Jack Wayne, a former fighter pilot, worked under Pop Simms as an American correspondent for the New York Globe's Berlin Bureau. One day, both men were taken by the Gestapo for questioning and were tortured (mostly by whip) however, while Jack was only scarred and blinded, Pop was killed. Before he could share his mentor's fate, Jack fought his way free. A kindly hunchback took him to see Dr. Dismal and his secret laboratory underneath Gestapo headquarters.

The doctor (despite his super-villain-like name) notices the reporter's optic nerves aren't totally dead and creates special goggles allowing him to see by magnifying the light into his eyes.

Dismal then revealed that he was a head of a German Underground, also called the Underground Society, a resistance movement against the Nazis. Its members are mostly native Germans who were victimized by the Gestapo. Dr. Dismal must wear a metal skull cap as his skull was shattered and the hunchback's face is left with a perpetual tortured smile, both victims of the Gestapo's whips. Jack Wayne stayed with them and adopted the costumed identity of Blackout, a crime fighter who ventured out in the night to make the criminals fear the darkness. He had no superpowers.

Later, Blackout became one of the chiefs and top operatives of the society.

His enemies included the villainous vixen of the skies known as the Valkyrie.

*Cat-Man Comics #10-15, 20-24

*A Blackout story from ''Cat-Man Comics'' #24 was re-printed and re-colored in ''Tailspin Comics'' #1, with the character re-named Firebird.

*[http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/b/blakout2.htm International Hero]
*[http://fourcolorshadows.blogspot.com/2012/06/blackout-robert-brice-1941.html Four-Color Shadows]
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