We've seen that 1939 opened up the floodgates of super hero creation, the challenge being taken up by companies like Timely and MLJ who would one day be better known as Marvel and Archie Comics respectively.
Companies like Centaur and Quality had dipped a toe into the super hero ocean by now and shown that there was creative juice outside National (DC Comics) Publications. This trend would continue, though 1940 was very much a DC Comics year. Most of the names beyond Superman and Batman that we today associate with DC would arrive in their Golden Age forms in 1940. All but one.
1940 also gave us Marvel's biggest star for the next quarter century.
And one big name arrived on the scene to stir things up in a way that is still relevant today.
Let's have a look, shall we?
DC Comics was now humming along with its two marquee stars, Superman and Batman, but National Periodicals wasn't sitting on its hands. They started churning out more heroes in 1940, hoping to catch more lightning in a bottle. While none of the 1940s creations would ever reach the levels of popularity enjoyed by Batman and Superman, they would all develop enough of a following that they are still driving new projects on the screen 85 years later. When these names enter the public domain in 2036, things look to get very interesting.
Green Lantern was created with a very different look and a different back story to the sci-fi space cop in a green onesie that has become the default version in the modern era. I love the Hal Jordan, Green Lantern Corps versions of the character, but there's a special, purple caped space in my heart for the Alan Scott version of the character. Originally, GL's powers were magical, not science based and his ring could not affect anything made of wood.
I have very specific plans for Alan Scott, a new origin that honours the original but updates him and adds dimensions that have never been explored in his character. Of all the characters beyond the marquee names of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, my take on the Alan Scott Green Lantern is the one I'm most excited to share. 10 years and counting, folks.
House of Justice? Absolutely. I'm already marking the calendar.
House of Crom? Not likely.
House of Entropy? Also, not likely. My Green Lantern will not be a space faring one.
House of Dread? Stay tuned. I have plans.
Speed got its icon in 1940 with the debut of The Flash. The Jay Garrick version is fairly different from the modern Barry Allen and Wally West red unitard and mask version. Garrick's character didn't wear a mask, but sported a winged helmet, a red top and blue pants. Once again, there are very specific plans for Jay Garrick in the Public Domain Super Heroes universe.
House of Justice? Absolutely.
House of Crom? Unlikely.
House of Entropy? Of all the mainstream super heroes, The Flash fits here better than most.
House of Dread? No plans at the moment, but you can never know.
Hawkman. Ah, another of my favourites and the most convoluted backstory in all of comics history. I have a simple, cohesive plan for him. Honest. He's been an Egyptian prince, a space cop, a reincarnated lover and an alien. I figured a nice, neat way to make all those ideas play nice, in one origin. Really.
House of Justice? You bet.
House of Crom? One of the few mainstream super heroes that naturally fits in the sword & sorcery genre.
House of Entropy? Absolutely. Alien origin, super metal that gives him power. Natural.
House of Dread? No specific plans, but I'm always happy to scare the pants off a hero.
Some of the more obscure DC Comics characters are also some of the most interesting. The Spectre is basically a man shaped incarnation of the Wrath of God. As the name implies, he's a spirit, his human form that of a cop, Jim Corrigan. There is a lot of story here, folks.
House of Justice? Yes.
House of Crom? A spirit who embodies the wrath of a diety? That's swords & sorcery 101, folks.
House of Entropy? Unlikely.
House of Dread? His name is 'The Spectre'.
Another great and spooky character showed up in 1940 to add to the mysterious side of DC. Dr. Fate, bearer of the Helmet of Nabu. Kent Nelson wore the helmet, but it has a larger history.
House of Justice? Sure.
House of Crom? Again, this is a case where 'sorcery' is baked into the character, so a swords & sorcery appearance seems inevitable.
House of Dread? A creepy sorcerer in a helmet that channels an ancient Babylonian god. Hmm...
Hourman is one of those oddball characters that I don't have any real plans for, at the moment. He gets power for one hour (thus the name) from a drug. The implications of this are wide, complex and problematic. If I do use him, I will definitely be reworking that origin and powerset.
House of Justice? Sure.
House of Crom? Not much chance of that.
House of Entropy? I need a way to make a 'super strength' drug less icky, so yeah, this might be the fit.
House of Dread? Sure.
Now we come to another character who has a Golden Age incarnation that is WAY different from his modern version. The Atom, Al Pratt, had no super powers. He was a small man who trained himself as a fighter to a point where he could stand alongside the DC giants. That's it. A dude in a mask and cape who threw fists. How great is that?
