Written by

C. Sesselego
Art by
A. G. Ceglia, L. Livi
Designed by
C. Sesselego, E. Civiletti
Public Domain Encyclopedia Vol. I: Nedor Superheroes 2015 Blue
Monkey Studio
1st edition 2013
New revised edition 2015
Blue Monkey Studio di Sesselego, Livi, Civiletti
Via XX Settembre 23/b - 16121 Genova IT
www.bemystudio.com
All illustrations in this book Blue Monkey Studio.
The covers of previously published Better/Nedor/Standard comics by
their respective copyright holders.
All characters TM and 2015 by their respective trademark holders.
This is an academic work. These and other , and TM appear as
historic examples for scholarly purposes. All rights reserved. Blue Monkey
Studio makes no representation of any rights to said , and TM.
Any omission or incorrect information should be transmitted to the author
or publisher so it can be rectified in future editions of this book.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

public domain
encyclopedia
Vol. I:

nedor
superheroes

Intro to the public

domain encyclopedia
The Public Domain Encyclopedia (or PDE) is dedicated to the lost
treasures of the comic book industry that are freely available to all.
No cost, no charge.
It is aimed at readers, writers and artists that are looking for something
different, be it totally unknown or fully recognizable to all.
We want PDE to be like a magic box whose content will change every
time you take it in your hands to pull out something you havent thought
about.
Something that will amaze and entertain everybody, bringing long nights
of creativity.
We do not dare to think that we will disclose secrets you dont know
about, rather than provide a tool to improve the mindscape we all share,
thanks to the creations of people that came before us and left characters
and concepts we now can use as we please.
It will be an ever-improving work to which everybody can contribute with
suggestions, comments and criticism.
Most of all, it is something we would like to share.

The golden age of comics

PDEs issues dedicated to superheroes will cover a chronological period
between June 1938 and October 1956.
Defining the beginning of the Golden Age of Comics is always a tricky
business. Experts and scholars differ in their opinions. Overstreet Comic
Book Price Guides regular publication The Golden Age Quarterly lists
comic books from 1933 onwards, as 1933 is the year of publication of
the first book in a size that would later define the comics standard
format. Several comic book historians, including Roger Sabin (Comics,
Comix and Graphic Novels: a History of Comic Art - new ed. 2009), date
the beginning of the Golden Age to the publication of the first comics
featuring original stories rather than re-prints of newspaper strips (New
Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1 - Feb. 1935, New Comics #1 - Dec.
1935, with a slightly larger size than todays comic book format, both
published by National Allied Publications).
Since in this issues we are dealing with superheroes, we will consider
June 1938 (Action Comics #1 featuring Superman) the beginning of the
Golden Age.
Defining the end of the Golden Age is also a difficult issue. While it is
true that the definition of the superhero archetype is probably the most
significant Golden Age contribution to pop culture, it is also true that
many superpowered characters created in the WWII era did not survive
the end of the war, forcing the publishers to die or diversify. Between
1949 and 1951, western, adventure, science fiction, romance and horror
stories took the upper hand and ousted many superheroes. Only popular
characters such as Superman and Batman went on, regardless of the
crisis of the Golden Age.
This transitional period (often referred to as the Atomic Era) that would
end in October 1956 (first new Flash story - Showcase #4, DC Comics,
setting the beginning of the Silver Age), is also included in the current
chronology, since it describes the struggle of the comics creative minds
to cope with what the future was going to be. The characters created in
this span of time blink back at their Golden Age ancestors while trying to
keep up with the new world order (e.g. the Atomic Thunderbolt, Atoman).

The characters

american crusader
Archibald Archie Masters

Created by:
Max Plaisted (1902-1956)

HISTORY & BIO

Archie Masters is a timid astronomy professor, teaching at the Grand
University in the eastern United States.
Lost in his thoughts, he accidentally accesses a lab in which an
experimental atom smasher is being tested. Bathed by atomic radiations,
he is endowed with superpowers.
He uses his newly acquired abilities to fight crime as the patriotic
American Crusader. In his civilian identity, he keeps pretending to be
the geek he was before the accident to the frustration of his secretary,
Jane Peters, who would have loved to be his girlfriend.
Later on, Archie resigns
from the University to
fight the Nazis on the
European front (Thrilling
comics #34 - Mar. 1943).
Jane Peters joins the army
as a war nurse (Thrilling
Comics #35 - May
1943). In Europe, Archie
meets Mickey Martin,
an American teenager
who was in France when
the Nazi forces invaded
it (Thrilling Comics #39
- Dec. 1943). Mickey
becomes his sidekick.

