1.
Dick Giordano
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Dick Giordano, an only child, was born in New York City on July 20,1932, in the borough of Manhattan to Josephine and Graziano Jack Giordano. He attended the School of Industrial Art, Giordanos artwork from Charltons Strange Suspense Stories was used as inspiration for artist Roy Lichtensteins 1965/1966 Brushstroke series, including Brushstroke, Big Painting No. 6, Little Big Painting and Yellow and Green Brushstrokes, by the mid-1960s a Charlton veteran, Giordano rose to executive editor, succeeding Pat Masulli, by 1965. Many of these included new talent Giordano brought on board, including Jim Aparo, Dennis ONeil. Giordano was given several title such as Teen Titans, Aquaman and Young Love and he launched the horror comics series The Witching Hour in March 1969. and the Western series All-Star Western vol.2 in September 1970. He continued to freelance for DC as a penciler and inker, as an artist, Giordano was best known as an inker. His inking was particularly associated with the pencils of Neal Adams, for their run in the early 1970s on the titles Batman, several comics artists began their careers at Continuity and many were mentored by Giordano during their time there. He had a run as penciler of the Wonder Woman series which included a two-issue story in issues #202–203 written by science-fiction author Samuel R. Delany. Giordano inked the large-format, first DC/Marvel intercompany crossover, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man, Giordano inked Adams on the one-shot Superman vs. Muhammad Ali in 1978. In 1980, DC publisher Jenette Kahn brought Giordano back to DC, initially the editor of the Batman titles, Giordano was named the companys new managing editor in 1981, and promoted to vice president/executive editor in 1983, a position he held until 1993. DC Comics writer and executive Paul Levitz observed in 2010 that Giordano held the respect of talent as one of their own, Giordano provided art for several anniversary issues of key DC titles. He and television writer Alan Brennert crafted the story To Kill a Legend in Detective Comics #500 and this was followed by Frank Millers Batman, The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Watchmen in 1986. From 1983 to 1987, Giordano wrote a column published in DC titles called Meanwhile. Which much like Marvels Bullpen Bulletins featured news and information about the company, unlike Bullpen Bulletins, which was characterized by an ironic, over-hyped tone, Giordanos columns. Were written in a sober, absolutely friendly voice, like a friend of your fathers you particularly liked. Column with the words, Thank you and good afternoon. Giordano inked six issues of The Sandman in 1991-1993, beginning in 1987, Giordano was in the middle of an industry-wide debate about the comics industry, ratings systems, and creators rights. Veteran writers Mike Friedrich, Steven Grant, and Roger Slifer all cited Giordano in particular for his stance on behalf of DC
2.
Charlton Comics
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Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name in 1944. It was based in Derby, Connecticut, the comic-book line was a division of Charlton Publications, which published magazines, puzzle books and, briefly, books. It had its own distribution company, Charlton Comics published a wide variety of genres, including crime, science fiction, Western, horror, war and romance comics, as well as funny animal and superhero titles. The company was known for its practices, often using unpublished material acquired from defunct companies. Charlton Comics were also the last of the American comics to raise their price from ten cents to 12 cents in 1962 and it did so under one roof at its Derby headquarters. The company was formed by John Santangelo, Sr. and Ed Levy in 1940 as T. W. O, Charles Company, named after the co-founders two sons, both named Charles, and became Charlton Publications in 1945. In 1931, Italian immigrant John Santangelo, Sr, in jail, he met Waterbury, Connecticut, attorney Ed Levy, with whom he began legitimate publishing in 1935, acquiring permissions to reproduce lyrics in such magazines as Hit Parade and Song Hits. Santangelo and Levy opened a plant in Waterbury the following year. Charles Company, named after each of the sons, both named Charles, eventually moving its headquarters to Derby. The companys first comic book was Yellowjacket, an anthology of superhero and horror stories launched September 1944 under the imprint Frank Comunale Publications, with Ed Levy listed as publisher. Zoo Funnies was published under the imprint Children Comics Publishing, Jack in the Box, under Frank Comunale, following the adoption of the Charlton Comics name in 1946, the company over the next five years acquired material from freelance editor and comics packager Al Fago. Charlton additionally published Merry Comics, Cowboy Western, the Western title Tim McCoy, in 1951, when Al Fago began as an in-house editor, Charlton hired a staff of artists that included its future managing editor, Dick Giordano. Others, either on staff or freelance, eventually included Vince Alascia, Jon DAgostino, Sam Glanzman, Rocco Rocke Mastroserio, Bill Molno, Charles Nicholas, the primary writer was the remarkably prolific Joe Gill. The company began an expansion of its comics line, which would include notoriously gory horror comics. Charlton continued publishing two of Fawcetts horror books — This Magazine Is Haunted and Strange Suspense Stories — initially using unpublished material from Fawcetts inventory, artistic chores were then handed to Ditko, whose moody, individualistic touch came to dominate Charltons supernatural line. Beset by the slump that swept the industry towards the end of the 1950s. Strange Suspense Stories ran longer, lasting well into the 1960s before giving up the ghost in 1965, Charlton published a wide line of romance titles, particularly after it acquired the Fawcett line, which included the romance comics Sweethearts, Romantic Secrets, and Romantic Story. Sweethearts was the worlds first monthly romance title, and Charlton continued publishing it until 1973
3.
DC Comics
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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.
Captain Atom
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Captain Atom is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Captain Atom has existed in three basic incarnations, the character was created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Space Adventures #33. Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was acquired by DC Comics. The character of Captain Atom was the inspiration for the character Doctor Manhattan who was featured in the miniseries Watchmen, in all incarnations, the character initially worked for the military. Over the years, DC has attempted to reinvent the character a number of times, in several animated depictions, he has served the role as government stooge when the government has brought itself into conflict with the Justice League. The Charlton Comics version of Captain Atom was Allen Adam, the characters origin had Adam working as a technician in a special experimental rocket when it accidentally launched with him trapped inside. Adam was atomized when the rocket exploded while entering the upper atmosphere, however, he somehow gained superpowers that included the ability to reform his body safely on the ground. He was outfitted in a red and yellow costume that was designed to shield people from the radiation of his nuclear powers, when he powered up, his hair changed to a silverish-white. Later, in his own title, he replaced his original red and gold costume with an outfit that was under his skin. Captain Atoms powers were similar to such other nuclear-powered superheroes as Gold Keys Doctor Solar, Captain Atom was first published in a series of short stories in the anthology series Space Adventures # 33-40 and #42. Captain Atom later teamed with the superhero Nightshade, with whom he shared a mutual attraction, the superhero Blue Beetle starred in the initial backup feature, later replaced by a Nightshade backup series. Captain Atom was canceled with issue #89 and this last story had originally been done for Charlton before the company folded. By storys end, Earth-Four had been incorporated into the Post-Crisis DC Universe, the last appearance of this Charlton-era Captain Atom was in DC Comics Presents #90. A new, post-Crisis version of the character was introduced in March 1987 with the launch of a comic written by Cary Bates, co-written by Greg Weisman. This modern captains name is established as Nathaniel Christopher Adam, a United States Air Force officer and Vietnam War veteran. Adam had been framed for a crime he did not commit and was, under military justice, condemned to death, the experiment involved testing the hull of a crashed alien ships durability by placing a human being within the metal craft and then exploding an atomic weapon under it. The weapon went off and Adam, along with the metal, was seemingly disintegrated, eighteen years later, Adam suddenly reappeared. The alien metal, now bonded around his body, afforded him incredible abilities far beyond that of a mere mortal and it was revealed that the alien metal could absorb energy but that past a certain threshold, any excess energy absorbed would force it to jump forward in time
5.
Steve Ditko
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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
6.
Justice League
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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
7.
L.A.W. (comics)
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The L. A. W. was a six-issue American comic book limited series, published by DC Comics. Consisted of Charlton Comics characters Blue Beetle, The Question, Judomaster, Captain Atom, The Peacemaker, Nightshade, the first issue marked the first appearance of Mitchell Black as The Peacemaker as well as the first appearance of super-villain Avatar The L. A. W. #1 debuted in September 1999, and was written and inked by Bob Layton with pencils by Dick Giordano, the series logo on each of the six covers spotlighted one specific member of The L. A. W. with the first issue highlighting Blue Beetle. Subsequent issues were emblazoned with the names of, The Question, The Peacemaker, Nightshade, Judomaster and Captain Atom. The six covers incorporated an illustration of the named character, over a background image of the entire team which formed a continuous image when all six issues were placed in line. The series ran monthly until February 2000, and was one of three projects by Layton and Giordano for DC in the time period, alongside two Batman Elseworlds tales. The L. A. W. was formed in response to the disappearance of the Justice League of America after they were attacked by the Avatar, after causing the JLA to disappear along with their Watchtower, he then attacked a European Space Agency launch facility. During the attack, Captain Atom showed up to stop him, the Avatar kept Captain Atom trapped within a large crystal that contained his powers. The Avatar revealed that he needed Captain Atoms powers to carry out his plan, senior Advisor of Metahuman Affairs, Sarge Steel, was asked by the President to go to the Swiss Alps to find any information that he could about the Avatar and the disappearance of the JLA. As Sarge Steel was arriving, the Avatars Ravanans were attacking the Peacemaker Project, with the help of the new Peacemaker, Mitchell Black, they were able to defeat the Ravanans before too much of the base was destroyed. During the fight at the Peacemaker Project, the Blue Beetle and it was here that they met up with Judomaster who was going out on his own to correct a wrong that he had committed. The three heroes were attacked by Avatars group of followers and they fled in Blue Beetles bug-shaped personal aircraft, while fleeing, they were contacted by Sergeant Steel to come and meet him in the Swiss Alps. She had developed new powers as a result of the procedure and she could now easily travel through shadows and use them to form a shadow cyclone as a weapon against the Ravanans that she had been tracking. Nightshade was able to prevent the Ravanans from capturing French Ambassador Yves Fortè, during a battle with Avatar and his Ravanans, Peacemaker, Blue Beetle, The Question, and Judomaster were defeated and Judomaster was taken back to Avatars base. While chained to the wall, Judomaster revealed that the Avatar is actually his former sidekick, Nightshade was able to locate the missing JLA and the Watchtower by utilizing her new powers. She was able to free them from the stasis that the Avatar had placed them in, Blue Beetle successfully shut down the system and averted a major catastrophe. Judomaster then met with the Avatar and, knowing that he was beaten, the L. A. W. were able to free Captain Atom and all of the members went their separate ways. The Blue Beetle decided that he was going to some time off from being a super-hero for a while so that he can better understand who he truly is
8.
