Paragon, or Captain Paragon, is a fictional superhero character published by

AC Comics AC Comics (formerly known as Paragon Publications and Americomics) is a comic book publishing company started by Bill Black.Femforce ''Femforce'' is a comic book published by AC Comics that began publication in 1985, detailing the adventures of the titular team: the "Federal Emergency Missions Force" or "Femforce", some of them original creations, while others originated in the ...

''. This character initially had his own book, then was with the

Sentinels of Justice Sentinels of Justice is a fictional organization of superheroes. The comic was published by Americomics (a.k.a. AC Comics) in 1983 during a very brief time that AC was able to license the Charlton Comics superheroes before the rights were purcha ...

Character biography

Charlie Starrett was a ranch hand back in the 19th century who was secretly the heroic masked gunslinger known as the Latigo Kid. In the early 20th century, a secret organization called the Paragon Foundation enhanced Starrett's latent

psionic In American science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s, psionics was a proposed discipline that applied principles of engineering (especially electronics) to the study (and employment) of paranormal or psychic phenomena, such as telepathy and psychok ...

abilities and transformed him into the super-powered, blue and red-costumed Captain Paragon. He fought the forces of evil until the Fifties when he was apparently killed by his archenemy the Black Shroud. His body, however, was stolen by the evil Proxima and her alien warrior women and taken to the planet Rur where he was revived even more powerful than he was before so he could be used as a weapon against their enemies, the Krotons. Escaping with the aid of the stellar-powered scientist Stardust, he returned to Earth only to find that thirty years had passed and that, stricken with

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...

, he no longer had any memory of who he was behind his mask. Hiring a

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

to dig into his past, he turned his attentions to the more important matters at hand and helped found the

with Stardust,

Nightveil Nightveil is a fictional character, a superheroine who appears in the ''Femforce'' comic book, published by AC Comics. An adaptation of the Golden Age superhero Phantom Lady, she has also been known as Blue Bulleteer and Nightfall. Her secret iden ...

, Commando D and the

Scarlet Scorpion Sentinels of Justice is a fictional organization of superheroes. The comic was published by Americomics (a.k.a. AC Comics) in 1983 during a very brief time that AC was able to license the Charlton Comics superheroes before the rights were purcha ...

in ''Captain Paragon and Sentinels of Justice #1'' to battle super-villains and alien invasions. Later, the Sentinels were disbanded by the military and were replaced with other heroes which did not sit well with the original members. With Jennifer Burke chosen to lead the New Sentinels of Justice under the name of Paragon, the original Paragon objected. This led the original Sentinels members to be named advisers to the new team. Captain Paragon is married to

Femforce ''Femforce'' is a comic book published by AC Comics that began publication in 1985, detailing the adventures of the titular team: the "Federal Emergency Missions Force" or "Femforce", some of them original creations, while others originated in the ...

leader

Miss Victory Miss Victory is an American superheroine who first appeared in ''Captain Fearless'' #1 (Aug. 1941), published by Frank Z. Temerson's Helnit Publishing Co. Ceasing to be published after 1946, she was revived and updated in 1984 as a central charac ...

. He is a frequent ally of the team.

Inspiration

Bill Black first attempted to revive the original Captain Marvel written and drawn in a more realistic

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...

style in his 1969

fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share t ...

''Paragon Golden Age Greats, Vol. 1, #2''. However, on the legal advice of his friend and publishing mentor Martin L. Greim he decided that rather than risk copyright trouble with

Fawcett Publications Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett (1885–1940). It kicked off with the publication of the bawdy humor magazine ''Captain Billy's Whiz B ...

to destroy the entire print run except for two copies he saved for his files. He then redid the story using his own newly created hero Captain Paragon. The name of Paragon's original secret identity is a tribute to cowboy star

Charles Starrett Charles Robert Starrett (March 28, 1903 – March 22, 1986) was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the ''Durango Kid'' westerns. Starrett still holds the record for starring in the longest series of theatrical features: ...

who played the Durango Kid.''The Bill Black/Captain Paragon Interview'', ''

Back Issue Back issue may refer to: * A past (normally out-of-print) issue of a magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally fin ...

#94'' (2017),

TwoMorrows Publishing TwoMorrows Publishing is a publisher of magazines about comic books, founded in 1994 by John and Pam Morrow out of their small advertising agency in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Its products also include books and DVDs. List of magaz ...

References

AC Comics characters Comics characters introduced in 1972 Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Comics characters with superhuman strength {{Comics-char-stub