Target and the Targeteers
| The Target | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Novelty Press |
| First appearance | Target Comics #10 (November, 1940) |
| Created by | Dick Hamilton |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Niles Reed |
| Partnerships | The Targeteers |
| Abilities | Bond with teammates (see below); espionage skills, scientific knowledge; wears a bulletproof costume. |
The Target and the Targeteers are fictional characters, a trio of superheroes who first appeared in 1940, in Target Comics (after which the characters were named) from Novelty Press.
History
Target Comics debuted in February, 1940, but it wasn’t until the 10th issue (November, 1940) that The Target first appeared, and The Targeteers showed up in issue #11. The three of them were created by Dick Briefer, using the pen name of "Dick Hamilton." (Briefer was the man behind the Prize Comics version of Frankenstein.[1]) The Targeteers appeared in Target Comics until issue #95 (Target itself ended with issue #105). [1]
In 1999, The Target appeared without his partners in issue #24 of the AC Comics title Men of Mystery Comics. [2]
In 2008, The Target and the Targeteers were among the many public domain characters to appear in Project Superpowers, a miniseries from Dynamite Entertainment. [3] The heroes were given new powers in this series (see below). Also in 2008, issue #2 of the Age of Adventure comic Legendary Heroes featured reprints of Golden Age stories of the Target and Targeteers. [4]
Fictional biography
Target Comics
Metallurgist and U.S. spy Niles Reed created the identity of The Target, using a bulletproof costume with a bullseye on the chest, to save the life of his brother Bill, who had been wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to be executed. Bill was killed during the jailbreak, and Niles avenged himself on the gangsters responsible for Bill’s conviction, after which he continued to fight evil as The Target. [1] [5]
Later, Niles’ business associates Dave Brown and Tom Foster, who had both been orphaned by criminals, became his wisecracking sidekicks The Targeteers. The three of them wore indestructible costumes that were identical except for the colors; one was mostly yellow, one red, one blue (who wore which wasn’t always consistent, although The Target usually wore yellow). [1] [6] [7]
Project Superpowers
A few years after World War II, The Target and the Targeteers were trapped and imprisoned in the Urn of Pandora by the misguided Fighting Yank; decades later, the Urn was broken and they were freed. Imprisonment in the mystical Urn, however, had transformed them; they were now somehow bonded together and given superpowers (the exact nature of which has yet to be fully explained). [8] As the series progresses, it seems that the three men have all gained a formed of super-speed, turning them into the moving Targets; also, almost no one is able to aim a weapon directly at them.
Notes
- ^ a b c d Target & the Targeteers at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
- ^ Men of Mystery Comics #24 at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- ^ Superpowers (team) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- ^ Legendary Heroes #2 at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- ^ The Target at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- ^ Targeteer (Dave) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- ^ Targeteer (Tommy) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- ^ WizardUniverse.com: The Power Players of Project Superpowers
Sources
- Reid, Britt. "The Target; the hero who WANTS you to shoot at him!" Atomic Kommie Comics (Apr. 18, 2008).
External links
- Target Comics online comic books from FuryComics.com
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