Not everyone has family histories they can brag about. According to my mum, my great-uncle is someone who was involved with the Great Train Robbery in some way... not quite sure if I believe that, honestly. Dumas Poe has some serious bragging rights however since his ancestor (a Tibetan Monk named Kattak Po) invented guns.

Unfortunately, like Frankenstein, Kattak grew to regret his invention. How could he know that inventing guns would cause a sharp spike in people using guns to harm people? Because of this, all of his descendants are tasked with using their supernatural gun skills to end gun violence once and for all.

Now, I'll be honest... I don't think personally attacking people who do gun violence on an individual level is going to end gun violence. However, the alternative is a very dry, very boring comic series about Dumas trying to change gun laws which likely wouldn't sell many issues.

[As a brief note, I'm open to suggestions! If anyone has any public domain superheroes you want me to talk about, please leave a comment below and I'll at the very least consider them]

Sometimes even characters with a very impressive careers can fade into total obscurity.

Betty Bates was a Prosecutor, which I assume was a very atypical career choice for a woman in the 1940s. If that wasn't, then the fact that she took to the streets to beat up gangsters certainly was. Sometimes she used classing brawling techniques, sometimes she used martial arts, and sometimes she used... a gun.

Unlike most public domain superheroes, Betty Bates had a long career, appearing in 61 issues! To put that into context, her first story (featured in Hit Comics #4) was published in 1940. Her last story (Hit Comics #65) was published in 1950! Most public domain superheroes just last, like, two years at most.

You never really hear about Mascots becoming public domain, do you?

Captain Tootsie was a hero designed with one purpose: To advertise Tootsie Rolls. No first name, possibly a last name (assuming "Tootsie" even is his real name), no known origin. He was birthed from the aether, a perfect corporate entity that would ensare kids in a life of confectionary brand worship.

These children were called the Secret Legion. As far as we know, there were only three children in there - a kid in a suit named "Fisty" (unfortunate), an overweight kid called "Fatso" (mean), and a kid dressed exactly like Captain Tootsie named "Rollo" (creepy). Together, they would help Captain Tootsie achieve his goals and become more marketable in the process.

I can't really fit this into anywhere, but at one point he teaches these kids how to use a rifle and kill a bear.

Part of why I selected him is that he has weirdly taken on a life of his own in a way you wouldn't expect from a corporate mascot who happened to fall into the public domain - I mean, you don't really see anyone using Pepsi the Pepsi-Cola Cop anywhere, but people seem more than eager to utilise Captain Tootsie. Perhaps his most notable appearance is the one he made in the comic "Savage Dragon", where he was subsequently treated with a little bit too much reverence for a mascot.

I’ve previously written about Fantomah, so I guess it’s about time that I talk about Fletcher Hanks’ other mad God child.

Stardust is terrifying. We don’t know who or what he is, but we do know that he posesses advanced technology that allows him to do basically anything Fletcher wants him to do… and we can’t stop him.

Now, this would be fine if he just did typical superhero stuff, but here’s the thing: in every comic, he subjects criminals to severe, inhumane punishments that I’d argue may be going too far. Like, for example, one time he sent a group of robbers to a planet made of Gold - but they’re unable to breathe. There is no limit to what he would do if you were guilty of a crime.

One time, he just flung everyone on Earth out into space! Granted, nobody died, and this action was actually done to protect them… but how would you feel if you knew that, at any time, this man could do this to you?

Author’s Note: If Stardust is real, and is reading this right now… This is satire. I swear.