Description: Diana the Huntress traveled from her home on Mount Olympus under orders from her father, Zeus, to protect Greece. She could be summoned by anyone who found one of her arrows. Her powers included flight, superhuman strength, and agility. Diana also had a "robe of concealment" allowing her to hide among mortals. She was a skilled archer and carries a magical bow and golden arrows. She was assisted by her fellow Greek/Roman deities such as Apollo, Hercules, Zeus, Mercury, and Discordia.
Description: Archie Masters was a timid, cautious astronomy professor who taught at Grand University. A colleague created a device called an atom smasher, but the initial test went awry when Masters, preoccupied in his thoughts went into the room where the device was being used. He was bathed in atomic radiation but instead of killing him, the accident endowed him with various superhuman abilities such as strength, flight and invulnerability. With his confidence boosted, he used these powers to fight crime as the American Crusader.
Description: Gasoline Alley made a low-key debut in The Chicago Tribune Syndicate, November 24, 1918. Gasoline Alley is credited as the first comic strip in which the characters age normally, and also being one of the first soap operas in any medium. The strip was created by Frank King with the remit from The Chicago Tribune's publisher, to create a strip to appeal to the new generation of car owners and mechanics.
Description: Tugboat Tessie is the owner and captain of the tugboat Harbor Lady, based out of a major shipping port. She is an older woman, having a grown daughter that serves as her first mate on the tug, but still well into her prime and quite strong and physically imposing. Tessie often finds herself having to deal with lots of unsavory characters along the waterfront. Criminals and con men litter the area like floatsom on the tide. Thankfully Tessie's strength, her mean right hook, and her skill as a tugboat captain serve her pretty well to help keep the harbor safe.
Description: Dressed to blend in with the legion of homeless wandering the streets, Daily Times reporter Jay Garson, Jr. was in reality the city's foremost avenger The Ragman. In the course of his crusade The Ragman wore a bulletproof vest beneath his tatters and wielded guns when necessary. Aided by Tiny his loyal assistant, he fought against such villains as Stinger and The Ghost in his efforts to clean up the city.
Description: Sci-fi adventurer Captain Venture who rescued Princess Zyra, the last survivor of Earth's Saturn colony, from the villainous Kag and Kashas. The Planet Princess, as she was called, joined Venture in his adventures from then on helping him fight the Spider People, liberate Camur from the Valhoes, defeat the villainous Zalko and his machines, and also stop an invasion of Gon gas.
Description: Dynamic Man was created by Dr. Moore to fight the forces of darkness personified by the Yellow Spot. The Spot used his evil witchcraft to kill off or enter the minds of American scientists. He could travel as a bat and went into the home of Dr. Moore to kill him. While being stabbed, Moore somehow managed to throw the switch, giving life to his creation. The Yellow Spot's fiendish plan was put to a stop by Dynamic Man, who released the trapped minds of the other scientists and eliminated the Yellow Spot, who could only be killed in his bat form.
Description: Charles Gibson, a wealthy scientist, was experimenting with electricity and chemicals when lightning struck his lab. The electrical shock caused the lab to explode, but Gibson emerged from the wreckage with a body that could conduct and generate electricity. Swearing to use his powers for the good of humanity, he decided to fight crime as Shock Gibson, the Human Dynamo. In spite of using his surname in his code-name, nobody can figure out who he is under the mask.
Description: The Black Phantom was a train robber who worked with a minion named Beast who wielded a bullwhip. She had a twin sister named Jicilla who was a dancer and singer at a saloon as well as a sweetheart to Tim Holt's friend Chito. However when Chito arrives to pick Jicilla up for their date he instead sees her twin Helena in her Black Phantom costume. The Black Phantom orders her men to kill him by dumping him down the well, but Tim Holt sees them carry his friend off and saves him as the Red Mask. While she started her career as an adversary of the western hero Red Mask, she eventually became Red Mask's crime fighting partner.
