Hit Comics #6
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeHit Comics #6 (cover-dated December 1940) is a solid mid-run installment in Quality Comics' flagship anthology, notable as one of the issues that sustained the Red Bee — a character distinctive enough for his era that writer Toni Blum, one of the very few women scripting comics during the Golden Age, shaped his voice through the ongoing run. The issue also introduces Lion Boy into the Hit Comics cast, expanding the anthology's roster of unusual heroes at a moment when Quality was aggressively filling its pages with singular, off-mainstream concepts. Lou Fine's cover art for this period of the run has long been regarded as among the finest superhero cover illustration of the early 1940s, giving the anthology an artistic identity well above the pack.
In "The Swords of Death," the mythic strength of Hercules is put to the test when he answers the call of a restless Texas oil heiress. Descending beneath the waves to repair her father’s struggling oil rig, he uncovers a secret: a massive underwater pipeline is siphoning Texas oil away—by the Japanese. With sheer power and determination, Hercules takes on the task of hauling a colossal vat of oil back to shore. The story, illustrated with bold, dynamic lines by Dan Zolnerowich, features a striking cover by Lou Fine, capturing the hero’s daring feat in vivid detail.
When Rick Raleigh investigates a mysterious hotel as the Red Bee, he uncovers a sinister plot involving electrified swords wielded by masked figures—and a priceless diamond stolen from Egypt. Captured by the vengeful midget villain Kulak and his henchmen, the Red Bee must rely on his wits, his fists, and his trusty bee Michael to survive a deadly underground lair before the whole building comes down. A pulse-pounding tale of swordplay, betrayal, and justice from the pages of Hit Comics.
In a 1940 adventure from Hit Comics #6, Hercules answers the call of a restless Texas oil heiress, diving beneath the sea to repair her father’s struggling oil rig. There, he uncovers a secret: a vast pipeline is siphoning Texas oil away, and it’s up to the mythic hero to stop the theft—carrying a massive vat of crude back to shore to protect the homeland.
A plane crashes deep in the African jungle, leaving a lone child orphaned in the wilderness—until a mother lioness takes him in as her own. Raised among the lions and armed with nothing but his wits and a blade fashioned from the plane's wreckage, the boy grows strong and fierce, earning the respect of the pride and a fierce bond with his tawny brother. Now, as the jungle's dangers mount, Lion Boy must prove himself worthy of the crown he's claimed.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Hit Comics was a Quality Comics anthology title launched in July 1940 under the editorial control of publisher Everett M. Arnold and packaged largely through the S. M. (Jerry) Iger studio. The Red Bee strip, which anchors issue #6's superhero content, was written by Toni Blum — the daughter of artist Alex Blum and, per the Grand Comics Database, an Iger Shop employee from 1940 to 1942 — working under the house pseudonym 'B. H. Apiary' (a pun on 'apiary,' a collection of beehives). Art on the Red Bee feature in this issue was produced by Charles Nicholas, also working under the same house byline; the GCD notes that art credits for the issue were revised from Dan Zolnerowich to Charles Nicholas by researcher Craig Delich in 2013, reflecting the difficulty of pinning down studio work of this era. Cover art for the issue was provided by Lou Fine, who produced a long run of cover illustrations for the title and whose draftsmanship was praised by both Will Eisner and Joe Simon.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Hit Comics #6 carries a cover date of December 1940 and was published by Quality Comics; the on-sale date is documented in the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 2, Periodicals, 1940.
- The Red Bee's secret identity is Rick Raleigh, assistant district attorney in Superior City, Oregon, created by writer Toni Blum and artist Charles Nicholas — Toni Blum being one of the very few women writing comics during the Golden Age.
- The Red Bee strip in this issue — titled 'The Swords of Death' — features the introduction and deaths of villains Kulak (a midget gang boss wielding a hand-held device that melts objects) and his giant bodyguard Rog, as well as the debut of an entire gang of electrified-sword-wielding Swordsmen.
- This issue also contains what is listed as the first appearance of Lion Boy, an additional character in the Hit Comics anthology roster.
- The Red Bee's creator credit and story byline appear as 'B. H. Apiary,' confirmed by the GCD as a house pseudonym — not the name of a real person — used consistently across the character's run.
- Cover art for the issue was by Lou Fine, whose work on Hit Comics covers was admired by contemporaries including Will Eisner and Jack Kirby (per Joe Simon's recollections), making Fine a significant artistic presence in the book's early issues.
- The anthology format of Hit Comics #6 also included appearances by Joe Hercules, Betty Bates, the Strange Twins, Blaze Barton, and Bob and Swab, among others — a full ensemble of Quality Comics characters typical of the title's Golden Age run.
- DC Comics acquired the Red Bee along with all other Quality Comics characters in 1956; the original Rick Raleigh version has since entered the public domain, while DC later introduced a legacy Red Bee (Jenna Raleigh) in Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #5 (2007).
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