Real Name: Lon Crag
Identity/Class: Magically powered human (World
War II Era)
Occupation: Student, vigilante
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Joe, Menalaos
Enemies: Mr. McClure
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Goodfield, New York, USA
First Appearance: U.S.A. Comics I#5 (Summer, 1942)
Powers/Abilities: By saying the magic word "Illium," Lon could transform into Roko the Amazing; as Roko he had an adult body and wore a red and blue costume. Roko had the ability to fly and had superhuman strength, enabling him to lift approximately 20 tons. He also had the wisdom of Ulysses and battle prowess of Agamemnon. He was also invulnerable like Achilles and shared Achilles' weakness in that his left heel was unprotected. Roko also carried a shield which magically appeared when he transformed. As Lon Crag, he was a gifted artist.
Height: Unrevealed
(as Lon, approximately 5'11"; as Roko, approximately 6'3")
Weight: Unrevealed (as Lon, approximately 158 lbs.; as Roko,
approximately 195 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Blond
History:
(U.S.A. Comics I#5/6) - Lon Crag was a 16-year old art student who was attending Goodfield High School. When Lon found his classmate Joe reading a Captain America comic book, Lon wished he could be a "real American hero" like Captain America.
That day, Lon was painting a picture of the Greek hero Menalaos and his teacher complimented him on his work. Lon kept working on his painting after the end of class when suddenly Menalaos came to life through Lon's subconscious. Menalaos offered to grant one wish to Lon; Lon asked to be "a great and good hero... like captain America!" Menalaos granted the wish, telling him that when he invoked the ancient name of Troy, "Illium," he would gain the wisdom of Ulysses, the battle-prowess of Agamemnon and the invulnerability of Achilles. Lon shouted "Illium" and transformed into a powerful costumed hero; when he did so, Menalaos resumed being a mere painting. Lon dubbed himself "Roko the Amazing."
The next day, Lon's teacher advised him to develop his skills by going out of the classroom and sketching people. When Lon went by a work site he learned a woker had just fallen sixteen feet from a scaffold and was the fourth such worker to die on the building project. Just then, Lon saw a girder with two men upon it suddenly come loose and begin falling to the ground. Transforming into Roko, he flew into the air and caught the girder, then lifted it and the men to safety. Examining the girder, Roko found the chain that had supported it had been dissolved by acid. Noticing that a number of slums owned by Mr. McClure were nearby the construction site, Roko wondered if McClure were behind the accidents.
The next day, Lon returned to the construction site to create more sketches and witnessed a masked man deliberately burning through a steel beam with a torch. Transforming into Roko, he buttressed the failing beam then replaced it with a good girder. Roko fought the man with the torch who had sabotaged the beam but as they clashed, the torch accidentally hit Roko's left heel, Roko's weak spot; Roko fell from the scaffold but grabbed a chain and swung back then struck the man. Roko saw he had a missing earlobe on his left ear but the man knocked Roko unconscious with a kick to the jaw and fled before he could be unmasked.
The next day, Lon's teacher told him a real estate journal would pay for sketches at a realtors' luncheon the following day. Lon accepted the work and went to the luncheon, which was honoring its leader, Mr. McClure. When Lon began sketching McClure he realized he was missing his left earlobe and thus was the man he'd fought on the scaffold. When Lon accused McClure of being a murderer he was ejected from the event.
Transforming into Roko, he burst back into the room and beat Mr. McClure until he confessed his crimes to the police. A month later, Lon saw the new building had been finished and he felt good for having helped people obtain a new home.
Comments: Created by Melville Henry and Jack Alderman.
I have no idea how McClure knocked out Roko with a kick to the jaw when his left heel was supposed to be his weak spot; even when he hit the left heel, that didn't knock out Roko!
This profile was completed on 02/24/2026 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Roko the Amazing should not be confused with:
Mr. McClure was a realtor and slumlord who owned a number of homes in Goodfield. Determined to prevent his renters from moving into a new building complex that was going up, Mr. McClure sabotaged the work site and killed some of the men working on the project, hoping it would be abandoned. However, Roko interfered with his plans and the two fought when McClure tried to burn through a girder with a torch. Although McClure was masked and escaped Roko after knocking him unconscious, Roko had seen he was missing his left earlobe; two days later, when McClure was being honored at a realtors' luncheon, Roko recognized his missing earlobe and attacked him, forcing him to confess his crimes to the police.
--U.S.A. Comics I#5/6
Menalaos was one of the leaders of the Greek army who besieged Troy during the Trojan War. When Lon Crag painted a picture of Menalaos, it magically came to life through Lon's subconscious. Menalaos granted supernatural power to Crag, transforming him into the costumed hero Roko the Amazing. After this, he resumed being a normal painting.
--U.S.A. Comics I#5/6
Appearances:
U.S.A. Comics I#5/6 (Summer, 1942) - Melville Henry (writer), Jack
Alderman (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 09/05/2026
Last updated:
02/24/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
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