The Press Guardian: A Lost Golden Age Superhero

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In 1940, MLJ Comics launched Pep Comics, an anthology with superheroes like The Shield and The Comet. Eventually, MLJ turned into Archie Comics. But we're here to talk about a forgotten hero, the Press Guardian, a superhero with an overly specific duty to protect his father's newspaper.

[@romulusnuma116]

There's actually something interesting in the first story tricking us into thinking we're watching the hero to reveal we're not but it was handled terribly

[@makeitthrough_]

Having a Batman-ish story, but starring a Jimmy Olsen-ish character trying to figure out the hero's identity between being saved by them repeatedly would be a lot of fun

[@MudflapNichols]

The Press Guardian seems like a flawless masterpiece. It's hard to believe it didn't catch on.

[@akiraeatsguitarpicks491]

Flawless? They called the protagonist “sissified”-

[@MudflapNichols]

@@akiraeatsguitarpicks491 Sarcasm, my friend. Sarcasm. 🙂

[@akiraeatsguitarpicks491]

@@MudflapNichols couldn’t tell

[@DasKame]

To Good to be True i guess

[@epis8613]

@@akiraeatsguitarpicks491 In those days, "sissified" meant "invulnerable to bullets." Press Guardian was and always will be totally flawless. Glad he's finally getting the recognition he deserves.

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

Shower thought: If the Press Guardian went to work for The Guardian, he could become the Guardian Guardian.

[@DavidJoh]

He could always move to Britain and start protecting the paper known as the Guardian.

[@charlesdunn9222]

Who guards the guardian

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

@@DavidJoh That was the idea 😀

[@davidd.6448]

​@@DavidJoh literally what he said

[@davidd.6448]

Another idea: Superman who gets his powers from reading The Sun

[@In.New.York.I.Milly.Rock.]

Great action sequence from the Press Guardian! He hides, evades, calls the cops and then runs away!

[@MariaVosa]

Clearly smarter than 99% of the Golden Age heroes ;)

[@jamesesterline]

Someone should make a comic universe full of reimaginings of Golden Age superheroes in the public domain

[@Tiggeralt]

Many people have! Project Superpowers, for example.

[@Foxy02016]

Austin McConnel is trying to start the MCU of forgotten characters

[@galactic85]

Alan Moore did that in Tom Strong when Tom Strong goes to the planet Terra Obscura. The heroes of that planet are all public domain characters.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

You can do it if you want. They're in the public domain, after all.

[@ShinoSarna]

Alex Ross created Project Superpowers that it exactly that, an original universe published by Dynamite. Ross doesn't do interiors, but he redesigns characters and sometimes does covers. It's also pretty well written, if you like indie superhero comics it's a good pick.

[@jamesschulziii9098]

Chris: he might have had two lighters The warden from 7-11: now how did HE know that?

[@oh_poor_damaged_mepatrick1529]

Slug Wickham had two lighters? Madness I say sheer madness!!!

[@tonybaggett1984]

Love Golden Age, especially when there is a CT episode about it. This is the absolute best comic book channel ever. I’ve yet to see a bad episode. Don’t know how he does it.

[@MariaVosa]

I squeel in delight every time I see the Golden Age as a theme for the tropes video!

[@NeroLeMorte]

the mighty omega

[@sergioruiz733]

I love how the Claw's claw isn't his most prominent feature 🤣

[@quinnblackwood6397]

You should have a playlist just for the videos about weird Golden Age heroes.

[@SIDEKICKDUSTY]

I thought you were going to suggest the Blue Beetle as a hero who specifically guards the Volkswagen dealership his dad works at

[@Supremmo]

Lol

[@nighttigercomics7323]

I love the golden age of comics for everything you shared here. Cynthia Blake as The Press Guardian? I like it!

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

Especifically Press Guardian II

[@kyleolson8977]

"Mort Meskin .... was also there" "Mort Meskin gives us a fantastic introduction to this character. We get to see the back of his head." "I'm not sure Mort Meskin has ever seen how a punch is delivered." "He seems to have an arm coming out of his shoulder. That is some fantastic art by Mort Meskin. Love it." Please, control your love for Mork Meskin. It's embarrassing to see you fawn over him. *** Seriously, I was rolling over this video. It's a good one.

[@Mario_Angel_Medina]

I love 5-second cameos of experts saying "of course no!"

[@MrDman21]

A reporter who fights crime? Haven't seen that before 😏

[@cosmoissleeping]

I kind of feel like a hero protecting the press is more relevant now

[@Nocturne22]

And protecting people from Nazi sympathizers

[@kociarzultimate384]

Imagine him fighting false news

[@kanna-san.]

