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Collecting Crack, Hit and National Comics
Michelle Nolan
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When it came to producing first-rate anthologies with
numerous classic super heroes, only one Golden Age comic
book company rivaled DC during the Golden Age.
Quality Comics definitely lived up to the name of their
company's imprint. Just as the marvelous "Big
Eight" monthly DC anthologies have steadily risen
in price, so have Quality's seven Golden Age anthologies.
The success of Feature Comics and Smash Comics –
which we will cover in a later installment – led
Everett "Busy" Arnold's firm to produce
three more monthly titles in mid-1940 – Crack,
Hit and National. They were followed a little more than
a year later by Military and Police, also to be covered
in the future.
Crack, Hit and National each featured many of the most
colorful heroes and best covers of the early Golden
Age, not to mention any number of memorable artists.
They are without a doubt among the cornerstones of any
Golden Age collection.
Crack came first, with #1 dated May 1940. The early
issues tend to look more like newspaper reprint comics
with a multitude of short stories, in the manner of
Feature Comics (formerly Feature Funnies), even though
Crack featured mostly original characters.
The first issue featured The Clock (already an established
Quality character) along with the debuts of The Black
Condor, Alias the Spider, Madam Fatal (a minor hero
but interesting as the only costumed hero to masquerade
as a woman) and The Red Torpedo.
The Red Torpedo ended in Crack #20, Madam Fatal finished
in #22 and Alias the Spider concluded in #25, so you
might want to get one of the first 20 to have an example
of all the characters, none of whose stories ran more
than 5 pages. But several of the real gems in the Crack
run were to come – specifically #27-31. It was
in #27 (Jan. 1943) that Captain Triumph made a, well,
triumphant debut with a magnificent patriotic eagle
cover.
The Black Condor, so often drawn in wonderful fashion
by Lou Fine in breathtaking 9-page stories in most issues
through #24, actually lasted until #31 under other highly
competent artists. Meanwhile, Alias the Spider ran through
#35. That means your best bet is to get as many issues
from #27-31 as you can, plus whatever issues with Fine
art and/or covers you can afford. All five issues of
Crack #27-31 are gorgeous examples of the Golden Age
at its imaginative, artistic best. Not that Crack #36-62
are anything to sneeze at – there were numerous
Reed Crandall covers on Captain Triumph – but
Crack definitely lost something highly imaginative when
the Black Condor flew the comic coop.
Hit Comics #1 and National Comics #1 both debuted with
July 1940 dates, giving Quality five anthologies –
one fewer than DC had at the time – not to mention
plenty of opportunity for Lou Fine and Reed Crandall,
among other fine artists, to strut their stuff.
In Hit's first 17 issues, the title featured three little-known
but beautifully drawn super heroes, The Red Bee, Neon
the Unknown and Hercules, all of whom had several featured
cover appearances, mostly by Lou Fine. Neon lasted 17
issues, Hercules 21 and The Red Bee 24. So if you're
a completist who seeks at least one early issue of Crack,
you would want at least one of the first 17 issues of
Hit. Rich collectors will want more, of course, since
Lou Fine did so many of the covers. It truly is hard
to go wrong on a World War II comic from Quality.
The little known but beautifully conceived patriotic
hero, Stormy Foster the Great Defender, debuted in Hit
#18 along with an interesting minor wartime costume
hero, The Ghost of Flanders. Stormy Foster made it through
#34, with every story at least an 8-page gem, but The
Ghost of Flanders lasted only through #25, the issue
that featured the debut of Kid Eternity.
My recommendation, then, is to shoot for as many issues
of Hit #18-25 as you can find (though remember, you
get Hercules only through #21), with all the issues
through #34 being well worthwhile, too. Those eight
issues of Hit in the run of #18-25 are absolutely spectacular
examples of the Golden Age at its best, and the Stormy
Foster covers (several by Crandall) are truly knockouts.
Kid Eternity, a character some love but I have never
cared for, somehow ran all the way through Hit #60,
when he was dropped in favor of Reed Crandall's
marvelous renditions of riverboat gambler Jeb Rivers
through Hit #65 (July 1950), the last issue. For my
money, get Hit #61-65 with gorgeous Crandall covers
and forget about Kid Eternity unless you are a Quality
completist.
National debuted Will Eisner's creation Uncle
Sam and Wonder Boy with #1, along with Cyclone, who
ran only the first four issues. In #5, Quicksilver –
Quality's lower-key knockoff of The Flash –
made his debut and ran all the way through #73 (except
for #72), though never in more than seven pages. Wonder
Boy ended in #26, so you'll want at least one
early National #5-26.
For my money, though, National was just beginning its
best issues. Two intriguing wartime costume heroes,
The Unknown and G-2 of Army Intelligence, debuted in
#23 and #27 respectively. The Unknown ran through #41,
Uncle Sam through #45 and G-2 though #46 (Feb. 1945),
so your best bet is to grab as many issues of #27-41
as you can for one of the best examples of a patriotic
title you can find, with all issues containing four
costume heroes in World War II themes.
Of course, almost any 1940's Quality titles may
capture the fancy of Golden Age fans, depending on the
appeal of the cover. The above are just recommendations
for those who don't have unlimited funds!
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GPAnalysis announces
the addition of market reports
GPAnalysis for Comics now provides its subscribers
with an additional service, GPA Market Reports.
These reports are substantially different from the current
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is free to all GPA subscribers and can be accessed immediately.
"The GPA Market Reports service
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A total of 11 reports (updated at the beginning of each
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