CINXE.COM

<HEAD><TITLE>Don Markstein's Toonopedia: The Marksman </TITLE> <script language="JavaScript"></script> <META name = "author" content = "Donald D. Markstein"> <META name = "description" content = "Hypertext encyclopedia of comics and animation"> <META name = "subject" content = "Hypertext encyclopedia of comics and animation"> <META name = "keywords" content = "comic books animated cartoons animation comics comix syndicated comic strips"> <META name = "publisher" content = "Donald D. Markstein"> <META name = "format" content = "text/html"> <META name = "language" content = "EN"> </HEAD><BODY> <body onload="if (self!= top) top.location = self.location"></body> <BODY BGCOLOR="FFFFFF" TEXT="000000" LINK="0000EE" VLINK="551A8B"> <TABLE><TR><TD WIDTH=310 VALIGN="CENTER"><IMG GALLERYIMG="NO" ALIGN="LEFT" HEIGHT=374 WIDTH=300 ALT="The Marksman. Artist: Fred Guardineer." SRC="marksman.jpg"> <TD VALIGN="CENTER"><H1>THE MARKSMAN</H1><FONT SIZE=4> <B>Medium:</B> Comic books <BR><B>Published by:</B> Quality Comics <BR><B>First Appeared:</B> 1942 <BR><B>Creators:</B> Bob Powell (writer) and Ed Cronin (artist) <FONT SIZE=3> <! BEGIN DONATION CODE> <HR><FONT SIZE=2 COLOR="993366"><CENTER> If this site is enjoyable or useful to you, <BR>Please contribute to its necessary financial support. <BR><A HREF="http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/pay/T1237L0BCY25QA" TARGET="_blank">Amazon.com</A> or <A HREF="https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=don%40toonopedia.com&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_cod e=USD" TARGET="_blank">PayPal</A> </FONT></CENTER><HR> <! END DONATION CODE> <P><A NAME="cont"> Archer <A HREF="glossary.htm#superhero">superheroes</A> in comic books go back almost as far as superheroes in general — <A HREF="arrow.htm">The Arrow,</A> from Centaur Publications (<A HREF="clock.htm">The Clock,</A> <A HREF="amazngmn.htm">Amazing-Man</A>) came along only three months after <A HREF="superman.htm">Superman</A> himself, who is generally held to have founded the genre. By 1942, <A HREF="grnarrow.htm">Green Arrow,</A> <A HREF="spider.htm">The Spider</A> and <A HREF="gldarrow.htm">Golden Arrow</A> were all active evil bashers. But The Marksman, from <A href="quality.htm">Quality Comics</A>  <P ALIGN="RIGHT"><A HREF="#cont"><FONT SIZE=2><I>continued below</A></FONT> </TABLE> <CENTER><! BEGIN ADSENSE "LEADERBOARD" CODE> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <! END ADSENSE CODE></CENTER> <P><TABLE><TR><TD VALIGN="TOP"> (<A HREF="blakhawk.htm">Blackhawk,</A> <A HREF="spidrwid.htm">Spider Widow</A>) was a little different than most, in that archery wasn't the main point of interest in his series. What got the readers hooked was his day job as a Nazi military officer. He was a costume-wearing, arrow-shooting resistor to the occupiers only during his off hours. <P> The Marksman was originally Baron Povalsky, a handsome young Polish aristocrat, whose outrage over the German occupation of his homeland was compounded by the fact that occupation forces set up their headquarters in his own castle. He did succeed in relieving his woes by disguising himself and infiltrating their ranks — becoming the occupation troops' commander, in fact, Major Hurtz. In his third identity, The Marksman, he used his skills, especially in archery, to foil the Nazis' every move. Only his faithful manservant, old Vorka, who occupied a small room hidden in a tower, knew his secrets. <P> Writer Bob Powell (<A HREF="jetpowrs.htm">Jet Powers,</A> <A HREF="avenger.htm">The Avenger</A> and artist Ed Cronin (who doubled as the comic's editor) offered no hint as to how he'd arranged this bizarre but advantageous situation. They simply introduced the character in Quality's <I>Smash Comics</I> #33 (May, 1942) with all these things in place, which was no-doubt easier than trying to dream up how they got there. The Marksman had replaced <A HREF="hoodedj.htm">The Invisible Hood,</A> who apparently lacked enough visible support among readers. <I>Smash's</I> other series included <A HREF="wildfire.htm">Wildfire,</A> <A HREF="ray1.htm">The Ray</A> and (cover featured) Jack Cole's <A HREF="midnight.htm">Midnight.</A> <P> Powell and Cronin stuck with the series for a few months, but a majority of his adventures were written and drawn by Fred Guardineer (<A HREF="zatara.htm">Zatara,</A> <A HREF="mrmystic.htm">Mr. Mystic</A>). As long as the Nazis were rampaging through Eastern Europe, The Marksman was there to oppose them; but that ended after only a few years. His last appearance was in <I>Smash</I> #58 (April, 1945). In #59, his spot was occupied by an <A HREF="archie.htm">Archie</A> imitator named Spunky (<A HREF="stadpole.htm">no relation</A>). <P> <A HREF="dc.htm">DC Comics</A> now has title to the Quality Comics properties. This one, however, hasn't made an appearance since World War II. <P ALIGN = "RIGHT">— DDM <P><A HREF="index.htm">BACK</A> to <I>Don Markstein's Toonopedia</I> Home Page <BR><A HREF="today.htm">Today in Toons:</A> Every day's an anniversary! <P><! BEGIN ADSENSE BANNER CODE><CENTER> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </CENTER><! END ADSENSE CODE> <TD WIDTH=10><TD WIDTH=180 VALIGN="TOP"> <! BEGIN ADLINKS CODE><script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><! END ADLINKS CODE> <P><! BEGIN ADSENSE REFERRAL CODE><script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><! END ADSENSE REFERRAL CODE> <P> <form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/custom" target="google_window"> <table border="0" bgcolor="#cccccc"> <tr><td nowrap="nowrap" valign="top" align="left" height="32"> <a href="http://www.google.com/"> <img src="http://www.google.com/logos/Logo_25gry.gif" border="0" alt="Google"></img></a> <br/> <input type="hidden" name="domains" value="www.toonopedia.com"></input> <input type="text" name="q" size="23" maxlength="255" value=""></input> </td></tr> <tr> <td nowrap="nowrap"> <table> <tr> <td> <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value=""></input> <font size="-1" color="#000000">Web</font> </td> <td> <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="www.toonopedia.com" checked="checked"></input> <font size="-1" color="#000000">www.toonopedia.com</font> </td> </tr> </table> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Search"></input> <input type="hidden" name="client" value="pub-1498877845272586"></input> <input type="hidden" name="forid" value="1"></input> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="ISO-8859-1"></input> <input type="hidden" name="oe" value="ISO-8859-1"></input> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="GALT:#008000;GL:1;DIV:#336699;VLC:663399;AH:center;BGC:FFFFFF;LBGC:336699;ALC:0000FF;LC:0000FF;T:000000;GFNT:0000FF;GIMP:0000FF;FORID:1;"></input> <input type="hidden" name="hl" value="en"></input> </td></tr></table> </form>  <FONT SIZE=2><P> <A HREF="boutique/dc-arch.htm">Purchase DC Comics Archive Editions Online</A> <P><A HREF="http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?wickedcoolstuff+e2VdY2+dccomics.html+" TARGET="_blank">Purchase DC Comics Merchandise Online</A> <P></FONT></TABLE> <HR><FONT SIZE=2><I>Text ©2007-10 Donald D. Markstein. Art © DC Comics.</I> </BODY></HTML>