Face (Columbia Comics)
Encyclopedia
The Face is a fictional character
, a comic book
superhero
that appeared in 1940s comics during what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books
.
omnibus title Big Shot Comics
#1 (May 1940) and continued until issue 62 (January, 1946). From issue 63 the feature continued as Tony Trent until Big Shot 104, the final issue of the series. Apart from appearing in Big Shot, The Face also had two issues of his own title (1941-1942), as well as two as Tony Trent (1948).
. With issue 63, he no longer wears the mask and fights crime as himself.
, The Fighting Yank
persuades Trent to don his mask just one more time, immediately after which the Yank traps him in the mystical Urn of Pandora
, as part of a misguided quest to end all evil on Earth. Decades later, the Urn is broken and all the prisoners are freed, although some of them are now changed; Mr. Face discovers that anyone who looks at his masked face now experiences hallucinations of whatever they fear most.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a 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...
superhero
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 —...
that appeared in 1940s comics during what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
.
Publication history
Created by artist Mart Bailey and an unknown writer. The Face first appeared in the Columbia ComicsColumbia Comics
The Columbia Comics Corporation was formed in 1940 as a partnership between Vin Sullivan and the McNaught Newspaper Syndicate. The idea was to publish comics featuring a mix of McNaught-owned comic strip reprints like Joe Palooka and Charlie Chan as well as original features.The first title...
omnibus title Big Shot Comics
Big Shot Comics
Big Shot Comics was an American comic book series published by Columbia Comics during period in the 1940s that fans and historians refer to as the Golden Age of comic books. It ran 104 issues, cover-dated May 1940 to August 1949. With issue #30 , the title was shortened to simply Big Shot...
#1 (May 1940) and continued until issue 62 (January, 1946). From issue 63 the feature continued as Tony Trent until Big Shot 104, the final issue of the series. Apart from appearing in Big Shot, The Face also had two issues of his own title (1941-1942), as well as two as Tony Trent (1948).
Fictional biography
The Face is radio announcer Tony Trent, who decides to fight crime after having witnessed a murder committed by gangsters disguised as cops. Having no innate superpowers, he instead uses a frightful mask to scare criminals, not unlike BatmanBatman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
. With issue 63, he no longer wears the mask and fights crime as himself.
Project Superpowers
At some point after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, The Fighting Yank
Fighting Yank
-Publication history:The initial comic-book character called Fighting Yank first appeared in Nedor Comics' Startling Comics #10 , during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books. He was created by writer Richard E. Hughes and artist Jon L. Blummer...
persuades Trent to don his mask just one more time, immediately after which the Yank traps him in the mystical Urn of Pandora
Pandora's box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology, taken from the myth of Pandora's creation around line 60 of Hesiod's Works and Days. The "box" was actually a large jar given to Pandora , which contained all the evils of the world. When Pandora opened the jar, all its contents except for one item...
, as part of a misguided quest to end all evil on Earth. Decades later, the Urn is broken and all the prisoners are freed, although some of them are now changed; Mr. Face discovers that anyone who looks at his masked face now experiences hallucinations of whatever they fear most.