He has no powers, but he does have the Hoodcycle, a motorcycle
which can convert into other vehicles.
Blackie
the Mystery Boy. "Phil," an origin- and nameless vigilante,
is the sidekick of the Lynx. "Phil"
has no powers.
Black
Jack. Jack
Jones, a card-playing police detective, is imprisoned in a wall by criminals
but manages to free himself. He lets the crooks think he's died and takes
up the card-themed identity of Black Jack to fight crime. He has no superpowers.
Black
Lion. George Davis, a very successful and therefore bored
big game hunter, decides to go after The Most Dangerous Game and begins
hunting criminals. He goes by the name “Michael Norwitz, the Black Lion”
and fights crime. He is helped by Cub.
He is never specifically said to have superpowers, but the stories show
them surviving otherwise mortal wounds in superhuman fashion. He is cat-like
in his agility and strength, however, and is a good fighter.
Black
Marvel. Dan Lyons' father had his life saved by Man-to
of the "Black Feet" tribe. Dan, looking for some way to make up for this,
shows up while the Black Feet are holding auditions for the role of the
"Black Marvel," the foremost warrior of the Black Foot tribe. Dan passes
the tests and is told to go forth and fight for truth, justice, and the
Black Feet way. He has no superpowers, but is in excellent phyiscal shape
and is skilled with knife and bow.
Black
Orchid. The Black Orchid is Judy Allen, the junior partner
of the detective firm of Ford and Allen. Her partner is Rocky Ford, although
he treats her in a somewhat demeaning and sexist way. What he doesn't know
is that she's also the crimefighting costumed wonder the Black Orchid.
What Judy doesn't know is that Rocky is the costumed crime fighter the
Scarlet Nemesis. She has no superpowers.
Blackout
(I). Basil Brusilof, a Yugoslav scientist, is in
his Belgrade lab when it is bombed by the Germans. He is not killed by
this, but instead is changed and given powers, and he uses them to fight
German oppression during the war. As Blackout (I) Basil is covered with
fur, has a wolf-like appearance, is super-strong, is hard to see at night
(because of his fur), and can see in the dark.
Blackout
(II). Jack Wayne, a fighter pilot, fights crime at night.
That's about it. Yup, he fights crime. He has no superpowers.
Black
Owl. Doug Danville, a wealthy playboy, decides to fight
crime and puts on his costume and begins his career. Eventually he enlisted
in the Army and handed down his costume to Walt Waters, the father of Yank
and Doodle. Walt became the new Black Owl. He has no superpowers.
Black
Panther. This character's private identity and origin
was never revealed. He has no superpowers, but is a good fighter and good
with his knife.
Black
Pirate. Jon Valor, an English nobleman, brings together
a likable band of Jolly Jack Tars and prowls the seas of 1558 as the Black
Pirate, the scourge of Spaniards and evildoers everywhere.
Black
Sheep Squadron. "From revolution-wracked Spain, from
the distant battlefronts of China, from the green wastes of South-American
(sic) jungles have come these men who make up the toughest squadron ever
seen in the RAF...reckless, tough, undisciplined, they can be managed only
by one man--Captain Logan Black.--Thus their name, the Black Sheep Squadron."
Captain Black is a rough one, quite willing to punch out a pilot for staying
out too late the night before a planned reconnaissance flight. The Squadron
operates in Britain.
Black
Spider. D.A. Ralph Nelson puts on a costume to fight
criminals who elude the law. He is assisted by his secretary Peggy Dodge.
Blackstone.
If
I recall correctly, Blackstone is a Mandrake-like character, a stage magician
who uses his magical abilities to fight crime.
Black
Terror. Bob Benton, mild-mannered pharmacists, invents
a formula of "formic ethers" that gives him superpowers. He uses these
to fight crime and the Axis powers. His sidekick is Tim
wears the same costume and has the same powers. His girlfriend was Jean
Starr, the mayor's secretary. The Terror's powers are superstrength and
limited invulnerability, although he was often seen with a machine gun
in each hand.
