Al Capone

A fictionalized depiction of the real-life Chicago mob boss, this Al Capone appeared in the politically charged radical publication New Masses, drawn by I. Klein, casting the notorious gangster as a symbol of capitalist corruption alongside President Herbert Hoover.

Few comic characters can claim a Platinum Age debut as audacious as this one — Al Capone first hit the page in 1931's New Masses #10, brought to life by I. Klein under the banner of the Worker's Party of America, making him one of the most politically charged figures to emerge from comics' earliest era. Sharing those original pages with none other than Herbert Hoover, this version of the infamous gangster was born in a publication with a sharp ideological edge, a far cry from the mainstream superhero fare of the day. What's remarkable is the sheer span of his comics life — turning up across titles as varied as Daredevil and Superman over more than seven decades — proof that the Capone name has never lost its dramatic pull for storytellers. A genuine piece of Platinum Age history with only a handful of catalog appearances, each one is a collector's curiosity worth tracking down.