The Owl is a fictional superhero that first appeared in

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 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark" ...

' ''Crackajack Funnies'' #25 (July 1940), continuing until #43 (Jan 1942).

Fictional biography

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

detective Nick Terry becomes the Owl to protect his home city of Yorktown from criminals. Not having superpowers, he relies on his fighting skills and a number of gimmicks, such as his flying “Owlmobile,” a

cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

that functions as a

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame cover ...

, and a hand-held “black light” gun that casts a beam of darkness. His fiancée and newspaper reporter, Belle Wayne, knows his secret identity and becomes his sidekick, Owl Girl.Owl (1940)
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archived
from the original on September 7, 2015. According to ''Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes'', the Owl's enemies include "the insane Ma Madespo and her four insane killer sons, the crime-mongering Dr. Nodd, the vicious crimelord Pantherman, the hooded and maimed German veteran the Spectre, and German scoundrels during World War One." After World War II, the Owl (along with dozens of other heroes) is trapped in the Urn of Pandora by the misguided

Fighting Yank The Fighting Yank is the name of several superheroes, first appearing in ''Startling Comics'' #10 (Sept 1941). Fall 1941 was a boom period for patriotic superheroes as the country prepared to enter World War II; during this period, comic book p ...

. Decades later, the Urn is shattered, freeing the heroes, many of them transformed by the experience. The Owl now has the power of flight and the power to emanate a field of black light from his body. He returns to Yorktown and finds that it is now being watched over by the granddaughter of Belle Wayne.

History

The Owl first appeared in ''Crackajack Funnies'' #25 (July 1940). After ''Crackajack'' ended, the character moved over to Dell’s ''Popular Comics'' from issue #72 (February 1942) to #85 (March 1943). Belle made frequent appearances in both titles. In the 1960s, inspired by the success of the ''Batman'' TV series,

Gold Key Comics Gold Key Comics was originally an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated this way from 1962 to 1984. Currently, Gold Key Comics is owned b ...

revived the Owl with "Owl Girl" as a sidekick, though now named Laura Holt (with no mention of Belle Wayne having ever existed). Owl Girl handled most of the physical combat. The two issues of Gold Key’s ''The Owl''—in which the duo were shown in campy, self-parodying stories—came out in April of 1967 and 1968, respectively. In the 1970s, the Owl (now working solo) appeared in issue #22 of Gold Key’s ''

The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''. A text story in that same issue told of Doctor Spektor speculating that the Owl may have been privy to some kind of prolonged youth, a secret that could not be shared with Owl Girl. In 1999, character appeared in issue #17 of AC's ''Men of Mystery Comics''. and is one of many

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

characters to appear in

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptations ...

’s 2008 miniseries, ''

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 Klaub ...

'' with a four-issue mini-series starring both the Owl and another new Owl Girl (this version being the granddaughter of Belle Wayne).

Powers and abilities

Originally, the Owl had no superpowers but he was an excellent hand to hand combatant. He wore a cape which allowed him to glide, used a gun that could project "black light" and possessed a flying car called the Owlmobile. After being released from the Urn of Pandora, the Owl now has the power of flight and the ability to project a field of "black light".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Owl (Dell Comics), The Dynamite Entertainment characters Fictional police officers in comics Golden Age superheroes Comics characters introduced in 1940