In the 1940s, The Black Terror ruled the comic racks. This is a short documentary about this now forgotten superhero. PayPal.Me/FizzFop www.patreon.co...
It's a wonder that The Black Terror didn't get a movie serial, or at least a radio series, given how popular he was. I do think he had one of the best superhero costumes to come out of the Golden Age.
Hi wcw43921! Thanks for watching! I find that a wonder also...but none of Pines' characters-even the pulp characters made it to the screen. He was a leading publisher...you would think that someone from a studio would have contacted him at some point. In case you hadn't seen it, the lead character in the movie "The Artist" is playing The Phantom Detective. Great movie--it's about a silent film actor whose career is nose diving with the advent of talkies. The Phantom Detective is on the screen for a minute or so.
@@bostonrailfan2427 It could also be an issue of politics. The Black Terror was popular, but almost all of his original stories are about him battling political corruption with people holding some position in City Hall using their influence to get wealthy by stealing funds or having ties with the mob. It is possible that studios or radio stations didn't want to stir up any controversy of that nature. Having your heroes fight criminals is one thing, but having them fight political criminals is entirely different. Without going further, one of the things that was forbidden by the Comic Code when it came out was that no comic could be published if it portrayed any member of government of any position in a negative light.
Patrica Highsmith, as well as being racist and antisemitic, had a strange obsession with snails. She bred snails, liking the idea of their portable hiding place and the impossibility of telling their gender. She traveled with snails in her luggage, hid them in her bra, and if she was bored at dinner parties, she'd get a few out of her purse and let them loose on the table.
@Evilmike42 If you review Golden Age Wonder Woman issues, there are a surprising number of scenes where she or other female characters are tied up far more often than in other comics.
"Why did the Black Terror become so popular?" The costume? "Well it's pretty simple, the costume." I knew it! "Nope, just kidding." Yeah... I-I knew that. 😅
Some could argue (People w/ the Last name's "Wood", "Colan" & "Kirby" especially) that Stan Lee was actually "A Horrible person." Considering All those stolen characters he takes credit for! Never mentioning that many A Marvel characters archatype's & actual template origins- precede _The Funky Flashman_ Stan, himself (to name A few; Daredevil, Spider-man, Mr.Fantasic, The Hulk, The Human Torch, Madam Masque etcetera, etc.).
the black terror is essentially the batman equivalent to Captain Marvel, a hero that competed with them in the golden age and formed the basis for there silver age incarnation, great character and probably the most revived public domain superhero and one of the only I know that went on to live-action after there cancellation. Shocking about Highsmith I mean milkshake girls were worming there way in even bak then!
Hi SpringHeeledJack of the Gurdians! Thanks for watching. Highsmith would have DESTROYED the milkshake girls. She would have ground them up, dried them out, and then smoked them (unfiltered). They're amateurs compared to her.
SpringHeeledJack of the Gurdians Oh Lord, enough about that milkshake post! What the check is it about that thing that get some guys' Huggies in a bunch? It was years ago, let it go.
@@truefanforum3273 I think the thing with milkshake post is seeing mostly 30 to 40 year old women trying to act like teenage girls posting basically really cheesy cringe, at a time when most of their output at Marvel was by and large really mid stuff and not selling well. I should note that if it was a bunch of 30 to 40 year men in the comics industry of that time doing the same thing while they all were generating comic's and GN's that weren't interesting to the audience on twitter, it would still look and feel like absolute cringe and both men and women would be mocking them too. It would still feel like primo cringe.
@@Plxlinixy It's still horribly stupid to get that upset over a darn picture. And it's funny that the biggest detractors of that picture and the women in it, ComicsGate, are exactly the kind of cringy guys you described. So they don't have much of a high ground to mock others. I didn't care about the damn picture then, and I still don't now. I am tired of people bringing that up like it was the worst thing to ever happen to comics. Oh, and people of all ages love milkshakes, trust me on that.
@@truefanforum3273 Ahem nobody spoke of comicsgate in these comments except you. Please fix the projector in your drive in as I think the screen I'm looking at is rather fuzzy right now. And just accept the fact that making a fool of yourself on the interwebs does not grant immunity to anybody when they purposefully do it.
The character was cool, but the best reason to read him is art by Jerry Robinson when he wasn't made to conform to Bob Kane's Batman style. It's easy to see how influential that style later became in comics including even today.
Hi WT Keeton. Thanks for watching! Yeah, I love Robinson's art. You can see Eisner had a big influence on him-but he put his own style to it. I can't tell you how many times I just studied his and Meskin's art while making this video. Great stuff!
I read that when he took over the Black Terror, he didn't know anything about him and didn't know he had superstrength and a bulletproof costume. And no one bothered to tell him after his first few stories came out. He thought he was doing their version of Batman and Robin. Great art though!
I love this character so much, and I have always wondered why he wasn't snapped up by the big three before Dynamite. Can you imagine this guy in DC, Marvel, or Image? Oh, Fan Canon time.
The Bronze Age of DC Comics he’s free to use by any publisher. They probably don’t want to invest the time and money and resources on a public domain character. Then again Thor....
I believe he is in public domain, so Marvel and DC, or Image, could make a comic about him right now if they wanted to. Have him join the Justice League or whatever. If they don't is because usually DC and Marvel do not like to use Public Domain characters. One could argue that Thor (Marvel) and Ares (DC) are public domain, and yes, those are mythological characters and thus public domain. But both DC and Marvel have done everything they can to make sure that their depiction of Ares and Thor is as original and different from the ancient Greek and Viking myths as possible to the point that their Ares and their Thor is a completely original character. If they used their policy of Thor and Ares with someone like The Black Terror, the character would be changed so much that he will become virtually unrecognizable from his Golden Age self.
Hi Jordan, originally, I wanted to do a live action origin story like I did with the Black Bat...it was tough getting people together and finding locations before the current situation.
