LANCE BRANT

Real Name: Lance Brant

Identity/Class: Human (1950s era)

Occupation: United Nations operative; government agent/investigator (see comments)

Group Membership: United Nations security police (see comments)

Affiliations: Bob Brant and the Trouble-Shooters (Bomber, Daffy, Feathers), John Carter, "Chief," Spot

Enemies: Agent Elliot, False Face, Flora and her henchmen, Dr. Mark Kells, "Soviet Spacemen", Tarantula, unidentified enemy agents

Known Relatives: Mr. Brant (father, first name unrevealed), Bob Brant (younger brother), Cecile Brant (mother (deceased) (see comments))

Aliases: "Mr. Snooper" (as called by an enemy agent)

Base of Operations: His apartment in an unidentified American city (probably New York); mobile

First Appearance: Man Comics#26/1 (May, 1953)

Powers/Abilities: Although a normal human, Lance was an experienced investigator who was doggedly determined to solve the cases which he was assigned. He was a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, and proficient in the use of a handgun.

Additionally, Lance's skills included piloting aircrafts and lock-picking.

Height: 6' (by approximation)
Weight: 180 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Light brown

History:
(Man Comics#26/1 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Lance Brant is largely unrevealed, but at some point, he became a special operative working in conjunction with the U.S. government and the United Nations (see comments).

(Man Comics#26/1) - Lance was at his family home, meeting with his father and U.N. delegate John Carter. Carter had heard rumors that the vicious spy known as False Face had been hired to keep him from casting an important vote; Lance suggested that his department could assign a bodyguard for Carter, but Carter declined the offer.

   Later, after Carter was kidnapped by False Face and his henchmen, Lance and the police stormed the criminals' hideout in Chinatown; although False Face escaped, his defeated henchmen were taken into custody--Lance was unaware that the henchmen were beaten by his teenage brother Bob and the Trouble-Shooters.

(Man Comics#26/2) - Lance was sent to the "H" Bomb Project in New Mexico, where he learned from Colonel Whitney and Doctor Hale that blueprints for a deadly weapon had been stolen. Lance's investigation eventually led him to the thief: A strange hermit who could transform himself into a giant tarantula! After defeating the fantastic monster, Lance figured no one would believe the details of what had actually happened, so he merely wrote in his report that the blueprints were recovered and the thief was killed, case closed.

(Man Comics#27/2) - Lance's superior suspected that top secret documents were being microfilmed and smuggled out of the office, and he wanted Lance to partner with Agent Elliot to investigate the thefts. But the exhausted Lance insisted he needed to take the weekend off for a hunting vacation--realizing the hard-working Lance had earned it, the chief relented and granted his request for leave; Lance left the investigation entirely in Elliot's hands for the weekend.

   During his hunting trip, Lance's dog Spot retrieved a Chinese crested pheasant that Lance had shot, and Lance inadvertently discovered how the microfilmed documents were being smuggled out of the country. When he was captured by two enemy agents and held at gunpoint, Lance also learned that Elliot was a traitor who was working with the enemy agents. But with his quick action, Lance avoided death and put an end to the spy ring.

(Man Comics#27/3) - Lance was at his family home, where he told his father that the U.N. Council was sending him to investigate a report that the Russians were building some sort of rocket or spaceship--their discussion was overheard by Bob and the Trouble-Shooters. Later, when Lance went to his plane at the airport and took flight, he was unaware that he had four young stowaways aboard: Bob and his buddies.

   Lance landed in Australia, and soon found the Russian rocket, but he was captured by the cosmonauts and imprisoned with a kidnapped American scientist. While Lance was locked up, Bob and the Trouble-Shooters commandeered the rocket and flew to the Moon, then returned and secretly freed Lance--completely unaware of the boys' intervention, Lance later got full credit for capturing the Russians and rescuing the scientist.

(Man Comics#28/1) - Lance was at his family home, where he told his father that he had been assigned to find a gang of counterfeiters who were hiding somewhere in the city (...but it was actually little brother Bob and his buddies who solved the case).

(Man Comics#28/2) - Lance went to a government experimental factory and met with Dr. Mark Kells, who told him that blueprints for an atomic pistol had been photographed and smuggled out of the factory. Later, Lance walked past a toy store--while glancing through the window, he noticed a toy water pistol that was an exact replica of the atomic pistol in the blueprints.

   Lance's investigation eventually led him to the shipping dock of the Miracle Toy Co., where he found several crates of toy water pistols...but one crate contained working atomic pistols! Then Lance was knocked unconscious when Flora and her two henchmen took him by surprise--the femme fatale had a fiery deathtrap planned for him...

   When Lance revived, he found himself laying on a steel beam that was being swung into the mouth of the factory's furnace. Lance jumped off the beam and wrested the gun from Flora's hand, then shot both her henchmen before they could fire at him. But there was a third man shooting at him from the shadows of an upper catwalk, so Lance shot back--the man fell to the floor just as Lance's fellow agents burst in. Lance discovered the third man was Dr. Kells, who admitted with his dying words that he had photographed the blueprints for Flora; Kells further revealed that Flora had toys made that resembled the atomic pistols to throw anyone off the scent, because she was planning to ship the real atomic pistols to the Reds in Korea.

