Jab’s Builds! (Sword of Sodan! Nightmare Creatures/Circus! Lawnmower Man!)

[Jabroniville]

I'm kinda guessing as to who is whom with these pictures, to be honest. Like, it says "The Shield III" but they might be discounting Lancelot Strong.

THE SHIELD IV (Lt. Michael Barnes)
Created By: Joe Simon & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The Legend of Shield #13 (July 1992)
Role: Patriotic Hero, Legacy Character
Group Affiliations: N/A

-Michael replaced Joe as the Shield in the Impact Comics book after thirteen issues. He was a married father with a young daughter, and only lasted a few issues before the line was cancelled.

[Jabroniville]

THE SHIELD V (Victoria Adams)
Created By: Adam Christopher & Chuck Wendig
First Appearance: The Shield #1 (Oct. 2015)
Role: Patriotic Hero, Legacy Character
Group Affiliations: N/A

-The fifth Shield (or ninth, if you count retcons like Roger and the fact that there are 2-3 different versions of Joe) was a woman, appearing in a short-lived 2015 revival of the line. Her deal was that she'd been around since the dawn of the republic to defend it from all enemies, but has been in stasis for years, only recently coming out. She lasted for four issues, and joined the new Mighty Crusaders book for a bit.

[Jabroniville]

THE WIZARD (Blane Whitney)
Created By: Harry Shorten & Edd Ashe
First Appearance: Top-Notch Comics #1 (Dec. 1939)
Role: Two-Fisted Superhero
Incarnations: Golden Age, Silver Age, Red Circle, Impact, Archie Digests, DC, New Crusaders, Dark Circle
Group Affiliations: The Mighty Crusaders
PL 10 (179)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 7 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10)
Athletics 7 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+13)
Deception 4 (+7)
Expertise (Science) 7 (+14)
Insight 2 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Investigation 5 (+9)
Perception 7 (+11)
Stealth 3 (+7)
Technology 6 (+13)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Benefit 4 (Wealthy), Chokehold, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 8 ("Stratoplane", Car That Reaches 500 mph, etc.), Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Hold, Inventor, Move-By Action, Takedown 2, Ranged Attack 4, Ultimate Science Skill

Powers:
"ESP" Remote Sensing (Vision) 10 [20]

"Invulnerable Suit" (Flaws: Removable) [12]
Protection 6 (Extras: Impervious 9) (15 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +13 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4 (+10 Invulnerable Suit), Fortitude +7, Will +7

Complications:
Motivation (Fighting America's Enemies)- The Whitney family has fought America's enemies for centuries, donning the red mask of The Wizard.
Relationship (Roy the Superboy)- The Wizard grabbed himself a Teen Sidekick once.
Relationship (Admiral Grover Whitney)- The Wizard's brother is a member of Naval Intelligence, and the only one to know that his cover as a bored socialite is just a cover.
Relationship (Jane Barlow)

Total: Abilities: 78 / Skills: 52--26 / Advantages: 31 / Powers: 32 / Defenses: 12 (179)

-The Wizard is one of those guys who basically NEVER appeared in those Archie one-offs (much like Bob Phantom & the Fly pairing), so I knew basically nothing about him until doing a bit of research. With his cape and thin mustache, I figured either a Two-Fisted Hero or a Superhero Wizard type of guy (both were VERY common back in the '40s, thanks to Batman/Shadow/The Phantom types and the popular comic strip Mandrake the Magician, of which Zatara and others are rip-offs), but he's a bit more quirky- he trains himself to have a "Super-Brain", gaining ESP, Photographic Memory and genius, but develops and drops powers at random- he is Super-Strong at times, and in his final stories has only clairvoyance. He's also rich enough to have nearly any kind of device available to him. Plus he got an invulnerable suit (suit as in "tuxedo"). The weirdest thing is that in the old-timey books he's wearing blue & red gear, but the Archie Digests dressed him up in PURPLE or PINK. Which are among the least-likely colors to put on a hero.

-So in the Golden Age, Blane Whitney works to develop a "Super Brain" thanks to rigorous training, gaining a variety of psychic powers that appear mystical. Initially wearing a tuxedo and red cape, he soon puts on more superheroic garb- blue tights with red trunks, mask and cape. His recurring love interest was naturally a Girl Reporter who was disgusted by his civilian identity (he had a "playboy" persona) and attracted to his superheroic one. The Wizard teamed up with The Shield in what is literally the first superhero crossover in history, and even gained a young sidekick in Roy- The Super-Boy! The Wizard was actually one of MLJ's most popular acts for a time- he shared Shield-Wizard Comics with The Shield, and Rusty teamed up with Dusty (the Shield's sidekick) as the "Boy Buddies" in the back pages of The Hangman. When The Black Hood debuted in 1940, The Wizard gave up some ground to him, but he stuck around as books slowly got cancelled around him, finally disappearing in Spring 1944.