Imagine him protecting clickbait lmao

[@blameitonthebubble5294]

Throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks seems to be a comic industry trope itself.

[@HeadmasterAutobot]

It's like the artist drew Slug on a dare, to not show his face as long as possible. And almost as though they put Slug's face on the title splash to compensate! 😂

[@bigfluffyhusky1624]

Who's Slug?

[@cybercop0083]

@@bigfluffyhusky1624For you, Mr. Wickum.

[@pauldigscomics7810]

Congrats on the cover Chris!!

[@phabiorules]

Honestly, it would be cool to see the press guardian return if it became something like parody of superheroes plus a satire of the news. It could cover topics like misinformation, the death of print media, or bias in news media for example.

[@chrishmiller4534]

Agree this character is a *ripe* for revival. So much social /political commentary available. Good find!

[@vasp99]

Call in a real hero like Dynamite Thor in cases like this.

[@jeffsantos93]

The slide punch hahahaha

[@scruffythejanitor1969]

I think the Press Guardian is just Bullet resistant, since he implies a larger caliber would indeed kill him.

[@davidmcmahon4633]

I have this theory that there was this weird superpower I call Golden Age Invulnerability and many characters had it. They can survive killing attacks but they can't take a punch in the face or a chair bashed over their heads. It provides no protection for those kinds of things.

[@markshulusky6680]

Yes! I love episodes about these golden age characters/stories! The energy of the stories is unique to their time, it's an idiom that just can't be recreated with total authenticity now.

[@edwardburek1717]

Awesome retrospective. You gotta love the Golden Age, the era that says "what the hell is this continuity thing anyway". In a weird way, this feels like a step for equality with the inclusion of Cynthia Blake, who is by far the most competent character in this all-too-brief series. I'm guessing that the creators chose the name "Daily Express" as a generic newspaper name, but this is actually the name of a genuine British newspaper that is still being published to this day.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

Superman's creators actually wanted Lois Lane to learn Superman's identity really early on in the rejected K-Metal from Krypton story, but their editor wouldn't allow it.

[@WeirdWonderful]

Also it's really funny how Flash here doesn't even try to stop getting his finger prints all over the "clue" he "found", leading to someone he admits he knows from the past.

[@moondog548]

You could just do this weekly for the rest of your life with any and all golden age comic story and it would be 100% gold content. Big thanks that your diligence goes to broader fascinating topics :D

[@RobotacularRoBob]

Press Guardian survives being shot in the chest because perhaps he has a Press Guardian Angel.🤫

[@KasumiKenshirou]

You've got to be bullet proof to have "Baldwin" as your butler.

[@cybercop0083]

He signed his confession with his legal first name „Slug“.

[@TheZooropaBaby]

I remember Barry Windsor Smith talking about the cover of that 50s Shield revamp(?) the Double Life of Private Strong (which was done by Kirby, I think?) , he said the film strip gimmick was really memorable, felt like Shield was actually moving on the cover

[@comicswatching4851]

“My silverware fell down” 🤣🤣🤣

[@ivane5110]

As a fan of the Green Hornet, I always liked copy's of him, so the Press Guardian was a fun one (taken with a Golden Age grain of salt). I hadn't realized (or had forgotten) the Falcon was suppose to be the same guy. What a costume downgrade and upgrade at the exact same time (and off panel/between issues to boot). When I first read the the title of this video I misrecalled who he was; there was another Golden Age Green Hornet ripoff whose eye mask was made from actual folded newspapers each time, but I can never find anything on him. Anyone know his name? Another fun and informative video. Thanks. And congrats on the new comic! PS: You had me at Hooded Cobra Commander; great guy, great channel.

[@euansmith3699]

"Just look at this jerk..." 😄😄😄 Cynthia Blake, aka the Press Guardian, aka the Falcon.

[@justicierodelaliga]

I always DO love your vídeos on Golden Age comics. In fact, I watched them all again while I was in bed for company. And I like them much more when they are at least 20 min. long. A couple of suggestions: -Videos on the characters of Captain Atom, Firestorm and Phantom Stranger. -A video about the popularity of comics in the Golden Age and discussing the multiples imprints. -This is a cuestión I have always had: Why there was so much content back then for a single 10 cents comic? ...and, on the same topic, how or when it ended up changing in the Modern Age when, usually, a single issue read is around 10 minutes or so. Greetings from a Puerto Rican living in Spain.

