Black Terror

Golden Age Origin
Pharmacist Bob Benton was being harassed for protection money. After he convinced the goons to give him one more day, they stormed out - knocking down teenager Tim Roland on the way. Feeling bad for Tim, Benton hired him as his assistant.

That evening, Benton and Tim were working on Bob's secret project - trying to develop a formula to help "run down people," as Bob puts it. Tim accidentally adds formic acid, which comes from red ants. The resulting "formis ethers" gave Benton super strength and invulnerability. He decided to use these powers to fight crime, starting with the goons who were hounding him. He sent Tim to a costume shop and then became the Black Terror.

After putting an end to their racket, Tim learned of a plot to crash a subway train. The Black Terror went to prevent the crash. Tim, thinking the Terror may need help, reproduced the experiment and developed the same powers as Bob. Tim showed up in the nick of time and the crash was prevented

The Black Terror and his sidekick Tim, together known as the Terror Twins, went on to fight threats both domestic and foreign during and after World War II. At one point the Black Terror was in love with Jean Starr, secretary to the mayor, who often tagged along on the Terror Twins' adventures. But she seemed to gradually disappear from his life after the war. In their spare time Bob Benton and Tim attended meetings of the Fibbers Club.

When visiting his college history teacher, Professor Ducayne, Bob Benton discovered that his ancestor had himself been the Black Terror in the 17th century. The reason why he had unknowingly taken on his ancestor's identity has not been revealed, nor has whether any of other of Benton's ancestors became the Black Terror.

Rogues' Gallery
Lady Serpent

Caleb Ketchum

Puzzler

Torch

Dr. Ghoul

Kroll Mull

Allies
Black Terror of Mexico

Red Ann

Dr. Fission

Bo Briantus

The "Tiny Terror"

Golden Age Appearances


Ref. for renewals: http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/cce/firstperiod.html -- Not all periodicals kept renewing issues once they started. (Exciting Comics: issues renewed from April 1940 (v. 1 no. 1); see 1967)
 * America's Best Comics #1-31 (issues renewed from September 1942 (v. 1 no. 2); see 1970)
 * Black Terror #1-27
 * Exciting Comics #9-69 (issues renewed from April 1940 (v. 1 no. 1); see 1967)