(Homo) Superior vs. Inferior (Five)

By 1966, industry leader National Comics (now better known as DC) was all too aware that the recently re-energized Marvel Comics was rapidly gaining on them in popularity. Upstart that it was and keen to cultivate a hip image, Marvel was well-known for ribbing its competition, and the staid, conservative National proved an easy target. However, the editors at National were not above striking back, and the vehicle for one of their most elaborate spoofs of Marvel was their own lampoon of the superhero genre, the Inferior Five.

In their third try-out appearance in the anthology title Showcase (#65), written by E. Nelson Bridwell with art by Mike Sekowsky & Mike Esposito, the hapless team of superhero wannabees encounters this familiar-looking quintet of super-powered students:

The X-Men may have seemed ripe for parody at this time, as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had already passed the book on to other creators (Roy Thomas & Werner Roth), who could not generate the same chaotic dynamism found in the title’s early issues. Although, as it was hardly one of Marvel’s top books, we can say it may have been too easy a target, and one may wonder why National singled this property out for special ridicule.

The tale opens at Dean Egghead’s Academy for Super-Heroes, as the entire staff walks out and leaves the dean to fend for himself with his rambunctious students. Dean Egghead is a straightforward caricature of Professor X and even shares his telepathic powers.

When no superheroes will answer the dean’s call for help, he turns to the Inferior Five, recruiting them as his new faculty. As they enter his academy for the first time, he introduces them to his five uncanny students. Rather than “mutants” like the X-Men, these students are described as being “atavistic,” i.e., throwbacks to earlier epochs. Therefore, instead of seeing the next stage in human evolution, we are presented with evolution working backwards, suggesting these characters are even more “inferior” than the Inferior Five.

The star pupil (who also gets the most “screen time”) is Harry McElhinney / The Ape, a bookish monkey-man who sends up Henry McCoy / The Beast.

Next we meet Irish Autumns / Basilisk, a clever parody of the similarly mythology-themed Scott Summers / Cyclops. Rather than red force beams, his eyes emit a white ray that turns people to stone. Despite the misaligned word balloon pointer, it is the dean who is speaking.

We are then introduced to the brown-winged Melvin Murgatroyd XIV / Icarus, a tow-headed and uncouth youngster who is the opposite of the glamorous Warren Worthington III / The Angel.

Next up is Billy Gander / Winter Wonderlad, a goof on Bobby Drake / Iceman. Rather than turning into either a snowman or a human ice-sculpture, Billy becomes a walking iceberg by encasing himself in the stuff.

Lastly, we meet Penelope Pink / Levitation Lass, a dark-haired version of Jean Grey / Marvel Girl. With the help of the Inferior Five’s resident airhead, Dumb Bunny, Penelope immediately ditches her saggy-baggy school uniform for the more revealing version seen above.

Like the X-Men, the heroes-in-training at Dean Egghead’s Academy also have villainous counterparts, a rival team that is diametrically opposed to their do-gooding philosophy. Instead of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, we are presented with the Fraternity of Atavistic No-Goodniks.

Frog Man is an obvious analogue to the Toad, and Pterano Don Juan bears a passing resemblance to Mastermind. The Amoeba may be a take-off on the Blob, and I can only assume that Angel Fish must stand in for the Scarlet Witch. I guess there’s a sort of logic to replacing a witch with a mermaid, both being creatures of folklore. Their leader, Dr. Dinosaur, really has nothing in common with Magneto, but he is the only truly funny concept in the book, as his special power is that he has two brains—one in his head and one in his ass. Hence the two-pronged attack needed to bring him down:

Curiously, during the heroes’ field-trip to the big city, Bridwell throws in a random dig at the long-running rivalry between the Fantastic Four’s Thing and the Yancy Street Gang, which, while making for a decent gag, seems a bit out of place.

Marvel Comics would get a little of their own back about a year later with the publication of their own lampoon comic Not Brand Ecch, which would send up DC’s characters in a similar fashion.

Stan Lee has since said in interviews that he intentionally played up the idea of an intercompany rivalry “to make it fun” for the readers—and no doubt in order to inspire brand loyalty among the fans. He claims to have enjoyed a jovial camaraderie with the personnel over at National Comics, and the good-natured spoof of one of Marvel’s franchises seen in this issue of Showcase seems to support his view.

Proper Galactus

Just another reason I prefer to read Silver Age comics in Marvel’s black & white Essential reprints. When I take a look at Fantastic Four #48, for example, I can fill in the colors in my mind’s eye. Therefore, I get to see a proper Galactus, like this:



But when I read the same story reprinted in the slicker Marvel Masterworks line, I am forced to see a Galactus who looks like a reject from some outer-space Christmas pageant.



For all the wonderfully expressive work done by colorist Stan Goldberg and his assistants throughout the 1960s, it is all too clear sometimes that they were coloring as fast as possible. The wildly shifting color schemes Galactus displayed in his first several appearances shows that they didn’t always have the luxury of doing much design work in advance. Hindsight now makes the color in these old comics more of a distraction than an enhancement.

A DC Universe Chronology

When I decided to do a quick chronology of the DC Comics universe, I opted to take the opposite approach as my OMU project. Whereas with the Original Marvel Universe, I disregard publishing dates to “defragment” the timeline, I here used the publishing dates as a starting point to catalog the events of the DC universe, creating an entirely new history in the process.

For example, I placed Batman’s debut in Spring 1939, as that was the date of the character’s first appearance. I then extrapolated from that a date for Bruce Wayne’s birth, then plotted out a reasonable lifespan and worked into it the major events of his life. Other men replaced him as the generations passed. Other characters were dealt with in the same manner, causing them all to intersect in very interesting ways.

The result was something akin to the “Earth-Two” alternate reality, or the tales of “Batman II and Robin II” that appeared occasionally in Silver-Age Batman titles, or John Byrne’s Generations series. I was inspired primarily by the 1995 graphic novel The Golden Age by James Robinson & Paul Smith.

In this version of the DC world, the characters age, reproduce, and die like real-life people. I find it opens up all manner of story possibilities, and it’s fun to ponder what it might have been like had the DC Universe evolved in this manner. The timeline is limited pretty much to the 20th century, and is by no means complete.


Here, then, is a (not “the”) Chronology of the DC Universe!

1894

Cyrus Gold is murdered in Slaughter Swamp outside Gotham City. His corpse will later be reanimated as the failed elemental Solomon Grundy.

1899

Richard Occult is born, and is soon after rescued from devil worshippers by the Mystic Order of the Seven, along with a baby girl who will be raised as his sister and called Rose Psychic.

1900

James Corrigan is born.

James Gordon is born in Gotham City.

1908

Kent Nelson is born to Sven and Celestine Nelson.

1912

Janos Prohaska is born in Krakow, Poland.

1913

Wesley Dodds is born to Edward and Marina Dodds.

Rex Tyler is born.

1915

Bruce Wayne is born to Thomas and Martha Wayne in Gotham City.

1916

Carter Hall is born.

Lois Lane is born to Sam and Ella Lane.