@@FizzFop1 it's okay I'm sure it would have been awesome with you as director But thanks to the whole covid-19 situation it's going to be a while before we see any live action Superhero stuff.
Richard Hughes went on to ACG as editor and main writer, using pseudonyms for stories he would write for Adventures Into The Unknown and Forbidden Worlds, the latter title which introduced Herbie ( one of my favorite characters). Richard Hughes also created, for ACG, Nemisis and Magicman, who share a striking resemblance to The Black Terror and Fighting Yank, perhaps recreating them for a 1960s era appreciation? Robinson and Meskin were a great team, always enjoyed their individual talents as well. Jerry Robinson also drew the 50s era comic strip Jet Scott written by Sheldon Stark and wrote a great book about comic strips simply entitled The Comics. As always really appreciate your devotion and harc work putting these great videos together.
Great video. I used to hate the non DC/Marvel comics but now that I see the quality of them companies I have gone back to the obscure companies. Thanks
Patricia Highsmith achieved what Stan Lee said he wanted but couldn't, even starting in the same medium, she could probably see through him in that date...
There's an early picture of Jack Kirby standing in a studio doorway, a lady just passing over his shouider looks a bit like Patricia, and once early on Timely was in the ESB
Highsmith was gay but she only liked women sexually. She preferred the company of men as friends but could not stand to be touched by men. She was just a really odd person.
Thank you for this video! I always wondered what the deal was on the Black Terror and your video really helped to inform and clarify why he was so important. If I were to describe him to someone now, I'd describe him as a mix of Batman and Captain America, complete with a sidekick and matching Punisher outfits! Thank you for the information about the creative teams involved in crafting the books; you've made me want to check out the stories on the public domain sites.
Wow, when you mentioned "if you had gone to a comic book rack in the early 1940s...." I recall, in the '60s, looking at a wall of comics in the PX as a bonanza of magical magazines. Years later, I had to wade through all the crap to find the few gems.
Thank you for continuing to share these treasures from yesteryear. You are giving latter-day comics enthusiasts like myself a more complete picture of comic book history.
I remember a Black Terror limited run graphic novels. It had a storyline concerning a mob run by Al Capone's grandkids. Now I know where the inspiration for this badass came from.
His origin story seems similar to that of DC's Hourman, that's for sure. I wonder if The Black Terror was influenced by Hourman in a way? It wasn't that unncommon for similar powered characters to appear on different publications back in the Golden Age. I lost count of how many Captain America clones were published back then...
This was a cool video. I was introduced to the character thanks to the awesome Project Superpowers comic. I always appreciate a look about lesser known or forgotten characters.
I love classic comics it's like a world still in the past modern versions of Black Terror devil Phantom Green Hornet Flash Gordon spider Lone Ranger Zorro to name a few I also like John Carter Lord of Mars looks like a decent comic book from Dynamite
Another great episode. I'm happy to own a few Exciting Comics issues featuring The Black Terror. I'd like to make a few suggestions for future lost heroes: Hangman, Black Hood or Catman.
I definitely know about this character the Black Terror and this is a cool character I also have several of his books from Dynamite comics so thanks for talking about this awesome character.
What an amazing retrospective and great research on both the character and the creators. Well done. I am personally disappointed to learn that the author Patricia Highsmith was an unrepentant racist and a manipulative woman in general. When Stan Lee who never said a bad word about anyone ever describes you as a horrible person, then the truth is you're even worse of a human being than he was letting on. Based on this newfound knowledge, I can no longer support work based on her writing though I have previously enjoyed it without that prior knowledge.
Hi Tran! I put her in the Picasso category. Love the art. Hate the artist. The biggest disappointment is finding out your favorite musician, writer, or artists is an awful human being.
Patricia Highsmith eventually became a very successful and famous author. Very ahead of her time, particularly The Price of Salt. But she wasn’t the first one who didn’t want their names associated with comic books since they aspire to be known and have a writing career outside of comic books. That’s the reason why Stan Lee didn’t use his real name in the comics (Stanley Lieber). But Highsmith’s attitude and personality is saddening... she could’ve been in the history books and celebrated all over the comic book world... 😞
Stan was a crap writer and used other nefarious deeds to get his name up like putting his name in front of everybody's work or Stan Lee presents and other bullshit that he did.
This is the first I've heard of Patricia Highsmith's personality, but I recognized her name from The Talented Mr. Ripley and Strangers on a Train, so it's not like her name has been erased from history. In fact, I'm more familiar with her name than the name of the writer of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Who cares thats how that was back in the day. Doesn't that make us bad as well for judging someone. It was a different Era back in the day hell she was probably treated as bad if not worse for being a chick. Everyone no matter what race you were was a racist back in the day thats just how it was. Now it's different to a point some people are still that way and some aren't it shouldn't be our place to judge someone that lived in different times than us. All we can do is learn from it.
@@alberteinstein8546 I definitely get that we are all a product of our time and era. And yes, we all have to learn our lessons eventually. The point I am trying to make was that if it this wasn’t the case, then she could also have been celebrated as well as other of her contemporaries have been and that we will be seeing her name more mentioned when talking about the history of comic books.
Great episode, but I have to correct you on Batman. It was Bill Finger who came up with most of the ideas for Batman, including his look, his backstory, and many of his villains like the Joker.
Hi Jeff, No doubt Bill Finger was the main writer on Batman--but Jerry Robinson was Kane and Finger's assistant in those early days. When you read or hear how they worked together, they would sit in the office and banter ideas back and forth. For years, Kane took credit for everything--and he denied both Finger and Robinson of the credit that was due them.
@@FizzFop1 Yes, Robinson is definitely considered to be the creator of the Joker. Incidentally, he also mentored Steve Ditko and gave him his first comics work.
