Timeline_of_Earth-4_1930s_to_1950s

Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Both sides previous revision Previous revision
Next revision
Previous revision
Timeline_of_Earth-4_1930s_to_1950s [2016/03/10 08:25] docquantumTimeline_of_Earth-4_1930s_to_1950s [2024/01/14 00:37] (current) docquantum
Line 129: Line 129:
 === February, 1940 === === February, 1940 ===
  
-  * Jim Blake creates a winged flying costume and becomes the mystery man known as **[[Lynx (Jim Blake)|the Moth]]**. [Mystery Men Comics #9]+  * The wealthy Jim Blake, endowed by a famous biologist with the power of flight and tremendous energy to overcome almost all obstacles, creates a winged flying costume to control his flight and becomes the mystery man known as **[[Lynx (Jim Blake)|the Moth]]**. [Mystery Men Comics #9]
   * Grant Farrel is given super-powers by the god Thor and begins adventures as the mystery man called **[[Thor (Grant Farrel)|Thor]]**. [Weird Comics #1]   * Grant Farrel is given super-powers by the god Thor and begins adventures as the mystery man called **[[Thor (Grant Farrel)|Thor]]**. [Weird Comics #1]
   * [[Sorceress of Zoom|The Sorceress of Zoom]], sometimes a villainess, sometimes a heroine, begins adventures in Zoom, a traveling city in the clouds. //Note: The city of Zoom is probably originally from a magical dimension, such as the Land of the Nightshades.// [Weird Comics #1]   * [[Sorceress of Zoom|The Sorceress of Zoom]], sometimes a villainess, sometimes a heroine, begins adventures in Zoom, a traveling city in the clouds. //Note: The city of Zoom is probably originally from a magical dimension, such as the Land of the Nightshades.// [Weird Comics #1]
Line 182: Line 182:
   * Michael Shelby and his father, Senator Dan Shelby, are gunned down by agents of the Grim Circle; the senator dies, but his son barely clings to life. Prof. Martin Lascomb uses his experimental vita-ray machine to revive the injured Michael, but an accident causes him to be struck by thousands of volts of electricity at the same time, granting him the super-powers of strength, vitality, and limited flight. After meeting Walter Green, who retires as the original **Green Mask**, Shelby becomes **[[Green Mask (Michael Shelby)|the Green Mask II]]**. An orphaned boy named Don Mason is injured and also healed by vita-rays, which grant him vitality but doesn't give him super-powers; he becomes **[[Domino the Miracle Boy]]**, the Green Mask II's teenaged crime-fighting partner, who uses a boomerang as his primary weapon. Together, the two bring down the Grim Circle in their first case together. //Note: Michael Shelby's vita-ray-induced super-powers begin to wane a few months after he gains them; it's likely that repeated vita-ray treatments are necessary to give him powers again. Don's last name is never revealed in the comics, so we have given him the last name of Mason in honor of Hollis Mason (Nite Owl) of Watchmen, who like Don Mason wore a domino mask and wrote a memoir about his heroic second life. It should also be noted that Don's surname is not Tracy, since that is the surname of Olivia Tracy, who is Michael Shelby's love interest. Domino is first referred to as Don in Green Mask #6.// [Green Mask #1]   * Michael Shelby and his father, Senator Dan Shelby, are gunned down by agents of the Grim Circle; the senator dies, but his son barely clings to life. Prof. Martin Lascomb uses his experimental vita-ray machine to revive the injured Michael, but an accident causes him to be struck by thousands of volts of electricity at the same time, granting him the super-powers of strength, vitality, and limited flight. After meeting Walter Green, who retires as the original **Green Mask**, Shelby becomes **[[Green Mask (Michael Shelby)|the Green Mask II]]**. An orphaned boy named Don Mason is injured and also healed by vita-rays, which grant him vitality but doesn't give him super-powers; he becomes **[[Domino the Miracle Boy]]**, the Green Mask II's teenaged crime-fighting partner, who uses a boomerang as his primary weapon. Together, the two bring down the Grim Circle in their first case together. //Note: Michael Shelby's vita-ray-induced super-powers begin to wane a few months after he gains them; it's likely that repeated vita-ray treatments are necessary to give him powers again. Don's last name is never revealed in the comics, so we have given him the last name of Mason in honor of Hollis Mason (Nite Owl) of Watchmen, who like Don Mason wore a domino mask and wrote a memoir about his heroic second life. It should also be noted that Don's surname is not Tracy, since that is the surname of Olivia Tracy, who is Michael Shelby's love interest. Domino is first referred to as Don in Green Mask #6.// [Green Mask #1]
   * The Blue Beetle begins using Vitamin 2X, created by Dr. Abe Franz, which originally grants the Blue Beetle super-energy but later enables him to gain full-fledged super-powers. [Mystery Men Comics #13]   * The Blue Beetle begins using Vitamin 2X, created by Dr. Abe Franz, which originally grants the Blue Beetle super-energy but later enables him to gain full-fledged super-powers. [Mystery Men Comics #13]
-  * The Moth gains limited super-powers and changes his name to **the Lynx**. He adopts an orphaned boy named Phil, who becomes **[[Blackie the Mystery Boy]]**, the Lynx's teenaged crime-fighting partner. [Mystery Men Comics #13]+  * Jim Blake changes his costumed name from the Moth to **the Lynx**. He adopts an orphaned boy named Phil, who becomes **[[Blackie the Mystery Boy]]**, the Lynx's teenaged crime-fighting partner. [Mystery Men Comics #13]
   * The Eagle loses his wings and gains flight power through his cape. [Science Comics #7]   * The Eagle loses his wings and gains flight power through his cape. [Science Comics #7]
   * Caius Martius, an ancient Roman, awakens from a 2,200-year sleep and becomes the mystery man known as **[[Dart (Caius Martius)|the Dart]]**, taking the name Caius Martius Wheeler in his everyday identity as high school history teacher. Andy Barlow becomes **[[Ace the Amazing Boy]]**, the Dart's teenaged crime-fighting partner, nicknamed the Amazing Boy. [Weird Comics #5]   * Caius Martius, an ancient Roman, awakens from a 2,200-year sleep and becomes the mystery man known as **[[Dart (Caius Martius)|the Dart]]**, taking the name Caius Martius Wheeler in his everyday identity as high school history teacher. Andy Barlow becomes **[[Ace the Amazing Boy]]**, the Dart's teenaged crime-fighting partner, nicknamed the Amazing Boy. [Weird Comics #5]
Line 209: Line 209:
  