Black
Venus. Mary Roche, a physical therapist, is shocked to
discover that there are crooks who victimize wounded and disabled WW2 veterans.
She puts on a costume, becomes the Black Venus in Furs, and goes after
them. She has no powers but is a skilled pilot and uses a special plane.
Black
Widow (I). Claire Voyant, a medium, is murdered and brought
to Hell, where Satan makes her into the Black Widow and uses her to kill
those souls too evil to exist on Earth. She can kill with a touch and likely
has other, Satan-derived powers.
Black
Widow (II). Linda Masters' husband is murdered by criminals,
so she puts on a costume and fights crime as the Black Widow. She has no
powers but is good in a fight, is willing to kill, and is a good detective.
She is helped by Police Detective Blake.
Black
X. Black X is a suave American secret agent who fights
the enemies of freedom both at home and abroad. He was known for a short
while as the Black Ace.
Blast
Bennett. "In their fast spaceship Blast Bennett and his
companion Red speed through the space ways in search of adventure." They
also have extremely goofy hats.
Blaze
Barton. In the year 50,017 A.D. Blaze Barton is confronted
with the problem of the Earth spiraling towards the sun. With the help
of Professor Solis and his daughter Betty (Blaze's girlfriend) Blaze constructs
a "great, heat-proof city" in which humanity's best and brightest are invited
to stay. Everyone else dies, and when Blaze goes out to investigate the
rest of the Earth he discovers that creatures from the center of the Earth
have crawled out to live on the surface. War follows between the two races.
"Blaze"
Baylor. "When the famous fire chief `Smoky' Baylor is
killed in an incendiary fire...his son vows vengeance and dedicates his
life to the task of tracking down all who profit from the crime of arson."
To this end "Blaze" his two fists, his "imperbestos" costume (made of "impervium
and asbestos cloth" making it bullet- and fireproof), and his "chemical
gun," which is a combination grapple gun, flamethrower, and fire-extinguisher.
Blazing
Scarab. Walt Worthington, a young American archaeologist,
finds a hidden tomb in the deserts of Egypt and discovers a "blazing scarab"
which gives him superpowers. I don't have the stomach to read any more,
though, as Walt's servant is a racist stereotype named "Snowball."
Blazing
Skull. Mark
Todd, a reporter, is taught "marvelous lore" by the "Skull Men of the Orient,"
and he uses this to fight the Germans in Europe. He had superstrength and
was invulnerable to flame.
Blond
Garth. Blond Garth is a rather obvious lift from Bantan.
Blonde
Phantom.Louise Grant is inspired to fight crime and do
so. (She never had any origin that I am aware of). Her civilian identity
is the secretary for the Mark Mason Detective Agency, and she is in love
with her boss, Mark Mason, although he only has eyes for the Phantom. She
has no superpowers.
Blue
Beetle. Dan Garrett, a rookie cop, is offered the
use of "vitamin 2-X" by kooky Dr. Franz, who wants the empowering vitamin
to be used only by someone pure of heart. Garrett uses his new powers to
fight crime. While under the influence of 2-X he has superstrength, and
he wears a bulletproof blue chainmail costume. He also drove around the
city in a hopped-up roadster and projected his beetle insignia onto walls
in order to frighten criminals. He was helped by the non-powered Sparky.
Blue
Blade. The Blade dresses like a French musketeer and
fights Japanese subversion on America's Pacific coast. He has no superpowers
but is good with his sword and is a good horseman.
Blue
Blaze. In 1852 college student Spencer Keen is shown
the "Blue Flame," which his father (a professor at "Midwest College") has
discovered. While Spencer is being shown this, a tornado sweeps across
the town Midwest College is in, killing 85% of the town's population and
exposing Spencer to the Blue Flame. He goes into a coma and is presumed
dead, and is buried. He actually goes into hibernation; in 1940 he awakens
and fights crime and evil, both inside the US and abroad. He has superstrength,
invulnerability, and the ability to be transported underground to "new
centers of crime."