Booster Gold
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Booster Gold is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in Booster Gold #1 and has been a member of the Justice League and he is initially depicted as a glory-seeking showboat from the future, using knowledge of historical events and futuristic technology to stage high-publicity heroics. Booster develops over the course of his history and through personal tragedies to become a true hero weighed down by the reputation he created for himself. Booster Gold first appeared in Booster Gold #1, being the first significant new character introduced into DC Universe continuity after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the next year, he began to appear regularly in the Justice League series remaining a team member until the group disbanded in 1996. He and his former Leaguers subsequently appeared as the Superbuddies in the Formerly Known as the Justice League miniseries and its JLA, Classified sequel I Cant Believe Its Not the Justice League. On March 16,2007, at Wizard World Los Angeles, Dan DiDio announced a new ongoing series titled All-New Booster Gold, the series follows the events of 52 and was initially co-written by Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz, with art by creator Jurgens and Norm Rapmund. The series focuses primarily on Booster Golds clandestine time travel within the DC Universe, the series also features Rip Hunter, Skeets, and Boosters ancestors Daniel Carter and Rose Levin as supporting characters. The tagline of the series is, The greatest hero youve never heard of, Katz and Johns left the book after 12 issues. Jurgens assumed writing duties following four issues by guests Chuck Dixon, Jurgens returned to the main Booster Gold title with issue #44. Michael Jon Carter was born poor in 25th century Gotham City and he and twin sister Michelle never knew their father because he left after gambling away all their money. Michael was an athlete, attending Gotham University on a football scholarship. Michael was a quarterback until his father reentered his life. He was exposed, disgraced and expelled, later he was able to secure a job as a night watchman at the Metropolis Space Museum, where he studied displays about superheroes and villains from the past, particularly the 20th century. With the help of a security robot named Skeets, Michael stole devices from the displays, including a Legion of Super-Heroes flight ring. He is a shameless self-promoter whose obsession with fame and wealth irritates other heroes, carters nickname as a football player was Booster, but his chosen 20th century superhero name was Goldstar. After saving the president, Carter mangled the two names, causing US President Ronald Reagan to introduce him as Booster Gold, in a running joke throughout the DC Universe, people erroneously call him Buster to his chagrin. Booster is originally based in Supermans home city, Metropolis and he starts his hero career by preventing the shapeshifting assassin Chiller, an operative of The 1000, from killing the President of the United States and replacing him. With the subsequent public exposure, Booster signs a multitude of commercial, during his career, his sister Michelle Carter, powered by a magnetic suit, follows in his footsteps as the superheroine Goldstar
9.
Question (comics)
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The Question is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Steve Ditko, the Question first appeared in Charlton Comics Blue Beetle #1, the character was acquired by DC Comics in the early 1980s and incorporated into the DC Universe. Following the events of the 2006–2007 miniseries 52, his protégé Renee Montoya took up his mantle, following the DC relaunch The New 52, Vic Sage is reintroduced as a government agent. As conceived by Ditko, the Question was an adherent of Objectivism during his career as a minor Charlton hero, much like Ditkos earlier creation, in a 1987–1990 solo series from DC, the character developed a Zen-like philosophy. Based in Hub City, Vic Sage made his mark as a highly outspoken, not long after starting his TV appearances, he began to investigate Dr. Barby Twain. Sage was approached by Aristotle Rodor, his professor, currently a scientist. Rodor told Sage about an artificial skin he had co-developed with Dr. Twain called Pseudoderm, Pseudoderm was intended to work as an applied skin-like bandage with the help of a bonding gas, but it had an unforeseen toxicity which was sometimes fatal when applied to open wounds. Sage resolved to stop him but had no way of going after Dr. Twain without exposing himself, Rodor suggested that Sage use a mask made of Pseudoderm to cover his famous features. Armed with information, and more importantly a disguise, Sage eventually caught up with Dr. Twain, stopping the transaction and extracting a confession, on television, Sage reported on Dr. Twains illegal activities. The two men became friends, with Sage affectionately referring to Rodor as Tot. Compared to other characters of the Silver Age of Comic Books. For example, when he was fighting some criminals in a sewer and knocked them into a deep and fast moving water flow, instead, he left to notify the police to retrieve them in case they survived the ordeal. The Questions most frequent foe was Max Bine a. k. a. the Banshee,4, #2, Bine was the apprentice of a circus performer named the Flying Dundo. After designing a cape that enabled the ability to fly, Dundo was slain by his pupil, the Banshee met his match when he reached Crown City and sparred with the Question on several occasions. The Question briefly appeared alongside his fellow Charlton Action Heroes as part of the Sentinels of Justice published by AC Comics, the Charlton characters were acquired by DC Comics while the former company was in decline in 1983. The Question appeared briefly in 1985s Crisis On Infinite Earths and in an arc of DCs Blue Beetle revival. DC gave the Question his own series in 1987, written by Dennis ONeil. The series was published for thirty-six issues—two annuals and five Quarterly specials, in The Question #1, the Question was defeated in personal combat, first by the martial arts mercenary, Lady Shiva
10.
Genius
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Despite the presence of scholars in many subjects throughout history, many geniuses have shown high achievements in only a single kind of activity. Usually genius is associated with talent, but many authors systematically distinguish these terms, in ancient Rome, the genius was the guiding spirit or tutelary deity of a person, family, or place. The noun is related to the Latin verb genui, genitus, to bring into being, create, produce, the assessment of intelligence was initiated by Francis Galton and James McKeen Cattell. They had advocated the analysis of time and sensory acuity as measures of neurophysiological efficiency. Galton is regarded as the founder of psychometry and he studied the work of his older half-cousin Charles Darwin about biological evolution. Hypothesizing that eminence is inherited from ancestors, Galton did a study of families of eminent people in Britain, Galtons ideas were elaborated from the work of two early 19th-century pioneers in statistics, Carl Friedrich Gauss and Adolphe Quetelet. His initial work in criminology led him to observe the greater the number of individuals observed the more do peculiarities become effaced and this ideal from which the peculiarities were effaced became the average man. In contrast to Quetelet, Galtons average man was not statistical, there was no measure of general averageness, only a large number of very specific averages. Galtons method in Hereditary Genius was to count and assess the eminent relatives of eminent men and he found that the number of eminent relatives was greater with closer degree of kinship. This work is considered the first example of historiometry, a study of historical human progress. The work is controversial and has criticised for several reasons. Galton then departed from Gauss in a way that became crucial to the history of the 20th century AD, the bell-shaped curve was not random, he concluded. The apparent randomness of the scores was due to the randomness of natural ability in the population as a whole. Galton went on to develop the field of eugenics, Genius is expressed in a variety of forms. Persons with genius tend to have intuitions about their domains. But somehow he trusted his own experiencing of life, the process of himself and it was as though he could say, Good artists dont paint like this, but I paint like this. Or to move to field, Ernest Hemingway was surely aware that good writers do not write like this. But fortunately he moved toward being Hemingway, being himself, rather than someone elses conception of a good writer
11.
