Hey, Phantom Skull, catch the drift of this profile on...

The Dart

2200 years ago...

    In ancient Rome, Caius Martius, the terror of Roman criminals, is breaking up an extortion racket. Springing through the air like a dart, he captures the evil followers of Marius the malevolent! Later that night Marius plans to have his henchman Lucius and his band of racketeers waylay Caius Martius. Upon being captured and knocked out, Caius Martius is brought before the heinous Marius, who instructs Lucius to use his occult powers to dissolve Caius Martius’s body into a slab of stone for the next 2200 years!

    Later (some 2200 years later, that is) in a museum in the United States, Caius Martius comes back to life. Now thrust into the 20th century, he marvels at the people and their strange clothes. Suddenly a car blazes down the street, bullets flying from the car mowing down innocent people. Upon seeing this metal monster and its sting of death, Caius darts to the rescue with his sword and drives the metal monster away. In the process he saves a boy, Ace Barlow, whose parents were gunned down by the gangsters.

    Now that the boy is an orphan, Caius adopts him and trains the boy for several months in the now ancient Roman art of self-defense. Calling themselves the Dart and Ace, the Bat Boy and garbed in identical costumes, Caius and Ace set forth to avenge the deaths of Ace’s parents. The Ricardo Gang killed Ace's parents and those other innocent people in an effort to expand their crime empire. The Dart and Ace the bat-wielding boy capture the gang and break up the crime ring, proving that crime doesn't pay!

Note: After their first case all cover photos depicting the Dart and Ace in action feature the uniforms you see here. Modeling the Dart's first costume is Pike (click here to see Pike), who is secretly the girlfriend of Martin Wheeler, the identity that Caius Martius has adopted in his role of museum curator. The darting duo continue on for a while combating the great forces of evil, an ever-present symbol of Roman justice and American know-how!