Name: Johnny Thunder
Universe: Earth-1
Alter Ego: John Tane
Occupation: Schoolteacher
Marital Status: Married
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: Mesa City
Known Relatives: William Tane (father), Unnamed Mother (deceased), Jeanne Walker Tane (wife), Charles Tane (son), Rebecca Tane (daughter)
Height: 5 ft. 10 in.
Weight: 177 lbs.
Hair Color: Blond
Eye Color: Blue
First Appearance: All-American Comics #100

History:
As a boy, John Tane had been taught by his father, Bill, the sheriff of Mesa City, that there was only one way to deal with crime--bullets. At the same time, John's mother tried to teach him that books were better than bullets, that if most criminals had gotten a decent education they would never have turned to crime. Even as John received his own education, he learned to use a gun at his father's side, until he became a lightning-fast draw and expert marksman.

Though his father wanted him to follow as sheriff of Mesa City, John's mother made him swear at her deathbed that he would become a schoolmaster instead, teaching his students that books are more powerful than bullets. Thus, when Bill Tane asked his son to become his deputy, John reluctantly refused, leaving Bill Tane to believe his son a coward.

Despite his promise to his mothe, it soon became obvious to the young schoolteacher that his aging father was in desperate need of help but too proud to ask for it. When a gang of thugs publicly humiliated Sheriff Tane, John made a momentous decision. Returning home, John Tane secretly donned a colorful outfit he had ordered for a masquerade, used costumer's hair dust to turn his blond hair black, and strapped on the six-gun he'd sworn to his mother he'd never wear. Thus changing his appearance, as well as his speech pattern, John Tane felt he could remain true to his oath--by becoming another person. It would not be John Tane who would fight crime at his father's side, it would be someone else. And a clap of thunder at that precise moment gave him his new name--Johnny Thunder!.

In the months that followed, Johnny Thunder helped Sheriff Tane protect Mesa City, thwarted only by the masked female "Robin Hood," who called herself Madame .44. During an encounter with Johnny's arch-enemy Silk Black, Madame .44 accidentally learned Johnny Thunder's true identity, while Johnny learned that Madame .44 was actually his lady friend Jeanne Walker, a local photographer.

Admitting their love for one another, John and Jeanne revealed their true identities to Sheriff Tane and were married soon after, promising to help the sheriff keep the peace in Mesa City.

Powers:
A superb athlete and hand-to-hand combatant, Johnny Thunder was also an expert sharpshooter and a superior horseman. He rode a white stallion whose odd dark marking on its forehead earned it the name Black Lightnin'.