Abel

Abel is the biblical figure — son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain — whose ancient story from Genesis made him one of comics' earliest subjects, appearing alongside his family in illustrated strips from the Platinum Age.

Few characters can claim a publishing journey stretching across more than a century, yet here is Abel, making his comics debut all the way back in 1909 in the pages of Life — deep in the Platinum Age, when the medium itself was still finding its footing. Created by the celebrated illustrator C. Coles Phillips, this figure from the oldest of stories shares the page with an extraordinary cast: Adam, Eve, Cain, Moses, and God himself. Whether encountered in the classic pages of Judge and Life or in the landmark Limited Collectors' Edition reprints, Abel represents one of comics' most enduring connections to myth, scripture, and the very roots of human storytelling — a rare thread linking the Platinum Age all the way to the modern era.