The Black Owl
Encyclopedia
The Black Owl is the name of two fictional superhero
characters, one of which is the successor of the other. Both appeared in the Prize Publications
title Prize Comics in the 1940s.
and an owl
mask, but he soon switched to a blue and red costume.
At one point during his career, The Black Owl fought alongside The Green Lama
, Yank & Doodle
, and several other heroes to defeat Frankenstein's monster
.
Finally, after more than three years of crimefighting, Danville decided to do something even more meaningful with his life; he joined the army
and fought in World War II
. Before leaving, he passed on the costume and identity of The Black Owl to Walt Walters. Whatever became of Danville after the war is not yet known.
In 1947, Walt suffered a bullet wound and found himself reconsidering being an active superhero; from that point on, he simply served as an adviser to Yank & Doodle. Whatever became of the three of them after the 1940s is not yet known.
s, jumped onto the superhero bandwagon with a new title named Prize Comics. The first issue featured a Batman
-type hero named “K the Unknown,” whose name was changed to The Black Owl in issue #2 (April, 1940). In issue #24 (October, 1942), The Black Owl was part of a large crossover in which several heroes, including The Green Lama, fought together against the Frankenstein monster; the “team,” however, never got together again, and thus didn’t form a group like the Justice Society.
In issue #34 (September, 1943), the identity of The Black Owl was passed on from Doug Danville to Walt Walters, a character who was already established as the father of Yank & Doodle; the two series were merged. In issue #64 (June, 1947), the father was sidelined by means of a bullet, and the focus was almost entirely on Yank & Doodle.
With issue #69 (April, 1948), Prize Comics became Prize Comics Western, and everything that didn’t fit the new Western
format — including Yank, Doodle, and The Black Owl — was discarded. The three characters have since fallen into the public domain
.
site Metahuman Press debuted the series Living Legends which featured the first Black Owl as part of its cast. The second Black Owl appeared briefly in Fantastic Comics
#24, the first issue of the Next Issue Project
. In issue #6 of Project Superpowers
, The Black Owl and Yank & Doodle were included in a two-page layout of Golden Age
character sketches; In the one-shot Project Superpowers: Chapter Two Prelude, it was stated that the three of them would appear in the second volume of this comic title, and that The Black Owl (which one is not yet known) would be transformed into a living black hole
.
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 —...
characters, one of which is the successor of the other. Both appeared in the Prize Publications
Crestwood Publications
Crestwood Publications, also known as Feature Publications, was a magazine publisher that also published comic books from the 1940s through the 1960s. Its title Prize Comics contained what is considered the first ongoing horror comic-book feature, Dick Briefer's "Frankenstein"...
title Prize Comics in the 1940s.
Doug Danville
In 1940, Doug Danville, being a bored and wealthy playboy, decided to add meaning to his seemingly pointless life by fighting the criminal element hand to hand. Originally calling himself “K the Unknown,” he quickly changed his identity to that of The Black Owl. His original outfit was a tuxedoTuxedo
A tuxedo is a type of semi-formal dress for men.Tuxedo may also refer to:-Places:Canada* Tuxedo, Winnipeg, Manitoba, a city neighborhood** Tuxedo , a provincial electoral district in Manitoba...
and an owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
mask, but he soon switched to a blue and red costume.
At one point during his career, The Black Owl fought alongside The Green Lama
Green Lama
The Green Lama was an American pulp magazine hero of the 1940s. In many respects a typical costumed crime-fighter of the period, the Green Lama's most unusual feature was the fact that he was a practicing Buddhist...
, Yank & Doodle
Yank & Doodle
Yank & Doodle are a pair of fictional superhero characters who first appeared in the Prize Publications title Prize Comics in 1941.-Fictional biography:...
, and several other heroes to defeat Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
.
Finally, after more than three years of crimefighting, Danville decided to do something even more meaningful with his life; he joined the army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and fought in 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...
. Before leaving, he passed on the costume and identity of The Black Owl to Walt Walters. Whatever became of Danville after the war is not yet known.
Walt Walters
Walt Walters was already indirectly connected to superheroing; his twin sons, Rick and Dick, were the costumed heroes Yank & Doodle. After Walt took up the mantle of The Black Owl in 1943, he and his sons worked as a team, with Rick and Dick essentially being his sidekicks.In 1947, Walt suffered a bullet wound and found himself reconsidering being an active superhero; from that point on, he simply served as an adviser to Yank & Doodle. Whatever became of the three of them after the 1940s is not yet known.
History
In 1940, Prize Publications, which was already established as a producer of pulp magazinePulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
s, jumped onto the superhero bandwagon with a new title named Prize Comics. The first issue featured a Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
-type hero named “K the Unknown,” whose name was changed to The Black Owl in issue #2 (April, 1940). In issue #24 (October, 1942), The Black Owl was part of a large crossover in which several heroes, including The Green Lama, fought together against the Frankenstein monster; the “team,” however, never got together again, and thus didn’t form a group like the Justice Society.
In issue #34 (September, 1943), the identity of The Black Owl was passed on from Doug Danville to Walt Walters, a character who was already established as the father of Yank & Doodle; the two series were merged. In issue #64 (June, 1947), the father was sidelined by means of a bullet, and the focus was almost entirely on Yank & Doodle.
With issue #69 (April, 1948), Prize Comics became Prize Comics Western, and everything that didn’t fit the new Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
format — including Yank, Doodle, and The Black Owl — was discarded. The three characters have since fallen into 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...
.
Modern Appearances
In 2008, the online superhero fictionSuperhero fiction
Superhero fiction is a form originating in and most common to American comic books, though it has expanded into other media through adaptations and original works....
site Metahuman Press debuted the series Living Legends which featured the first Black Owl as part of its cast. The second Black Owl appeared briefly in Fantastic Comics
Fantastic Comics
Fantastic Comics was a comic book superhero anthology title published by Fox Feature Syndicate during the Golden Age of Comic Books. The title is notable for having introduced the characters Banshee, Black Fury , Nagana, Queen of Evil, Samson, and Stardust the Super Wizard.-Publication history:The...
#24, the first issue of the Next Issue Project
Next Issue Project
The Next Issue Project is a series of American comic-book anthology one-shots published by Image Comics beginning in February, 2008. The multi-title project, edited by Erik Larsen, creator of Savage Dragon, features comic book characters that have fallen into the public domain.The premise behind...
. In issue #6 of Project Superpowers
Project Superpowers
Project Superpowers is a comic book limited series published by Dynamite Entertainment beginning January 2008. It was co-plotted by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross, with scripts by Jim Krueger, covers by Alex Ross, and interior art by Doug Klauba and Stephen Sadowski for issue #0, and Carlos Paul for the...
, The Black Owl and Yank & Doodle were included in a two-page layout of Golden Age
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
character sketches; In the one-shot Project Superpowers: Chapter Two Prelude, it was stated that the three of them would appear in the second volume of this comic title, and that The Black Owl (which one is not yet known) would be transformed into a living black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
.