POWERS
American Crusader posseses super strength, invulnerability and the
power of flight.

AMERICAN CRUSADER
golden age appearances

First Appearance:
Thrilling Comics #19
(Aug. 1941)

Last Appearance:
Thrilling Comics #41
(Apr. 1944)

Americas Best Comics #6

Thrilling Comics #19-35, 37-39, 41

9
8

7
6
5
4

2
1

0
1939

1940

1941

1942

1943

Thrilling Comics

1944

1945

1946

1947

America's Best Comics

1948

1949

AMERICAN CRUSADER
modern appearances
AC Comics
FemForce V1 (1-163, 1985-2013) #29-31, 34-36, 59, 60, 67, 127, 156-158
Femforce: Out of the Asylum Special V1 (oneshot, 1987)
Fighting Yank V1 (1-5, 2001-2002) #5
Fighting Yank and the Sentinels of America V1 (oneshot, 2003)
N.E.D.O.R. Agent V1 #0 (flipbook FF#158, Feb. 2012)
Official Golden-Age Hero and Heroine Directory V1 (oneshot, 1997)
American Crusader (Matt Masters) is one of the Vault Heroes, put in
suspended animation and released decades later to fight the forces of
evil.
He is a member of the Sentinels of America along with other Nedor
heroes.
He fights alongside Fighting Yank in his own series.
He also appears in the N.E.D.O.R. Agents, an alternate reality in which
classic heroes of the 40s band together alongside their inheritors and
proteges such as Pyrogirl, Fighting Yank jr. and Candi Future.
Americas Best Comics
ABC A-Z: Terra Obscura & Splash Brannigan (oneshot, 2006)
Terra Obscura V1 (1-6, 2003-2004) #1, 3, 4
Terra Obscura V2 (1-6, 2004-2005) #4, 6
Tom Strong V1 (1-36, 1999-2006) #12
Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril V1 (ongoing, 2013) #1, 4, 5
Captured by aliens in 1969 and left in suspended animation American
Crusader is released in 2000. He has problems adapting to the changes
around him and becomes an alcoholist. He is a member of S.M.A.S.H.
Dynamite Entertainment
Black Terror V1 (1-14, 2008-2011) #1-3, 5-8
Project Superpowers V2 (preview(p), 0-12, 2009-2010) #9-12
Project Superpowers: Meet the Bad Guys... V1 (1-4, 2009) #1
Codename Action V1 (ongoing, 2013) #1
After the heroes of Golden Age are trapped by the Fighting Yank in
the Urn of Pandora, the original American Crusader, Archie Masters,
accepts to be cloned by the Government to create an army of American
superheroes. The strain of the cloning process put him in a coma.
Black Terror investigates the disappearance of American Crusader and
manages to free him from the clone factory. However, he is not able to
save his life. Archiess powers are passed to Marcus Chamberlain who

becomes the new American Crusader.

Heroes Inc. web-comics (2009-2011)

American Crusader is the lead scientist of the project throught which
the heroes of WWII are created. Present day, he collects blood samples
from the Golden Age super-humans to develop the next generation of
heroes. He is married to Miss Masque.
Metahuman Press
Living Legends web-tales (1-25, 2008)
Tales of the Living Legends web-comics (2009)
American Crusader appears as his original Golden Age self.

american eagle
Tom Standish

Created by:
Richard E. Hughes (1909-1974)
Kin Platt (1911-2003)

HISTORY & BIO

In a remote mountain lab, young scientist Tom Standish is assisting Dr.
Wolfe in developing a serum that mimicks the abilities of the eagles.
While carrying a batch of the serum, Tom accidentally spills it onto
a cathode-tube, causing a strange black glow. Curious as to how the
tube has been changed, Tom inserts it into a projector and is suddenly
bombarded by a black light, developing superpowers. As Tom goes to
Dr. Wolfe to inform him about the serum reaction, he discovers that
Wolfe is conspiring with Nazis to poison Americas water supply.
Caught by the Nazis, he is thrown off a cliff, but miraculously survives
the fall, thanks to his newly aquired super abilities. Attempting to stop
the conspiracy against America, Tom destroys the lab and kills the Nazis.
Only Dr. Wolfe manages to survive.
Returning to the city to look for work, Tom is saved from being struck
by a car by Bud Pierce, the son of a circus strong-man, also looking
for a job. Impressed by the
youngsters own strength
and bravery, Tom offers
Bud to join forces and look
for work together.
Tom applies for a lab
assistantship, only to
discover that Dr. Wolfe is
alive and still pursuing his
criminal plots.
To fight against the Nazis,
Tom dons the costume of
the American Eagle. In his

heroic deeds he is supported by Bud, as American Eagles sidekick, the

Eaglet.

