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GAY BLADE

Real Name: Johnny Revere

Identity/Class: Normal human (late 1940s era)

Occupation: Thief, socialite

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Gloria Delmar

Enemies: Mrs. Delmar, Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Toro

Known Relatives: Mother (deceased, name unrevealed)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed location in the USA, possibly New York State

First Appearance: All Winners#1/1 (August, 1948)

Powers/Abilities: Johnny Revere has genius-level intellect and has invented many blade-themed devices, such as a self-propelled rotorcraft airplane, a silent glass-cutting saw, a handgun that shoots knives and modified ice skating boots with grooved blades to travel on overhead cables. He has a fascination for blades, particularly knives and fencing swords. He has exceptional acrobatic and balancing skills, and an exceptionally accurate aim with knife throwing that was informally assessed as within the top five in the USA. He is extroverted and enjoys attention exhibiting his knife skills.

Height: 5'10"
Weight:
Eyes: Dark brown
Hair: Brown

History:

(All Winners#1/1 (fb) - BTS) - Well educated and fit, socialite Johnny Revere became popular with a group of socialites with his knife tricks and dated fellow socialite Gloria Delmar with their marriage date set. Johnny's antics and activities were sometimes reported in the local newspaper. At some point(s), Johnny stole for his amusement. However, Johnny had never worked and was recklessly spending his inheritance.

(All Winners#1/1) - Johnny showed off his latest trick to his cheering socialite friends: balancing blade tips on his hands and chin. Later, he was warned privately that his late mother's estate was bankrupt, but he dismissed it. He made a disguise for himself to become the costumed swashbuckling thief the Gay Blade and make it his occupation. His first target was his fiancee's aunt's jewels. A silent circular saw cut through a glass door while a sharply aimed stiletto jammed an alarm bell. He used another blade to penetrate the safe's lock slots, but it triggered an alarm. The heroic duo, the Human Torch (Jim Hammond) and Toro, were by chance staying overnight and rushed to stop him, but confusion with host Mrs. Delmar let Gay Blade get away a self-developed helicopter blade aircraft. He returned home and used his civilian guise and told Gloria he had been walking nearby. But they were both called for interrogation by the Human Torch  at Mrs. Delmar's place. Suspicions were raised and the heroic duo investigated Johnny later. The Human Torch shadowed Johnny in his outdoor socialite activities like skiing.

(All Winners#1/1 (fb) - BTS) - In an effort to be rid of his foe, Johnny secretly replaced the Torch's razor blades with poison-coated ones.

(All Winners#1/1) - The Torch noticed the razor blades had been swapped and averted poisoning. The hero then concocted a plan to bait Gay Blade out of hiding by falsely claiming the crown of the Ice Carnival queen was valuable. Gay Blade used specially designed skating blades that allowed him to glide on suspended telephone wires, and he stealthily swooped in and nabbed the crown from Gloria's head. The Human Torch and Toro gave pursuit, but Gay Blade used a dagger pistol to down Toro. Gay Blade warned Human Torch away and shot off another knife, but the Torch dodged and quickly burnt through the cable and the villain fell to the thin snow. By chance, the dagger he had shot arced down and hit him in the heart, killing him. The Torch later consoled Gloria by saying the world was better of without Johnny and she thanked him for the kind words(what??). He was buried under blades of grass.

 

Comments: Created by Bill Woolfolk & Maurice Gutwirth.

Although he intended to kill the Human Torch and Toro, he hadn't actually killed anyone. And the Torch thought it right to tell a grieving young woman that it was better for everyone that her husband-to-be was dead? Ouch.

This was way back in the olden days when "gay" meant happy or carefree (although after World War II, homosexuals had already begun using the term).

The name and premise would be drawn from the (now obsolete) term "gay blade" as a dashing swordsman or youth. The 1946 film "Gay Blades", which involves ice skating (ice hockey), may have been an influence too.

In costume, he wore a blue eyemask. Unfortunately, this is missing in the main main top image (which is the best full image). You can see the blue eyemask in the third image where he's skating and shooting his dagger gun.

Thanks to Grand Comics Database for the credits info.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Gay Blade has no known connections to:

And definitely no connection to Zorro, The Gay Blade, a 1981 swashbuckling comedy movie!

Gloria Delmar

Gloria Delmar was Johnny Revere's fiancee and a fellow carefree socialite; the two were due to be married in a week and she was unaware that Revere had been informed that he was near bankruptcy and so turned to crime as the Gay Blade. Gloria felt happy in Johnny's company and looked forward to their marriage. However, Gloria's aunt was targeted by Gay Blade for jewelery theft, which was foiled by the heroic Human Torch and Toro. Gloria noted that the Torch suspected Johnny was the criminal. The heroic Torch asked her to lie and publicly declare her crown as the ceremonial Ice Carnival queen was very valuable as bait to lure Gay Blade to the event. The thief carefully grabbed the crown without her knowing, but he was soon killed in a fight with the Human Torch and Toro. As she grieved, the Torch consoled her by saying the world was better off without her fiancee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

--All Winners#1/1

images: (without ads)
All Winners#1/1, p1, pan1 (main image)
   p5, pan6 (headshot)
   p8, pan7 (wire skating with dagger gun)
   p2, pan1 (Gloria)

Appearances:
All Winners#1/1 (August, 1948) - Bill Woolfolk (writer), Maurice Gutwirth (pencils), uncredited inker, Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 09/08/2025
Last updated: 09/08/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
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