Buncha fresh heroes here!
Son of the Gods:
Dr John Thesson, big tall archaeologist and 1940s arch-skeptic, has the misfortune to find himself on an expedition to Crete with true believer Professor Craig who can’t stop running his mouth about how great Theseus was and how he totally existed and maybe Thesson and Craig can find Theseus’ mystic Ring of Poseidon if they look hard enough. It is a very annoying expedition for Thesson.
Just kidding: this is a comic book and Professor Craig is completely right – it’s John “We’re Scientists” Thesson who has to get with the picture.
The expedition is rich with incident: on the way there the duo ore attacked by a wild boar and Thesson kills it…
… and then once they start the dig in earnest it is plagued by sabotage that is eventually traced back to their host Procostous and his manservant Cercion. This is the point at which the back of Professor Craig’s head blows clean off and he starts talking about how Thesson is the reincarnation of Theseus and is reliving his famed Six Labours (he actually does half: Periphetes the Club Bearer and Sinis the Tree Bender appear only as recounted myths and Sciron is not mentioned at all. And to be honest Cercion = Cercyon is a bit flimsy. It’s lucky for Professor Craig that he turns out to be correct. Again).
Surprising nobody, Thesson does indeed find the Ring of Poseidon after one last sabotage attempt that leaves Procrustous dead. This is enough for the local mystery cult to acclaim him the Reincarnation of Theseus and he vows to use the powers granted by the ring (super strength and a degree of invulnerability, mostly) to battle crime and injustice. I initially hoped that Theseus would have fun mythology-inspired adventures like the MLJ Hercules but no, it’s all super-scientists and fascists – not even a hint of poor neglected Sciron and his giant turtle.
(later issues cast Thesson as a mere descendant of Theseus but whether this is because reincarnation was a but too mystical or due to simple sloppy record keeping I cannot say)
(the Minotaur only appears as one of Professor Craig’s stories but I just wanted to highlight the rare bull-bodied version here) (Exciting Comics 002, 1940)
the Masked Rider:
Geologist Jim Sanford becomes the Masked Rider in order to catch crooks (including the Specter) operating a covert gold min under the Diamond D Ranch without them knowing he was onto them with specific geological knowledge. Unlike most of his peers, he has no trouble hanging up his mask once the job is done. (Exciting Comics 002, 1940)
the Sphinx:
The Sphinx is a tuxedo-clad, domino-masked vigilante (real name Ellsworth Forrester!), a perhaps over represented group in early comics but generally a solid one (I initially forgot the name of the Scarab from Terra Obscura and thought that he was this guy – imagine my confusion). The main difference between the Sphinx and his peers like the Clock or the Mouthpiece or Just n’ Right is that the Sphinx is loosely affiliated with the police rather than being hunted by them.
The other main difference is the fact that the Sphinx is one of the few suit-and-mask heroes with legitimate super powers, specifically super strength and at least partial invulnerability.
Why is he called the Sphinx? As far as I can tell it’s just because he’s mysterious. (Exciting Comics 002, 1940)
UPDATE – the Golden Knight:
The Golden Knight
stops off on his way to the Crusades to do a mission for Kara the
Magician, who gifts him a magic ring that emits light in order to help
him overcome the many dangers along the way and then a magic cloak of
protection once he gets back – it’s a very Dungeons & Dragons style quest, honestly.
The
Golden Knight also takes a dip in a magic lake that triples his
strength, which is handy for a warrior type. Does this strength persist? No idea. (Fantastic
Comics 003, 1940)
A couple of issues later, the Golden Knight meets the love of his life, Alice. Alice fell down a well as a child and was raised by (and eventually made queen of) a race of winged people in an underground city. Alice rules – in her first proper appearance she stabs two people to death which is way, way more than your typical female Golden Age adventurer. (Fantastic Comics 005, 1940)
