All the forgotten characters from WORLD'S FINEST reminded me of a really
obscure baddie from one the earliest issues I can remember reading of the
book. And so, without further ado, in an effort to bump up this thread and
at the request of absolutely no one, I present to you... Capricorn.
Only appearance: WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #218 (July-Aug. '73)
by Bob Haney, Dick Dillin and Dave Cockrum,
Real name: Dr. Bogardus (first name unrevealed)
Base of operations: Gotham City
Powers: Dying from an unnamed illness, Bogardus" attempts to cure himself
gave him the ability to read minds
Current whereabouts: Deceased (and most likely out of continuity)
During a visit to Commissioner Gordon (or Commish, as Batman calls him),
The Caped Crusader spots a mysterious note in the trash. Bearing a black goat's
head symbol, it says, "Forget me not. Capricorn." At Batman's urging,
Gordon explains someone has learned his darkest secret. Once, feeling pity
for a young offender, Gordon concealed evidence that would have kept the man
in prison longer. Later, feeling guilty, he turned in the evidence, claiming
to have just found it. He told no one, but Capricorn knows all about it. Oddly,
Capricorn has made no blackmail demands.
Batman later prevents the mayor of Gotham from jumping off the docks. Capricorn
has learned his greatest secret, too. Batman is certain Capricorn is no mind
reader, but when he gets home, he finds that Bruce Wayne has also been contacted
and that Capricorn knows his secret as well.
After learning that several of Gotham's most prominent men are Capricorn's
victims, Batman brings Superman in to help.
Certain the culprit is someone with a criminal record who has used "mentalism"
as an M.O. before, they decide to pay a visit to retired gangster Rick de
Fabio. Batman attempts to break into Fabio's home, only to be saved from an
exploding booby trap by Superman. Fabio arrives with a gun, claiming he is
only protecting his home from intruders. Certain that Fabio is Capricorn,
Batman roughs him up and turns him over to the police.
Fabio is soon free and complains to TV reporters that the heroes wrongly
accused him of being someone named "Capricorn." The real Capricorn,
Bogardus, sees the report, then goes to Fabio's house and guns him down. He
leaves behind a taunting note for the heroes: "There is only one Capricorn,
and I am he."
Capricorn slips up in his next letter to Bruce Wayne when he makes it all
too clear he had been in a health club the same time as the millionaire playboy.
Wayne remembers a middle-aged man who looked like a professor and who ordered
goat's milk. As Batman, he and Superman check with the club's owner and soon
have Bogardus" name and address. At his home, the find proof he is Capricorn,
but the doctor escapes through forgotten lead water mains running beneath
Gotham. Dating back to colonial days, they were abandoned long ago when the
detrimental effects of lead were discovered.
Unable to find Bogardus, Batman and Superman tell the press that Capricorn
apparently died attempting to flee them. They hope Bogardus" ego will
force him out into the open.
Capricorn's victims host a party in honor of Superman and Batman to thank
them for ending his threat. But while they are toasting, the party is crashed
—literally—by a black goat jumping through a skylight. The heroes race
to the roof, but find only an animal trainer who was paid by a 'skid-row bum"
to drop the goat through the skylight.
While the rest of the people present decide that this is a parting gift from
the late Capricorn, Superman and Batman secretly listen to a cassette tape
on the goat's collar. "This is Capricorn speaking!" a voice on the
tape says. "I"m alive and well and living in Gotham! Batman, really
Bruce Wayne, and Superman are liars and failures!"
"God!" Batman exclaims. "He's out there—laughing at us!
And someday he"ll expose our failure to the entire world!"
But what the World's Finest team will never know is that Bogardus has died
in the lead water mains. The last panel shows his skeletal remains and a caption
says: "Yes, to this day the world believes our heroes triumphed once
again while they dread Capricorn's return. Only you know the real story!"
Note: Capricorn was possibly inspired by Zodiac, a real-life serial killer
who sent taunting messages to authorities, the media and even relatives of
his victims. He is suspected of killing dozens of people between 1966 and
1981. His true identity remains a mystery.
Comment
Capricorn: cool story. The connection to the Zodiac killer makes it even
creepier. People don't think much of Haney now but some of his stories are
mini-classics that don't go on and on for six issues.
The Capsule Master
Vulkor was a Martian who had been exiled from Mars because he had sought
to steal a super-weapon and take over the planet. the weapon was thought to
have been destroyed in the final battle that resulted in Vulkor's capture,
but it wasn't. It ended up on Earth inside various meteors, most of which
landed around Star City. Vulkor's giant capsule (and massive robotic arm)
and three Martian lackeys ended up battling Green Arrow and the Manhunter
From Mars to obtain the meteors with the weapon fragments inside them. Naturally,
the two emerald heroes (with help from Green Arrow's partner Speedy) was able
to stop the villain's plan, and the Manhunter imprisoned the four Martians
within an active volcano (?!).
In 1977-1978, Modern Promotions reprinted many Charlton Comics including:
Captain Atom #83, Captain Atom #84, Captain Atom #85.
Americomics Appearances:
Americomics Special #1 (Aug 83)
DC Appearances (Earth-4 only):
Crisis On Infinite Earths #6 (Sep 85)
Crisis On Infinite Earths #7 (Oct 85)
Crisis On Infinite Earths #9 (Dec 85)
Crisis On Infinite Earths #10 [story one] (Jan 86)
DC Comics Presents #90 (Feb 86)
Crisis On Infinite Earths #12 (Mar 86)
History:
SPACE ADVENTURES [1st series] #33 (March 1960)
Story: "Introducing Captain Atom"
Synopsis: Captain Allen Adam, a brilliant USAF career man,
readies an Atlas missile containing an atomic warhead at Cape
Canaveral. While making final last-second adjustments within
the missile's nose cone, he drops his screwdriver, with only
3 minutes to go. Adam delays too long and the missile is launched.
