Proton

Firebird Press brought Proton to life in 1990 through creator Sherman Burnett's Energons #24, launching a character who would quietly persist across an impressive 27-year span into the Modern Age. With a name drawn straight from the building blocks of matter, Proton keeps electrifying company — sharing pages with the likes of Vortex, Quasar, Micron, Neutron, and Electron — a roster that crackles with scientific energy and suggests a universe built around big, bold concepts. A niche gem from an independent publisher, Proton is exactly the kind of discovery that reminds collectors why digging beyond the Big Two is always worth the effort.