During the Golden Age, Fox published a number of characters including the original Blue Beetle I. Years later the Charlton group bought upnthe rights for a number of comic book properties and added them tontheir stable universe known as Earth-Four. The Earth-Fox also had a copy of the Phantom Lady. It would seem that when DC acquired the rights to the National characters in the Silver Age that they assumed that they also had rights to the Phantom Lady who had been originally published by Quality. However the character had in part transferred to Fox where she become popular before the Comic Code came in.
(timeline by Nathanial Parkson, edited by me)
2520 to 2494 BC
The evil pharoah Kha-ef-re rules in ancient Egypt. He creates a mystical scarab which is lost for 4,500 years. [Blue Beetle V2#1]
1059 BC
Kalkor, a priest of Isis, perishes battling the 'Queen of Evil' Nagana, who is transformed into a statue. [Fantastic Comics #22]
circa 260 AD
Caius Martius is a gladiator to whom the gods gave the power of flight so that he might fight for the rights of the average citizen. Unfortunately, one day he took on a sorcerer and is trapped in a block of stone. [Weird Comics #5]
1101
Count Rorret becomes the immortal Black Tarantula, eventually meeting his end in April 1950. [Feature Presentation #5]
12th century
Sir Richard of Warwick, also known as the Golden Knight, is a loyal servant of King Richard, the Lionheart.
18th century
Our Lady of the Shadows University (or UniversitŽ Notre Dame des Ombres) is founded, on the French Riviera. 200 years later, under Dean Sandra Knight, students would include Emma Peel (nŽe Emma Knight) and Dee Tyler.
19th Century Era
Tex Maxon becomes Phantom Rider. [Wonderworld Comics #3]
1939
Montague 'Rex' Dexter and his wife travel to Mars. [Mystery Men Comics #1]
Stardust the Super Wizard has first public case on Earth. [Fantastic Comics #1]
Richard Alden becomes the Mystery Man. [Mystery Men Comics #5] The first contemporary masked crimefighter, subsequent similar adventurers are popularly refered to as 'mystery men.'
May
Fred Carson is given a magic ring as a gift from an old yogi to battle all evil and becomes Wonder Man. [Wonder Comics #1]
July
American Spy K-51 is active in Occupied Europe fighting the Germans. [Wonderworld Comics #3]
Newsreel Reporter Patty O'Day has adventures. [Wonderworld Comics #3]
"Spark" Stevens is a two-fisted, brawling sailor on the U.S.S. Dragon. He and his pal Chuck, both wireless operators, get into all sorts of trouble on their own and while fighting the Axis. [Wonderworld Comics #3]
Gary Preston is the baby son of Charteris Preston, an American missionary in China. A flood washes Charteris away, and Gary is only saved by being placed in a basket. He is washed into Tibet, where he is found by lamas. They raise him and educate and train him, so that he is at the peak of physical and mental powers. He is also trained in magic, specifically in the power over flame. As an adult he vows to use his abilities to fight crime and evil and returns to the United States with a costume to fulfill his vow as The Flame. [Wonderworld Comics #3]
August
Dan Garret, a policeman, gains superpowers from Vitamin 2X to become the Blue Beetle. [Mystery Men Comics #1]
Chen Chang is the Master Mind, highly cultured and wealthy but desiring only to bring disaster upon the White Race! [Mystery Men Comics #1]
Secret Agent Richard Anthony becomes D-13. [Mystery Men Comics #1]
Naval Intelligence Lieutenant Drake has adventures against spies, saboteurs, and other enemies of the American military. [Mystery Men Comics #1]
Michael Selby (later Shelby), an independently wealthy private eye, first becomes the Green Mask to fight crime. Later on he is placed in a "vita-ray" chamber and subjected to "super-charged shocks." These give him powers, and he decides to fight crime and rackets as a "miracle man." [Mystery Men Comics #1]
December
Samson, a direct descendant of the Biblical Samson, is inspired by a visit to eastern holy man, and chooses to fight crime. [Fantastic Comics #1]
Yank Wilson gains notoriety as 'Super-Spy Q-4.' [Fantastic Comics #1]
World War II Era (1940-1945)