POWERS
American Eagle posseses near invulnerability, super-strenght and the
power to leap large distances.
He also dons a cape that grants him the ability to glide through the air.
Eaglet relies on a superior physical strenght and wears the same cape
American Eagle uses to fly.

american Eagle
golden age appearances

First Appearance:
Americas Best Comics #2
(Sept. 1942)

Last Appearance:
The Fighting Yank #18
(Nov. 1946)

Americas Best Comics #2, 6-7, 10-12, 14

Exciting Comics #22-27, 29-38, 40-47, 49-50
The Fighting Yank #18
9
8
7

5
4
3

2
1

1943

1944

7
5

0
1939

1940

1941

Exiting Comics

1942

1945

America's Best Comics

1946

1947

1948

The Fighting Yank

1949

american eagle
modern appearances
AC Comics
FemForce V1 (1-163, 1985-2013) #156-158
Fighting Yank V1 (1-5, 2001-2002) #5
Fighting Yank and the Sentinels of America V1 (oneshot, 2003)
N.E.D.O.R. Agent V1 #0 (flipbook FF#158, Feb. 2012)
American Eagle is a member of the Sentinels of America along with
other Nedor heroes.
He fights alongside Fighting Yank in his own series.
He appears in the N.E.D.O.R. Agents, an alternate reality in which classic
heroes of the 40s band together alongside their inheritors and proteges
such as Pyrogirl, Fighting Yank jr. and Candi Future.
Americas Best Comics
Terra Obscura V1 (1-6, 2003-2004) #1, 3, 4
Tom Strong V1 (1-36, 1999-2006)
#12
American Eagle is found dead along
with his sidekick Eaglet by fellow
S.M.A.S.H. members Liberator
and Scarab.
Dynamite Entertainment
Black Terror V1 (1-14, 2008-2011)
#2-4
Project
Superpowers
V2
(preview(p), 0-12, 2009-2010) #p,
0, 1, 6-9
American Eagle is among the
heroes trapped by Fighting Yank
in the Urn of Pandora. Once
released, he joins a taskforce of
patriotic heroes at the service of
President West, to defend the U.S.
against subversive meta-humans
like the Black Terror and Green
Lama.

Copyright & trademark

The copyright of Americas Best Comics #2 was renewed by Popular
Library in 1969.
The copyright of Exciting Comics #22-23 was renewed by Popular
Library between 1969-70.
All renewed copyrights were still in force on Jan. 1, 1978. The actual
copyright owner of the Popular Library materials may also own them.
No living American Eagle trademark can be related to the Better/
Nedor/Standard character, to comic books or their likeliness.
For inactive American Eagle trademark registrations check the
Copyright & Trademark section - Trademark Table.

About Blue Monkey Studio

Blue Monkey Studio (BMS), established in 2010, is an Italian firm

specializing in graphic design, illustration and publishing services.
BMS provides high-quality art and design to local, national and
international clients at competitive rates, focusing on establishing a
companys brand and corporate identity through a customized logo,
mascot, letterhead, business cards and web design.
We also provide artwork for the education and edutainment sector,
create book illustrations and comics, and develop character design,
backgrounds and concept art for multimedia entertainment companies.
Publishing services include the complete management of a literary
work from concept development and design to proofreading and
editing.
BMS has the technical expertise and experience to create printed
books and e-books to meet the formatting standards of international
distributors such as CreateSpace, SmashWords, Lighting Source,
Youcanprint, Kindle and IBook. We offer advisory services in all
phases of the subscription and publishing process, as well as royalty
management for non-US authors.
Proactive on an international level, BMS pursues European Commission
financing opportunities and trains creative professionals to compete
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Our flexible, customized implementation process, based on the
customers specifications and feedback, gives us the ability to quickly
manage multiple projects from different business sectors. We have
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www.bemystudio.com

Public Domain
Encyclopedia
The Public Domain Encyclopedia (or PDE) is a book series dedicated
to the lost treasures of the Golden Age comics industry, that are now
freely available to all. No cost, no charge.

click the covers to have a look at the books!

Vol. I: Nedor Superheroes

Vol. II: Black Terror!

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