| The Wonder Boy | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Dick Cole |
|
First Appearance |
Blue Bolt Comics #1 (June 1940) |
|
Original Publisher |
Novelty |
|
Created by |
Bob Davis |
Origin[]
Dick Cole was a student at the Farr Military Academy, a military academy somewhere on the East Coast of United States. He was born in 1923. Less than a month later, his mother gave him up because his father was dead and she had no means to take care of him on her own. (Or, at least, that's what the comic said in his first appearance - in Young King Cole vol. 2 #5, Kingston Cole mentioned that Dick's father was alive and covertly working abroad for the United States government) Wanting to give him a best chance in life, she left him on the doorstep of Professor Blair. She heard that Professor Blair knew a way to raise a child so that it may become "a perfect specimen of manhood." Professor Blair realized that he finally had a chance to put his theories into practice.
Over the next few years, Professor Blair used the combination of "special vitamin serums" and radiation treatment to boost Dick's physical and mental development. Dick was able to walk when he was six months old and talk when he was one year old. He breezed through public schools, graduating from Junior High at 10 and from High School at 12, earning the highest honors along the way. Over the next five years, Professor Blair took Dick around the world, where, in the Bruce Wayne-like fashion, Dick learned all sorts of athletic skills. To help Dick appreciate American values, Professor Blair took Dick to (unnamed) totalitarian countries.
When Dick turned 17, Professor Blair made his young charge swear that he wouldn't use his abilities for selfish and/or malevolent reasons. Then, he enrolled Dick in Farr Military Academy.
From that point on, Dick tried his best to lead the life of an average military cadet. But, being a 1940s comic book character and all, he often wound up in situations where he had to use his abilities to stop criminals, foreign spies and other menaces.
Powers and Abilities[]
Thanks to Professor Blair's unique upbringing, Dick Cole was stronger, faster and more agile than an average human being. He was capable of picking up and processing information quickly and more efficiently - for example, he was able to learn how to pole-vault just by watching the track team do it. While Dick can be injured, he is more resilient than ordinary humans.
Public Domain Appearances[]
- 4 Most Comics #1-31
- Blue Bolt Comics #1-101
- Young King Cole vol. #1-2
- vol. 2 #1, 5
- Dick Cole (Novelty) #1-5
- Dick Cole (Star) #6-10
- Dick Cole (Accepted) #7, 9
Notes[]
- Dick Cole was briefly referenced on the pages of Target Comics and, while most online sources insist that Dick Cole never found his real family, he must have done so at some point, because he attended his cousin's graduation and later aided him on several occasions.