Exciting Comics #9 (1941)
by Richard E. Hughes & Don Gabrielson
The Hero Origins retrospective is dominated by DC and Marvel characters, with some Quality and a few Fawcett ones sprinkled in.
But make no mistake: there are TONS of superheroes in the Golden Age, most of which end up being completely forgotten by time. Usually for a good reason, as most of them are extremely derivative and generic.
One of the few exceptions, that proved cool enough to be re-introduced for modern audiences on the strength of his look alone… is Black Terror from Standard Comics.
Isn’t it hilarious that a series called “Exciting Comics” is published by a company by the definitely unexciting name “Standard Comics”?
Just look at him: goofy facial expression aside, he doesn’t even look like a Golden Age character.
He also gets the impressive superhero moniker of “Nemesis Of Evil”.
He gets a full origin story, something rare in the Golden Age.
We begin with Bob Benton, who not only looks exactly like Clark Kent but who is also pre-dates the usage of alliterative civilian names, dealing with racketeering in his drug store.
That’s a very unique job for a secret identity: I can’t think of a single other superhero who works as a pharmacist.
The racketeers also bet up a nearby kid. That’s going to be important.
Bob gets punched when he tries to help the kid, but luckily for him a secretary and the city comptroller just happen to show up.
You would think the comptroller would be the one turning into a superhero, but nope!
The kid is more impressed by Bob getting punched than in the guy who actually saved him.
Okay Bob most definitely deserves praise, but this is a bit much.
Little known fact, pharmacists in the 40s were basically super-scientists.
I am shocked, shocked I tell you, that a random kid picked up in the street is not the best lab assistant.
And behold: the dumbest origin of a Super-Soldier Serum EVER.
Bob doesn’t even need to DRINK it, just the fumes are enough!!!
Well someone was on fumes for this story, that’s for sure.
So I’m assuming Bob has the proportional strength of an ant now?
You just have to love how efficient Golden Age stories can be: Bob has already decided he’s going to be a superhero and the specifics of his own costume NEXT PANEL.
Speaking of the costume, he doesn’t go for the ant theme AT ALL. You would’ve expected him to become The Red Ant or something, but I guess Bob was really into pirates.
When the racketeers show up again, the Black Terror demonstrates his invulnerability and super-strength.
Costume aside, up to this point the artwork has been unremarkable at best. And then the quality takes a HUGE improvement with an amazing sequence.
Followed by a more traditional beat-up.
(WTF is the guy going “rrr-glug” doing?)
All in a day’s work for Your Friendly Neighborhood Black Terror.
Bob is a wholly original character, people, I don’t know why you could possibly think this is derivative of anything.
In a typical Golden Age story, things would be over by now. But we’re not done!
After giving some information to Black Terror, Tim also gets super-strength thanks to the serum.
Which I guess Bob just keeps laying around.
That’s right: this is not just the origin story of Black Terror, but also of his sidekick Tim.
No, seriously. That’s the superhero name he’s going to use… Tim.
Worst catchphrases of all time?
“Sockamagee!”
“I’ll be a three-eyed Kryptonian babootch”
“Leapin’ Lima Beans!”
Superhero sidekicks were already so common that nobody questions the superstrong child.
Not content with just stealing his secret identity’s look, Black Terror also rips off Superman’s eternal hatred of trains.
Seriously, what IS it with Superman and trains???
Black Terror then bizarrely ends up punching the city comptroller for making fun of his civilian identity!
I had to go back and check if I missed him being involved with the racketeers… but nope: Black Terror just decided to bully him!!!
Our hero, ladies and gentlemen!
Kids, don’t you want to read some Action in your Comics?
Historical significance: 6/10
Shockingly, people keep trying to make Black Terror a thing.
Silver Age-ness: 10/10
Not just for the easiest Super Soldier Serum ever, but also for Tim taking the superhero name of… Tim.
At least “Bucky” is a bit less generic!!!
Does it stand the test of time? 3/10
The story itself is as generic as they come for the Golden Age, but at random points the artwork gets a serious improvement before nosediving again.
Before moving on, a few words on Black Terror’s creators.
Writer Richard E. Hughes is perhaps best known for creating Herbie Popnecker in the late 50s, a LEGENDARILY WEIRD character.