   * A huge criminal gang led by "Skullface" Kurd carries out a planned terror assault on New York City, causing explosions in the subway system and dropping bombs on the streets and bridges using planes. The gang then begins slaughtering the police and rescue teams, but Stardust the Super-Wizard prevents the slaughter of any more, disintegrating the bombers and bringing the entire NYPD out of harm's reach. Stardust then captures the entire "Skullface" Kurd gang and takes them all to a distant planet full of gold and precious gems, where the gravity is too great for them to do anything with this mineral wealth. //Note: It is probable that patrolman Dan Garret (the Blue Beetle) is among the NYPD officers saved by Stardust. Possibly the first team-up of the Big Three occurs as a result of this story. Although this is not explained in the story, "Skullface" Kurd is most likely acting under the direction of a foreign power, such as Germany or Japan, which is somehow able to supply Kurd with the resources required for his assault.// [Fantastic Comics #11]   * A huge criminal gang led by "Skullface" Kurd carries out a planned terror assault on New York City, causing explosions in the subway system and dropping bombs on the streets and bridges using planes. The gang then begins slaughtering the police and rescue teams, but Stardust the Super-Wizard prevents the slaughter of any more, disintegrating the bombers and bringing the entire NYPD out of harm's reach. Stardust then captures the entire "Skullface" Kurd gang and takes them all to a distant planet full of gold and precious gems, where the gravity is too great for them to do anything with this mineral wealth. //Note: It is probable that patrolman Dan Garret (the Blue Beetle) is among the NYPD officers saved by Stardust. Possibly the first team-up of the Big Three occurs as a result of this story. Although this is not explained in the story, "Skullface" Kurd is most likely acting under the direction of a foreign power, such as Germany or Japan, which is somehow able to supply Kurd with the resources required for his assault.// [Fantastic Comics #11]
-  * The Blue Beetle meets [[Joan Mason]], reporter. [Mystery Men Comics #15]+  * The Blue Beetle begins regularly working alongside [[Joan Mason]], reporter for the //New York Chronicle// (later for the //Daily Star//)//Note: Since Joan Mason is already known to Blue Beetle in this story, it is possible that the Blue Beetle actually met Joan Mason in an earlier story featuring an unnamed kidnapped female reporter with strawberry blonde hair as seen in the 6th story (about an arson ring) in Blue Beetle #2 (May, 1940). Joan Mason is depicted as a blonde in this story.// [Mystery Men Comics #15]
   * K-51 begins using special vitamins that make him super-strong or increase his mental powers and hearing. //Note: The vitamins K-51 uses are probably very similar to Vitamin 2X, invented by Dr. Abe Franz and used by the Blue Beetle. It is possible that K-51 began using these vitamins in the previous story or even earlier.// [Wonderworld Comics #18]   * K-51 begins using special vitamins that make him super-strong or increase his mental powers and hearing. //Note: The vitamins K-51 uses are probably very similar to Vitamin 2X, invented by Dr. Abe Franz and used by the Blue Beetle. It is possible that K-51 began using these vitamins in the previous story or even earlier.// [Wonderworld Comics #18]
   * The Sorceress of Zoom briefly travels through time to the 6th century of Camelot, where she meets Sir Gareth and outwits the sorceress Morgana Le Fay, only to be outwitted herself by the wizard Merlin, who sends her back to her own time. [Weird Comics #7]   * The Sorceress of Zoom briefly travels through time to the 6th century of Camelot, where she meets Sir Gareth and outwits the sorceress Morgana Le Fay, only to be outwitted herself by the wizard Merlin, who sends her back to her own time. [Weird Comics #7]
Line 297: Line 297:
 === June, 1941 === === June, 1941 ===
  