American Army Air Force Captain Jack Terry has adventures against saboteurs and all things German. [All Great Comics #1]
Major Randy Ronald had been the Army Air Force's "Ace of Aces,'' their best fighter pilot, but he was shot down and was presumed dead. The truth was worse than that. He'd been captured by the Germans and mutilated. He escaped, however, and then put on a bronze mask and dedicated his life to "mercilessly exterminating brute force and injustice!" as Bronze Man. [Blue Beetle #42]
1940
Don Tracy becomes Domino, Green Mask's sidekick. [Green Mask #2]
The Moth/ Mothman has adventures. [Mystery Men Comics #9]
Marga the Panther Woman, raised by a group of black panthers, has adventures. [Science Comics #1]
Jim Andrews discovers that he has the superpowers and uses them to fight crime as Electro before changing his superhero name to Dynamo. [Science Comics #1]
Bill Powers, a true American patriot, fights the Germans as a spy and then puts on a flag-colored costume and fights against them and their American sympathizers as the Eagle. [Science Comics #1]
David has adventures as Samson's Sidekick. [Fantastic Comics #10]
April
Over the vast wilderness of the great Western canyons swoops the Bird Man, winged hunter of the plains. A descendant of an ancient Indian god, the Bird Man is gifted with the ability to fly and the keeness of a bird of prey. [Weird Comics #1]
The Moth, rumored to be a mere urban legend, has adventures. [Mystery Men Conics #9]
Dr. Mortal is an elderly, brilliant scientist who lives outside the city with his beautiful young niece, Marlene. He's a Mad Scientist Creating Monsters for bad ends. [Weird Comics #1]
May
Jack Knapp, a hard-working young scientist, is the beneficiary of an accidental explosion which gives him the power to turn himself into a living flame and have adventures as Blue Fire. [Weird Comics #2]
August
Caius Martius emerges from the stone and fights crime as The Dart. [Weird Comics #5]
Ace Barlow becomes Amazing Boy, Dart's Sidekick. [Weird Comics #5]
September
Peter Thor becomes Dynamite Thor, an adventurer who wears a costume that allows him to shoot himself through the air by blowing up sticks up dynamite beneath him. [Weird Comics #6]
The Blue Beetle, the Flame, and Samson unite to fight crime as The Big Three. [Big 3 #1] V-Man substitutes for Samson when the latter is unable to affiliate with the others due to religious observance or other obligations. [Big 3 #7]
1941
James [Wayne?] has adventures as the Lynx. He is accompanied by his ward, Phil [Grayson?] as Blackie the Mystery Boy. [Mystery Men Comics #13]
Jake Baxter has adventures as the Blackbird. [Blue Beetle #9]
Newspaper photographer "Lens" Crockett has adventures as the Nightbird. [Green Mask #6]
An emigrant from the Moon, whose ship crashes on Earth, fights crime as Lu-Nar, accompanied by a cab driver named "Beansie" Mulligan and a woman named Adele.[Wonderworld Comics #28]
Kalkor is revived in the modern day by the goddess Isis, after Nagan returns. He takes on the civilian guide of John Kerry. [Fantastic Comics #22]
January
George Davis, a very successful and therefore bored big game hunter, decides to go after The Most Dangerous Game and begins hunting criminals. He goes by the name the Black Lion and fights crime. [Wonderworld Comics #21]
Larry Davis becomes Cub, Black Lion's Sidekick. [Wonderworld Comics #21]
April
John Perry, a gossip columnist for the Daily Clarion, also writes crime reports. He decides that he can best get information by going undercover, so he puts on a disguise and goes out investigating and crime solving that way as Black Fury. He is partnered with "Chuck" Marley, the son of a slain cop, who takes the name Kid Fury. [Fantastic Comics #17]
August
Jim O'Donnell's stepfather is killed in Ireland by the masked villain the Scorpion, and Jim emigrates to the U.S., where he finds the Scorpion and defeats him. He decides to begin fighting crime as Banshee, to stop others from being hurt the way his stepfather was. [Fantastic Comics #21]
US Jones begins adventures. [Wonderworld Comics #28 #1]
Sharon Kane becomes The Spider Queen. [Eagle #2-4] NOTE: Spider Queen has an Earth-616 counterpart seen in the second volume Invaders miniseries.
