1.
Carmine Infantino
–
Carmine Michael Infantino was an American comic book artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age of Comic Books. Alongside Len Wein, he created Christopher Chance, the iteration of Human Target. He was inducted into comics Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2000, Carmine Infantino was born via midwife in his familys apartment in Brooklyn, New York City. Carmine Infantinos mother, Angela Rosa DellaBadia, emigrated from Calitri, Infantino attended Public Schools 75 and 85 in Brooklyn before going on to the School of Industrial Art in Manhattan. As Infantino recalled, I used to go around as a youngster into companies, go in, one day I went to this place on 23rd Street, this old broken-down warehouse, and I met Harry Chesler. Now, I was told he was a guy and he used people. But he was sweet to me. You come up here, Ill give you a dollar a day, just study art, learn and that was damn nice of him, I thought. He did that for me for a whole summer, with Frank Giacoia penciling, Infantino inked the feature Jack Frost in USA Comics #3, from Timely Comics, the forerunner of Marvel Comics. He wrote in his autobiography that. Frank Giacoia and I were in constant contact, one day in 40 we decided to go up to Timely Comics. to see if we could get some work. They gave us a script called Jack Frost and that became our first published work. Frank did the pencils and I did the inking, Joe Simon was the editor and he offered us both a staff job. Frank quit school and took the job, I wanted desperately to quit school and I told my father that it was a great opportunity. Things were very bad, he was desperate for money, if youre that good, the job will be there later. I cant love the man enough for that, so Frank took the job and I didnt. I was 15 or 16 and I just kept making my rounds in the early 40s, Infantinos first published work for DC was The Black Canary, a six-page Johnny Thunder story in Flash Comics #86 that introduced the superheroine the Black Canary. Infantinos long association with the Flash mythos began with The Secret City a story in All-Flash #31 and he additionally became a regular artist of the Golden Age Green Lantern and the Justice Society of America. During the 1950s, Infantino freelanced for Joe Simon and Jack Kirbys company, Prize Comics, back at DC, during a lull in the popularity of superheroes, Infantino drew Westerns, mysteries, science fiction comics
2.
Frank Giacoia
–
Frank Giacoia was an American comic book artist known primarily as an inker. He sometimes worked under the name Frank Ray, and to a lesser extent Phil Zupa, and the single moniker Espoia, Frank Giacoia studied at Manhattans School of Industrial Art and the Art Students League of New York. He entered the industry by penciling the feature Jack Frost in U. S. A. Comics #3, published by Marvel Comics 1940s precursor, Timely Comics and his friend and collaborator Carmine Infantino, a classmate at the Art Students League, recalled that. Frank Giacoia and I were in constant contact. One day in 40 we decided to go up to Timely Comics and they gave us a script called Jack Frost and that story became our first published work. Frank did the pencils and I did the inking, Joe Simon was the editor and he offered us both a staff job. Frank quit school and took the job, I wanted desperately to quit school and I told my father that it was a great opportunity. Later in 1941, Giacoia joined the New York City comic-book packager Eisner & Iger and his early works include crime for Ace Comics, horror for Avon Publishing, and a multitude of characters for National Comics Publications including the Flash and Batman. Comics #1, he penciled the debut of the feature Jack Frost, inked by friend, Giacoia and writer Otto Binder introduced the short-lived character Captain Wonder in Kid Komics #1. One of the companys preeminent names, he worked on every title at one time or another. Giacoia inked the first appearance of the Punisher in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 and he was credited as Frankie Ray for some time. In Fantastic Four #53, his name was announced in the Bullpen Bulletins. Giacoia was nominated for the Shazam Award for Best Inker in 1974, in 2016, Giacoia posthumously won one of the two annual Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Awards. The award was received by his great-nephew, Mike Giacoia, gil Kane, Carmine Infantino, Gene Colan and Jack Kirby all benefited from his heavy, robust linework which always helped tell the story in a simple, direct way. His collaboration with Kirby on the newspaper strip Johnny Reb and Billy Yank was superb. Frank worked for many publishers during his 40-odd years in comics, Lev Gleason, Hillman, Timely, DC, Frank Giaocia at the Comic Book DB Frank Giaocia at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
3.
DC Comics
–
DC Comics, Inc. is an American comic book publisher. It is the unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. a division of Time Warner, the company has also published non-DC Universe-related material, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta and many titles under their alternative imprint Vertigo. The initials DC came from the popular series Detective Comics. Random House distributes DC Comics books to the market, while Diamond Comic Distributors supplies the comics shop specialty market. DC Comics and its major, longtime competitor Marvel Comics together shared 70% of the American comic book market in 2016, entrepreneur Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications in autumn 1934. The company debuted with the tabloid-sized New Fun, The Big Comic Magazine #1 with a date of February 1935. That title evolved into Adventure Comics, which continued through issue #503 in 1983, in 2009 DC revived Adventure Comics with its original numbering. In 1935, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman, created Doctor Occult. Wheeler-Nicholsons third and final title, Detective Comics, advertised with a cover illustration dated December 1936, the themed anthology series would become a sensation with the introduction of Batman in issue #27. By then, however, Wheeler-Nicholson had gone, Detective Comics, Inc. was formed, with Wheeler-Nicholson and Jack S. Liebowitz, Donenfelds accountant, listed as owners. Major Wheeler-Nicholson remained for a year, but cash-flow problems continued, shortly afterward, Detective Comics, Inc. purchased the remains of National Allied, also known as Nicholson Publishing, at a bankruptcy auction. Detective Comics, Inc. soon launched a fourth title, Action Comics, Action Comics #1, the first comic book to feature the new character archetype—soon known as superheroes—proved a sales hit. The company quickly introduced such popular characters as the Sandman and Batman. That year, Gaines let Liebowitz buy him out, and kept only Picture Stories from the Bible as the foundation of his own new company, at that point, Liebowitz promptly orchestrated the merger of All-American and Detective Comics into National Comics. Next he took charge of organizing National Comics, Independent News, National Periodical Publications became publicly traded on the stock market in 1961. The company began to move aggressively against what it saw as copyright-violating imitations from other companies, such as Fox Comics Wonder Man and this extended to DC suing Fawcett Comics over Captain Marvel, at the time comics top-selling character. Despite the fact that parallels between Captain Marvel and Superman seemed more tenuous, the courts ruled that substantial and deliberate copying of copyrighted material had occurred, faced with declining sales and the prospect of bankruptcy if it lost, Fawcett capitulated in 1955 and ceased comics publication
4.
Science-fiction comics
–
Publication of science fiction comics became increasingly common during the early 1930s in newspapers published in the United States. They have since spread to countries around the world, with the two largest publishers of this comic genre today being the United States and Japan. The first science-fiction comic was the gag cartoon Mr. Skygack, from Mars by A. D. Condo, the first non-humorous science fiction comic strip, Buck Rogers, appeared in 1929, and was based on a story published that year in Amazing Stories. It was quickly followed by others in the genre, notably Flash Gordon, Brick Bradford, and this influence spread to comic books, in which science fiction themes became increasingly more popular, one notable title was Planet Comics. With the introduction of Superman, the genre was born. In the 1950s, EC Comics had great success and popularity in publishing science fiction comics of increasing complexity, however, a wave of anti-comic feeling stirred-up among parents and educators by Dr. Fredric Werthams book Seduction of the Innocent threatened to drive them out of business. Japanese manga also featured science fiction elements, in the 1950s, Osamu Tezukas Astro Boy was one of the first major mangas that centered around science fiction. In the following decades, many other creators and works would follow, including Leiji Matsumoto, Katsuhiro Otomo, in the UK, the publication of Eagle gave a platform for the launch of Dan Dare in 1950. Starting in the mid-sixties, The Trigan Empire, drawn by Don Lawrence was featured in Look, in the 1970s, publications, such as 2000 AD, featured a selection of regular stories putting a science fiction spin on popular themes, like sports or war. Its success spawned a number of spin-offs in imitators like Tornado, Starlord, when the Nazi occupation forces banned the import of Flash Gordon into France, Le Rayon U was created as replacement in the magazine Bravo which had been running the former. Other French science fiction comics which debuted in 1943 include Otomox, featuring a robot, serialized in Pic et Nic. The first French comics magazine featuring a science fiction hero was in 1947 with the relatively short-lived Radar. A far longer lasting French comics magazine would be the small-format Meteor, published from 1953 through 1964, subsequent notable French science fiction include publications like Métal Hurlant and authors like Enki Bilal and Moebius. With the invention of the Internet, a number of science fiction comics have been published primarily online. Among the earliest science fiction webcomics was Polymer City Chronicles, which first appeared in 1994, other notable comics include Schlock Mercenary, and Starslip Crisis. The first graphic novels were popular comics collected as books, many graphic novels contain elements of science fiction including robots, mecha, virtual reality and time travel. First usage The first recorded usage of the term, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is in 1978 by Will Eisner, A contract with God, a graphic novel, though graphic novels existed for years prior. The first science fiction-based graphic novel is considered to be Astro Boy, by Osamu Tezuka
5.
International Standard Book Number
–
The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
6.
American comic book
–
An American comic book is a thin periodical, typically 32-pages, containing primarily comics content. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of Action Comics and this was followed by a superhero boom that lasted until the end of World War II. After the war, while superheroes were marginalized, the book industry rapidly expanded, and genres such as horror, crime. The 1950s saw a decline, due to a shift away from print media in the wake of television. The late 1950s and the 1960s saw a revival. Since the later 20th century, comic books have gained note as collectable items, Comic shops cater to fans, and particularly valuable issues have fetched in excess of a million dollars. Systems of grading comic books have emerged with plastic sleeves and cardboard backing available to maintain the condition of comic books, standard comics are 6.625 inches ×10.25 inches and about 32 pages long. While comics can be the work of a creator, the labour of making them is frequently divided between a number of specialists. There may be a writer and artist, or there may be separate artists for the characters. The process begins with the coming up with an idea or concept, then working it into a plot and story. After the art production, letters are placed on the page, the creative team, the writers and artists, may work with a comic book publisher for help with marketing, advertising, and other logistics. A distributor like Diamond Comic Distributors, the largest in the U. S. helps to distribute the product to retailers. Another part of the involved in successful comics is the interaction between the readers/fans and the creator. Fan art and letters to the editor were printed in the back of the book until the early 21st century. Comic specialty stores did help encourage several waves of independently-produced comics, the development of the modern American comic book happened in stages. The G. W. Dillingham Company published the first known proto-comic-book magazine in the U. S, the Yellow Kid in McFaddens Flats, in 1897. The 196-page, square-bound, black-and-white publication, which also includes text by E. W. Townsend, measured 5×7 inches. The neologism comic book appears on the back cover, despite the publication of a series of related Hearst comics soon afterward, the first monthly proto-comic book, Embee Distributing Companys Comic Monthly, did not appear until 1922
7.