Saw Dynamite’s Black Terror comics at my friend’s LCS. Didn’t know who that character was until his store closed over a month and saw your video this morning. Dynamite picked up a number of classic heroes; The Green Hornet, Vampirella, Red Sonja, The Six-Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. Don’t know if Dynamite will get Miss Mask or do crossovers of Black Terror and Green Hornet. Image, Marvel and DC missed an opportunity to renew this lost gem.
I want Words w/ the 20+ [thumbs down] jealous Haters.. > Best Name(s) around _Bob Benton "the Black Terror."_ WoW! & Its A Great Costume, btw! Nedor publishing rocked. An there Comics are ALL FREE TO LEGALLY READ in HD on 'Comics Plus' website. I'm happy you re-did this GiANT of A Character Fizz, Thanks A mill!
I've been enjoying your series, particularly because I really enjoyed the 1986 series Alter Ego which featured so many of these characters. I'm really going to have to re-read this series. :)
what I find funny about all revivals of the black terror is they all have one thing in common or one thing they focus on: he's a violent person. whether it be project superpowers where he goes on huge rampage and threatens his fellow heroes, or alan moore's abc comics where he comes back from the dead as a ai construct that drives an alien through the sun, that one mini series and fanfilm where he's basically the punisher, in masks 2 he flies straight through a normal punk,or the reese unlimited stories where he's a government experiment created using his comic books for false memories and gets kicked out of team for killing. it seems black terror has tendency to live up to his name in modern times
Another great video! You were not wrong about the Black Terror costume, it is one of the most iconic one of the Golden Age of comics. And after all, he inspired Marvel's Punisher's look. Edmund Hamilton is one of my favorite pulp writer. I knew he had worked at DC via editor Julius Schwartz (who was pulp writer agent before becoming an editor at DC). But I didn't know he had worked for other publisher. I'm always mixing up Patricia Highsmith with another Truman Capote protegee Harper Lee. They were opposites in the political spectrum (Highsmith certainly could never have writen "To Kill a Mockingbird"! ), but both were young women writers from the south, both became famous with their first novel (both very successful, both quickly adapted in award winning movies), both were most certainly lesbians... Thy only had a 5 years difference in age. Highsmith was more prolific of course (Lee having published only the one book, than disappared from the public eye). About the Schomberg covers, the ones from Pines look much better than the Timely ones, bolder lines (inking?) and moe vibant colors (quality of production/printing?). I'd like to send you a one-time modest contribution via Paypal but I don't see the link in the description (or do I have to go through Patreon which I don't really like).
Maybe. He wrote those in the Forties, and was producing new work steadily up into the Sixties, with a bit of a posthumous revival as collected volume reprints in the early 2000s. I was born in 1966, so stuff like Star Wolf and Star Kings is what I think of when his name is mentioned. Didn't read any Captain Future until maybe ten years ago, although I've picked up quite of few of his 50s and 60s books used. Not a giant of early scifi, but still pretty well known as a solid writer.
@@VonWenk He is certainly both of those. I think I've read more of Leigh brackett's work than his, my grandfather used to have a large collection of her books. Very pleasant reads with a strong ERB feel to many of them, but a bit more sophisticated world building. The one foray into detective fiction I've read by her was also quite good - "No Good From a Corpse" IIRC. She was also one of the scriptwriters for the Big Sleep, which is one of my top three Bogart films (and a fantastic novel, of course).
@@richmcgee434 I recognize Brackett mostly as a screenwriter (The Big Sleep, The Vampire's Ghost, The Empire Strikes Back). I may try one of her novels, since I read all 12 of the Mars series when I was in high school, as well as the Moon Men trilogy and the first two Tarzan novels.
@@VonWenk You'll probably like her stories if you enjoyed ERB. There's a few of them up on Project Gutenberg, and I'm sure more scattered across the web. Finding print versions could be tricky, but there's probably an archive of Planet Stories scans somewhere.
I love the black terror! Especially the redesign of today when they gave him the swashbuckling sword but he's in the public domain like a lot of others like the original Daredevil and maybe some other like the llama and the black bat, the spider,etc. The ones I'd love to get are the ones like Johnny Quick,Hour man, use the OG Daredevil,maybe even someone can redesign them or make new ones around them, I know there's even cool ones that came from the watchmen series who are better concepts than the stupid watchmen comic itself that would be fun to play with like hooded justice.
Technically the old Nedor cheracters like Black Terror are not in the public domain. Warner Bros (not DC) owns them as part of a larger acquisition, but they have never judged it to be worth pursuing lawsuits when others have used them. If some venture actually made a lot of money, that could change though.
Interesting. I've never heard when/how Warner Brothers acquired the Nedor characters. I know Bill Black (AC Comics) used those characters after he had a run in with DC over Phantom Lady in the 1970s...after that he tracked down the old publishers and got permission to use them.
I saw this character in a issue of tom strong along with other heroes i have never heard of like the fighting yank.anyway his sidekick said the terror was a polymath.whatever that means.well that story was good and so is this.thanks.
The Black Terror seems like a cool character. It's a shame no recent adaptations haven't taken off with him in it, (in the sense of being mainstream). I need to check out project superpowers.
I never heard of Black Terror till today and collect a lot of Golden Age omnibuses and crime comics. How come they havent released some sort of Black Terror collection??
If you can find it grab the 1989 Black Terror: Seduction Of Deceit mini-series from Eclipse Comics. The art is fully painted by artist Dan Brereton. Please, do a video on Rulah Jungle Goddess and Black Fury/Miss Fury.
Hey the dread tyger. Thanks for watching. I didn't know who Captain Harlock was until I goodgled him...WOW! If you were going to make a steampunk version of the Black Terror, that's what the costume would look like.
Hi Matt, it sounds like everyone is on lockdown until May 1st. Comic shops are closed. Yes, it sounds like Marvel and DC is scrambling. There's been a lot of "pencils down" emails.