-  * Sandra Knight becomes the mystery woman known as **[[Phantom Lady (Earth-4)|the Phantom Lady]]**. [Police Comics #1] 
   * After he is visited by the spirit of his Revolutionary War era ancestor, John Fearless dresses in buckskins and becomes the mystery man known as **[[Captain Fearless]]**. [Captain Fearless #1]   * After he is visited by the spirit of his Revolutionary War era ancestor, John Fearless dresses in buckskins and becomes the mystery man known as **[[Captain Fearless]]**. [Captain Fearless #1]
   * [[Dick Carter|Sgt. Dick Carter]] of the United States Border Patrol begins adventures guarding the U.S.-Mexico border. [Captain Fearless #1]   * [[Dick Carter|Sgt. Dick Carter]] of the United States Border Patrol begins adventures guarding the U.S.-Mexico border. [Captain Fearless #1]
Line 319: Line 318:
   * **Lt. Drake**'s last case. [Mystery Men Comics #25]   * **Lt. Drake**'s last case. [Mystery Men Comics #25]
   * Jack Cody becomes the western-based mystery man known as **[[Black Rider|the Black Rider]]**. [Weird Comics #17]   * Jack Cody becomes the western-based mystery man known as **[[Black Rider|the Black Rider]]**. [Weird Comics #17]
-  * Jerry Steele becomes a patriotic mystery man called **[[U.S. Jones]]**, accompanied by his plainclothes pal, [[Grumbler Harris]]. [Wonderworld Comics #28]+  * **[[U.S. Jones]]** becomes a patriotic mystery man under his own name, accompanied by his plainclothes pal, [[Grumbler Harris]]. [Wonderworld Comics #28]
   * **[[Lu-Nar]]** arrives on Earth and begins adventures as a mystery man. //Note: Lu-Nar (often called Lunar) is likely a member of an offshoot of the Martian race, which is ten times stronger than humans.// [Wonderworld Comics #28]   * **[[Lu-Nar]]** arrives on Earth and begins adventures as a mystery man. //Note: Lu-Nar (often called Lunar) is likely a member of an offshoot of the Martian race, which is ten times stronger than humans.// [Wonderworld Comics #28]
 +  * June 9: Modifying a useless black-light ray device sent to her father to create her blackout ray, Sandra Knight decides to start adventuring as a costumed mystery-woman called **[[Phantom Lady (Earth-4)|Phantom Lady]]**, and soon creates a yellow and green costume for herself, as well as equipping the front and the back of a black roadster with blackout rays. In her first case as a costumed mystery-woman, Phantom Lady saves a bomb inventor named Raphael from Wenner, a man who planned to steal his uranium explosive and sell it to foreign powers. [[Don Borden (Earth-4)|Don Borden]], a State Department investigator, is Sandra Knight's boyfriend. [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #1 (August, 1941)]
  
 === July, 1941 === === July, 1941 ===
Line 339: Line 339:
   * The Green Mask II battles a costumed killer called the Manx, who is equipped with a steel claw on a band on his right wrist. //Note: The Manx, a male minx, resembles DC's Wildcat, except with a brown costume.// [The Green Mask, Mystery Men Comics #26 (September, 1941)]   * The Green Mask II battles a costumed killer called the Manx, who is equipped with a steel claw on a band on his right wrist. //Note: The Manx, a male minx, resembles DC's Wildcat, except with a brown costume.// [The Green Mask, Mystery Men Comics #26 (September, 1941)]
   * Samson battles recurring criminal foe [[Wasp (Earth-4)|the Wasp]], a bald midget killer, for the first time. [Big 3 #5]   * Samson battles recurring criminal foe [[Wasp (Earth-4)|the Wasp]], a bald midget killer, for the first time. [Big 3 #5]
 +  * When the Hermese Embassy in Washington, D.C., burns down, killing the ambassador, the tiny Asian nation of Herma blames the U.S. and threatens war. Phantom Lady discovers that the fire was caused by agents of Imperial Japan, who plan to step in and take over Herma in the guise of protecting it from the U.S. Phantom Lady finds and rescues Ambassador Kivoya of Herma, ending the threat of war between the U.S. and Herma. //Note: Imperial Japan is referred to in this story as Kioland.// [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #2 (September, 1941)]
  
 === August, 1941 === === August, 1941 ===
Line 350: Line 351:
   * Linda Dale gains super-powers and becomes **[[Flame Girl]]**, the Flame's female crime-fighting partner. //Note: It's possible that Linda Dale is related to Alan Dale, also known as Captain V/The Puppeteer, and Barry Dale, also known as Atoman.// [Wonderworld Comics #30]   * Linda Dale gains super-powers and becomes **[[Flame Girl]]**, the Flame's female crime-fighting partner. //Note: It's possible that Linda Dale is related to Alan Dale, also known as Captain V/The Puppeteer, and Barry Dale, also known as Atoman.// [Wonderworld Comics #30]
   * U.S. Jones joins the Secret Service as an agent. [Wonderworld Comics #30]   * U.S. Jones joins the Secret Service as an agent. [Wonderworld Comics #30]
 +  * After Don Borden is kidnapped by a Nazi spy nest, Phantom Lady frees him and helps subdue the spies after being framed for the kidnapping herself, and Don begins to notice her resemblance to Sandra Knight. [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #3 (October, 1941)]
  
 === September, 1941 === === September, 1941 ===
Line 357: Line 359:
   * **Dynamo**'s last case. [Weird Comics #19]   * **Dynamo**'s last case. [Weird Comics #19]
   * **The Gorilla**'s last appearance. [Blue Beetle #10]   * **The Gorilla**'s last appearance. [Blue Beetle #10]
 +  * Phantom Lady saves Don Borden and the English ambassador from two Nazi spies named Kurtz and Heine, who sabotaged a dirigible before a test flight with a time bomb and replaced the American crew with Germans. [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #4 (November, 1941)]
  
 === October, 1941 === === October, 1941 ===
Line 367: Line 370:
   * **Blackbird**'s last case. [Green Mask #8]   * **Blackbird**'s last case. [Green Mask #8]
   * **Tumbler**'s last case. [Green Mask #8]   * **Tumbler**'s last case. [Green Mask #8]
 +  * Phantom Lady exposes Captain Ortega of Parador as a Nazi spy and stops him before he can sink a U.S. Navy ship. [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #5 (December, 1941)]
  
 === November, 1941 === === November, 1941 ===
Line 395: Line 399:
 === December, 1941 === === December, 1941 ===
  
