Wonder Comics #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeWonder Comics #1 (May 1944) launched the dedicated anthology title for Ned Pines's Better/Nedor Publications stable at the height of World War II, giving the Grim Reaper — a masked, non-powered American fighting Nazis in occupied Europe — his first cover-feature showcase after a single tryout appearance in Fighting Yank #7 just months earlier. The issue also introduced Spectro the Mind Reader, a crime-fighting stage magician with genuine telepathic abilities, alongside Mekano, one of the earliest radio-controlled giant robot heroes in American comics, predating the postwar robot craze by years. As the first issue of a title that ran for twenty issues through 1948, it represents Nedor's late-war expansion of its superhero universe and stands as a time capsule of the viscerally patriotic, war-themed anthology format that defined the peak Golden Age. Several of the title's characters — including the Grim Reaper himself — were later revived by Alan Moore, cementing Wonder Comics's place in the longer history of comics continuity.
In "Underground Mission To Greece," inventor Bill Foster races to perfect his groundbreaking creation, the radio-controlled mechanical man Mekano, before it falls into the wrong hands. When young Tommy Clark accidentally unleashes the robot on the streets, Foster must act fast to prevent the Nazis from seizing the technology and turning it into a weapon. The story unfolds with tense urgency, as Mekano's unique design and capabilities become central to a covert mission behind enemy lines. Art by Bob Oksner brings the mechanical marvel to life, while Alex Schomburg’s cover captures the high-stakes intrigue of the era.
In the shadow of wartime innovation, Bill Foster perfects Mekano, a radio-controlled mechanical man designed to push the limits of technology. When young Tommy Clark accidentally unleashes the robot on the city, the secret doesn’t stay hidden for long—especially not from the Nazis, who see in Mekano a weapon to reshape the battlefield. With Sandra Kent caught in the crossfire and spies like Kieffer closing in, the fate of the invention—and the world—hangs in the balance.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The series was published under the indicia name Great Comics Publications Inc. and edited by Ned Pines, the pulp-magazine entrepreneur who had been building his Nedor superhero line since 1939 across titles like Exciting Comics, Startling Comics, and Thrilling Comics. The Grim Reaper was created by writer-editor Richard E. Hughes and artist Alfredo Cammarata (who signed his work 'Al Camy'); the character debuted in Fighting Yank #7 (cover-dated February 1944) and was almost immediately promoted to lead feature and cover star of this new title, with a copyright date of March 10, 1944 on file at the Library of Congress. Alex Schomburg — who did more covers for the Standard/Better/Nedor family than any other publisher — provided the striking cover painting, cementing the visual identity of the book from the outset.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-dated May 1944 (Library of Congress copyright date: March 10, 1944); published by Better Publications / Great Comics Publications Inc.; edited by Ned Pines; 52 pages, full color, cover price 10 cents.
- First issue of a 20-issue anthology series that ran through October 1948, the last of the Nedor/Better/Standard superhero titles to launch during the Golden Age.
- The Grim Reaper (secret identity: American student Bill Norris) appears as cover feature and lead story — his second published appearance overall, following his debut in Fighting Yank #7 (Feb 1944); the character was created by writer-editor Richard E. Hughes and artist Al Camy.
- First appearance of Spectro the Mind Reader (real name Bob Morgan), a stage magician with genuine telepathy who battled crime; Spectro went on to appear in Wonder Comics #1–5, 7–8, and 16.
- First and only appearance of Mekano, an eight-foot-tall radio-controlled robot invented by electrical engineer Bill Foster to combat Nazi agents — one of the earliest robot-hero features in American comics.
- Cover art by Alex Schomburg, who produced more covers for the Nedor/Standard/Better family than any other publisher; the cover depicts the Grim Reaper holding Hitler and Hirohito captive while American soldiers cheer.
- Interior art and story credits include Al Camy (Grim Reaper) and Bob Oksner (Mekano origin); additional contributors listed across sources include John M. Easterly, Jackson Cole, and Ken Battefield.
- The issue was later partially reprinted in the Fantagraphics anthology Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War (2017) and in Gwandanaland Comics #327 — The Grim Reaper Treasury (July 2017); the full Nedor run has also been collected by Midcentury Comics and Standard Comics reprint imprints.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War #[nn] (2017), Gwandanaland Comics #327 (2017)
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