Wizard (Archie Comics)
Encyclopedia
The Wizard is a fictional superhero
character created by Will Harr and Edd Ashe, Jr. for MLJ Comics
, which later became Archie Comics. He first appeared in Top-Notch Comics
#1 in December 1939, and he was the headliner of that title until its cancellation in 1944. He was one of the earliest superhero characters to appear after the debut of Superman
in 1938.
His real name is Blane Whitney, a man of great intelligence. He descends from a long line of men who fought for America in its wars, including General Steven Whitney who was General Washington
's chief aide in the Revolutionary War
. At ages 14, Blane met President Woodrow Wilson
, who told him to use his brain only for good and not for evil. While in college, he was a superb athlete and student. His brother Grover, chief of the Naval Intelligence Service, usually informed him of enemy plots against America. To aid him in his fight against these enemies, the Wizard had various contraptions and machines of his own design available to him, like a vibra-ray gun and a car that could reach up to 500 mph. He had several devices that enabled him to fly. Coming from a rich family, he also had airplanes and submarines at his disposal.
At first, the Wizard, similar to other MLJ superheroes like the Black Hood
and the Firefly, did not possess superpowers but was merely a man with great physical and mental prowess. He eventually exhibited super-strength and great mental powers, including a "photographic mind," enabling him to see scenes far away from him, hypnosis
, and telepathy
. He also started consuming capsules containing a secret formula that replenished his superstrength. In his final appearances, he had no powers other than his visions.
In his early appearances, the Wizard wore a tuxedo and cape, thus he was similar in appearance to Mandrake the Magician
. At first, his cape and mask were white. During the Moskovia Invasion crossover storyline (which featured the Shield), he developed a bullet-proof, explosion-resistant costume that consisted of blue tights with red trunks, cape, and mask. He wore this costume for the remainder of his Golden Age appearances.
The enemies of America that the Wizard faced in each adventure were usually from a fictitious country, like Jatsonia (in his first appearance) and Bundonia, but due to facial features or accents made apparent in speech balloons
, these enemies were obvious, unflattering caricatures of Germans, Soviets, or Japanese.
Usually, after each adventure, the last panel would feature a note from the Wizard that read: "Our country / right or wrong / our country / The Wizard."
After several months of publication, the Wizard was given a sidekick named Roy the Super Boy, who was an orphan
and a bootblack. Admiring the boy's courage, Blane trained him until he had the strength of ten men. Roy would later join The Shield's sidekick in the super-duo Boy Buddies.
Blane Whitney also had a girlfriend named Jane Barlowe, who was a newspaper reporter. She was often disgusted with his playboy lifestyle (Blane enjoyed playing polo
). She developed an attraction to his superheroic alter-ego, creating an odd love triangle
that is quite common in comic books (i.e. Superman
/Lois Lane
/Clark Kent
, Hal Jordan
/Carol Ferris
/Green Lantern
).
The Wizard was popular enough to receive a second publication alongside another MLJ superhero, The Shield
. Shield-Wizard Comics
first appeared with a Summer, 1940 cover date. He started sharing cover appearances of Top-Notch Comics with the Black Hood
, an indication of waning popularity. Top-Notch was converted into a humorous publication in 1942, but the Wizard continued to appear in Shield-Wizard Comics until its cancellation in Spring, 1944.
Archie Comics
, formerly known as MLJ Comics, revived its superhero line in the 1960s, but the Wizard returned as a villain and with a different appearance. He had a white beard and wore a new outfit. He fought The Mighty Crusaders, a team consisting of many old MLJ heroes. In the 1980s revival, he returned as a hero, with no mention of his villainous period. Since then, the Wizard has been appearing sporadically throughout the Archie Comics titles on irregular bases.
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 —...
character created by Will Harr and Edd Ashe, Jr. for MLJ Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
, which later became Archie Comics. He first appeared in Top-Notch Comics
Top-Notch Comics
- Top-Notch Laugh Comics/Laugh Comix :In a change of editorial direction, from issue #28 the story emphasis changed to humor strips and the title became Top-Notch Laugh Comics to reflect this. All the long-running adventure series from Top-Notch Comics ended between issue #24 - Top-Notch Laugh...
#1 in December 1939, and he was the headliner of that title until its cancellation in 1944. He was one of the earliest superhero characters to appear after the debut of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
in 1938.