 +  * Phantom Lady captures a group of Nazi spies after Sir Edward Hendville is murdered at the English Embassy during a war-relief masquerade. [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #7 (February, 1942)]
   * December 7: With the entry of the United States into World War II, several mystery men abandon their costumed identities and enlist. Some die during the war, while most of the others that survive the war simply never return to their costumed identities. [speculation based on the fact that Fox Feature Publications went bankrupt in early 1942 and ceased publishing, ending the adventures of a number of mystery men and adventurers]   * December 7: With the entry of the United States into World War II, several mystery men abandon their costumed identities and enlist. Some die during the war, while most of the others that survive the war simply never return to their costumed identities. [speculation based on the fact that Fox Feature Publications went bankrupt in early 1942 and ceased publishing, ending the adventures of a number of mystery men and adventurers]
-  * Inspired by the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II, the patriotic U.S. Jones joins the **[[V-Agents]]** and changes his name to **V-Man**. A select few members of the U.S. Jones Cadets (a U.S. Jones fan club) become the **[[V-Boys]]**, teenaged crime-fighting partners of V-Man led by Mickey Malone (the future Captain USA). [V...-Comics #1]+  * Inspired by the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II, the patriotic Jerry Steele joins the **[[V-Agents]]** and becomes **V-Man**, leader of the **[[V-Boys]]**, teenaged crime-fighting partners of V-Man led by Mickey Malone (the future Captain USA). [V...-Comics #1]
   * On December 9, U.S. war correspondent Jack Wayne is blinded by the Nazis while in Germany. A doctor calling himself Doctor Dismal gives him a special pair of glasses that enables him to see, and he becomes the mystery man known as **[[Blackout (Jack Wayne)|Blackout]]**, fighting the Nazis in Germany. [Cat-Man Comics #10]   * On December 9, U.S. war correspondent Jack Wayne is blinded by the Nazis while in Germany. A doctor calling himself Doctor Dismal gives him a special pair of glasses that enables him to see, and he becomes the mystery man known as **[[Blackout (Jack Wayne)|Blackout]]**, fighting the Nazis in Germany. [Cat-Man Comics #10]
   * After being shipwrecked, [[Billy]], his sister [[Betty]], and their friend [[Mike]] become the rulers of the tribe there after the death of the king. [Cat-Man Comics #7]   * After being shipwrecked, [[Billy]], his sister [[Betty]], and their friend [[Mike]] become the rulers of the tribe there after the death of the king. [Cat-Man Comics #7]
Line 405: Line 410:
   * **Gladiator**'s last case. [Blue Beetle #11]   * **Gladiator**'s last case. [Blue Beetle #11]
   * **Nightbird**'s last case. [Green Mask #9]   * **Nightbird**'s last case. [Green Mask #9]
-  * **Green Mask** and **Domino**'s last case. //Note: Sometime after this case, Michael Shelby retires as the Green Mask II in order to join the army.// [Mystery Men Comics #31]+  * **Green Mask** and **Domino**'s last case. //Note: Sometime after this case, possibly several months later, Michael Shelby retires as the Green Mask II in order to join the army.// [Mystery Men Comics #31]
   * **Wraith**'s last case. [Mystery Men Comics #31]   * **Wraith**'s last case. [Mystery Men Comics #31]
-  * **Lynx** and **Blackie**'s last case. [Mystery Men Comics #31]+  * **Lynx** and **Blackie**'s last case together//Note: Immediately after this case, the Lynx becomes the Moth once again.// [Mystery Men Comics #31]
   * **Zanzibar**'s last case. [Mystery Men Comics #31]   * **Zanzibar**'s last case. [Mystery Men Comics #31]
  
Line 416: Line 421:
 === January, 1942 === === January, 1942 ===
  
-  * **[[Mystery Men of America|The Mystery Men of America]]** is formed by eight costumed mystery-men: the Black Fury, Blue Beetle, the Eagle, the Green Mask II, the Lynx, Phantom Lady, Spider Queen, and V-Man, though the lineup changes over the years. [speculation]+  * **[[Mystery Men of America|The Mystery Men of America]]** is formed by eight costumed mystery-men: the Black Fury, Blue Beetle, the Eagle, the Green Mask II, the Moth, Phantom Lady, Spider Queen, and U.S. Jones, though the lineup changes over the years. [speculation]
   * Lee Ainsley, counter-espionage agent, is believed to be killed but fights Nazi agents under the name [[Black Friday]]. [Cat-Man Comics #8]   * Lee Ainsley, counter-espionage agent, is believed to be killed but fights Nazi agents under the name [[Black Friday]]. [Cat-Man Comics #8]
   * **[[Volton (android)|Volton II]]** appears. //Note: This is an android with all of the original Volton's memories who believes he is human.// [Cat-Man Comics #8]   * **[[Volton (android)|Volton II]]** appears. //Note: This is an android with all of the original Volton's memories who believes he is human.// [Cat-Man Comics #8]
Line 423: Line 428:
   * **Banshee**'s last case. [V...-Comics #2]   * **Banshee**'s last case. [V...-Comics #2]
   * **Yank Wilson**'s last case. //Note: Sometime after this story, Yank Wilson helps found the Command for the Hindrance of Espionage, Sabotage and Subversion (CHESS), becoming its first director, known as the King.// [V...-Comics #2]   * **Yank Wilson**'s last case. //Note: Sometime after this story, Yank Wilson helps found the Command for the Hindrance of Espionage, Sabotage and Subversion (CHESS), becoming its first director, known as the King.// [V...-Comics #2]
 +  * Sandra Knight, Senator Henry Knight, and Don Borden visit Havana, Cuba, where Phantom Lady and Don round up a group of Nazis planning to take over the island nation in a coup. [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #8 (March, 1942)]
  
