Captain Triumph
Encyclopedia
Captain Triumph is a superhero
from the Golden Age of Comics who first appeared in Crack Comics #27, published in January 1943 by Quality Comics
. The character was later obtained by DC Comics
, though by that time he had already lapsed into public domain. Some of his Golden Age adventures were reprinted by AC Comics
in the Men of Mystery anthology. He is not to be confused with another DC Comics property, Triumph
.
brothers Michael and Lance Gallant were born in New York City
. They were so alike, even to a T-shaped birthmark
on their left wrists, that even their mother could not distinguish between them. The two remained close, even for twins, as they grew up.
When America was drawn into the Second World War, Michael enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, becoming a pilot. However, on his 23rd birthday, as he brought his plane in to land, the hangar he was entering blew up. His fiancée, Kim Meredith, and his brother Lance witnessed this act of sabotage, and the latter raced into the burning structure, managing to retrieve his badly injured sibling, only for Michael to die in his arms.
Lance swore vengeance on the murderers and those like them. Unknown to him, the Fates, creatures of myth, were watching all this and decided to create a champion. Soon afterwards Lance received a shocking visitation from Michael's ghost
, who revealed that they remained linked together, and that if Lance was to touch his birthmark, they would merge, gaining superpowers as a result. Touching the mark a second time would separate them again. Calling himself Captain Triumph, Lance became a crimefighter.
, a plain red tunic, brown riding boots, and no mask. By the time Cap appeared in 1943, the tide of superhero comic book characters was receding somewhat. Captain Triumph's costume was just enough to get across the idea he was a superhero, but since the genre was fading did not emphasize the fact.
, former assistant to Milton Caniff
on Terry and the Pirates
. Andriola had also drawn a newspaper comic based on author Earl Derr Biggers
's famous character, Charlie Chan
. He stayed with Captain Triumph a mere five months, leaving to create the character he's best remembered for, Kerry Drake
. He was followed by a succession of other talents, none of which especially stood out.
) which chose to keep only a few titles running, such as Blackhawk
and G.I. Combat
. Though it owned the rights to Captain Triumph, DC would not use the character for several more decades.
, the World War II
group of mystery men brought together by Franklin Roosevelt. He appeared on the cover of the first issue, as one of a group of photos spread over a table, along with the tag line "Who Will Be the Heroes of the....All-Star Squadron" although he did not actually appear within the issue. Writer Roy Thomas
indicates he always intended to use Captain Triumph in All-Star Squadron but never got around to it before the title was cancelled.
's Animal Man
series (issue #7) fighting the unsuccessful supervillain The Red Mask who described him as possessing "the personality of a deck chair." Given his characterization in this story - admittedly from The Red Mask's not exactly unbiased viewpoint - that was not an entirely inaccurate assessment.
. Michael was still present as a spirit but had apparently gone psychotic in the many years of inactivity. The twins discovered a love affair between Jesse and her mother's young fiancé. Lance tried to confront the fiancé on the matter but was taken over by his brother Michael, who quickly murdered the man for his infidelity to his friend.
, a DC Comics Elseworlds
"imaginary story", 4-issue prestige format
mini-series by James Robinson (writer) and Paul Smith
(artist). In it, Lance Gallant has retired as Captain Triumph and is trying to lead a normal life, despite his brother's ghost urging him to become a hero again. When he meets the reformed supervillain, the Tigress
, he falls in love with her. In the end he refuses to accede to his brother's requests and dies fighting the original Golden Age Robotman
as a normal man, defending the Tigress. James Robinson intended that The Golden Age be canon, and his subsequent series Starman
always assumed that the events in The Golden Age (for instance Ted Knight, the original Starman, having a nervous breakdown after his research was used to help create the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki) actually happened. However The Golden Age has always been classed as a non-canonical "imaginary story" by DC's powers-that-be.
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
from the Golden Age of Comics who first appeared in Crack Comics #27, published in January 1943 by Quality Comics
Quality Comics
Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
. The character was later obtained by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, though by that time he had already lapsed into public domain. Some of his Golden Age adventures were reprinted by AC Comics
AC Comics
AC Comics is a comic book publishing company started by Bill Black.AC Comics specializes in reprints of Golden Age comics from now-defunct companies whose properties lapsed into public domain and were not reprinted elsewhere...
in the Men of Mystery anthology. He is not to be confused with another DC Comics property, Triumph
Triumph (comics)
Triumph is a fictional character, a former superhero in the DC Comics universe who first appeared in Justice League America #92 , and was created by Brian Augustyn, Mark Waid and Howard Porter, though the character is primarily associated with writer Christopher Priest...