Blue
Bolt. Fred Parrish, a star football player at Harvard,
is struck by lightning while practicing in a remote area. He climbs into
a plane to fly for help but crashes the plane in a valley inside the earth.
He is brought into a subterranean lab where Dr. Benton explains that he
survived thanks to Benton's work (and some "radium deposits") and now has
superpowers and that he needs to stop the invasion of the forces of the
Green Sorceress. He does that and then returns to the surface to fight
crime. He is partnered with Lois Blake, who has the same powers that Parrish
does. He is capable of lightning projection, and he uses a "lightning gun."
Blue
Circle. Len Stafford is a reformed crook waging war on
the underworld. He is helped in this war by the Blue Circle Council, made
up of like-minded "past masters in crime." The Blue Circle has no superpowers.
Blue
Diamond. Elton Morrow, a science professor, discovers
a large blue diamond during an Arctic expedition. On his way back to the
U.S. his ship is attacked and sunk by a U-boat. Morrow is not killed, however,
because the blue diamond exploded and embedded its shards in him, giving
him superpowers. He uses his new powers to fight the Germans and crime.
His powers were invulnerability because of the diamond in his skin and
superstrength.
Blue
Fire. Jack Knapp, a hard-working young scientist, is
the beneficiary of an accidental explosion which gives him the power to
turn himself into a living flame and walk through walls, melt things (like
bullets shot at him), and even shoot flame from his hands.
Blue Flame. Ronald Byrd, Prince of Atlantis, contributes the following: There's very little to report about the Blue Flame; despite a caption referring to "all the titanic turmoils that the Blue Flame has had in his battles to give crime the hot foot," giving the impression of a lengthy career, he appears in only one story. A rather blatant Human Torch ripoff, he is given no origin or secret identity nor, indeed, even much of a costume; when de-flamed, he is clad only in trunks and boots. In his single adventure, he evidently clashes with jewel thief S. Aitan, whom it is implied is in fact Satan, although why Satan would resort to larceny is unknown (I mean, sure, devilish work dropped off some when the war ended, but...).First Appearance: Captain Flight #11 (Four Stars) Blue Lady. Jakeoster contributes the following: Lucille Martin, a novelist, comes into possession of a mystic blue stone mounted in a ring which gives her super-strength. SheFirst appearance: Amazing-Man #5 (Centaur) Blue
Streak (I). Don-Vin is the Blue Streak, the "Defender
of the People" and the "self-appointed foe of ruthless dictators." He is
helped by Tago, his "faithful servant and friend." He has no superpowers
but is good in a fight and wears a bullet-proof vest.
Blue
Streak (II). Jim Dare is the Blue Streak, who fights
against crime.
Blue
Tracer. Bill Dunn, an engineer with a British division
in Ethiopia, is the only survivor of an attack by the M'bujies, supernatural
beings with world-conquering aims. Dunn is injured and nursed back to health,
and then decides to carry the attack to the enemy, both the M'bujies and
the Axis. He builds a special vehicle, the Blue Tracer, and uses it against
the Bad Guys. He has no powers, but he created and pilots the Tracer, and
all-terrain vehicle which can fly, drive, and go under water, and which
is armed with machine guns, cannon, and torpedoes.
Bobby
and Binks. Bobby is a school boy and Binks is a school
girl who together make the mistake of looking into a magic crystal. This
sends them hurtling through time, and they have adventures in the time
of the Pharaohs, among other eras. They have no superpowers, and besides
being plucky and resourceful and not easily cowed are not special in any
way.
Bob
Daley. Bob is the sidekick of Tex
Thomson in his adventures, and when Tex fights crime as Mr.
America and then fights the Germans as the Americommando
Bob is right there with him as the Fatman.
Bob has no superpowers but isn't bad in a fight.
Bob
Merritt. Bob Merritt is a "gentlemen adventurer and inventor,"
as well as the designer of experimental new planes as well as a pilot and
adventurer. He is helped by his friends Buzz and Shorty.
