F-90 (comics)
The F-90 was a fictional version of the Lockheed XF-90 that appeared in the Blackhawk comics during the 1950s and 1960s. In reality only two XF-90 prototypes were actually built. The Blackhawk comics used two basic redesigns of the F-90, dubbed "F-90B" and "F-90C" by fans of the comics.
F-90B
The F-90B was a fictional development of the Lockheed XF-90. Only two XF-90 prototypes were built, but the aircraft enjoyed an extensive (though fictional) operational life in the pages of Blackhawk comics. In the comics, however, the planes were always drawn as single-engined aircraft while the real XF-90 had two engines. To explain this difference and the obviously superior performance of the Blackhawks' jets, it has been proposed that the airplane in the comics was an upgraded model, the F-90B. The notoriously weak engines of the XF-90 were replaced on the F-90B with a single, much more powerful engine designed by the Blackhawks.
F-90C
The F-90C was also a fictional development of the Lockheed XF-90. In Blackhawk comics, the Blackhawks flew aircraft that appeared to be an upgraded model (the F-90B) of the XF-90 during the mid to late 1950s. However, in the late 1950s and early '60s, the depiction of the Blackhawks' jets was changed. Although still strongly resembling the XF-90, the new version seemed smaller, more slender and simplified. In reality this was likely just a matter of the artist making the jet's design easier to draw. But for those who like a rationale based in the context of the story, it has been proposed that this new look was the result of further development of the F-90 design in response to a requirement by the Blackhawks for a lighter, faster, and more maneuverable aircraft, now designated the F-90C.
References
- Escalona, Jorge; Escalona, Karen (2008-06-01), "Lockheed's Missing Link", Air & Space/Smithsonian (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Business Ventures) 23 (2): 44–47, ISSN 0886-2257