Did The Black Terror inspire Captain Harlock? I know a skull and crossbones isn't that unique but it looks like there was some influence from the Black Terror in Harlock's outfit.
Hi DemitriVladMaximov! Thanks for watching! I honestly don't know about Captain Harlock. The Black Terror's costume was the inspiration for The Punisher's costume though.
this is a hero that really needs a revival but good god, I fear what they might do with them both in this modern decadent era, with no respect for the long living classics, let alone these… couldn't expect any better… that rad costume can go lost for ever
So, it it has been absolutely established which Black Terror stories are attributable to Highsmith? I can understand her stuff would be sophisticated enough to immediately distinguish it, I was just unaware that someone had taken the time to exhaustively catalog all of them.
@FizzFop1 Do you know if (Gerard Conway and John Romita Sr) had ever acknowledged that ''The Black Terror's'' costume was a inspiration for the ''The Punisher's'' costume.
Hi Jeffrey! I've read over the years that the costume did inspire the Punisher-but I've never read a direct interview from Conway or Romita saying that.
Patricia Highsmith was an amazing writer and novelist but god was she a callous jerk. Probably had something to do with the fact of her repressed bitterness and homosexuality
Very likely John. I have the feeling that she was a walking psychology experiment. In her interviews, she comes off as angry and bitter. She has wealth, fame, success...so the reasons for her actions gets whittled down.
It she had a crap personality to begin with. Although those other social realities would only make things more complicated. But not all gay people of that era were so jerky and racist.
She claimed that her health and mental problems began in the womb after her mother tried aborting her with turpentine. She was a very sickly child, which causes all types of psychological issues.
Is it weird that the minute you said Stan Lee thought she was a horrible person, my first thought went to her being a racist. Also, that says something about his friend that had a crush on her.
Dashiell Hammett was teaching writing at a New York city college, I kind of think of Patricia Highsmith as his literary heir, I wonder if they ever actually met
Hi Kevin, Thanks for watching. I don't know if they ever met, but Hitchcock approached Hammett to do the screenplay and he refused because she was a first time published author. I guess that was a thing back then.
So his lab assistant mixes the wrong chemicals and his response is to drink it down? I know the golden age comic era could be kind goofy at times but that was a pretty funny origin.
It's a wonder that The Black Terror didn't get a movie serial, or at least a radio series, given how popular he was. I do think he had one of the best superhero costumes to come out of the Golden Age.
Hi wcw43921! Thanks for watching! I find that a wonder also...but none of Pines' characters-even the pulp characters made it to the screen. He was a leading publisher...you would think that someone from a studio would have contacted him at some point. In case you hadn't seen it, the lead character in the movie "The Artist" is playing The Phantom Detective. Great movie--it's about a silent film actor whose career is nose diving with the advent of talkies. The Phantom Detective is on the screen for a minute or so.
good point…must have been a rights issue or maybe he wasn’t as marketable as the other superheroes
@@bostonrailfan2427 It could also be an issue of politics. The Black Terror was popular, but almost all of his original stories are about him battling political corruption with people holding some position in City Hall using their influence to get wealthy by stealing funds or having ties with the mob. It is possible that studios or radio stations didn't want to stir up any controversy of that nature. Having your heroes fight criminals is one thing, but having them fight political criminals is entirely different.
Without going further, one of the things that was forbidden by the Comic Code when it came out was that no comic could be published if it portrayed any member of government of any position in a negative light.
@@CSLucasEpic prob not since the green honert had his own serial and he was doing the same thing
The comics code came out some time after his glory days.
Patrica Highsmith, as well as being racist and antisemitic, had a strange obsession with snails. She bred snails, liking the idea of their portable hiding place and the impossibility of telling their gender. She traveled with snails in her luggage, hid them in her bra, and if she was bored at dinner parties, she'd get a few out of her purse and let them loose on the table.
YUCK!
Mark A Simmons Well, it seems she had issues only a highly trained team of psychological specialists could tackle.
I wonder what would happened if you served her escargot?
Interesting person
@Evilmike42 If you review Golden Age Wonder Woman issues, there are a surprising number of scenes where she or other female characters are tied up far more often than in other comics.
"Why did the Black Terror become so popular?"
The costume?
"Well it's pretty simple, the costume."
I knew it!
"Nope, just kidding."
Yeah... I-I knew that. 😅
Stan Lee and Patricia Highsmith on a date? Add that to the moments of time I'd want to be witness to....
Some could argue (People w/ the Last name's "Wood", "Colan" & "Kirby" especially) that Stan Lee was actually "A Horrible person."
Considering All those stolen characters he takes credit for! Never mentioning that many A Marvel characters archatype's & actual template origins- precede _The Funky Flashman_ Stan, himself (to name A few; Daredevil, Spider-man, Mr.Fantasic, The Hulk, The Human Torch, Madam Masque etcetera, etc.).
@@latestred6510 he was a horrible person in real life in the office but not even he deserved to go on a date with someone so horrible
it’s a wonder that she didn’t become the inspiration for multiple villainesses
the black terror is essentially the batman equivalent to Captain Marvel, a hero that competed with them in the golden age and formed the basis for there silver age incarnation, great character and probably the most revived public domain superhero and one of the only I know that went on to live-action after there cancellation. Shocking about Highsmith I mean milkshake girls were worming there way in even bak then!
Hi SpringHeeledJack of the Gurdians! Thanks for watching. Highsmith would have DESTROYED the milkshake girls. She would have ground them up, dried them out, and then smoked them (unfiltered). They're amateurs compared to her.
SpringHeeledJack of the Gurdians Oh Lord, enough about that milkshake post! What the check is it about that thing that get some guys' Huggies in a bunch? It was years ago, let it go.
@@truefanforum3273 I think the thing with milkshake post is seeing mostly 30 to 40 year old women trying to act like teenage girls posting basically really cheesy cringe, at a time when most of their output at Marvel was by and large really mid stuff and not selling well.