Vertigo (DC Comics)
–
Vertigo is an imprint of the American comic book publisher DC Comics. These comics were free to contain violence, substance abuse, sexuality, nudity, profanity. Although its initial publications were primarily in the horror and fantasy genres, it has published works dealing with crime, social commentary, speculative fiction, biography. Originally publishing a mix of company- and creator-owned work, its current focus is on the latter and it pioneered in North America an increasingly common publishing model, in which monthly series are periodically collected into collected editions which are kept in print for bookstore sale. Vertigo series have won the comics industrys Eisner Award, including the best continuing series of various years, several of its publications have been adapted to film and episodic television. Vertigo originated in 1993 under the stewardship of Karen Berger, a literature and art-history student. 2, and Shade, the Changing Man vol,2, the Black Orchid miniseries, fantasy series The Sandman vol. 2, and horror titles Hellblazer and The Saga of the Swamp Thing and these seven titles, all of which carried a Suggested for Mature Readers label on their covers, shared a sophistication-driven sensibility the fan press dubbed the Bergerverse. Several DC titles bearing the age advisory, such as Green Arrow and The Question and these titles included Enigma, Sebastian O, Mercy, and Shadows Fall. Vertigo was launched in January 1993 with a mixture of existing ongoing series continued under the new imprint, new ongoing series, new mini-series and their publishing plan for the first year involved two new titles – whether ongoing/limited series or one-shots – each month. The existing series were Shade the Changing Man, The Sandman, Hellblazer, Animal Man, Swamp Thing, the first comic book published under the Vertigo imprint was the first issue of Death, The High Cost of Living, a 3-issue series by Neil Gaiman and Chris Bachalo. The following month saw the debut of Sandman, Mystery Theatre by Matt Wagner and Steven T. Seagle, haunting, film noir-ish. and starring original Sandman Wesley Dodds in a title whose sensibilities echo crime genre fiction. Joining it was J. M. DeMatteis and Paul Johnsons 64-page one-shot Mercy, Gaimans The Books of Magic limited-series was relaunched as an ongoing series written by John Ney Rieber, and illustrated by Peter Gross, Gary Amaro, and Peter Snejbjerg. The design layout continued with little variation until issues cover-dated July 2002 which introduced an across-the-top layout ahead of 2003s Vertigo X 10th anniversary celebration. The distinctive design was designed to be used on all Vertigo books except the hardcovers, trade paperbacks, in addition, a 16-page Vertigo Sampler was also produced and bundled with copies of Capital City Distributions Advance Comics solicitation index. Works previously published by DC under other imprints, but which fit the character of Vertigo, have been reprinted under this imprint. This has included issues of Vertigos launch series, V for Vendetta, and books from discontinued imprints, such as Transmetropolitan. Two of the new ongoing series did not last long, Kid Eternity was cancelled after 16 issues, Sandman Mystery Theatre and most of the pre-existing series continued for several years, including Sandman which reached its planned conclusion with #75
8.
Strange Adventures
–
Strange Adventures was the title of several American comic books published by DC Comics, the first of which began in 1950. Strange Adventures ran for 244 issues and was DC Comics first science fiction title and it began with an adaptation of the film Destination Moon. The sales success of the gorilla cover-featured story in Strange Adventures #8 led DC to produce comic book covers with depictions of gorillas. The series was home to one of the last superheroes of the pre-Silver Age of Comic Books era, Captain Comet, created by writer John Broome, a combination of the Captain Comet feature with the gorilla craze was presented in issue #39. Other notable series included Star Hawkins which began in issue #114, in a rare acknowledgement of the rest of the DC universe in Strange Adventures, one panel mentions Gardner Fox having previously met the Flash in the iconic Silver Age story Flash of Two Worlds. Strange Adventures #180 introduced Animal Man in a story by Dave Wood, the character was revived by writer Grant Morrison in 1988. Writer Bob Haney and artist Howard Purcell created the character the Enchantress in Strange Adventures #187. The Enchantress appears in the 2016 live-action movie Suicide Squad, portrayed by Cara Delevingne, the Deadman feature served as an early showcase for the artwork of Neal Adams. With issue #217, the title gained another new logo and began reprinting stories of Adam Strange, several Strange Adventure stories were also reprinted in some of DC Comics later anthologies, such as From Beyond the Unknown. In 1978, DC Comics intended to revive Strange Adventures and these plans were put on hold that year due to the DC Implosion, a line-wide scaling back of the companys publishing output. When the project was revived a year later, the title was changed to Time Warp, in 1999, DC Comics Vertigo imprint released a four-issue mini-series reviving the Strange Adventures title and concept. It featured stories written by Brian Azzarello, Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons, Bruce Jones, Joe R. Lansdale, John Ney Rieber, Robert Rodi, Doselle Young and Mark Schultz. Artists included Edvin Biuković, Richard Corben, Klaus Janson, Frank Quitely, James Romberger, the miniseries is cover-dated November 1999 to February 2000. It was written by Kevin J. Anderson, with art by Barry Kitson, the miniseries is cover-dated October 2004 to March 2005, and was collected in trade paperback in 2010. Jim Starlin wrote an eight-issue limited series called Strange Adventures which focused on Adam Strange, Bizarro and Captain Comet and this series continued the Aberrant Six storyline, as well as plot developments from the Rann/Thanagar Holy War and Countdown to Adventure. This series was collected in paperback in 2010. An 80-page Strange Adventures #1, an anthology one-shot, with science fiction. Contributing writers and artists include Peter Milligan, Scott Snyder, Jeff Lemire, Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso, Paul Pope, and Paul Cornell
9.
Gardner Fox
–
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic book historians estimate that he more than 4,000 comics stories. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story Flash of Two Worlds, Fox was born in Brooklyn, New York. Fox recalled being inspired at an age by the great fantasy fiction writers. On or about his birthday, he been given The Gods of Mars and The Warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. He read all of Burroughs, Harold Lamb, Talbot Mundy, Fox received a law degree from St. Johns College and was admitted to the New York bar in 1935. He practiced for two years, but as the Great Depression continued he began writing for DC Comics editor Vin Sullivan. Debuting as a writer in the pages of Detective Comics, Fox intermittently contributed tales to nearly every book in the DC lineup during the Golden Age and he was a frequent contributor of prose stories to the pulp science fiction magazines of the 1930s and 1940s. A polymath, Fox included numerous real-world historical, scientific, and mythological references in his strips, once saying. He revealed in letters to fan Jerry Bails that he kept large troves of reference material, mentioning during 1971, I maintain two file cabinets chock full of stuff. And the attic is crammed with books and magazines. Everything about science, nature, or unusual facts, Fox wrote a pair of science fiction novels titled Warriors of Llarn and Thief of Llarn. From 1969 to 1970, Belmont Books published a series of sword and sorcery novels by Fox and these were Kothar, Barbarian Swordsman, Kothar of the Magic Sword, Kothar and the Demon Queen, Kothar and the Conjurers Curse and finally Kothar and the Wizard Slayer. These were followed in 1976 by another series featuring the barbarian Kyrik, Kyrik, Warlock Warrior, Kyrik Fights the Demon World, Kyrik and the Wizards Sword and Kyrik and the Lost Queen. Foxs earliest stories for DC Comics featured Speed Saunders with art by Creig Flessel, Speed Saunders was initially credited to E. C. Stoner, which many believe to be a Fox pseudonym. As the 1930s progressed, Fox added writing credits for Steve Malone and Bruce Nelson for Detective Comics to his workload, during World War II, Fox assumed responsibility for a variety of characters and books of several of his colleagues who had been drafted. With the waning popularity of superheroes, Fox contributed western, science fiction, humor, romance, Fox returned to the Batman in 1964. Fox is credited with writing the first three of six stories in the issue of Flash Comics, including the debut of the titular character. With a hero described as a modern-day Mercury, the title feature saw college student Jay Garrick imbued with superhuman speed after inhaling hard water vapors
10.
Jack Schiff
–
Jack Schiff was an American comic book writer and editor best known for his work editing various Batman comic book series for DC Comics from 1942 to 1964. He was the co-creator of Starman, Tommy Tomorrow, and the Wyoming Kid, Jack Schiff entered the comics industry after attending Cornell University. At DC Comics, he co-created the original Starman with artist Jack Burnley and editors Whitney Ellsworth, Murray Boltinoff, Mort Weisinger, and Bernie Breslauer in Adventure Comics #61. DC hired Schiff as an editor in 1942 and he oversaw the various Batman and Superman comic book titles after Weisinger was drafted into service during World War II. He wrote the story Case of the Costume-Clad Killers in Detective Comics #60 which introduced the Bat-Signal into the Batman mythos and his introduction of science fiction concepts into the Batman stories met with mixed results. In 1958, he involved in a legal dispute with artist Jack Kirby over the Sky Masters newspaper comic strip. The following year, he and Dick Dillin created Lady Blackhawk in Blackhawk #133, dCs upper management removed Schiff as editor of Batman and Detective Comics due to low sales and replaced him with Julius Schwartz in 1964. Mystery in Space and Strange Adventures were given to Schiff as replacements to edit and he retired from DC after 25 years with the company and his final editing credit appeared in House of Mystery #169. As editor, Jack Schiff at the Comic Book DB Jack Schiff at Mikes Amazing World of Comics
11.
Otto Binder
–
Otto Oscar Binder was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books. He is best known for his scripts for Captain Marvel Adventures. Born in Bessemer, Michigan, Otto Binder was the youngest of six children in a family that had emigrated from Austria a year earlier and he was born and raised Lutheran. They settled in Chicago in 1922, during a period rich with science fiction, the two began writing in partnership and sold their first story, The First Martian to Amazing Stories in 1930, it saw publication in 1932 under the pen name Eando Binder. Not earning enough writing to live on, Binder and his brother worked at many jobs, Earl found employment at an iron works. After a year, editor Ed Herron had Binder tackle Fawcetts most prominent character and he soon wrote for the spin-off features starring Captain Marvel, Jr. and Mary Marvel, the latter of whom he co-created with Marc Swayze. Binder spent from 1941 to 1953 with Fawcett, writing 986 stories, out of 1,743, over half the entire Marvel Family saga, per comic-book writer-editor E. Nelson Bridwell. His first Captain Marvel writing was the Dime Action Book novel Return of the Scorpion and his first Captain Marvel comic-book story was Captain Marvel Saves the King in Captain Marvel Adventures #9. He wrote for numerous other Fawcett features, as well as many two-page text fillers that were required in comics in order to be eligible for magazine postal rates and his text stories in Captain Marvel Adventures, under the Eando pseudonym, starred Lieutenant Jon Jarl of the Space Patrol. Binder and Beck unsuccessfully attempted to launch a newspaper strip featuring Mr. Tawky Tawny in 1953. Binder left Fawcett when the shut down its comic book division in 1953. For Quality Comics, Binder co-created Kid Eternity, and wrote Blackhawk, Doll Man, Uncle Sam, for MLJ Comics, he wrote stories starring Steel Sterling, the Shield, the Hangman, and the Black Hood. At Gold Key Comics, Binder co-created Mighty Samson and other characters and his science fiction for EC Comics includes Lost in Space, illustrated by Al Williamson, in Weird Science-Fantasy #28. He then moved on to his best-known DC work, the Superman group of titles, Binder and Plastino debuted the supervillain Brainiac and the Bottle City of Kandor in Action Comics #242 and co-created Supergirl in Action Comics #252. With artist collaborators, he co-created Krypto the Super Dog, the Phantom Zone, and the supporting characters Lucy Lane, Beppo the Super Monkey, in the first issue of Supermans Pal Jimmy Olsen, he introduced Jimmy Olsens signal-watch, and in #31, Jimmys Elastic Lad identity. He wrote the Lois Lane feature in Showcase #9 which served as a tryout for the characters own series, the characters first comic book appearance was in Superboy #68 by Binder and artist George Papp and Bizarro World was introduced in Action Comics #263. Binder scripted what Bridwell calls the classic Supermans Return to Krypton and his last Superman story was The Cage of Doom in Action Comics #377. Binder was featured in a story in the first issue of Shazam, the Binder character, drawn by C. C
12.
