Danger Trail #1

History

The series was written by Robert Kanigher and drawn by Carmine Infantino with inks by Joe Giella, a creative team that had already collaborated on the Black Canary debut and would later ignite the Silver Age together with the Barry Allen Flash. Whitney Ellsworth received the editorial credit on the indicia, but Julius Schwartz was the actual working editor — the same Schwartz who was simultaneously launching Strange Adventures with its August–September 1950 first issue, a science-fiction title that may have competed with Danger Trail for editorial resources and attention. DC had nine inventory stories prepared beyond the title's fifth and final issue; when the series was cancelled, those stories were redirected and eventually ran in World's Finest Comics #52–54 and #64–69, suggesting the cancellation was a business decision rather than a creative one.

Trivia · 10 facts

• First appearance of King Faraday, DC's counter-espionage agent and former soldier, created by writer Robert Kanigher and penciler Carmine Infantino with inks by Joe Giella.
• Cover date: August 1950; on-sale date per copyright registration: May 24, 1950; publisher: National Comics Publications, Inc. (DC Comics).
• Actual editor was Julius Schwartz, though the indicia credited Whitney Ellsworth as editor.
• Lead story is titled 'Hunters of the Whispering Gallery!' — King Faraday intervenes to protect a woman from a fugitive Nazi war criminal.
• King Faraday's given name is a joke by his father, a play on the phrase 'King for a day'; he has no superpowers, relying on marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and tradecraft.
• The series ran for only five issues (1950–1951); nine completed inventory stories intended for unpublished later issues were eventually published in World's Finest Comics #52–54 and #64–69.
• The 'Hunters of the Whispering Gallery' story from this issue was reprinted in Showcase #51 (July–August 1964), part of a two-issue I-Spy reprint event that also introduced a new framing sequence by Kanigher, Infantino, and Murphy Anderson.
• Faraday was revived in Batman #313 (July 1979) after more than twenty-five years of dormancy, and was later integrated into the DC Universe as a Central Bureau of Intelligence operative, mentor to Nightshade, and recruiter of Bronze Tiger into Task Force X.
• A 1993 four-issue Danger Trail mini-series reunited Infantino with the character under writer Len Wein, pitting Faraday against the cult villain Kobra.
• Superman, Batman, Robin, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, and Dick Grayson are indexed as appearing in this issue, consistent with the GCD's listing of DC house advertisement pages within the issue's 52 pages; Buzzy Brown and Susie Gruff appear in a backup Buzzy comedy feature.

Cast · 7 characters

Full credits