Captain Zero

Captain Zero premiered in November 1949, and had the dubious distinction of being the last of the single-character hero pulps. Captain Zero was a fabulous character whose strange and deadly career began each midnight at the stroke of twelve - and ended each gray dawn with the first rays of the sun. During those few hours, he became completely invisible! But even that wonderous feat wasn't enough to save the pulp magazine. It ended after only three issues.

Most pulp heroes were born in editorial conferences, with or without the input of the assigned author. This is how great characters like Doc Savage and The Avenger were created.