Bob
Neal. Bob Neal is a Lieutenant in the American Navy,
in Submarine 662. Bob and his best friend Tubby Potts have adventures in
ports around the world and eventually in war-torn Europe.
Bob
Phantom. Walter Whitney, a theater columnist on Broadway,
fights crime in the big city. He has the ability to phase and turn immaterial.
Bob
Steele. "Navy Bob Steele" is actually Lieutenant Robert
Steele of the U.S. Navy, who with his friends Red Mlone, Bill hseridan,
Tommy Andrews, and Captain Frank Vernon serves on the U.S.S. Alaska,
fighting the enemies of America.
Bob
Wiley. Bob Wiley, a young factory worker, wins a cadetship
to West Point. As an Army Cadet he has various hot-tempered, two-fisted
adventures.
Bogeyman.
The Bogeyman, very similar to the Spirit,
fought crime and scared the bad guys.
Bombardiers.
Montague T. McGurk, Swordo, and the lovely (female, obviously) Red Rogers
are the Bombardiers, the sidekicks of the Human
Bomb. They share his explosive powers, having been given them
by the Bomb. They fought with the Bomb against the Japanese army.
Bomber
Burns (I). Jack "Bomber" Burns is an American stunt flyer
with the RAF. After being shot down he decides to change his m.o., and
after acquiring a P-38 he retires to the Scottish highlands, where he customizes
the plane and makes a costume for himself. He has no superpowers, but his
new plane, the Firebrand, has "special superchargers," a dozen machine
guns and cannon, and a "flame-thrower from an Aussie armored car."
Bomber
Burns (II). Jack "Bomber" Burns is an American stunt
flyer who with his co-pilot Dave Matten fight the Nazis.
Bombshell.
Bombshell, the son of Mars, is sent by his father to punish the Nazis,
who have turned warfare into "reckless slaughter." Bombshell does so. He
is sometimes helped by Young Robin Hood.
He has no superpowers but has a magic sword which won't harm humans but
will destroy machines; he is also a good fighter.
Boomerang.
Lloyd
Raleigh, a policeman, decides to fight crime undercover as the Boomerang.
His partner is his girlfriend Diana. He has no powers.
Bouncer.
Adam Antaeas, Jr., is a sculptor and artist. He creates a statue of the
Greek "god" Antaeus, only to find that when danger threatens the statue
comes to life. When that happens, Adam gains superstrength--the statue
already has it--and can, like the statue, bounce through the air and land
on bad guys, stopping them cold. Of course, like the mythical Antaeus Adam
and the statue are vulnerable in mid-bounce.
Boy
Buddies. The Buddies were Dusty
the Boy Detective (the partner of the Shield) and Roy
the Super Boy (the partner of the Wizard).
Boy
Commandos. Andrew Chavard, a French boy, Alfy Twidgett,
a doughy British lad, Jan Haasan, a Dutch boy, and Brooklyn, an American
boy, are all orphans and are all regulars around an American unit stationed
in England during WW2. They are brought together by the American Captain
Rip Carter, who trains them in fighting and school, and uses them as an
elite commando unit. They have no superpowers but are surprisingly good
in a fight.
Boy
Explorers. Mister Zero, Gashouse, Smiley and Gadget are
four orphans from America and three European countries who sail around
the world in a Yankee Clipper helmed by their pal Commodore Sinbad. They
have no powers but are doughty adventurers nonetheless.