.
Origin
In 1919 twinTwin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
brothers Michael and Lance Gallant were born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. They were so alike, even to a T-shaped birthmark
Birthmark
A birthmark is a benign irregularity on the skin which is present at birth or appears shortly after birth, usually in the first month. They can occur anywhere on the skin. Birthmarks are caused by overgrowth of blood vessels, melanocytes, smooth muscle, fat, fibroblasts, or...
on their left wrists, that even their mother could not distinguish between them. The two remained close, even for twins, as they grew up.
When America was drawn into the Second World War, Michael enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, becoming a pilot. However, on his 23rd birthday, as he brought his plane in to land, the hangar he was entering blew up. His fiancée, Kim Meredith, and his brother Lance witnessed this act of sabotage, and the latter raced into the burning structure, managing to retrieve his badly injured sibling, only for Michael to die in his arms.
Lance swore vengeance on the murderers and those like them. Unknown to him, the Fates, creatures of myth, were watching all this and decided to create a champion. Soon afterwards Lance received a shocking visitation from Michael's ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
, who revealed that they remained linked together, and that if Lance was to touch his birthmark, they would merge, gaining superpowers as a result. Touching the mark a second time would separate them again. Calling himself Captain Triumph, Lance became a crimefighter.
Costume
Captain Triumph had a minimal costume which consisted of ordinary white (later light blue) jodhpursJodhpurs
Jodhpurs in their modern form are tight-fitting trousers that reach to the ankle, where they end in a snug cuff, and are worn primarily for horse riding. The term is also used incorrectly as slang for a type of short riding boot, also called a paddock boot or a jodhpur boot, because they are worn...
, a plain red tunic, brown riding boots, and no mask. By the time Cap appeared in 1943, the tide of superhero comic book characters was receding somewhat. Captain Triumph's costume was just enough to get across the idea he was a superhero, but since the genre was fading did not emphasize the fact.
Powers
When Lance Gallant merged with the ghost of his brother Michael, the latter's personality took over and the two formed Captain Triumph who was basically a super-powered Michael Gallant. In this state, Captain Triumph had the powers of flight, invulnerability, super-strength, and could also turn invisible. When the two were separated, as a ghost Michael could move through walls, spy invisibly, and then return to report back to Lance.Creative Teams
Cap's writer is unknown, but as the series opened, the artist was Alfred AndriolaAlfred Andriola
Alfred James Andriola was an American cartoonist best known for the comic strip Kerry Drake, for which he won a Reuben Award in 1970. His work sometimes appeared under the pseudonym Alfred James....
, former assistant to Milton Caniff
Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.-Biography:...
on Terry and the Pirates
Terry and the Pirates (comic strip)
Terry and the Pirates was an action-adventure comic strip created by cartoonist Milton Caniff. Captain Joseph Patterson, editor for the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, had admired Caniff’s work on the children's adventure strip Dickie Dare and hired him to create the new adventure strip,...
. Andriola had also drawn a newspaper comic based on author Earl Derr Biggers
Earl Derr Biggers
Earl Derr Biggers was an American novelist and playwright. He is remembered primarily for adaptations of his novels, especially those featuring the Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan.-Biography:...
's famous character, Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
. He stayed with Captain Triumph a mere five months, leaving to create the character he's best remembered for, Kerry Drake
Kerry Drake
Kerry Drake is the title of a comic strip created for Publishers Syndicate by Alfred Andriola as artist and Allen Saunders as uncredited writer...
. He was followed by a succession of other talents, none of which especially stood out.
Crack Comics
Crack Comics had started out monthly, like most 1940s anthology titles, but dropped down to bi-monthly shortly after World War II began, due to wartime paper shortages. It switched to quarterly about a year after Captain Triumph joined the lineup. When the war was over, most surviving anthologies ramped back up to monthly, but Crack Comics only ever got back to bi-monthly (coming out in odd-numbered months). But it did outlast most of the others, succumbing with its 62nd issue, dated September 1949.The End of Quality Comics
By the mid-1950s, with television and paperback books drawing readers away from comic books in general and superheroes in particular, interest in Quality's characters had declined considerably. After a foray into other genres such as war, humor, romance and horror, the company ceased operations with comics cover dated December 1956. Many of its properties were sold to National Periodical Publications (now DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
) which chose to keep only a few titles running, such as Blackhawk
Blackhawk (comics)
Blackhawk, a long-running comic book series, was also a film serial, a radio series and a novel. The comic book was published first by Quality Comics and later by DC Comics. The series was created by Will Eisner, Chuck Cuidera, and Bob Powell, but the artist most associated with the feature is Reed...
and G.I. Combat
G.I. Combat
G.I. Combat is a long-running comic book series published first by Quality Comics and later by National Periodical Publications, which was the primary company of those that evolved to become DC Comics.-Publication history:...
