Spirit of '76 (Harvey Comics)
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The Spirit of '76 is a fictional superhero character published by
Harvey Comics Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by A ...
, who debuted in ''Pocket Comics'' in 1941, and became a long-running feature in '' Green Hornet Comics''.


Publication history

Patriotic superhero Gary Blakely, the Spirit of '76, was created by writer Joe Simon and artist
Bob Powell Bob Powell (né Stanley Robert Pawlowski; While gives Stanislav Pavlowsky, and gives Stanislav Pavlowsky, Bails and Ware note: "family name corrected by his son, Seth R. Powell July 2006." October 2, 1916
. The personification of
American folklore American folklore encompasses the folklores that have evolved in the present-day United States since Europeans arrived in the 16th century. While it contains much in the way of Native American tradition, it is not wholly identical to the tribal ...
's
Spirit of '76 Spirit of '76 may refer to: * Spirit of '76 (sentiment), patriotic sentiment engendered by the American Revolution * ''The Spirit of '76'' (painting), a painting by Archibald Willard * ''Spirit of '76'' (album), a 1975 album by Spirit * Spirit ...
, the character appeared in Harvey's ''Pocket Comics'' from #1 to 4 (August 1941 - January 1942). In his first appearance, the character, a student at
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, fought Nazi fifth columnists on the campus. ''Pocket Comics'' #1 also introduced fellow cadet Tubby Reynolds, who figures out Gary's secret and serves as his sidekick. Tubby's sister Susan, a WAC lieutenant serves as love interest. By issue #2, the character was fighting Satan himself, along with a recurring foe, femme fatale Satana. After ''Pocket Comics'' folded, the Spirit of '76 moved to a backup feature in '' Green Hornet Comics''. Issue #7 (June 1942) was a reworking of the character's origin story, partially a paste-up from ''Pocket'' #1. Later ''Green Hornet'' backup stories were produced by Harry Fisk, Arturo Cazenueve and
Ernie Schroeder Ernest C. Schroeder (January 9, 1916 – September 20, 2006)Ernest C. Schroeder
...
. The character last appeared in ''Green Hornet'' #37 (Dec 1947-Jan 1948).


Fictional character biography

Gary Blakely is the latest in a long line of patriotic Americans, one of his ancestors having served with General Washington. Educated abroad, he excels in his studies as well as various sports like boxing, fencing, rowing and rugby. Convinced that
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
wants to take over the world, he tries to become an Air Cadet; but his application is blocked by his family, who want him to instead be regular army and enroll in
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, which he does. Coming across a group of fifth columnists, he puts on his great, great grandfather's uniform and a mask as a costume and captures them as the Spirit of '76."Spirit of 76." Mystery Men & Mystery Women. Golden-Age Comic Book Superheroes & Villains Encyclopedia. http://www.herogoggles.com/Heroes/S_heroes.htm According to ''Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes'', "they battle Germans, crooked yogis, the femme fatale mesmerist Satana, traitorous cadets, and a monster ape." In '' Green Hornet'' #35, Blakely helps out Tommy Downes, a newsboy kid who's framed for murder by the crook Dapper Duke using Downes' run-ins with a kid gang called The Society of the Black Skull, led by Kip Roland. While Blakely reconciles Tommy with the gang, his civilian identity gets in trouble for being AWOL and is threatened with expulsion. Tubby tells the kids Gary's identity and they vouch for him, giving him an alibi and form a new gang, The Spirit of '76 Boys Club.


Reception

In ''Secondary Superheroes of the Golden Age'', Lou Mougin lauds the Spirit of '76, writing that Bob Powell "returned to the feature n ''Green Hornet''both as artist and writer, and did a bang-up job with his rapidly developed talent. The stories never skimped on the action, but Powell's talent for humor, his penchant for sending the characters to foreign locales, and the backup characters Tubby and Gary's girlfriend Susan, helped things along considerably. On special assignment, Gary and Tubby racked up an impressive series of adventures. The Spirit of '76 survived the war... For his quality, we salute him."


References

{{GoldenAge, Spirit of '76 (Harvey Comics) Golden Age superheroes Harvey Comics superheroes Comics characters introduced in 1941