1917

Alan Scott is born.

Oliver Queen is born.

Johnny Thunder is born.

1918

Jay Garrick is born.

1920

Kryptonian infant Kal-El crash lands outside Smallville, Kansas and is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who rename him Clark Kent.

Archaeologist Sven Nelson is killed in Mesopotamia after accidentally awakening the ancient entity called Nabu the Wise. Nabu trains young Kent Nelson in the arts of magic.

1921

Selena Kyle is born.

1922

Sheira Sanders is born.

Ted Grant is born.

Libby Lawrence is born.

1924

Thomas and Martha Wayne are shot dead in front of their terrified son Bruce.

1926

Billy Batson is born.

Sylvester Pemberton is born.

1927

Dinah Drake is born.

1928

Dick Grayson is born.

Roy Harper is born.

Daniel Dunbar is born.

1929

Barry Allen is born.

1931

Katherine Kane is born.

1933

Jason Todd is born.

1935

Richard Occult becomes the mystical detective known as Dr. Occult.

Ray Palmer is born.

Will Magnus is born.

1936

Hal Jordan is born.

1937

Selena Kyle first becomes a prostitute.

Summer 1938

Clark Kent moves to Metropolis and adopts the identity of Superman. He meets ace reporter Lois Lane at the newspaper where they both work, The Daily Star.

Wealthy socialite Tex Thompson decides to become an amateur crimebuster.

Giovanni Zatara begins using his magical abilities to fight crime as Zatara, Master Magician.

Late 1938

Superman meets his first great nemesis, the wheelchair-bound mad scientist called the Ultra-Humanite. He also first meets cub reporter Jimmy Olsen.

Publisher Lee Travis takes on the underworld as the shadowy Crimson Avenger, assisted by his Chinese manservant Wing.

Spring 1939

Bruce Wayne begins his crusade against crime as the fearsome Batman. He presents something of a problem to new Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon.

Summer 1939

Wesley Dodds becomes the gas-mask-wearing hero called the Sandman. He meets the lovely Dian Belmont.

Batman battles his first major villain, the evil Doctor Death.

Fall 1939

Batman perfects the helicopter-like vehicle called the Batgyro. As Bruce Wayne, he meets the lovely Julie Madison.

Late 1939

Selena Kyle changes professions, becoming a jewel thief.

Darrell Dane becomes the size-changing hero Doll Man.

Early 1940

Jay Garrick leaves Midwestern University to become the super-fast crime-fighter known as the Flash.

Also, Carter Hall begins his career as Hawkman, and meets Sheira Sanders, whom he believes to be the reincarnation of his wife from a previous life in ancient Egypt.

Policeman Jim Corrigan is murdered, but returns as the mysterious crime-fighter the Spectre.

After taking his newly-developed Miraclo pill, chemist Rex “Tick-Tock” Tyler becomes the super hero known as Hourman.

Johnny Thunder develops uncontrollable magical powers courtesy of his “pet lightning bolt.”

Billy Batson first says the magic word SHAZAM and becomes earth’s mightiest mortal, Captain Marvel.

Batman first encounters the sadistic genius Dr. Hugo Strange. Also, after shooting many a criminal, Batman renounces the use of guns in his crimefighting crusade.

Spring 1940

Orphaned Dick Grayson joins Batman’s crusade as Robin, the Boy Wonder.

Superman first encounters villainous tycoon Lex Luthor.

Batman and Robin first battle the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker. Soon after, they clash with seductive jewel thief Selena Kyle, better known as the Cat. Batman also unveils the original Batplane.

Kent Nelson begins his career battling supernatural villains as Doctor Fate and meets the lovely Inza Cramer.

The Metropolis newspaper The Daily Star changes its name to The Daily Planet.

Summer 1940

Gotham City resident Alan Scott discovers a mysterious artifact and becomes the costumed adventurer Green Lantern.

Lanford “Happy” Terrill gains energy-manipulating abilities and becomes the superhero known as the Ray.

Selena Kyle adopts the new nom de crime Catwoman.

Batman and Robin fight Basil Karlo, the first Clay Face.

Fall 1940

Al Pratt becomes the diminutive hero called the Atom.

Carter Hall marries Sheira Sanders.

The Ultra-Humanite has his brain transplanted into the body of movie starlet Delores Winters, and perishes in a volcano soon afterwards.

Catwoman dons her first super-villainess costume.

Late 1940

Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern, the Atom, Doctor Fate, the Spectre, Hourman, and the Sandman band together to form the loose-knit Justice Society of America, and put up with irritating hanger-on Johnny Thunder.

Inspired by the recent appearances of costumed crimefighters, middle-aged housewife Abigail Mathilda Hunkle dons a makeshift costume and calls herself the Red Tornado as she battles neighborhood menaces.

While battling Batman, Dr. Hugo Strange is killed.

Alan Scott takes a job as a radio engineer at the Apex Broadcasting Company.

Perry White is made editor of the Metropolis paper The Daily Planet.

Early 1941

Scientist Ted Knight becomes the caped hero Starman.

Tex Thompson fights the good fight as the mystery man called Mr. America.

Paul Kirk becomes the masked crimebuster Manhunter.

After the final defeat of Clay Face, Batman unveils the first customized Batmobile.

Spring 1941

Charles McNider swings into action as Doctor Mid-Nite.

Summer 1941

Sheira Hall becomes Hawkgirl.

Small-time hood Eel O’Brien becomes the super-elastic Plastic Man.

The military squad called the Blackhawks is formed to combat the Nazis. They are led by Janos Prohaska.

Joan Dale becomes the costumed crimefighter called Miss America.

Sandra Knight becomes the Phantom Lady.

Chemist Roy Lincoln transforms himself into the Human Bomb.

Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor loses his hair in a freak accident.

Green Lantern first meets his streetwise sidekick Doiby Dickles.

Fall 1941

Superman and Batman meet for the first time.

Newsreel photographer Johnny Chambers becomes the lighting-fast hero Johnny Quick.

Sylvester Pemberton and Patrick Dugan join the war effort as the Star-Spangled Kid and his adult sidekick Stripesy.

Mystery writer John Law becomes the mystery man called the Tarantula.

An Arthurian knight called Sir Justin emerges from suspended animation to battle evil as the Shining Knight.

Batman and Robin must defeat Jonathan Crane, the eerie criminal called the Scarecrow.

Starman first battles the villain known as the Mist.

Late 1941

Oliver Queen debuts as crime-fighting archer Green Arrow, along with his teenaged sidekick Roy Harper, a.k.a. Speedy.

Aquaman first leaves Atlantis for the surface world.

The Sandman trades in his gas-mask for a superhero costume and picks up a young sidekick, Sanderson Hawkins, also called Sandy, the Golden Boy.

Greg Saunders becomes the gun-slinging mystery man called the Vigilante.

Bob Daley assumes the identity of Fatman and serves as Mr. America’s sidekick.

Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, thereby drawing the United States into the war.

When American Army aviator Steve Trevor crashes on Paradise Island, Amazon princess Diana is selected to accompany him back to the world of men, where she comes to be called Wonder Woman.

