Shorty

Samuel 'Shorty' Morgan is a street-smart, pint-sized operator who partnered with hard-boiled detective Slam Bradley, putting his nimble pickpocket skills and investigative instincts to work alongside the two-fisted private eye.

Few characters can claim they've been rubbing elbows with Superman, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Bruce Wayne since the Golden Age, but Shorty has been doing exactly that since debuting in More Fun Comics #81 in 1942, brought to life by the legendary creative team of Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman. A DC fixture across Adventure Comics, Action Comics, and Superboy, this character has quietly accumulated 63 catalog appearances and eight key-issue credits — a quietly impressive record for a Golden Age original. The fact that Shorty's presence stretches from 1942 all the way to 2025 speaks to a remarkable staying power in the ever-shifting DC universe, the kind of longevity that serious collectors and continuity enthusiasts genuinely appreciate. If you love digging into the deep roots of DC history and discovering the characters who've kept company with the very biggest names in comics, Shorty is well worth a closer look.