Number 1489: Stuntman stunted

After the war Joe Simon and Jack Kirby came up with the character, Stuntman, for Harvey Comics. The problem with introducing a masked crimefighter/superhero at the time was that the fad for those characters had peaked, and many of them introduced before and during World War II simply disappeared. As did Stuntman, who had a short career.

This story, made to hype the Stuntman comic (see the ad that precedes the story), appeared in All-New Comics #13 (1946). The advertised Stuntman #3 did not make it to newsstands, but a “stunted” edition of 24 pages, printed in black line, was mailed to subscribers.

I give Jack and Joe credit for trying. Up until the late fifties they periodically introduced superheroes, including Fighting American, the Fly, and a revival of the Shield, only to find they all had shortened careers. After that, especially for Jack in the sixties, the rest is history.