October
Art Connoisseur Dan Kenneth becomes The Gladiator. [Fantastic Comics #23]
October
Linda Dale becomes Flame Girl, The Flame's Sidekick. [Wonderworld Comics #30]
1942
January
Jerry Steele is given a magical costume which grants him powers as V-Man. He is later assisted by the V-Boys Defense Corps. [V...-Comics #1]
October
Sparkington J. Northrup becomes Sparky, Blue Beetle's sidekick. [Blue Beetle #13]
Michael Shelby dies or transcends to become the Green Mask entity. He grants powers to Walter Green who becomes the second Green Mask. [Mystery Men #31, last recorded case]
1944
Alan Dale/Hale has adventures as Captain V (possibly mentored by V-Man). He later takes the name of The Puppeteer. [All Top Comics #1]
Anita "Ann" Morgan has adventures as The Purple Tigress. [All Good Comics #1]
On an alternate Earth (possibly Earth-C), Pussy Katnip invents '"Katnip Fizz" which grants her super powers. [The Book of Comics #1]
August
Jonathan Green, son of Walter Green, is inhabited by the Green Mask entity and becomes Green Mask III whenever he becomes angry and cries out at any display of injustice ("Eee-ow!"). [Green Mask #10]
Johnny's girlfriend, Suzie, on occasion dons the costume of the Green Mask. [All Good Comics#1]
September
Adam Antaeas, Jr., is a sculptor and artist. He creates a statue of the Greek "god" Antaeus, only to find that when danger threatens the statue comes to life. When that happens, Adam gains superstrength-the statue already has it-and can, like the statue, bounce through the air and land on bad guys, stopping them cold as The Bouncer. [The Bouncer #11]
1945-1946
On an alternate Earth (possibly Earth-C), Cosmo Cat is exposed to U-235 and acquires superpowers. [Ribtickler #1]
On an alternate Earth (possibly Earth-C), Marvel Mutt has adventures. [Ribtickler #1]
Richard Darrow becomes Electro. [Jo-Jo Comics #2]
Steve Lane/Murray Mane becomes The Jaguar, accompanied by a pet jaguar named Ebony/Ja-Go.[All Great Comics #1/Zoot Comics #2]
Former cop and now private detective Dick Transom has adventures solving cases. [All Good Comics #1]
One Round Hogan has adventures. [All Good Comics #1]
Rick Evans is an internationally-known teen adventurer who uses his spaceship to fight crime and help people. [All Good Comics #1]
Daily Planet reporter Joan Mason begins her adventures as a headline reporter, after many years of accompanying the Blue Beetle. [All Great Comics #1]
Canadian Mountie Sergeant Blake has adventures. Sometimes he's also "Inspector Blake," an American detective who travels around the U.S. fighting crime. [All Great Comics #1]
1947
Dagar, known as the Desert Hawk, has adventures accompanied by his girlfriend Ayesha. [All-Great Comics #13]
Rulah the Jungle Goddess has adventures. [Zoot Comics #7]
1948
Phara the 'Living Goddess' is the ruler and protector of the land of Kait. [Zegra #2]
1955
Blue Beetle falls victim to a mad scientist's bomb. [Americomics #3: The Blue Beetle]
1960
Rex Dexter has adventures. He was born the first human on Mars. [Mystery Men Comics #1]
1964
Dan Garrett, an archaeologist, gains super powers from a mystic blue scarab to become Blue Beetle II. [Blue Beetle V2#1]
1966
Blue Beetle II's career is snuffed out by one who seeks to avoid justice.
Ted Kord, a scientist who witnessed the death of Dan Garrett, undergoes extreme physical training and develops specialised weaponry to become Blue Beetle III. [Captain Atom #83]
1988
Delilah Tyler becomes Phantom Lady II. [Action Comics #636]
Sometime in The Future
Ted Kord briefly becomes the Silverfish.
Interplanetary Patrol Ace Rocket Pilot Cosmic Carson has adventures. [Science Comics #1]
Perisphere Payne has adventures. [Science Comics #1]
Space Smith has adventures. [Fantastic Comics #1]
In their fast spaceship Blast Bennett and his companion Red speed through the space ways in search of adventure. [Weird Comics #1]
Sub Sanders is a member of the US Submarine Forces. [Fantastic Comics #1]