House of Justice? I have PLANS.
House of Crom? Not likely.
House of Entropy? Again, not likely.
House of Dread? There is a lot to work with here.
And now we come to the first true sidekick in the modern era. Robin.
As a fan, I absolutely love Robin. As a writer? He's a problem. I have not found my 'in' for the character. Yet.
House of Justice? If anywhere, here.
House of Crom? No.
House of Entropy? Not much chance.
House of Dread? Oh, I'd say there's a fit here.
Before I give you the DC Villains who arrive in 1940, there's one more very important piece of the DC puzzle that showed up that year.
The Justice Society of America. The first super hero team. I cannot tell you how fun it will be for me to publish my first JSA story in 2036. I'm chomping at the bit.
House of Justice? It's literally a Justice club.
House of Crom? Nope.
House of Entropy? Sure, one day.
House of Dread? Spooky villains are always threatening the gang.
And speaking of villains! Now that DC had all these heroic, square jawed guys, they needed someone to fight with. By the end of 1940, many of the most well known DC villains were happily menacing their heroic counterparts.
Lex Luthor. Superman needs Lex, period. While I have lots of under wraps ideas for Luthor, the one thing I promise I will not be doing is Lex as evil real estate mogul. Done and I've seen it often enough for one lifetime. I like him as an evil businessman, but his best use is just as a straight up 'I hate aliens' scientist.
House of Justice? Yep.
House of Crom? Nope.
House of Entropy? Absolutely.
House of Dread? Why not?
The maddest of the mad. The Joker. How on earth do I redo the most 'done' villain in super hero history?
Believe it or not, I have a plan. Seriously.
House of Justice? Oh, yes.
House of Crom? No.
House of Entropy? No.
House of Dread? Hell, yes. A creepy clown who kills people is like the modern version of Universal's monsters.
And then there's Catwoman. So much sexy here. Batman's nemesis slash girlfriend. Once again, I have plans. There's an 'in' that's baked into my universe already.
House of Justice? Yep.
House of Crom? No.
House of Entropy? Surprisingly, yes.
House of Dread? Sure.
1940 also saw the creation of villains like Hugo Strange, Wotan, Hath-Set and Clayface. There are myriad ways to use any and all of them. We're at a point where the villains start to get as interesting as the heroes.
Marvel, then Timely Comics, also gave us its biggest pre-Spider-Man name in 1940. Though his first appearance is cover dated March 1941, Marvel Comics #1, which introduced Captain America, Bucky and Red Skull, was actually on newsstands in December 1940. He will be in the public domain starting in 2036.
I will be introducing a Patriots Corps in February. It will consist of a group of patriotically American themed heroes, but since Captain America is under copyright for another decade, he won't be joining just yet. When 2036 rolls around, he'll fit right in.
House of Justice? Yes.
House of Crom? Cap is a shield wielder, so I never rule that out.
House of Entropy? His powers come from a super soldier serum. That's sci-fi, baked right in.
House of Dread? Oh, he's got a skull faced villain, so I'd say there's a good chance.
Bucky? Another sidekick character and most of what makes him interesting is under lock and key for another few decades. He's basically a slightly older Robin until they turned him into the Winter Soldier and that doesn't hit the public domain until sometime in the 2050s or so.
House of Justice? Wherever Cap goes, Bucky goes.
House of Crom? See above.
House of Entropy? See above.
House of Dread? See above.
The Aarkus version of the Vision shows up in 1940 as well. That's right. The Vision is as old as Captain America. He's not quite the living android you're likely familiar with. He's an alien and has some interesting powers I'll find a way to play with.
House of Justice? Yep.
House of Crom? Possible.
House of Entropy? You bet. Aliens live here.
House of Dread? Sure!
And then there's Marvel's best non-Spidey villain, the Red Skull. So much evil here. I can't wait!
House of Justice? Yep.
House of Crom? Absolutely.
House of Entropy? He fights with science. So much evil science.
House of Dread? The guy has a red skull. His is a red skull. So yeah.
But all this? Only half the story. Companies like Fawcett and MLJ also added characters to the super hero game in 1940 and they did it in some pretty big ways. Thanks to the copyright law of the day, their efforts are now in the public domain and available to be used by anyone for anything!
If you've been visiting regularly, you've seen this:
Say the Magic Word! is my reinterpretation of the classic, public domain character, Captain Marvel.
