Black Bat

Created in pulp books before Batman, Tony Quinn was a brash Defense Attorney to the mob. When he refused to cross the line and was tortured and blinded, Quinn transformed into the Black Bat and embarks on a quest to right the wrongs of his past.

Name:

Black Bat

Publisher:

In the Public Domain

Real name:

Anthony Quinn

Aliases:

Tony Colby
Tony Quinn
The Mask
Anthony Quinn

Birth date:

None

Gender:

Male

Powers:

Adaptive
Escape Artist
Marksmanship
Stamina
Super Sight
Tracking
Unarmed Combat

First issue:

The Encyclopedia of Superheroes (1985) #1 HC/SC

See at ComicVine

Origin

Tony Quinn was a militant district attorney until a criminal threw acid in his face leaving him blinded and scarred. Swearing that this would not halt his search for justice, he began to train his other senses and body. Later, radical experimental surgery led to him receiving the transplanted eyes of a slain police officer. His new eyes allowed him not only to see, but for some reason, he now found he could also see in the dark. Pretending to still be blind, Tony called himself The Black Bat and kicked his fight against crime into higher gear.

Creation

In the pulp stories, his last name was Quinn and he called himself The Black Bat, who was known for carrying twin .45s and leaving a bat-shaped mark on the foreheads of his victims, as well as driving a modified car to and from his cases.

When Nedor later decided to transfer some of their pulp characters to comics, the Black Bat was one of the first they picked, although they changed his last name to Colby at this time. While they had created the character first, they worked out a deal with DC and changed his name to The Mask. Gone since 1941 from both pulps and comics, Moonstone Comics brought the character back in 2010 under his original name of Tony Quinn as The Black Bat.

Major Story Arcs

Return of the Originals

In February 1945, an mysterious object appeared in the night sky above Los Angeles. Anti-aircraft artillery fired over 1,400 at the object but nothing was brought down. The Phantom Detective, The Black Bat, Domino Lady, G-8, and Secret Agent X team-up battle a strange new menace.

Masks

Black Bat is a member of Dynamite Entertainment's vigilante team Masks. Set in 1938 when The Justice Party has been elected power of New York State, it soon conspires the newly-elected officials are controlled by powerful criminals, who quickly corrupt the law to their own advantage. A fascist police state is instituted and ordinary citizens are brutalised, oppressed and crushed into submission. The only ones who stand up to protect the innocent are masked vigilantes like The Shadow, The Green Hornet, The Spider and The Black Bat.

Powers & Abilities

Black Bat was an adept hand-to-hand combatant and detective, but his main powers are enhanced vision - he can see perfectly in pitch-black darkness. He also carried around twin .45s.