In Gotham City, Oswald Cobblepot begins a life of crime as the umbrella-wielding Penguin.

Early 1942

Terry Sloane begins his career as Mr. Terrific, Man of a Thousand Talents.

Boxer Ted Grant becomes the masked adventurer called Wildcat.

Dr. Mid-Nite and Starman join the JSA.

Hourman perfects his powerful Miracle Ray machine.

Doiby Dickles learns Green Lantern’s secret identity as Alan Scott.

Green Arrow, Speedy, the Star-Spangled Kid, Stripesy, the Shining Knight, the Vigilante, and the Crimson Avenger band together as the Seven Soldiers of Victory.

While on a mission as Manhunter, Paul Kirk vanishes without a trace.

The JSA offers an associate membership to FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.

Spring 1942

Four slum orphans and Metropolis policeman Jim Harper join the war effort as the Newsboy Legion and the Guardian.

Chemistry teacher Thomas N. Thomas and his student Dan Dunbar also fight the Axis powers as TNT and the Dyna-Mite.

Summer 1942

Captain Rip Carter leads the international quartet of teenagers called the Boy Commandos.

When district attorney Harvey Dent is disfigured by acid, he becomes the criminal mastermind Two-Face.

Superman first battles Oswald Loomis, better known as the villainous Prankster.

Dr. Robert Crane’s brain is installed in a mechanical body, and he soon comes to be called Robotman.

After a return to Paradise Island where she wins her magic lasso, Wonder Woman joins the JSA.

Fall 1942

Tex Thompson joins the war effort, now calling himself the Americommando.

Late 1942

Kent Nelson enrolls in medical school, using his magical abilities to assist him with his studies.

Tim Drake is born.

Early 1943

Rex Tyler is forced to stop taking the Miraclo pill and retire as Hourman.

Bob Daley parts ways with the Americommando and retires as Fatman.

Spring 1943

When her father is killed by the Nazis, Libby Lawrence becomes a costumed adventuress called Liberty Belle.

John Law gives up his costumed identity as the Tarantula.

Summer 1943

When TNT is killed in action, his sidekick the Dyna-Mite returns to civilian life as Daniel Dunbar.

Fall 1943

Superman first battles the villainous Toyman.

Wonder Woman first faces the wrath of Priscilla Rich, a.k.a. the Cheetah.

Green Lantern encounters the ageless conspirator known as Vandal Savage.

1944

Wally West is born.

“Snapper” Carr is born.

The second Speedy, later Arsenal, is born.

Summer 1944

Tex Thompson’s heroic career comes to a sudden halt.

Fall 1944

Superman first encounters the mysterious extradimensional imp known as Mr. Mxyztplk.

Starting a new trend, the Joker and the Penguin join forces against Batman and Robin.

Ma Hunkel dons her Red Tornado guise for the last time.

Late 1944

The undead strongman Solomon Grundy first menaces the world.

The Justice Society first battles the Psycho-Pirate when he kidnaps Hawkgirl.

Early 1945

The Spectre leaves earth for an extended period.

Kent Nelson retires from adventuring as Doctor Fate to practice magic and medicine privately.

Spring 1945

The war in Europe ends with the defeat of the Axis Powers.

The Seven Soldiers of Victory disband and Lee Travis retires his Crimson Avenger identity.

Summer 1945

The war in the Pacific ends with the nuclear bombing of Japan.

Late 1945

Libby Lawrence calls off her quest for vengeance as Liberty Belle.

Wildcat is made a member of the JSA.

Early 1946

Wesley Dodds retires as the Sandman.

Ted Knight hangs up his cape as Starman.

Spring 1946

Connor Hawke is born to Oliver Queen and his girlfriend Sandra Hawke.

Zatanna Zatara is born to Giovanni and Sindella Zatara.

Summer 1946

Alan Scott becomes manager of radio station WXYZ in Gotham.

Late 1946

Kent Nelson marries Inza Cramer.

Early 1947

Terry Sloane abandons his identity as Mr. Terrific.

The menace of Solomon Grundy is finally ended by the Justice Society of America.

Spring 1947

Green Lantern first battles small-time hood “Crusher” Crock.

Garth is born in Atlantis.

Summer 1947

Dinah Drake begins her stint as the crimebuster called the Black Canary.

The JSA first battles the time-traveling villain Per Degaton.

“Crusher” Crock adopts the identity of the Sportsmaster to again battle Green Lantern.

Fall 1947

The Injustice Society of the World forms to counter the invincible JSA. Its founding members are the Wizard, Brain Wave, the Gambler, Per Degaton, the Thinker, and Vandal Savage.

Molly Mayne is hired as Alan Scott’s secretary at WXYZ. To attract the attention of the dashing Green Lantern, she decides to become the costumed criminal called the Harlequin.

Late 1947

Flash meets Rose Canton, the split-personality villainess called Thorn.

Early 1948

Black Canary joins the JSA, and first meets private detective Larry Lance.

Barbara Gordon is born to James and Sarah Gordon in Gotham City.

Spring 1948

Batman first meets Vicki Vale.

Summer 1948

Batman finally discovers the identity of the man who shot his parents, a minor thug by the name of Joe Chill.

Dick Grayson assumes the identity of Nightwing. Jason Todd is recruited to be the new Robin.

The Atom begins to manifest super-strength.

A new Injustice Society replaces the first: the Wizard, the Fiddler, Huntress, the Icicle, Sportsmaster, and Harlequin, who betrays her criminal comrades to free the JSA from their clutches.

Fall 1948

Batman and Robin first encounter Eddie Nashton alias Edward Nygma alias the Riddler.

Green Lantern learns the Harlequin is now an undercover agent for the FBI.

Late 1948

Sylvester Pemberton and Pat Dugan end their partnership as the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy.

Early 1949

Flash learns the Thorn’s true identity, and he, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman help her find treatment for her condition.

Al Pratt retires as the Atom to wed Mary James.

Spring 1949

Ted Grant gives up his career as Wildcat.

Late 1949

Superman first encounters the deadly mineral called kryptonite, and discovers he is not from Earth at all, but is the last son of the planet Krypton.

Early 1950

When the original Batmobile is destroyed, Batman and Robin build a new, more advanced model.

Late 1950

When the original Batplane is stolen, Batman and Robin build a new, more advanced model.

Early 1951

Jay Garrick retires the Flash in order to settle down and marry long-time girlfriend Joan Williams.

Alan Scott relinquishes the role of Green Lantern when he is made vice-president and general manager of the Gotham Broadcasting Company.

Charles McNider gives up being Dr. Mid-Nite.

Zatara mysteriously disappears.

Spring 1951

Carter and Shiera Hall are killed in action as Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

The Justice Society of America disbands after battling a villain known as the Key, who makes good his escape.

Summer 1951

Captain Comet goes into action.

Sir Justin ceases to battle as the Shining Knight.

Dinah Drake retires as the Black Canary and marries her boyfriend, detective Larry Lance.