Boy Heroes. Jakeoster contributes the following: Probably inspired by the success of the Boy Commandos, four lads, Corny, Punchy, Trigger, and Prince (an actual DutchFirst appearance: All-New Comics #6 (Harvey) Boy King. I'll let Ronald Byrd do the description for this one: Our last Clue super-hero, the Boy King, returns us to the non-powered hero yet also leads us into Clue's most noted departure from day-to-day reality. The Boy King is the cover star of Clue, and he deserves the post; his is one of the more unique stories that comes to mind, as well as one of the most consistently inconsistent. Apparently, in #1, the young David, prince of the European nation of Swisslakia (neat name, huh?), is orphaned and promoted to kingship when his father is killed by Nazi invaders. Under circumstances that I don't know, the Boy King activates a secret weapon of Swisslakia's that has lain dormant for centuries: a Giant, looking not unlike It the Living Colossus with "hair," created for the defense of Swisslakia by Nostradamus (odd choice; I would have gone for Cagliostro or St. Germain or another such figure) in the 15th century (the fact that Nostradamus lived and died in the 16th century is, of course, not meant to disturb us). By #2, although the Giant (he is given no other name) could, ostensibly, repel the Nazis from Swisslakia, the Boy King has instead elected to lead the Giant and a boatload of several if not all of the Swisslakians to America.First Appearance: Clue Comics #1 (Hillman) Boy
Rangers. Buck, Corny, Froggy, and Gorilla were the Boy
Rangers, sidekicks to Jackie Law.
Bozo
the Iron Man. Dr. Van Thorp builds Bozo, a mighty robot,
to help him conquer the world. But Hugh Hazzard, a boy, overhears the evil
Doc gloating and foils the plan. Hazard is given the robot after Doc is
sent to the Big House, and he reprograms Bozo to do good, which he does.
Bozo has great superstrength, ran walk at the bottom of the ocean floor,
can run over 70 mph, and can be controlled either remotely or from inside
his body (he's hollow and Hazard can fit inside him).
Brad
Hardy. Brad is a two-fisted explorer and adventurer who
explores underground kingdoms and fights Rat Men and Snake Men as well
as evil Black Magicians.
Bradley
Boy. Tom and Jack Bradley end up in the depths of a large
American forest, where they become "very adept at woodcraft and...pioneering!"
They have the usual Tarzan skills as well as being good archers.
Brad
Spencer. Brad Spencer is accidentally exposed to a "sizzling
voltage of a secret current." This gives him superpowers, and he uses his
new abilities to become Brad Spencer, Wonderman, and fight crime. He is
helped by his girlfriend Carol Paige. Brad has the ability to become invulnerable
(as hard as steel) and has superstrength.
Breeze
Barton. Barton is a soldier on an alternate Earth
who is fighting World War Two. While trying to stop a Japanese invasion
of South Africa he is shot down over the Sahara Desert. There he discovers
the hidden Miracle City, and when he leaves that with his new girlfriend
Anne, daughter of the city's Chief Scientist, he ends up on Earth in the
soi-distant
future of 1995, where there is one lone bastion of civilization under constant
attack by barbarians. Breeze helps the civilized folks start to rebuild
civilization. He has no superpowers, but is good in a fight and has a ray
gun and a jet pack.
Breezy Collins. Breezy Collins is the leader of the Glider Patrol, "three real American boys and a girl...and all interested in aviation." They are: - Breezy, a "typical aviation-minded American
boy." He's tall and strapping and well-muscled, and is quite knowledgeable
about aircraft,
Together, this intrepid group patrols the
skies with their glider and fight Nazi spies and gangsters on the homefront.
Bronze
Man. Major Randy Ronald had been the Army Air Force’s
“Ace of Aces,” their best fighter pilot, but he was shot down and was presumed
dead. The truth was worse than that. He’d been captured by the Germans
and mutilated. He escaped, however, and then put on a bronze mask and “dedicated
his life to mercilessly exterminating brute force and injustice!" He had
superstrength and endurance.
Bronze
Terror. Jeff Dixon, a lawyer and Apache, returns
to the reservation after graduating from law school. He discovers that
his father has been framed for murder and puts on a costume to fight for
his father, and then later for the rest of the Apache against those who
would oppress them. He has no powers but is a good fighter and good with
his weapons.
Bruce
Nelson. Bruce Nelson is a hard-bitten gentleman adventurer
of no particular profession or background.
Buccaneer.
Dennis is a heroic privateer who leads the crew of the Serpent on
a quest for justice and money in the days of the Spanish Main.
Buck
Brady. Buck Brady is an agent for the F.B.I. His most
notable attribute is the bow-tie he wears.
