Captain Triumph is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comics who first appeared in Crack Comics #27, published in January of 1943 by Quality Comics. The character was later obtained by DC Comics, though by that time he had already lapsed into public domain. Some of his Golden Age adventures were reprinted by AC Comics on the pages of the Men of Mystery anthology. He is not to be confused with another DC Comics property Triumph. Crack Comics #1 (May, 1940), featuring the Clock, previously introduced as the first masked comic book superhero. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... The All-Star Squadron was an American comic book (1981-1987) created by Roy Thomas and published by DC Comics about the adventures of a large team of superheroes which comprised of most of the feature characters owned by the company that appeared in the Golden Age of Comic Books... For the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode, see Super Hero (Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode). ... Superman, the catalyst of the Golden Age, from Superman #14, January-February 1942. ... Crack Comics #1 (May, 1940), featuring the Clock, previously introduced as the first masked comic book superhero. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... AC Comics evolved out of Paragon Publications, and was known as Americomics in its first year of existence. ... Triumph is a fictional character, a former superhero in the DC Comics universe who first appeared in Justice League America #92 (September 1994), and was created by Christopher Priest and Luke Ross. ...

Character history

Origin

In 1919 twin brothers Michael and Lance Gallant were born in New York City. They were so alike, even to a T-shaped birthmark on their left wrists, that even their mother could not distinguish between them. The two remained close, even for twins, as they grew up. For other uses, see Twin (disambiguation). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... A birthmark is a blemish on the skin formed before birth. ...

When America was drawn into the Second World War, Michael enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, becoming a pilot. However, on the day of his 23rd birthday, as he brought his plane into land, the hangar he was entering blew up. His fiancee, Kim Meredith, and his brother Lance witnessed this act of sabotage, and the latter raced into the burning structure, managing to retrieve his badly injured sibling, only for Michael to die in his arms. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... 1. ...

Lance swore vengeance on the murderers and those like them. Unknown to him, the Fates, creatures of myth, were watching all this and decided to create a champion. Soon afterwards Lance received a shocking visitation from Michael's ghost, who revealed that they remained linked together, and that if Lance was to touch his birthmark, they would merge, gaining superpowers as a result. Touching the mark a second time would separate them again. Calling himself Captain Triumph, Lance became a crimefighter. For other uses, see Ghost (disambiguation). ...

Costume

Captain Triumph had a minimal costume which consisted of ordinary white (later light blue) jodhpurs, which for some reason were popular among adventure heroes of the time, with a plain red tunic, brown riding boots, and no mask. By the time Cap appeared in 1943 the tide of superhero comic book characters was receding somewhat. Captain Triumph's costume was just enough to get across the idea he was a superhero, but since the genre was fading, didn't emphasize the fact.

Powers

When Lance Gallant merged with the ghost of his brother Michael, the latter's personality took over and the two formed Captain Triumph who was basically a super-powered Michael Gallant. In this state, Captain Triumph had the powers of flight, invulnerability, super-strength, and could also turn invisible. When the two were separated, as a ghost Michael could move through walls, spy invisibly, and then return to report back to Lance.

Creative Teams

Cap's writer is unknown, but as the series opened, the artist was Alfred Andriola, former assistant to Milton Caniff on Terry & the Pirates. Andriola had also drawn a newspaper comic based on author Earl Derr Biggers's famous character, Charlie Chan. He stayed with Captain Triumph a mere five months, leaving to create the character he's best remembered for, Kerry Drake. He was followed by a succession of other talents, none of which especially stood out. Alfred J. Andriola (May 24, 1912-March 29, 1983) was an American cartoonist best known for the comic strip Kerry Drake, for which he won a Reuben Award in 1970. ... Milton Arthur Paul Caniff (February 28, 1907-May 3, 1988) was an American cartoonist most famous for Terry and the Pirates. ... 1938 titlecard Number One Son with the seat of his pants on fire in Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers, reportedly in part under inspiration from the career of Chang Apana. ... Kerry Drake is the title of a comic strip by Alfred Andriola. ...

Crack Comics

Crack Comics had started out monthly, like most 1940s anthology titles, but dropped down to bi-monthly shortly after World War II began, due to wartime paper shortages. It switched to quarterly about a year after Captain Triumph joined the line-up. When the war was over, most surviving anthologies ramped back up to monthly, but Crack Comics only ever got back to bi-monthly (coming out in odd-numbered months). But it did outlast most of the others, succumbing with its 62nd issue, dated September, 1949.

