Legends of the Newsstand
Before streaming platforms and HD movies, your grandparents' source of entertainment was comics and the radio. The Golden Age of superheroes was an age of innocence, where everyone simply fought for what was right. With that in mind, here are 20 heroes who were classic legends.
1. The Original Superman
In 1938, when Superman first jumped over tall buildings, he wasn't just a blue-collar alien with rippling muscles. He was a hero for the common man. To your grandparents, Superman took on corrupt politicians and street thugs before fighting foreign aliens from distant planets. Crazy how he began as a social justice crusader who spent nearly as much time at his newspaper desk as he did hovering over it.
2. Captain America
Steve Rogers was the ultimate American hero. He punched a dictator right on his first cover. He was bravery personified for a whole generation going to war. Rogers gave folks something to root for when they really needed it. Kids growing up in the 1940s didn't need much convincing to pick up a shield and fight for freedom like their Cap.
3. The Shadow
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" Once a week, folks sat glued to their radios waiting to hear. Using invisibility and a foggy mind, he scared crooks decades before any shady hero was mainstream. Grandpa sat quietly in the living room just to hear about this mystery man.
4. Wonder Woman
Diana Prince made her debut as a formidable Amazonian fighter who showed women can be just as strong and heroic as men. Taking down bad guys with her Lasso of Truth and bulletproof bracelets, she fought for peace and justice. She changed comics forever by allowing girls to identify with a superhero for the first time.
5. The Flash
Jay Garrick first wore a stylish silver helmet with Mercury-like wings, not the modern red suit we associate with him today. He became super fast after an accident in the lab. He flew around Keystone City, stopping anyone who needed help. His original design may seem kind of goofy to you, but he was the first superhero to make super-speed famous.
6. Dick Tracy
He wore a yellow trenchcoat and carried a technologically advanced two-way wrist radio way before that was possible. He battled sinister enemies whose villainous features were wildly stylized. Grandpa probably read about his daily escapades in the newspaper comic strip. He solved cases the hard way.
7. The Green Lantern
The first iteration of this character was Alan Scott, wielder of a magical lantern made from a mysterious green meteor. He made a ring that enabled him to generate solid constructs of light so long as he was nowhere near any wooden objects. It's quite a departure from the astronaut police officer origin we have today, but it certainly had the magic of the early 1940's.
8. Captain Marvel
You may know him as Shazam these days, but at one time, he outsold Superman for a short time. Billy Batson was a child who could turn into a costumed hero simply by saying a magic word. Children could relate to being granted god-like powers themselves if they were worthy and chosen by an ancient wizard.
Charles Clarence Beck on Wikimedia
9. The Phantom
Called the Ghost Who Walks, this crimefighter lived in a cave hollowed out of a giant skull deep in the jungle. He battled pirates and ruthless treasure hunters who were plundering the jungle. He possessed no real supernatural abilities, though he used his phenomenal strength, gained from years of physical training, and his supposed immortality to intimidate his foes.
10. Sheena, Queen of the Jungle
Fearless adventurer Sheena could talk to animals and defend her jungle home from all comers. One of the first women to star in her own comic book series, she was way ahead of her time. Grandma might remember Sheena as that kick-butt loner who could run faster than a leopard.
11. The Human Torch
The original incarnation of this character was actually not a man at all, but an advanced android capable of combustion upon exposure to oxygen. He battled identity issues as a robot while trying to do good and save humanity from disasters. Watching a flaming man race across the sky was a huge visual spectacle for readers who were only just getting exposed to an artist's capabilities.
AlejandroLinaresGarcia on Wikimedia
12. Buck Rogers
Space travel seemed impossible until this guy brought us to the 25th century, where jetpacks and lasers were commonplace. He battled aliens and traveled the universe, making one generation rabid for all things science fiction. Thank him for inspiring nearly every sci-fi flick you've seen in movie theaters.
13. The Spirit
Denny Colt was a crime-fighting detective who lived in a cemetery by day and spent his nights beating up bad guys all over Central City. The art was so cinematic that many of these tales play like movies. And your grandparents dug the dry wit and how the title of each feature was cleverly concealed somewhere in the city.
14. Hourman
Rex Tyler was once a scientist who created a miraculous pill. When he takes the pill, he gains super strength and speed for sixty minutes. The drawback makes his adventures interesting since he races against the clock to defeat his foe before time runs out.
15. The Sub-Mariner
Namor was considered one of the first "anti-heroes". He often didn't see eye-to-eye with surface folk. Namor was a prince of Atlantis who would stop at nothing to protect his underwater nation from anyone he saw polluting or trying to invade. His hot temper and flying abilities with small wings on his ankles made him one of the most distinctive characters on the newsstand.
16. Black Canary
Dinah Drake was a superheroine with international martial arts training who fought crime in fishnets and a leather jacket using her bare hands. While she later acquired sonic scream powers, she debuted as a streetwise PI able to take care of herself in any fight. She showed us you didn't need a cape to fight crime.
17. Wildcat
Ted Grant was a heavyweight boxing champion who dressed up as a cat in order to prove his innocence and seek justice. He possessed no superhuman abilities, but his gritty fighting prowess and determination endeared him to fans of hard-hitting heroes. Grandpa may have enjoyed him because he seemed like a normal dude who tried his best to do good.
18. The Sandman
Far before becoming an emo dream lord, Wesley Dodds suited up in green and used a gas mask to fight crime by putting thugs to sleep. A millionaire plagued by precognitive dreams felt obligated to act on the crimes he dreamed about. This pulp-flavoured hero gave superhero books a creepy, noir vibe that was refreshing compared to its flashier titles.
19. Hawkman
Carter Hall was an archaeologist who learned he was the reincarnation of an Egyptian prince who flew through the use of mysterious "Nth metal". He used weapons ranging from maces and shields, making fights extremely old school, gladiator style. This was history and fantasy combined to inspire children to learn.
20. Plastic Man
This guy was able to stretch and shapeshift into anything you could imagine, and he definitely injected some needed humor into the Golden Age. Eel O'Brian was once a crook until a chemical accident gave him his strange powers. You'll notice that many of his adventures were quite zany and surreal.
