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<\/a><\/div>\nLater known as Kardak the Mystic, the Mystic is a stage magician who uses stage magic to battle crime, specializing in fraudulent mediums etc. His stage magic eventually gets rounded up to real magic, of course. (Top-Notch Comics 001, 1939)<\/p>\n
the Phantom o’ the Hills<\/b>:<\/p>\n The Phantom o’ the Hills is an otherwise unnamed masked cowboy who rights wrongs in the Old West. In his first adventure he avenges the death of his younger brother but whether that’s what got him into the vigilante game is not elaborated on. The only real thing that sets him apart from the ranks of other similar characters is his better-than-average name. (Western Picture Stories 001, 1937)<\/p>\n Wonder Man<\/b>:<\/p>\n For all that (by some accounts) Will Eisner was explicitly told to make a Superman clone when he made him for Fox Features (and that DC successfully sued Fox into canning him), Wonder Man is only kind of<\/i> like Superman. Maybe it’s my modern image of what Superman is like but he’s just a strong guy who jumps around catching artillery shells and beating up warmongers. Plus he gets his powers from a magic Tibetan ring! Plus he’s blonde<\/i>! (Wonder Comics 001, 1939)<\/p>\n Yarko the Great<\/b>:<\/p>\n There are three major things to know about Yarko the Great: <\/p>\n 1. He’s a magic-slinging hero in the classic mold, i.e., an American who has learned the secrets of the Far East and turned them to a career in stage magic\/ crimefighting.<\/p>\n 2. Like a lot of early Fox Features characters he was created by Will Eisner so his adventures tend to look pretty great.<\/p>\n 3. “Yarko the Great” is – and this is an informed opinion – categorically the worst name that any magic-using Golden Age hero was saddled with. <\/p>\n (Wonder Comics 002, 1939)<\/p>\n Yarko UPDATE 1940<\/a><\/p>\n *UPDATE* the Flame *UPDATE*<\/b>:<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n