Blue Beetle
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Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes who appear in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to the Blue Beetle is DC Comics who bought the rights to the character in 1983, the original Blue Beetle was created by Fox Comics and later owned by Charlton Comics. The first Beetle was Dan Garrett, who gained super powers from a special vitamin. The original Blue Beetle was featured not only in his own comic, the Second Blue Beetle was created by Charlton and later taken over by DC Comics, the successor to Dan Garrett known as Ted Kord. Kord jumped to the DC Comics universe during the Crisis on Infinite Earths alongside a number of other Charlton Comics characters, the second Blue Beetle later starred in his own 24 issue comic. Kord never had any super powers but used science to create devices to help him fight crime. He became a member of the Justice League of America and was killed during DC Comics Infinite Crisis cross over. The third Blue Beetle, created by DC Comics, is Jaime Reyes, over the years Reyes became a member of the Teen Titans and starred in two Blue Beetle comic series. In DC Comics New 52 reboot, Jaime Reyes was the primary Blue Beetle character, however, with the subsequent continuity revision DC Rebirth, the previous versions were restored. A rookie police officer, he wore a bulletproof costume and took Vitamin 2X which endowed him with super-energy. Blue Beetle starred in a book series, comic strip and radio serial. In the mid-1950s, Fox Comics went out of business and sold the rights to the Blue Beetle to Charlton Comics and that company published a few sporadic adventures of the Golden Age character before revamping the hero in 1964. Charlton tried three times to use the character to carry a self-titled series, two of the attempts retained the numbering of a previous title. These also were replaced with new titles that carried on the numbering. The new series was short-lived, and in the pages of Captain Atom #83 through #86, Charlton introduced Ted Kord, Kord was an inventor hero, using a variety of gadgets. This Beetle received his own series in 1967, but the entire Charlton Action Heroes line of comic books ceased publication in 1968, with the rest of the Charlton line-up, he was sold to DC Comics in 1983 and appeared with several incarnations of the Justice League. In 2006, DC introduced a new Blue Beetle, teenager Jaime Reyes, whose powers are derived from the scarab, the series was initially written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers, with artist Cully Hamner. Giffen left in issue #10 and Rogers took over writing duties, joined by a new artist
12.
Superhero
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A female superhero is sometimes called a superheroine. Fiction centered on characters, especially in American comic books since the 1930s, is known as superhero fiction. By most definitions, characters do not require actual supernatural or superhuman powers or phenomena to be deemed superheroes, some superheroes use their powers to counter daily crime while also combating threats against humanity from supervillains, who are their criminal counterparts. Often at least one of these supervillains will be the superheros archenemy, some long-running superheroes such as Iron Man, Captain America, Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Spider-Man have a rogues gallery of many villains. The word superhero dates to at least 1917, antecedents of the archetype include such folkloric heroes as Robin Hood, who adventured in distinctive clothing. The 1903 play The Scarlet Pimpernel and its spinoffs popularized the idea of a masked avenger, during the 1940s there were many superheroes, and only a few of these were female. The Flash, Green Lantern and Blue Beetle debuted in this era, most of the other female costumed crime-fighters during this era lacked superpowers. The most iconic comic book superheroine, who debuted during the Golden Age, is Wonder Woman, inspired by the Amazons of Greek mythology, she was created by psychologist William Moulton Marston, with help and inspiration from his wife Elizabeth and their mutual lover Olive Byrne. Wonder Womans first appearance was in All Star Comics #8, published by All-American Publications, in 1952, Osamu Tezukas manga Tetsuwan Atom was published. The series focused upon a robot boy built by a scientist to replace his deceased son, the 1950s saw the Silver Age of Comics. During this era DC introduced the likes of Batwoman in 1956, Supergirl, Miss Arrowette,1958 saw the debut of superhero Moonlight Mask on Japanese television. In 1963, Astro Boy was adapted into a highly influential anime television series, Phantom Agents in 1964 focused on ninjas working for the Japanese government and would be the foundation for Sentai-type series. Another important event was the debut of Mazinger Z by Go Nagai, Go Nagai also wrote the manga Cutey Honey in 1973, although the Magical Girl genre already existed, Nagais manga introduced Transformation sequences that would become a staple of Magical Girl media. The dark Skull Man manga would later get a television adaptation, the protagonist was redesigned resemble a grasshopper, becoming the renowned first masked hero of the Kamen Rider series. Kamen Rider is a motorcycle riding hero in an insect-like costume, both major publishers began introducing new superheroines with a more distinct feminist theme as part of their origin stories or character development. Examples include Big Barda, Power Girl, and the Huntress by DC comics, and from Marvel, the second Black Widow, Shanna the She-Devil, and The Cat. In 1975 Shotaro Ishinomoris Himitsu Sentai Gorenger debuted on what is now TV Asahi, it brought the concepts of multi-colored teams, in 1978, Toei adapted Spider-Man into a live-action series. In subsequent decades, popular characters like Dazzler, She-Hulk, Elektra, Catwoman, Witchblade, Spider-Girl, Batgirl, volume 4 of the X-Men comic book series featured an all-female team as part of the Marvel NOW. branding initiative in 2013
13.
Gary Friedrich
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Gary Friedrich is an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics Sgt. Friedrich – no relation to comics writer Mike Friedrich – was the first successful new writer brought into the burgeoning 1960s Marvel after fellow Missourian Roy Thomas. The humanistic military drama was noted for its semi-anthological The stories, such as The Medic, Friedrich went on to write a smattering of superhero stories for Marvel, Atlas/Seaboard Comics and Topps Comics, and eventually left the comics industry. Gary Friedrich, the son of Jerry and Elsie Friedrich, was born and raised in Jackson, Missouri and he was editor of the high school newspaper and a member of the marching band. As a teen, he was a friend of future Marvel Comics writer, I was working about 80 hours a week for $50, he recalled in 2001. I wrote, edited, and laid out the entire newspaper, I was the whole editorial staff without any help. Friedrich had gotten married the year before and by now had a young son, when the newspaper ceased publication in late summer 1965, Friedrich began working a union job at a Cape Girardeau factory, installing heating elements in waffle irons. Roy Thomas, now a Marvel Comics staff writer in New York City, Friedrich took a Greyhound bus the following day, and stayed with Thomas and a fandom friend, Dave Kaler, in Manhattans East Village. Shortly afterward, Friedrich and Thomas took an apartment on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village and this was a time of transition between the beat movement and the hippie era, when the Village flourished as a creative mecca. The Village was a really neat place to be at that time and we went to the theater that was to become the Fillmore East, it wasnt called that yet, but they were starting to have some rock concerts, like Chuck Berry. I began to let my hair grow and become a real New York hippie, after Thomas recommended Friedrich to Charlton Comics editor Dick Giordano, Friedrich began writing romance comics for that low-budget publisher, where many pros got early breaks. I did it with a good sense of humor, Friedrich recalled. I wrote things like Tears in My Malted and Too Fat to Frug, with anonymous help and input from Thomas, Friedrich also began writing superhero stories, beginning with his backup feature The Sentinels in Peter Cannon. He wrote the feature for two issues before handing it off. Friedrich also dialogued the debut and the three stories of the Blue Beetle, plotted and drawn by Steve Ditko, in Captain Atom #83–86. Friedrichs last recorded Charlton story was If I Had Three Wishes, penciled by Ditko, Friedrich also contributed to the parody series Not Brand Echh. Fury and his Howling Commandos with #42 – co-scripted, as was the issue, by Friedrichs Western partner. The next issue, a flashback to the Howlers first mission, was co-scripted by Friedrich, Friedrich continued through #83, with the late part of this run having reprint issues between new stories, and again for the even-numbered issues from #94–114
14.
Fox Feature Syndicate
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Fox Feature Syndicate was a comic book publisher from early in the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by entrepreneur Victor S. Fox, it produced such titles as Blue Beetle, Fantastic Comics and it is unrelated to the company Fox Publications, a Colorado publisher of railroad photography books. Victor S. Fox and business associate Bob Farrell launched Fox Feature Syndicate at 480 Lexington Avenue in New York City in the late 1930s. For content, Fox contracted with comics packager Eisner & Iger, however, a transcript of the proceeding, uncovered by comics historian Ken Quattro in 2010, indicates Eisner in fact supported Fox and claimed Wonder Man as an original Eisner creation. After losing at trial, Victor Fox dropped Eisner and Iger, Joe Simon, a former Eisner and Iger freelancer, became Fox Publications editor. As one of the earliest companies in the field, it employed or bought the packaged material of a huge number of Golden Age greats. Lou Fine created the superhero The Flame in Wonderworld Comics, Dick Briefer created Rex Dexter of Mars in the eponymous series, george Tuska did his first comics work here with the features Zanzibar and Tom Barry. Fletcher Hanks wrote and drew Stardust the Super Wizard in Fantastic Comics in 1939 and 1940, Kirby retained the house name Charles Nicholas for the comic strip, which lasted three months. Kirby, additionally, created and did one story each of the Fox features Wing Turner, the race was broadcast over radio station WMCA. Throughout the 1940s, Fox produced comics in a wide variety of genres. With the post-war decline in popularity, Fox, like other publishers, concentrated on horror and crime comics. Following the establishment of Comics Code Authority in the mid-1950s, Fox went out of business, according to Nicky Wright, Competing well in the most sexy, sadistic, and violent category, Victor Foxs Murder Incorporated and Blue Beetle are noteworthy. When historians describe sleaze, sex, and violence as Foxs obsession and his best artists, Jack Kamen and Matt Baker, are much revered and collected for their good girl art. However, since Fox always started their stories on the front cover. Also, since Fox used remaindered issues, contents will vary from copy to copy of Hoot Gibsons Western Roundup, central Color Press of the same address filed likewise, listing liabilities of $513,587 and assets of $603,427. Fox was listed as president of both corporations, Fox Publications founder Victor Fox was born Samuel Victor Joseph Fox on July 3,1893, in Nottinghamshire, England, the fourth of six children born to Russian emigres Joseph and Bessie Fox. He had older sisters Annie, Rosie, Fanny E. and young sisters Etta G. the family relocated to the United States in March 1898, and within two years were living in Fall River, Massachusetts. By 1917, patriarch Joseph, a storekeeper, moved the family to New York City, where he opened a clothing business
15.
