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List of Quality Comics characters

Quality Comics was a comic book company from the Golden Age of Comic Books. It operated from 1937 to 1956 and sold many anthology comic books that starred superheroes, many of which were adopted by DC Comics when they purchased Quality Comics, and others were not, entering the public domain.

01711

711 was created by George Brenner and published by Quality Comics. 711 first appeared in Police Comics #1 (August 1941) and lasted until #15 (January 1943), when he was killed.

Daniel Dyce was a District 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. Dyce adopts the name 711, a reference to his prisoner number. One of his enemies is the costumed villain Brickbat.

After two years of adventures Daniel Dyce was killed by the mobster Oscar Jones. The hero Destiny sees this take place, and starts his crime fighting career when 711 died, replacing his feature in Police Comics.

Like many early comic book heroes, 711 did not wear a traditional costume but rather was modeled after the traditional pulp magazine heroes. 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.

Following the Golden Age, many of the Quality Comics characters were purchased by DC Comics, while others lapsed into the public domain. DC has used 711 only once in their publications, a Millennium Edition reprint of his first appearance.

Abdul the Arab in Smash Comics #12
Abdul the Arab in Smash Comics #12

02Abdul the Arab

Abdul the Arab first appeared in Smash Comics #1 (August 1939). Abdul is an Arab sheikh who is aligned with the British intelligence agencies in the Middle East. He was originally created by Vernon Henkel.

03Ace of Space

The Ace of Space first appeared in Feature Comics #38 (November 1940).

04Angles O'Day

Angles O'Day first appeared in Ken Shannon #1 (October 1951).

05Archie Atkins

Archie Atkins, Desert Scout first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941).

06Arizona Ames / Arizona Raines

Arizona Ames first appeared in Crack Western #63 (November 1949). His name was changed to Arizona Raines without explanation in issue #66 (May 1950).

07Atomictot

Atomictot first appeared in All Humor Comics #2 (Summer 1946).

08The Barker

Carnie Calahan was a circus barker who first appeared in National Comics #42 (May 1944).

09Betty Bates

Betty Bates, Lady-at-Law first appeared in Hit 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.

Betty Bates in other media

Elizabeth Bates appears in the Creature Commandos episode "Chasing Squirrels", voiced by Linda Cardellini.

10Bill the Magnificent

Bill the Magnificent first appeared in Hit Comics #25 (December 1942).

11Black Condor

The Black Condor first appeared in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940).

12Blackhawk

The Blackhawks first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941).

13Black Roger

Black Roger first appeared in Buccaneers #19 (January 1950).

14Black X

Black X (Richard Spencer) is a secret agent who first appeared in Quality's Feature Funnies #13 (1938). In August 1939, Black X moved from Feature to Smash Comics. In the first five issues of Smash Comics, the character was called Black Ace, then he reverted to the original name. His sidekick is Batu, a telepathic Indian.

According to Jess 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 the femme fatale Madame Doom."

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.

The character continued in Smash Comics until issue #85 (Oct 1949).

15Blaze Barton

Blaze Barton first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940).

16Blimpy

Blimpy first appeared in Feature Comics #64 (January 1943).

17The Blue Tracer

Captain Bill Dunn and Boomerang Jones, crew of The Blue Tracer, first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941). The Blue Tracer is the name of Bill Dunn's super-vehicle, which can become a tank, airplane, or submarine.

The Blue Tracer appeared in issues #1 through #16 of Military Comics. The characters were acquired by DC Comics, along with the rest of Quality Comics' properties in the 1950s. However, these characters had lapsed into public domain before that.

The Blue Tracer's origin story is told in the first appearance, in Military Comics #1. William "Wild Bill" Dunn is an American engineer working with the British Army in a secluded section of Ethiopia. While working, his team is attacked by a group of supernatural beings named the M'bujies. The M'bujies wound Dunn and kill his teammates. Dunn is rescued by "Boomerang" Jones, an Australian soldier who had been given up for dead and is now fighting his own private war against the Nazis. 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. The two travel the world and fight the Axis forces during the rest of the war, with Dunn at the head and Jones as his sidekick.

According to Jess 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."

The last appearance of the Blue Tracer was in Military Comics #16, according to the Grand Comics Database.

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.

18Bob and Swab

Bob Masters and Swab Decker first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940).

19Bozo the Iron Man

Bozo the Iron Man and Hugh Hazzard first appeared in Smash Comics #1 (August 1939).

20Bruce Blackburn

Bruce Blackburn first appeared in Feature Comics #32 (May 1940). He became The Destroying Demon in issue #39 (December 1940).

21Burp the Twerp

Burp the Twerp first appeared in Police Comics #2 (September 1941).

