Quality Comics was a comic book company from the Golden Age of Comic Books. It operated from 1937 to 1956 and sold many anthology comic books that starred superheroes, many of which were adopted by DC Comics when they purchased Quality Comics, and others were not, entering the public domain.
711
711 was created by George Brenner and published by Quality Comics. 711 first appeared in Police Comics #1 (August 1941) and lasted until #15 (January 1943), when he was killed.
Daniel Dyce was a District Attorney who was almost an exact twin of his friend, Jacob Horn. Jacob was soon to be sent to prison, but wanted to see his wife give birth, so Daniel agreed to become a prisoner in Jacob's place. However, Jacob is killed in a car crash on the way to the hospital, so Daniel was stuck in jail. Daniel was able to tunnel himself free, but instead of escaping, he decided to return to his cell. Each night he uses his tunnel to go outside and fight crime, then returns before the morning. Dyce adopts the name 711, a reference to his prisoner number. One of his enemies is the costumed villain Brickbat.
After two years of adventures Daniel Dyce was killed by the mobster Oscar Jones. The hero Destiny sees this take place, and starts his crime fighting career when 711 died, replacing his feature in Police Comics.
Like many early comic book heroes, 711 did not wear a traditional costume but rather was modeled after the traditional pulp magazine heroes. He wore a green cape, a brown business suit, and a wide-brimmed fedora which cast his eyes in shadow. 711's trademark was a calling card made of a mirror with bars painted over it; when an unlucky criminal would look at the card, they would see themselves behind bars.
Brenner replaced 711 with a new hero — a mysterious figure who discovers that he has the powers of clairvoyance and teleportation, and uses them to bring 711's murderer to justice. The new hero christens himself "Destiny", and continues the series.
Following the Golden Age, many of the Quality Comics characters were purchased by DC Comics, while others lapsed into the public domain. DC has used 711 only once in their publications, a Millennium Edition reprint of his first appearance.
Abdul the Arab
Abdul the Arab first appeared in Smash Comics #1 (August 1939). Abdul is an Arab sheikh who is aligned with the British intelligence agencies in the Middle East. He was originally created by Vernon Henkel.
Ace of Space
The Ace of Space first appeared in Feature Comics #38 (November 1940).
Angles O'Day
Angles O'Day first appeared in Ken Shannon #1 (October 1951).
Archie Atkins
Archie Atkins, Desert Scout first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941).
Arizona Ames / Arizona Raines
Arizona Ames first appeared in Crack Western #63 (November 1949). His name was changed to Arizona Raines without explanation in issue #66 (May 1950).
Atomictot
Atomictot first appeared in All Humor Comics #2 (Summer 1946).
The Barker
Carnie Calahan was a circus barker who first appeared in National Comics #42 (May 1944).
Betty Bates
Betty Bates, Lady-at-Law first appeared in Hit Comics #4 (October 1940). She is a tough criminal defense attorney in 1940's New York who relied on unconventional (and dubiously legal) methods. She was notably one of the only female attorneys practicing at the time.
Betty Bates in other media
Elizabeth Bates appears in the Creature Commandos episode "Chasing Squirrels", voiced by Linda Cardellini. This version is Weasel's lawyer.
Bill the Magnificent
Bill the Magnificent first appeared in Hit Comics #25 (December 1942).
Black Condor
The Black Condor first appeared in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940).
Blackhawk
The Blackhawks first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941).
Black Roger
Black Roger first appeared in Buccaneers #19 (January 1950).
Black X
Black X (Richard Spencer) is a secret agent who first appeared in Quality's Feature Funnies #13 (1938). In August 1939, Black X moved from Feature to Smash Comics. In the first five issues of Smash Comics, the character was called Black Ace, then he reverted to the original name. His sidekick is Batu, a telepathic Indian.
According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, his enemies include "the foreign spy Baron Basil, the Death Squadron and their Suicide Torpedoes, Proxoss the Revolutionary, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Legion of Living Bombs, and the femme fatale Madame Doom."
In 1939, Black X tangled with the seductive spy Madame Doom, and over the course of several stories, he fell in love with her, wondering if he could betray his country to be with the agent of an enemy nation. Discovering that she's building an army of exploding human bombs in a 1940 story, Black X renounced his affection, and Madame Doom apparently died in an explosion—although she continued to return periodically through 1943.
The character continued in Smash Comics until issue #85 (Oct 1949).
Blaze Barton
Blaze Barton first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940).
Blimpy
Blimpy first appeared in Feature Comics #64 (January 1943).
The Blue Tracer
Captain Bill Dunn and Boomerang Jones, crew of The Blue Tracer, first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941). The Blue Tracer is the name of Bill Dunn's super-vehicle, which can become a tank, airplane, or submarine.
The Blue Tracer appeared in issues #1 through #16 of Military Comics. The characters were acquired by DC, along with the rest of Quality Comics' properties in the 1950s. However, these characters had lapsed into public domain before that.
The Blue Tracer's origin story is told in the first appearance, in Military Comics #1. William "Wild Bill" Dunn is an American engineer working with the army in a secluded section of Ethiopia. While working, his team is attacked by a group of supernatural beings named the M'bujies. The M'bujies wound Dunn and kill his teammates. Dunn is rescued by "Boomerang" Jones, an Australian soldier who had been given up for dead and is now fighting his own private war against the Nazis. After Dunn regains his strength, the two men create a super-vehicle out of captured Nazi equipment that they name The Blue Tracer. It can become a tank, airplane, or submarine. They then use it to destroy the M'bujies and escape the jungle. The two travel the world and fight the Axis forces during the rest of the war, with Dunn at the head and Jones as his sidekick.
According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, the Blue Tracer's foes "range from Nazis to the Yellow Butcher of Koko Nor to Dr. Schwein, who has created a regeneration formula for German soldiers."
The last appearance of the Blue Tracer was in Military Comics #16, according to the Grand Comics Database.
Neither Dunn nor Jones have any superpowers, but Dunn is a good fighter and skilled engineer. The Blue Tracer allows Dunn and Jones to travel on land, under the sea, and in the air. It has many weapons, and can deflect small arms fire easily.
Creator Fred Guardineer drew a detailed half-page diagram of the vehicle in the fourth issue.
The Blue Tracer would later appear many years later in the 2018 Freedom Fighters series. The vehicle is portrayed as the Freedom Fighters mobile base and is piloted by a man named Cache.
Bob and Swab
Bob Masters and Swab Decker first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (July 1940).
Bozo the Iron Man
Bozo the Iron Man and Hugh Hazzard first appeared in Smash Comics #1 (August 1939).
Bruce Blackburn
Bruce Blackburn first appeared in Feature Comics #32 (May 1940). He became The Destroying Demon in issue #39 (December 1940).
Burp the Twerp
Burp the Twerp first appeared in Police Comics #2 (September 1941).