[@lunarmodule6419]

Excellent suggestions! Love the golden age and his take on it. Thx

[@LordInsane100]

About "bund", more specifically it is a German word that means something like "league". As such it isn't always associated with Nazis, but the most famous one in America in the 1930s and 40s was the German American Bund, which was firmly pro-Nazi.

[@-Teague-]

Yesss I've been waiting for you to cover this one! My little brother found out about Press Guardian online and thought he was really funny so we'll probably watch this together!

[@alejoparedes2388]

ComicTropes is back talking about weird superheros! Yaaaaay!

[@ericcoyle3520]

Comic book history and laughs? I love this Chanel.

[@theajshow]

I am embarrassed at the amount I laughed at this episode! My silverware fell down!

[@squashchefan]

I love your deep dives into obscure golden age comics. Keep them coming

[@brokenrecord2941]

These obscure hidden gems never fail to entertain, sincerely thank you for sharing them 😂 Oh and congrats on landing the Vampirella cover opportunity 👍

[@lunarmodule6419]

11:12 The classic crack in the wall at the crooks hideout lol. These guys are not into decor upgrades!

[@themeanhornet1070]

Damn! The way he can just pick criminals up over his head and sometimes just one handed! Maybe he be called the Military PRESS Guardian!

[@j.albuquerque9274]

I heard about this character minutes before this video was released. I was searching about public domain heroes for a project and learn about this new one, now, this videos comes out. What are the odds?

[@Owlzindabarn]

The Falcon looks like "Captain Ultra" from Marvel.

[@themeanhornet1070]

And 3D man

[@EeveeFromAlmia]

A story about a reporter in a superhero world and him NOT being the hero (also Spider-Man and Superman) actually sounds pretty rad. Like a Lois Lane serise.

[@NILgravity]

I'm making a webcomic called Retcon and there is 100% chance this character will make it in the book eventually. So thank you. I don't know if you turned me on to Brickbat or not but I am also using brickbat in the series.

[@phillipbuechner9809]

My first time here and I'm finding what may be the best comic book channel on YT. This was great. Informative and highly entertaining.

[@RyderLComics]

Seems like Press Guardian has the ultimate power of invulnerability - PLOT ARMOR

[@cghirardo5951]

I love these golden age characters. They are so campy and ridiculous but are fun to read.

[@MariaVosa]

Honestly the Press Guardian seems like a superhero for the 2000s. And by Press Guardian I of course mean Cynthia Blake! I love these Golden Age deep dives. They are so weird, I love 'em to death

[@herobot1]

I love when you do these types of episodes. Keep it up!

[@peterpidrak9501]

Thank you very much. This is something that convinces me on correct about the fact that we say everybody was so creative and did all of this wonderful staff, but they just threw a bunch of stuff against the wall to see what would stick and the stuff that we still remember from that time is the stuff in stuck.

[@kaboombox1581]

Congratulations on the cover!

[@the_Googie]

These videos are crucial to my daily drawing life now. Its SO FUNNY how u try to make sense of these obscure funny comics

[@joedent3323]

This was fun - I enjoy these light-hearted looks at comics. Cheers Chris!

[@oliverortiz5226]

This episode had me laughing out loud. The lawyer friend was a riot,. You can truly say that there is no other channel like yours on KZbin. You are truly an original my friend. Keep up the excellent work.

[@playlist1883]

The quality has improved drastically. Kudos ! Love the content as usual.

[@cultofj3777]

congrats, it's really exciting to hear about the cover!!!

[@Doctor-Shoebill]

Hahaha! I had such a blast watching this one, Chris. Great job!

[@kbar4462]

I love these deep dives into absolutely bonkers comic books from long ago. Also those bits sprinkled throughout gave me a really good chuckle. Banger vid as always Chris!

[@RichardSekmistrz]

Congrats - I cant wait to see the cover!

[@notsofatfilms85]

Congrats on the cover!! Good stuff

[@miketodd3880]

MCP was a really special time, especially when Weapon X was serialized. It made those trips to the grocery store incredibly exciting, because every few weeks I could drop a little of my allowance on a stunning, mesmerizing story that threatened to change everything about one of my favorite characters. I think it’s important to also note how intense the colors are in that run-I’d never seen comics colored the way Windsor-Smith did them at the time, and his process still seems to be unique. Great episode, Chris!

[@keithosborne6585]

I love hearing about these obscure and bizarre golden age heroes. Your commentary is absolutely hilarious, Mark! Thank you, sir.

