Special Edition Series #2

In a world where flight is both a gift and a burden, Grey—raised by condors after his father’s murder—learns to soar through the skies, driven by the memory of loss and the wisdom of a monk who gave him shelter. As he masters the art of flight, he sets out to confront the man who destroyed his sanctuary, beginning a lifelong mission to stand against those who prey on the innocent.

In "The Menace of Sihn Fang," the Condor returns to the Far East to face the relentless Sinh Fang and his allies within the supposedly impregnable Mount Doom—once shattered by the devastating Black Ray. The clash unfolds in a landscape of ancient ruins and hidden dangers, where the Condor must outwit a foe whose power seems matched only by his resolve.

In the 1974 Special Edition Series #2, "The Eagle Battalion" follows the Black Condor as he ventures to Danger Island off the coast of Ceylon to rescue enslaved sailors from the Sapphire King’s sapphire pools. With the help of his own aerial instincts, he faces off against the Sapphire King’s army of trained giant eagles in a high-stakes mission that tests his courage and skill.

In a quiet moment of duty, the Condor finds Jackie, a man left wounded and abandoned, and sets out to protect him—both from the lingering threat of his attacker, Gallagher, and the dangerous secret behind his stolen citizenship. As the Condor reaches out to Jackie’s wife and child, he’s drawn deeper into a mystery that ties one man’s survival to a far-reaching conspiracy.

In "The Coming of Jasper Crow," Richard Grey returns to his homeland and finds Senator Wright under pressure from the ruthless Senator Jaspar Crow, who demands a corrupt vote on a lucrative appropriations bill. When Wright refuses, Crow has him murdered—prompting Grey to step into the fallen senator’s role and take a stand against the corruption.

In "General Korn," the Condor takes on a chilling mystery: the murder of inventor Carl Stark, whose remote-controlled bomb was weaponized by the elusive Nazi war criminal General Korn to level ten towering structures. With the city still reeling from the attacks, the Condor must unravel the truth behind Stark’s death before the next strike—and the trail leads straight to a man thought long buried.

In "The Industrial Tyrant," the Black Condor faces a twisted adversary in Jaspar Crow, whose obsession with power drives him to manipulate his own factory workers through deception. When Crow sets up a fake Condor to crush a pending strike, the real hero must go undercover to expose the truth and force a reckoning.

In this 1974 tale from Special Edition Series #2, the Condor faces a moral crossroads when Senator Wright allies with the Indians over a contentious tax bill—threatening Jaspar Crow’s interests. As fifth columnists stir unrest, the Condor must wield his Black Ray to navigate the rising tension, testing loyalty and justice in a conflict where sides are far from clear.

In "The President's Been Kidnapped," Senator Wright, operating as the Condor, races against time after a cryptic command from the White House sets off alarm bells. When he uncovers the shocking truth—President and Wendy have both vanished—he takes up the mantle of justice, determined to bring them back.

In "Cadava the Crumbler," a man once scorned by society unleashes a devastating ray on the city, driven by bitterness and rage—only to fall in battle against the Ray. As the city lies in ruins, the Ray channels his power to forge a colossal, makeshift form, lifting debris and rebuilding what was shattered.

In "The Revenge of Bela Jat," The Ray confronts the elusive Hindu mystic Bela Jat, a man whose power to shift between solid and fluid states makes him nearly untouchable. When Bela Jat’s deadly spree reaches a breaking point, the police finally corner him—only to discover that even their victory may not be enough to stop the threat he still poses.

In "The Dwarf Train Robbers," newly transformed Ray—still wrestling with his past—returns to his old life as a newspaper reporter, only to find himself chasing a bizarre trail of clues leading to a band of retired vaudeville dwarfs and their mysterious ally, Miss White, as they pull off a series of daring train heists. The story unfolds with a sharp, offbeat rhythm, blending the surreal with the everyday as the line between hero and fugitive begins to blur.

In "The Curse of the Marshwoods," reporter Happy stumbles upon Timothy Marshwood attempting to end his life by drowning in the fog-drenched waterfront. After pulling Tim from the water, Happy learns of a chilling family legacy—each generation of Marshwoods meeting tragic, self-inflicted ends. Drawn in by the mystery, Happy sets out to uncover the truth behind the curse, unaware of what secrets the marshes might still be hiding.

In "Slash Scraponi's Escape," the imprisoned mobster Slash Scarponi, serving a twenty-year sentence on Bedlam Island, maintains control from behind bars through a corrupt warden. When undercover hero Happy Terrill starts closing in on his operation, Scarponi makes a desperate move—orchestrating a breakout to silence his pursuer.

In the 1974 Special Edition Series #2, "The Empire of Captain Blue" follows the Ray, a boy, and two men stranded on a Pacific island after their plane is shot down by "asiatics." There, they encounter Captain Blue, a flamboyant pirate with grand ambitions to conquer Hawaii and then the world, exploiting the clash between Americans and the "mongols." Trapped in a circle of light, the Ray must rely on his wits and courage to outmaneuver Blue—before the pirate's scheme reaches its final, deadly stage.

In "The Return of Captain Blue," Bud, now under the care of Happy Terrill, struggles to recall the truth behind his past—especially why he no longer remembers Terrill as the Ray. That night, a haunting dream pulls him into the realm of Elixir, where wraith Lupo abducts him and whisks him away on Blitzen, setting the stage for a fateful clash with Captain Blue once more.

In "The Beetle and the Tongs," The Ray teams up with Bud to navigate a tense standoff between rival Chinatown clans, using a ray ring that emits a blinding beam—just enough to shift the balance of power, but not without consequences. Written by an unknown author and illustrated by an unknown artist, the story unfolds with quiet tension and a touch of moral ambiguity.

In this 1974 Special Edition story, The Ray and Bud find themselves drawn into the world of the circus after rescuing aerialists from a mysterious assault. There, they uncover an FBI agent quietly working undercover—his target, the enigmatic equestrienne Vera—while the true nature of the threat remains shrouded in mystery.

In "Cyanide Gas and Sabotage," The Ray tries to shield young Bud from the dangers of a violent crime scene, but the boy’s determination to do the right thing leads him straight into a new threat—this time, a secret plot involving cyanide gas. As Bud reaches out to the Secret Service for help, The Ray must act fast to protect him, even as the situation grows more perilous.

In "The Atom Smasher," The Ray faces a terrifying threat from fifth columnists wielding a mobile atom-smasher capable of reducing people to liquid or dust—and rendering even him powerless. With his powers tested like never before, he must outthink a weapon that turns the very fabric of matter against him.