Description: Alani, also known as South Sea Girl, was the ruler and protector of a chain of volcanic tropical islands in the South Pacific called the Vanishing Isles. She teamed up with Captain Ted to prevent oil tycoons from taking over her islands. She has no powers, but is strong enough to swim through a typhoon, can kill a shark easily, and is a knowledgeable mariner.
Description: Don Wright was a publisher of Daily Bulletin, a newspaper based in either Central City or New York City (different issues give different locations). He put on a costume to help the downtrodden and oppressed. When World War II broke out, he focused on fighting the Axis saboteurs. Captain Freedom originally displayed super-strength and limited flight, but those powers vanished shortly after his original appearance and he remained non-powered for the remainder of his appearances.
Description: Tom Dash was a humble antiques dealer, who's daughter, Lola, was gunned down in the crossfire of a mob hit. Enraged, Tom swore to avenge his daughter's death, and rid the city of organized crime. For the next year, Tom dedicated himself to intensive training so that he could become the ultimate crime fighter. During his year of training, Tom became a crack shot with a handgun, and an expert in boxing, jiu-jitsu and knife throwing, among other things. He also studied under a Hollywood makeup artist to become a master of disguise.
Description: Pat Parker, also known as War Nurse, formed an all-girl team known as the Girl Commandos. The original members included Pat Parker in her War Nurse identity, Ellen Billings, Pat's friend, Tanya, an "official Soviet photographer", and Penelope "Penny" Kirt, an American radio reporter. Mei-Ling, a Chinese woman, joined the team during their first adventure in order to avenge her family's death at the hands of the Japanese army. After their first adventure, Pat Parker dropped her War Nurse identity and began adventuring under her real name.
Description: Agent ZX-5 was one of the top US spies. He answered to his superior Major Jason, who gave ZX-5 missions around the world fighting the Axis powers during WWII. He would continually come into conflict with foreign spies such as Madame Terror. After the war, he goes on to become a private eye. He was known for his charm and carried a trick cane with numerous buttons each with a different function such as one for tear gas.
Description: When he was 14, Bob Sanders' parents were killed when a tornado hit their hometown of Windy Gap. Bob was caught up in the tornado and found that the experience made him a part of the cyclone itself. Using his strange new powers for the good of mankind, Bob becomes the Twister. The Twister can fly, and one punch from him can send a villain crashing through a wall. Whirling his arms creates a tornado strong enough to carry cars or move them along at super speed. He also carries a Cyclone Gun that shoots powerful bursts of air. Breathing in the wind allows him to manipulate and amplify it.
Description: Deep Sea Dawson was a deep-sea diver who, equipped with a specialized diving helmet, explores the wonders of the ocean and investigates its mysteries. During his adventurers, Dawson encounter numerous undersea races both hostile and friendly. Some of his enemies included the Seaweed Creatures and their Queen. Dawson also had an animal sidekick named Battler, who was a trained seal saved from poachers.
Description: Sylvia Manners was a society lady sent to live in an ancient castle with her aunt in the wake of the London bombings. She acted demure and sickly in public, but when agents threatened her homeland, she slipped into the castle's secret underground hangar and flew her plane against them as Black Angel. While Black Angel did not have super powers, she was a skilled pilot and fighter. She also used poison darts to take out enemies.
Description: While working in his grandfather's antique shop, Tommy Preston finds the Aztec "Heart of Gold," an artifact empowered by “the blood of a thousand martyred Aztecs.” The object gives “strength and courage” to those pure of heart and devoted to justice. Tommy only has to utter the words “Heart of Gold” and gain his powers of super strength, flight and high voltage vision (x-ray vision). The heart's magic also keeps Tommy from being recognized while he is in Golden Lad form.
Description: Zero the Ghost Detective would exterminate evil ghosts by any means necessary. He would also help the ghosts of the innocent to bring their killers to justice. These ghosts were drawn to him, and he was drawn to them. He had no magical abilities but, he did possess an extensive knowledge of occult lore and was the master of many magical artifacts (such as his "Ring of the Moon") and, if that failed, he could fall back on conventional detective work. He was also fairly good at improvising on the spot.
