Thunderbolt Only Strikes Once

The ambitious Regor Company wanted to break into the funny papers with their singular release of Atomic Thunderbolt, Issue #1, which the headliner gets his own story as well as a cameo in the following segment. Professor Josiah Rhonne was one of the few comic book scientists that actually specialized in alchemy despite being a former a-bomb designer. His latest experiment is to transmute man into ubermensch resistant to radiation. Instead of waiting for a volunteer, the professor goes hunting a test subject even if it means murdering the unsuspecting dope. Willy the wharf rat is a WWII vet with shell shock who gets harassed by kids that pretend to shoot at him, and Rhonne talks him into giving his life up in the name of science. The professor resides in a Frankenstein-type castle complete with traps generously provided to him by the war department, although the egghead accidently flipped the wrong switch on his own invention causing an explosion that disrupts all his neighbors. Willy is the sole survivor ending up on a yacht filled with criminal agents bent on stealing Rhonne's atomic secrets. The baddies learn to late that Willy is now bulletproof with enhanced strength as he knocks them all out, and our ex-soldier decides to become the superhero probably named Thunderbolt. We finally see Thunderbolt in his full costume helping out in a comedy short in the same issue by visiting the alchemists Rigor and Mortis as he demonstrates his additional powers of flight and being able to generate air-waves to put out a fire. The two bunglers dismiss Thunderbolts abilities as nothing but the results of atomic physics, or as impressive as their own vaudevillian brand of science. If it weren't for his guest-starring in a following chapter intended for comedic purposes, future die-hard fans would never have learned of Thunderbolt's extra powers made him just another Golden Age strong man. So don't go discounting the next time you hear about a superhero encountering slapstick characters, like Punisher meeting up with Archie because you might find out about his secret power to talk to fish.

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