-Curiously, when the now-renamed Archie Comics brought back their superheroes, The Wizard popped up as a villain in Fly-Man #33 (1966- many years after the revamp), but had a long gray beard for whatever reason. In the Red Circle '80s run, he reappeared as a hero, now wearing purple instead of blue. He shows up in the Archie Digest rosters, but never shows up in the actual stories. And has the aforementioned pink or purple gear.

-The Wizard ends up being PL 10 thanks to the suit (no idea HOW invulnerable it is), but is your everyday PL 8 Fist-Fighter otherwise. He's also a super-genius who tends to invent something for every story, PLUS he has ESP that shows him crimes happening further away.

[Ken]

I'm kinda guessing as to who is whom with these pictures, to be honest. Like, it says "The Shield III" but they might be discounting Lancelot Strong.

THE SHIELD IV (Lt. Michael Barnes)
Created By: Joe Simon & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The Legend of Shield #13 (July 1992)
Role: Patriotic Hero, Legacy Character
Group Affiliations: N/A

-Michael replaced Joe as the Shield in the Impact Comics book after thirteen issues. He was a married father with a young daughter, and only lasted a few issues before the line was cancelled.

In the Impact stories, the first Shield was Roger Higgins. Joe Higgins (the one with the dark hair), was the second. Michael Barnes was the third. Other than the names, there was no attempt to connect the Impact versions with the Archie versions. In the Impact stories, Joe and Michael were using JUST the body armor. Neither had super strength.

[Jabroniville]

"And in our stealthiest garb, too!"

ROY THE SUPER-BOY (Roy Carter, aka The Mighty Boy)
Created By: Harry Shorten & Edd Ashe
First Appearance: Pep Comics #8 (Sept. 1940)
Role: Kid Sidekick

-Roy was The Wizard's Boy Sidekick, copying Robin along with The Shield's Sidekick Dusty. Both of them wore short-shorts, similar capes and domino masks- this wasn't a particularly subtle swipe-job. Roy impressed the Wizard by defending a mugging victim from a couple of thugs- The Wizard naturally outfitted him with tights and made him fight murderous criminals, like ya do. They teamed up in a feature called The Boy Buddies in the back pages of The Hangman's book in the winter of 1941. They lasted about twelve issues all in all, most written by Bill Woolfolk & drawn by Paul Reinman. Later appearances were drawn by Paul Vigoda (brother of actor Abe Vigoda, apparently!). Interestingly, Roy showed up in the 1960s comics apparently, now called "The Mighty Boy" for obvious reasons.

-Roy had some super-strength at points, because The Wizard could train people to do that.

[Jabroniville]

CAPTAIN FLAG (Thomas "Tom" Townsend)
Created By: Joe Blair & Lin Streeter
First Appearance: Blue Ribbon Comics #16 (Sept. 1941)
Role: Two-Fisted Superhero, Patriotic Hero
Incarnations: Golden Age, Silver Age, Archie Digests
Group Affiliations: The Mighty Crusaders, The Ultra-Men (w/ The Web & The Fox)
PL 7 (116)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+9)
Athletics 7 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+11)
Deception 3 (+6)
Insight 2 (+5)
Intimidation 1 (+4)
Investigation 4 (+7)
Perception 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Chokehold, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative, Takedown, Ranged Attack 4, Sidekick 15 (Yank)

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Justice & Patriotism)- Tom was saved from criminals by an eagle, who later appeared with an American Flag in its beak. He has taken this to be an omen.
Addiction (Alcohol)- Tom was a lush before he became a superhero.
Enemy (The Black Hand)- The international terrorist murdered Tom's father, and repeatedly engaged him in battle during the Golden Age.
Relationship (Veronica Darnell)- The sexy film star and Tom became attracted to each other while working together on a case.
Accident (Being Arrested)- Captain Flag has a tendency to arrive at the scene of a crime just as the police do, and getting arrested for carrying out some kind of murder.