22Candy O'Connor

Candace "Candy" O'Connor first appeared in Police Comics #37 (December 1944).

23Captain Cook

Captain Cook of Scotland Yard first appeared in Feature Funnies #13 (October 1938).

24Captain Daring

Captain Daring first appeared in Buccaneers #19 (January 1950).

25Captain Flagg

Captain Jim Flagg first appeared in Hit Comics #22 (June 1942).

26Captain Triumph

Captain Triumph first appeared in Crack Comics #27 (January 1943).

27Casey Jones

Casey Jones first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940).

28Chic Carter

Chic Carter first appeared in Smash Comics #1 (August 1939). He became The Sword in issue #24 (July 1941).

29Choo Choo and Cherry

Choo Choo LaMoe and Cherry Lane first appeared in Military Comics #35 (January 1945).

30Clip Chance

Clip Chance, student athlete at Cliffside College, first appeared in Feature Funnies #7 (April 1938).

31The Clock

The Clock first appeared simultaneously in Funny Pages v1#6 (November 1936) and Funny Picture Stories v1#1 (November 1936) published by the Comics Magazine Company. He debuted at Quality Comics in Feature Funnies #3 (December 1937).

32Comet Kelly

Lt. Douglas "Comet" Kelly first appeared in Hit Comics #22 (June 1942).

33Cyclone

Cyclone first appeared in National Comics #1 (July 1940).

34Daffy Dill

Daffy Dill first appeared in Smash Comics #41 (March 1943).

35The Death Patrol

The Death Patrol first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941).

36Destiny

Destiny first appeared in Police Comics #15 (January 1943).

37Destroyer 171

Lt. Commander Harvey Blake, the skipper of the U.S.S. Pawnee (Destroyer 171), and Executive Officer Fred Conroy first appeared in National 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.

38Doll Girl

Martha Roberts first appeared in Feature Comics #27 (December 1939). She became Midge in Feature Comics #77 (April 1944), followed by Doll Girl in Doll Man #37 (December 1951).

39Doll Man

Doll Man first appeared in Feature Comics #27 (December 1939).

40Don Glory

Don Glory first appeared in Hit Comics #8 (February 1941).

41Eagle Evans

Eagle Evans first appeared in Police Comics #1 (August 1941).

42Eric Falcon

Eric Falcon first appeared in Buccaneers #19 (January 1950).

43Ezra Jones

Ezra Jones first appeared in Blackhawk #9 (Winter 1944).

44The Fargo Kid

The Fargo Kid first appeared in Feature Comics #47 (August 1941).

45Fear

Fear first appeared in Modern Comics #49 (May 1946).

46Firebrand

Firebrand first appeared in Police Comics #1 (August 1941).

47Frontier Marshal

U.S. Marshal Bob Allen first appeared in Crack Western #63 (November 1949).

48G-2

G-2 first appeared in National Comics #27 (December 1942).

49The Gallant Knight

Sir Tyrone Neville first appeared in Feature Funnies #7 (April 1938).

50Ghost of Flanders

The Ghost of Flanders first appeared in Hit Comics #18 (December 1941).

51The Hawk

The Hawk (T. James Harrington II) first appeared in Feature Funnies #2 (November 1937).

52Hawks of the Seas

The Hawk first appeared in the U.K. in Wags #17 (April 23, 1937). This story was reprinted in the U.S. in Feature Funnies #3 (December 1937). This character is different from the 'T. James Harrington II' version (see above).

53Her Highness and Silk

Her Highness and Silk first appeared in Hit Comics #27 (April 1943).

54Human Bomb

The Human Bomb first appeared in Police Comics #1 (August 1941). Hustace Throckmorton first appeared in Police Comics #15 (January 1943). The Bombardiers first appeared in Police Comics #21 (August 1943).

55Inferior Man

Inferior Man first appeared in Military Comics #7 (February 1942).

56Invisible Hood

The Invisible Hood first appeared in Smash Comics #1 (August 1939).

57Jack and Jill, Super Sleuths

Jack Doe and his wife Jill Doe first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940).

58Jester

The Jester first appeared in Smash Comics #22 (May 1941).

59Joe Hercules

Joe Hercules first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940).

60Johnny Doughboy

Johnny Doughboy first appeared in Military Comics #14 (December 1942).

61Just 'n' Right

Just 'n' Right first appeared in The Doll Man Quarterly #1 (Autumn 1941).

62Ken Shannon

Ken Shannon first appeared in Police Comics #103 (December 1950).

63Kid Dixon

Danny "Kid" Dixon first appeared in National Comics #1 (July 1940).