Edmond Hamilton
–
Edmond Moore Hamilton was an American writer of science fiction during the mid-twentieth century. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was raised there and in nearby New Castle, something of a child prodigy, he graduated from high school and entered Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania at the age of 14, but washed out at 17. Hamilton quickly became a member of the remarkable group of Weird Tales writers assembled by editor Farnsworth Wright. Weird Tales would publish 79 works of fiction by Hamilton from 1926 to 1948, in the late 1930s Weird Tales printed several striking fantasy tales by Hamilton, most notably He That Hath Wings, one of his most popular and frequently-reprinted pieces. Hamilton is wrote one of the first hardcover compilations of what would come to be known as the science fiction genre, The Horror on The Asteroid. The book compiles the stories, The Horror on the Asteroid, The Accursed Galaxy, The Man Who Saw Everything, The Earth-Brain, The Monster-God of Mamurth. Through the late 1920s and early 1930s Hamilton wrote for all of the SF pulp magazines then publishing and he was very popular as an author of space opera, a subgenre he created along with E. E. His story The Island of Unreason won the first Jules Verne Prize as the best SF story of the year, in the later 1930s, in response to the economic strictures of the Great Depression, he also wrote detective and crime stories. Hamilton was always associated with an extravagant, romantic, high-adventure style of SF, as the SF field grew more sophisticated, his brand of extreme adventure seemed ever more quaint, corny, and dated. In 1942 Hamilton began writing for DC Comics, specializing in stories for their characters Superman and Batman and his first comics story was Bandits in Toyland in Batman #11. He wrote the science fiction series Chris KL-99 in Strange Adventures. He and artist Sheldon Moldoff created Batwoman in Detective Comics #233, Hamilton co-created Space Ranger in Showcase #15 with Gardner Fox and Bob Brown. Hamilton was instrumental in the growth of the Legion of Super-Heroes feature. He introduced many of the early Legion concepts including the Time Trapper in Adventure Comics #317, Hamilton retired from comics with the publication of The Cape and Cowl Crooks in Worlds Finest Comics #159. On December 31,1946, Hamilton married fellow science fiction author and screenwriter Leigh Brackett in San Gabriel, California, and moved with her to Kinsman, Ohio. Afterward he would some of his best work, including his novels The Star of Life, The Valley of Creation, City at Worlds End. His single most frequently-reprinted and anthologized work, Edmond Hamilton died February 1977 in Lancaster, California, of complications following kidney surgery. The Captain Future adaptation was later exported to Europe, winning Hamilton a new and different fan base than the one that had acclaimed him half a century before, notably in France and Germany
13.
Murphy Anderson
–
He worked on such characters as Hawkman, Batgirl, Zatanna, the Spectre, and Superman, as well as on the Buck Rogers daily syndicated newspaper comic strip. Anderson also contributed for many years to PS, the preventive maintenance comics magazine of the U. S. Army. Murphy Anderson was born on July 9,1926, in Asheville, North Carolina, by the following month he was the regular artist on the Planet Comics features Life on Other Worlds and Star Pirate. Anderson continued doing work, as well as illustrations for science-fiction pulp magazines. From 1947 to 1949, Anderson was the artist on the Buck Rogers comic-book series, during the 1950s, Anderson worked for several publishers including Pines Comics, St. John Publications, Ziff Davis, DC Comics, and Atlas Comics, that decades predecessor of Marvel Comics. Anderson succeeded artist and co-creator Carmine Infantino on the superhero feature Captain Comet beginning with the story The Girl from the Diamond Planet in Strange Adventures #12. Years later, Anderson and writer John Broome created the feature Atomic Knights in Strange Adventures #117, Anderson and writer Gardner Fox launched the Hawkman series in May 1964 and introduced the Zatanna character in issue #4. Comics historian Les Daniels noted that Hawkman really took off when artist Murphy Anderson took over. Anderson came into his own with his elegantly ornamental version of the Winged Wonder. The Spectre was revived by Fox and Anderson in Showcase #60 and was given his own series in December 1967, Anderson designed the costume of Adam Strange. With his frequent collaborator, penciler Curt Swan, the artwork on Superman. He often hid his initials somewhere within the stories he inked, in 1972, he drew Wonder Woman for the cover of the first issue of Ms. Magazine. In 1973, he established Murphy Anderson Visual Concepts, which provided color separations, Anderson also contributed for many years to PS, the preventive maintenance comics magazine of the U. S. Army. Anderson and his wife of 67 years, Helen, had two daughters, Sophie and Mary, and a son, Murphy III, Anderson died in Somerset, New Jersey on October 22,2015, at the age of 89, of heart failure. Anderson received an Inkpot Award in 1984 and was inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1998, in 2013, Anderson was inducted into the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame. 2 #15 Our Army at War #28,31 Phantom Stranger #1, archived from the original on October 23,2015
14.
Gil Kane
–
Gil Kane was a Latvian-born American comic book artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics, Kane additionally pioneered an early graphic novel prototype, His Name is. Savage, in 1968, and a seminal graphic novel, Blackmark, in 1971. In 1997, he was inducted into both the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame and the Harvey Award Jack Kirby Hall of Fame. Gil Kane was born Eli Katz on April 6,1926, in Latvia to a Jewish family that immigrated to the U. S. in 1929, settling in Brooklyn and his father was a struggling poultry merchant. Kane attended high school at Manhattans School of Industrial Art, and he recalled in a 1996 interview, rom the time I was 15, I was going up to the comics offices. My first job came the year at 16. During my summer vacation, I went up and got a job working at MLJ in 1942, I was in my last year in high school. I was 16 and Id already started my last year but Id already gotten my job the summer before at MLJ, I quit school in the last grade. Until being fired after three weeks, Kane worked in production, putting borders on pages. The letterers would only put in the lettering, not the balloons, so I would put in the borders, balloons, within a couple of days of being let go, I got a job with Jack Binders agency. Jack Binder had a loft on Fifth Avenue and it just looked like an internment camp, there must have been 50 or 60 guys up there, all at drawing tables. You had to account for the paper that you took, Kane began penciling professionally there, but, They werent terribly happy with what I was doing. He would also do spot illustrations for other studios and his earliest known credit is inking Carl Hubbell on the six-page Scarlet Avenger superhero story The Counterfeit Money Code in MLJs Zip Comics #14, on which he signed the name Gil Kane. Other early credits include some issues of the companys Pep Comics, sometimes under pseudonyms including Stack Til and Stacktil, and, in conjunction with artist Pen Shumaker, Pen Star. He even used his name on rare occasions, including on at least one story each in the Temerson / Helnit / Continental publishing groups Terrific Comics. That same year Kane either was drafted or enlisted in the Army, after 19 months in the service, he returned to in December 1945. All-American Publications editor Sheldon Mayer hired him in 1947, for a stint that lasted six months and he contributed again to the Sandman feature in Adventure Comics and, as penciler Gil Stack and inker Phil Martel, to the Wildcat feature in Sensation Comics. Around this time, he said, he worked with director Garson Kanin when he was involved in TV, in 1949, Kane began a longtime professional relationship with Julius Schwartz, an editor at National Comics, the future DC Comics
15.
Alex Toth
–
Alexander Alex Toth was an American cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toths work began in the American comic book industry, but he is known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout the 1960s and 1970s. His work included Super Friends, Space Ghost, The Herculoids, Toths work has been resurrected in the late-night, adult-themed spin-offs on Cartoon Network, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Sealab 2021 and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. He was inducted into the book industrys Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990. Alex Toths talent was noticed early, and a teacher from his class in junior high school urged him to devote himself to art. Enrolling in the School of Industrial Art, Toth studied illustration and he began his career when he sold his first freelance art at the age of 15, subsequently illustrating true stories for Heroic magazine through a comic book packager named Steve Douglas. Although he initially aimed to do newspaper strips, he found the industry dying, after graduating from the School of Industrial Art in 1947, Toth was hired by Sheldon Mayer at National/DC Comics. Green Lantern #28 was one of the first comics he drew for the company and he drew four issues of All Star Comics including issues #38 and #41 in which the Black Canary first met the Justice Society of America and then joined the team. He worked at DC for five years, drawing the Golden Age versions of the Flash, Doctor Mid-Nite, in addition to superheroes, Toth drew Western comics for DC including All-Star Western. He was assigned to the Johnny Thunder feature in All-Star Western because editor Julius Schwartz considered him to be my best artist at the time, Toth and writer Robert Kanigher co-created Rex the Wonder Dog in 1952. For a brief time in 1950, Toth was able to realize his dream of working on comic strips by ghost illustrating Casey Ruggles with Warren Tufts. In 1952 Toth ended his contract with DC Comics and moved to California and it is during that time that he worked on crime, war and romance comics for Standard Comics. In 1954, Toth was drafted into the U. S. Army and stationed in Tokyo, while in Japan, he wrote and drew his own weekly adventure strip, Jon Fury, for the base paper, Depot Diary. Returning to the United States in 1956, Toth settled in the Los Angeles area, in that year, Toth became art director for the Space Angel animated science fiction show. This led to his being hired by Hanna-Barbera, where he created the character Space Ghost for the series of the same name. His other creations include The Herculoids, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio and he worked as a storyboard and design artist until 1968 and then again in 1973 when he was assigned to Australia for five months to produce the TV series Super Friends. He continued to work in books, contributing to Warren Publishings magazines Eerie, Creepy. For DC Comics, he drew the first issue of The Witching Hour, Toth illustrated the comic book tie-in to the Hot Wheels animated series based on the toy line
16.
Frank Frazetta
–
Frank Frazetta was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers and other media. He was the subject of a 2003 documentary, Frazetta was inducted into the comic book industrys Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1999. Born Frank Frazzetta in Brooklyn, New York City, he removed one z from his last name early in his career to make his name seem less clumsy. The only boy among four children, he spent much time with his grandmother, when I drew something, she would be the one to say it was wonderful and would give me a penny to keep going. Sometimes I had nothing left to draw on but toilet paper, as I got older, I started drawing some pretty wild things for my age. I remember the teachers were always mesmerized by what I was doing, so I went to art school when I was a little kid, and even there the teachers were flipping out. At age eight, Frazetta attended the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts, E didnt teach me anything, really, Frazetta said in 1994. Hed come and see where I was working, and he say, Very nice. But perhaps if you did this or that and we never had any great conversations. He kind of left you on your own, I learned more from my friends there. In 1944, at age 16, Frazetta, who had always had this urge to be doing comic books and his first comic-book work was inking the eight-page story Snowman, penciled by John Giunta, in the one-shot Tally-Ho Comics, published by Swappers Quarterly and Almanac/Baily Publishing Company. It was not standard practice in comic books during this period to provide complete credits and his next confirmed comics works are two signed penciled-and-inked pieces in Prize Comics Treasure Comics #7, the four-page To William Penn founder of Philadelphia. Featuring his character Capt. Kidd Jr, in a 1991 interview in The Comics Journal, Frazetta credited Graham Ingels as the first one in the comic book industry to recognize his talent, and to give him jobs at Standard Comics in 1947. Frazetta was soon drawing comic books in many genres, including Westerns, fantasy, mystery, some of his earliest work was in funny animal comics, which he signed as Fritz. For Dells subsidiary company, Famous Funnies, Frazetta did war and human interest stories for Heroic Comics, as well as one pagers extolling the virtues of prayer and the evils of drug abuse. In comics like Personal Love and Movie Love, he did romance and celebrity stories, in the early 1950s, he worked for EC Comics, National Comics, Avon Comics, and several other comic book companies. Much of his work in books was done in collaboration with friend Al Williamson. Noticed because of his work on the Buck Rogers covers for Famous Funnies, Frazetta was also producing his own strip, Johnny Comet at this time, as well as assisting Dan Barry on the Flash Gordon daily strip
17.
