Hop Harrigan™

Character History

History & Public Domain Status

Hop Harrigan™, AKA Hopkins Harrigan, first appeared in All-American Comics #1 in 1939, published by All-American Publications (later merged with DC). Billed as “America’s Ace of the Airways,” Hop was a civilian pilot turned adventurer, drawn into wartime exploits alongside his mechanic pal “Tank” Tinker. He became one of the first aviation heroes in comics, even starring in a 1946 Columbia Pictures movie serial.

Due to lapsed copyright renewal on his Golden Age comics and related material, Hop Harrigan’s original stories are now in the public domain. Later DC appearances, reimaginings, and trademarks remain under protection, but the character’s earliest form is freely available for new works.

In our stories, Hop Harrigan™ remains the daring young pilot of the skies — but one shaped by scars both physical and emotional. Reimagined with a prosthetic leg forged by wartime ingenuity, Hop symbolizes resilience and adaptation.

He partners with Spy Smasher™ as a trusted ally and foil, the man who keeps the mission flying even when the hero falters. Hop’s legacy is not just aviation daring, but survival against the odds, carrying forward the restless spirit of the air.