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When Ace Periodicals entered comics in 1940 with the title Sure Fire Comics, the field was already booming. The publisher wasted no time in catching up with the field and developing a superhero comic book line with a wide range of characters. For example, less than six months after the debut of Wonder Woman in All-Star Comics #8, Ace had launched Lightning Girl, a female counterpart for one of its most popular superhero characters. There’s a lot of superhero worldbuilding going on in these early Ace comics, but they are all pretty difficult to get. But there’s a significant group of his very tough-to-get exploits in Lightning Comics, including the debut of Lightning Comics V3#1 (Ace, 1942) Condition: FR up for auction in the 2022 August 7-8 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122232 at Heritage Auctions.
Ace Periodicals entered the comics field in early 1940 with the title Sure Fire Comics, which featured Flash Lightning by Robert Turner and Harry Lucey. A superhero with a broad range of lightning-powered abilities, Flash Lightning’s origin takes some fairly obvious inspiration from Fawcett’s Captain Marvel. But it is arguably even more similar to the origin of Dr. Fate, and Sure Fire Comics #1 pre-dated Dr. Fate’s first-told origin in More Fun Comics #67 by over a year. Robert Morgan was an American studying in Egypt who encountered an ancient Egyptian figure known as “The Old Man of the Pyramids”, who taught him ancient arts and sciences, and gave him “the Amulet of Annihilation, the weapon of the forces of right.”
Sure-Fire Comics was renamed Lightning Comics with issue #4 and lasted until issue #6. Lightning Comics was then rebooted with a new #1 later in 1941. While Flash Lightning’s adventures were far more standard superhero fare than Dr. Fate’s, the saga made references to Egyptian themes from the obvious “lightning pyramid” symbol on his chest, to the Mummy supervillain that was introduced in issue #5. DC Comics reportedly objected to the “Flash in the character name “Flash Lightning”, and the character’s name was shortened to simply “Lightning” with issue #6. The series was rebooted with a volume 2 #1 in 1941, where he was renamed “Lash” Lightning and the character also appeared in Ace’s Four Favorites title.
There’s only one issue in Lightning Comics volume 3, but it’s a doozy. Going undercover in Dutch Harbor, Alaska with a woman named Isobel Blake, Lash Lightning is captured and temporarily depowered by a ring of Fifth Column spies. Using the same device that the spies used on him, Lightning managed to transfer his powers to Isobel, creating Lightning Girl. The entire Ace Periodicals comic book line is woefully underappreciated, a bunch of it is next to impossible to get. There’s a significant group of his very tough-to-get exploits in Lightning Comics, including the debut of Lightning Comics V3#1 (Ace, 1942) Condition: FR up for auction in the 2022 August 7-8 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122232 at Heritage Auctions. If you’ve never bid at Heritage Auctions before, you can get further information, you can check out their FAQ on the bidding process and related matters.
Lightning Comics #4 (Ace, 1940) Condition: FR. First issue of the title. Formerly Sure-Fire. Half spine split. Overstreet 2022 GD 2.0 value = $232.
Lightning Comics #6 (Ace, 1941) Condition: FR. One of the rarest Ace issues (and a very rare Golden Age book in general) — Gerber rates it a “7” (“scarce”) in its Scarcity Index. Doctor Nemesis stories begin. Jim Mooney cover. Spine split, tape repair to spine, and cover detached. Overstreet 2022 GD 2.0 value = $168.
Lightning Comics V2#1 (Ace, 1941) Condition: FR. Jim Mooney cover. Cover detached, tape repair to spine, and water damage. Overstreet 2022 GD 2.0 value = $129.
Lightning Comics V2#2 (Ace, 1941) Condition: GD. Jim Mooney cover and art. Gerber “7” or “scarce.” Cover detached, centerfold detached, tape repair/reinforcement to spine, tape repair to inner cover. Overstreet 2022 GD 2.0 value = $129.
Lightning Comics V2#3 (Ace, 1941) Condition: FR. Jim Mooney cover. Two-third spine split. Overstreet 2022 GD 2.0 value = $129.
Lightning Comics V2#6 (Ace, 1942) Condition: GD. Jim Mooney cover and art. Cover split, tape repair to inner spine, and restapled. Overstreet 2022 GD 2.0 value = $129.
Lightning Comics V3#1 (Ace, 1942) Condition: FR. Introduction of Lightning Girl and The Sword. Gerber “7” or “scarce.” Tape repair to spine, tape repair to inner pages, and restapled. Overstreet 2022 GD 2.0 value = $129.
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