Spring 1952

Dinah Lance is born to Larry and Dinah Drake Lance.

Summer 1952

The mysterious Phantom Stranger makes his first appearance.

Superman and Batman finally learn each other’s secret identities.

Fall 1952

Jason Todd is killed by the Joker.

Late 1953

Billy Batson ceases to transform into Captain Marvel.

Summer 1954

Superman and Batman begin occasionally working as a team.

Late 1954

Johnny Chambers finally gives up being Johnny Quick once and for all.

Greg Saunders retires as the Vigilante.

Captain Comet’s brief career also comes to a close.

Late 1955

J’onn J’onzz arrives on Earth and assumes the identity of John Jones, but soon becomes known as the Martian Manhunter.

Early 1956

Bruce Wayne retires and Dick Grayson succeeds him as the new Batman. Tim Drake is recruited as the new Robin.

Alan Scott gets Rose Canton pregnant, but their relationship ends.

Summer 1956

Plastic Man retires from crime-fighting.

Katherine Kane adopts the crimefighting identity of Batwoman.

Fall 1956

Barry Allen develops super-speed and begins calling himself the Flash.

Late 1956

Rose Canton gives birth to twins and puts them up for adoption. The girl becomes Jennifer-Lynn Hayden (adopted by Julian and Myrna Hayden) and the boy becomes Todd James Rice (adopted by Jim and Shirley Rice).

Early 1957

Four non-super-powered men form the Challengers of the Unknown in order to seek out adventure.

Jessie Chambers is born to Johnny Chambers and Libby Lawrence.

Spring 1957

Oliver Queen is killed in action and Roy Harper becomes the new Green Arrow. The second Speedy joins him.

Stephanie Brown is born.

Fall 1957

Selena Kyle retires as Catwoman and opens her own escort service.

Late 1957

Charles McNider begins working for the FBI keeping tabs on metahumans.

Summer 1958

Superman first battles the villainous Brainiac.

Late 1958

Adam Strange is first transported to the planet Rann in the Alpha Centauri system.

Spring 1959

Batman and Robin first tangle with the sinister Mister Freeze.

Scientist Rip Hunter invents a time machine, which he uses to explore earth’s past and future.

Fall 1959

Test pilot Hal Jordan receives his power ring and becomes the new Green Lantern.

Late 1959

Wally West becomes the Flash’s sidekick, Kid Flash.

Early 1960

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, and Green Lantern band together to form the Justice League of America, and they acquire a teen-aged associate called “Snapper” Carr.

Garth first joins Aquaman on his patrols of the seas as Aqualad.

Spring 1960

Ralph Dibny becomes the Elongated Man.

Early 1961

Two aliens from the planet Thanagar assume the identities of Carter and Shiera Hall, as well as Hawkman and Hawkgirl, to study earthly crime-fighting.

Spring 1961

Green Arrow joins the Justice League.

Summer 1961

Green Lantern first crosses swords with the evil Sinestro.

Kathy Kane’s niece Betty Kane begins her occasional outings as the original Bat-Girl.

Ralph Dibny marries his sweetheart Sue Dearborn.

Fall 1961

Ray Palmer becomes the size-changing hero called the Atom.

Late 1961

Batman and Robin must battle Matt Hagen, the second Clayface.

Early 1962

J’onn J’onzz makes his first return to Mars after being marooned on Earth six years earlier.

Spring 1962

Dr. Will Magnus unveils his team of shape-shifting robot crimefighters, the Metal Men.

Fall 1962

Atom joins the Justice League.

Early 1963

Rex Tyler marries actress Wendi Harris.

Summer 1963

Dr. Niles Caulder recruits Cliff Steele (the new Robotman), Rita Farr (Elasti-Girl), and Larry Trainor (Negative Man) to become the Doom Patrol.

Summer 1964

Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad join together as the Teen Titans.

Batman unveils a new state-of-the-art Batmobile.

Barry Allen gets engaged to Iris West.

Fall 1964

Kathy Kane retires as Batwoman.

Late 1964

Hawkman joins the Justice League.

Rita Farr marries Steve Dayton, but remains in the Doom Patrol.

Zatanna first casts her spell over the world’s evildoers.

Early 1965

While in Egypt, Rex Mason is transformed into Metamorpho, the Element Man.

Spring 1965

Garfield Logan becomes a junior member of the Doom Patrol known as Beast Boy.

Summer 1965

Donna Troy becomes Wonder Girl, and she and Speedy join the Teen Titans.

Dinah Drake Lance has an extramarital affair with Ted Knight.

Fall 1965

Buddy Baker becomes the super-hero Animal Man.

Late 1965

Barry Allen and Iris West are married.

Early 1966

Batman and Robin first meet the deadly villainess Poison Ivy.

Teenager Robby Reed discovers a mysterious dial that transforms him temporarily into a wide variety of super-heroes.

Spring 1966

Rick Tyler is born to Rex and Wendi Tyler.

Summer 1966

Barbara Gordon becomes the motorcycle-riding heroine Batgirl.

Fall 1966

The Flash’s wife, Iris Allen, dies.

Late 1966

Ted Kord becomes the super-hero Blue Beetle.

Early 1967

The Spectre returns to earth after more than 20 years.

After years of searching, Zatanna is reunited with her missing father, Zatara.

In Africa, Mike Maxwell becomes the super-hero B’wana Beast.

Summer 1967

Barry Allen is killed in action, and Wally West becomes the new Flash.

Fall 1967

After circus aerialist “Boston” Brand is randomly murdered, he begins a posthumous crime-fighting crusade as Deadman.

Summer 1968

TV reporter Jack Ryder begins his nocturnal adventures as the Creeper.

The android crimefighter called the Red Tornado makes his debut.

Fall 1968

The Doom Patrol are killed while on a mission to a remote island, although Beast Boy is not among them.

Early 1969

After Wonder Woman temporarily loses her powers, Steve Trevor is killed.

Spring 1969

Dinah Lance becomes the new Black Canary.

Summer 1969

Dick Grayson retires and Tim Drake succeeds him as the new Batman, joined by Stephanie Brown as the fourth Robin.

Roy Harper retires and Connor Hawke becomes the new, goateed Green Arrow.

Larry Lance is killed.

Fall 1969

The new Black Canary joins the JLA.

Early 1970

Ted Grant retires from boxing as the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world.

Spring 1970

Green Lantern and Green Arrow take to the road in search of America.

Summer 1970

Batman meets the terrifying creature called the Man-Bat.

Early 1971

The second Speedy becomes a heroin addict.

Summer 1971

Batman first matches wits with the devilish Ra’s Al Ghul.

Fall 1971

Murdered scientist Alec Holland seemingly rises from the dead as the Swamp Thing.

Spring 1972

Jenny-Lynn Hayden becomes the super-heroine Jade and her twin brother Todd Rice becomes the super-hero Obsidian. They are reunited via an empathic connection after their powers begin to manifest themselves.

Early 1973

Jessie Chambers becomes the superfast heroine Jessie Quick.

Summer 1973

A mysterious crimefighter calling herself the Black Orchid makes her debut.