Total: Abilities: 66 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 26 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (116)

YANK THE BALD EAGLE
Role: Animal Sidekick
PL 6 (71)- Sidekick Rank 15
Normal Version: PL 3-4
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+8)
Athletics 6 (+5)
Close Combat (Natural Weapons) 3 (+7)
Expertise (Survival) 6 (+6)
Intimidation 12 (+6 Size)
Perception 9 (+9)

Advantages:
Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Improved Hold, Startle

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended, Ultra & Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Talons & Beak" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

Flight 5 (60 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [5]

"Small Size" Shrinking 4 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [9]
(-1 Strength & Speed, +2 Defenses, +4 Stealth, -4 Intimidation)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Natural Weapons +7 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +2, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Birds cannot speak to humans, nor use their talons to easily manipulate objects.

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 18 / Defenses: 15 (71)

-Captain Flag may have the most asinine origin in the history of superhero comics. Tom Townsend is a wealthy effete gadabout who had accomplished nothing and lived off his inventor father's wealth, leaving him helpless when the criminal Black Hand tortured the man to get his latest invention. When Tom's father died while rats were GNAWING ON HIS CHEST, Tom was to be next... only to be rescued by a frickin' BALD EAGLE, which both attacked the men and then CARRIED TOM AWAY, nursing him back to health by feeding him like a baby bird (??). When the eagle later returned carrying an American Flag (??), Tom was thus inspired to become a patriotic superhero named "Captain Flag". Thanks to his eagle-daddy and "mountain air", he was now in better shape than ever, and engaged in a series of battles with the Black Hand.

-A sexy actress/FBI agent (it varies) became his love interest, and all but one of his appearances feature the Black Hand- he generally did Patriotic Hero stuff with Yank the Eagle by his side. Captain Flag is a bit generic, but I actually kinda like that the American flag is his cape- that's not something I've seen on any character. He has a classically-insane origin (the eagle friggin' carries him away so he can't be tortured! Then frickin' feeds him when he's hurt!), full of Golden Age-style horrors (rats gnawing on chests?), and a half-decent costume, so it's too bad he only lasted for four issues back in the day. In their final struggle, Black Hand was hanged as a pirate, ending his threat once and for all. He reappeared only briefly in the 1966 Mighty Crusaders, forming the Ultra-Men with the Web & Fox. Most later incarnations of the Crusaders have ignored him.

-Flag is a more minor-league hero than some of the others (often being KO'd by Black Hand or his goons), but does well enough. Also, his Eagle is MUCH stronger than a usual one- a regular Bald Eagle is NOT capable of grabbing a person in his talons and casually flying off with them.

[Goldar]

"And in our stealthiest garb, too!"

ROY THE SUPER-BOY (Roy Carter, aka The Mighty Boy)
Created By: Harry Shorten & Edd Ashe
First Appearance: Pep Comics #8 (Sept. 1940)
Role: Kid Sidekick

-Roy was The Wizard's Boy Sidekick, copying Robin along with The Shield's Sidekick Dusty. Both of them wore short-shorts, similar capes and domino masks- this wasn't a particularly subtle swipe-job. Roy impressed the Wizard by defending a mugging victim from a couple of thugs- The Wizard naturally outfitted him with tights and made him fight murderous criminals, like ya do. They teamed up in a feature called The Boy Buddies in the back pages of The Hangman's book in the winter of 1941. They lasted about twelve issues all in all, most written by Bill Woolfolk & drawn by Paul Reinman. Later appearances were drawn by Paul Vigoda (brother of actor Abe Vigoda, apparently!). Interestingly, Roy showed up in the 1960s comics apparently, now called "The Mighty Boy" for obvious reasons.

-Roy had some super-strength at points, because The Wizard could train people to do that.

Roy Roy the Super Boy, lol

He must have been super (cute) in his short-shorts. The Wizard is chasing after him saying "Come back you young rascal! I want to see more of those short-shorts!"

[Jabroniville]

I'm kinda guessing as to who is whom with these pictures, to be honest. Like, it says "The Shield III" but they might be discounting Lancelot Strong.

THE SHIELD IV (Lt. Michael Barnes)
Created By: Joe Simon & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The Legend of Shield #13 (July 1992)
Role: Patriotic Hero, Legacy Character
Group Affiliations: N/A

-Michael replaced Joe as the Shield in the Impact Comics book after thirteen issues. He was a married father with a young daughter, and only lasted a few issues before the line was cancelled.

