Hit Comics #4
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeHit Comics #4 (October 1940) is a representative early-run issue of Quality Comics' flagship anthology, showcasing two of Golden Age comics' most distinctive energy-powered and gimmick-driven heroes — Neon the Unknown and the Red Bee — within the same 68-page package just four months after their debut. The issue is notable as the installment in which the Red Bee's costume was visibly revised, marking the only confirmed in-series redesign of the character during his Quality run. The Neon segment, 'The Transatlantic Bridge,' is one of the bolder pre-Pearl Harbor allegorical stories in the series, depicting a fictional Axis dictator's army invading the United States via a fantastical transatlantic bridge — a striking piece of interventionist propaganda published while America remained officially neutral. The cover, painted by Lou Fine, who was widely regarded among Golden Age contemporaries (including Will Eisner and Joe Simon) as one of the finest draftsmen in the medium, depicts Neon in mid-air combat against parachuting invaders and stands as a compelling example of how Quality used Fine's virtuoso cover work to elevate even its mid-tier anthology titles.
Hit Comics #4 is an anthology featuring multiple characters and stories. One story follows Hercules in a dynamic tale involving confrontation and action sequences. Another story features the Red Bee, a costumed hero engaged in criminal investigation and combat. Additional features include Neon the Unknown and other heroes in separate stories, with the issue containing diverse adventure narratives typical of Quality Comics' anthology format.
When a string of wealthy suicides all leave their fortunes to the mysterious "Future Society," the D.A. suspects foul play—and his hunch leads him straight to the hypnotic influence of Dr. Marah and his accomplice Lizak. The Red Bee infiltrates Dr. Marah's operation to uncover a sinister scheme involving a rigged crystal ball and a hidden needle designed to bend victims to the villain's will. It's a race against time to stop the macabre plot before another soul falls under the society's dark control.
When lawyer Betty Bates takes on Fred Conlin's case—he's been accused of strangling a young woman named Peggy—she refuses to believe her client guilty. As Bates digs deeper, a suspicious phone call and a peculiar handwriting detail put her on the trail of the real culprit: Harvey Barth's employer, Roland Lawson, who had darker motives for the crime than anyone realized.
The Old Witch spins a cautionary tale of a vain Queen who grows obsessed with a mystical black star after a hideous Princess reveals she possesses it, leading her to coerce a magician into granting her the mark—only to discover the star comes with a terrible price. When the Queen's cruelty spirals into tyranny and bloodshed, the magic she sought takes its final, devastating form. A darkly satisfying reminder, the Old Witch tells us, of what greed and jealousy can cost.
When Tommy Tinkle and Mary Lou stumble upon the Professor's antigravity formula, they race to stop the villain Sniff from stealing it—but in a comedic twist, they end up covered in the experimental compound themselves. This lighthearted two-pager from *Hit Comics* #4 (1940) proves that even the best-laid plans to catch a cloud can take an unexpected turn.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 20 grades ▾
Find on ebay
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Hit Comics launched in July 1940 under Quality Comics publisher Everett M. 'Busy' Arnold, with the Red Bee created by writer Toni Blum (born Audrey Blum, 1918–1973) — one of the very few women scripting comics at the time, working under numerous pseudonyms through the Eisner-Iger Studio — and artist Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski, who had previously co-created the Blue Beetle for Fox Comics. Neon the Unknown was created by Jerry Iger, co-founder of the Eisner-Iger Shop, with interior art by Alex Blum (Toni Blum's father). By issue #4, the interior Red Bee art was still being produced under the pen name 'B. H. Apiary' (a punning pseudonym: an apiary is a bee colony), attributed by historians to Charles Nicholas, while the Neon feature continued with script by Iger (credited as 'Tagor Maroy') and art by Alex Blum. Lou Fine, whose cover work shaped the visual identity of early Quality Comics, provided the painted cover spotlighting Neon — one of at least four Neon-themed Hit Comics covers he produced.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: October 1940; published by Quality Comics as part of the Hit Comics anthology series (Vol. 1, #4).
- Cover art by Lou Fine, depicting Neon the Unknown in aerial combat against parachuting invaders — one of at least four Hit Comics covers Fine drew featuring Neon (issues #2, #4, #8, and #9).
- The Red Bee story in this issue, 'The Future Society,' pits Rick Raleigh against Dr. Marah, an evil hypnotist who drugs victims into signing over their estates before forcing them to commit suicide — one of the more macabre villain concepts in the series.
- Hit Comics #4 is documented as the issue in which the Red Bee's costume was altered, with the striped pants eliminated from his outfit.
- The Neon the Unknown segment, 'The Transatlantic Bridge,' features Neon foiling a fictional Axis dictator's invasion of the United States via a 3,000-mile bridge spanning the Atlantic, and includes an appearance by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (depicted without directly naming him, reportedly due to the then-little-known extent of Roosevelt's disability).
- The issue also contains a Betty Bates story ('The Case of the Crooked Eights') scripted and drawn by Bob Powell (credited as Stanley Charlot), an X-5 Super Agent espionage story ('Assignment: Tradheim') by Charles Sultan, and a Hercules story ('The Overland Bus Mystery') by Dan Zolnerowich — reflecting Hit Comics' multi-genre anthology format.
- Red Bee was created by Toni Blum, one of the few women writing for comic books in 1940, working through the Eisner-Iger Studio; her co-creator Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski is also credited with co-creating the Blue Beetle.
- Both Red Bee and Neon the Unknown were later acquired by DC Comics when DC purchased Quality Comics' assets in 1956; Red Bee's Golden Age stories have since entered the public domain, while DC retroactively established his death at the hands of Baron Blitzkrieg in All-Star Squadron #32 (1984).
Cast · 2 characters
Full credits
Key issues in Hit Comics
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.