(Man Comics#28/3) - Lance was at his family home, where he told his father that he was investigating a series of local bank-robberies--the bank employees and patrons appeared to be frightened to death, and Lance theorized that the crimes were committed using a new form of poison gas (...but later, Bob and the Trouble-Shooters discovered that the deaths were actually caused by the horrifying illusions cast by young mutant Roger Carstairs).

Comments: Created by and unidentified writer and Carl Hubbell.

    There was very little information available about Lance--he only had 5-page solo stories sandwiched between two adventures of Bob and the Trouble-Shooters, and when he did appear in their stories, it was just a minor role.

    It was unclear exactly what agency employed Lance, because some stories had him working as a trouble-shooter for the security police of the U.N., while others mentioned he was a "government agent"--maybe he worked for an early version of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

    Although it was confirmed that Cecile Brant was Bob's mother, it was unrevealed if she was Lance's mother as well--considering that Lance looked to be about ten years older than Bob, it's possible that Cecile could have been Mr. Brant's second wife, and Lance's step-mother.

    This profile was completed 06/28/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Lance Brant has no known connections to:

"Chief" has no known connections to:

Spot has no known connections to:

Agent Elliot has no known connections to:

Dr. Mark Kells has no known connections to:

Flora has no known connections to:

Turk has no known connections to:

Niklos has no known connections to:

"Chief"

He (name unrevealed) was the supervisor of the investigative organization where Lance Brant worked--he considered Lance and Agent Elliot to be his top men.

When he was suspicious that secret documents were being photographed and smuggled from the office, he suspected that Agent Stevens was responsible, so he sent Elliot to bring Stevens in. He was meeting with Lance when Elliot returned to report that Stevens had been murdered--the chief figured Stevens had been killed by his comrades (...but it was actually the traitorous Elliot who did it).

The chief wanted Lance to partner with Elliot to continue the investigation. But the exhausted Lance insisted he needed to take the weekend off for a hunting vacation--realizing the hard-working Lance had earned it, the chief granted his request.

But the next day in his office, the chief was surprised when Lance returned from his vacation early--Lance reported that during his hunting trip, he had solved the case of the stolen documents.

--Man Comics#27/2

Spot

Lance Brant's dog (possibly a Dalmatian), he accompanied Lance for his weekend hunting trip.

After Lance shot a bird, Spot retrieved it for him. But Lance's suspicions were aroused when he saw the bird was a Chinese crested pheasant, and not native to the area; Lance also discovered a band on the bird's leg that contained microfilm of stolen secret U.S. documents.

--Man Comics#27/2

Agent Elliot

Elliot (first name unrevealed) was employed by the same agency as Lance Brant--the chief considered Elliot and Brant to be his top men. But the traitorous Elliot was working with two enemy agents to steal secret U.S. documents from the office. After Elliot microfilmed the documents, he made reprints and smuggled them out by placing them in capsules attached to bands on the legs of Chinese crested pheasants; the pheasants then flew to the enemy agents' rural hideout to feed.

When the chief grew suspicious that the documents were being microfilmed, he suspected Agent Stevens of committing the act, so he sent Elliot to bring Stevens in; but Elliot secretly killed Stevens and framed him for the crime.

When Elliot returned to the chief's office and reported that Stevens had been murdered, the chief wanted to continue the investigation by having Elliot partner with Lance Brant; but Brant insisted on taking the weekend off for a hunting vacation.

Elliot later went to the hideout when Lance was captured by the enemy agents--Lance had inadvertently discovered the document smuggling plot during his hunting trip.

Elliot was fatally shot during a gunfight with Lance. 

--Man Comics#27/2

unidentified enemy agents

They were two unidentified men who were agents for an unidentified communist power. They worked with the traitorous Agent Elliot to steal secret U.S. documents.

The agents maintained a field of Chinese rice by their rural hideout; after Elliot released Chinese crested pheasants that carried microfilm of the stolen documents, the birds flew to the rice field to feed, where they were caught in traps. The enemy agents then forced the microfilm down the pheasants' throats and shipped them in crates to a comrade in South America.

When Lance Brant inadvertently discovered their plot during his hunting trip, the enemy agents captured him and took him to their hideout, where Elliot was waiting. They were about to shoot Lance and throw his body in a nearby lake, but the quick-thinking Lance created a distraction by toppling some crates of pheasants--the freed birds flying inside the hideout added to the confusion as Lance started throwing punches. Elliot shot at Lance, but Lance returned fire and killed the traitor.

Lance then aimed his gun at the enemy agents and ordered them to drop their guns, or he'd blast their skulls off--the two men promptly surrendered.

--Man Comics#27/2

Dr. Mark Kells

Kells was employed at a government experimental factory, where an atomic pistol was being developed. At some point, he had fallen in love with the female spy Flora, and he would do anything for her, so Flora had him photograph blueprints of the atomic pistol and give them to her.