Charlton Bullseye (comics)
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Charlton Bullseye was the title of a short-lived Charlton Comics showcase comic book series published from June 1981 through December 1982. Several new stories using Charltons Action Heroes appeared, before they were sold to DC Comics in 1983, several other unpublished stories for the title were published by AC Comics. Funny animal stories, featuring the first appearance of Neil the Horse, swords and sorcery/science fiction The Vanguards, by Larry Houston. Art by Chas Truog and colors by Wendy Fiore, captain Atom, with art by Dan Reed, and Nightshade, by Bill Black. Horror stories Bludd, the Ultimate Barbarian, a science fiction barbarian story, art partially done by Gene Day. Thunder Bunny, by Martin L. Greim, in 1985, a final attempt at a revival was spearheaded by new editor T. C. Ford with an only version of Charlton Bullseye Special, which featured work by then newcomers Amanda Conner. Fords publishing house, will reprint this edition as Shockwave #1 in 2016, Charlton Bullseye, Charlton,1981 Series at the Grand Comics Database Charlton Bullseye at the Comic Book DB
16.
Crisis on Infinite Earths
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It was produced by DC Comics to herald a simplification of its then 50-year-old narrative continuity. The series was written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by George Pérez, Mike DeCarlo, Dick Giordano, the series removed the multiverse concept from the fictional DC Universe, depicting the death of long-standing characters Supergirl and the Barry Allen incarnation of the Flash. Continuity in the DC Universe is divided into pre-Crisis and post-Crisis periods and it inspired the titles of four DC crossover series, Zero Hour, Crisis in Time. Infinite Crisis, Final Crisis, and Convergence, before Crisis on Infinite Earths was published, DC storylines had many continuity problems, no characters backstory was entirely consistent and reliable. DCs oldest superhero, Superman, could not originally fly, his strength came from evolving on a planet with stronger gravity than Earths and he was later depicted flying, with his powers explained as deriving from Earths yellow sun. Supermans history later incorporated his exploits as Superboy, more Krypton survivors were introduced, contradicting the original premise that Superman was the sole survivor of Kryptons destruction. Issues also arose about the age of some characters, batman retained his youth and vitality well into the 1980s despite his World War II heroism, and his sidekick Robin took over 30 years in real time to graduate from high school. Characters such as the Flash, the Atom and Green Lantern appeared in conflicting storylines, with differing origins, the biggest perceived problem was DCs vast array of parallel Earths. Beginning as a story in Flash #123, the Silver Age version of the Flash met his Golden Age counterpart. Marv Wolfman and Len Wein saw Crisis as a chance to clean up DCs convoluted continuity, the term Crisis denoted an inter-dimensional crossover, similar to the annual Justice League–Justice Society crossovers that began with Crisis on Earth-One. Early in planning, a list was made of characters that were part of the DC Universe, the crossover was fleshed out and coordinated at a meeting attended by president Jenette Kahn, Paul Levitz, vice president and executive editor Dick Giordano and DCs editors. According to writer Steve Gerber, Crisis on Infinite Earths got virtually no promotion, how many handouts did you see. How many posters did you see in peoples windows, how much information was really distributed to the press and how much was gotten just by individual reporters going to Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. Despite this the series was successful, renewing interest in the books and attracting readers with the slogan. During a lull in the war the villains unite under Brainiac, the Anti-Monitor tries to use an antimatter cannon to penetrate the limbo universe and destroy the five partially merged Earths. The Flash dies stopping this attempt, a furious Anti-Monitor vows to travel back through time to prevent the creation of the multiverse. The villains fail, and Krona continues his experiment, the five Earths merge into a single shared universe, and the superheroes return to the present, only those present at the dawn of time remember the original realities. A cosmically empowered Anti-Monitor attacks again, transporting the new Earth to the antimatter universe and he falls in a carefully planned counterattack culminating in a battle with Kal-L, Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three and Superboy of Earth-Prime, with help from New Gods adversary Darkseid
17.
Crossover (fiction)
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A crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, unauthorized efforts by fans or common corporate ownership, Crossovers often occur in an official capacity in order for the intellectual property rights holders to reap the financial reward of combining two or more popular, established properties. In other cases, the crossover can serve to introduce a new derivative of an older one. They may also involve using characters that have passed into the domain with those concurrently under copyright protection. A crossover story may try to explain its own reason for the crossover, some crossovers are not explained at all. Others are absurd or simply impossible within the setting, and have to be ignored by the series respective continuities. Still others intentionally make the relations between two or more fictional universes confusing, as with The Simpsons and Futurama, where each show is fiction in the other. Crossovers of multiple characters owned by one company or published by one publisher, have used to set an established continuity. This is especially true of comic book publishers, as different characters in various Marvel, for example, in the Marvel Comics universe, Spider-Man has frequent dealings with another Marvel hero, Daredevil, just as in the DC Comics Universe, Batman and Superman often collaborate. In comic book terminology, these guest star roles are common enough that they are not considered crossovers, rather, a crossover in comic book terms only occurs when a story spans more than one title. This has led to events, in which major occurrences are shown as affecting most or all of the stories in the shared universe. This story dealt with Zatanna attempting to reconnect with her father, Zatara, and seeking the aid of Hawkman, Batman, Robin, The Atom, Green Lantern, the first major crossover event was spearheaded by the Marvel Editor-in-Chief at the time, Jim Shooter. As a way to further toy sales he devised the Secret Wars crossover which brought all the major Marvel heroes into a twelve issue mini-series to battle a common threat, after the threat was dealt with they all returned to their regular titles. This Secret Wars was hailed as both a critical and commercial success largely because the events of the crossover had lasting effects on the characters, Jim Shooter later perfected his crossover at Valiant Comics with the Unity event. Unity brought all the Valiant characters together to defeat Mothergod but was told within the existing Valiant Comics titles, readers were not obliged to buy all 18 chapters as the story was coherent when reading just one title, but far more layered when all were read. Like Secret Wars, the Unity crossover had lasting effects on the Valiant universe most notably the introduction of Turok, the birth of Magnus Robot Fighter and the death of a major Valiant hero. Dark Horse Comicss Aliens Versus Predator franchise was a success that continued into many games, the comic crossovers from Raj Comics are very famous in India, in which the super heroes meet to fight a common enemy. Many of these crossovers have occurred between Nagraj and Super Commando Dhruva, in Kohram, all the heroes in Raj Universe meet to finish Haru, an extremely powerful enemy
18.
Len Wein
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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
19.
Secret Origins
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Secret Origins is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publishers various characters. Secret Origins was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and contained only reprinted material, the title became an ongoing reprint series in February–March 1973 which ran for seven issues and ended in October–November 1974. The title was used on compilations of origin stories including Limited Collectors Edition #C-39 and #C-45 as well as DC Special Series #10. Its most well-known incarnation was a 50-issue series that ran from April 1986 to August 1990 plus three annuals and a special. Typically, an issue would clarify the origins of a number of characters. Roy Thomas was the initial writer/editorial consultant on the series, later issues were overseen by Mark Waid, three more specials followed in 1998–1999. In 2004, it returned to the all-reprint format with a Weird Secret Origins special featuring Doctor Fate, the Spectre, Animal Man, Enchantress, Metamorpho, Congorilla, El Diablo, and Bizarro World. A new monthly incarnation focusing on characters in The New 52, the first issue featured the origins of Superman, Supergirl and the Dick Grayson version of Robin. This series was cancelled as of issue #11 on sale in March 2015,2, The Blue Beetle, both the Dan Garrett and Ted Kord versions, art by Gil Kane. 3, Captain Marvel credited by the Shazam, title, a retelling of the story from WHIZ Comics #2, albeit updated to modern day. Much of this was changed in the Legends crossover and Thomas himself would retcon this some months later in SHAZAM, the New Beginning, and all of which was changed by Jerry Ordway in his graphic novel The Power of Shazam. 5, the original Crimson Avenger, art by Gene Colan,6, Halo of the Outsiders, the Golden Age Batman. This was the first double-sized issue,7, Guy Gardner, the Golden Age Sandman 8, Shadow Lass, Doll Man. 9, The original Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, the Golden Age Flash,11, the Golden Age Hawkman, Power Girl. Both stories presented have been retconned, with Power Girls backstory having been redefined by Geoff Johns in the pages of JSA Classified which served as part of the buildup to Infinite Crisis,12, The Challengers of the Unknown, Fury. 13, Nightwing, Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt, the Whip, another Legends tie-in, it served as a prequel to the later series, and was written by that series writer, John Ostrander. 16, Hourman, the Warlord, Mazing Man,18, The Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott, the Creeper. 21, Jonah Hex, the Black Condor and this was a tie-in with Millennium as was the subsequent issue, and aligned the various histories of the characters with the Manhunter name together
20.
Gil Kane
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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
21.
