50's comic-book heroes

[FenrisUlf]

This question is for the real old-timers out there. Now, we all know that the evil Doc Wertham drove superhero and horror comics out of existence in the 50's, yet I've read that there were some new superheroes from both DC and Marvel at that time. Does anyone know anything about who these characters were or where I could go to learn more?

I imagine Steve Long is the one to ask here, as he is the dean of superhero comic-book history, but whoever knows something helpful, I'll appreciate whatever you've got to say.

[Vanguard00]

I know that Flash and Green Lantern were both 'revamped' in the 50's, but I don't know of new characters. There were lots of 'adventure' comics in the 50's, though: Wyatt Earp, Roy Rogers, Robin Hood, some battlefield stuff...that sort of thing.

I'll see what I can find out.

[Vanguard00]

Challengers of the Unknown first appeared, but they're not really superheroes. But Legion of Super-Heroes first appeared in 1958 (Adventure #247).

Marvel attempted a revival following the Code-Crisis of the fifties using Namor, Human Torch & Captain America, but apparently it failed. Marvel published mostly horror, sci fi and westerns in the 50's.

Still looking, though.

[Blue]

Hard to spot heroes created in this time period. Even Marvel Boy (1952) actually had two earlier incarnations. And I'm pretty sure the Rawhide Kid isn't what you were looking for.

New Comics in this period tended to resemble Dime novels. All westerns, suspense tales, and romance comics.

[fredrik_nilsson]

Now, we all know that the evil Doc Wertham drove superhero and horror comics out of existence in the 50's, yet I've read that there were some new superheroes from both DC and Marvel at that time. Does anyone know anything about who these characters were or where I could go to learn more?

Normally I'd recommend these places, ... :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dc_comics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Comics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superhero

... but they don't say a word about supers that were created during the 50's.

There is always the possibility to browse Toonopedia. :?

[Vanguard00]

Yeah, I'm finding out the same thing. Doc Wertham's book pretty much squelched superhero creativity during that time. DC managed to keep Action Comics (Superman) and Detective Comics (Batman) going, but they're the only two. It wasn't until the late 50s that DC revamped Flash, Green Lantern and Atom, and it wasn't until 1960-61 that comics made a big comeback.

If there were new superheroes in the 1950s, they're from underground comics and I can't find 'em.

[Dr. Anomaly]

If there were new superheroes in the 1950s, they're from underground comics and I can't find 'em.

Vanguard00, you yourself pointed out the LSH; since it was their first appearance (in 1958) how do they not qualify as "new" superheroes in the 1950's?

[McCoy]

J'onn J'onzz, 1955

[Vanguard00]

Vanguard00, you yourself pointed out the LSH; since it was their first appearance (in 1958) how do they not qualify as "new" superheroes in the 1950's?

I meant other than what I came up with already

[Darren Watts]

New or at least majorly revamped superheroes in the decade of the '50s:

Captain Comet (1952)
Krypto The Superdog (what, he doesn't count?) (1953)
The Batmen of Other Countries (a goofy story, but strangely important to DC continuity) (1955)
Martian Manhunter (1955)
Flash II (Barry Allen) (1956)
Batwoman (1956)
The original Legion Of Superheroes (Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy) (1958)
Challengers Of The Unknown (sort of supers, anyway) (1957)
Congo Bill & Congorilla (1957 &1959- originally just an adventure strip, but got superpowers within the decade)
Supergirl (1959)
Green Lantern II (Hal Jordan) (just squeaks in at the end of '59)
Aqualad just missed, in 1960.

Jimmy Olsen first became Elasti-Lad in 1958, too.

The late '50s at DC saw a lot of sci-fi action heroes who wound up as part of their eventual superhero universe as well:

Space Ranger (1958)
Adam Strange (1958)
Tommy Tomorrow (1958)
Rip Hunter (1959)

Plus there were several other action heroes from different time periods who blurred the line into superheroism, like Tomahawk, Nighthawk (a masked cowboy) and a few others.

Timely's brief comeback in the early '50s only recreated '40s characters, except for Venus (who wasn't much of a superhero) and a few monster characters who've been retconned into supers. As a bit of trivia, Patsy Walker (who later became the heroine Hellcat) first appeared in the Atlas romance comic Patsy & Hedy in 1952. There weren't any significan indy heroes created in the '50s- only the most popular of the non-DC heroes still had series at the beginning of the decade (the Marvels, Doll Man, Plastic Man), and all of them had died off by 1954 or so.

[Darren Watts]

I imagine Steve Long is the one to ask here, as he is the dean of superhero comic-book history...

Dude.

[Agent 13]

A few that haven't been mentioned:

1951 - Dr. Thirteen
1952 - Phantom Stranger
1955 - Ace the Bat-Hound
Viking Prince
1959 - Sgt. Rock
Lady Blackhawk
Bat-Mite

[Darren Watts]

Forgot the Phantom Stranger!?! D'oh!!! dw

[Vanguard00]

Dude.

Noted

[Darren Watts]

Noted

Just teasin'. Steve's comic-fu is very solid, but it doesn't really go back past the seventies. dw