Pop Quiz: Name the hero who –
- Wears a red cape with a triangular symbol on his chest
- Is a detective with a special belt with buttons for different capabilities
- Calls forth an unbeatable phantom army to overwhelm battlefield enemies
- Can grow to the size of a building and shrink back to normal size
- Studies the mystical realms and can travel through the astral plane
Obvious answers:
- Superman, first published in 1938
- Batman, first published in 1939
- King Aragorn, first published in 1954
- Ant-man / Giant Man, first published in 1962 / 1963
- Dr. Strange, first published in 1963
Those are all true, but other correct answers are:
- Dr. Mystic, first published in 1936
- Dr. Mystic, first published in 1936
- Dr. Mystic, first published in 1936
- Dr. Mystic, first published in 1936
- Dr. Mystic, first published in 1936
Did a 1936 character that most people have never heard about combine basic story elements from more famous superheroes?
YES!
…and it only took ten pages.
Dr. Mystic (Dr. Occult), created by Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster (also the creators of Superman) appeared as a red-caped hero with a special symbol on his chest, a special belt wearing detective, who called forth a phantom army, was able to grow to the size of buildings, and fought bad guys and monsters across the astral plane in a mystical story called “Koth and The Seven”.
Read more about the Dr. Mystic / Dr. Occult 1936 story considered a Superman prototype at DrOccult.com