The End of Quality Comics

By the mid-1950s, with television and paperback books drawing readers away from comic books in general and superheroes in particular, interest in Quality's characters had declined considerably. After a foray into other genres such as war, humor, romance and horror, the company ceased operations with comics cover dated December 1956. Many of its properties were sold to National Periodical Publications (now DC Comics), which chose to keep only a few titles running, such as Blackhawk, and G.I. Combat. Though it owned the rights to Captain Triumph, DC would not use the character for several more decades. DC Comics is one of the largest companies in comic book and related media publishing. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... Blackhawk #12 (Autumn, 1946), Quality Comics. ... Cover of issue #168 of G.I. Combat is a long-running comic book series published first by Quality Comics and later by National Periodical Publications or NCC, which was the primary company of those that evolved to become DC Comics. ...

The All-Star Squadron

Captain Triumph was retconned as a member of the All-Star Squadron, the World War II group of mystery men brought together by Franklin Roosevelt. He appeared on the cover of the first issue, as one of a group of photos spread over a table, along with the tag line "Who Will Be the Heroes of the....All-Star Squadron", although he did not actually appear within the issue. Writer Roy Thomas indicates he always intended to use Captain Triumph in All-Star Squadron but never got around to it before the title was cancelled. Retroactive continuity – commonly contracted to the portmanteau word retcon – refers to the act of changing previously established details of a fictional setting, often without providing an explanation for the changes within the context of that setting. ... The All-Star Squadron was an American comic book (1981-1987) created by Roy Thomas and published by DC Comics about the adventures of a large team of superheroes which comprised of most of the feature characters owned by the company that appeared in the Golden Age of Comic Books... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), often referred to as FDR, was the 32nd (1933–1945) President of the United States. ... Roy Thomas (born November 22, 1940, Missouri, United States) is a comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lees first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. ...

Animal Man

Captain Triumph appeared in flashback in a small cameo in Grant Morrison's Animal Man series (issue #7) fighting the unsuccessful super-villain The Red Mask who described him as possessing "the personality of a deck chair." Given his characterization in this story - admittedly from The Red Mask's not exactly unbiased viewpoint - that was not an entirely inaccurate assessment. Grant Morrison (born January 31, 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer and artist. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

The Golden Age

Captain Triumph's most substantive post-Golden Age appearance was, ironically enough, in The Golden Age, a DC Comics Elseworlds "imaginary story", 4-issue prestige format mini-series by James Robinson (writer) and Paul Smith (artist). In it, Lance Gallant has retired as Captain Triumph and is trying to lead a normal life, despite his brother's ghost urging him to become a hero again. When he meets the reformed super-villian, the Tigress, he falls in love with her. In the end he refuses to accede to his brother's requests and dies fighting the original Golden Age Robotman as a normal man, defending the Tigress. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Prestige format is a term coined by DC Comics but now in wider use to refer to a square-bound comic book with cardstock covers. ... A miniseries, in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ... James Dale Robinson is a writer of comic books and screenplays, notably of the comic book series Starman. ... Paul Smith may refer to: In music: Paul Smith (music industry), British record label manager and art event producer Paul Smith (pianist) (born 1922), Los Angeles jazz pianist Paul Smith (singer), British Indie Rock In television: Paul Smith (Television) (born 1959), Executive for British childrens television Paul Smith (writer... Paula Brooks is a fictional comic book character published by DC Comics. ... Robotman is the name of two DC Comics Superheroes. ...

Robinson always intended that The Golden Age be canon, and his subsequent series Starman always assumed that the events in The Golden Age, for instance Ted Knight, the original Starman, having a nervous breakdown after his research was used to help create the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, actually happened. However The Golden Age has always been classed as a non-canonical "imaginary story" by DC's powers-that-be. Starman can refer to a number of things: Starman is the name of a number of comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe. ...

The Teen Titans

Back in the "real" DC Universe, Captain Triumph retired from action at an unknown time. Lance later appeared in Teen Titans as a friend of Jesse Quick's mother, the aged heroine Liberty Belle. Michael was still present as a spirit but had apparently gone psychotic in the many years of inactivity. The twins discovered a love affair between Jesse and her mother's young fiance. Lance tried to confront the fiance on the matter but was taken over by his brother Michael, who quickly murdered the man for his infidelity to his friend. Teen Titans redirects here. ... Jesse Chambers, formerly known as Jesse Quick is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ... For other Liberty Belle, see Liberty Belle (disambiguation). ...

Today

Lance's current whereabouts and the current state of his brother's sanity are unknown. A sad fate for a character that James Robinson in The Golden Age described as "a very good superhero." James Dale Robinson is a writer of comic books and screenplays, notably of the comic book series Starman. ... TheGolden Age are an indie, rhythm and blues, rock and roll band from Sheffield, UK. // Current Members Nick Cooper - vocals and rhythm guitar Rich Jones - drums and backing vocals Paul Hoyland - Lead guitar Indy Chanda - Bass History The band was formed in 2003 as a four-piece, consisting of Rich...