Carapax
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Carapax is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. Carapax first appeared in Blue Beetle #1, and was created by Len Wein, Carapax is featured as the archenemy of Blue Beetle. Conrad Carapax was an archaeologist who had once been the rival of Dr. Daniel Garrett and he went to Pago Island alone in search of whatever it was that Garrett was searching for when he died. Instead he found the top-secret laboratory of Dr. Jarvis Kord, uncle of Ted Kord, in the lab he found a gleaming robot standing silently in the corner of the huge chamber, having come back online when it had sensed his approach. Donning a strange helmet he found in the wreckage, Carapax attempted to activate the robot, although his body had died, Carapaxs mind was transferred to the robot at the instant of his death. He was now an Indestructible Man trapped on Pago Island and he murdered the crew of the ship that had brought Lieutenant Max Fisher to Pago Island to investigate the death of Dan Garrett, hoping to use the vessel to escape. However, the Blue Beetle had followed Fisher to Pago to protect the islands secret and he saved Fishers life and therefore came into direct conflict with Carapax. He used his ship, the Bug, to sink the ship, and when Carapax tried to commandeer the Bug itself, he was sent hurtling into the Atlantic Ocean, unfortunately for the Beetle, Carapax simply walked along the ocean bottom until he surfaced in Metropolis. He and the Beetle battled again, but this time, the Beetle fired a missile through a crack in Carapaxs outer shell, igniting his power source and blowing up his body from the inside. During the Underworld Unleashed storyline, Carapax was approached by the demon Neron, after the Blue Beetles death, Carapax confronted Superman and the new Firestorm. His body had been rebuilt by extraterrestrials and provided with a new power source, Firestorm had to be persuaded not to vaporize Carapaxs supposed armor by Superman for a very good reason - he was the robot, not a living being trapped inside it. Carapax later returned, steam-powered and capable of withstanding any and all attacks, as part of a group formed to take out the new Blue Beetle. Carapax is defeated when Jaime makes a crack in his shoulder, Carapax has a high degree of protection from physical and energy attacks, super human strength, agility and endurance. He is able to fire miniature missiles, Carapax appears in issue #1 of Batman, The Brave and the Bold. He is seen fighting Batman and Aquaman until he is defeated by them, whos Who in the DC Universe Update 87 vol
22.
Wayne Enterprises
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The American diversified multinational conglomerate is owned and chaired by American billionaire Bruce Wayne, who is also Batman. Wayne Enterprises is a company based out of Gotham City. Wayne Enterprises and the Wayne Foundation are largely run by Bruce Waynes business manager Lucius Fox, Fox makes most company decisions on Bruce Waynes behalf, since Waynes time is largely occupied as the vigilante Batman. Fox is typically depicted as being unaware that Wayne is Batman, founded by merchant ancestors of the Wayne family in the 17th century as a merchant house, it is among the oldest companies in the DC Universe. The company began as a dozen businesses started by Judge Solomon, with the revenue generated Judge Wayne essentially built Gotham City by hiring Cyrus Pinkney. Judge Waynes and heir, Alan Wayne, officially made it a company in the 19th century. Alan Wayne, who was Bruce Waynes great, great grandfather, erected Wayne Shipping, Wayne Chemical, all these companies were energized by the worlds Industrial Revolution, more branches were created and diversified while others dwindled and were discarded. Along the years, it has developed from a merchant house to a multinational conglomerate company in the DC Universe, exceeding LexCorp, Stagg Enterprises. Under the control of Patrick and Laura Wayne, Wayne Enterprises became a green company, Wayne Tower is the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises. Also called Old Wayne Tower and Wayne Industries Headquarters, it was built in 1888 by Alan Wayne, after its construction, the tower was the tallest building in Gotham City. Built as a symbol to all of those who enter the city, Wayne Tower has 13 gargoyles or guardians. There is a gargoyle or guardian, to visitors for each entry point into the city. The five guardians on the first tier watch the original five gateways into Gotham, higher up, the seven guardians watch the seven train lines that converge at Union Station below the towers base. A 13th guardian was added in 1930 and sits in the middle of the tower and this last one, added by Henry Wayne, watches the airport and cannot be seen by elevator or from the deck. At the top of the tower is an observation deck which Alan Wayne asserted be open to the public for every weekend. It has double bonded laminated float glass for windows that are crystal-quality, weatherproof, the Wayne Foundation is the holding company for the Thomas Wayne Foundation and the Martha Wayne Foundation, it is the largest transparently operated private foundation within the DC Universe. It also has an elevator that leads to a matching Batcave in a secret sub-basement under the building. This arrangement also provides a network of connections in the world of charities
23.
Batman
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Batman is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, originally named the Bat-Man, the character is also referred to by such epithets as the Caped Crusader, the Dark Knight, and the Worlds Greatest Detective. Batmans secret identity is Bruce Wayne, a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist, after witnessing the murder of his parents Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne as a child, he swore vengeance against criminals, an oath tempered by a sense of justice. Wayne trains himself physically and intellectually and crafts a bat-inspired persona to fight crime, Batman operates in the fictional Gotham City, with assistance from various supporting characters, including his butler Alfred, police commissioner Gordon, and vigilante allies such as Robin. A large assortment of villains make up Batmans rogues gallery, including his archenemy, Batman became popular soon after his introduction in 1939 and gained his own comic book title, Batman, the following year. As the decades went on, differing interpretations of the character emerged, the late 1960s Batman television series used a camp aesthetic, which continued to be associated with the character for years after the show ended. Various creators worked to return the character to his dark roots, the success of Warner Bros. live-action Batman feature films have helped maintain the publics interest in the character. The character has also intrigued psychiatrists, with trying to understand the characters psyche. In 2015, FanSided ranked Batman as number one on their list of 50 Greatest Super Heroes In Comic Book History. Kevin Conroy, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, Anthony Ruivivar, Jason OMara, Batman has been portrayed in both film and television by Lewis Wilson, Robert Lowery, Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck. In early 1939, the success of Superman in Action Comics prompted editors at National Comics Publications to request more superheroes for its titles, in response, Bob Kane created the Bat-Man. Collaborator Bill Finger recalled that Kane had an idea for a character called Batman, I went over to Kanes, and he had drawn a character who looked very much like Superman with kind of. Reddish tights, I believe, with boots, with a small domino mask, swinging on a rope. He had two wings that were sticking out, looking like bat wings. And under it was a big sign, the bat-wing-like cape was suggested by Bob Kane, inspired by Leonardo Da Vincis sketch of an ornithopter flying device as a child. Finger suggested giving the character a cowl instead of a domino mask, a cape instead of wings. Finger said he devised the name Bruce Wayne for the secret identity, Bruce Waynes first name came from Robert Bruce. Wayne, being a playboy, was a man of gentry, I searched for a name that would suggest colonialism
24.
Justice League International
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Justice League International is a DC Comics superhero team written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis, with art by Kevin Maguire, created in 1987. However, at the time, most of the core Justice League characters were unavailable, Superman was limited to John Byrnes reboot, George Pérez was relaunching Wonder Woman and Mike Baron was launching the Wally West version of The Flash. As a result, the team consisted of, Batman, Denny ONeil, taking pity on the new creative team. Black Canary, Dinah Lance was written as a strong feminist, Blue Beetle, A recent acquisition from Charlton Comics. Captain Marvel, No longer a separate personality, this focuses on his alter egos naiveté. Dr. Fate, The inclusion of Dr. Fate coincided with a series written by DeMatteis. Dr. Light, First appearing in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Guy Gardner, Editor Andy Helfer suggested using Guy Gardner over the more well known Hal Jordan. Martian Manhunter, The only connection to the iteration of the Justice League. He soon develops a love for Oreos, mister Miracle, The worlds greatest escape artist. His wife, Barda, and friend, Oberon, are associated with the League. The series would go on to become nominated as Best New Series in 1988 by the Harvey Awards and it would also feature Adam Hughes first work for a major comic publisher. The series was renamed following the launch of Justice League Europe in 1989. The series would be known as Justice League America until its cancellation in 1996, the major events that occurred were the following, Maxwell Lord is initially in a coma from a failed assassination attempt. He is later possessed by JLE foe Dreamslayer of the Extremists, following the end of the Breakdowns saga, Maxwell Lord has no more mental powers, apparently drained completely when possessed by Dreamslayer. The Queen Bee, ruler of the country Bialya, is killed in a coup led by Sumaan Harjavti. Despero awakens and escapes Manga Khans starship to wreak havoc on New York City, a force of the Justice Leagues best, along with the Conglomerate and Lobo, were unable to stop him. Ultimately, it was Kilowog and L-Ron who subdued Despero by transferring L-Rons consciousness into the cybernetic control collar that remained around Desperos neck. Using Lords persona, Dreamslayer lures a large portion of the Justice League to the island and takes control of them
25.
