Ellsworth Forrester

A genuine artifact of comics' earliest days, Ellsworth Forrester stepped onto the page in 1940's Exciting Comics #2, brought to life by creator Max Plaisted under the Pines banner during the wild, anything-goes Golden Age. With a run that lasted into 1941, this compact corner of comics history finds Forrester sharing pages with a colorful cast including The Sphinx, The Mask, and Sergeant Bill King — the kind of pulp-flavored company that defined the era's adventurous spirit. Eight appearances may be a slim ledger, but one of them carries key-issue status, making Forrester a rewarding find for Golden Age devotees who love unearthing the road less traveled.