I should note that if it was a bunch of 30 to 40 year men in the comics industry of that time doing the same thing while they all were generating comic's and GN's that weren't interesting to the audience on twitter, it would still look and feel like absolute cringe and both men and women would be mocking them too.
It would still feel like primo cringe.
@@Plxlinixy It's still horribly stupid to get that upset over a darn picture. And it's funny that the biggest detractors of that picture and the women in it, ComicsGate, are exactly the kind of cringy guys you described. So they don't have much of a high ground to mock others. I didn't care about the damn picture then, and I still don't now. I am tired of people bringing that up like it was the worst thing to ever happen to comics. Oh, and people of all ages love milkshakes, trust me on that.
@@truefanforum3273 Ahem nobody spoke of comicsgate in these comments except you. Please fix the projector in your drive in as I think the screen I'm looking at is rather fuzzy right now.
And just accept the fact that making a fool of yourself on the interwebs does not grant immunity to anybody when they purposefully do it.
The character was cool, but the best reason to read him is art by Jerry Robinson when he wasn't made to conform to Bob Kane's Batman style. It's easy to see how influential that style later became in comics including even today.
Hi WT Keeton. Thanks for watching! Yeah, I love Robinson's art. You can see Eisner had a big influence on him-but he put his own style to it. I can't tell you how many times I just studied his and Meskin's art while making this video. Great stuff!
I read that when he took over the Black Terror, he didn't know anything about him and didn't know he had superstrength and a bulletproof costume. And no one bothered to tell him after his first few stories came out. He thought he was doing their version of Batman and Robin. Great art though!
I love this character so much, and I have always wondered why he wasn't snapped up by the big three before Dynamite. Can you imagine this guy in DC, Marvel, or Image? Oh, Fan Canon time.
Imagine BT and the Punisher in a sartorial face-off! Makes me think of this: czcams.com/video/rWvpvlT9pJU/video.html
The Bronze Age of DC Comics he’s free to use by any publisher. They probably don’t want to invest the time and money and resources on a public domain character. Then again Thor....
@@CuriousCritter17 Agreed. Even when the PD character is cheaper.
I believe he is in public domain, so Marvel and DC, or Image, could make a comic about him right now if they wanted to. Have him join the Justice League or whatever. If they don't is because usually DC and Marvel do not like to use Public Domain characters. One could argue that Thor (Marvel) and Ares (DC) are public domain, and yes, those are mythological characters and thus public domain. But both DC and Marvel have done everything they can to make sure that their depiction of Ares and Thor is as original and different from the ancient Greek and Viking myths as possible to the point that their Ares and their Thor is a completely original character. If they used their policy of Thor and Ares with someone like The Black Terror, the character would be changed so much that he will become virtually unrecognizable from his Golden Age self.
I would love to see a live action shared universe with the black terror and all the golden age Supers with dynamite entertainment.
Hi Jordan, originally, I wanted to do a live action origin story like I did with the Black Bat...it was tough getting people together and finding locations before the current situation.
@@FizzFop1 it's okay I'm sure it would have been awesome with you as director But thanks to the whole covid-19 situation it's going to be a while before we see any live action Superhero stuff.
Richard Hughes went on to ACG as editor and main writer, using pseudonyms for stories he would write for Adventures Into The Unknown and Forbidden Worlds, the latter title which introduced Herbie ( one of my favorite characters). Richard Hughes also created, for ACG, Nemisis and Magicman, who share a striking resemblance to The Black Terror and Fighting Yank, perhaps recreating them for a 1960s era appreciation? Robinson and Meskin were a great team, always enjoyed their individual talents as well. Jerry Robinson also drew the 50s era comic strip Jet Scott written by Sheldon Stark and wrote a great book about comic strips simply entitled The Comics. As always really appreciate your devotion and harc work putting these great videos together.
Thanks Anthony!
All I knew Sheldon Stark for before reading your post was the Batman TV series. Thanks.
Great video. I used to hate the non DC/Marvel comics but now that I see the quality of them companies I have gone back to the obscure companies. Thanks
Patricia Highsmith achieved what Stan Lee said he wanted but couldn't, even starting in the same medium, she could probably see through him in that date...
Very possibly. She was a college graduate and he was a high school graduate. I'm sure she looked down on him.
There's an early picture of Jack Kirby standing in a studio doorway, a lady just passing over his shouider looks a bit like Patricia, and once early on Timely was in the ESB
@@FizzFop1 If your research had gone a little deeper, you'd know that Highsmith was gay. I assume that's why her date didn't work out.
Highsmith was gay but she only liked women sexually. She preferred the company of men as friends but could not stand to be touched by men. She was just a really odd person.
3:48 That gangster has disturbingly tiny hands
Thank you for this video! I always wondered what the deal was on the Black Terror and your video really helped to inform and clarify why he was so important. If I were to describe him to someone now, I'd describe him as a mix of Batman and Captain America, complete with a sidekick and matching Punisher outfits! Thank you for the information about the creative teams involved in crafting the books; you've made me want to check out the stories on the public domain sites.
Wow, when you mentioned "if you had gone to a comic book rack in the early 1940s...." I recall, in the '60s, looking at a wall of comics in the PX as a bonanza of magical magazines. Years later, I had to wade through all the crap to find the few gems.
This was great sir! I love Black Terror's design. Hope your safe and well.
Thank you for continuing to share these treasures from yesteryear. You are giving latter-day comics enthusiasts like myself a more complete picture of comic book history.
Very interesting. I've heard of the Black Terror, but never saw him until this video.
Thanks!
I remember a Black Terror limited run graphic novels. It had a storyline concerning a mob run by Al Capone's grandkids. Now I know where the inspiration for this badass came from.
His origin story seems similar to that of DC's Hourman, that's for sure. I wonder if The Black Terror was influenced by Hourman in a way? It wasn't that unncommon for similar powered characters to appear on different publications back in the Golden Age. I lost count of how many Captain America clones were published back then...