Kevin Maguire (artist)
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Kevin Maguire is an American comic book penciller, known for his work on series such as Justice League, Batman Confidential, Captain America, and X-Men. Maguires first credited published comics work was The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe vol.2 #6 in 1986 and he debuted at DC Comics with artwork in Whos Who, The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #23 and 25. In 1987, Maguire was the artist on the relaunch of Justice League written by Keith Giffen, Maguire left the series with issue #24 but returned for Giffen and DeMatteis final story in #60. The two writers and Maguire reunited in 2003 for the Formerly Known as the Justice League miniseries and its 2005 sequel, Maguire was one of the artists who launched the Team Titans series in 1992. He has frequently collaborated with writer Fabian Nicieza on series such as Adventures of Captain America, X-Men, Maguire and George Pérez alternated as artists of the revival of the Worlds Finest series, which was written by Paul Levitz. Maguire was to have reunited with Giffen and DeMatteis on the Justice League 3000 series but was removed from the project by DC. 1988 Russ Manning Best Newcomer Award 2004 Eisner Award for Best Humor Publication for Formerly Known as the Justice League, with Keith Giffen, J. M. com
26.
Al Gordon
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Alan Gordon is an American comic book creator primarily known as an inker and writer. He is best known for his 1990s work on DC Comics Legion of Super Heroes and the Justice League of America, Marvel Comics Fantastic Four, Gordon was born in San Francisco, California. The following year, Gordon began freelance inking for Marvel Comics, working with pencilers Bob Budiansky and Steve Leialoha, respectively, on a backup story each in Captain America #220-221. In 1982, Gordon left Marvel for DC Comics to ink writer-penciler-co-creator Scott Shaw and fill-in penciler Stan Goldberg on the superhero series Captain Carrot. Afterward, he returned to Marvel to become the inker on the companys flagship series Fantastic Four. Other work around this time includes issues of The Eternals and Power Pack, freelancing once again for DC, Gordon in 1987 began inking Kevin Maguire while working with plotter/thumbnail artist Keith Giffen on Justice League International. Two years later, Gordon, this time inking Giffen, also began cowriting with Giffen and Tom, Gordon took over the complete writing and scripting chores for issues #21 though 24, while continuing to ink Giffen. In 1992 he began WildStar with Jerry Ordway for Image Comics, the WildStar, Sky Zero miniseries was written, inked, edited and produced by Gordon with pencils by Jerry Ordway. A continuing WildStar series followed with penciler Chris Marrinan and he continued his working relationship with Ordway, inking Marvels The Avengers vol. Other 2000s work for Marvel includss Captain Marvel #25 and Marvel Holiday Special #1, outside of comics, Gordon has also done commercial and advertising art, fashion illustration, advertising and commercial voice overs including audiobooks, and played in rock bands
27.
Keith Giffen
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Keith Ian Giffen is an American comic book illustrator and writer. Keith Giffen was born in Queens, New York and his first published work was The Sword and The Star, a black-and-white text story featured in Marvel Preview #4, with writer Bill Mantlo. Giffen and Mantlo created Rocket Raccoon in Marvel Preview #7, Giffen is best known for his long runs illustrating and later writing the Legion of Super-Heroes title in the 1980s and 1990s. Giffen and writer Paul Levitz crafted The Great Darkness Saga in Legion of Super-Heroes vol, in August 1984, a third volume of the Legion of Super-Heroes series was launched by Levitz and Giffen. Giffen plotted and pencilled the fourth volume of the Legion which began in November 1989, in addition, Giffen co-created the humorous Justice League International series in 1987 with J. M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire. The success of that led to a spinoff in 1989 titled Justice League Europe also co-written with DeMatteis. The Giffen/DeMatteis team worked on Justice League for five years and closed out their run with the Breakdowns storyline in 1991 and 1992. The two writers and Maguire reunited in 2003 for the Formerly Known as the Justice League miniseries and its 2005 sequel, I Cant Believe Its Not the Justice League, Giffen created the alien mercenary character Lobo as well as the irreverent want-to-be hero Ambush Bug. A Doctor Fate series of stories, written by Martin Pasko. DC later collected Pasko and Giffens stories into a limited series titled The Immortal Dr. Fate. He was one of artists on Wonder Woman #300. Giffen plotted and was breakdown artist for an Aquaman limited series and one-shot special in 1989 with writer Robert Loren Fleming and he was responsible for the English adaptation of the Battle Royale and Ikki Tousen manga, as well as creating I Luv Halloween for Tokyopop. For Valiant Comics, Giffen wrote X-O Manowar, Magnus, Robot Fighter, Punx and he took a break from the comic industry for several years, working on storyboards for television and film, including shows such as The Real Ghostbusters and Ed, Edd n Eddy. Giffen and his Justice League colleagues, J. M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire, have applied their humorous brand of storytelling to a title that he had drawn in the 1970s, the same trio produced the Metal Men backup feature that appeared in Doom Patrol. Giffen and DeMatteis collaborated with artist Joe Abraham on the creator-owned title Hero Squared for Boom, the two-issue mini-series Planetary Brigade chronicled the adventures of characters originating from this series. Giffen was the breakdown artist on the DC Comics title 52 and he continued in that role with the follow-up weekly series Countdown to Final Crisis. He wrote the Star-Lord mini-series for the follow-up story Annihilation, Conquest, between 2005 and 2007 he co-created and often authored or co-authored independent comics such as 10, Tag and Hero Squared for Boom. Studios for Zapt. and I Luv Halloween for Tokyopop, Common Foe and Tabula Rasa for Desperado Publishing/Image Comics, many of these were co-authored with Shannon Denton
28.
Power Girl
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Power Girl is a fictional DC Comics superheroine, making her first appearance in All Star Comics #58. Power Girl is the cousin of DCs flagship hero Superman, in common with Supergirls origin story, she is the daughter of Supermans aunt and uncle and a native of the planet Krypton. The infant Power Girls parents enabled her to escape the destruction of her planet by placing her in a rocket ship. Although she left the planet at the time that Superman did. Though they are biologically the same person, Power Girl behaves as an older, more mature and she also adopts a different secret identity from her counterpart. The name Power Girl reflects that she not to be seen as a derivative of Superman, but rather her own hero. Over various decades, Power Girl has been depicted as a member of teams such as the Justice Society of America, Infinity, Inc, Justice League Europe. Power Girls origin has gone through revisions, but over time has reverted to her original conception as the Supergirl of Earth-Two, the 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths eliminated Earth-Two from history, causing her to be retconned as the granddaughter of an Atlantean sorcerer known as Arion. This was a change and writers depicted the revised Power Girl inconsistently. The 2005–2006 Infinite Crisis limited series restored her status as a refugee from the Krypton of the destroyed Pre-Crisis Earth-Two universe. She returned to her source Earth in the story Earth 2 and you know, years ago we brought out Wonder Man, and sued us because they had Wonder Woman, and. I said okay, Ill discontinue Wonder Man, and all of a sudden theyve got Power Girl. After All Star Comics was canceled as a part of the DC Implosion and she appeared in a story arc that expanded on her pre-Crisis origin in Showcase issues 97–99. During this time, she was a featured character in the annual Justice Society crossovers in the original Justice League of America series. She was a member of Infinity Inc. appearing in each of the first 12 issues. After DCs continuity-altering Crisis on Infinite Earths inter-company crossover, her origin was retconned in Secret Origins vol,2, #11 and she became a magic-based character with ties to ancient Atlantis, leading to appearances in The Warlord. The character did not receive her own self-titled series until the Power Girl miniseries of 1988, the character became a featured member of Justice League Europe for the run of the series. After the cancellation of JLI, the character joined Chris Claremonts creator-owned series Sovereign Seven and she eventually rejoined the Justice Society in JSA #31 and became a regular part of that series and its follow-up, Justice Society of America vol
29.
The Death of Superman
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The Death of Superman is a 1992 comic book storyline that occurred mostly in DC Comics Superman titles. The completed multi-issue story arc was given the title The Death, in the story, Superman engages in battle with a seemingly unstoppable killing machine named Doomsday in the streets of Metropolis. At the fights conclusion, both apparently die from their wounds in Superman #75 in 1993. The event was covered by national and international news media. The storyline was adapted into a 2007 animated film, Superman. The story of The Death of Supermans conception goes back to the 1985 crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths, following that event, DC Comics rebooted their continuity and relaunched the Superman character with the miniseries The Man of Steel, written by John Byrne. However, due to disputes with DC, Byrne left the Superman books and was replaced by Roger Stern, while the stories continued from Byrnes revamp, sales slowly dropped. In an effort to attract readers, the Lois Lane/Clark Kent/Superman love triangle. In a development based on events in Byrnes revamp, Lois was already falling in love with Clark Kent, in a story arc titled Krisis of Krimson Kryptonite, Clark proposes to Lois, she accepts. Although the road was set for the marriage of Lois and Clark, in 1992, the television series based on Superboy concluded after four seasons in syndication. One of the ideas that arose during production was the wedding of Lois Lane, Warner Bros. learned that DC Comics was planning a similar plot line in the Superman comic books, and as a result DC, Warner Bros. With the original storyline set aside in the comic, an event was needed to replace it. According to a documentary on Superman, Doomsday, the Superman writing team members were miffed at having a worth of story planning put aside. At the end of one meeting, Adventures of Superman writer Jerry Ordway suggested, jokingly, the joke became a running gag in story meetings, but eventually gained traction with Superman group editor Mike Carlin. In the documentary film Look, Up in the Sky, the Amazing Story of Superman Carlin states, the world was taking Superman for granted, so we literally said lets show what the world would be like without Superman. On the last page of several comics prior to Superman, The Man of Steel #18, in that issue, Superman fights the Underworlders while a hulking figure in a green suit rampages through a pastoral field, deliberately killing a trusting songbird -and later a deer. This marks the first of seven issues in the Doomsday, Story, which would continue through all four of the Superman books at that time, and one issue of Justice League America, before culminating in Superman #75. It systematically takes the team apart, starting by throwing a tree trunk through their aircraft, Booster Gold is caught in mid-air by Superman and declares Its like Doomsday is here, thus providing the monster with a name
30.