In the Impact stories, the first Shield was Roger Higgins. Joe Higgins (the one with the dark hair), was the second. Michael Barnes was the third. Other than the names, there was no attempt to connect the Impact versions with the Archie versions. In the Impact stories, Joe and Michael were using JUST the body armor. Neither had super strength.

Oh weird- I was wondering why his hair was brown at times. Is Roger Higgins a one-off invented for just Impact Comics, then?

[Jabroniville]

BLACK JACK (Jack Jones)
Created By: Art Camy
First Appearance: Zip Comics #20 (Nov. 1941)
Role: Two-Fisted Superhero
Incarnations: Golden Age, Silver Age, Archie Digests, Dark Circle
Group Affiliations: The Mighty Crusaders
PL 8 (118)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10)
Athletics 7 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+13)
Deception 4 (+7)
Expertise (Police Officer) 6 (+8)
Insight 2 (+5)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Investigation 6 (+9)
Perception 3 (+6)
Stealth 3 (+7)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Chokehold, Diehard, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative, Improved Hold, Move-By Action, Takedown 2, Ranged Attack 4

Offense:
Unarmed +13 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +7

Complications:
Motivation (Stopping Criminals)
Secret (Dead to the World)- Jack Jones is still believed to be dead, walled up in an old mansion.

Total: Abilities: 66 / Skills: 42--21 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 16 (118)

-Black Jack here has a pretty cool outfit as these guys go- the red & black are eye-popping, even if it's a bit plain, like Black Hood's.
-Jack Jones was a patrolman who loved playing blackjack with his fellow cops, but nearly met his end when a hoodlum (in a 2000s revision, it's actually one of the cops, who's turned out to be corrupt) trapped him behind a freshly-made brick wall in an abandoned mansion. To survive, Jack slipped a playing card (in the revision, his "pal" left it behind the wall to taunt him) through the fresh plaster so he could breathe, and was eventually rescued by the mansion's old owner. Saving Jack, the man (who had abandoned his house to search out his own fortune) suggested that he remain "dead", and hunt down criminals while under a disguise. He fought guys like The King of Diamonds, Black Seven and Poker Face... either they searched out the one hero with a card-based name, or there is one hell of a coincidence going on.

-Black Jack never proved all that popular, though he did share Zip Comics covers with Steel Sterling until The Web knocked him off. He lasted until 1943 before being dropped entirely. He wasn't seen during the 1980s or '90s versions of the Mighty Crusaders. As far as costumes go, he's got a pretty sweet one- he'd easily fit into mainstream Marvel or DC Comics just by virtue of having a decent, if plain, outfit.

-I figure Black Jack to be your "Typical Street-Level Hero", being an accurate, strong, fast guy who's a great fighter, but still decidedly human. He was a decent cop, if a bit easy to fool (I mean, his FRIEND was a corrupt cop?), and did the classic "studied martial arts and worked out" thing to become an amazing fighter.

[Davies]

Oh weird- I was wondering why his hair was brown at times. Is Roger Higgins a one-off invented for just Impact Comics, then?

Pretty much; he's Joe's uncle who was this continuity's original Shield back in the 40s and 50s before disappearing, until he comes back at the end of Joe's series, where Joe's arch-nemesis was his General Ripper-style father. (Guy made Thunderbolt Ross seem reasonable and sane.)

[Jabroniville]

THE BLACK HOOD (Matthew Kipling "Kip" Burland)
Created By: Cliff Campbell & Art "Camy" Camerata
First Appearance: Top-Notch Comics #9 (Oct. 1940)
Role: Two-Fisted Superhero
Incarnations: Golden Age, Silver Age, Red Circle (Legacy), Impact (Legacy), Archie Digests, New Crusaders (Legacy), Dark Circle (Legacy)
Group Affiliations: The Mighty Crusaders
PL 8 (121)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10)
Athletics 7 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+13)
Deception 4 (+7)
Expertise (Police Officer) 6 (+8)
Insight 2 (+5)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Investigation 6 (+9)
Perception 3 (+6)
Stealth 3 (+7)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Chokehold, Diehard, Equipment 2 (Motorcycle), Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative, Improved Hold, Move-By Action, Takedown 2, Ranged Attack 4

Offense:
Unarmed +13 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +4, Fortitude +7, Will +7

Complications:
Enemy (The Skull)- The Skull framed Kip for grand larceny and left him to take the rap.
Relationship (Barbara Sutton)- The girl reporter is Kip's girlfriend.
Relationship (Sgt. McGinty)- McGinty is a close friend of Kip's (and his superior), but repeatedly tries to arrest the vigilante Black Hood.

