Owl (Dell Comics)
Encyclopedia
The Owl is a fictional superhero
character who first appeared in Dell Comics
in 1940; not to be confused with the Marvel Comics villain of the same name or with DC Comics’ Owlman
.
detective
Nick Terry became The Owl so that he could more freely protect his home city of Yorktown from criminals. Not having superpowers, he instead relies on his fighting skills and a number of gimmicks, such as his flying “Owlmobile,” a cape
that functions as a hang glider
, and a hand-held “black light” that casts a beam of darkness. His girlfriend, newspaper reporter Belle Wayne, found out his secret and became his sidekick, Owl Girl.
) #25 (July, 1940); Owl Girl debuted in issue #32 (February, 1941). After Crackajack ended, the duo appeared in Dell’s Popular Comics, from issue #72 (February, 1942) to #85 (March, 1943).
In the 1960s, Gold Key Comics
revived The Owl and Owl Girl, inspired by the success of the Batman TV series
. The two issues of Gold Key’s The Owl — in which the duo was shown in campy, self-parodying stories — came out in April, 1967, and April, 1968. In the 1970s, The Owl appeared in issue #22 of Gold Key’s The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor
.
In 1999, The Owl appeared in issue #17 of the AC Comics
title Men of Mystery Comics. Most recently, The Owl is one of many public domain
characters to appear in Dynamite Entertainment
’s 2008 miniseries Project Superpowers
.
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 who first appeared in Dell Comics
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
in 1940; not to be confused with the Marvel Comics villain of the same name or with DC Comics’ Owlman
Owlman (comics)
Owlman is the name of several fictional supervillains that appear in comic books published by DC Comics who are the intended reverse counterparts of Batman. Owlman first appeared in Justice League of America #29 , and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky...
.
Fictional biography
PolicePolice
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
Nick Terry became The Owl so that he could more freely protect his home city of Yorktown from criminals. Not having superpowers, he instead relies on his fighting skills and a number of gimmicks, such as his flying “Owlmobile,” a cape
Cape
Cape can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening around the neck. They were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon, and have had periodic...
that functions as a hang glider
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider ....
, and a hand-held “black light” that casts a beam of darkness. His girlfriend, newspaper reporter Belle Wayne, found out his secret and became his sidekick, Owl Girl.
History
One of the few original characters to be published by Dell, The Owl first appeared in Crackajack Funnies (sicSic
Sic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
) #25 (July, 1940); Owl Girl debuted in issue #32 (February, 1941). After Crackajack ended, the duo appeared in Dell’s Popular Comics, from issue #72 (February, 1942) to #85 (March, 1943).
In the 1960s, Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
revived The Owl and Owl Girl, inspired by the success of the Batman TV series
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
. The two issues of Gold Key’s The Owl — in which the duo was shown in campy, self-parodying stories — came out in April, 1967, and April, 1968. In the 1970s, The Owl appeared in issue #22 of Gold Key’s The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor
Doctor Spektor
Doctor Spektor is a fictional comic book "occult detective" that appeared in Western Publishing's Gold Key Comics. Created by writer Donald Glut and artist Dan Spiegle, he first appeared in Mystery Comics Digest #5 -Publication history:...
.
In 1999, The Owl appeared in issue #17 of the 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...
title Men of Mystery Comics. Most recently, The Owl is one of many 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 to appear in Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book company that primarily publishes licensed franchises of adaptations of other media. These include adaptations of film properties such as Army of Darkness, Terminator and RoboCop, literary properties such as Zorro, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in...
’s 2008 miniseries 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...
.