[@Oddlogical]

These obscure heroes are fun to learn about! I remember the Shield and Comet, but didn't know the Press Guardian.

[@AttackoftheKillerPodcast]

Huge fan of the MLJ roster of superheroes. This one I've never heard of!!! Great video as always

[@themeanhornet1070]

Bravo! Chris! I enjoyed this and hope you get to do a Green Hornet cover as well.

[@adamderosa9142]

New Comic Tropes episode... don't get much better than that today!! Thanks a ton, Chris :)

[@shoestringscifi]

Congratulations on the cover art opportunity!

[@blackphoenix77]

The Three Stooges short 'You Natzy Spy,' which used Moronica as a stand in for WW II Germany, came out in 1940, the same year that Pep Comics #1 came out: I bet the writers of the Press Guardian based the Moronia bund on that.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

And at this time, American most movie studios actually would not allow their filmmakers to mock Hitler or make anti Hitler content. Apparently they just weren't paying attention to The Three Stooges who just did it anyway. I heard recently that Hitler had The Stooges and Charlie Chaplin on a "kill list", but I'm not sure if that is true or not.

[@Karling_F]

Lol only just discovered your channel yesterday, and your videos have a lot of depth into comics and very informative. Hands down this video is so funny I can see why thus character didn't last 😂

[@citizensguard3433]

Damn it. I rang the bell for notifications but KZbin didn't get this to me until two days later. I LOVE these videos though!! Always glad to see a new one!

[@HankChinaski27]

The Falcon seems to have given fashion advice to the Goobledygooker.

[@ColeHrusovsky]

Can I just say how much I love the new intro? It's so good

[@BlackburnBigdragon]

8:21 It looks like "The Falcon: The Guardian of the Press" got his hands on a failed costume from Ru Paul's Drag Race!

[@steveqhanson6835]

Congrats on the cover Chris!

[@jamesstewart8500]

I laughed out loud a few times while watching this video. Great episode!

[@willagnes8376]

I love these golden age deep dives into obscurity and oddity. More please Chris.

[@riccardobravi9754]

Very good video Chris!

[@iandorian611]

10 minutes!! 😂 Also I love seeing Captain Atom on the comic book rack behind you!

[@skarloey1214]

Truly amazing video Chris

[@mf--]

Very fun. Good job, Chris.

[@themeanhornet1070]

Hahahahaha!! Your lawyer friend made me lose my coffee!!😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@user-hf3su7zc7w]

Chris, I can hear your cat meow at 26:41 lol

[@justinblessing6119]

Oh hi! You caught me leaving a message in your comment section!

[@buneyecat]

Great episode you never disappoint

[@Ratralsis]

I'm glad you acknowledged the effectiveness of the powerful slide punch technique. I was worried you, a former real-life superhero, wouldn't be open-minded enough to see how good it can be to think outside the box.

[@glencochrane901]

Way to go buddy on the comic book cover!!

[@simplesimon4374]

Yes thanks for another great history lesson for cool people

[@AlVainactual]

Aw congrats on the cover! Cynthia would kick ass as Press Guardian. They could have the character be kidnapped when the Claw found out his real identity so she dons the suit to rescue him. Then they could team up and be a superhero duo against libel and false information. God knows we need that right about now.

[@awabooks9886]

Reclusive Diplomat... Oh my, time to divy the swag on that trope 🤠

[@lclark2132]

Ah yes, nepotism and dog-like devotion to your workplace, two of the most heroic qualities a character can have!

[@FilmTrekk]

I love this series dude. People back then had some wild ideas lol

[@UnwrittenSpade]

“Mort Meskin, uh, was also there” hahahaha that was a super underwhelming sentence made me laugh pretty hard

[@CrystalblueMage]

"Scrambled Egg" - that's just bald shaming!

[@Superpicl]

"...the Guardian of the press... Just look at this jerk!" hahaha! I always enjoy these silly looks at comics from the past! Thanks for your videos, Chris!

[@alexisflower9868]

great to hear you riffing on something again! Your work is always great but I've been missing these episodes where you read through a goofy comic.

[@marksims5338]

"Here goes a dish of scrambled eggs!" BAHAHA HA. HA!!!! 😂😂😂 *I'm going to find a way to work that phrase into conversation every day for the rest of my life!

[@nooctip]

Two lighters? Sure. Next you''ll be saying he has two cigarettes. Not the Craw the Claw.

[@davidmcmahon4633]

And I got that. Get Smart lives!