Ray Terrill is born.

Early 1976

Another refugee from Krypton, Kara Zor-L, arrives on Earth and becomes the super-heroine Power Girl.

Spring 1976

Barbara Gordon is crippled by the Joker, forcing her to give up being Batgirl.

Late 1976

Tim Drake’s back is broken by Bane and he must retire as Batman.

Early 1977

High school principal Jefferson Pierce becomes the super-hero Black Lightning.

The second Speedy, now clean and sober, becomes Arsenal.

Alan Scott loses his job when the Gotham Broadcasting Company goes bankrupt.

Early 1978

Superman kills off his Clark Kent identity, rather than explain why he has not aged in 40 years.

Jay Garrick gives Alan Scott a job at his company, Keystone Labs. Soon after, Jay reveals to the world that he was the original Flash in an interview in We magazine.

High school student Ronnie Raymond and physicist Martin Stein are fused into a single being known as Firestorm, the Nuclear Man.

Summer 1978

Bruce Wayne briefly returns as Batman and kills the Joker.

Spring 1979

Guy Gardner first becomes a member of the Green Lantern Corps.

Summer 1979

Katherine Kane is murdered.

Fall 1979

Terry Sloane, the former Mr. Terrific, is murdered.

Fall 1980

Recovered from his injuries, Tim Drake returns as Batman.

Late 1980

The new Teen Titans form. Members include Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire.

Early 1981

Teenagers Chris King and Vicki Grant discover Hero Dials that transform them temporarily into a wide variety of super-heroes and super-heroines.

Summer 1981

Wonder Woman reveals her true identity to the world.

Lee Travis dies.

Late 1982

Connor Hawke retires and settles down with Dinah Lance to start a family.

Late 1984

John Stewart takes over as the new Green Lantern.

Summer 1985

The Spectre leaves Earth once again.

Early 1986

Michael Jon Carter arrives from the future and becomes the super-hero Booster Gold.

Lois Lane dies of lung cancer.

Selena Kyle dies of a sexually-transmitted disease.

Summer 1986

Having slowly gone insane, Hal Jordan dies while trying to destroy the universe.

Fall 1987

Kent and Inza Nelson both die.

Late 1987

Superman first battles Siobhan McDougal, a.k.a. the Silver Banshee.

Summer 1988

Sylvester Pemberton dies.

Spring 1989

Bruce Wayne dies. Tim Drake retires as Batman.

Summer 1989

Mary Elizabeth Kane becomes the superheroine Flamebird.

Summer 1990

Dinah Drake Lance dies of cancer.

Fall 1990

Jessie Chambers retires from her career as Jessie Quick.

Early 1992

Ray Terrill becomes the second superhero known as the Ray.

Early 1994

Kyle Rayner becomes the new Green Lantern.

Summer 1994

Bart Allen becomes the super-hero Impulse.

Johnny Thunder contracts Alzheimer’s disease.

Fall 1994

Rex Tyler dies.

Charles McNider dies.

Al Pratt dies.

Early 1996

Cassie Sandsmark becomes the new Wonder Girl.

Johnny Chambers dies.

Summer 1997

Cissie King-Jones becomes the super-heroine Arrowette.

Summer 1998

The super-hero team Young Justice is formed.

Summer 1999

Courtney Whitmore becomes the new Star-Spangled Kid.

Wesley Dodds and Dian Belmont die within weeks of each other.

Late 1999

Hal Jordan rises from the dead as the Spectre.

Late 2000

Ted Knight dies.


While a new generation of super-heroes moves into the 21st century, it is interesting to note that Superman and Wonder Woman are functionally immortal and are still going strong at the end of this chronology.

The Crossover That Wasn't

Intercompany crossovers have long fascinated comic book fans and pros alike. Before the first official Marvel/DC crossover, 1976’s Superman Versus the Amazing Spider-Man, various stories appeared that skirted around the legal issues involved to explore what might happen if the two publishers’ characters met. Perhaps the best example of this is the invention of the Squadron Supreme, transparent analogs of DC’s Justice League of America, who made their debut in Marvel’s Avengers #85 (March 1971) by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. The creative team reworked villainous versions of DC’s heroes, the Squadron Sinister, which they had created for a story less than a year and a half earlier, and added new characters to create an eight-member super-team from a parallel world. I thought it would be interesting to take another look at that two-part adventure and see how it would have played out if the Avengers were actually transported into the DC universe to meet the genuine articles rather than the pale imitations.


Here, then, is the “first meeting” between the Avengers and the Justice League, in “The World is Not for Burning!”


Following an adventure in the extradimensional realm of Polemachus, seven Avengers are ready to return home. Thor decides to use the space-warp capabilities of his enchanted hammer Mjolnir to return himself and his teammates to earth, calling upon the aid of his all-powerful father Odin to guide them on their journey. However, only three of them reach the correct world, while Goliath, Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, and the Vision are transported instead to a different destination. To their horror, the four heroes find themselves existing as intangible phantoms witnessing an earth in its death throes. All around them, people are dying from the unbearable heat as the sun swells to fill the sky. Quicksilver spots a discarded newspaper lying on the sidewalk, and its date reveals they have shifted some three weeks into the future. Out of pure desperation, the Scarlet Witch unleashes one of her most powerful mutant hex bolts, enveloping her teammates in its unpredictable energies. With a sudden jolt, they find themselves solid again as passerby are startled by their sudden materialization. Goliath finds the nearest newsstand to discover that it is once again mid-December. Things seem to be back to normal, though Goliath wonders why the clerk failed to recognize them.

The Avengers quickly return to the Fifth Avenue mansion that serves as their headquarters, but their collective sense of misgiving grows as the house is subtly different both inside and out. Immediately after entering the structure, however, their progress is halted by automated defense systems they are unfamiliar with. A deep, commanding voice rings out from the top of the stairs, and the four startled heroes look up to see a man in a dark-hued costume with a black-and-gold bat emblem on his chest. He introduces himself as Batman and calls them intruders. When the Avengers stand their ground, the Batman leaps over the banister and strikes the Vision squarely in the chest. Having increased his own mass exponentially, the Vision is unfazed by the blow, and realizing he is outnumbered, Batman slips through a hidden passageway in the wall. The Avengers pursue him into the depths of the mansion, only to discover an entire team of superheroes meeting in a high-tech conference room. They stop short as they come face-to-face with Hawkman, the Atom, Green Arrow, and the Black Canary.

Goliath grabs Batman before he can send a message warning the rest of his team that their security has been compromised. The inevitable argument is interrupted by a video message from a masked man identifying himself as Green Lantern, calling his teammates in the Justice League of America at their temporary headquarters in Gotham City. The Avengers finally realize they are stranded on a parallel world. Green Lantern, in Coast City with Superman and the Flash, reports that the rocket Brain-Child One is ready to blast off for its close-proximity survey of the sun. The Avengers quickly deduce that the dying world they foresaw was not their own, but this earth, and that the solar rocket must somehow be the cause. However, their intention to stop the launch is misread by the Justice League, and a battle breaks out, which rages for several minutes. Within the building, Quicksilver knocks out Green Arrow while the Scarlet Witch overcomes the Black Canary. On the street outside, the Vision and Goliath manage to defeat the Atom, Hawkman, and Batman. Taking charge, the Vision orders Goliath to bring the unconscious Batman along with them as they commandeer a sleek skycraft and head for California to stop the launch. As the craft zooms through the sky, Batman regains consciousness, but the caped crusader assures the Avengers that he believes they are sincere, despite their outlandish story. He agrees to help them save the world.