Kells met with Lance Brant when the government suspected that the secret blueprints had been photographed and smuggled out--Kells told Brant that he thought someone from the outside had taken the photographs, because all the factory's personnel were so well screened, and he couldn't believe that there was a traitor amongst them.

Later, Kells went to the Miracle Toy Co. to meet with Flora and her henchmen; but Brant's investigation led him there as well.

Kells was eventually killed in a gunfight with Brant, but with his dying words, Kells admitted that he had taken the photographs, and also revealed Flora's grand scheme.

--Man Comics#28/2

atomic pistol

A handheld weapon developed by a government experimental factory, it projected a disintegrating beam.

The spy Flora had Dr. Kells photograph the blueprints for her, then she had several working models built; she also had toy water pistols manufactured that resembled the atomic pistols--she planned to smuggle the atomic pistols out of the country with the toys and send them to the communist forces in Korea.

But when it was suspected that the blueprints had been photographed, Lance Brant came to investigate. Brant's investigation eventually led him to the Miracle Toy Co., where he found several crates of toy water pistols; but when he found that the pistols in one crate felt heavier than the others, Lance pointed a "toy" at the wall and squeezed the trigger--it projected a beam that burnt a hole in the cement wall, thus revealing that it was actually an atomic pistol.

Lance was then ambushed by Flora and her henchmen, but he eventually foiled her scheme.

(Comment: Since this occurred shortly after World War II, maybe the atomic pistol was built using plans confiscated from Baron Heinrich Zemo (who once built a "death ray").)

--Man Comics#28/2

Flora and her henchmen

The beautiful Flora (last name unrevealed) was a spy; she employed Turk and Niklos as her henchmen.

She had used her feminine wiles to entice Dr. Mark Kells into stealing blueprints of an atomic pistol for her. Flora then had several working models of the atomic pistols made; she also had some toy water pistols manufactured that were replicas of the atomic pistols.

Flora was going to have the real atomic pistols smuggled out with the toys, so no one would suspect they were weapons; she planned to ship them to the communist forces in Korea.

But her scheme was foiled by Lance Brant, who killed both her henchmen and Kells in a gunfight, and Flora was taken into custody.

(Comment: When she was first seen in the story, Flora addressed Lance as "Mr. Brant," which implies that she was familiar with him, so they probably first met in an earlier untold story. Also, in regards to Turk and Niklos: It was unclear which was which, so I'm only guessing in the images: information below.)

--Man Comics#28/2

images: (without ads)
Man Comics#26/1, p3, pan4 (Main Image - Lance Brant sitting at family home, speaking to Bob Brant)
Man Comics#27/2, p4, pan5 (Headshot - Lance Brant watches pheasant walk into a trap, but he gets captured by enemy agents)
Man Comics#27/2, p5, pan3 (Lance Brant toppling crates of pheasants as he fights enemy agents; Agent Elliot (background) )
Man Comics#27/1, p6, pan3 (Lance Brant (right) captured by a "Soviet Spaceman"; Bob Brant and Trouble-Shooters (background) )
Man Comics#27/2, p2, pan3 ("Chief")
Man Comics#27/2, p3, pan5 (Spot; Lance Brant (background) )
Man Comics#27/2, p3, pan8 (Spot retrieves pheasant for Lance Brant)
Man Comics#27/2, p2, pan5 (Agent Elliot reports that Agent Stevens is dead; Lance Brant (right), "Chief" (background))
Man Comics#27/2, p1, pan1 (enemy agents)
Man Comics#28/2, p1, pan4 (Dr. Mark Kells; Kells' unidentified associate (background) )
Man Comics#28/2, p5, pan7 (Dr. Mark Kells dying confession; Lance Brant, unidentified agent (background) )
Man Comics#28/2, p2, pan1 (Lance Brant looks at blueprints of atomic pistol)
Man Comics#28/2, p4, pan5 (in Miracle Toy Co., Lance Brant investigates toy water pistols (replicas of atomic pistols) )
Man Comics#28/2, p4, pan7 (in Miracle Toy Co., Lance Brant uses smuggled atomic pistol to burn hole in wall)
Man Comics#28/2, p4, pan9 (Flora with Niklos; Turk punches Lance Brant (background) )
Man Comics#28/2, p5, pan3 (Lance Brant jumps away from furnace and wrestles gun from Flora; Turk (background) )

Appearances:
Man Comics#26/1 (May, 1953) - unidentified writer, Carl Hubbell (pencils and inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Man Comics#26/2 (May, 1953) - unidentified writer, John Forte (pencils and inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Man Comics#27/2 (June, 1953) - unidentified writer, Sam Kweskin (pencils and inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Man Comics#27/3 (June, 1953) - unidentified writer, Carl Hubbell (pencils and inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Man Comics#28/1 (September, 1953) - unidentified writer, Carl Hubbell (pencils and inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Man Comics#28/2 (September, 1953) - unidentified writer, Al Carreno (pencils and inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Man Comics#28/3 (September, 1953) - unidentified writer, Carl Hubbell (pencils and inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First Posted: 09/02/2021
Last updated: 08/29/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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