Samson is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

who appeared in

comic books A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

published by

Fox Feature Syndicate Fox Feature Syndicate (also known as Fox Comics, Fox Publications, and Bruns Publications, Inc.) was a comic book publisher from early in the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by entrepreneur Victor S. ...

. He first appeared in '' Fantastic Comics'' #1 (Dec. 1939). The writer was uncredited, but is believed to be

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner ( ; March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series '' The Spirit'' (1940–1952) wa ...

; the artist was Alex Blum, using the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

"Alex Boon".

Publication history

After appearing in ''Fantastic Comics'' in 1939, Samson was given his own title in the fall of 1940. He simultaneously appeared in ''Big 3'' comics, along with The Flame and the Blue Beetle. Samson's origin story was revealed in ''Samson'' comics #1. ''Fantastic Comics'' ceased publication in November 1941 with issue #23. After six issues, ''Samson'' comics was changed to ''Captain Aero'' (September 1941) and Samson no longer had his own title. Finally, Samson was replaced in ''Big 3'' comics in issue #7 (Jan. 1942; this issue proved to be last) by the patriotic hero V-Man. A short-lived revival appeared in 1955 from another publisher, Ajax-Farrell. Samson is among the

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

characters

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

revived in a new

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

title, '' The Next Issue Project'', which premiered in December 2007. '' Project Superpowers'', a similar golden-age revival project from

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book creator, comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which ...

and

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...

also announced in 2007, also features a character that is ostensibly the Fox Features Samson, though the visual design seems to have been inspired by the

Gold Key Comics Gold Key Comics was an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984. History Gold Key Comics was created in 1962, when its ...

character Mighty Samson.

Background

Samson (he had no secret identity, although he was called "Sam" the few times he was shown wearing street clothes) was a direct descendant of the biblical figure of the same name. Like his ancestor, Samson had immense strength and endurance, but could lose his powers when his hair was cut. Samson only learned about his heritage when he was a grown man, after his mother revealed his ancestry. While in college, his friend Professor Brun showed him a new invention, an "iconoscope", which allowed the viewer to watch remote scenes without a transmitter. The iconoscope picked up the image of an eastern holy man, who was praying for a higher power to send someone to battle evil. Samson used his superpowers to visit the holy man, and agreed to be that champion. According to ''Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes'', Samson fights "giant robots, monsters, mad scientists, thugs, dinosaurs, dictators, warmongers, zombies, and radium thieves". Kurt Mitchell and Roy Thomas wrote: "Pitting his superhuman strength against whole armies, Samson's feats outdid the contemporary

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

but he was far more ruthless, killing his foes barehanded without batting an eye". In issue #10 of ''Fantastic Comics'', Samson gained a young orphan sidekick whom he named David (his real name was unrevealed). David had no apparent superpowers yet was the sole survivor of a plane crash. Orphaned after the crash, Samson took him into his care. David's role mainly consisted of being rescued by Samson after being captured by criminals.

Powers and abilities

Samson, due to his relation to the Biblical character, had super strength and endurance, and invulnerability. He lost these powers if his hair was cut. These powers were restored once his hair regrew. Samson's hair grew at an accelerated rate.

Footnotes

References

Background on Samson and other Fox heroes
{{Samson Dynamite Entertainment characters Fox Feature Syndicate superheroes Fox Feature Syndicate titles Comics characters introduced in 1939 Golden Age superheroes Public domain comics