There's a current, trademarked Captain Marvel in the Marvel Comics stable, but she has nothing to do with the classic, Fawcett creation. Debuting in 1940 in Whiz Comics #2, thanks to the need for renewal of copyright in the 28th year after publication (no such renewal exists that I've been able to find) the character fell into the public domain long before DC Comics picked up the 'rights' to the character. They have a trademark on "Shazam" but that doesn't mean that they can stop anyone from writing books or comic books that feature the character and concepts. They can't.
I would be grateful to you if you'd go and buy a copy. Your purchase supports my current efforts and keeps the lights on around here.
Your review at Amazon will support those efforts, long term. Reviews are my favourite currency and worth FAR more than the purchase. Please don't forget. My existence depends on your involvement and participation!
Where will Billy Batson, Captain Marvel and the Wizard Shazam show up?
House of Justice? Already there!
House of Crom? This is an immortal power. Absolutely.
House of Entropy? It's magic, not science. And yet...
House of Dread? You betcha!
But Captain Marvel isn't the only BIG name that is in the public domain.
Lev Gleason Publications gave us Daredevil. Not to be confused with the Marvel Comics hero of the same name, this Daredevil is a guy named Bart Hill, who wears a bifurcated red and blue suit, red on his right, blue on his left. He's a boomerang expert, with a backstory that's similar to Batman's. Thanks to copyright law at the time, he's now in the public domain.
House of Justice? So fun to put him here.
House of Crom? A boomerang guy in a swords & sorcery tale? I can see that.
House of Entropy? Unlikely.
House of Dread? As always, I don't rule it out.
What about the Spirit? A very similar character to guys like Dick Tracy and the Shadow, he's basically a masked hero in a suit. Public domain, all the way.
House of Justice? There's a cadre of these guys. Maybe a team?
House of Crom? No.
House of Entropy? Some of his villains have a sci-fi bent.
House of Dread? Sure.
1940 also gave us Mysterious Dr. Satan, a Republic serial that introduced Dr. Satan, the main villain in my first novel, Dr. Satan and the Element of Evil.
In that super fun serial, another character, Copperhead, is the hero. He's basically Batman in a suit, with a chainmail cowl that approximates a Copperhead snake head.
Honestly, he's awesome. I absolutely want to see Copperhead in new adventures. That cowl can be updated and made into something very, very cool. A better outfit wouldn't hurt either. I'll get there. Promise.
House of Justice? Dr. Satan will return and Copperhead will be there to thwart him!
House of Crom? Not likely.
House of Entropy? Dr. Satan works with robots and alien elements. Absolutely.
House of Dread? A snake themed hero and a villain named Dr. Satan...
And speaking of that first book, it has a backup story that stars Spy Smasher. Spy Smasher is another great Fawcett hero who slipped into the public domain, quietly. He's foundational to Public Domain Super Heroes and will definitely return.
House of Justice? Operation Paperclip is here.
House of Crom? Not so much.
House of Entropy? He has a cameo in The Mongo Machine, a back up story to The Metropolis of Mongo!
House of Dread? Oh, I'm pretty sure WWII and its aftermath have horror tales to tell.
Fawcett characters like Ibis (he appears in Say the Magic Word!), Bulletman and Bulletgirl arrived in 1940 as well and are also in the public domain. I promise, there's a home for all under my roof!
Quality Comics gave us the unusual hero, Black Condor in 1940. I have some plans for him too!
House of Justice? Sure.
House of Crom? Another one of those 'mainstream' style heroes that actually fits in a swords & sorcery story.
House of Entropy? I mentioned my plans, right?
House of Dread? Oh, I would think.
MLJ also created an entire stable of heroes in 1940. They're all in the public domain now, thanks to Archie getting so big that MLJ basically dropped their hero line before the renewal deadline and never seems to have bothered to protect them. That's just fine with me!
The Shield will appear as part of my Patriot Corps in a new story in February 2026.
House of Justice? Definitely.
House of Crom? Unlikely.
House of Entropy? Another super soldier serum type hero. Definitely.
House of Dread? Star-Spangled Spine Tingling!
As for the rest of MLJ's heroes from 1940, I have them in mind for a lot of different roles. Heroes like The Black Hood, the Comet, Steel Sterling, the Fox, Zambini, the Scarlet Avenger, Mr. Satan and Captain Valor all stand to join the PDSH universe sooner rather than later!
There's a lot more to come, but that's most of what you need to know about 1940. Next time, 1941 and the next big year in super hero history!
See you soon!
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