711 (Quality Comics)
Encyclopedia
#711 is a superhero
from the Golden Age of comics. He was created by George Brenner
and published by Quality Comics
. #711 first appeared in Police Comics
#1 (August 1941) and lasted until #15 (January 1943), when he was killed.
who was almost an exact twin of his friend, Jacob Horn. Jacob was in prison
, but wanted to see his wife give birth, so Daniel agreed to become a prisoner while Jacob was with his wife. However, Jacob is killed in a car crash on the way to the hospital, so Daniel was stuck in jail. Daniel was able to tunnel himself free, but instead of escaping, he decided to return to his cell. Each night he uses his tunnel to go outside and fight crime, then returns before the morning. Dyce adopts the name #711, a reference to his prisoner number. After two years of adventures Daniel Dyce was killed by the mobster Oscar Jones. The hero Destiny sees this take place, and starts his crime fighting career when #711 died, replacing his feature in Police Comics.
Like many early comic book
heroes, #711 did not wear a traditional costume but rather was modeled after the traditional pulp magazine
heroes. He wore a green cape, a brown business suit, and a wide-brimmed fedora which cast his eyes in shadow. #711's trademark was a calling card made of a mirror with bars painted over it; when an unlucky criminal would look at the card, they would see themselves behind bars.
Following the Golden Age, many of the Quality Comics characters were purchased by DC Comics
, while others lapsed into the public domain
. DC has used #711 only once in their publications, a Millennium
Edition reprint of his first appearance.
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
from the Golden Age of comics. He was created by George Brenner
George Brenner
George Brenner was an American cartoonist in the mid 1900s. He created comics such as The Clock, Bozo the Iron Man, and 711.He also had a small part as a guest in the 1946 movie The Razor's Edge....
and published by Quality Comics
Quality Comics
Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
. #711 first appeared in Police Comics
Police Comics
Police Comics was a comic book anthology title published by Quality Comics from 1941 until 1953. It featured short stories in the superhero, crime and humor genres....
#1 (August 1941) and lasted until #15 (January 1943), when he was killed.
Fictional character biography
Daniel Dyce was a District AttorneyDistrict attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
who was almost an exact twin of his friend, Jacob Horn. Jacob was in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, but wanted to see his wife give birth, so Daniel agreed to become a prisoner while Jacob was with his wife. However, Jacob is killed in a car crash on the way to the hospital, so Daniel was stuck in jail. Daniel was able to tunnel himself free, but instead of escaping, he decided to return to his cell. Each night he uses his tunnel to go outside and fight crime, then returns before the morning. Dyce adopts the name #711, a reference to his prisoner number. After two years of adventures Daniel Dyce was killed by the mobster Oscar Jones. The hero Destiny sees this take place, and starts his crime fighting career when #711 died, replacing his feature in Police Comics.
Like many early comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
heroes, #711 did not wear a traditional costume but rather was modeled after the traditional pulp magazine
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
heroes. He wore a green cape, a brown business suit, and a wide-brimmed fedora which cast his eyes in shadow. #711's trademark was a calling card made of a mirror with bars painted over it; when an unlucky criminal would look at the card, they would see themselves behind bars.
Following the Golden Age, many of the Quality Comics characters were purchased by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, while others lapsed into the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
. DC has used #711 only once in their publications, a Millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
Edition reprint of his first appearance.