George Kapitan

He co-created the medium's first costumed, superpowered female protagonist, the Golden Age Black Widow, an antiheroine who killed evildoers to deliver their souls to Satan, her master.

1940 in postal indicia, cover dated Aug. 1940),[3] he and Sahle created comic books' first costumed, super-powered female character, the original Black Widow, Claire Voyant, an antiheroine who killed evildoers to deliver their souls to Satan, her master.

[4][5] He is also the unconfirmed, generally accepted co-creator, with Sahle, of the Centaur Publications superhero the Air Man in Keen Detective Funnies #23 (Aug.

[6] Other work in the early days of the medium includes writing for the Timely character Fiery Mask (and inking at least one Sub-Mariner story); Hillman Periodicals' feature "Private Parker"; Novelty Press' "Dick Cole", "Blue Bolt" and "Target and the Targeteers"; publisher McCombs' humor feature "Master Marvin"; and even Archie Comics' "Archie".

[6] He was living in Panama City, Florida, at the time of his death in 1996, at age 77.

George Kapitan
George Kapitan, 1950
Carl Burgos & Harry Sahle at George Kapitan's Wedding, New York
Photo taken at George's wedding with other comic book creators with whom he worked: Carl Burgos is seated in the center, with his wife to his right, and Harry Sahle is to Carl's left (second from the right in the image).