Total: Abilities: 66 / Skills: 42--21 / Advantages: 17 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 17 (121)

-Matt "Kip" Burland was a patrolman framed by The Skull for a crime, and was rescued by a hermit, who trained him to become The Black Hood- as a superhero, Kip cleared his name. In the book, it was apparently left intentionally vague whether or not he had actual superpowers, or was just very well-trained. The Black Hood was actually a shockingly big deal- he even had his own radio show, there was also a Canadian version redrawn for a Canadian audience (what did they do? Put a bottle of maple syrup or Kraft Dinner on his chest logo?), and more- he was one of MLJ's biggest acts before Archie stole everyone's thunder, taking Top-Notch Comics from The Wizard and also appearing in Jackpot Comics. However, by the end he had been bumped from the covers by funny animal comics, and was left as a plainclothes detective by the time his feature was cancelled. I kinda dig the costume, though- it's impossibly generic but how often do you see a canary-yellow costume with a black hood, gloves & undies on it?

-The Black Hood reappeared with the other heroes during the 1960s Mighty Crusaders run as well, but subsequent versions have been Legacy Characters. He also showed up during the 1990s Impact Comics revamp- the "original" was killed in the first issue of The Black Hood and was replaced by a reluctant high-schooler- the book lasted twelve issues. A third Black Hood- the mobster who'd killed the original, in fact, was I guess also a thing. In some variant or another, Matt was killed by The Eraser while retired- The Eraser was soon killed by The Comet in vengeance.

-The Black Hood has more than a little in common with Black Jack, who I would assume is the rip-off, given how he was created a year later. As such, the build is pretty much identical, but with a Motorcycle instead. As a cop, he might even have a gun.

[greycrusader]

The MLJ/Crusaders/Red Circle heroes are an interesting mix; the characters have never enjoyed commercial success past their early days, but several of them have some cache-solid costumes, solid Golden Age histories, or the odd interesting concept. In fairness, no company except Image has really succeeded with traditional superheroes since DC and Marvel began dominating the market at the Silver Age's start, and the Crusaders don't really lend themselves to other sorts of stories without fairly radical revamps. Even the failed revival attempts since the early 1980s have essentially just used the characters' names and a few superficial elements, reinventing them otherwise.

All my best.

[Jabroniville]

Roy Roy the Super Boy, lol

He must have been super (cute) in his short-shorts. The Wizard is chasing after him saying "Come back you young rascal! I want to see more of those short-shorts!"

Yeah that panel was, uh, super-weird. I knew I had to include it, even if four pictures was a lot for a guy who wasn't even getting any stats .

[Shock]

I love "The Corpse came C.O.D.". Peak noir right there

[Jabroniville]

THE BLACK HOOD II (Thomas Kipling Burland)
Created By: xxxxxx
First Appearance: xxxx (1980s)
Role: Two-Fisted Superhero
Group Affiliations: The Mighty Crusaders
PL 8 (118)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10)
Athletics 7 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+13)
Deception 4 (+7)
Insight 2 (+5)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Investigation 6 (+9)
Perception 3 (+6)
Stealth 3 (+7)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Chokehold, Diehard, Equipment 3 (Motorcycle, "Bean Bag Gun" Blast 3, Blackjack +1), Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative, Improved Hold, Move-By Action, Takedown 2, Ranged Attack 4

Offense:
Unarmed +13 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Blackjack +11 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +7

Complications:
Motivation (Justice)

Total: Abilities: 66 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 18 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 16 (118)

-The second Black Hood was Matt's nephew, showing up in the 1980s Red Circle revamp- it is retconned here that various Burlands have donned the "Black Hood" to carry out justice for generations, and Matt trains Thomas to carry on that legacy before being killed by The Eraser. Back-pages of the book showed the actions of the Burland family in this guise, including a female Black Hood patterned after Joan of Arc living in medieval France, and a Western hero cheekily said to have inspired the Lone Ranger. This Hood wears biker leathers and keeps only the mask. He was more of a gadget-user with a gun, "Bean-Bag" gun and a spring-loaded blackjack.

-A later 2000s Archie one-pager would show a younger Kip, disenfranchised from the police force because of all the corruption (Archie Comics was apparently telling kids that all cops are inherently corrupt), being trained by the elder Matt, who explained to new fans once more that Burlands had been the Black Hood throughout history.