Virgil Finlay
–
Virgil Finlay was an American pulp fantasy, science fiction and horror illustrator. He has been called part of the pulp magazine history, one of the foremost contributors of original and imaginative art work for the most memorable science fiction and fantasy publications of our time. Despite the very labor-intensive and time-consuming nature of his specialty, Finlay created more than 2600 works of art in his 35-year career. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted Finlay in 2012, wright began buying Finlays work, which debuted with illustrations of three different stories in the December 1935 issue and appeared in 62 issues including the last in September 1954. He also created 19 color covers for Weird Tales numbers from February 1937 to March 1953, Finlay quickly branched out to other publications after his 1935 debut, he was an immediate hit. In 1938 he went to work for A, merritt at The American Weekly, moving from Rochester to New York City. Later the same year, he married Beverly Stiles, whom he had known in childhood in Rochester and his adjustment to the city and to his new job was not smooth, however, he was fired and re-hired more than once. Yet during his period on the staff, and later as a freelancer, Finlay estimated that he produced 845 different illustrations, large and small. He resumed his career after demobilization, doing a considerable amount of work for science fiction magazines. As the pulp magazine market narrowed through the 1950s, Finlay turned to magazines as a new venue for his art. Finlay also wrote throughout his adult life. Virtually none was published in his lifetime, though significant samples have been printed posthumously, Finlay had to undergo major surgery for cancer in early 1969. He recovered enough to go back to work for a time, but the cancer returned, Finlay just missed a resurgence in interest in his artwork from the early 1970s onward. Both Donald M. Grant and Gerry de la Ree have published series of collections of Finlay artwork since the artists death, the later books published by Underwood-Miller contain illustrations from the Gerry de la Ree editions, as well as additional material. It was recently given a 21st-century facsimile reprinting by Red Jacket Press, virgil Finlay An Astrology Sketch Book introductions by Beverly C
18.
Julius Schwartz
–
Julius Julie Schwartz was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York and he is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various times he was primary editor over the companys flagship superheroes, Superman and Batman. He was inducted into the comics industrys Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1996 and he graduated at Theodore Roosevelt High School in The Bronx at age seventeen. In 1932, Schwartz co-published Time Traveller, one of the first science fiction fanzines, in addition, Schwartz helped organize the first World Science Fiction Convention in 1939. In 1944 he became an editor at All-American Comics, one of the companies that evolved into DC Comics and he recruited Bester to contribute to the companys line of comic books. The eventual success of the new, science-fiction oriented Flash heralded the return of superheroes. Schwartz also worked with writers John Broome and Gardner Fox and revived other superheroes such as Green Lantern in Showcase #22, Hawkman in The Brave and the Bold #34, and the Atom in Showcase #34. A character Schwartz created himself, Adam Strange, debuted in Showcase #17, Schwartz first thought the concept of the Justice League of America as an updating of the Justice Society and the idea was then developed by Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky. The new team debuted in The Brave and the Bold #28 and it became one of the most successful series of the Silver Age. Schwartz oversaw the introduction of the Elongated Man in The Flash #112 by writer John Broome, Schwartz edited the Flash of Two Worlds story published in The Flash #123. It introduces Earth-Two, and more generally the concept of the multiverse, Justice League of America #21 and #22 saw the first use of the term Crisis in reference to a crossover between DCs Golden Age and Silver Age characters. In 1964, Schwartz was made responsible for reviving the faded Batman titles and he helped writer Dennis ONeil and artist Neal Adams come to prominence at DC Comics. The duo, under the direction of Schwartz, would revitalize the Batman with a series of stories reestablishing the characters dark, Schwartz edited Detective Comics until issue #481 and Batman until issue #309. This included an attempt to scale back Supermans powers while removing kryptonite as an plot device. This proved short-lived, with Schwartz bowing to pressure to restore both elements in the titles, Schwartz oversaw the launch of DC Comics Presents in 1978 and edited it throughout its 97 issue run. As an editor, Schwartz was heavily involved in the writing of the published in his magazines. He worked out the plot with the writer in story conferences, the writer would then break down the plot into a panel-by-panel continuity, and write the dialogue and captions. Schwartz would in turn polish the script, sometimes rewriting extensively, Schwartz retired from DC in 1986 after 42 years at the company, but continued to be active in comics and science fiction fandom until shortly before his death
19.
Adam Strange
–
Adam Strange is a science fiction superhero published by DC Comics. Created by editor Julius Schwartz with a designed by Murphy Anderson. In May 2011, Adam Strange placed 97th on IGNs Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time, given first pick, Schiff chose to create one from the future. However, Schwartz was happy with the pick, feeling that readers would more readily identify with a hero from the present, Adam Strange debuted in issues #17–19 of the tryout series Showcase, published November 1958 – March 1959. The first artwork of the character was a cover for Showcase #17 by Murphy Anderson, though Schwartz rejected the drawing and commissioned a new one by Gil Kane, Schwartz then assigned the scribing of the stories to Gardner Fox and the penciling to Mike Sekowsky. Schwartz and Fox devised the plots for the stories in Schwartzs office, a science major, Schwartz specialized in giving Fox scientific pointers that gave the Adam Strange tales a plausibility that made them stand out from most science fiction of the time. Sales on the three-issue Showcase tryout were enough to justify giving Adam Strange a slot in Mystery in Space, though Schwartz and Fox continued their work on the character, Schwartz gave the penciler assignment to Carmine Infantino instead of Sekowsky. Most issues were inked by Murphy Anderson, in the Justice League of America comic book, the Flash mentioned Adam Strange as a possible new member for the Justice League. The story was published in Mystery in Space #75 and won the Alley Award for the Best Book-Length Story of 1962, as of #92, Jack Schiff replaced Schwartz as editor of Mystery in Space and Lee Elias became the artist for Adam Strange. Following the discontinuation of the Adam Strange stories, reprints were presented in Strange Adventures #217 through 244, through the 1970s, the character was a regular presence in the DC Universe despite having no series of his own. In the 1980s, Alan Moore wrote a retcon of Adam Stranges reason for his visits to Rann. In this retcon, the population of the planet, the majority of whom view the Terran with contempt, is sterile, and Adam Strange is there to be a breeding stud. In a 1990 limited series, The Man of Two Worlds, Adam learns of the opinion of him. In JLA #20, Alanna is revealed to be alive, and is reunited with her husband. In 2013, Jeff Lemire said he intends to introduce a New 52 incarnation of Adam Strange at some point in Justice League Canada, in January 2014 Lemire announced that the series would instead be titled Justice League United, and that it would feature Alanna as well as Adam. Strange is an archeologist suddenly teleported from Peru, Earth to the planet Rann through a Zeta-Beam, called on to protect the planet from extraterrestrial threats using Ranns technology, Strange grew to care for the planet and its inhabitants, especially Alanna. Using mathematical calculations, he was able to determine the exact time and he travels the world and intercepts them, to defend Rann and be with Alanna. During Grant Morrisons revival of the Justice League of America series, Adam Strange kidnapped the entirety of the Justice League and put them to forced labor to reconstruct Rann, as part of a ruse to rescue Alanna and her father
20.
Knights of the Galaxy
–
Knights of the Galaxy was a short-lived science fiction series published by DC Comics. They first appear in Mystery in Space #1, and starred in the first eight issues of the series and they were created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino. The Knights were a force in the 30th Century, based on the Gala space station. The only named Knight was Lyle, Space Commando, the Knights chief scientist was Ora, girl friend of Lyle and daughter of Arthro, their commander. A skewed version of the Knights appears in the 1990 mini-series Twilight, considering that the two teams existed in different centuries, this was decidedly out of character. The Knights make a possibly apochryphal appearance in Starman #55, as part of the story Taxicab Confessions, Space Cabbie claims they rescued Jack Knight and Mikaal Thomas from Jarko the Space Pirate. Toonopedia entry on Knights of the Galaxy DC Universe entry on Knights of the Galaxy
21.
Space Cabbie
–
Space Cabbie is a science fiction character in DC Comics. Space Cabbie first appeared in Mystery in Space #21 in a story scripted by Otto Binder, besides Binder, Gardner Fox would write many appearances, and artwork was handled by Gil Kane and Bernard Sachs. His last solo appearance in a book was in DC Super Stars #6 which was published in August 1976. It was a reprint of a story called The Luxury Limousine of Space, Otto Binder wrote that story as well. Space Cabbie has since made occasional guest appearances in other comics, such as Starman. He makes a appearance in the New 52 series Threshold. Space Cabbie lives in the mid 22nd century, driving for 9-Planet Taxi, as a child, he grew up among the military tyrants of Ghengkis VII. He showed an aptitude for stellar navigation, during the Bored Wars of 2146, he was a fighter pilot. He took jobs as a laborer and a pilot for hire and he eventually took up driving cab #7433. He is a member of the Cosmic Order Of Space Cab Pilots and his first appearance is as a narrator, telling tales to his fares. Over the next handful of issues, he has his cab stolen and his adventures dominate the title Mystery In Space. The series ends with #47, where he has to deal with three doubles and he is seen conversing about space exploration to a friend. He is briefly seen in the round-robin Challenge limited series, at one point, he and his cab are co-opted by Lobo to chase down a gang of space bikers. Lobo leaves Space Cabbie, who is charged with driving, murder. On the way to prison, Lobo saves him and returns his cab, the discrepancy of a modern-age character appearing with a future one is explained when Space Cabbie mentions on the witness stand that he took a day job in the present to help make ends meet. Space Cabbie plays host to two passengers talking about the legacy of Starman, a given to multiple heroes over many decades. He has a cameo when Timothy Hunter takes a magical trip into the future. He makes another cameo in the plot of JLA The Nail
22.
Star Rovers
–
Star Rovers was a short, science fiction, American comic book feature published by DC Comics between 1961 and 1964. The feature first appeared in seven issues of DCs science-fiction anthology comic Mystery in Space, the characters were created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Sid Greene, who were responsible for all nine stories. Mystery in Space was an comic book that featured short science fiction stories together with a number of ongoing features. The first Star Rovers story, Who Caught the Loborilla. is not bannered as a Star Rovers story as such, however, the characters returned three issues later in What Happened on Sirius-4. and then due to public demand became a regular series under the Star Rovers title. And one last appearance in title, How Can Time Be Stopped. The first two stories were eight-page tales, this was extended to 10 pages from the third story onward, DC later reprinted the first four Star Rovers stories in Strange Adventures #232-236. The last five stories were reprinted in DCs science-fiction reprint title From Beyond the Unknown #18-22 Sept.1972 - May 1973), the third story, Where is the Paradise of Space. From Mystery in Space #74, was issued in another reprint title. The characters played a part in the three-part comic-book miniseries Twilight by Howard Chaykin and José Luis García-López. The team has made only one further appearance, in Starman vol. 2, #55, by writers James Robinson and David S. Goyer, in the New 52, a relaunch of DCs properties, the Star Rovers are introduced as smugglers, first appearing in Green Lantern, New Guardians Annual #1. The characters have retained their names, with a new addition to the team. In their first appearance, they are tasked with smuggling Carol Ferris, Arkillo, however, they decide to sell them to scouts, for the Hunted, a game show competition. The Star Rovers next appear in the feature of Threshold from #2 to #5. They are hired by Larfleeze, to help him find his missing treasures, the characters then get together and pool their experiences and resources to win the day, often saving Earth or some other planet or civilization as a result. Sorensen is unusual in early 1960s comics as she is depicted as a strong, otherwise, there is little character development in the stories, with the exception of Where Was I Born - Venus. In Mystery in Space #77, which some information on the Star Rovers individual backgrounds. The characters are significantly twisted from their earlier incarnations
23.
