To make up for this, I am presenting you with the first ever masked superhero. Yes, he pre-dates even the great Batman!
From 1936, I give you:
THE CLOCK
The Clock fought crime wearing a business suit and a full-face black mask. Occasionally, he left a calling card which read "The Clock Has Struck".
The alter ego of The Clock was Brian O'Brien, a one-time college athlete and former district attorney. He had a couple of sidekicks, Pug Brady first and then a teenage girl named Butch.
The character appeared in a variety of books for Comics Magazine/Centaur comics, and then was acquired by Quality Comics when the former company folded. The Clock continued to appear in their various comic books until 1944, when masked superheroes were on the wane.
In the mid-50s, DC Comics acquired Quality's properties, but they didn't make much use of this historical character and The Clock lapsed into the public domain. The character has had passing mention in at least one DC comic, the 90s hit Starman.
Malibu Comics published two issues of a comic in the early 90s, with a mix of heroes, including The Clock, who was now President of the United States, having long since retired from superheroics.
Click the pic above to read a reprint of a Clock Adventure!
Some links:
Info on the history of The Clock, comics' first masked super-hero.
Toonopedia page on The Clock.
Have never heard of this guy...so cool when I get to learn new things.
ReplyDeleteI have collected comics for years and never knew about CLOCK. Thanks for the history lesson.
ReplyDeleteand did he also say "Your time is up!" ?
ReplyDeleteInteresting - never heard of that superhero!
ReplyDeleteThat is one strange superhero! I will tell that to my students they'll love it!
ReplyDeleteHappy TT
xoxo
I've been immersed in comics lore since the early 1970s, so I knew of The Clock, but only from a historical standpoint. Never read an adventure... until now. Gracias!
ReplyDeletevery cool! being a comic fan you struck a cord here. what fun! Batman is my fav, but i'll give the clock a go.
ReplyDeleteNever knew about "Clock". Fun take on TT!
ReplyDeleteThis is fascinating. I am not a comic book person so I my familiarity tends to be the ones made into movies or the Archie series which I did read as a kid. Have to ask my husband if he ever read of heard of The Clock.
ReplyDeletethe Clock is a cross between James Bond and the Phantom of the Opera. lol! :p
ReplyDeleteI had no idea there was a superhero by this name. What special powers did he have? Not much of a mask in that first cover, is it?
ReplyDeleteKat
Thanks for posting the link to the comic! I went and read it, and enjoyed. I especially like Butch--I think it's interesting that the sidekick was a girl, a rough and tumble one, at that!
ReplyDeleteWhen my husband gets home I'm going to see whether he'd heard of The Clock. I hadn't, but I won't be surprised if he had--his comics knowledge is seemingly encyclopedic!
Great post.
Hi! Caffeinated Joe,
ReplyDeleteMy brothers collect comics, but I don't recall them ever mentioning a comic book figure name The Clock.
I wonder how much The Clock comic would go for if somone owned a copy of this comic book and decided to sale?!? (In today market
place!...)
C.J.,
Thanks, for sharing!...an early
character from the world of comics.
DeeDee ;-D
He is new to me. Thank you for the walk down memory lane.
ReplyDeleteA Clock Makes More Sense Than Bats Or Lanterns.A Surreal superhero!He Would Never Be Late! Right?
ReplyDeleteThanks Joe! I did not know The Clock either - good pull for the theme.
ReplyDeleteLOL Tom's comment...
The Clock is a new one for me.
ReplyDeleteYou really find some obscure items!
ReplyDeleteOh my,looks like his mum made his mask. Very polite to fight crime still wearing a suit and a trilby. . James Bond would be proud!
ReplyDeleteA crime-fighting clock! Who knew!
ReplyDeleteThe Clock superhero is a new one for me. I think this was great that you showed us something new that is really old. Thank you for doing this.
ReplyDeleteGreat TT clock post.
God bless.
Wings, I've a link to a U.K. site on comics, but not sure if these are on it. Nice take on the theme!
ReplyDeleteCal: Yeah, I never heard of him until I searched, too. Bizarre, cause I have read a lot about comics!
ReplyDeleteRonda: I got a lesson, too!
Tom: Would have been better than the phrase he did have!
Ravyn: Yeah, I thought so, too!
Marianna: Hope they get a kick of him.
Silver Fox: Glad you liked it. :)
Brian: Guess we lucked out Batman caught on and The Clock didn't!
Willow: Thanks!
California Girl: I bet he didn't! If he did, kudos to him (and his memory!)
reyjr: Yeah, I guess he is! hahaha
Poetikat: No special powers. He was like Batman, used his athletic and brain powers!
Leah: You'll have to tell me if he knew of The Clock!
DeeDee: Bet they would be pretty pricey!
Dakota: And thanks for stopping by!
tony: I would hope he wouldn't ever be late! hahaha
Megan: Thank you! :)
Michael: Was new to me, too!
Otin: hahahah - Thanks, I try!
Baino: The suit is okay, but that was a very weird mask!
Betsy: Not me! :)
Mrsupole: Thanks, was a lesson in comic history for me, too.
Subtorp: He might not be, as I have never run across him before anywhere!
Thanks for the commnts everyone!
I would have pegged a clock working for the bad guys.
ReplyDeletewell my geeky husband is getting into a discussion now about the definition of "superhero" and how it is distinct from "vigilante"... pffft.
ReplyDeleteBUT he'd not heard of The Clock, so there to him!