Shock Gibson
Encyclopedia
Shock Gibson is a fictional
comic book
superhero
who first appeared in Speed Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), from Brookwood Publications, a company later absorbed by Harvey Comics
). He was created by artist Maurice Scott, who drew it through issue #11, and an unknown writer. His 1939 introduction makes him one of comic books' earliest superheroes.
In the debut story, "The Human Dynamo", scientist Robert Charles Gibson perfects a formula that allows people to directly store, generate, and control electricity
, and tests this formula on himself. The formula increases his strength, gives him the power to fire bolts of lightning
, and grants him the power of flight
. He was one of the several superhero characters to join the US Army in the wake of World War II, fighting the Japanese military forces both in and out of costume. Shock Gibson teamed up with other Harvey Comics characters such as the Black Cat, Captain Freedom, Tedd Parish and Girl Commandos (mostly in two-page text stories). The character remained in print in various Harvey publications through 1948.
Other artists associated with the characters include Al Avison
, Arthur Cazeneuve, and the possibly pseudonym
ous Peter Jay, who introduced a new costume in Speed Comics #12 (March 1941).
Shock Gibson is among the public domain
characters Image Comics
said it would revive in a new anthology
title, The Next Issue Project, scheduled to premiere December 2007.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
superhero
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 —...
who first appeared in Speed Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), from Brookwood Publications, a company later absorbed by Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out the small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B...
). He was created by artist Maurice Scott, who drew it through issue #11, and an unknown writer. His 1939 introduction makes him one of comic books' earliest superheroes.
In the debut story, "The Human Dynamo", scientist Robert Charles Gibson perfects a formula that allows people to directly store, generate, and control electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
, and tests this formula on himself. The formula increases his strength, gives him the power to fire bolts of lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
, and grants him the power of flight
Flight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
. He was one of the several superhero characters to join the US Army in the wake of World War II, fighting the Japanese military forces both in and out of costume. Shock Gibson teamed up with other Harvey Comics characters such as the Black Cat, Captain Freedom, Tedd Parish and Girl Commandos (mostly in two-page text stories). The character remained in print in various Harvey publications through 1948.
Other artists associated with the characters include Al Avison
Al Avison
Alfred Avison is an American comic book artist known for his work on the Marvel Comics characters Captain America and the Whizzer during the 1930-1940s period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of comic books....
, Arthur Cazeneuve, and the possibly pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
ous Peter Jay, who introduced a new costume in Speed Comics #12 (March 1941).
Shock Gibson is among the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
characters Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
said it would revive in a new anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
title, The Next Issue Project, scheduled to premiere December 2007.