In Mystery Men Comics #10 (March 1940), the Blue Beetle reveals that his costume is actually bullet-proof. Maybe Dr. Franz, the drug store owner / sidekick who helps Dan Garret, made this happen? Or maybe Fox wanted to make their hero as exciting as Superman?
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Timely Comics (the company that later became Marvel Comics) continued to innovate by inventing the first superhero crossover. The above panel in Marvel Mystery Comics #7 (March 1940) is the first time comic book characters from different “strips” have hinted at a shared universe. The Human Torch and Namor, the Sub-Mariner would clash in the […]
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In Detective Comics #38 (March 1940), Batman gains a youthful sidekick as he rescues the newly orphaned Dick Grayson and trains him to become Robin, the Boy Wonder. Robin was co-created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and inker Jerry Robinson. This issue marks the start of shift to a lighter tone for Batman, one in […]
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In More Fun Comics #54 (March 1940), the Spectre‘s powers continue to be revealed: allowing bullets to pass through him, projecting a duplicate, turning invisible, exploding bullets. In this story, a voice from the afterlife relents and gives the Spectre a chance at eternal rest… of course Jim Corrigan refuses in order to save his […]
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In Whiz Comics #3 (February 1940), Doctor Sivana gains a new ally, Beautia from the planet Venus. This story also marks the first time that Sivana learns that Billy Batson is Captain Marvel.
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February 1940 also brought another major character to the DC Universe with the introduction of Luthor, probably Superman‘s greatest villain. First appearing in Action Comics #23 (February 1940), Luthor was a mad scientist bent on world domination that used hypnotism to keep his lackeys in check. Later on in the month he also appeared in […]
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The more colorful and super-powered Hourman, Rex “Tick-Tock” Tyler, debuted in Adventure Comics #48 (February 1940) alongside the other superhero in that book, The Sandman. He was created by writer Ken Fitch and artist Bernard Baily. Hourman got his powers from taking a bump of Miraclo, a pill that he invented that gave him super […]
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The “gadgeting” of Batman continues in Detective Comics #37 (February 1940) with Bruce adding a night-vision device to let him see in the dark. Note that this is only a couple months after Germans started experimenting with nightvision goggles in World War II!
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The Spectre‘s costume was revealed in-story during More Fun Comics #53 (February 1940). The original setup was that Detective Jim Corrigan is dead, but still walks the earth, and he made the costume in order to fight crime.
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The first superheroine is largely considered to be Fantomah, a woman with supernatural powers who appears in Jungle Comics #2 (January 1940). She leads these ivory raiders to their deaths, so she is more of an anti-hero in my opinion.
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