Soon arriving at the launch site, the Avengers rush to confront Superman, Green Lantern, and the Flash, but the members of the Justice League naturally assume they are under attack and initiate an immediate launch. However, the Scarlet Witch causes a malfunction in the rocket with her hex power, and the blast-off is aborted. Batman appears then, giving his teammates the code-word “Dark Tower” to establish his bona-fides, and then tells them he is convinced that the rocket poses a threat to all life on earth, and the launch must be delayed while they check it out. The Justice League members are puzzled because there should be nothing in the rocket capable of causing the sun to go supernova, for Brain-Child designed it merely for scientific research. When the Avengers ask who “Brain-Child” is, Green Lantern fills them in: a ten-year-old mutant super-genius named Arnold Sutton who designs sophisticated technology for the American military from his remote stronghold on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Sutton is a recluse, Green Lantern reports, due to his freakish appearance resulting from a distended cranium. The Vision suspects Sutton may be dangerously embittered and planning to unleash his juvenile wrath against the world. The Avengers and the Justice League agree to team up to investigate.

The eight superheroes travel to Sutton’s island stronghold and are met with robotic defense mechanisms. Through an intercom, Brain-Child freely admits that he designed the rocket from a special alloy that would have triggered a chain reaction in the sun, causing it to go nova and destroy the earth. Before the heroes can react, Brain-Child fires on them with powerful force blasts, causing them to retreat. The Vision suggests they split into teams of two to try breaking into the fortress at four different points. Agreeing with the plan, Green Lantern disables their enemy’s “spy-eye” device using the emerald energies from his power ring.

Thus, Quicksilver and the Flash approach the complex known as the Dark Tower (so called in reference to the works of English poet Robert Browning) at super-speed. However, they are met by a tremendous shock wave that knocks them off their feet. The resulting rubble then flies up and attacks them, animated by some unseen force. In response the two speedsters create a vortex that sucks up all the loose rocks. Unfortunately, no sooner have they dealt with that problem than they are attacked by the citadel’s very walls. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Witch and Batman succeed in opening an access hatch into a service corridor, only to find their way blocked by a large muscle-bound android. Batman attacks, but the unspeaking brute easily overpowers him. It then turns its hypnotic gaze upon the Scarlet Witch, causing her to lose all memory of who she is and what she’s doing there. The Vision and Green Lantern are also stymied upon entering the building when they encounter a giant amoeboid creature, which not only multiplies itself, but also adapts itself to negate their powers.

Only Goliath and Superman succeed in reaching the innermost chamber and confronting Brain-Child directly, but the super-powered “freak” turns his formidable mental energies against them, decking Goliath with a heavy piece of machinery and knocking out Superman with a massive discharge of electricity. Goliath recovers quickly, though, and uses some nearby wreckage to fashion a crude crossbow, using Superman’s unconscious form as the bolt. The impact sends Brain-Child crashing from his throne, and overtaxed by his exertions, the young villain passes out. Instantly, the fortress and all it contains dematerializes into nothingness, leaving the perplexed superheroes standing on a barren island. A groggy Arnold Sutton cries out for his mommy and daddy, as the dissipation of his mental energies has induced a form of amnesia, with an accompanying reversion of his skull to normal proportions. The menace of Brain-Child is no more. Superman and Batman assure the boy that he will be well taken care of.

Just as the superheroes begin to celebrate their victory, however, the Vision, the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Goliath do a fast fade as they are pulled back to their home universe by the tireless efforts of their teammates. Thor, Iron Man, and the Black Panther greet them upon their rematerialization in Avengers Mansion. While the others head upstairs for coffee, the Vision remains behind to brood. Quicksilver asks him why, and the Vision muses whether they are truly home, or merely on another of the seemingly infinite parallel earths that exist in the multiverse. They may never know for sure.


Notes:

It seems likely that Odin was working behind the scenes in this story, given that Thor invokes his unfathomably powerful father on the very first page. Doubtless Odin dispatched the four Avengers to the other earth (whether it’s the Squadron Supreme’s world or the DC Comics version of earth), giving them first their ghostly vision of the planet’s impending doom. Then it was Odin’s hand, rather than the Scarlet Witch’s, that effected the time-shift, allowing the heroes to prevent that world’s destruction. He let Thor return to the Marvel earth, knowing the enchanted might of Mjolnir would be needed to bring the taskforce home when their mission was completed. Also, he almost certainly prevented the lost Avengers from being rescued too soon, which accounts for their dematerialization mere moments after the battle is won. This is more palatable to me than a string of wild coincidences.

At this time, the Justice League had its headquarters on an orbiting satellite, which would make it almost impossible for the Avengers to stumble into one of their meetings. Thus, I assume that the satellite was temporarily disabled, perhaps due to a damaging battle with a gang of super-villains, and the team was meeting at an urban installation owned by Bruce Wayne that bore an uncanny resemblance to Avengers Mansion.

At the conclusion of the original story, Doctor Spectrum uses his power prism to reverse Arnold Sutton’s “giant head” mutation. However, this would be beyond the capabilities of Green Lantern’s power ring, so I assume that the transformation occurred naturally as a result of Brain-Child burning out his mental energies battling eight superheroes simultaneously. This minor change still goes along with Roy Thomas’ intent of having a clean, happy ending in the tradition of Julius Schwartz-era DC comics, which he then counterpoints with the ambiguous uncertainties of the Marvel-style ending which follows.

Naturally, in this story produced exclusively by Marvel personnel, the DC characters wouldn’t make a very good showing of it. Superman, especially, would be embarrassed. If it had been meant to be an intercompany crossover, it’s very doubtful the editors at DC would have approved the story as Roy Thomas wrote it, since it kind of makes their heroes look second-rate.



More Crossover Goodness!

Dr. Zayre - 2

Greetings, my friends. Once again, I, Dr. Zayre, have occasion to say a few words to dispel a most troublesome heresy that has been reported in recent days. I was alerted to this outrage by my illustrious cousin, our Minister of Science and Chief Defender of the Faith, and have taken it upon myself to speak out publicly against it. It would seem that certain Chimpanzee scientists are claiming to have observed humans in the wild fashioning primitive weapons with which to hunt small animals. Let me assure you, this is utter nonsense and ridiculous on the face of it. Man simply does not possess the intellect for such a complex task.

Let us examine the claims of these so-called scientists more closely. Upon a recent expedition to the very edges of the Forbidden Zone, they say they observed adolescent female humans breaking sticks off trees, sharpening one end with their teeth, and then jabbing these makeshift spears into tree hollows in search of small game. Should the stick come out bloodied, the human would attack with more vigor until its prey was extracted.