64Kid Eternity

Kid Eternity first appeared in Hit Comics #25 (December 1942).

65The Kid Patrol

The Kid Patrol first appeared in National Comics #1 (July 1940).

66Lady Luck

Lady Luck first appeared in The Spirit Section #1 (June 2, 1940). Her adventures were reprinted in Quality Comics beginning with Smash Comics #42 (April 1943).

67Lee Preston

Lee Preston of the Red Cross first appeared in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940).

68Lion Boy

Lion Boy first appeared in Hit Comics #6 (December 1940).

69Loops and Banks

Loops McCann and Banks Barrows first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941).

Marmaduke Mouse, art by Ernie Hart.
Marmaduke Mouse, art by Ernie Hart.

70Madam Fatal

Madam Fatal first appeared in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940).

71Magno the Magnetic Man

Magno the Magnetic Man appeared in Quality Comics from 1940 to 1956. The character was created by Paul Gustavson. His first appearance was in Smash Comics #13 (August 1940). He was one of the characters that were purchased by DC Comics when Quality Comics sold their assets. However, the copyright on these comics expired before that, making them public 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. He was featured in Smash 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 to Four Favorites, from issue #1 to #26 (Sept 1941-Nov 1946).

In his fourth story, Magno was joined by a sidekick, Davey, a young man with the powers of magnetic attraction and repulsion who is the younger brother of female private eye Carole Landis. Davey's powers had no origin in particular. Magno and Davey became partners, and worked for the government on secret missions.

According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, "Magno and Davey take on a variety of foes: human-sacrificing Aztec cultists, the four-armed, fanged Yellow 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".

Magno was briefly revived in 1984 for two issues of All-Star Squadron, #31 and 32 (March-April 1984). In this story, Magno is contacted by Uncle Sam hours before the attack on Pearl Harbor to join the Freedom 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. He's also seen in Secret Origins vol 2 #26 (May 1988), in the origin story for Miss America.

Second Magno

An unnamed, second Magno appeared in Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters v2 #3. Also having the power of electrokinesis, Magno was under mind control from Director Robbins' and was a member of his Crusaders team. After Red 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.

72Manhunter

Manhunter first appeared in Police Comics #8 (March 1942).

73Margo the Magician

Margo the Magician first appeared in Uncle Sam Quarterly #2 (Winter 1941).

74The Marksman

The Marksman first appeared in Smash Comics #33 (May 1942).

75Marmaduke Mouse

Marmaduke was a talking animal character created by Ernie Hart in 1944 and was Quality Comics' third longest-running title behind Blackhawk and Plastic Man. He first appeared in Hit 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. According to the Encyclopedia 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."

76Merlin the Magician

Merlin the Magician first appeared in National Comics #1 (July 1940).

77Midnight

Midnight first appeared in Smash Comics #18 (January 1941).

78Miss America

Miss America first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941). She did not don a costume until issue #4 (November 1941).

79Mitymite

Mitymite first appeared in All Humor Comics #1 (Spring 1946).

80Molly the Model

Molly Maloney first appeared in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940).

81Monsieur X

Monsieur X first appeared in Military Comics #6 (January 1942).

82The Mouthpiece

The Mouthpiece first appeared in Police Comics #1 (August 1941) and lasted until #13. He was created by Fred Guardineer. Although, like all Quality characters, he is ostensibly owned by DC Comics after it acquired Quality's assets, he lapsed into public domain prior to the said acquisition.

Bill Perkins was a District 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. He carries a gun and handcuffs. He was ruthless, and was prepared to kill criminals when he needed to. Once, he even threw a harpoon 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.

83Neon the Unknown

Neon the Unknown first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940).

84The Old Witch

The Old Witch first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940).

85The Orchid

The Orchid first appeared in Detective Picture Stories #2 (January 1937) published by the Comics Magazine Company. She debuted at Quality Comics in Feature Funnies #3 (December 1937).

86Pen Miller

Pen Miller first appeared in National Comics #1 (July 1940).

87The Phantom Clipper

Tiger Shark and Captain Seth Perkins, crew of The Phantom Clipper, first appeared in Military Comics #9 (April 1942).

88Phantom Lady

Phantom Lady first appeared in Police Comics #1 (August 1941).

89Plastic Man

Plastic Man first appeared in Police Comics #1 (August 1941).

90Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy first appeared in Feature Comics #32 (May 1940).

91Private Dogtag

Private Dogtag first appeared in Military Comics #14 (December 1942).

92Prop Powers

Captain Prop Powers of the U.S. Coast Guard first appeared in National Comics #1 (July 1940).

93The Purple Trio

The Purple Trio first appeared in Smash Comics #13 (August 1940).