 === February, 1942 === === February, 1942 ===
Line 455: Line 461:
   * Sparkington J. Northrup arrives in the United States, and patrolmen Dan Garret (Blue Beetle) and his partner Mike Mannigan are assigned to protect him from Nazi Gestapo agents led by an assassin named Hautman, who seek to kidnap the boy, who is sent to live with the Cartwright family in New York City. After the Nazis make a second attempt to kidnap Sparkington, the boy saves Blue Beetle's life and learns his secret identity after the hero's mask fell off. Blue Beetle makes Sparkington vow to keep his secret, and the boy agrees on the condition that he become the Blue Beetle's partner. Sparkington gains a blue and red costume and becomes **[[Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett)|Sparky]]**, the Blue Beetle's teenaged crime-fighting partner. Together, the two capture Hautman. //Note: The full moon in this story places it around July 27, 1942. Although Sparky originally speaks using an English accent and uses English idioms, he adopts an American accent when crime-fighting alongside the Blue Beetle. Sparkington is portrayed originally with blond hair and later with red and auburn hair; we believe he used dye to make his hair blonder when in costume, but the rest of the time his hair was red/strawberry blond.// [3rd story, Blue Beetle #15 (October, 1942)]   * Sparkington J. Northrup arrives in the United States, and patrolmen Dan Garret (Blue Beetle) and his partner Mike Mannigan are assigned to protect him from Nazi Gestapo agents led by an assassin named Hautman, who seek to kidnap the boy, who is sent to live with the Cartwright family in New York City. After the Nazis make a second attempt to kidnap Sparkington, the boy saves Blue Beetle's life and learns his secret identity after the hero's mask fell off. Blue Beetle makes Sparkington vow to keep his secret, and the boy agrees on the condition that he become the Blue Beetle's partner. Sparkington gains a blue and red costume and becomes **[[Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett)|Sparky]]**, the Blue Beetle's teenaged crime-fighting partner. Together, the two capture Hautman. //Note: The full moon in this story places it around July 27, 1942. Although Sparky originally speaks using an English accent and uses English idioms, he adopts an American accent when crime-fighting alongside the Blue Beetle. Sparkington is portrayed originally with blond hair and later with red and auburn hair; we believe he used dye to make his hair blonder when in costume, but the rest of the time his hair was red/strawberry blond.// [3rd story, Blue Beetle #15 (October, 1942)]
   * Sparkington J. Northrup, alias Sparky, joins the League of Infinity, comprising members from several historical and future eras. [speculation]   * Sparkington J. Northrup, alias Sparky, joins the League of Infinity, comprising members from several historical and future eras. [speculation]
 +  * One rainy night, Phantom Lady helps capture a group of Nazi saboteurs in Washington, D.C., after Sandra Knight and Don Borden find the corpse of a federal investigator. [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #11 (September, 1942)]
  
 === August, 1942 === === August, 1942 ===
  
   * The Blue Beetle and Sparky battle [[Madam Fang]], a Japanese agent. //Note: Madam Fang's lieutenant, Moto, may be the father of the villainous scientist Dr. Tetsuo Moto and the grandfather of the heroic boy scientist Akira Moto; see "Sentinels of Justice: Fantastic Giants."// [1st story, Blue Beetle #15 (October, 1942)]   * The Blue Beetle and Sparky battle [[Madam Fang]], a Japanese agent. //Note: Madam Fang's lieutenant, Moto, may be the father of the villainous scientist Dr. Tetsuo Moto and the grandfather of the heroic boy scientist Akira Moto; see "Sentinels of Justice: Fantastic Giants."// [1st story, Blue Beetle #15 (October, 1942)]
 +  * After Sandra Knight and her father Senator Henry Knight visit U.S. Army testing grounds to find new army tanks in poor shape, Sandra goes undercover by getting a job in the factory as a riveter, where she makes a friend named Maisie. Phantom Lady quickly discovers saboteurs at work damaging one tank with acid, sledgehammers, and wrenches as it is built in the factory. A few days later, the same saboteur gang commandeers a tank during the test, while Phantom Lady drives the faulty one, and thanks to her action, the good tank passes the test instead of all the tanks being dismissed because of the faulty one. [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #12 (October, 1942)]
  
 === September, 1942 === === September, 1942 ===
Line 465: Line 473:
   * **The Phantom Falcon** dies while destroying a Japanese base and killing 20,000 Japanese soldiers, preventing an attack on the Allied forces. [Cat-Man Comics #15]   * **The Phantom Falcon** dies while destroying a Japanese base and killing 20,000 Japanese soldiers, preventing an attack on the Allied forces. [Cat-Man Comics #15]
   * **The Devil Dogs**' last appearance. [Captain Aero Comics #9]   * **The Devil Dogs**' last appearance. [Captain Aero Comics #9]
 +  * Phantom Lady is framed for bombing a neutral foreign consul in Washington, D.C., and hunted by the law. While driving with her friend Maisie, Sandra Knight gives a ride to a woman wearing a Phantom Lady costume beneath her coat, and Phantom Lady discovers that she is an impostor working for Nazi agents. Phantom Lady stops their next plan, which is to bomb the White House. [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #13 (November, 1942)]
  
