A couple of years back I came across an article debunking that old chestnut about how humans only used 10% of their brain power. And that if we could unlock that unused 90% we would be able to perform super-human mental and physical feats. Say it ain't so! That theory was the basis for any number of comic book heroes. Including one of my Silver Age favorites Peter Cannon...Thunderbolt.
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| Peter Morisi (aka PAM) |
Created by moonlighting NY City police officer writer/artist Peter Morisi under the pseudonym PAM , Thunderbolt's origin told the story of Peter Cannon the son of two American missionaries in Tibet. Combating the Black plague in a Himalayan monastery Peter's parents succumb to the disease themselves. Taken in by the monastery's High Abbot he is taught the knowledge of the " Sacred Scrolls " which teach him how to utilize the dormant portion of his brain. By the time he reaches manhood he achieves mental and physical perfection. Returning to America with his boyhood friend Tabu, the pacifistic Peter reluctantly uses his powers to fight for justice while costumed in his training outfit from the monastery with a mask attachment.
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Years later when Marvel Comics introduced the martial arts hero Iron Fist I couldn't help but notice how similar his origin was to that of Thunderbolt's. Later I would find that Morisi borrowed a bit from the origin of the Golden Age hero Amazing Man created by Bill Everett. And Thunderbolt's costume was reminiscent of the Golden Age Daredevil*.
One of the coolest things I found about the feature was how Morisi would subtly display Thunderbolt's powers through a series of workouts between Peter and Tabu. For instance they have a judo randori session where Peter beats his companion 6 ippons to 5. Reading the dialogue you learn Peter spotted Tabu 5 points. On another occasion Peter knocks Tabu out in a boxing match with one arm literally tied behind his back.
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Thunderbolt made his first appearance in January 1966 taking over the numbering of the discontinued Son of Vulcan title from Charlton Comics and ran from issue No.50 to No.60. Writing this blog installment I started to think who I would cast as Peter Cannon in a 60s Thunderbolt movie. I'm throwing a change-up here. Instead of Ron Ely I'm going to go with 60s "teen idol" Troy Donahue. From the neck up Donahue looked like quite a few blond comic book heroes. Unfortunately from the neck down he looked like Jimmy Stewart. But hey! Get him into the gym and give him a steady diet of T-Bone steaks and protein shakes and you'd have your Peter Cannon.
*Morisi, who'd done work for Lev Gleason Publications in 1940s, reported in Comic Book Artist #9 (August 2000) that he had attempted to buy the rights to 1940s superhero Daredevil in the early 1960s. Gleason gave him his okay, but the character's primary writer-artist, Charles Biro,
balked, requesting a percentage of future profits. Morisi declined and
went on to create Thunderbolt in a scaled-down version of that
Daredevil's symmetrically divided, red-and-blue costume. - Wikipedia
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I thought Troy Donahue was a perfect match for the Silver Age Captain America/Steve Rogers from the neck up at least.
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