Doomsday (comics)
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Doomsday is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. He is also an enemy to the Justice League after their first encounter with Superman, Doomsday made a cameo appearance in Superman, The Man of Steel #17 and made his first full appearance in Superman, The Man of Steel #18. Imagine Games Networks list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Doomsday as #46 and he is best known as the character who killed Superman in combat in The Death of Superman story arc. The character appears in the 2016 film Batman v Superman, Dawn of Justice, several writers proposed having Superman die at the hands of a bestial foe, and editor Mike Carlin scribbled this idea on the wall chart as doomsday for Superman. Inspired, they chose Doomsday as the name for this villain, Doomsday was glimpsed in Superman, The Man of Steel #17, and made his first full appearance in Superman, The Man of Steel #18. Doomsday is depicted as a deadly monster genetically-engineered from the depths of pre-historic Krypton and his creator imbued him with few feelings, mostly hate and destruction, which led to him destroying worlds and eventually finding Earth where he meets Superman. The character is best known as Supermans murderer in the 1992 storyline, originally known as The Ultimate, Doomsday was born in prehistoric times on Krypton, long before the humanoid Kryptonian race gained dominance over the planet about 250,000 years ago. It was a violent, hellish world where only the absolute strongest of creatures could survive, the babys remains were collected and used to clone a stronger version. This process was repeated over and over for decades as a form of accelerated natural evolution, the agony of these repeated deaths was recorded in his genes, driving the creature to hate all life. As it evolved, the child eventually became able to survive the high temperatures and searing atmosphere, the Ultimate hunted and exterminated the dangerous predators of Krypton. He then killed Bertron himself, whom he had come to identify as an enemy, the Ultimate escaped Krypton via a ship that regularly arrived to deliver supplies to Bertron and went on a killing spree across several planets. It began 245,000 years earlier on planet Bylan 5, the Ultimate killed Darkseids ally Master Mayhem almost instantly and instill great fear on Darkseid after watching their fight. The Ultimate hitched a ride on a shuttle, which crashed on Khundia. The warring Khundian clans united in order to build armor for a warrior named Kobald. Once the rocket was in space, the Ultimate killed Kobald and he next crossed paths with a Green Lantern named Zharan Pel who was beaten to death. The Ultimate took the Lanterns power ring and, sensing the power of the Guardians of the Universe, the thousands of Green Lanterns that were sent to stop him were slaughtered. The release of energies by the Guardian caused a tear in space through which the Ultimate fell, eventually arriving on the planet Calaton, he ravaged that world for three years. With only the city left, the royal family combined their life forces into a single energy being
31.
Extreme Justice
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Extreme Justice was a monthly Justice League spin off title in the DC Comics universe. It replaced the cancelled Justice League International and ran for nineteen issues from 1994 to 1996, several heroes split from the main Justice League over dissatisfaction with the Leagues association with the United Nations. These characters form their own Justice League, based out in Mount Thunder, the team is led by Captain Atom and consists of Maxima, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, and Amazing-Man. They were later joined by Firestorm, Plastique, and the Wonder Twins, carol Ferris became the administrator of their Mount Thunder facility. The characters never referred to the team as Extreme Justice in the series, however, notably, Captain Atom led the team in an invasion of Bialya yet again. This was when the current ruler, Queen Beatriz, was rebuilding the Extremists, most of Extreme Justice, having lost friends to the group before, did not want to tolerate the existence of these entities. They invaded the country and destroyed what they thought were robots and they had allegedly volunteered, a whole armys worth, but Captain Atom destroys all the facilities and threatens worse if Beatriz continues. This particular incident was the last straw and all versions of the Justice League were disbanded, in the summer of 1996, all three Justice League series were cancelled and soon replaced by an ongoing monthly titled JLA. In Extreme Justice #0, Blue Beetle refers to them specifically as just the Justice League
32.
Super Buddies
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The team was put together by former Justice League bank roller Maxwell Lord as a superhero team accessible to the common man. Named after the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Super Friends, the team is considered more or less inept, the team was created by writers Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis, and artists Kevin Maguire and Joe Rubinstein. Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire had previously created the tongue-in-cheek Justice League International comic book in the 1990s, a seventh former member, Captain Marvel, was recruited by L-Ron, but he turned down the offer. His sister, Mary Marvel, joined in his place, no one takes Booster or Ralph Dibny seriously, though not without good reason. Fire runs a website, blazingfire. com, where she makes sensual pictures of herself available for download, and cannot get along with the polite and innocent Mary Marvel, whom Fire dubs Mary Poppins. In addition, Fire convinces Sue that Ralph rates as a four, Captain Atom has no idea why he even joined the team, and is constantly tense and frustrated around the others. This new team successfully defeats the E-Street Bloodsuckers, a gang of Harvard drop-out super-powered hoodlums, the Super Buddies are then kidnapped during their first team meeting by Roulette, who brainwashes them into serving as gladiators in her intergalactic metahuman arena. While Beetle and Booster rush a seriously injured Captain Atom to a hospital, only by the intervention of the real Justice League is an intergalactic crisis avoided. Formerly Known as the Justice League proved a popular miniseries, there is a running gag in the miniseries involving whether or not Sue is pregnant. I Cant Believe Its Not the Justice League, published in JLA Classified #4–9, the Elongated Man is bragging about Sue allegedly being pregnant, when she is in fact not pregnant. Fire and Mary Batson become roommates, much to the distaste of Marys brother Billy Batson, while visiting the Justice Society of America headquarters, Booster Gold begins messing around with Doctor Fates talisman and inadvertently wishes the team to Hell. From the depths of Hell, Fire calls Sue for help, while in Hell, the Super Buddies work at a labyrinthine version of Big Belly Burger called Beelze Burger. The demons use Mary Batson as a hostage, since her magic word — Shazam. — does not work in Hell, Ralph uses his stretching abilities to help foil the demons plan to torture the Buddies. To the amazement of both Fire and Gardner, the Super Buddies discover Ice, another former JLI member, among the denizens of Hell. Sickened by Fire and Gardners displays of sorrow, the free the group. Fire accidentally looks back, and Ice is snatched back to the afterlife and it is implied that Ice will be sent to Valhalla. The group makes its way out of Hell, but soon find themselves trapped in a universe populated by a team of sinister versions of themselves. This team is a group-for-hire who operated out of a club owned by a sleazy, or sleazier, version of Maxwell Lord and his moll
33.
