Magno the Magnetic Man

The Original Magno (Quality Comics)

Magno was a short-lived hero that debuted during the height of Quality’s super-hero expansion. The stories focused mainly on his costumed adventures, leaving Tom Dalton’s personal life mostly unexplored.

Magno’s amazing powers of magnetism were the result of “having been electrocuted by 10,000 D.C. volts, then being shocked back to life by an equal current of A.C. volts!” With these powers, Tom Dalton became a blue collar man with an extraordinary secret. As a lineman in a coastal town, he often needed to make quick excuses to duck out and fight injustice. (Smash Comics #13)

Magno was a natural, and showed great cunning, skill, and mastery of his new powers. His opponents were mad scientists and racketeers. In one jam-packed adventure, he pursued a goon by diving into the depths of a swamp and uncovering a labyrinth. Dozens of prisoners had been transformed by a madman, whom he overthrew, and destroyed his complex. (#18) 

When his passenger plane was hijacked en route to Alaska, he defended the home front by uncovering an invasion plot. (#19)

His last  adventure involved the search for a missing archaeologist and an arcane Egyptian secret. (#21)

Either Gustavson or Busy Arnold didn’t care for Magno because just as things were heating up for him, he was replaced in the next issue (Smash #22) by another Gustavson creation, the Jester.

DC

DC’s use of Magno picks up right where Quality’s left off. In All-Star Squadron #32, Uncle Sam explained how he had recruited Magno and others to form the Freedom Fighters. Sam had received a premonition of the attack on Pearl Harbor and these heroes went to prevent it. After a good rally, they were ambushed and the entire team was left for dead. Magno was the only one who truly died that day (though at the time of this tale’s publication, it was suggested that all of the Freedom Fighters, except for Uncle Sam, had been killed). (All-Star Squadron #32)

Notes

Another hero called Magno debuted just before Quality’s hero debuted, in Ace’s Super-Mystery Comics vol. 1 #1 (July 1940). This character was the cover star and also starred in Ace's Four Favorites. There is no connection between the two, but their powers were somewhat similar.

Powers

Though his name suggests that he wields magnetism, Magno was actually more of a living battery; he channeled electricity. Using the currents inside him, he could create a variety of effects. He had a sort of “super eyes” that would see great distances. He wore metal wristbands that created a powerful electromagnetic field when he applied his powers. The resulting force could propel him at super-speed. He could also create a sort of force field that could repel metallic objects. And naturally, he could manipulate metallic objects as well.

A second Magno has recently appeared, as a member of the Crusaders—an opposition group to the modern-day Freedom Fighters. (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #3) Magno II eventually joined the Freedom Fighters, but nothing is known about his personal history. (#7)