This was a cool video. I was introduced to the character thanks to the awesome Project Superpowers comic. I always appreciate a look about lesser known or forgotten characters.
By the way, Patricia Highsmith's The Price of Salt was adapted into a film named Carol in 2015.
That was the title she used when it was republished around 1990 under her own name. Price of Salt was done under a pseudonym originally.
Other movies too.. check out her imdb
2:07 I thought their team name will be "The Terrorists."
I like some remix that came out with Alex Ross comics the Black Terror and the devil
I love classic comics it's like a world still in the past modern versions of Black Terror devil Phantom Green Hornet Flash Gordon spider Lone Ranger Zorro to name a few I also like John Carter Lord of Mars looks like a decent comic book from Dynamite
How would you write yourself if you're in the classic World comics you have to pick a team of Heroes to work with
All I can think of is how cool this characters hero name is.
Another great episode. I'm happy to own a few Exciting Comics issues featuring The Black Terror. I'd like to make a few suggestions for future lost heroes: Hangman, Black Hood or Catman.
it's cool to see you Remake the first 2 Episodes of Lost Heroes.
I definitely know about this character the Black Terror and this is a cool character I also have several of his books from Dynamite comics so thanks for talking about this awesome character.
Dynamite just finished another mini series with Black Terror in the popular deconstructionist style; the Jorge Fornes covers alone make it a must-own.
What an amazing retrospective and great research on both the character and the creators. Well done. I am personally disappointed to learn that the author Patricia Highsmith was an unrepentant racist and a manipulative woman in general. When Stan Lee who never said a bad word about anyone ever describes you as a horrible person, then the truth is you're even worse of a human being than he was letting on. Based on this newfound knowledge, I can no longer support work based on her writing though I have previously enjoyed it without that prior knowledge.
Hi Tran! I put her in the Picasso category. Love the art. Hate the artist. The biggest disappointment is finding out your favorite musician, writer, or artists is an awful human being.
Patricia Highsmith eventually became a very successful and famous author. Very ahead of her time, particularly The Price of Salt. But she wasn’t the first one who didn’t want their names associated with comic books since they aspire to be known and have a writing career outside of comic books. That’s the reason why Stan Lee didn’t use his real name in the comics (Stanley Lieber). But Highsmith’s attitude and personality is saddening... she could’ve been in the history books and celebrated all over the comic book world... 😞
Stan was a crap writer and used other nefarious deeds to get his name up like putting his name in front of everybody's work or Stan Lee presents and other bullshit that he did.
This is the first I've heard of Patricia Highsmith's personality, but I recognized her name from The Talented Mr. Ripley and Strangers on a Train, so it's not like her name has been erased from history. In fact, I'm more familiar with her name than the name of the writer of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Who cares thats how that was back in the day. Doesn't that make us bad as well for judging someone. It was a different Era back in the day hell she was probably treated as bad if not worse for being a chick. Everyone no matter what race you were was a racist back in the day thats just how it was. Now it's different to a point some people are still that way and some aren't it shouldn't be our place to judge someone that lived in different times than us. All we can do is learn from it.
@@alberteinstein8546 I definitely get that we are all a product of our time and era. And yes, we all have to learn our lessons eventually. The point I am trying to make was that if it this wasn’t the case, then she could also have been celebrated as well as other of her contemporaries have been and that we will be seeing her name more mentioned when talking about the history of comic books.
@@loki2stunt well, agree to a point.
This name wouldn't fly today.
He has appeared in dozens of modern comics....so no one cares.
@@claytonjacobs4098Thank you for standing up against nonsense.
Wow! So MUCH more than I expected! What an an amazing comics history telling!a
Thanks Dennis! You're awesome for saying so.
Great episode, but I have to correct you on Batman. It was Bill Finger who came up with most of the ideas for Batman, including his look, his backstory, and many of his villains like the Joker.
Hi Jeff, No doubt Bill Finger was the main writer on Batman--but Jerry Robinson was Kane and Finger's assistant in those early days. When you read or hear how they worked together, they would sit in the office and banter ideas back and forth. For years, Kane took credit for everything--and he denied both Finger and Robinson of the credit that was due them.
@@FizzFop1 Yes, Robinson is definitely considered to be the creator of the Joker. Incidentally, he also mentored Steve Ditko and gave him his first comics work.
Yet another excellent video. Really found the info on Patricia highsmith interesting
Great video my dude. I never knew much about the black terror but I was always curious.
Saw Dynamite’s Black Terror comics at my friend’s LCS. Didn’t know who that character was until his store closed over a month and saw your video this morning. Dynamite picked up a number of classic heroes; The Green Hornet, Vampirella, Red Sonja, The Six-Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. Don’t know if Dynamite will get Miss Mask or do crossovers of Black Terror and Green Hornet. Image, Marvel and DC missed an opportunity to renew this lost gem.
Hi Frederick L. Thanks for watching. Dynamite reprints a lot of characters including Miss Masque under the Project Superpowers moniker.
I want Words w/ the 20+ [thumbs down] jealous Haters..
> Best Name(s) around _Bob Benton "the Black Terror."_
WoW!
& Its A Great Costume, btw! Nedor publishing rocked. An there Comics are ALL FREE TO LEGALLY READ in HD on 'Comics Plus' website. I'm happy you re-did this GiANT of A Character Fizz, Thanks A mill!
I've been enjoying your series, particularly because I really enjoyed the 1986 series Alter Ego which featured so many of these characters. I'm really going to have to re-read this series. :)
Eclipse put out a very nice painted and squarebound prestige format Black Terror limited series in the late 80s. Art by Dan Brereton.