A fascinating story, and if we could believe it, a frightening one at that. And yet these scientists have provided no definitive proof to support such an extraordinary tale. While they have displayed a few “sharpened” sticks, they have provided not so much as a single photograph of a human engaged in this behavior. Are we merely to take their word for it?

Furthermore, the chief researcher involved, and the main proponent of these claims, is an outspoken advocate of the heresy known as evolution, an insidious theory that contradicts the Sacred Scrolls. What sort of credence can we lend such an ape, who goes against over a thousand years of received wisdom? I say, if such an ape cannot accept the Truth as handed down to us from the Lawgiver, how can we accept the truth of her conclusions?

It is heresy, plain and simple. And a dangerous one, at that. Imagine the terror that would grip our fair city at the mere thought of a horde of human savages brandishing weapons, ready to stab us should we venture beyond a populated area. The violent nature of these animals is well-documented, but they have long been seen as little threat to our civilization, due to the frailty of their forms, the weakness of their muscles, and their lack of the divine spark, what scientists now call “sentience.”

We must call into question the motives of anyone who would seek to frighten us with claims that these harmless animals might one day rise up, creep silently into our homes, and stab us all in our sleep. What do they hope to gain with these scare tactics? Political advantage, no doubt. And a weakening of our moral fiber, which they hope to then exploit for their own gain. The false assertions of these Chimpanzee troublemakers should be silenced before they bear their poisonous fruit.

I urge the President of the National Academy to convene a tribunal to deal with this issue once and for all, so that decent, hardworking apes can rest easy at night.

Dr. Zayre - 1

Greetings. I am Dr. Zayre. Perhaps you mistook me for my more famous cousin. Heh, heh. I understand. We are, after all, cut from the same cloth. I would like to settle a very foolish question that has been going around of late, for I feel it falls to those of us possessed of the faculty of wisdom to enlighten those beneath us. Some heretical elements have been questioning the wisdom of our great Lawgiver in his decision to entrust the military establishment to the Gorillas while directing the Chimpanzees into the halls of academia. They argue that it is self-evident that Chimpanzees are, and have always been, more aggressive and warlike than Gorillas, even in the most primitive days of pre-history. And Gorillas, they add, have long been known for their pacifistic natures. Thus, the Lawgiver’s decree seems paradoxical. But I say to you, this is precisely the point, my children.

The Lawgiver, in his infinite wisdom, ensured that ape society would never suffer the hardships of unnecessary war by entrusting our defense with those who would by their very natures avoid strife whenever possible. And when no other option remained, the tremendous strength and massive brawn of the Gorilla would surely carry the day. Thus, the lowly and savage Baboon hordes have been kept at bay and our cities remain safe.

In like fashion, the innate aggression of the Chimpanzee has been channeled in a positive direction, to the benefit of society, by having it yoked to the millstone of scientific enquiry. The fierce debates that rage within the halls of academe, the scholars’ often hysterical screechings carrying for miles across the landscape, allow for the expression and release of this energy without resorting to barbarous displays of brute force or wanton chaos and destruction, as was too common among our savage ancestors. The Chimpanzee can thereby be a useful member of society despite his innate shortcomings.

I am happy to say, however, that there is no contention on the point of the Lawgiver’s having charged we the Orangutans with the administration of society, for our solitary and contemplative natures allow us to develop the wisdom necessary for such an awesome responsibility. One shudders to imaging the chaos that would ensue should the reins of government be handed over to a platoon of slow-witted militaristic Gorillas or a pack of hysterically argumentative Chimpanzees.

All praise to the Lawgiver!


Furthermore...

Jack Kirby's Green Arrow 3

With DC Comics now hyping their forthcoming series Green Arrow: Year One, it’s time to take one last look at Jack Kirby’s stint with the character in the late 1950s. Fittingly, let us peruse the final story Kirby provided before seeking his fortunes elsewhere: his own version of Green Arrow’s origin story, published in Adventure Comics #256 (January 1959). This offbeat tale is aptly titled “The Green Arrow’s First Case.”

The story opens with our heroes relaxing at home. Speedy is parked in front of their big yellow TV set, while Green Arrow is enjoying his pipe. Suddenly, a news bulletin throws the adventurous archer for a loop!

Green Arrow makes a startling announcement to his junior partner -- if they don’t head off the expedition, his secret identity will be discovered! They immediately take to the sky in the Arrowplane, darting over the city’s Kirbyesque harbor.

En route to the island, Green Arrow relates his astonishing origin story. Years ago, when he was merely Oliver Queen, millionaire playboy, he was on a voyage to the South Seas when he accidentally fell overboard. (Presumably, he’d had too much to drink, but is too embarrassed to admit it.) Through the remainder of the night, he drifted on the open ocean. Then, come morning, he spotted an island nearby and swam for it. Finally reaching shore, he collapsed in exhaustion and slept. Upon awakening several hours later, he saw that dangerous shoals surrounding the island made a rescue unlikely. Like a modern-day Robinson Crusoe (actually more like Tom Hanks in Cast Away), he was marooned on an uninhabited island. Unbowed, however, he set about seeing to his survival.

(It looks like he shared Bruce Banner’s tailor in those days, what with the purple pants. Anyway...) For some reason, Oliver decided to try catching fish with a bow and arrow instead of a fishing pole. And so, after fashioning a crude archery set, he began training himself in the skills he would need to catch some food. However, he soon discovered the one flaw in his plan.

Thus Oliver began to devise the first of his famous trick arrows, inventing the rope arrow, the net arrow, and even a clever drill arrow, powered by the elastic from his socks!

(Man, he looks like Steve Rogers! It’s freaky.) Using the drill arrow -- with a rope attached -- he managed to snag some delicious coconuts for his supper. Over time, Oliver sought to expand his menu with some real meat. Thus, he created a distinctive outfit from the foliage in order to camouflage himself. Incredible!

Most importantly, however (to the plot, at least), Oliver also kept a journal of his experiences by carving his words into the wall of a cavern, using a primitive hammer and chisel. Little suspecting what fate had in store for him, he recorded his name, the date of his arrival, and all about the development of his bow and arrows and his green costume. Finally, one evening, he was overjoyed to see a commercial freighter anchored not far offshore! He immediately swam for the ship, and for some reason, he took his archery set with him. Good thing, too, for upon reaching the boat, he found there had been a mutiny on board. Realizing he had to defeat the criminals in order to secure safe passage home, he smeared anchor grease around his eyes, “so the deck lights wouldn’t reflect against the whiteness of my face.” His trick arrows made short work of the mutineers, and thus the crimebusting Green Arrow was born!

At this point, the flashback ends as the Arrowplane descends on the island. Speedy understands that if the expedition discovers the cavern, Oliver’s cover will be blown and his secrets revealed. The battling bowmen race to head off the explorers, but arrive too late to stop them! Fortunately, Green Arrow has a sudden brainstorm!