His real name is Blane Whitney, a man of great intelligence. He descends from a long line of men who fought for America in its wars, including General Steven Whitney who was General Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's chief aide in the Revolutionary War
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. At ages 14, Blane met President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, who told him to use his brain only for good and not for evil. While in college, he was a superb athlete and student. His brother Grover, chief of the Naval Intelligence Service, usually informed him of enemy plots against America. To aid him in his fight against these enemies, the Wizard had various contraptions and machines of his own design available to him, like a vibra-ray gun and a car that could reach up to 500 mph. He had several devices that enabled him to fly. Coming from a rich family, he also had airplanes and submarines at his disposal.
At first, the Wizard, similar to other MLJ superheroes like the Black Hood
The Black Hood
The Black Hood was originally a golden age character created by MLJ Comics, later known as Archie Comics. The Black Hood first appeared in Top-Notch Comics #9, October 1940 and became one of MLJ's most popular characters. He also had his own title, Black Hood Comics, a pulp magazine, and his own...
and the Firefly, did not possess superpowers but was merely a man with great physical and mental prowess. He eventually exhibited super-strength and great mental powers, including a "photographic mind," enabling him to see scenes far away from him, hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
, and telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
. He also started consuming capsules containing a secret formula that replenished his superstrength. In his final appearances, he had no powers other than his visions.
In his early appearances, the Wizard wore a tuxedo and cape, thus he was similar in appearance to Mandrake the Magician
Mandrake the Magician
Mandrake the Magician is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk , which began June 11, 1934. Phil Davis soon took over as the strip's illustrator, while Falk continued to script. The strip was distributed by King Features Syndicate.Davis worked on the strip until his death in 1964,...
. At first, his cape and mask were white. During the Moskovia Invasion crossover storyline (which featured the Shield), he developed a bullet-proof, explosion-resistant costume that consisted of blue tights with red trunks, cape, and mask. He wore this costume for the remainder of his Golden Age appearances.
The enemies of America that the Wizard faced in each adventure were usually from a fictitious country, like Jatsonia (in his first appearance) and Bundonia, but due to facial features or accents made apparent in speech balloons
Speech balloon
Speech balloons are a graphic convention used most commonly in comic books, comic strips and cartoons to allow words to be understood as representing the speech or thoughts of a given character in the comic...
, these enemies were obvious, unflattering caricatures of Germans, Soviets, or Japanese.
Usually, after each adventure, the last panel would feature a note from the Wizard that read: "Our country / right or wrong / our country / The Wizard."
After several months of publication, the Wizard was given a sidekick named Roy the Super Boy, who was an orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
and a bootblack. Admiring the boy's courage, Blane trained him until he had the strength of ten men. Roy would later join The Shield's sidekick in the super-duo Boy Buddies.
Blane Whitney also had a girlfriend named Jane Barlowe, who was a newspaper reporter. She was often disgusted with his playboy lifestyle (Blane enjoyed playing polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
). She developed an attraction to his superheroic alter-ego, creating an odd love triangle
Love triangle
A love triangle is usually a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two...
that is quite common in comic books (i.e. Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
/Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
/Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
, Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
/Carol Ferris
Carol Ferris
Caroline "Carol" Ferris is a character in the . She is one of many characters who has used the name Star Sapphire, and is a long-time love interest of Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern. Her original design was based on Elizabeth Taylor...
/Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
).
The Wizard was popular enough to receive a second publication alongside another MLJ superhero, The Shield
The Shield (Archie)
The Shield is the name of several fictional patriotic superheroes created by MLJ . The Shield has the distinction of being one of the first superheroes with a costume based upon the United States flag, appearing fourteen months before Captain America.The name was used by MLJ/Archie for 3 characters...
. Shield-Wizard Comics
Shield-Wizard Comics
Shield-Wizard Comics was the name of an American comic book series published by MLJ Magazines Inc., more commonly known as MLJ Comics, for thirteen issues between Summer 1940 and Winter 1944....
first appeared with a Summer, 1940 cover date. He started sharing cover appearances of Top-Notch Comics with the Black Hood
The Black Hood
The Black Hood was originally a golden age character created by MLJ Comics, later known as Archie Comics. The Black Hood first appeared in Top-Notch Comics #9, October 1940 and became one of MLJ's most popular characters. He also had his own title, Black Hood Comics, a pulp magazine, and his own...
, an indication of waning popularity. Top-Notch was converted into a humorous publication in 1942, but the Wizard continued to appear in Shield-Wizard Comics until its cancellation in Spring, 1944.
Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
, formerly known as MLJ Comics, revived its superhero line in the 1960s, but the Wizard returned as a villain and with a different appearance. He had a white beard and wore a new outfit. He fought The Mighty Crusaders, a team consisting of many old MLJ heroes. In the 1980s revival, he returned as a hero, with no mention of his villainous period. Since then, the Wizard has been appearing sporadically throughout the Archie Comics titles on irregular bases.