Buck
Burke. Buck Burke is a young zoologist and a live game
trapper. He works in Africa catching wild animals and fighting for justice.
Buck
Jones. Buck Jones is a "famous fighting cowboy" and a
"frontier marshal."
Buck
Marshall. Buck Marshall is a "range detective," fighting
crime on America's western frontier.
Buck
Ranger. Buck Ranger is a cowboy detective, solving the
crimes of the range and the frontier.
Buckskin
Jim. Jim and his grizzled best friend Trapper Pete are
frontier adventurers, fighting for plucky settlers and against those awful
Indians (who in this strip really are pretty nasty--"torture of the slow
fire" and all of that).
Buckskin
Blake. Ed Love notes: "Seeking to inspire his students,
Robert Blake wears a blue (!) buckskin costume and mask. Trained
by his ex-Indian Scout grandfather, Buckskin is really good pretty
much at everything."
Buckskin
Boys. The boys, Hank and Pudge, are active for American
during the Revolutionary War.
Bucky.
J.
Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, a ward of the State assigned to Army Camp Lehigh,
walks in on his best pal Steve Rogers one day and discovers that Rogers
is actually
Captain America. Rogers
decides to put a costume on Bucky and make him a sidekick. Bucky fought
alongside Cap against gangsters and Germans and Japanese during the war
and found the time to be a member of the Young
Allies. Bucky had no powers but was a good fighter.
Buddy
(1). Buddy is the young sidekick of the Eagle.
He could fly, like the Eagle.
Buddy
(2). Buddy Smith had to witness his father being killed
by fascists. He then ran into Uncle Sam, and ended up being his sidekick.
He has no powers, though he's got a peppy, gosh-wow attitude, and that
has to count for something.
Bulldog
Martin. Bulldog Martin is a rough-and-tough private eye.
He is helped by the racist stereotype Jonah.
Bulletgirl.
Susan Kent is the daughter of a police sergeant and the girlfriend of Jim
Barr. She discovers, more or less by accident, that Jim is Bulletman,
and decides that she wants to help him fight crime. He invents a gravity-regulating
helmet, just like his but sized for her, adn she teams up with him to fight
crime as Bulletgirl. She was a member of the Crime
Crusaders Club. She had none of his superpowers but because
of the helmet could fly and practice bullet-repulsion.
Bulletman.
Jim
Barr, a chemist for the police, creates a drug which gives him superstrength
and increases his intelligence, which allows him to create a helmet which
allows him to defy gravity. He uses his new powers and invention to fight
crime. He is partnered with his girlfriend Bulletgirl,
who
has the same powers as he; later on he devises a Gravity Collar that allows
their dog Slug to become the flying crime-fighting Bulletdog. (I'm not
making this up, you know) He is a member of the Crime
Crusaders Club. He has superstrength, he has heightened intelligence,
he has telescopic vision, and his helmet allows him to fly and deflect
bullets. (Michael Norwitz corrects me and points out that Bulletman's powers
faded over time)
Bull's-Eye
Bill. "Bull's-Eye" Bill Target is "a young native talented
in the gifts of gun-slinging, hard riding, and cowpunching." Bill's adventures
take place in and around Wenton, Arizona, and in the present day, rather
than that of the Old West.
Bumper.
Bumper, a circus strong man, is the sidekick of the Black
Diamond.
Burma
Boy. Burma Boy is the originless and powerless sidekick
of The Green Turtle.
"Buzz"
Balmer. "Buzz" is an average, rambunctious American teenager
who one day is accidentally shrunk down to doll size by his father, Professor
Balmer. He goes on to have Doll Man-like
adventures, even piloting a plane which his father shrinks down for him
to use.
Buzz
Crandall. Buzz is a Lieutenant in the Space Patrol who
is advised by Dr. Curan and helped by the Doctor’s daughter, Sandra, as
he flies the space lanes and explores “strange new worlds.” He has no superpowers
but has the usual blaster and spaceship.
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