 === October, 1942 === === October, 1942 ===
  
   * The Blue Beetle and Sparky battle [[Mimic (Chalmers)|the Mimic]], a master of disguise named Chalmers, who supposedly **dies**. ["Who is the Mimic?" Blue Beetle #17 (December, 1942)]   * The Blue Beetle and Sparky battle [[Mimic (Chalmers)|the Mimic]], a master of disguise named Chalmers, who supposedly **dies**. ["Who is the Mimic?" Blue Beetle #17 (December, 1942)]
 +  * October 24-25: While Sandra Knight and her spinster Aunt Priscilla are visiting the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, Phantom Lady stops two criminals working for a German spy from drugging the soldiers' breakfast, and delivers them to the police. [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #14 (December, 1942)]
  
 === November, 1942 === === November, 1942 ===
Line 475: Line 485:
   * The Blue Beetle and Spunky battle [[Red Knight (German villain)|the Red Knight]], a German officer capitalizing on an ancient curse dating from the Crusades to gain a huge, invaluable diamond. ["The Case of the Red Knight," Blue Beetle #18 (January, 1943)]   * The Blue Beetle and Spunky battle [[Red Knight (German villain)|the Red Knight]], a German officer capitalizing on an ancient curse dating from the Crusades to gain a huge, invaluable diamond. ["The Case of the Red Knight," Blue Beetle #18 (January, 1943)]
   * **Hammerhead Hawley**'s last appearance. [Captain Aero Comics #13]   * **Hammerhead Hawley**'s last appearance. [Captain Aero Comics #13]
 +
 +=== December, 1942 ===
 +
 +  * Sandra Knight visits the home of Baron Thorpe, who runs an informal school instructing gullible women on how to be a spy. One young woman named Melinda uses her knowledge to plant a clock containing a dictagraph within it, then delivers it to Baron Thorpe, not realizing he is a real Nazi spy and has helped him learn when the U.S. Navy ship the //S.S. Ambria// is sailing the next day. Phantom Lady, suspecting Thorpe, rescues Melinda from from her imprisonment in Thorpe's home and, with Don Borden's help, warns the Coast Guard that a U-boat is on its way to the ship, then they capture Baron Thorpe and his gang. //Note: A calendar places this story in December. Phantom Lady begins wearing a yellow full-face mask in this story, but only wears it for this case and the next.// ["The School for Spies," Police Comics #15 (January, 1943)]
  
 ==== circa 1942-1945 - World War II ==== ==== circa 1942-1945 - World War II ====
Line 489: Line 503:
   * **V-Man**'s last case. [Blue Beetle #19]   * **V-Man**'s last case. [Blue Beetle #19]
   * **Spark Stevens**' last case. [Blue Beetle #19]   * **Spark Stevens**' last case. [Blue Beetle #19]
-  * Spider Widow and Raven battle and defeat the Spider Man, a German saboteur riding a mechanical spider. [Feature Comics #66]+  * Spider Queen and Mike O'Bell battle and defeat the Spider Man, a German saboteur riding a mechanical spider. [Feature Comics #66]
   * The Masters of the Elements (minor incarnations of the Olympian gods) save the life of a toddler named David Crandall, son of Floyd and Myra Crandall, also imbuing him with some of their power over fire, earth, air, and water, which will turn him into Nature Boy thirteen years later. [Nature Boy #3]   * The Masters of the Elements (minor incarnations of the Olympian gods) save the life of a toddler named David Crandall, son of Floyd and Myra Crandall, also imbuing him with some of their power over fire, earth, air, and water, which will turn him into Nature Boy thirteen years later. [Nature Boy #3]
  
Line 501: Line 515:
   * Sherlock Holmes has a case in the United States. [Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943 Universal Studios film)]   * Sherlock Holmes has a case in the United States. [Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943 Universal Studios film)]
   * Dan Garret (Blue Beetle) quits the police force to enlist as an intelligence agent, spending a few months in training until his graduation at this time, alongside his new friend Bill Dailey. ["The Case of the Transformation," Blue Beetle (Holyoke) #22 (June, 1943)]   * Dan Garret (Blue Beetle) quits the police force to enlist as an intelligence agent, spending a few months in training until his graduation at this time, alongside his new friend Bill Dailey. ["The Case of the Transformation," Blue Beetle (Holyoke) #22 (June, 1943)]
 +  * Phantom Lady (Sandra Knight) saves her father Senator Henry Knight from being killed by a time-bomb set beneath his house by criminals. //Note: This is the first of three murder attempts on Senator Knight or his daughter over two months.// ["Mystery of the Black Cat," Police Comics #19 (May, 1943)]
 +  * April 25: During an Easter egg hunt at the Knight estate, Sandra Knight and Don Borden uncover a plot by a man dressed as the Easter Bunny to kill Senator Henry Knight with explosives in the shape of golden eggs. Phantom Lady unmasks the Easter Bunny as Killer Dan, a criminal whom Knight sentenced to prison ten years ago when he was a judge. //Note: Phantom Lady wears a black domino mask in this story. This is the second of three murder attempts on Senator Knight or his daughter over two months.// ["Golden Egg," Police Comics #18 (April, 1943)]
  
 === May, 1943 === === May, 1943 ===
  
   * [[Willy Shultz|Captain Willy Shultz]], an American officer in North Africa (the Germans withdrew from North Africa in May of 1943, hence the first half of the series takes place before and during that withdrawal) of German extraction is falsely accused of a battlefield murder, supposedly having killed his commanding officer who was actually killed by a German soldier. He gets railroaded into a court-martial and is convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, though he escapes into the desert and dons the uniform of a dead German soldier, seeking refuge in the Afrika Corps. ["The Charge Is Murder," Fightin' Army #76]   * [[Willy Shultz|Captain Willy Shultz]], an American officer in North Africa (the Germans withdrew from North Africa in May of 1943, hence the first half of the series takes place before and during that withdrawal) of German extraction is falsely accused of a battlefield murder, supposedly having killed his commanding officer who was actually killed by a German soldier. He gets railroaded into a court-martial and is convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, though he escapes into the desert and dons the uniform of a dead German soldier, seeking refuge in the Afrika Corps. ["The Charge Is Murder," Fightin' Army #76]
-  * Phantom Lady teams up with the Raven. [Police Comics #20]+  * Sandra Knight (Phantom Lady) is nearly murdered by two assassins working for a gang boss who wants to get even with her father Senator Henry Knight for his racket-busting. //Note: This is the third of three murder attempts on Senator Knight or his daughter over two months.// [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #19 (May, 1943)]
  
