Windsor Knox was the pen name of Ira Fink, creator of Captain Action. After Fink's tragic death in 1942, long time friend Benjamin Turner took over the series continuing to use the Knox name until All-Action Weekly was canceled in 1957. Other writers are rumored to have also contributed to the Captain's adventures during that period, all using the pseudonym Windsor Knox.

The nature of writer's contracts at the time makes it difficult to tell exactly who wrote what. In general it is believed that the tales with a more science fiction flavor were penned by Turner's young assistant Able Cohen, while the stories of international intrigue, spies, and Nazis were the work of Turner. As many stories contained all of these elements, perhaps some collaboration went on.

Ira Fink was born in 1901 in New York to immigrant parents Jonathan and Martha Fink. Fink grew up in his father's print shop and showed every sign of becoming a printer himself, until war broke out in Europe. At 16 Ira Fink lied about his age to enlist in the army and fight the war to end war. He entered the air corps and had a successful well decorated career. Like Captain Action, Fink started a charter air service after the war. His endeavor, however, was not as successful as his fictional counterpart's, and in 1930 he found himself stranded in South America, bankrupt and in despair.

He was on the verge of selling his plane and returning to his father's printing business when a friend handed him a copy of Jones & Rhodes' All-War magazine. His friend urged Fink to write up some of his war experiences and submit them. Fink however, couldn't help embellishing his tales and inventing a more dynamic version of himself whom he dubbed Sebastian Clarke.

Jack Ross, editor of All-War, enjoyed Fink's story, but found it too sensational for his magazine. He passed the manuscript on to fellow Jones & Rhodes editor Alex Jones Jr. who was putting together a new title, All-Action. It was Jones who came up with the name Captain Action and, after convincing Fink to do a slight rewrite to include the new nick-name, bought the story. Fink soon signed a long term contract and became the main contributor to All-Action until he was struck down by a drunk driver in 1942.

When Jones & Rhodes went bust in 1957 most of their characters fell into obscurity. The Trademark for Captain Action was never secured and when a toy later appeared with that name there was nothing Jones & Rhodes could do.

© 1999 Dominic Lopez