1941--the world is at war. Deep in the underground kingdom of Abysmia, its ruler, the mighty Rockman, becomes aware of the war raging above him and is mystified that anyone would want to destroy the natural beauty of the surface world. Rockman decides to join the Allied forces. Rockman is immensely strong and durable, and for transportation he possesses the mighty Earth-digger. He uses the resources of his underground kingdom to fight a fierce battle against the Axis powers, which are bent on world domination. For should the forces of evil prevail up on the surface world, it is only a matter of time before these same villains would try to conquer his kingdom of Abysmia.
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Rockman was another lost-race hero, this time one from underground, appearing as a backup for four issues of U.S.A. Comics. Stan Lee did an early script with the renowned Basil Wolverton doing the art, later yielding to Syd Shores. Rockman’s title “Underground Secret Agent” (USA) fit his magazine home.
Underground heroes are very rare in comics, where the worlds below the earth are havens for villains and nasty lost races. If a hero comes from or discovers a benign lost race, it is usually in the skies (like the Red Raven) or mountaintops (like the Thin Man). These were the haunts of the gods and angels. The earth is the place of the dead or of gnomes, dwarves, trolls, and other malign beings. But Rockman the ruler of Abysmia presides over a benign race that recoils at the war-torn surface world.
In his first journey to the surface Rockman fought Roffler a foreign agent. Later he took on Zombo, the telepathic ruler of human minds and the Pixie King.
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