Looks like it was 90 or 91.
what I find funny about all revivals of the black terror is they all have one thing in common or one thing they focus on: he's a violent person. whether it be project superpowers where he goes on huge rampage and threatens his fellow heroes, or alan moore's abc comics where he comes back from the dead as a ai construct that drives an alien through the sun, that one mini series and fanfilm where he's basically the punisher, in masks 2 he flies straight through a normal punk,or the reese unlimited stories where he's a government experiment created using his comic books for false memories and gets kicked out of team for killing. it seems black terror has tendency to live up to his name in modern times
Great point. In the original run, he certainly didn't live up to the costume or name. He was more of a stoic hero similar to Batman.
Another great video! You were not wrong about the Black Terror costume, it is one of the most iconic one of the Golden Age of comics. And after all, he inspired Marvel's Punisher's look. Edmund Hamilton is one of my favorite pulp writer. I knew he had worked at DC via editor Julius Schwartz (who was pulp writer agent before becoming an editor at DC). But I didn't know he had worked for other publisher. I'm always mixing up Patricia Highsmith with another Truman Capote protegee Harper Lee. They were opposites in the political spectrum (Highsmith certainly could never have writen "To Kill a Mockingbird"! ), but both were young women writers from the south, both became famous with their first novel (both very successful, both quickly adapted in award winning movies), both were most certainly lesbians... Thy only had a 5 years difference in age. Highsmith was more prolific of course (Lee having published only the one book, than disappared from the public eye). About the Schomberg covers, the ones from Pines look much better than the Timely ones, bolder lines (inking?) and moe vibant colors (quality of production/printing?). I'd like to send you a one-time modest contribution via Paypal but I don't see the link in the description (or do I have to go through Patreon which I don't really like).
Hi Rangersly! Everything I read about Highsmith was not good. My paypal is PayPal.Me/FizzFop
She also dated Leadbelly
Please please please please please Sir Do more Lost Heroes of The Golden age It really inspired me to Create my own stories and
Heroes
This was your best video yet.
thanks
Whats Professor Impossible doing here?
Outstanding doc. Keep it up. Love the part of Stan's date with Highsmith. Ooh la la.
Edmund Hamilton is probaby best known for creating and writing Captain Future for Thrilling.
Maybe. He wrote those in the Forties, and was producing new work steadily up into the Sixties, with a bit of a posthumous revival as collected volume reprints in the early 2000s. I was born in 1966, so stuff like Star Wolf and Star Kings is what I think of when his name is mentioned. Didn't read any Captain Future until maybe ten years ago, although I've picked up quite of few of his 50s and 60s books used. Not a giant of early scifi, but still pretty well known as a solid writer.
@@richmcgee434 I think of Hamilton mostly as a writer on the Legion of Super-Heroes and the husband of Leigh Brackett.
@@VonWenk He is certainly both of those. I think I've read more of Leigh brackett's work than his, my grandfather used to have a large collection of her books. Very pleasant reads with a strong ERB feel to many of them, but a bit more sophisticated world building. The one foray into detective fiction I've read by her was also quite good - "No Good From a Corpse" IIRC. She was also one of the scriptwriters for the Big Sleep, which is one of my top three Bogart films (and a fantastic novel, of course).
@@richmcgee434 I recognize Brackett mostly as a screenwriter (The Big Sleep, The Vampire's Ghost, The Empire Strikes Back). I may try one of her novels, since I read all 12 of the Mars series when I was in high school, as well as the Moon Men trilogy and the first two Tarzan novels.
@@VonWenk You'll probably like her stories if you enjoyed ERB. There's a few of them up on Project Gutenberg, and I'm sure more scattered across the web. Finding print versions could be tricky, but there's probably an archive of Planet Stories scans somewhere.
Thank you for another fine video. We greatly appreciate the bit of normalcy that you have brought to this difficult time. Happy Easter and Be Blessed!
I love the black terror! Especially the redesign of today when they gave him the swashbuckling sword but he's in the public domain like a lot of others like the original Daredevil and maybe some other like the llama and the black bat, the spider,etc.
The ones I'd love to get are the ones like Johnny Quick,Hour man, use the OG Daredevil,maybe even someone can redesign them or make new ones around them, I know there's even cool ones that came from the watchmen series who are better concepts than the stupid watchmen comic itself that would be fun to play with like hooded justice.
Technically the old Nedor cheracters like Black Terror are not in the public domain. Warner Bros (not DC) owns them as part of a larger acquisition, but they have never judged it to be worth pursuing lawsuits when others have used them. If some venture actually made a lot of money, that could change though.
Johnny Quick and Hourman are DC besides....
@@wtk6069 so basically it's one of those DMZ kind of characters that never seems to be acknowledged? Okay.
Interesting. I've never heard when/how Warner Brothers acquired the Nedor characters. I know Bill Black (AC Comics) used those characters after he had a run in with DC over Phantom Lady in the 1970s...after that he tracked down the old publishers and got permission to use them.
I saw this character in a issue of tom strong along with other heroes i have never heard of like the fighting yank.anyway his sidekick said the terror was a polymath.whatever that means.well that story was good and so is this.thanks.
Incredible video mate. I hope you get a new computer, with the Coronavirus and all.
The Black Terror’s costume is similar to the Marvel’s character the Punisher.
I HAD NO IDEA SUCH GREATS WORKED ON THE BLACK TERROR, NO WONDER IT WAS THE HEAD OF THREE TITLES!!!GARY BAILEY KING OF DARKNESS
Improved Black terror. Thanks again
You're back!
At least hes alive at dynamite with project superpowers
And boy how he look f****** badass.
A great accounting of comic history. Wishing you success. New sub.
Peace.
Thanks for keeping these golden age heroes alive so to speak
I love your channel
Well done, I just subscribed.
Thank you dandelatorre1870. Check out my other videos. I'm also working on new ones and should have a couple out in a few weeks.