Hawkman
–
Hawkman is a fictional superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, most incarnations of Hawkman work closely with a partner/romantic interest named Hawkgirl or Hawkwoman. These versions of the character have starred in series of various durations. Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, and was a character in that title throughout the 1940s. This Hawkman was Carter Hall, a reincarnation of the ancient Egyptian prince, Hall discovered that the mysterious ninth metal could negate the effects of gravity and allow him to fly. He donned a costume with wings to allow him to control his flight and became the crimefighter. He also had a hawk named Big Red that assisted him in fighting crime. An archaeologist by profession, Hall used ancient weapons from the museum that he curated, Hawkman was a charter member of the Justice Society of America, beginning with All Star Comics #3. In issue #8 he became the JSAs chairman, a position he would hold until the end of the JSAs run in All Star Comics and he was the only member of the JSA to appear in every adventure during the Golden Age of Comic Books. He romanced his reincarnated bride, Shiera Sanders, who became the crimefighter Hawkgirl, along with most other superheroes, Hawkmans Golden Age adventures came to an end when the industry turned away from the genre in the early 1950s. His last appearance was in All Star Comics #57, later in the decade, DC Comics, under editor Julius Schwartz, decided to revive a number of heroes in new incarnations, but retaining the same names and powers. They adopted the names Carter and Shiera Hall and became curators of a museum in Midway City and this Hawkman became a member of the Justice League of America in issue #31, where he often verbally sparred with the iconoclastic liberal hero Green Arrow. In the 1960s it was revealed that the original Hawkman lived on the world of Earth-Two. The JLA and JSA had an annual meeting throughout the 1960s and 1970s during which the two often met. The Silver Age Hawkman had his own series for a few years in the 60s, Atom and Hawkman lasted only another year or so before cancellation. In the late 1970s in Showcase and Worlds Finest Comics, Thanagar went to war with the planet Rann and this led to Hawkman and Hawkwoman severing ties with their homeworld, and later fighting The Shadow War of Hawkman as Thanagar tried secretly to conquer the Earth. The landmark 1985 series Crisis on Infinite Earths resulted in a revision of much DC continuity. Hawkman was to some of the greatest confusion as successive writers sought to explain his various appearances
24.
Space Ranger
–
Space Ranger is a science fiction hero who was published by DC Comics in several of their 1950s and 1960s anthology titles. He first appeared in Showcase #15 and was created by writers Edmond Hamilton and Gardner Fox, the character has notable similarities to a preceding character named David Lucky Starr, created by novelist Isaac Asimov in his 1952 novel David Starr, Space Ranger. After appearing in Showcase #15 and 16, the Space Ranger was given a series in Tales of the Unexpected, starting with issue #40. Afterwards, he moved to Mystery in Space for issues #92–99,101,103, given first choice, Schiff chose to create one from the future. After a successful tryout in Showcase #15 and 16, the Space Ranger was given a slot in Tales of the Unexpected, set in the 22nd century, Space Ranger is really Rick Starr, a seemingly shiftless executive at his gruff, cigar-chomping father Thaddeus Starrs Allied Solar Enterprises. Space Ranger makes an appearance in Starman #55, in which Space Ranger, each regales the other with different interpretations of Jack and Mikaal rescuing Starfire from a space pirate. Space Ranger also appeared in the background on Hardcore Station in Mystery in Space vol.2 #6, Space Ranger has made regular appearances in Trinity, the weekly series published by DC from 2008–2009. In an alternate reality created by the absence of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, Space Ranger is a member of the League, when the League goes public during a crisis, the Space Ranger reveals himself to be JOnn JOnzz, the Martian Manhunter, in disguise. A version of Space Ranger appeared in the 1990 mini-series Twilight, in the Without you Im nothing short story written by Evan Dorkin and drawn by Steven Weissman, Cryll is one of a large number of ex-sidekicks living on Skid Row and eating in soup kitchens. They include Cryll, Zook, Bathound, Proty, Doiby Dickles and many others, regardless of location of activity, time-period, or whether they are deceased, retconned. Cryll organizes them as a team, but they tackle Evil Star and his Starlings on their first mission. Cryll loses an ear and nobody appears to have used their powers and they then reorganize as an AA-type organization to help ex-sidekicks. During a meeting of such, Space Ranger enters and appeals to Cryll to rejoin him, Cryll, however, feels he was abandoned and chases Space Ranger out. During the night, Cryll has second thoughts about what he had done, the oddities in this and several other offbeat stories is explained by crediting them to the pen of Bizarro. Starr also appears in DCs 2013 Threshold comic by Keith Giffen, Space Ranger appears in the Batman, The Brave and the Bold episode The Siege of Starro Pt.1. He is seen helping the Green Lantern Corps fight the Starro-controlled superheroes, in Legends of Tomorrow, Martin Stein reminisces on reading Rick Star, Space Ranger. Space Ranger at the DC Index Space Ranger at Mikes Amazing World of Comics
25.
Ultra the Multi-Alien
–
Ultra the Multi-Alien was a science fiction superhero featured in comics published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Mystery in Space #103, pushing out Adam Strange and he was created by writer Dave Wood and artist Lee Elias. Ultra was originally Earth spaceman Ace Arn, living in a future era when spaceflight is commonplace. After crash landing on a planet in a far off solar system, he is attacked by four aliens, each a member of a different species from their respective planets Ulla, Laroo, Trago, and Raagan. The four aliens simultaneously shoot him with rayguns designed to transform him into an obedient member of their respective species, because all four rays hit him at the same time, he is instead transformed into a combination of the four aliens, but free of their control. He combined the first letter of the worlds the four aliens were from, along with the first letter of his name to come up with, U-L-T-R-A and he soon finds a device to convert back to human form, giving him a secret identity. His series lasted until issue #110, when Mystery in Space was cancelled and he would not reappear for several years. Ultra was one of Wizard Magazines Mort of the Month, a featurette showcasing comic characters considered low-quality, grant Morrison used him both in his run in Animal Man and in the Aztek monthly series. The character appeared in Starman #55, in which Ultra, along with Space Ranger, is riding in Space Cabbys cab, each regales the other with different interpretations of Jack and Mikaal rescuing Starfire from a space pirate. Geoff Johns was the writer to use these concepts. A storyline in Stars and S. T. R. I. P. E. Involved Young Justice teaming with Star-Spangled Kid and S. T. R. I. P. E. to stop a group of Larroo from using their ray to turn everyone in Blue Valley into Larroo. It was established that the Larroo had invented the ray, but were preparing to sell it to the three alien races. Ultra appeared as a character in the Infinite Crisis event. Having apparently somehow traveled back in time to the present era, Ultra is one of the many space-faring heroes who aid Donna Troy in the fallout of the Rann-Thanagar War. He also appeared in Superman/Batman #31, overwhelmed by an influence that is affecting many of the part-alien heroes on earth. After a highly destructive rampage through the American town of Dalesville, he leaves with Supergirl, in Superman/Batman #33, he and other influenced aliens try to destroy the titular heroes. Fortunately his mind is soon cleared of all influence and the villain behind it all, the planet Larroo appeared in Action Comics #867
26.
Showcase (comics)
–
Showcase has been the title of several comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The original series ran from March–April 1956 to September 1970 suspending publication with issue #93, the Spectre was revived for the Silver Age in Showcase as well. In 1962, DC purchased an adaptation of the James Bond novel and film Dr. No, which had published in British Classics Illustrated. It was the first American comic book appearance of the character, the Showcase series was canceled in 1970 with issue #93, featuring Manhunter 2070. In 1992, DC Comics published a paperback reprint collection titled The Essential Showcase. This collection reprints selected stories/characters from issues #1,4,6,9,11,13, several other issues were included in other reprint collections. In August 1977, Showcase was revived for eleven issues after the cancellation of 1st Issue Special, the revived Showcase, using the original numbering, began with issue #94 and published the first appearance of the new Doom Patrol and the solo adventures of Power Girl. Issue #100 had a cameo by almost every character that had premiered in the run of Showcase in a story co-written by Paul Kupperberg and Paul Levitz. The series was cancelled again after issue #104, as part of what is called the DC Implosion. Issues #105 and #106 saw print in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade and #105 was later published in Adventure Comics, Issue #106 was included in The Creeper by Steve Ditko hardcover collection published by DC in 2010. DC published New Talent Showcase, which ran for 15 issues, briefly changed its title to Talent Showcase, for the most part edited by Karen Berger, the series gave new writers and artists their first professional opportunity in the comics industry. Notable creators who made their DC debuts with New Talent Showcase include Mark Beachum, Norm Breyfogle, Tom Grindberg, Steve Lightle, Mindy Newell, the new series was published as Showcase 93, a monthly 12-issue limited series, replaced the following year by Showcase 94, etc. Showcase 96 #12 was the last regular issue, in 2005, DC began publishing thick, black-and-white reprints of older material under the umbrella title Showcase Presents. Showcase at the Comic Book DB, New Talent Showcase at the Comic Book DB. Showcase 93 at the Comic Book DB, Showcase #55, The Glory of Murphy Anderson
27.
Flash Gordon
–
Flash Gordon is the hero of a space opera adventure comic strip created by and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7,1934, the strip was inspired by, the Flash Gordon comic strip has been translated into a wide variety of media, including motion pictures, television and animated series. The latest version, a Flash Gordon television series, appeared on the Syfy channel in the United States in 2007–2008. At first King Features tried to purchase the rights to the John Carter of Mars stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs, however, King Features then turned to Alex Raymond, one of their staff artists, to create the story. Raymonds first samples were dismissed for not containing enough action sequences, Raymond reworked the story and sent it back to the syndicate, who accepted it. Raymond was partnered with ghostwriter Don Moore, an experienced editor, Raymonds first Flash Gordon story appeared in January 1934, alongside Jungle Jim. The Flash Gordon strip was well received by readers, becoming one of the most popular American comic strips of the 1930s. Like Buck Rogers, the success of Flash Gordon resulted in numerous licensed products being sold, including books, colouring books. The comic strip follows the adventures of Flash Gordon, a polo player and Yale University graduate. The story begins with Earth threatened by a collision with the planet Mongo, Dr. Zarkov invents a rocket ship to fly into space in an attempt to stop the disaster. Half mad, he kidnaps Flash and Dale and they travel to the planet, landing on the planet, and halting the collision, they come into conflict with Ming the Merciless, Mongos evil ruler. They are joined in early adventures by Prince Thun of the Lion Men. Eventually, Ming is overthrown, and Mongo is ruled by a council of leaders led by Barin, Flash and friends return to Earth and have some adventures before returning to Mongo and crashing in the kingdom of Tropica, then reuniting with Barin and others. Flash and his friends travel to worlds and return to Mongo. In the 1950s, Flash became an astronaut who travelled to other planets besides Mongo, the long story of the Skorpii War takes Flash to other star systems, using starships that are faster than light. After Raymonds tenure, later created new enemies for Flash to combat. Austin Briggs created Kang the Cruel, Mings callous son, Prince Polon, who had the power to shrink or enlarge living creatures, the unscrupulous Queen Rubia, and Pyron the Comet Master were among the antagonists introduced during Mac Raboys run. The Skorpi, a race of alien shape shifters who desired to conquer the galaxy, were recurring villains in both the Mac Raboy and Dan Barry stories, the Skorpi space-fighter ace Baron Dak-Tula became a periodic nemesis of Flash in the late 1970s stories
28.
