A successful publisher of pulp magazines, the Phantom Detective and the Black Bat among them), Ned Pines entered the comics arena late in 1939 developing what came to be known as the Nedor superheroes. His first, short-lived comic book was called Best Comics and featured the adventures of a presumably Polynesian man named the Red Mask. Best Comics, whose pages were atypically wider than tall, lasted only four issues. Pines’ subsequent anthology titles (Exciting Comics, Startling Comics and Thrilling Comics) were far more successful. Even so, only his most famous heroes, Black Terror and the Fighting Yank, eventually graduated to their own titles. Several of their top adventurers were featured in the company’s all-star title, America’s Best Comics. The flagship title provided the initials that came to characterize the company: ABC. These relatively stable six titles were joined by Wonder Comics in 1944.

The universe of Nedor superheroes was more optimistic than many other heroic realms of the period. Innovative scientists invented methods that allow their transformation into pinnacles of masculine prowess: Black Terror, Captain Future and Doc Strange among them. Several other ABC heroes were the result of scientific accidents (notably American Crusader, American Eagle, Pyroman and Wonderman). The supernatural played its part in the origins of the Fighting Yank and the Ghost, but in the latter case, many of his powers were duplicated by an evil scientist. Wild and improbable inventiveness held sway here, far more than magic.

During World War II, the Nedor superheroes were especially devoted to the war effort. Exceptional patriots included the American Eagle, the Commando Cubs and the Fighting Yank. As the war began to wind down, a new generation of heroes emerged: the Grim Reaper and Wonderman first among them.

As the forties wore on, many Nedor heroes seemed to lose their super-human vigor. The Black Terror and Fighting Yank, who displayed exceptional strength during the war, seemed no more than exceptionally fit towards the end of their careers. The menaces they and other heroes faced also became increasing mundane.

It must be noted that villainy was not as well actualized as heroism in the Nedor Universe. There were relatively few recurrent adversaries that could pose a genuine threat to the heroes they faced. The Faceless Phantom was  the most striking in appearance, squaring off against Doc Strange on several occasions. However, Dr. Fenton was the most implacable, traveling across the centuries time and time again in his unending struggle with the Ghost. Dr. Voodoo and his interplanetary band of cronies were perhaps the most memorable, avowed enemies of Brad Spencer, Wonderman. As for sheer fright appeal, the red-skinned and horned Black Satan struck fear in the hearts of the youthful Four Comrades, and with good reason. A mad scientist by the name of Mavelli battled Fighting Yank three times—the closest thing to an arch villain that hero managed.

To its credit, women had ample opportunities to become heroes here. The Woman in Red led the way in the early forties and Miss Masque, Princess Pantha, Kara–Jungle Princess, and Judy of the Jungle represented a post-war heroine boom. Jill Trent, Science Sleuth, was a total original for 1940s comic books, a female inventor. All of them were as beautiful as they were fit. Femme fatales were less common, though the Lady Serpent (foe of the Black Terror) and Lilith, Queen of Pluto (Wonderman villain), fit the bill quite nicely.

Adolescent sidekicks for the Nedor superheroes, on the other hand, were plentiful. The American Crusader was accompanied by the youthful Mickey, the American Eagle Eaglet, the Black Terror Tim, and Doc Strange Mike. There were also two adolescent teams: the Commando Kids and the aforementioned Four Comrades. As for ethnic diversity, one of the Commando Kids was an African-American youth named Pokey Jones. Magnet’s associate, Sidi, was an Congo jungle guide and a better fighter than his boss. Mystico—a revived Egyptian mummy—was Middle Eastern, but notably light-skinned. That was about it.

Chief writer and editor Richard Hughes held sway over the Nedor Universe for many years, telling stories of deranged scientists who had some of the quirkiest schemes to take over the world ever devised. His heroes, on the other hand, were likable if not particularly distinctive. Primary cover artist Alex Schomberg conveyed a vivid action that drew in many a reader, but inside the artwork was often only adequate even if adventures did progress at a brisk pace. When super-heroes ceased to capture the public’s imagination in the later 1940s, jungle heroines and cowboys soon were seen in greater numbers. The colorfully costumed heroes disappeared entirely in 1949, though Pines continued to publish humor, western, war and romance comic books until 1958, the best selling of these being Dennis the Menace.