94Quicksilver

Quicksilver first appeared in National Comics #5 (November 1940).

95The Raven

The Raven first appeared in Feature Comics #60 (September 1942).

96The Ray

The Ray first appeared in Smash Comics #14 (September 1940).

97Red Bee

The Red Bee first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940).

98Red Torpedo

The Red Torpedo first appeared in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940).

99Robin Hood

Robin Hood first appeared in Robin Hood Tales #1 (February 1956).

100Rookie Rankin

Rookie Rankin first appeared in Smash Comics #25 (August 1941).

101Rusty Ryan

Rusty Ryan first appeared in Feature Comics #32 (May 1940). He first donned a costume in issue #45 (June 1941). The Boyville Brigadiers first appeared in Feature Comics #45 (June 1941).

102Sally O'Neil

Sally O'Neil, policewoman first appeared in National Comics #1 (July 1940).

103Samar

Samar first appeared in Feature Comics #32 (May 1940).

104The Scarlet Seal

The Scarlet Seal first appeared in Smash Comics #16 (November 1940).

105Shot and Shell

Colonel Sam Shot and Slim Shell first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941).

106The Sniper

The Sniper first appeared in Military Comics #5 (December 1941).

107The Space Legion

Captain Rock Braddon of The Space Legion first appeared in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940).

108The Spider

The Spider first appeared in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940).

109Spider Widow

The Spider Widow first appeared in Feature Comics #57 (June 1942).

110The Spirit

Will Eisner's The Spirit (Denny Colt) first appeared in Iowa's Register and Tribune Syndicate newspaper insert The Spirit Section #1 (June 2, 1940). Two years later, on July 3, 1942, The Spirit made his first actual comic book appearance in Police Comics #11 (September 1942); it reprints his 1940 origin from strip #1. The Spirit's Quality Comics appearances end in issue #102 (November 1950).

111Spitfire

Tex Adams, ace test pilot, first appeared in Crack Comics #15 (August 1941). He was nicknamed Spitfire in issue #16 (September 1941).

112Steele Kerrigan

Steele Kerrigan first appeared in Police Comics #1 (August 1941).

113Stormy Foster the Great Defender

The Great Defender first appeared in Hit Comics #18 (December 1941).

114The Strange Twins

Inspector Douglas Strange of Scotland Yard and his criminal twin brother Rodney Strange first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940). They learned that they were brothers in issue #7 (January 1941).

115Swing Sisson

Swing Sisson first appeared in Feature Comics #49 (October 1941).

116The Swordfish

Ensign Jack Smith, who piloted an electric battery driven one-man submarine named The Swordfish for the U.S. Navy, first appeared in Hit Comics #22 (June 1942).

117T-Man

Treasury Agent Pete Trask first appeared in Police Comics #103 (December 1950).

118Tommy Tinkle

Tommy Tinkle first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940).

119Tor the Magic Master

Tor first appeared in Crack Comics #10 (February 1941).

120Torchy Todd

Torchy Todd first appeared in Doll Man Quarterly #8 (Spring 1946).

121Two-Gun Lil

Two-Gun Lil first appeared in Crack Western #63 (November 1949).

122Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam first appeared in National Comics #1 (July 1940).

123The Unknown

The Unknown first appeared in National Comics #23 (June 1942).

124USA the Spirit of Old Glory

USA the Spirit of Old Glory first appeared in Feature Comics #42 (March 1941).

125The Voice

The Voice first appeared in Feature Comics #32 (May 1940).

126The Whistler

After the murder of his brother in National Comics #48 (June 1945), Mallory Drake became The Whistler.

127Wildfire

Wildfire first appeared in Smash Comics #25 (August 1941).

128Will Bragg

Will Bragg first appeared in Modern Comics #47 (March 1946).

129Wings Wendall

Wings Wendall first appeared in Smash Comics #1 (August 1939). He first donned a costume in issue #24 (July 1941).

130Wizard Wells

Wizard Wells first appeared in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940).

131Wonder Boy

Wonder Boy first appeared in National Comics #1 (July 1940).

132X of the Underground

X of the Underground first appeared in Military Comics #8 (March 1942).

133X-5 / G-5

X-5, Super Agent first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940). His codename was changed to G-5 in issue #5 (November 1940).

134Yankee Eagle (Jerry Noble)

Jerry Noble, The Yankee Eagle first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941).

135Yankee Eagle (Larry Noble)

Larry Noble, The Yankee Eagle first appeared in Smash Comics #38 (December 1942).

136Zero the Ghost Detective

Zero first appeared in Feature Comics #32 (May 1940).

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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article List of Quality Comics characters, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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