Description: Ginny Spears was a district attorney's secretary who became fed up with crime. She decides to become the costumed crime fighter known as the Veiled Avenger. Armed only with her bullwhip, the Veiled Avenger had no superpowers. She was not above using deadly force against her enemies, going as far as using her whip to make her foes shoot each other and themselves.
Description: Futuro was a hero of unknown origin who operated in Europe during World War II. He was aided by the Futurians. In his only appearance, he and the Futurians rescued European refugees, kidnapped Adolf and took him to hell. But the dictator was able to strike a deal with Satan. Futuro had no choice but to return him to the mortal realm and let him face the mortal punishment instead. Futuro was able to receive visions of the future and turn invisible. He used a futuristic plane powered by the "cosmic gas" to get around.
Description: Originally Kitty Kelly was an air hostess who wanted desperately to become a pilot. During the course of her appearances, she ran into spies, saboteurs and general criminal types but, she won through luck as much as she did through effort. The feature was later renamed Kitty Kelly: Yankee Girl. She then abandoned this name, changed professions to become a social worker, and gained a costume emblazoned with her initials "KK" as she lacked a superhero identity. Under times of extreme stress Kitty Kelly could gain super strength and self propelled flight.
Description: Barry Kuda was a water-breathing adventurer native to Merma, an underwater kingdom. He defended the kingdom from its hostile neighbors "the midget kingdom." He was assisted by his sidekick Algie. While he has no other powers, Barry could breathe underwater. He was a skilled fighter and carried a harpoon.
Description: Pyroman is the secret identity of research student Dick Martin. Due to his work with high voltage electricity, his body developed the ability to store current. He discovered this ability after he was wrongly charged. Sentenced to die in the electric chair, he instead found himself possessed with electricity-based powers. After clearing his name, he decided to use his powers to fight crime.
Description: One day, Jake Miles is run down by an automobile and brought into Rance Raleigh's curio shop where he tries unsuccessfully to tell Rance something and then dies. But Rance's assistant Rocky sees the ancestral portrait of the Duke De Chantrey frown and Rance knows its time to go into action as the Cavalier. The Cavalier has no powers other than superlative swordsmanship, acrobatics and derring-do.
Description: Nancy Lewis is at home considering her engagement to Roy Carlson. Roy is a scientist too busy to spend time away from his experiments, even for Nancy. When an unexpected knock sounds on her door, she encounters a man who turns out to be a vampire. He quickly hypnotizes her to gain access to Roy's laboratory. The vampire takes a box of dirt which Roy says is "the perfect soil," similar to the original soil once covering Earth. Roy believes the soil will help mankind, while the vampire plans to use it to permit vampires the ability to gather anywhere and anytime. Roy goes to the vampire's lair to retrieve the box of soil, but he has to survive the rest of the night while fending off the attacks of the League of Vampires until daybreak.
Description: Believing that the world needed a defender, Thor, son of Odin and supreme ruler of Valhalla, bestowed upon the human Grant Farrel his own powers, which Grant used to become a crime fighter. When he transformed into Thor, Farrel could fly, throw lightning bolts, and generate storms. He wielded Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, which could be thrown hard enough to smash through multiple tanks but, like a boomerang, would return to his hand.
Description: Policewoman Peggy Allen is the department's best undercover operative. In order to deflect suspicion from her undercover role, usually as a nurse or maid working at the scene of the crime, she adopts the costume of the Woman in Red. She wears a red floor-length coat, a hood, and a mask. Peggy solves each case through deduction, athletic prowess, and a willingness to brandish her pistol. In some cases, she displays scientific knowledge and gadgetry, including in one story a "tear gas fountain pen." Each story ends with Peggy debriefing the police chief, who knows of her Woman in Red disguise and praises her good work.