As luck would have it, Green Arrow’s quiver holds his “fake-uranium arrow!” (Yes, that’s right, the ever-useful fake-uranium arrow! Never leave home without it!) He fires it into the ground near the cavern entrance, where it “gives off waves that simulate uranium deposits!” And…

The ploy is successful and the expedition leaves the island without exploring any further. Green Arrow and Speedy breathe a sigh of relief.

Strangely, though, as this panel makes clear, a pair of sunglasses would surely hide Ollie’s identity better than that pencil-thin mask. How Green Arrow has ever maintained a secret identity is inexplicable, and the problem became even more pronounced after he grew his very distinctive chin whiskers in 1969. How many men go around sporting a thick blond Van Dyck beard? It makes Superman’s Clark Kent disguise almost seem convincing by comparison.

Although Jack Kirby left “Green Arrow” and DC Comics after this issue, the feature continued under the hand of veteran artist Lee Elias. However, this origin story was more or less contradicted two issues later in the lead story “Superboy Meets the Young Green Arrow.” Well, Jack Kirby never got much respect at DC anyway. It was at Marvel where he would earn the title “the King of Comics.”


Back Arrow

Jack Kirby's Green Arrow 2

During his brief run on the “Green Arrow” back-up feature in Adventure Comics during the late 1950s, Jack Kirby let his imagination run wild, producing some characteristically bizarre tales, such as “The Mystery of the Giant Arrows” from issue #252 (September 1958).

This is a symbolic splash, fortunately, and we need not worry about Green Arrow and Speedy perishing in the vacuum of space. This also accounts for G.A.’s apparent optimism in the face of impending death as they are whisked above Earth’s atmosphere. Kirby just liked to get things rolling with a spectacular image.

The story actually begins with a quiet street scene in an unidentified city, where the crowds are amazed by a giant arrow which suddenly lands in their midst. Drawn to the scene by a TV news bulletin, Green Arrow and Speedy secure the giant arrow, only to face a new menace!

Pursuing the big red missile in their golden Arrowcar, G.A. muffles its thunderous sonic vibrations with a “cocoon arrow,” then uses a “jet arrow” to deflect it from its collision course with a freighter just offshore! Speedy relinquishes the driver’s seat to Green Arrow as they race to their secret headquarters to fetch their awesome aeroplane the Arrowplane!

Intercepting a third giant arrow, our heroes are surprised when it suddenly explodes into hundred of blazing fragments! Luckily the titanic toxophilites have enough “firecracker arrows” to render the burning shrapnel harmless!

Suddenly, they receive an urgent radio message instructing them to meet Professor Riggles at his observatory! Knowing Prof. Riggles often helps the police, the arch archers speed to the scene, where Professor Riggles shows them what his fantastic wall of Kirbyesque machinery has discovered! Good old Professor Riggles!

The weird figure on the screen is seen shooting a “cable-arrow,” which lands near the observatory! Green Arrow and Speedy race into the sylvan glade to investigate!

After climbing atop the gargantuan arrow (which, curiously, has the cable coming out of the tip of its head), they find themselves suddenly hauled into a brightly-shining light -- the doorway into a strange new dimension! One mystery is solved, but our battling bowmen’s problems have just begun!

The breakneck pace never lets up for a minute as our heroes try to contend with Kirby’s patented brand of pseudoscience in this whirlwind tale. It certainly sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the more staid affairs that DC was publishing in this and its other titles of the time. Kirby was a jagged peg in a smooth hole at DC, and this contributed to his decision to leave the giant publisher to find more creative freedom at one of its struggling competitors -- the then-nameless comic book division of Martin Goodman’s publishing empire, run by the equally frenetic-minded Stan Lee.


Forward Arrow

Back Arrow

Jack Kirby's Green Arrow

Years before launching the so-called ‘Marvel Age of Comics’ in the early 1960s, Jack Kirby served a stint at National Periodical Publications, better known as DC Comics, which was by far the predominant comics publisher of the time. In addition to a book of his own creation, Challengers of the Unknown, Kirby also contributed back-up stories starring Green Arrow for Adventure Comics.

As ever, Kirby’s distinctive dynamic style shines through in these short features, despite their late-‘50s vintage. In stylistic terms, they can be seen bridging the grotesqueries of his Golden Age output and the idiosyncratic stylization of his 1970s oeuvre.

But enough of the pontificating, let’s get to the pictures!

In Adventure Comics #251 (cover date August 1958), Jack Kirby presents “The Case of the Super-Arrows.” It is the anniversary of Green Arrow’s debut as a crimefighter, and he and his teen sidekick, Speedy, receive numerous gifts from various law-enforcement agencies and other well-wishers. Astonishingly, a cylinder materializes out of thin air, and a disembodied voice tells them it is a token of esteem from the world of 3000 A.D., in honor of “Justice Week.” The cylinder contains at least nine “super-arrows” made with the fantastic technology of the future.

(Apparently, though, Green Arrow misheard the voice and thought it said it was from 3,000 years in the future, i.e. 5000 A.D.)

While testing out the arrows, the heroes learn of a bank robbery in process and leap into Kirbyesque action.

Giving chase in the ‘Arrow-Mobile,’ Green Arrow uses one of the futuristic shafts to freeze the getaway car in its tracks. Even this simple image is somehow pure Kirby.

The bank robbers abandon their vehicle and reveal themselves as ‘Cougar’ Cain and his mob. They attempt to escape with the help of a smoke screen, which the heroes easily dissipate. However, Green Arrow clumsily drops one of the arrows of the future.

Helplessly mesmerized, Green Arrow and Speedy are lucky that ‘Cougar’ Cain decides to merely steal the futuristic weapons and not shoot the heroes in the head and be done with it. Thus, they come to their senses several minutes later, and realize they’ve goofed up big time.

Green Arrow cooks up a cunning plan, in which he relies on his own skill and an ancient arrow from the Battle of Hastings (!) to defeat Cain and the dreaded “paralysis arrow.” When the crooks attempt to hijack a “million dollar gold shipment,” they find the armored car contains Green Arrow and Speedy. Cain fires the paralysis arrow, but G.A. shoots it out of the sky with good old-fashioned marksmanship.

Finally, the heroes decide to stash the high-tech weapons in their secret HQ for safekeeping.

Note: The nine arrows of the future we see are as follows: cloud-seeding arrow, “sonar shaft” arrow, freezing arrow, vacuum arrow, hypnotic arrow, invisibility arrow, anti-gravity arrow, vibration arrow, and paralysis arrow.


Besides the obvious parallels to DC’s own Batman and Robin -- what with the millionaire hero and his teenaged “ward,” the Arrow-Cave and the distinctive Arrow-Mobile -- under Kirby’s hand the pair bear a striking resemblance to Kirby’s own WWII team of Captain America and Bucky. In fact, Oliver Queen is pretty much a dead-ringer for Steve Rogers. Only the details of their costumes and their crimebusting gimmicks differentiate the two teams. I guess Kirby knew a workable formula when he saw one.


Forward Arrow