I hope someday the black terror gets more recognition maybe a animated series could help a lot
Great work as usual Darrin, thank you. 👍👍
The Black Terror seems like a cool character. It's a shame no recent adaptations haven't taken off with him in it, (in the sense of being mainstream). I need to check out project superpowers.
Currently reading these stories digitally.
Great stuff.
I never heard of Black Terror till today and collect a lot of Golden Age omnibuses and crime comics. How come they havent released some sort of Black Terror collection??
Not sure...being in Public Domain, you would think someone would have put a Black Terror or Fighting Yank Omnibus together?
If you can find it grab the 1989 Black Terror: Seduction Of Deceit mini-series from Eclipse Comics. The art is fully painted by artist Dan Brereton.
Please, do a video on Rulah Jungle Goddess and Black Fury/Miss Fury.
Hi vonVile! Thanks for watching! I had no idea Eclipse did a Black Terror book. I will have to look into it!
I’ve always been curious about the Black Terror
Oh, I've been waiting or this one. Yes!
that costume... did Captain Harlock pick it up at the estate sale, or did they share a tailor?
Hey the dread tyger. Thanks for watching. I didn't know who Captain Harlock was until I goodgled him...WOW! If you were going to make a steampunk version of the Black Terror, that's what the costume would look like.
Nice video. Whats the situation with quarantine at USA and comic stores? Are DC and marvel affected?
Hi Matt, it sounds like everyone is on lockdown until May 1st. Comic shops are closed. Yes, it sounds like Marvel and DC is scrambling. There's been a lot of "pencils down" emails.
Great video bro.love your channel .keep up the good work .
I still dont know much about the character, but i know an awful lot about Patricia Highsmith now..
AC Comics did a revamp of him back in the 80s. They made his mask an X across his face and have him turn bad.
Hi Michael, back in the day I loved AC Comics. I'm surprised that they just sort of disappeared. I never saw their version of him.
@@FizzFop1 He appeared back in Americomics #2 and a couple of others, but now called just "The Terror"
Thank you
4:35 Patricia High Smith is my big surprise 🫢 Good for her!!!! Glad I kept watching 😅
Wowww, it's a shame Patricia Highsmith was such a terrible person. Another awesome episode💯🙏🏼
Could be worse.
Excellent presentation! Lee was certainly right about Schomburg.
Eating up these videos during lockdown.
Just discovered your channel. Very cool.
Did The Black Terror inspire Captain Harlock? I know a skull and crossbones isn't that unique but it looks like there was some influence from the Black Terror in Harlock's outfit.
Hi DemitriVladMaximov! Thanks for watching! I honestly don't know about Captain Harlock. The Black Terror's costume was the inspiration for The Punisher's costume though.
this is a hero that really needs a revival but good god, I fear what they might do with them both in this modern decadent era, with no respect for the long living classics, let alone these… couldn't expect any better… that rad costume can go lost for ever
Great info. Thanks for sharing.
Great video once again!
I like the Black Bat.
Please do Fantomah.
Is that different from Fantomas?
@@VonWenk a Woman Written by a Drunk Dad.
She started arguments to see peoples reactions. So now we know why Stan didn't like her
She was crazy
It's a good thing that most women aren't like that.
😐
So I tried disguising my face with nothing but a teeny domino mask, but everyone recognised me :(
So, it it has been absolutely established which Black Terror stories are attributable to Highsmith? I can understand her stuff would be sophisticated enough to immediately distinguish it, I was just unaware that someone had taken the time to exhaustively catalog all of them.
@FizzFop1 Do you know if (Gerard Conway and John Romita Sr) had ever acknowledged that ''The Black Terror's'' costume was a inspiration for the ''The Punisher's'' costume.
Hi Jeffrey! I've read over the years that the costume did inspire the Punisher-but I've never read a direct interview from Conway or Romita saying that.
@@FizzFop1 ''The Black Terror'' had the most awesome costume of all the (Golden Age superheros). At least in my book.
Could you do a video on The Phantom Detective??
Patricia Highsmith was an amazing writer and novelist but god was she a callous jerk. Probably had something to do with the fact of her repressed bitterness and homosexuality
Very likely John. I have the feeling that she was a walking psychology experiment. In her interviews, she comes off as angry and bitter. She has wealth, fame, success...so the reasons for her actions gets whittled down.
It she had a crap personality to begin with. Although those other social realities would only make things more complicated. But not all gay people of that era were so jerky and racist.
Perhaps it takes a real head case to create a convincing head case like Tom Ripley.
She claimed that her health and mental problems began in the womb after her mother tried aborting her with turpentine. She was a very sickly child, which causes all types of psychological issues.
The Black Terror was a real badass.
Awesome! Very convincing.
Is it weird that the minute you said Stan Lee thought she was a horrible person, my first thought went to her being a racist. Also, that says something about his friend that had a crush on her.
Have you done a special on Plastic Man or Blackhawks? I would love to see either one of those
I did an episode on Quality Comics. They're both part of the countdown of heroes...but it's not very in-depth.
@@FizzFop1 I'll watch that. Thanks. If you ever get around to doing a detail one I'll catch that too
I’d like a video on the dynamite 🧨 black terror
Dashiell Hammett was teaching writing at a New York city college, I kind of think of Patricia Highsmith as his literary heir, I wonder if they ever actually met
Hi Kevin, Thanks for watching. I don't know if they ever met, but Hitchcock approached Hammett to do the screenplay and he refused because she was a first time published author. I guess that was a thing back then.
Hey, great material! Do you have any video about Olga Mesmer who appeared in Spicy Mystery?
Hi Sid, haven't done it yet. I have her in some top ten lists that I plan on doing though.
@@FizzFop1 I will keep an eye on your channel looking forward to this video!!
So his lab assistant mixes the wrong chemicals and his response is to drink it down? I know the golden age comic era could be kind goofy at times but that was a pretty funny origin.
I think Dr. Pepper may have been invented that way. lol
Great
I missed the stream NOOOOOO