Character(s): Yank & Doodle featuring the Black Owl
Publication: Prize No. 40
Publication Date: March 1944
Publisher: Feature Publications, Inc.

"America's Fighting Twins," Yank & Doodle were part of the explosion of patriotic heroes introduced following the introduction of Capt. America in 1941. Too young to join the military, Yank and Doodle instead put on snazzy costumes and fought crime on the homefront. Their father was the Black Owl, but he was not the first hero by that name and his sons were in the costumed hero game well before he was...

In order to undertand the whole story, we must go back to the beginning -- all the way back to Prize Comics No. 1. A hero known as "K the Unknown" made his first and only appearance in that issue. Starting with the second issue, the character, society playboy Doug Danville, instead adopted the identity of The Black Owl.

In his initial appearances as the Black Owl, Danville dressed in a tuxedo with a strange mask. With issue No. 7, however, legendary artist Jack Kirby took over the feature and the Black Owl was given a more superhero-type costume.

Twins Rick and Dick Walters made their debut as Yank & Doodle in Prize Comics No. 13 and they enjoyed solo action until No. 34. In issue No. 33, Danville decided to give up the costume hero gig and joined the military. Starting with the next issue, Walt Walters, father of Yank & Doodle, donned the costume of the Black Owl. The strip was then retitled "Yank & Doodle featuring the Black Owl," and it ran through issue No. 68. At first, the Black Owl did not let the boys in on the scret of his identity, but they eventually found out and the trio worked more closely than ever.

NOTE: Two bonus Yank & Doodle featuring the Black Owl stories, previously reprinted on the Pure Excitement Comics web site, are also included as part of this CD-ROM collection. They are from Prize Comics no. 61 published in Sept.-Oct. 1946 by Feature Publications, Inc., and Prize Comics no. 68 published in Feb.-March 1948 by Feature Publications. They are included here immediately following the "new" Yank & Doodle story, or directly at these links: Story A and Story B.