. Though it owned the rights to Captain Triumph, DC would not use the character for several more decades.
The All-Star Squadron
Captain Triumph was retconned as a member of the All-Star SquadronAll-Star Squadron
The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in a special insert in Justice League of America #193 . Created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway.-The concept:...
, the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
group of mystery men brought together by Franklin Roosevelt. He appeared on the cover of the first issue, as one of a group of photos spread over a table, along with the tag line "Who Will Be the Heroes of the....All-Star Squadron" although he did not actually appear within the issue. Writer Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
indicates he always intended to use Captain Triumph in All-Star Squadron but never got around to it before the title was cancelled.
Animal Man
Captain Triumph appeared in flashback in a small cameo in Grant MorrisonGrant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
's Animal Man
Animal Man
Animal Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily “borrow” the abilities of animals...
series (issue #7) fighting the unsuccessful supervillain The Red Mask who described him as possessing "the personality of a deck chair." Given his characterization in this story - admittedly from The Red Mask's not exactly unbiased viewpoint - that was not an entirely inaccurate assessment.
The Teen Titans
Back in the "real" DC Universe, Captain Triumph retired from action at an unknown time. Lance later appeared in Teen Titans as a friend of Jesse Quick's mother, the aged heroine Liberty BelleLiberty Belle (comics)
Liberty Belle is the name of three fictional superheroes. Two are from DC Comics: Libby Lawrence and Jesse Chambers, the other is from Charlton Comics: Caroline Dean.-Libby Lawrence:...
. Michael was still present as a spirit but had apparently gone psychotic in the many years of inactivity. The twins discovered a love affair between Jesse and her mother's young fiancé. Lance tried to confront the fiancé on the matter but was taken over by his brother Michael, who quickly murdered the man for his infidelity to his friend.
Today
Lance's current whereabouts and the current state of his brother's sanity are unknown. However, a new, female version of Captain Triumph debuted in Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #3. This version has only demonstrated super-strength and the ability to fly.The Golden Age
Captain Triumph's most substantive post-Golden Age appearance was, ironically enough, in The Golden AgeThe Golden Age (comics)
The Golden Age is a 1993 four-issue Elseworlds comic book mini-series by writer James Robinson and artist Paul Smith. It concerns the Golden Age DC Comics superheroes entering the 1950s and facing the advent of McCarthyism.-Plot:...
, a DC Comics Elseworlds
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...
"imaginary story", 4-issue prestige format
Prestige format
Prestige format is a term coined by DC Comics and later came into wider use to refer to a square-bound comic book with cardstock covers. A prestige format comic book is usually longer than a normal, stapled 32-page comic...
mini-series by James Robinson (writer) and Paul Smith
Paul Smith (comics)
Paul Smith is an American comic book artist.-Early life:Smith was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but only lived there three days. His father was a U.S. Naval aviator, and the family moved several times during his childhood...
(artist). In it, Lance Gallant has retired as Captain Triumph and is trying to lead a normal life, despite his brother's ghost urging him to become a hero again. When he meets the reformed supervillain, the Tigress
Paula Brooks
Paula Brooks is a fictional comic book character published by DC Comics. She is one of many characters to use the names Tigress and Huntress. Brooks first appeared in Sensation Comics #68 as the Huntress, seeking to add the superhero Wildcat to her collection of big game hunting trophies...
, he falls in love with her. In the end he refuses to accede to his brother's requests and dies fighting the original Golden Age Robotman
Robotman (Robert Crane)
Robotman is a Golden Age DC Comics superhero. He first appeared in Star-Spangled Comics #7 and was created by Jerry Siegel, the co-creator of Superman. Despite his name, Robotman is actually not a robot; he is a cyborg.-History:...
as a normal man, defending the Tigress. James Robinson intended that The Golden Age be canon, and his subsequent series Starman
Starman (Jack Knight)
Starman is fictional character, a comic book superhero in the , and a member of the Justice Society of America. He is the son of the original Starman, Ted Knight...
always assumed that the events in The Golden Age (for instance Ted Knight, the original Starman, having a nervous breakdown after his research was used to help create the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki) actually happened. However The Golden Age has always been classed as a non-canonical "imaginary story" by DC's powers-that-be.