 === June, 1943 === === June, 1943 ===
  
-  * Sgt. Rip Jagger, the last remaining U.S. soldier on a small island in the South Pacific, is taught martial arts by a Japanese martial arts master known only as Sensei after saving the life of his granddaughter, Suzikawa. After some time of training, he is presented with a costume with which he becomes the martial arts mystery man known as **[[Judomaster]]**. [Special War Series #4] +  * Sgt. Rip Jagger, the last remaining U.S. soldier on a small island in the South Pacific, is taught martial arts by a Japanese martial arts master known only as Sensei after saving the life of his granddaughter, Suzikawa. After some time of training, he is presented with a costume with which he becomes the martial arts mystery man known as **[[Judomaster (Rip Jagger)|Judomaster]]**. [Special War Series #4] 
-  * Phantom Lady teams up with both Spider Widow and the Raven. [Feature Comics #70, Police Comics #21]+  * Receiving a note from Detective Mike O'Bell that Senator Henry Knight is being held prisoner, Phantom Lady rushes to the docks, where she fights a gang and frees both O'Bell (who was captured shortly before) and Senator Knight. //Note: In the original story, the Raven appears instead of Mike O'Bell, but since Spider Widow and the Raven are Earth-X characters, their closest equivalents, Spider Queen and Mike O'Bell, must be substituted.// [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #20 (July, 1943)] 
 +  * Detective Mike O'Bell introduces Sandra Knight (Phantom Lady) to Shannon Kane (the Spider Queen), in order to capture the gang responsible for the assassination attempts on Sandra and her father, Senator Henry Knight. But after the Spider Queen and Phantom Lady track down the gang leader and fight the gang with O'Bell's help, the two mystery-women's jealous bickering enables the leader to escape. [The Spider Widow, Feature Comics #69 (July1943)] 
 +  * The gang responsible for trying to assassinate Senator Henry Knight lures Phantom Lady, the Spider Queen, and Detective Mike O'Bell into a trap by sending a note to Phantom Lady purportedly from the Spider Queen challenging her to a duel, while the Spider Queen receives a similar note. Spying on the two as they duel, the gangsters recognize them without their masks before they start shooting at them, striking O'Bell with a bullet in the back. Phantom Lady and the Spider Queen capture the killers and hand them over to the police, while O'Bell is hospitalized for a few weeks. ["Phantom Lady Versus the Spider Widow," Police Comics #21 (August, 1943)]
  
 === July, 1943 === === July, 1943 ===
  
-  * Phantom Lady has her last team-up with both Spider Widow and the Raven. [Feature Comics #71, Police Comics #22]+  * While talking on the phone with Sandra Knight (Phantom Lady), Shannon Kane (the Spider Queen) is kidnapped by a gang and taken to the remote Lookout Hotel. There Shannon finds that Detective Mike O'Bell has supposedly joined the gang responsible for assassination attempts on Sandra and her father, Senator Henry Knight. The big boss, Larkins, arrives soon after disguised as Senator Knight, since he intends to replace him for a few days in the U.S. Senate. Phantom Lady arrives to rescue the Spider Queen but ends up needing a rescue by O'Bell. On the run from the gang, the trio manage to capture Larkins, but he is accidentally shot by his own gang when they fire on the getaway car. ["The Spider Widow with the Raven and Phantom Lady," Feature Comics #70 (August, 1943)] 
 +  * Detective Mike O'Bell attempts to end the feud between the Spider Queen and Phantom Lady by forcing them to work together, only to put all their lives in danger when gangsters try to kill them. Working together, they defeat the gang, and the two heroines become friends at last. ["Peace... It's Wonderful, "Feature Comics #71 (August, 1943)] 
 +  * Saying goodbye to the Spider Queen and Detective Mike O'Bell, Phantom Lady learns that her father Senator Henry Knight is involved in tests of a super-submarine, and upon arriving at the launch she is invited to participate. While on board the submarine, Phantom Lady stops a saboteur from destroying it. [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #22 (August, 1943)]
  
 === August, 1943 === === August, 1943 ===
  
-  * **Spider Widow**'last case. [Feature Comics #72] +  * In her last solo case**Phantom Lady** (Sandra Knight) fights a group of lunatics who have escaped from the asylum and taken over her home after tying up the servants. [Phantom Lady, Police Comics #23 (October, 1943)]
-  * **Phantom Lady**'s last solo case during World War II. [Police Comics #23]+
  
 === September, 1943 === === September, 1943 ===
Line 531: Line 550:
   * [[Sunset Kid]], private detective, begins adventures. [Suspense Comics #1]   * [[Sunset Kid]], private detective, begins adventures. [Suspense Comics #1]
   * [[Boxie Weaver]], prize fighter, begin adventures. [Blue Beetle (Holyoke) #28]   * [[Boxie Weaver]], prize fighter, begin adventures. [Blue Beetle (Holyoke) #28]
-  * October 22: Phantom Lady leaves the Mystery Men of America to form **[[All-Girl Squad|the All-Girl Squad]]** with Miss Victory, Spider Widow, and Marga the Panther Woman, fighting Nazi agents. [speculation based on Femforce Special #1]+  * October 22: Phantom Lady leaves the Mystery Men of America to form **[[All-Girl Squad|the All-Girl Squad]]** with Miss Victory, Spider Queen, and Marga the Panther Woman, fighting Nazi agents. [speculation based on Femforce Special #1]
  
