Claw (Lev Gleason Publications)
Encyclopedia
The Claw is a fictional supervillain
character who first appeared in Silver Streak Comics #1 (December, 1939), from Lev Gleason Publications
.
(who would later create Plastic Man
), The Claw first appeared as a monstrous supervillain in Silver Streak without any regular hero to oppose him. After issue #2, he was temporarily set aside, and reappeared in #6; in #7 (January, 1941), Lev Gleason's Daredevil went up against him for the first time. The Claw was then moved from Silver Streak to Daredevil Comics, and there he stayed until issue #31 (July, 1945), when he was apparently killed off.
This wasn't quite the end of The Claw, however; he returned in Boy Comics #89 (May, 1953), in which he was rewritten as the leader of an invasion force from another planet and was opposed by a hero named Rocky X; their battle lasted three issues. After that, The Claw fell into the public domain
.
In the mid-1980s, Roy Thomas
used the Claw as the main antagonist for his limited series Alter Ego
.
In 2008, he started appearing in flashbacks in Dynamite Entertainment
's Project Superpowers
, in which Daredevil (now renamed The Death-Defying 'Devil) is a regular character; it's hinted that The Claw may be behind a worldwide terrorist movement of the same name. What the connection is between the villain and the terrorists remains to be seen.
In 2011, he appeared in stories in Barry Reese
's "Lazarus Gray" volume 1, set in the 1930s.
; throughout eastern Asia he's called the God of Hate. Although he may appear human from a distance, his hands have long bony talons, and his large animal-like mouth contains long razor-sharp teeth. He has the ability to become large enough to tower over skyscrapers, and has other powers (which aren't clearly defined) which wax and wane with the phases of the moon
. He has a vehicle that can travel underground, boring through solid rock.
He's battled against many superheroes over the years, most often Daredevil. In 1945 it appeared that The Claw was finally killed.
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
character who first appeared in Silver Streak Comics #1 (December, 1939), from Lev Gleason Publications
Lev Gleason Publications
Lev Gleason Publications, founded by Leverett Gleason, was the publisher of a number of popular comic books during the 1940s and early 1950s, including Daredevil, Crime Does Not Pay, and Boy Comics....
.
Publishing history
Created by Jack ColeJack Cole (artist)
Jack Ralph Cole was an American comic book artist and Playboy magazine cartoonist best known for creating the comedic superhero Plastic Man....
(who would later create Plastic Man
Plastic Man
Plastic Man is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1 ....
), The Claw first appeared as a monstrous supervillain in Silver Streak without any regular hero to oppose him. After issue #2, he was temporarily set aside, and reappeared in #6; in #7 (January, 1941), Lev Gleason's Daredevil went up against him for the first time. The Claw was then moved from Silver Streak to Daredevil Comics, and there he stayed until issue #31 (July, 1945), when he was apparently killed off.
This wasn't quite the end of The Claw, however; he returned in Boy Comics #89 (May, 1953), in which he was rewritten as the leader of an invasion force from another planet and was opposed by a hero named Rocky X; their battle lasted three issues. After that, The Claw fell 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...
.
In the mid-1980s, Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
used the Claw as the main antagonist for his limited series Alter Ego
First Comics
First Comics was an American comic-book publisher that was active from 1983–1991, known for titles like American Flagg!, Grimjack, Nexus, Badger, Dreadstar, and Jon Sable...
.
In 2008, he started appearing in flashbacks in Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book company that primarily publishes licensed franchises of adaptations of other media. These include adaptations of film properties such as Army of Darkness, Terminator and RoboCop, literary properties such as Zorro, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in...
's Project Superpowers
Project Superpowers
Project Superpowers is a comic book limited series published by Dynamite Entertainment beginning January 2008. It was co-plotted by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross, with scripts by Jim Krueger, covers by Alex Ross, and interior art by Doug Klauba and Stephen Sadowski for issue #0, and Carlos Paul for the...
, in which Daredevil (now renamed The Death-Defying 'Devil) is a regular character; it's hinted that The Claw may be behind a worldwide terrorist movement of the same name. What the connection is between the villain and the terrorists remains to be seen.
In 2011, he appeared in stories in Barry Reese
Barry Reese
Barry Reese is a librarian and American writer. He is best known for his work on The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe for Marvel Comics, D6 Space: Fires of Amatsumara Worldbook for West End Games and the Rook Universe series of novels...
's "Lazarus Gray" volume 1, set in the 1930s.
Lev Gleason Publications
The Claw first appeared in 1939 as the ruler of a Pacific island nation called Ricca, and the leader of a band of piratesPiracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
; throughout eastern Asia he's called the God of Hate. Although he may appear human from a distance, his hands have long bony talons, and his large animal-like mouth contains long razor-sharp teeth. He has the ability to become large enough to tower over skyscrapers, and has other powers (which aren't clearly defined) which wax and wane with the phases of the moon
Lunar phase
A lunar phase or phase of the moon is the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer, usually on Earth. The lunar phases change cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun...
. He has a vehicle that can travel underground, boring through solid rock.
He's battled against many superheroes over the years, most often Daredevil. In 1945 it appeared that The Claw was finally killed.