(Blue Bolt v2 001, 1941)
Twelve issues into the story of Dick Cole, Wonder-Boy, a wrinkle is introduced: another Wonder-Boy! And rather than the usual thing where an evil lab assistant etc. steals Professor Blair's research for his own use, this story introduces the concept of the double-thought wave. This is a theory that all the times in history that two people have had the same idea at the same time are not as a result of coincidence but rather some sort of psychic connection and thus when Professor Blair had his idea to raise a perfect boy the villainous Doktor Karno in Vienna had it too, and while Blair raises Dick to be a paragon of virtue, Karno is raising his Wonder-Boy Simba to be the perfect criminal.
This would be a parable of nurture over nature if Simba wasn't also specified to be the orphan child of two convicted murderers by the very chatty nun that Karno gets him from. As it stands we have two Wonder-Boys, ignorant of one another, one min/maxed for physical prowess and one with a more morality-heavy build.
Eventually, Karno and Simba hit the Big Apple and are immediately made aware of Dick's exploits. Simba has an immediate hatred for Dick so they hit upon the idea of doing some robberies while dressed as him - frame your rival/ make a few bucks at the same time!
The first hint of a rift in the Doktor Karno/ Simba team come when Simba is so taken with Dick Cole's military school uniform that he insists on joining the school himself.
Meanwhile, Dick is subjected to torture by the local idiot cops until they bother to check his alibi and learn that it is watertight. His initial effort having failed, Simba settles in at Farr Military Academy in what amounts to a bully role with occasional forays into crime with Doktor Karno. In both capacities he regularly gets beaten up by Dick Cole.
Eventually, one of those beatings must have knocked something loose, because Simba realizes that what he really wants is not to destroy Dick Cole but befriend him.
To that end, Simba tries to reform but Karno blackmails him into one last job, with the clear implication that this will continue ad nauseam. Simba confesses to Dick who helps him go straight - he's put on probation in the school's care and Karno is arrested. A happy ending for all!
BUT HOLD ON KARNO GETS OUT and uses brain surgery to return Simba to his former amoral state!
Simba is almost doomed to be Karno's criminal tool forever but lucky for him Dick gets word, stops him from stealing a mess of radium and forces Karno reverse the operation. Karno is sent packing and the next time he's heard from it's because he's died. Finally a happy ending for everyone! Except Doktor Karno!
Going forward in the Dick Cole strip, Simba is just part of the gang - I just checked and he's in Blue Bolt v10 002, the final issue of the series. Just a second super-powered boy palling around with the first one, though given Novelty Press' commitment to removing all elements of unreality from their comics Simba is eventually just a regular guy with a very weird backstory. Still, it's all very wholesome, although my Been On the Internet Too Much sense tells me that if it were a thing today I'll bet the shippers would have their filthy mitts all over its unintentional homoeroticism.
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