FOURTH MUSKETEER
Real Name: Unrevealed (possibly d'Artagnan -
see comments)
Identity/Class: Resurrected human (see
comments) (WWII era)
Occupation: Vigilante
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Anti-Nazi League
Enemies: bank robbers, Nazis (Paul
Krantz, others)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Washington, DC, USA;
formerly France
First Appearance: Comedy Comics I#10/14 (June,
1942)
Powers/Abilities: The Fourth Musketeer is a
master in sword-fighting and an excellent horse back rider. He is
resourceful, brave and a very good hand-to-hand combatant. He is
fluent in French and English.
Height: 5'9"
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Blond
History:
(Comedy Comics I#10/14 (fb) - BTS) - The man who came
to be known as the Fourth Musketeer was an excellent swordsman many
centuries ago during the days of the French monarchy. He believed
passionately in fraternity and liberty, and admired democracy. At some point, he died and was buried in a grave.
(Comedy
Comics I#10/14) - Nazi Germany's occupation of France during WWII
stirred
the spirit of the musketeer and he rose from the grave in his musketeer
garb and sword to combat the Nazi menace. He killed two German soldiers
with his sword. Curiously aware of the USA, he made it his destination
as a source of hope and to begin his battle against Nazis.
(Comedy Comics I#10/14 (fb) - BTS) - He made his way
to Washington, DC via unrevealed means and procured a white horse.
(Comedy Comics I#10/14) - Astride his horse, the Fourth Musketeer was impressed with the US Capitol building. He soon chanced upon a bank robbery in progress and rushed in, quickly disarming the villains. He explained to the police that he considered the thieves to be enemies of democracy and then rode off. Meanwhile, local underground Nazi leader Paul Krantz had his agents spread discord among the American populace, promoting appeasement with Germany. Listening nearby, the Fourth Musketeer angrily sent the Nazi provocateur away at swordpoint. The Fourth Musketeer next attended an Anti-Nazi League rally and punched down a disruptive Nazi agent. The Fourth Musketeer made a solemn visit to the Shrine of the Unknown Soldier while Krantz, frustrated at the vigilante's interference, captured him and tied him up. Beaten up and foolishly left alone, the Fourth Musketeer managed to free himself and stopped Krantz and his thugs before they could blow up the Anti-Nazi League Washington headquarters, with the Fourth Musketeer slaying Krantz in the process. The police soon arrived and considered the Fourth Musketeer had acted in self-defense and bombing charges would be pressed against the Nazis. Pleased at defending freedom and democracy, the Fourth Musketeer ignored his wound and rode off.
Comments: Creators not credited.
So
what's the deal with the Fourth Musketeer? He was initially a
disembodied spirit that rose up through his grave and gained a solid
body. So did he take over a man's body and hence have the frailties of
a human as shown in the story? Did he become manifest as a "solid"
human upon contact with air? Is he akin to a ghoul or zombie? And then,
after rising up in Nazi-occupied France, which neighbored Nazi Germany,
he went off to hunt down Nazis... and goes immediately to the USA...??
The Grand Comics Database suggests that the Fourth Musketeer was reworked into the Blue Blade, particularly as the Blue Blade is referred to as "Musketeer" several times in his first story (U.S.A. Comics I#5, released 5 months after Comedy Comics I#10). Comedy Comics I#10 also "introduced" Archie the Gruesome, an apparent reworked version of Alec the Great, which, it could be argued, was due to a name change so as not to confuse it with "Alec the Great", the syndicated funny animal strip begun in 1931 by Edwina Dumm. So if the Fourth Musketeer did transform into the Blue Blade, why the name change? Possibly because Elliot Publishing had just started Classic Comics in October 1941 with the first issue being the "Three Musketeers" adaptation. Who knows?
Can we guess the Fourth Musketeer's identity from
Alexandre Dumas' famous novel "The Three Musketeers"? The three
musketeers in the novel
(Athos, Porthos and Aramis) were members of the Musketeers of the
Guard, a fighting company within the king's military. d'Artagnan, the
fourth main character, became a musketeer at the end of the novel by
which time the others leave the small fraternity. There was a real-life
Count d'Artagnan who formed the basis for Dumas' formed the basis for
the fictional d'Artagnan romances. However... "The Three Musketeers" is
set in the late 1620s during the reign of King Louis XII. At that
point, what would become the USA was occupied by Dutch, English and
Spanish colonists and imperialists, while the French had a small
presence around what is now Quebec. So if the Fourth Musketeer is from
the French Imperial Musketeers, how did he become so quickly aware (and
embracing) of USA and its democratic system? My guess is some form of
supernatural awareness while "dead" or his adoption of the values of
the body he took over--if this
is how he gained corporeal form.
The Fourth Musketeer was another Golden Age character
where the reader was promised more adventure in the "next issue", but
unfortunately nothing materialized.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
The Fourth Musketeer has no known connections to:
Paul Krantz was a German Nazi agent in Washington, DC, who sought to eliminate opponents of Nazi support in the USA. He funded this from Bank robberies, but one was foiled by the new vigilante the Fourth Musketeer. He had his provocateurs infiltrate American populace and promote appeasement with Germany, also disrupting an Anti-Nazi League rally, by the Fourth Musketeer, passionate about freedom and democracy, stopped them. Krantz had the vigilante captured and beaten up, then went to bomb the Anti-Nazi League's headquarters, but the Fourth Musketeer caught up with the Nazis and stopped them, killing Krantz with his sword. The police exonerated the Fourth Musketeer for the killing, viewing it as self-defense.
--Comedy Comics I#10/14
images:
(without ads)
Comedy Comics I#10/14, p3, pan8 (main image)
p2, pan1 (headshot)
p3, pan7 (on horseback)
p1, pan3 (rising from grave)
p5, pan8 (Krantz)
Appearances:
Comedy Comics I#10/14 (June, 1942) - (writer), (pencils), (inks), Stan
Lee (editor)
First posted: 10/13/2025
Last updated:
10/13/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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