 === November, 1943 === === November, 1943 ===
Line 614: Line 633:
 === August, 1944 === === August, 1944 ===
  
-  * Tetsuro Tanaka, a 13-year-old Japanese orphan, becomes **[[Judomaster (Tetsuro Tanaka)|Tiger]]**, Judomaster's teenaged crime-fighting partner. //Note: Tiger's real name of Tanaka is revealed in the post-Crisis L.A.W. series, and it is the same in Earth-4's continuity as well. This name is obviously inspired from Tiger Tanaka, an ally of James Bond -- inspired by real-life Japanese author Torao "Tiger" Saito -- who appears in the novel You Only Live Twice and the film based on it, where he is played by actor Tetsuro Tamba. In tribute to that actor, we use the name Tetsuro as Tiger's first name.// [Judomaster #93]+  * Tetsuro Tanaka, a 13-year-old Japanese orphan, becomes **[[Judomaster (Tiger Tanaka)|Tiger]]**, Judomaster's teenaged crime-fighting partner. //Note: Tiger's real name of Tanaka is revealed in the post-Crisis L.A.W. series, and it is the same in Earth-4's continuity as well. This name is obviously inspired from Tiger Tanaka, an ally of James Bond -- inspired by real-life Japanese author Torao "Tiger" Saito -- who appears in the novel You Only Live Twice and the film based on it, where he is played by actor Tetsuro Tamba. In tribute to that actor, we use the name Tetsuro as Tiger's first name.// [Judomaster #93]
   * Rocket Kelly and Whacky meet the mysterious Manta, leader of a primitive tribe in Burma. She soon joins Kelly and Whacky in their adventures. [The Bouncer #12]   * Rocket Kelly and Whacky meet the mysterious Manta, leader of a primitive tribe in Burma. She soon joins Kelly and Whacky in their adventures. [The Bouncer #12]
  
Line 651: Line 670:
 === December, 1944 === === December, 1944 ===
  
-  * Rocket Kelly meets his arch-nemesis[[Diablo]] the master of evil, who seeks to rule outer space. [Rocket Kelly (1944)]+  * Rocket Kelly meets his arch-nemesis [[Diablo]] the master of evil, who seeks to rule outer space. While saving the mystical Flame of Democracy, Kelly becomes the new Keeper of the Flame after the old Keeper -- a man of ancient Rome -- dies. //Note: The home of the Flame of Democracy is apparently a small planetoid with an artificial gravity field that looks much like Earth on its surface. It seems to exist in real space, despite the fact that the Flame of Democracy is also a symbolic concept. It is probable that the home of the Flame only exists in physical space whenever the Keeper of the Flame is replaced.// [Rocket Kelly (1944)] 
 +  * Rocket Kelly battles his arch-nemesis Diablo again. [Rocket Kelly (1944)] 
  
 ==== 1945 ==== ==== 1945 ====
Line 714: Line 735:
   * **Deep Sea Dawson**'s last case. [Captain Flight Comics #10]   * **Deep Sea Dawson**'s last case. [Captain Flight Comics #10]
   * **Captain Dash**' last case. [Captain Flight Comics #10]   * **Captain Dash**' last case. [Captain Flight Comics #10]
-  * Rocket Kelly battles his arch-nemesis Diablo again, saving the mystical Flame of Democracy from him and becoming the new Keeper of the Flame after the old keeper -- a man of ancient Rome or Greece -- dies. //Note: The home of the Flame of Democracy is apparently a small planetoid with an artificial gravity field that looks much like Earth on its surface. It seems to exist in real space, despite the fact that the Flame of Democracy is also a symbolic concept. It is probable that the home of the Flame only exists in physical space whenever the Keeper of the Flame is replaced.// [Rocket Kelly #1] 
  
 === November, 1945 === === November, 1945 ===
Line 1288: Line 1308:
  
   * After Nature Girl dies of illness, Nature Boy rebels against the Masters of the Elements who granted them powers. They retaliate by taking away his memories, and David Crandall wanders the world as an amnesiac who doesn't know his powers until 1985, when his memories return during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. ["The Natural: Masters of the Elements"]   * After Nature Girl dies of illness, Nature Boy rebels against the Masters of the Elements who granted them powers. They retaliate by taking away his memories, and David Crandall wanders the world as an amnesiac who doesn't know his powers until 1985, when his memories return during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. ["The Natural: Masters of the Elements"]
 +  * In Los Angeles, Assistant District Attorney Larry Davis (formerly the Cub, kid sidekick to the original Black Lion, George Davis) becomes the **[[Black Lion (Larry Davis)|Black Lion II]]** and takes on the Mafia single-handedly as a vigilante. Sometime later he goes missing, and he is rumored to have been killed by the Mafia, with his body buried under Dodger Stadium (which began construction in September, 1959, and was officially opened in 1962). ["[[http://www.5earths.info/earth-4/paragons1985-01-2/|The Paragons: Deus Ex Astra, Book 1, Chapter 2: The Dart]]"]
  
 === February, 1959 === === February, 1959 ===
  • Timeline_of_Earth-4_1930s_to_1950s.1457598349.txt.gz
  • Last modified: 2016/03/10 08:25
  • by docquantum