Cliff Cornwall

Cliff Cornwall was a Golden Age DC adventurer who debuted in Flash Comics #1 alongside Jay Garrick's Flash and other early heroes. He operated as a secret agent and aviation hero in the pulp-action mold typical of 1940s comics.

From the very first issue of Flash Comics in 1940, Cliff Cornwall carved out his place in the Golden Age of DC Comics — a remarkable debut that puts him in some of the most historically significant pages in the medium's history. Created by John B. Wentworth and Stan Asch, he launched alongside luminaries like The Flash (Jay Garrick), Johnny Thunder, and The Whip, making Flash Comics #1 one of the most storied single issues a collector could hope to track down. His run was brief, concentrated in those electric early years of 1940–41, but five of his appearances carry key-issue status — a striking ratio that speaks to the landmark company he keeps. For Golden Age devotees, Cliff Cornwall is exactly the kind of hidden gem that makes digging through DC's earliest chapters so rewarding.