Justice League
–
The Justice League, also known as the Justice League of America, is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The Justice League was conceived by writer Gardner Fox, and first appeared in The Brave, the team is an assemblage of superheroes who join together as the Justice League. The seven original members were Batman, Aquaman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Superman, and Wonder Woman. The team roster has rotated throughout the years, consisting of many superheroes from the DC Universe like Atom, Black Canary, Shazam, Green Arrow, Hawkman, Cyborg, the Justice League received its own comic book title called Justice League of America in November 1960. With the 2011 relaunch of its titles, DC Comics released a volume of Justice League. In July 2016, the DC Rebirth initiative relaunched the Justice League comic book titles with the volume of Justice League. Since its inception, the team has featured in various television programs. Various comic book featuring the Justice League have remained generally popular with fans since inception and, in most incarnations. A live-action film was also in the works around 2008 before being shelved, on June 6,2012, Warner Bros. announced a new live action Justice League film was in development with Will Beall hired as screenwriter. However, the project was scrapped again, after the success of the Superman reboot Man of Steel, a film titled Batman v Superman, Dawn of Justice was released in March 2016, directed by Zack Snyder. Batman v Superman script writer Chris Terrio has also penned the script for Justice League, in a story told in flashback in Justice League of America #9, the Appelaxians infiltrated Earth. Competing alien warriors were sent to see who could conquer Earth first, the aliens attacks drew the attentions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter. While the superheroes individually defeated most of the invaders, the heroes fell prey to a single competitors attack, for many years, the heroes heralded this adventure as the event that prompted them to agree to pool resources when confronted with similar menaces. When the group formalized their agreement, they suppressed news of it because of anti-Martian hysteria, while most subsequent accounts of the League have made little mention of this first adventure, the animated Justice League series adapted this tale as the origin of the Justice League as well. Secret Origins #32 updated Justice League of America #9s origin for post-Crisis continuity, differences included the inclusion of the Silver Age Black Canary as a founding member and the absence of Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman. The JLA, Year One limited series, by Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn and Barry Kitson, in Justice League Task Force #16, during Zero Hour, a then unknown superhuman named Triumph appeared. Triumph was revealed to have been a member of the Justice League and was their leader. On his first mission with the Justice League, Triumph seemingly saved the world but was teleported into a limbo that also affected the timestream
29.
The Brave and the Bold
–
The Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as a series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by a mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as a title in 2007. The focus of each version of the series has varied over time, the first volume of the series ran for 200 issues from August/September 1955 to July 1983. Originally, The Brave and the Bold was a series featuring adventure tales from past ages with characters such as the Silent Knight, the Viking Prince, the Golden Gladiator. With issue #25, the series was reinvented as a title for new characters and concepts, starting with the Suicide Squad created by writer Robert Kanigher. Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert created a new version of Hawkman in issue #34 with the character receiving his own title three years later, editor Julius Schwartz hired Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky to create the Justice League of America. The team debuted in The Brave and the Bold #28, issues #45 through #49 were devoted to Strange Sports Stories combining sport and science-fiction in tales such as Challenge of the Headless Baseball Team and The Man Who Drove Through Time. Strange Sports Stories was later resurrected briefly as a DC Comics title in its own right in 1973, the series was changed yet again with issue #50 as a team-up title between established characters. Starting with issue #59 The Brave and the Bold became, more specifically a Batman team-up book with the Caped Crusader as the main focus. This was due to the popularity of the Batman television series, after issue #74, The Brave and the Bold was exclusively a Batman team-up title until it ended with issue #200. The teaming of Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad in issue #54 by writer Bob Haney, the three heroes subsequently appeared under the name Teen Titans in issue #60 by Haney and artist Nick Cardy and were joined by Wonder Womans younger sister Wonder Girl in her first appearance. The Metamorpho character was created by Haney and artist Ramona Fradon in The Brave, the title was the first to feature Neal Adams version of Batman, generating fan interest that led to Adams style defining the modern Batman image to this day. In addition, Adams updated Green Arrows visual appearance by designing a new costume for the character in issue #85, the primary artist for the second half of the run was Jim Aparo, starting with #98. Haney frequently disregarded continuity by scripting stories which contradicted DCs canon or by writing major heroes in an out-of-character fashion, Issue #100 featured Batman and 4 Famous Co-Stars in a story by Haney and Aparo. Issues #112 to #117 of the series were in the 100 Page Super Spectacular format, the character Nemesis, also known as Thomas Tresser, debuted in an eight-page backup story in issue #166 written by Cary Burkett and drawn by Dan Spiegle. The Tresser character was created by Burkett in 1979, and named for an actor with whom Burkett was rooming in New Hampshire. Alan Brennert wrote four issues of The Brave and the Bold featuring Batman teaming with the Creeper, the Hawk and Dove, the Robin of Earth Two, and the Catwoman
30.
Joe Kubert
–
Joseph Joe Kubert was an American comic book artist, art teacher and founder of The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. He is also known for working on his own creations, such as Tor, Son of Sinbad, and the Viking Prince, and, with writer Robin Moore, the comic strip Tales of the Green Beret. Kubert was inducted into the Harvey Awards Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1997, Kubert was born September 18,1926 to a Jewish family in a shtetl called Yzeran, in southeast Poland. He was the son of Etta and Jacob Kubert and he emigrated to Brooklyn, New York City, United States, at age two months with his parents and his two-and-a-half-year-old sister Ida. Raised in the East New York neighborhood, the son of a butcher, Kubert started drawing at an early age. In his introduction to his graphic novel Yossel, Kubert wrote, in 1938, that was a lot of money. Kubert attended Manhattans High School of Music and Art, during this time he and classmate Norman Maurer, a future collaborator, would sometimes skip school in order to see publishers. Kubert began honing his craft at the Chesler studio, one of the comic-book packagers that had sprung up in the early days to supply outsourced comics to publishers. Kuberts first known professional job was penciling and inking the six-page story Black-Out, starring the character Volton and he would continuing drawing the feature for the next three issues, and was soon doing similar work for Fox Comics Blue Beetle. Throughout the decade, Kuberts art would appear in comics from Fiction House, Avon, and Harvey Comics, Kuberts long association with the Hawkman character began with the story The Painter and the $100,000 in Flash Comics #62. Kubert drew several Hawkman stories in that title as well as in All Star Comics and he and Irwin Hasen drew the debut of the Injustice Society in All Star Comics #37 in a tale written by Robert Kanigher. The Kanigher/Kubert team created the Thorn in issue Flash Comics #89, according to Kubert, it sold a remarkable 1.2 million copies at 25 cents apiece at a time when comics cost a dime. At St. John, writer Norman Maurer and artist Kubert created the enduring character Tor, Tor immediately went on to star in 3-D Comics #2-3, followed by a titular, traditionally 2-D comic-book series, written and drawn by Joe Kubert, that premiered with issue #3. The character has appeared in series from Eclipse Comics, Marvel Comics Epic imprint. Kubert in the late 1950s unsuccessfully attempted to sell Tor as a comic strip. The Tor samples consisted of 12 daily strips, reprinted in six pages in Alter Ego vol.3 #10 and he contributed work to Avon Periodicals, where he did science-fiction stories for Strange Worlds and other titles. For EC Comics, Kubert drew a few stories for Harvey Kurtzmans Two-Fisted Tales alongside EC stalwarts Wally Wood, Jack Davis, and John Severin
31.
Lee Elias
–
Lee Elias was a British-American comics artist. He was best known for his work on the Black Cat comic book published by Harvey Comics in the 1940s, emigrating to the United States from Manchester, England, when he was a boy, Elias studied art at the Cooper Union and the Art Students League. He started working in comics in 1943 at Fiction House, where his work included such as Captain Wings in Wing Comics, on which he succeeded Bob Lubbers. He drew three issues of All Star Comics in 1947 and co-created the Fiddler and the original Star Sapphire with writer Robert Kanigher in All-Flash #32 and it was Eliass work on Black Cat, a stuntwoman turned crimefighter, for Harvey, that stood out in this period. The series was praised by comics historian Trina Robbins for its logical and straightforward approach, Elias worked both as a penciler and an inker in this series, with an art style largely influenced by artists such as Milton Caniff and Noel Sickles. Elias worked for a period as Caniffs assistant and he used the same style for the comic book version of Terry and the Pirates, Caniffs classic comic strip in the same period. Lee Elias left comic books after the 1954 publication of Fredric Werthams anti-comics book Seduction of the Innocent, Elias work on comic strips included a two-year stint as an assistant to Al Capp on Lil Abner. His best known comic strip was Beyond Mars, which ran from 1952 to 1955 and was co-created by Elias, the strip was exclusive to the New York Daily News Sunday paper in the United States but was syndicated in Europe and Australia. It was the last Sunday strip to be color-engraved by hand, Elias drew the Green Arrow backup feature in Adventure Comics and Worlds Finest Comics from 1959 to 1964. He and writer Bob Haney co-created the supervillain Eclipso in House of Secrets #61, Elias only drew the first two appearances of the character and was succeeded on the feature by Alex Toth. His other work for DC in the 1960s included Cave Carson, from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, Elias returned to his native England. In 1972, Elias returned to American comic books, working mainly on DCs various horror titles and secondary Marvel Comics titles including Power Man and The Human Fly. His last major project was The Rook series for Warren Publishing, with the cancellation of The Rook in 1982, Elias retired from comics, though he continued teaching at the School of Visual Arts and The Kubert School. Lee Elias at the Comic Book DB Lee Elias at Mikes Amazing World of Comics Lee Elias at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators Lee Elias obituary, The Comics Journal #204
32.
Len Wein
–
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men. Additionally, he was the editor for writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons influential DC miniseries Watchmen, Wein was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008. Wein was born in New York City, and was raised in a Jewish household, in a 2003 interview, Len Wein recalled that he was a very sickly kid. While I was in the hospital at age seven, my dad brought me a stack of books to keep me occupied. Approximately once a month, as a teenager, Wein and his friend Marv Wolfman took DC Comics weekly Thursday afternoon tour of the companys offices, Wolfman was active in fanzine culture, and together he and Wein produced sample superhero stories to show to the DC editorial staff. At that point, Wein was more interested in becoming an artist than a writer, eventually, DC editor Joe Orlando hired both Wolfman and Wein as freelance writers. Weins first professional comics story was Eye of the Beholder in DCs Teen Titans No,18, for which he co-created with Wolfman Red Star, the first official Russian superhero in the DC universe. Neal Adams was called upon to rewrite and redraw a Teen Titans story which had written by Wein. The story, titled Titans Fit the Battle of Jericho, would have introduced DCs first African American superhero but was rejected by publisher Carmine Infantino. The revised story appeared in Teen Titans No.20, later that year, Wein was writing anthological mystery stories for DCs The House of Secrets and Marvels Tower of Shadows and Chamber of Darkness. Weins first superhero work for Marvel was a story in Daredevil No.71 co-written with staff writer/editor Roy Thomas. Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson created the horror character Swamp Thing in The House of Secrets No.92, abigail Arcane, a major supporting character in the characters mythos was introduced by Wein and Wrightson in Swamp Thing No.3. Wein wrote the story featuring Man-Thing, introducing Barbara Morse and the concept that Whoever Knows Fear Burns at the Man-Things Touch. In the fall of 1972, Wein and writers Gerry Conway, each comic featured Englehart, Conway, and Wein, as well as Weins first wife Glynis, interacting with Marvel or DC characters at the Rutland Halloween Parade in Rutland, Vermont. 16, the story continued in Justice League of America No,103, and concluded in Thor No.207. As Englehart explained in 2010, It certainly seemed like a concept and we knew that we had to be subtle and each story had to stand on its own. Libra, a supervillain created by Wein and Dillin in Justice League of America No,111, would play a leading role in Grant Morrisons Final Crisis storyline in 2008. Wein co-created the Human Target with artist Carmine Infantino and wrote the characters appearances as a feature in Action Comics, Detective Comics, and The Brave
33.
