The origin of Superheroes: American Crusader

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Crusader

The American Crusader is a superhero who originally appeared in Thrilling Comics #19 (Better Publications, Aug 1941). He appeared in almost every issue until #41 (April 1944).[1]

The character was revived in the Modern Age in Femforce #59, by AC Comics, and in Tom Strong #11, by Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse.[2]

Character history
His secret identity is Professor Archibald (Archie) Masters, an astronomy professor at an unnamed university in the Eastern United States.

The character debuted in 1941, his mousy alter-ego being similar to that of Superman's Clark Kent identity. He accidentally got caught in a room with a device called an atom smasher, and, inevitably, the experiment went awry. Instead of killing him, the accident blasted him with radiation, which endowed him with various superhuman abilities. He used these powers to fight crime as the American Crusader.[3]

Cribbed from Superman's relationship with Lois Lane, Prof. Masters has a secretary named Jane Peters, who despised the professor but idolized the hero.[4] The Crusader also briefly has a teen sidekick named Mickey Martin.[5]

His enemies include Nazis, mad scientists, and Nazi mad scientists, as well as Nazi zombies.[5]

The Crusader appeared in the following titles in the Golden Age:

America's Best Comics #6
Thrilling Comics #19-35, #37-39, #41


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