Yank & Doodle

Yank & Doodle are a pair of fictional superhero characters who first appeared in the Prize Publications title Prize Comics in 1941.

Fictional biography

Identical twins Rick and Dick Walters, being too young to enlist in the army during World War II, were still able to fight spies and saboteurs in the United States as the costumed heroes Yank (Rick) and Doodle (Dick). The two of them were super-strong and invulnerable, as long as they were near each other; when apart, they had no superpowers.

At one point during their career, they teamed up with The Green Lama, the first Black Owl, and many other heroes to fight Frankenstein's monster.

Later, their father Walt became the second Black Owl, having been made the successor of the first one; for the next three years, father and sons worked together as a team, with Yank & Doodle basically being the Owl’s sidekicks. When a bullet wound convinced Walt to retire from active crimefighting, he became an adviser to the boys, who were once again fighting as a duo.

Whatever became of Yank & Doodle after the 1940s is not yet known.

History

Created by an unknown writer and artist Paul Norris, Yank & Doodle first appeared in Prize Comics #13 (August, 1941) as two superheroes who were too young to enlist in the army, but were still able to make a difference in the war effort. Their costumes were identical, except that Yank’s had a letter Y on the front, and Doodle’s a letter D. Their names were derived from the patriotic song Yankee Doodle.

In issue #24 (October, 1942), the duo took part in a crossover of all the Prize Comics heroes, including The Black Owl. In issue #34 (September, 1943), their father Walt became the new Black Owl, and the two titles were merged into one; when dad was sidelined in issue #64 (June, 1947), the boys once again had the spotlight to themselves.

With issue #69 (April, 1948), Prize Comics became Prize Comics Western, and everything that didn’t fit the new Western format — including The Black Owl and Yank & Doodle — was discarded. The three characters have since fallen into the public domain.

In issue #6 of Project Superpowers, The Black Owl and Yank & Doodle were included in a two-page layout of Golden Age character sketches; in the one-shot Project Superpowers: Chapter Two Prelude, it was stated that the three of them would appear in the second volume of this comic title, and that Yank & Doodle would be part of a team of kid sidekicks and young superheroes.

References

• Yank and Doodle at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
• Yank at the Comic Book DB
• Doodle at the Comic Book DB
• Project Superpowers: Chapter Two Prelude at the Comic Book DB
• The Black Owl at Don Markstein's Toonopedia