Much of Norris's other work does survive in the form of numerous comics and newspaper strips he produced in his forty-plus year career. Best known for being the co-creator of Aquaman, Norris and writer Mort Weisinger were also responsible for what is possibly the first superhero makeover. In December of 1941, the two creators deleted the gas mask and gave DC's original Sandman an official super-suit, while saddling him with an annoying but popular kid sidekick (three issues later, Simon and Kirby would redo the character yet again). After the war, Norris would draw a selection of newspaper strips before settling on Brick Bradford for a thirty-five year run (he would do occasional comics work on the side throughout the years).
Norris's first comic book work (1940) was for Prize Publications, where he created or co-created (writer credits are often absent from GA stories or records) Futureman, Power Nelson, and the subject of this page, Yank and Doodle. Debuting in Prize Comics #13, August 1941, they were one of the pre-war plethora of super-patriotic superheroes. Rick and Dick Walters were pre-teen twin boys who gained the powers of super-strength and invulnerability when in close proximity of each other. Separate, they were powerless.
Their father, Walt Walters (what else?), would eventually join the twins for a long run (He temporarily became a superhero when fellow Prize Comics character Black Owl joined the Army and made Walt his successor) before again retiring in 1947. Yank and Doodle continued in Prize until entering comic book limbo in June of 1948.
The story below is from a landmark issue of Prize Comics, #24; it was the first time all of a company’s characters got together for a massive cross-over (above). The solo Yank and Doodle story (from the same issue) presented here is interesting for a number of reasons. First, it is an origin story of sorts, detailing the story behind the complete absence of a mother for the twins. The other is just how Adolf Hitler himself was involved in the first.
(http://goldenagecomics.co.uk/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Norris