Time Warp (comics)
–
Time Warp is the name of a science fiction American comic book series published by DC Comics for five issues from 1979 to 1980. A Time Warp one-shot was published by Vertigo in May 2013, in 1978, DC Comics intended to revive its science-fiction anthology series Strange Adventures. These plans were put on hold that year due to the DC Implosion, when the project was revived a year later, the title was changed to Time Warp and the series was in the Dollar Comics format. The first issue was published with an October–November 1979 cover date, michael Kaluta provided the cover art for the entire run. The title featured a mixture of established comics creators and new talent. The writing team of Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn made their comics debut in issue #3 with the short story On the Day of His Return which was drawn by Steve Ditko. Time Warp was canceled with issue #5 and unused inventory originally intended for the series was published in a revival of the Mystery in Space title, other Time Warp stories appeared in the mystery anthology The Unexpected. A one-shot was published by DCs Vertigo imprint in May 2013 and it included a Rip Hunter story by writer Damon Lindelof and artist Jeff Lemire
34.
Marshall Rogers
–
Well, I quickly found out that the world wasnt ready for another Frank Lloyd Wright. And I would end up doing parking lots and designing heating / cooling systems, I had wanted to draw and be imaginative. And then there was one last stumbling block, and that was calculus, I just couldnt grasp those weird theories that were running around. He studied architectural drawing, and his work was characterized by the depiction of detailed rendering of buildings and structures. He left college in 1971, before graduating, and returned home to New York, where he discovered his family was moving to Denver, Colorado, where his fathers employer, Johns Manville, was relocating. Opting to remain, he completed a 52-page story he had begun in college and presented it in 1972 as a sample to Marvel Comics production manager John Verpoorten, who found Rogers work wanting. To earn a living, Rogers did illustrations for mens magazines that he described as eal low-grade schlock sleazo magazines that had illustrations to precede the stories. One was to design a costume for a character they were going to establish. The kung-fu costume I designed was rejected because they said, It was too good, which meant, I felt, one appeared in the back of the black-and-white monster book on a little game-page they called Dr. Frankensteins Brain Twisters. At some unspecified point, I bounced in and out of a shipping clerk job and did some retouching work for DC Comics, on reprints of 1940s Batman stories. He continued showing samples to both Marvel and DC, and in 1977, his artwork began interesting Marie Severin and Vince Colletta and that got me my first job, it wasnt really the drawing ability, he said in 1980, as much as my design capabilities. He eschewed the grey wash that was used in other black-and-white comics stories in favor of applying screentone, the supervillain Deadshot was redesigned by Rogers during his Detective Comics run. Rogers also penciled the story of the Golden Age Batman in Secret Origins #6 with writer Roy Thomas. The two also did a sequel miniseries, Batman, Dark Detective, and had worked together on other series, also striking was Rogers short run on DCs revived Mister Miracle series. Englehart and Rogers first Batman run was collected in the trade paperback Batman, Strange Apparitions, Rogers remained as artist on Detective Comics for a few issues after Engleharts departure from the series. With writer Len Wein, Rogers co-created the third version of the supervillain Clayface, Rogers other Batman work included a story arc in Batman, Legends of the Dark Knight which was begun by writer Archie Goodwin and completed by James Robinson. In 1986, Rogers drew a graphic adaptation of Demon with a Glass Hand. It was the title of the DC Science Fiction Graphic Novel series
35.
Michael Golden (comics)
–
Michael Golden is an American comic book artist and writer best known for his late-1970s work on Marvel Comics The Micronauts, as well as his co-creation of the characters Rogue and Bucky OHare. His work is known to have influenced the style of artist Arthur Adams, after starting his illustration career in commercial art, Golden entered the comics industry in late 1977, working on such DC Comics titles as Mister Miracle and Batman Family. His first work for Marvel Comics was The Cask of Amontillado, in 1978, he collaborated with Bill Mantlo on Marvels Micronauts which he illustrated for the series first 12 issues. He drew a number of Marvel series throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including Doctor Strange, the Howard the Duck black-and-white comics magazine, writer Chris Claremont co-created Rogue with Golden in The Avengers Annual #10. At Continuity Comics, Golden and writer Larry Hama introduced Bucky OHare in Echo of Futurepast #1, back at Marvel, The Nam series was launched in 1986 by Doug Murray and Golden. Golden drew covers for the licensed series G. I, joe, A Real American Hero, Rom, U. S.1, and The Saga of Crystar. Golden also penciled parts of the Marvel No-Prize Book, in the early 1990s, Golden was an editor for DC Comics and later in the decade served as Senior Art Director for Marvel Comics. In the 2000s, he covers for DC Comics Nightwing, Superman, The Man of Steel. Goldens art style later inspired a number of comics creators. Goldens work was appropriated by Glenn Danzig as a logo for his bands Samhain. He is managed by Renée Witterstaetter of Eva Ink Publishing, by the 2000s, however, he had been known to make appearances at conventions. 2 #65 Defenders #53-54 Doctor Strange #46,55 Epic Illustrated #3-4,32 Fantastic Four Roast #1 G. I. I, joe #23,27,29,36, 116-118 G. I
36.
Joe Staton
–
Joe Staton is an American illustrator and writer of comic books. Joe Staton grew up in Tennessee and graduated from Murray State University in 1970, Staton started his comics career at Charlton Comics in 1971 and gained notability as the artist of the super-hero series E-Man. Staton produced art for comics published by Charlton, Marvel. In these titles he illustrated stories including the origin of the JSA in DC Special #29. Staton also illustrated the solo adventures of two female JSA members created during the JSA revival – drawing Power Girl in Showcase and the Huntress. During that time, Staton additionally drew Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, the 1970s revival of the Doom Patrol in Showcase, in 1979, Staton began a two-and-a-half-year run on Green Lantern, during which he co-created the Omega Men with writer Marv Wolfman. Staton served as art director for First Comics for three years in the 1980s and he returned to DC Comics afterwards for a second run on Green Lantern and with writer Steve Englehart, oversaw the titles name change to Green Lantern Corps. Staton and Englehart also created the DC weekly crossover series Millennium, in addition, Staton illustrated Guy Gardner, The Huntress, The New Guardians and Superman & Bugs Bunny. As of the late 2000s, Staton draws DCs Scooby-Doo title for younger readers, on January 19,2011, Tribune Media Services announced that Staton and writer Mike Curtis would replace Dick Locher as the creative team of the Dick Tracy comic strip. The new creative team have worked together on Scooby-Doo, Richie Rich, Staton also illustrated Charles Santinos graphic novel adaptation of Ayn Rands Anthem. Joe Staton received an Inkpot Award in 1983, Staton and writer Mike Curtis received the Best Syndicated Strip Harvey Award for Dick Tracy in 2013,2014, and 2015. com
37.
Brian Bolland
–
Brian Bolland is a British comics artist. His rare forays into interior art also include Batman, The Killing Joke, with UK-based writer Alan Moore, Bolland remains in high demand as a cover artist, producing the vast majority of his work for DC Comics. Brian Bolland was born in Butterwick, Lincolnshire to parents Albert A. J, John, a fenland farmer, and Lillie Bolland. He spent his first 18 years living in a village near Boston in the fens of Lincolnshire, England. When American comics began to be imported into England, c.1959, Bolland says that it took a little while for me to discover them, which fed into a childhood interest in dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. He recalls that uperheroes crept into my life by stealth, as he sought out covers featuring any big creature that looked vaguely dinosaur-like. This adolescent criteria led from Dinosaurus. and Turok via House of Mystery to Batman and Robin were being harassed by big weird things, as were Superman, Aquaman, soon, family outings to Skegness became an excuse for the future artist to trawl. Round some of the more remote backstreet newsagents for comics to store on an overflowing bookcase Id made in school woodwork especially. As early as 1962, aged 11, Bolland remembers thinking that Carmine Infantinos work on the Flash and Gil Kanes on Green Lantern, the young Bolland did not rate Marvel Comics as highly as DC, feeling the covers cluttered and the paper quality crude. His appreciation of the artwork of Jack Kirby, he says, having taken both O-Level and A-Level examinations in art, Bolland spent five years at art school learning graphic design and Art history. Learning to draw comics, however, was more a thing, with Bolland eventually writing a 15. He would later recall, It was during this time that I discovered the range of comics. All the British stuff Id missed was there to be discovered, I found the American greats, Foster, Herriman, Alex Raymond and Winsor McCay. Noel Sickles, Milt Caniff, Roy Crane, had all, I discovered, later the Filipinos—Alex Niño, Nestor Redondo, Alfredo Alcala, all were inspirational. None of this stuff was to be found in the art schools, during my five years in three art schools I never learnt a single thing about comics from any of my tutors. Bolland studied graphic design at Norwich University of the Arts, while at art school, Bolland drew and self-published a couple of fanzines and his work was published in British underground magazines Frendz, International Times and OZ. In 1971, his friend Dave Harwood took his first step into printed mass production with his RDH Comix and he also contributed a smaller, strip entitled The Mixed-Up Kid to the Central School of Arts college newspaper. Bolland and Gibbons became firm friends, after finishing his college course, Bolland was hit with the stark reality of unemployment and on the advice of Gibbons joined art agency Bardon Press Features
38.
Rick Veitch
–
Richard Rick Veitch is an American comic book artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics. He comes from a large Catholic family of six children, Veitch made his publishing debut in 1972, illustrating the underground comix horror parody Two-Fisted Zombies written by his brother Tom Veitch, but this one-shot failed to make a splash. Veitchs next major project was an adaptation of the film 1941 with Bissette, heartburst was straightforward science fiction, while The One was an ambitious and bizarre fantasy-adventure involving monstrous superheroes, the Cold War, and spiritual evolution. During this period Veitch also contributed numerous self-contained comics short stories to Epic Illustrated, Veitchs highest-profile title was DC Comics Swamp Thing. His friends Totleben and Bissette had both illustrated the series since Alan Moore took over as writer, Veitch joined the team for issue #37, in which Moores popular character John Constantine was introduced, and appeared regularly after issue #50. He also worked with Moore on Miracleman, illustrating the story that depicted the birth of Miraclemans child. When Moore left the series after issue #64, Veitch took over as writer and this was to conclude in issue #91. However things hit a snag after Veitchs plan for issue #88, although DC had approved Veitchs initial script for the Jesus story, the topic was later deemed too inflammatory and was cancelled at the last minute. The publisher and writer were unable to reach a compromise, Veitch quit, though the story arc has still never been printed, Veitch eventually did return to DC. After leaving DC, Veitch turned to the comics field. After doing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles storyline for Mirage Studios, The River, he began creating his own titles again, published by the Mirage spin-off Tundra Press. During this period, he produced the graphic novels Bratpack and The Maximortal, after Tundra collapsed, Veitch chose to emulate the successful self-published artist Dave Sim by creating his own publishing imprint, King Hell Press. King Hell has reprinted black-and-white editions of all of his graphic novels. Veitch was reunited with Alan Moore on two titles for Image Comics,1963 and Supreme, when Wildstorm was sold, both Veitch and Moore found themselves working indirectly for DC again, despite both having long-standing conflicts with the publisher. During the 1990s, Veitch became interested in the Internet as an alternative to traditional comics distribution, in 1998, with Steve Conley, he created the online convention site Comicon. com, a combination message board, news portal, and web host for comics creators. He continues to run the site, and is an advocate of self-publishing in both print and digital media. He wrote and penciled the satirical Army@Love for Vertigo in 2007–2009, in September 2011, he wrote and penciled The Big Lie, a comic book in which the protagonist – a physicist widowed on September 11,2001 – travels back in time to attempt to save her husband. The book takes the position that the destruction was a controlled demolition
39.