Birds of Prey (comics)
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Birds of Prey was the name of several American comic book series, miniseries, and special editions published by DC Comics since 1996. The books premise originated as a partnership between Black Canary and Barbara Gordon, who had adopted the codename Oracle at the time, the team name Birds of Prey was attributed to DC assistant editor Frank Pittarese in the text page of the first issue. The group is based in Gotham City and later operates in Metropolis and then relocates once more to Platinum Flats, California. The series was conceived by Jordan B, gorfinkel and originally written by Chuck Dixon. Gail Simone scripted the comic from issue #56 to #108, artists have included Butch Guice, Greg Land, Ed Benes and Joe Bennett, Nicola Scott began a stint as artist with issue #100. In 2011, the title was relaunched under writer Duane Swierczynski, however, the other characters get sidetracked and do not respond to her suggestion. Oracle, the leader, refers to the group by that name in a conversation with the new Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes. The core of the team is made up of Oracle and Black Canary, with other heroines forming a rotating roster sometimes for extended periods, after Black Canarys departure, Huntress remained as the staple member and field leader, alongside new core members. Despite the previously all-female central roster, male allies such as Nightwing, Wildcat, Savant, in addition, Hawk and Dove briefly joined the team, making Hawk its first male member. The title series began with Chuck Dixons one shot Black Canary/Oracle, initially, the two heroines featured were Barbara Gordon and Dinah Lance. From the beginning, Canary was written as passionate and idealistic, in an interview with Comics Bulletin, Dixon described this choice as a fertile clash of values, Dinahs more idealistic approach is at the heart of this book. When Gail Simone took over the series in 2003, she added the Huntress to the lineup, in her first arc, entitled Of Like Minds, Simone let Black Canary walk into a trap set by Brian Durlin, known as Savant, and his assistant Creote. With Black Canary now critically injured and chained, Savant begins listing demands, in the end, Huntress and Canary defeat their enemies, and form a team. Dinahs not just Oracles legs, sometimes, shes her conscience, or her muse, and Oracle is far more to Dinah than just the mission controller. They trust each other, and out of that, theres a friendship that they believe in, Huntress. I see Helena as someone who is not a loner completely by choice. Dinah is so accepting and so open that Helena sees an opportunity to be part of something without having to force her way in, theres friction, because once Helena puts the mask on, shes really not very good fitting in. But she likes that theyre giving her a chance, whether she blows it or not, youll have to keep reading. Simone was appreciative of her work, saying Birds of Prey editor Lysa Hawkins was looking for a slightly tougher Birds of Prey, I have a huge fondness for Babs and Dinah both, so its a bit of a dream come true
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Barbara Gordon
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Barbara Gordon is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by William Dozier, Julius Schwartz, the character subsequently made her first comic book appearance as Batgirl in Detective Comics #359, titled The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl. by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino. In addition to appearing in other DC publications, she receives her first starring role in Batman Family which debuted in 1975, partnered with the original Robin, Dick Grayson. In subsequent stories, editor Kim Yale and writer John Ostrander establish the character as a computer expert, providing intelligence and computer hacking services to assist other superheroes, she makes her first appearance as Oracle in Suicide Squad #23. She is featured in the one-shot comic Black Canary/Oracle, Birds of Prey written by Chuck Dixon, the series depicts her as a great intellect uninhibited by her paralysis, skilled in the martial art of eskrima. Employing Black Canary as her partner and field agent, Oracle later operates as the leader of a team of female crimefighters who engage in global espionage missions. She has achieved popularity in the Modern Age of Comic Books under the Birds of Prey publication. The character has been the subject of academic analysis concerning the roles of women, librarians, as both Batgirl and Oracle, Barbara Gordon has been adapted into various media relating to the Batman franchise, including television, film, animation, video games, and other merchandise. The character has been portrayed by Yvonne Craig and Dina Meyer and has been voiced by Melissa Gilbert, Tara Strong, Alyson Stoner, Mae Whitman and Kimberly Brooks, among others. In 2011, she was ranked 17th in both Comics Buyers Guides 100 Sexiest Women in Comics and IGNs Top 100 Comic Books Heroes. Schwartz stated that he had asked to develop a new female character in order to attract a female viewership to the Batman television series of the 1960s. Executive producer William Dozier suggested that the new character would be the daughter of Gotham Citys Police Commissioner James Gordon, and that she would adopt the identity of Batgirl. Infantino reflected on the creation of Batgirl, stating Bob Kane had had a Bat-Girl for about three stories in the ’50s but she had nothing to do with a bat and she was like a pesky girl version of Robin. I knew we could do a lot better, so Julie and I came up with the real Batgirl, Yvonne Craig portrayed the character in the shows third season. Barbara Gordon and her alter ego Batgirl debuted in Detective Comics #359, The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl, although Batman insists she give up crime-fighting because of her gender, Batgirl disregards his objections. In her civilian identity, Barbara Gordon, Ph. D and she was given a regular backup slot in Detective Comics starting with issue #384, alternating issues with Robin until issue #404, after which she had the backup slot to herself. Frank Robbins wrote nearly all of these backups, which were penciled first by Gil Kane, Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl exceeded the earlier Bat-Girl and Batwoman characters in popularity, and readers requested for her to appear in other titles. These are readers who remember Batwoman and the other Bat-girls from years back and they were there because romance seemed to be needed in Batmans life
35.
Black Canary
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Black Canary is a fictional superheroine in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, One of DCs earliest super-heroines, Black Canary has appeared in many of the companys flagship team-up titles including Justice Society of America and Justice League of America. Since the late 1960s, the character has frequently been paired with archer superhero Green Arrow professionally and romantically, at her Golden Age debut, Black Canary was the alter ego of Dinah Drake and participated in crime-fighting adventures with her love interest, Gotham City detective Larry Lance. Initially, the character was a hand-to-hand fighter without superpowers who often posed as a criminal to infiltrate criminal gangs, Later stories depicted her as a world-class martial artist with a superpower, the Canary Cry, a high-powered sonic scream which could shatter objects and incapacitate enemies. When DC Comics adjusted its continuity, Black Canary was established as two entities, mother and daughter, Dinah Drake and Dinah Laurel Lance. Stories since the Silver Age have focused on the younger Black Canary, the character is ranked the 71st-greatest comic-book character of all time by Wizard, and IGN rated her its 81st-greatest all-time comic-book hero. She was number 26 on Comics Buyers Guides 100 Sexiest Women in Comics list, Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino created the character in 1947 to be featured in Flash Comics as a supporting character. She appeared as a character in a story featuring Johnny Thunder, I was drawing Johnny Thunder. I suppose he could have been better because his Thunderbolt was interesting, Bob Kanigher wrote those stories, and he had no respect for the characters. These stories were nowhere near as good as The Flash stories, DC knew it — they knew Johnny Thunder was a loser, so Kanigher and I brought the Black Canary into the series. Immediately she got a response, and it was, Bye, bye. According to Amash & Nolen-Weathington, Black Canary is really Carmine Infantinos first character, according to the artist, When Kanigher gave me the script, I said, How do you want me to draw her. He said, Whats your fantasy of a good-looking girl, I made her strong in character and sexy in form. The funny part is that later, while in Korea on a National Cartoonists trip. And I went out with her for three years, Bob didnt ask me for a character sketch. He had a lot of respect for me, I must say that and he always trusted my work… Bob loved my Black Canary design. Dinah Drake made her debut in Flash Comics #86 as a character in the Johnny Thunder feature, written by Robert Kanigher. Initially appearing as a villain, Johnny is instantly infatuated with her, Dinah is later revealed to have been infiltrating a criminal gang
36.
Phil Jimenez
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Phil Jimenez was born and raised in Los Angeles and later Orange County, California. He moved to New York City to attend college at the School of Visual Arts and he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1991. After graduating from SVA, Jimenez was hired by DC Comics Creative Director Neal Pozner at age 21, Pozner was HIV-positive when he and Jimenez started dating, and was hesitant about dating someone younger and HIV-negative. Nonetheless, Jimenez became both Pozners partner and caretaker, saying, Neal Pozner was my first editor, and he was probably my greatest mentor at DC Comics and he was an incredibly talented man, with some very strong opinions about the way things should be done. I developed a crush on him the minute I met him, and I wanted to more about him. So Id hang out with him at work, in the offices, I would buy clothes I couldnt afford to impress him. And eventually, I mustered the nerve to ask him on a date, and he was 15 years older than I was. And so, against his judgement, he said yes. And it actually ended up being a wonderful relationship. Following Neal Pozners death in 1994, Jimenez wrote and illustrated the 1996 DC miniseries, Tempest, in the last issue, Jimenez dedicated the miniseries to Pozner, and wrote an editorial page in which he came out publicly for the first time. It got over 150 letters, he says, including the letter from the kid in Iowa. It meant a lot to people, much of Jimenezs work is related to works by George Pérez, whose art strongly influenced Jimenez. Perez and Jimenez would also co-write a 2-part story together in Wonder Woman issues #168-169 in 2001, Jimenez would leave as series writer/artist with issue #188 in March 2003. Jimenez and Pérez also have worked together in 2005-2006 in the miniseries Infinite Crisis and DC Special, in 2003, Jimenez drew several story arcs of Morrisons New X-Men run. It was announced at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con that Jimenez had signed a contract with Marvel Comics. His first work on Spider-Man was in the Free Comic Book Day 2007, Spider-Man #1 comic book, with writer Dan Slott, Jimenez and writer Bob Gale co-created the Freak in The Amazing Spider-Man #552. Ana Kravinoff, the daughter of Kraven the Hunter, was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #565 by Jimenez, during his run, Jimenez drew the cover for The Amazing Spider-Man #583, featuring Barack Obama. In 2009, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada announced that Jimenez would become the artist of Astonishing X-Men beginning with issue #31, Jimenez co-wrote the book The Essential Wonder Woman Encyclopedia with John Wells for Del Rey Books in 2010
37.
Countdown to Infinite Crisis
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DC Countdown, commonly referred to as Countdown to Infinite Crisis, is a one-shot publication and the official start of the Infinite Crisis storyline. It was released 30 March 2005, sold out, and quickly went to a second printing, when this comic was first published, the cover showed Batman holding a shadowed corpse, so as not to ruin the surprise of who dies. For the second printing, the shadows were removed to reveal the identity of the corpse, during initial solicitations the comic was entitled DC Countdown to postpone revelation of an upcoming crisis. Countdown was a special 80 page comic originally priced at $1, much lower than would normally be the case for an 80-page comic, artist Ed Benes pencilled and inked his chapter. The main plot concerns Ted Kord, the superhero and former Justice League member known as the Blue Beetle, most of the other DC heroes dismiss Kords concerns, either politely or like Batman, outright. Only Booster Gold, another superhero and Kords best friend, eventually decides to complete the investigation. Alone and unaided, Blue Beetle continues to follow the clues to Switzerland where he infiltrates the base of the Checkmate organization. After Beetle refuses to join Lord, Lord executes him with a gunshot to the head. Countdown was bannered as a bridge to all four of the Crisis leadup titles, the main plot was essentially an extended prologue to The OMAC Project. The events of Day of Vengeance were foreshadowed, when the Beetle confronted the wizard Shazam, the Rann-Thanagar War was mentioned on a single page, but seemed to already be underway in the story. The main characters of Villains United were featured in a chapter of the book. Countdown was reprinted as part of the paperback collection of The OMAC Project. Your Guide to Infinite Crisis, DC Countdown, Countdown to Infinite Crisis at the Comic Book DB
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