Synopsis: QUALITY COMICS – BLACK CONDOR – CRACK COMICS #1 – #11 May 1940 – March 1941 THE RAY – SMASH COMICS #14 – #22 September 1940 – May 1941 Special Notes: Variant Covers If collated need the ratio, /Free or ordering Criteria Lou Fine was one of the most impressive and influential artists to ever work in comics. His fluid figures were admired and copied by such greats as Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. In the early 40's, the heyday of the Golden Age, he worked for Everett M. 'Busy' Arnold at Quality Comics along with such greats as Reed Crandall, Jack Cole and Will Eisner and in addition to his impressive covers, he worked on such comics as the Black Condor; aka Richard Grey Jr. having lost his parents was raised by giant black condors and after studying his condor foster parents, he learned to fly. He befriended a hermit monk named Father Pierre who convinced him that he should use his unique attributes to do good and so was born the Black Condor. Lou Fine also created The Ray, a reporter named Hubert 'Happy' Terrill who was covering the story of a high-flying 'strato-balloon' exploring the upper atmosphere. An electrical storm struck and while closing the outer airlock door, 'Happy' got the full brunt of the storm's energy and the unfiltered sunlight giving him his super powers to absorb energy from his surroundings and emit it from his body in any form he chose, also using it to propel himself through the air.
