Cyril "Speed" Saunders is a

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

, first appearing in '' Detective Comics'' as the first featured character in the anthology series around the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era 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 many well-known cha ...

created by

E.C. Stoner Elmer Cecil Stoner (October 20, 1897 – December 16, 1969) was an American comics artist and commercial illustrator. Stoner was one of the first African-American comic book artists, and is believed to have created the iconic Mr. Peanut masco ...

. He is depicted as an adventurer and detective during the 1930s and 1940s. He would then later be revived in supporting character role as the retconned grandfather of the current Kendra Saunders, and first cousin to the original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall.

Publication history

Speed Saunders is the first featured character in the longest running series anthology American comic book series of

named '' Detective Comics'' in the first issue of the series starting in March 1937. He was regularly featured in the anthology series for about 50 issues. In 1999 James Robinson and David S. Goyer used the character in ''JSA Secret Files'' #1.

Fictional character biography

Cyril started out as a G-Man, working in the FBI's River Patrol Division. In addition to being a G-Man, he also seemed to be both an adventurer and detective depending on the needs of the story. He investigated murder cases, and also once fought with a mad scientist who'd transplanted a human brain into an ape. Eventually, it was revealed that he was a private investigator and later a member of the

OSS OSS or Oss may refer to: Places * Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands * Osh Airport, IATA code OSS People with the name * Oss (surname), a surname Arts and entertainment * ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about ...

. During those time he meets

Wesley Dodds Sandman (Wesley Dodds) is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first of several DC characters to bear the name Sandman, he was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Bert Christman. Attired in a green busi ...

and the two become lifelong friends (''JSA Secret Files'' #1 1999). In 1938 Saunders becomes involved in the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all bran ...

(OSS), participating in counterespionage operations throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

(''JSA Secret Files'' #1 1999). In the modern era, Cyril finds his orphaned granddaughter, Kendra Saunders; he takes her in and begins training her in hand-to-hand combat and other skills. He knows that she has a great destiny as the next

Hawkgirl Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in ''Flash Com ...

. Cyril joined his friend Wesley Dodds on a trip into China and

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

and the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over ...

. It is on Mt. Kailash that the two meet with the Gray Man. The two men receive the location of three babies, one of which is to receive the essence of

Dr. Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of multiple superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More F ...

and so become the newest incarnation of that hero. Saunders leaves Wesley on that Mount so as to take the information to

Alan Scott Alan Scott is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and the first character to bear the name Green Lantern. He fights evil with the aid of a magical ring which grants him a variety of powers. He was created by Mar ...

and the JSA, as well as to

Sanderson Hawkins Sanderson "Sandy" Hawkins, formerly known as Sandy the Golden Boy, Sands, Sand and eventual successor of his mentor Wesley Dodds as Sandman, is a fictional character and a superhero in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Mort Weisinger and ...

(''JSA Secret Files'' #1 1999). Once in China proper, Cyril also contacts his granddaughter Kendra and gives her information on one of the babies. He tells her to go to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

and to protect that baby (''JSA'' #2 1999).

Publication history

Fictional character biography

References

Further reading