Steve Ditko
–
Stephen J. Steve Ditko is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the artist and co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics superheroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Ditko studied under Batman artist Jerry Robinson at the Cartoonist and Illustrators School in New York City and he began his professional career in 1953, working in the studio of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, beginning as an inker and coming under the influence of artist Mort Meskin. During this time, he began his long association with Charlton Comics, where he did work in the genres of science fiction, horror. He also co-created the superhero Captain Atom in 1960, during the 1950s, Ditko also drew for Atlas Comics, a forerunner of Marvel Comics. He went on to contribute much significant work to Marvel, in 1966, after being the exclusive artist on The Amazing Spider-Man and the Doctor Strange feature in Strange Tales, Ditko left Marvel for reasons never specified. Ditko also began contributing to small independent publishers, where he created Mr. A, since the 1960s, Ditko has declined most interviews, stating that it is his work he offers readers, not his personality. Ditko was inducted into the comics industrys Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990, the second-eldest child in a working-class family, he was preceded by sister Anna Marie, and followed, according to the 1940 census, by sister Elizabeth and brother Patrick. Good with his hands, Ditko in junior school was part of a group of students who crafted wooden models of German airplanes to aid civilian World War II aircraft-spotters. Upon graduating from Johnstown High School in 1945, he enlisted in the U. S. Army on October 26,1945, and did service in postwar Germany. Following his discharge, Ditko learned that his idol, Batman artist Jerry Robinson, was teaching at the Cartoonists, moving there in 1950, he enrolled in the art school under the G. I. He was in my class for two years, four or five days a week, five hours a night, Ditkos first published work was his second professional story, the six-page Paper Romance in Daring Love #1, published by the Key imprint Gillmor Magazines. Beginning as an inker on backgrounds, Ditko was soon working with and learning from Mort Meskin, Meskin was fabulous, Ditko once recalled. I couldnt believe the ease with which he drew, strong compositions, loose pencils, yet complete, Ditkos known assistant work includes aiding inker Meskin on the Jack Kirby pencil work of Harvey Comics Captain 3-D #1. For his own published story, Ditko penciled and inked the six-page A Hole in His Head in Black Magic vol. 4, #3, published by Simon & Kirbys Crestwood Publications imprint Prize Comics, Ditko then began a long association with the Derby, Connecticut publisher Charlton Comics, a low-budget division of a company best known for song-lyric magazines. He first went on hiatus from the company, and comics altogether, in mid-1954, hed take those skeleton outlines I had given him and turn them into classic little works of art that ended up being far cooler than I had any right to expect. Kirby told Lee about his own 1950s character conception, variously called the Silver Spider and Spiderman, Comics historian Greg Theakston says Lee and Kirby immediately sat down for a story conference and Lee afterward directed Kirby to flesh out the character and draw some pages. A day or two later, Kirby showed Lee the first six pages, and, as Lee recalled, not that he did it badly — it just wasnt the character I wanted, it was too heroic
40.
Tom Sutton
–
Thomas F. Tom Sutton was an American comic book artist who sometimes used the pseudonyms Sean Todd and Dementia. Tom Sutton was born and raised in North Adams, Massachusetts, where father Harry was a plumbing, heating and air conditioning shopkeeper, and he had a half-sister seven or eight years older than I am from his widower fathers first marriage. Influenced by EC Comics and the comic art of Milton Caniff, Alex Raymond and Hal Foster. He enlisted in the U. S. Air Force after graduating high school in 1955. Later, stationed at Itami base in Japan, Sutton created the Caniff-style adventure strip F. E. A. F Dragon for a base publication, suttons first professional comics work, it led to a long-hoped-for placement on the militarys Stars and Stripes newspaper. At the Tokyo office of Stars and Stripes, he drew the comic strip Johnny Craig, Sutton recalled that he worked on this strip for two years and some odd months. I did it seven days a week, I think and it was a kind of cheap version of Johnny Hazard, I think it was. On his return to life in 1959, Sutton lived and worked in San Francisco. That I sold or gave artwork to, after six months he moved to Jacksonville, Vermont, where his parents were at the time. In about 1960 he began attending the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Bill – Sutton was unclear on this in a 2001 interview – and studied there for two-and-a-half years while freelancing in commercial art for the likes of small ad agencies. Sutton became an art director at a company called AVP, and was the director for Transradio Productions. He married his first wife, Beverly, in the early 1960s, after the divorce his wife remarried and Sutton lost contact with his sons, he later reconnected with one of them, Todd. During the late 1960s, Sutton was living in Bostons North End and he married second wife Donna and in 1970 they moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts. Later Sutton lived in Newburyport with his wife, Charlotte. In the 1990s, he moved to Amesbury, Massachusetts, suttons first two comic-book stories appeared the same month. He also illustrated the five-page anthological Western story The Wild Ones, written by Sol Brodsky, in Marvels Kid Colt, Outlaw #137. It was one of many Westerns he drew for the company, including the introduction of the short-lived feature Renegades—The Fugitive times four, in the Old West—in Western Gunfighters #1. As Sutton recalled his breaking into Marvel, editor-in-chief Stan Lee. looked at the stuff that I had brought in, stuff that I had done in the service for Stars and Stripes in Tokyo
41.
George Tuska
–
As well, he drew the DC Comics newspaper comic strip The Worlds Greatest Superheroes from 1978–1982. George Tuska was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the youngest of three children of Russian immigrants Harry and Anna Onisko Tuska, who had met in New York City, georges siblings Peter, the eldest, and Mary, the middle child, were born in New York City. Years later, Mary died while giving birth to her second child, Harry, a foreman at a Hartford auto-tire company, died when George was 14. Anna then opened a restaurant in Paterson, New Jersey, where she had relatives, at 17, Tuska moved to New York City, rooming with his cousin Annie, and a year later began attending the National Academy of Design. His artistic influences included illustrators Harold von Schmidt, Dean Cornwell, and Thomas Lovell, and comic strip artists Lou Fine, Hal Foster, at some early point, he took his first job in art, designing womens costume jewelry. Tuska then began working for comic book packager Eisner & Iger and his first known published comic-book work appeared in Fox Comics Mystery Men Comics #1 and Wonderworld Comics #4, both cover-dated August 1939. Tuska in the mid-2000s recalled, I went to art school at the same I was doing costume jewelry design, I put in an application with a professional agency in New York City. I told them I could do cartooning, drawing, a week later, I got a call from Eisner-Iger, asking me to submit some samples. Said, Thats pretty good, but we dont do that stuff and he showed me a comic book and said, This is what we want. I went home and made a page — a whole story in one page, when I brought it back, he bought it for $5. He said, Wed like to have you work for us, at Eisner & Iger, Tuska said in 2001, I worked alongside Bob Powell, Lou Fine, and Mike Sekowsky. His studio colleagues later grew to include artists Charles Sultan, John Celardo, and Nick Cardy, writer-artist and company co-founder Will Eisner recalled of the period, It was a friendly shop, and I guess I was the same age as the youngest guys there. The only ones who ever got into a hassle were George Tuska, Powell was kind of a wiseguy and made remarks about other people in the shop. One day, George had enough of it, got up, the otherwise mild-mannered Tuska, thinking comic books would last two or three years — a fad, later left to seek non-comics work. After two weeks, however, he came across colleagues Sultan and Dave Glaser, on their way to meet with comics packager Harry A Chesler. Tuska, invited along, joined Cheslers studio, working there in 1939 and 1940, earning $22 a week, increased to $42 a week within six months. Alongside colleagues that included Sultan, Ruben Moreira, Mac Raboy, later, when Eisner-Iger client Fiction House formed its own bullpen to produce work on staff, Tuska left Chesler to join Cardy, Jim Mooney, Graham Ingels and other artists there. At some point, Tuska again worked for Will Eisner, now split from Jerry Iger, with a group of artists that included Alex Kotzky, while with Eisner, I penciled some Spirit and Uncle Sam stories
42.
Limited series (comics)
–
In the field of comic books, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from a series in that the number of issues is finite and determined before production. The term is used interchangeably with miniseries and maxiseries, usually depending on the length. In Dark Horse Comics definition of a series, This term primarily applies to a connected series of individual comic books. A limited series refers to a book series with a clear beginning, middle. Dark Horse Comics and DC Comics refer to limited series of two to eleven issues as miniseries and series of issues or more as maxiseries. The limited series has a story to tell. It follows the standard plot set-up of beginning, middle, usually, all plot points are covered by the end of the series. There have been limited series done in a format. Limited series are often done by a creative team, but in cases where there are changes. The number of issues is determined by some combination of the writers plotting. In 1979, in the process of recovering from the DC Implosion, publisher DC Comics experimented with a new format in the World of Krypton miniseries, as DC termed such short-run works. The new format allowed the company to tell stories that may not have fit into a series and to showcase characters into a short story without the risk. With the success of the format, DC followed by experimenting with longer stories. Debuting in 1982, Camelot 3000 was the first limited series to run to twelve issues, DC coined the term maxiseries as a promotional description for this. It did not take long for other publishers to begin using the limited-series format, Marvel Comics used it to feature popular characters from team titles and put them in solo adventures. Wolverines earliest solo adventures were told in limited series, crossovers were introduced in limited series form before the concept of multi-title crossovers was conceived. Contest of Champions brought forth the idea of an event affecting the Marvel Universe
43.
Captain Comet
–
Captain Comet is a DC Comics superhero created by DC Comics Editor Julius Schwartz, writer John Broome, and artist Carmine Infantino. Along with Marvel Comics Namor the Sub-Mariner and Toro, he is among the first mutant metahuman superheroes, the character of Captain Comet first appeared in a 10-page tale, The Origin Of Captain Comet, in the flagship science-fiction title Strange Adventures #9 published by National Comics. The character was based on the fiction character Captain Future. His first appearance was actually a story, continued in The Air Bandits From Space in Strange Adventures #10. From issue #12 Murphy Anderson took over as artist, and he drew all Captain Comets further appearances in Strange Adventures until #46, Sy Barry, Captain Comet appeared in 38 issues of Strange Adventures, the series ending in Strange Adventures #49. From the beginning, Captain Comet appeared on most of the covers, stories ranged in length from six to ten pages, dropping from ten pages in 1951 to eight pages in 1952 and finally six pages from May 1953. Secret Society of Super Villains was canceled as part of the DC Implosion, after the cancellation of Secret Society of Super Villains, Captain Comet entered another hiatus, his appearances limited to guest spots in other DC titles during the 1980s. Four of these were cameo appearances - Crisis on Infinite Earths #5, #10 and #12, two were team-ups with Superman - DC Comics Presents #22 and #91, the fourth was a retelling of his origin by Roy Thomas in Secret Origins Annual vol 2 #1. He also appeared in the non-canonical series DC Challenge and he then became a supporting character in the L. E. G. I. O. N. He was then part of the R. E. B. E. L. S. That series was canceled with R. E. B. E. L. S.96 #17, most recently he has become a regular character in the ongoing new R. E. B. E. L. S. Captain Comet, the first man of the future, is a mutant metahuman born a hundred years before his time. His metagene was triggered by a comet passing overhead at birth, other skills manifested almost instantly, he could play musical instruments without training and was secretly expert at sports to Olympic record level. In high school he saved a schoolmate from falling to her death by mental force and his Captain Comet persona began when Adam used his powers to intervene when criminals attempted to steal an advanced scientific device invented by Professor Zackro. Over the next three years he saved Earth from multiple alien invasions and explored space in The Cometeer, saving other civilizations, during this period he largely used intelligence and his mind-reading skills to help solve problems, seldom resorting to physical solutions. Among his weirder adventures, Captain Comet battled mad Greek Gods from space, fought dinosaurs and alien creatures, sometime after 1954 he disappeared into space in The Cometeer on another expedition of discovery, but this time he would not return for over 20 years. He also had an explanation for his absence - having always felt alienated from normal humans because of his abilities, For 20 years he spanned the spaceways, he’s been across the galaxy – twice. Later he turned down full membership in the Justice League, but became an honorary member, after fighting Chronos and dinosaurs in Gotham City, the Captain continued his crusade against the Secret Society of Super Villains despite a number of setbacks orchestrated by Gorilla Grodd
