Spirit of '76 (Harvey Comics)
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The Spirit of '76 is a superhero published by Harvey Comics, who debuted in Pocket Comics in 1941, and became a long-running feature in Green Hornet Comics.
Patriotic superhero Gary Blakely, the Spirit of '76, was created by writer Joe Simon and artist Bob Powell.[1] The personification of American folklore's Spirit of '76, the character appeared in Harvey's Pocket Comics from #1 to 4 (August 1941 - January 1942).[2] In his first appearance, the character, a student at West Point, fought Nazi fifth columnists on the campus. Pocket Comics #1 also introduced fellow cadet Tubby Reynolds, who figures out Gary's secret and serves as his sidekick. Tubby's sister, Susan, a WAC lieutenant, serves as a love interest.[3] By issue #2, the character was fighting Satan himself, along with a recurring foe, femme fatale Satana.
After Pocket Comics folded, the Spirit of '76 moved to a backup feature in Green Hornet Comics. Issue #7 (June 1942) was a reworking of the character's origin story, partially a paste-up from Pocket #1.[3] Later Green Hornet backup stories were produced by Harry Fisk, Arturo Cazenueve and Ernie Schroeder.[1] The character last appeared in Green Hornet #37 (Dec 1947-Jan 1948).[3]