''Hit Comics'' is a

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

title published by

Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, ...

during the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and ma ...

from 1940 until 1950. The first issue of ''Hit Comics'' featured the debut of Red Bee and

Neon the Unknown Neon the Unknown is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comic Books created by Jerry Iger for Quality Comics. Neon first appeared in a story penciled and inked by Alex Blum in '' Hit Comics'' #1 and was featured on the cover of issue tw ...

, among others. The comic book series had a series of other rotating cover features, including ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

'', ''Stormy Foster'', and ''Lion Boy''. In December 1942 (issue #25), the entire line-up of features at ''Hit Comics'' changed, with a new additional character called

Kid Eternity Kid Eternity is a fictional character, a comic book superhero that premiered in '' Hit Comics'' #25 written by Otto Binder, drawn by Sheldon Moldoff, and published by American company Quality Comics in December 1942. DC Comics acquired Kid Eterni ...

. The character proved to be popular enough that even his

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Her Highness and Silk Kid Eternity is a fictional character, a comic book superhero that premiered in '' Hit Comics'' #25 written by Otto Binder, drawn by Sheldon Moldoff, and published by American company Quality Comics in December 1942. DC Comics acquired Kid Eternity ...

, were given their own strip in ''Hit Comics'' issues #29 through #57. When Quality Comics began expanding their

post-war A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...

line of titles in the spring of 1946, Kid Eternity got his own self-titled comic book. By the late 1940s, however, Quality Comics experienced the same post-war bust that most

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

comics were. In November 1949, Kid Eternity's self-titled magazine was discontinued (with issue #18) and his lead slot in ''Hit Comics'' was given over to Jeb Rivers, a riverboat captain (with issue #61). Steranko, Jim. ''

The Steranko History of Comics ''The Steranko History of Comics'' is a multi-volume history of American comic books written by cartoonist and Comics studies, comics historian Jim Steranko. Originally planned as a six-volume series, only two volumes were ever produced, which ...

'' Volume 2 (Supergraphics, 1972). The anthology title would end in July 1950.

References

Comics magazines published in the United States Quality Comics titles 1940 comics debuts 1950 comics endings Magazines established in 1940 Magazines disestablished in 1950 Golden Age comics titles {{comics-stub