Pyroman

Pyroman
Pyroman on the cover of Startling Stories #18
Publication information
Publisher	Nedor Comics AC Comics America's Best Comics (DC)
First appearance	Startling Comics #18 (December 1942)
Created by	Jack Binder
In-story information
Alter ego	Dick Martin
Team affiliations	SMASH
Abilities	Can summon electricity and transmit electrical bolts. Can magnetize metal, create electrical force fields and electromagnetic pulses. Flight by magnetic currents and radio waves.

Pyroman is a fictional superhero that appeared in comic books published by Nedor Comics. His first appearance was in Startling Comics #18 (December 1942), with art by Jack Binder. His character was latter revived by both AC Comics, and Alan Moore for America's Best Comics.

Nedor Comics

Pyroman was the secret identity of research student Dick Martin. Due to his work with high voltage electricity, his body developed the ability to store current. He discovered this ability after he was wrongly charged with murder; sentenced to die in the electric chair, he instead found himself endowed with electrical powers. After clearing his name, he decided to use his powers to fight crime.

Pyroman appeared in numerous Nedor Comics titles during the 1940s. His last Golden Age Appearance was in America's Best Comics (no relation to the DC Comics imprint) #29 (January, 1949). Many of his cover appearances were drawn by artist Alex Schomburg.

AC Comics

Pyroman was one of the many Nedor Comics' characters revived by AC comics in the late 1990s. AC Comics reprinted Startling Comics #23 as Golden-Age Men of Mystery #9 (August 1998).^[1] His sole original appearance was in a new story written for All-Hero Retro Comics Annual #1 (1998).

America's Best Comics

Alan Moore revived Pyroman, along with many other Nedor Comics characters that had entered the public domain, for his Tom Strong series. In Tom Strong #12 (June 2001), Pyroman was revealed to have been a member of SMASH, a superhero team that had been placed in suspended animation after an alien invasion from the moon in 1969. He was revived 30 years later thanks to the efforts of Tom Strong. SMASH disbanded shortly thereafter. When SMASH reformed three years later, Pyroman rejoined the team.

Dynamite Entertainment

The publisher Dynamite Entertainment said in 2007 that Pyroman would be one several public domain Golden Age characters that would appear in the comic-book series Project Superpowers, by writer Jim Krueger and artist Alex Ross.^[2][3]

Age of Adventure

In 2008, the first issue of the Age of Adventure comic Legendary Heroes featured reprints of Golden Age Pyroman stories.^[4]

Footnotes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pyroman.

• Pyroman at SMASH fansite
• Pyroman at Don Markstein's Toonopedia