Fantastic Comics #22
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeFantastic Comics #22 (September 1941) stands as one of the final two issues of Fox Feature Syndicate's flagship superhero anthology — a series that, across its 23-issue run, introduced characters such as Samson, Stardust the Super Wizard, and Black Fury, all of whom eventually passed into the public domain and have been revived by successive generations of publishers. By the time issue #22 reached newsstands, the series was operating under severe commercial pressure: Fox's audited circulation figures show that titles like Fantastic Comics had shed roughly two-thirds of their readership from a peak of over 340,000 copies per issue in early 1940 to under 115,000 by the end of 1941, a decline directly tied to the publisher's bankruptcy the following year. The issue thus functions as a time capsule of the Golden Age anthology format at its twilight, showcasing the transition from the cosmic weirdness of the Stardust era — Fletcher Hanks had already exited the industry by March 1941 — to a lineup defined by wartime espionage and Axis-menace storytelling. Its importance is as much historical-contextual as it is issue-specific: it documents the Fox line's creative pivot and the shrinking window before the entire title ceased with #23.
In "The Death Mark of the Dragon!", ancient vengeance rises from the sands of Thebes, 1000 BC, where Nagana—once called the daughter of Isis—plots to usurp the goddess herself. When Isis strikes back, Nagana is frozen in stone for three millennia, only to awaken when modern archaeologists unearth her. Faced with a threat too powerful to destroy outright, Isis turns to Kalkor, a long-dead priest who once stood against her, and revives him to confront the ancient evil. Art by Louis Cazeneuve, with a striking cover by Alex Blum.
In "The Death Mark of the Dragon!" from Fantastic Comics #22 (1941), Samson and David race to uncover a deadly conspiracy targeting America’s defense industries, where a mysterious duo—The Dragon and Orchid—leave a trail of fatal sabotage in their pursuit of secret Navy bomber plans. The story unfolds with sharp tension as the heroes confront a shadowy threat that strikes from the shadows, leaving only cryptic clues and rising stakes.
In ancient Thebes, 1000 BC, Nagana—called the daughter of Isis—fights a quiet war of envy against the goddess she claims to serve. When her treachery is revealed, Isis strikes her down, turning her into a statue that endures for three millennia—until modern-day archaeologists awaken her once more. Realizing she cannot destroy Nagana outright, Isis calls forth Kalkor, a long-dead priest who once stood against her, now reborn to face the evil she unleashed.
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Fox Feature Syndicate was founded by entrepreneur Victor S. Fox, who initially contracted content from the Eisner & Iger packaging studio; the Samson feature running throughout the title was scripted by (or attributed to) Will Eisner and drawn by Alex Blum under the pseudonym 'Alex Boon,' while Fletcher Hanks — an older, eccentric solo creator who wrote, drew, and lettered his own pages — contributed the Stardust the Super Wizard feature from issue #1 through approximately issue #16 (March 1941) before abruptly leaving the comics industry entirely. By issue #22, the creative roster had stabilized around a smaller, workaday stable: Alex Blum continued on Samson covers and interior art, while Dennis Neville — who had previously co-created Hawkman for DC's Flash Comics #1 — drew the Black Fury and Yank Wilson features under his 'Mark Howell' pseudonym, and Grieg Chapian handled the Golden Knight. The issue appeared against a backdrop of collapsing Fox circulation and a comics market flooded with wartime patriotism titles, leaving the anthology's original science-fantasy identity largely supplanted by spy-thriller and Axis-smashing plots.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-dated September 1941, published by Fox Feature Syndicate; one of only two issues remaining before the series concluded with #23 (November 1941).
- Cover art and the Samson lead story are by Alex Blum (working as 'Alex Boon'), who was the primary Samson artist throughout the run; the Samson character is a biblical-strength hero created for Fantastic Comics #1 by Will Eisner (writer, uncredited) and Blum.
- The Black Fury story — featuring journalist/crime-fighter John Perry and his ward Chuck Marley — is drawn by Dennis Neville working under the house pseudonym 'Mark Howell'; Black Fury had first appeared in Fantastic Comics #17 (April 1941) and ran in the title through its final issue.
- Dennis Neville, the Black Fury and Yank Wilson artist at this stage, was also the original artist for Hawkman and Hawkgirl in DC's Flash Comics #1 (1940), making him one of the more pedigreed contributors to the late-run Fox lineup.
- Stardust the Super Wizard, Fletcher Hanks' singular cosmic creation, had already ended its run with issue #16 (March 1941); issue #22 therefore contains no Stardust feature, marking the era in which the anthology lost its most distinctive and formally unusual voice.
- The issue is a 68-page anthology carrying multiple self-contained features: Samson, Flip Falcon, Space Smith (art by Henry Fletcher), Yank Wilson, Black Fury, Golden Knight (Grieg Chapian), and Sub Saunders — a typical late-run Fox multi-feature package.
- All characters appearing in Fantastic Comics, including those in issue #22, eventually entered the public domain; Image Comics acknowledged the run's cultural legacy in 2008 by publishing a one-shot continuation, Fantastic Comics #24, as part of the Next Issue Project.
- Fox Feature Syndicate's audited circulation showed that Fantastic Comics had fallen to fewer than 115,000 copies sold per issue by the end of 1941 — down from a peak of over 345,000 in early 1940 — reflecting the competitive pressures that drove Fox to bankruptcy in 1942.
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