The Black Condor

Raised by condors in the Mongolian wilderness after his parents' murder, Richard Grey Jr. learned to fly through the birds' example. Returning to civilization, he adopted a heroic identity, using his extraordinary self-taught flight ability to fight crime as the Black Condor.

Born in the pages of Crack Comics #1 in 1940, The Black Condor is a genuine Golden Age original, conjured into existence by two of the era's most celebrated talents — Will Eisner and Lou Fine — whose combined artistry made Quality Comics one of the most exciting publishers of its day. Soaring through the earliest years of the superhero genre, this character shares the page with luminaries like Green Lantern, The Flash, and The Clock, placing him squarely at the heart of comics' founding generation. His adventures have been revisited and celebrated across roughly eight decades, from his Quality Comics origins all the way through DC Universe: Legacies, a testament to the enduring fascination he holds for historians and collectors alike. If you have a soft spot for the pioneers — the characters who helped define what a superhero could be before the rules were even written — The Black Condor is absolutely worth seeking out.