Barely anything is known about penciler David Gabrielsen, who only has a handful of credits to his name; from what I could find, he ended up in advertising.
I have to mention that several of later Black Terror stories were written by Patricia Highsmith.
She is FAR more famous as a novelist, most notably for “The talented Mr. Ripley” and “Strangers On A Train”.
An influential novelist that was one of the earliest women in comics, not to mention a very prolific one: why isn’t this more well known?
Well, according to a book on her life written by Joan Schenkar (“The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith”), that was by design.
Pat systematically erased from her life every single thing that had to do with comics; she threw away every comic script, every proposal for a comic script, and every scenario for a comic book story she ever wrote. There would have been thousands of pages of comics work to cull—and she culled every one of them. Nor did she keep any copies.
Joan Schenkar, “The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith”
Despite the fact that later in life Patricia Highsmith would be openly lesbian, apparently she went on a date with Stan Lee.
It… didn’t go well, according to the aforementioned book quoting editor Vincent Fago.
But the future creator of the talented Mr. Ripley was not fated to go out on a date with the future facilitator of Spider-Man. “Stan Lee,” said Vince Fago, “was only interested in Stan Lee,” and Pat wasn’t exactly admitting where her real sexual interests lay. Lee, who invokes his failing memory and “murky mind,” remembers only Pat’s name from the incident.
Joan Schenkar, “The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith”
How close is this to the modern character? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Oh boy, this is where things get complicated.
Black Terror was easily the most popular hero from Standard Comics. He would get his own series and be a regular on the covers of the anthology book America’s Best Comics.
This would last until 1949, significantly longer than most Golden Age superheroes, especially from a minor publisher.
With Standard Comics ceasing publications in 1956, the rights of its characters either entered the public domain or were acquired by a myriad other companies.
Black Terror would be COMPLETELY forgotten until 1983, when AC Comics brough him back as an older and much more violent character, just named “Terror”. But he is definitely the same guy.
Nothing came of that version. Or of the version introduced in 1986 by the Alter Ago miniseries from First Comics by, who else, Roy Thomas.
This time calling him Holy Terror.
Next was Darkline Comics in 1987, reviving the character as “Terror Knight” in the series “Dark Adventures”. Which is SO obscure I couldn’t find a single image or a source besides Wikipedia, so take it with a grain of salt.
Eclipse Comics also tried in 1989 with a three issue miniseries, finally calling him Black Terror again. But he doesn’t have powers and doesn’t share the origin.
When I mentioned America’s Best Comics, you might have thought: “Wasn’t that an Alan Moore thing?”. Indeed!
America’s Best Comics was a Wildstorm imprint which published, among other things, Tom Strong by Alan Moore.
And in Tom Strong #12, we discover the eventual fate of Black Terror: after his death (!!!), he created a supercomputer named Terror 2000 with a copy of his own mind.
This was my first introduction to the character, and let me tell you: Terror 2000 is AWESOME.
Terror 2000 is also heavily involved in the later Terra Obscura series, joining a team of other Golden Age characters saved from the public domain.
Both Tom Strong and Terra Obscura are HIGHLY recommended, as if I had to say that about Alan Moore books.
Black Terror wasn’t done jumping publishing companies: in 2008, Dynamite Entertainment started Project Superpowers that involved several public domain characters.
It’s most notable for being co-written by Alex Ross, who provides the covers.
Dynamite Entertainment seems to be the most enduring relaunch: Black Terror received his own series in 2008, which lasted 14 issues…
…and a 5-issue miniseries as recently as 2019.
Which pokes a little fun at all the various Golden Age shenanigans: this is explicitly the original Black Terror, but he’s still around in modern times.
And that’s not even the full extent of attempted Black Terror relaunches. Metahuman Press and Moonstone Books tried in 2009 and 2011 respectively, and even two webcomics (“Heroes Inc.” and “Curse Of The Black Terror”, also in 2009 and 2011 respectively).
Again I don’t have solid sources for these, but it just goes to show how many times a hero in the public domain can pop up everywhere.
Including an appearance in the 2010 independent movie “Avenging Force: The Scarab”.
I can’t believe its version of Black Terror didn’t get a solo movie.
