Target and the Targeteers
Encyclopedia
The Target and the Targeteers are fictional characters, a trio of superhero
es who first appeared in 1940, in Target Comics (after which the characters were named) from Novelty Press
.
Dick Briefer
, using the pen name of "Dick Hamilton." (Briefer was the man behind the Prize Comics version of Frankenstein
.) The Targeteers appeared in Target Comics until issue #95 (Target itself ended with issue #105).
In 1999, The Target appeared without his partners in issue #24 of the AC Comics
title Men of Mystery Comics.
In 2008, The Target and the Targeteers were among the many public domain
characters to appear in Project Superpowers
, a miniseries from Dynamite Entertainment
. The heroes were given new powers in this series (see below). Also in 2008, issue #2 of the Age of Adventure comic Legendary Heroes featured reprints of Golden Age stories of the Target and Targeteers.
and U.S.
spy
Niles Reed created the identity of The Target, using a bulletproof costume with a bullseye
on the chest, to save the life of his brother Bill, who had been wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to be executed. Bill was killed during the jailbreak, and Niles avenged himself on the gangsters responsible for Bill’s conviction, after which he continued to fight evil as The Target.
Later, Niles’ business associates Dave Brown and Tom Foster, who had both been orphaned by criminals, became his wisecracking sidekicks The Targeteers. The three of them wore indestructible costumes that were identical except for the colors; one was mostly yellow, one red, one blue (who wore which wasn’t always consistent, although The Target usually wore yellow).
, The Target and the Targeteers were trapped and imprisoned in the Urn of Pandora
by the misguided Fighting Yank
; decades later, the Urn was broken and they were freed. Imprisonment in the mystical Urn, however, had transformed them; they were now somehow bonded together and given superpowers (the exact nature of which has yet to be fully explained). As the series progresses, it seems that the three men have all gained a formed of super-speed, turning them into the moving Targets; also, almost no one is able to aim a weapon directly at them.
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 —...
es who first appeared in 1940, in Target Comics (after which the characters were named) from Novelty Press
Novelty Press
Novelty Press was an American Golden Age comic-book publisher that operated from 1940–1949. It was the comic book imprint of Curtis Publishing Company, publisher of The Saturday Evening Post...
.
History
Target Comics debuted in February, 1940, but it wasn’t until the 10th issue (November, 1940) that The Target first appeared, and The Targeteers showed up in issue #11. The three of them were created byDick Briefer
Dick Briefer
Richard "Dick" Briefer was an American comic-book artist best known for his various adaptations, including humorous ones, of the Frankenstein monster...
, using the pen name of "Dick Hamilton." (Briefer was the man behind the Prize Comics version of Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
.) The Targeteers appeared in Target Comics until issue #95 (Target itself ended with issue #105).
In 1999, The Target appeared without his partners in issue #24 of the AC Comics
AC Comics
AC Comics is a comic book publishing company started by Bill Black.AC Comics specializes in reprints of Golden Age comics from now-defunct companies whose properties lapsed into public domain and were not reprinted elsewhere...
title Men of Mystery Comics.
In 2008, The Target and the Targeteers were among the many 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...
characters to appear in 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...
, a miniseries from 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...
. The heroes were given new powers in this series (see below). Also in 2008, issue #2 of the Age of Adventure comic Legendary Heroes featured reprints of Golden Age stories of the Target and Targeteers.
Target Comics
MetallurgistMetallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
and U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
Niles Reed created the identity of The Target, using a bulletproof costume with a bullseye
Bullseye (target)
The bullseye, or bull's-eye, is the centre of a target , and by extension the name given to any shot that hits the bullseye...
on the chest, to save the life of his brother Bill, who had been wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to be executed. Bill was killed during the jailbreak, and Niles avenged himself on the gangsters responsible for Bill’s conviction, after which he continued to fight evil as The Target.
Later, Niles’ business associates Dave Brown and Tom Foster, who had both been orphaned by criminals, became his wisecracking sidekicks The Targeteers. The three of them wore indestructible costumes that were identical except for the colors; one was mostly yellow, one red, one blue (who wore which wasn’t always consistent, although The Target usually wore yellow).
Project Superpowers
A few years 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 Target and the Targeteers were trapped and imprisoned in the 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...
by the misguided 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...
; decades later, the Urn was broken and they were freed. Imprisonment in the mystical Urn, however, had transformed them; they were now somehow bonded together and given superpowers (the exact nature of which has yet to be fully explained). As the series progresses, it seems that the three men have all gained a formed of super-speed, turning them into the moving Targets; also, almost no one is able to aim a weapon directly at them.