As it leaves the launch pad, the people in the control room
realize that Capt. Adam has not returned and is trapped on
board. Adam blacks out due to the tremendous g-forces and heat.
The atomic warhead is preset to explode in space, and cannot
be stopped. At an altitude of 300 miles, the warhead detonates.
At the instant of fission, Adam is no longer flesh, bone, and
blood. The desiccated molecular skeleton is intact, but has
undergone a transformation never before seen by man. As the
people on the ground mourn their fallen friend, a disembodied
voice calls out to Sgt. Gunner Goslin and General Eining. They
are told to evacuate the area and meet him at the launching
pad. Three minutes later, Adam materializes, glowing strangely.
He tells them to stay back, because he is now as radioactive
as pure Uranium-235! They too must leave the area soon, but
before they do he explains that he disintegrated up in space,
and reintegrated down on the launch pad. He can't explain it,
but he knows that he will be able to do this from now on. Adam
notes that there is a special light-weight metal, diulustel,
developed to shield radiation. He asks the General to get him
some so that they can create a flexible suit that he can wear
in order to protect the people around him.
Meanwhile, a reporter has become aware of the "death" of Capt.
Adam. When the General later reads the newspaper's article,
he decides that Adam will now become the nation's most closely
guarded secret. The General checks on Adam, who is now wearing
the new diulustel suit. Only his head and hands are showing,
and they are still glowing. The General asks Adam if he is
a danger to others, but Adam assures him that the suit's material
converts the escaping rays into another frequency in the light
spectrum, rendering him safe to humans. Adam then informs the
General that he has developed amazing powers. He asks the General
to gather the top brass for a demonstration. Soon after, the
Chiefs of Staff, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the President's
top military aide arrive. Adam wears normal clothing over his
diulustel suit so that he can show that, by releasing a small
amount of energy, he can burn the clothing right off his body.
He then explains that by converting an infinitesimal amount
of his mass to energy, he can fly at speeds over 20,000 miles
per hour.
The following day, Adam is ordered to report to the White
House. After giving the President a private demonstration,
the President hands Adam a new diulustel uniform and tells
him his code name will be Captain Atom. Back at Cape Canaveral,
an intercontinental ballistic missile is being prepared for
test. The plan is for the trajectory to send it harmlessly
into the sea. However, two Soviet saboteurs alter the flight
path so that it will strike a Soviet industrial complex, giving
their leaders an excuse for war. With total war only minutes
away, the President is called and told that a Jupiter missile
carrying a hydrogen warhead is heading towards the enemy. Captain
Atom flies into action, intercepting the missile and detonating
it in space.
SPACE ADVENTURES [1st series] #34 (June 1960)
Story: "The 2nd Man In Space"
Synopsis: When the first Russian cosmonaut to reach space
loses consciousness, Captain Atom is dispatched to save his
life. Upon returning to Earth, the cosmonaut tells his superiors
that they were beaten into space by an American. The workers
at Cape Canaveral assume that America has secretly reached
space in another spacecraft.
SPACE ADVENTURES [1st series] #35 (August 1960)
Story: "The Little Wanderer"
Synopsis: Captain Atom learns that when Gunner Goslin's son,
Billy, dreams of traveling in space on the back of a space-bird,
it is actually occurring.
SPACE ADVENTURES [1st series] #36 (October 1960)
Story: "The Wreck Of X-44"
Synopsis: A space-faring rocket-plane Capt. Adam is flying
explodes due to sabotage. As Captain Atom, he reassembles it
in a plan to uncover the perpetrator. When the hero returns
to Earth, a frightened solider fires on the glowing stranger.
Captain Atom flies off before being revealed. The saboteur
is soon identified as Gerald Mudge, an electronics specialist.
After he confesses, his spy ring is arrested.
Story: "Captain Atom On Planet X"
Synopsis: Captain Atom stops the Russians from shooting down
a new American weapon satellite called Planet X.
SPACE ADVENTURES [1st series] #37 (December 1960)
Story: "The Space Prowlers"
Synopsis: Captain Atom stops an army of alien invaders.
Story: "A Victory For Venus"
Synopsis: The Atlas-Thor-Able XIV space probe heads towards
Venus, but three beautiful Venutian women destroy it before
it reaches its destination. When he tries investigate, Captain
Atom is defeated by them and is returned to Earth. They tell
the hero that they were aware of him, and that he will return
to them as a friend.
SPACE ADVENTURES [1st series] #38 (February 1961)
Story: "One Second Of War"
Synopsis: Captain Atom is sent to investigate what has happened
to uranium missing from a mine in Africa. He tracks it down
to a hidden complex led by Dr. Cladius Jaynes, a madman who
plans on destroying half the planet so that he can rule the
other half. When the missiles are fired, Captain Atom diverts
them all into space, except for one that misfires and explodes
on the launch pad.
Story: "Backfire"
Synopsis: A dictator named Gustav Borlin and his chief scientist,
Dr. Skafic, plan to launch an atomic attack on the United States.
After Captain Atom secretly diverts the missiles into space,
Borlin's people rebel against their mad leader.
Story: "The Force Beyond"
Synopsis: Captain Atom is in Earth's orbit, trying to stop
a meteor attack from triggering World War III by knocking orbiting
American and Russian missiles to Earth. He discovers that the
meteors are actually being directed by an alien ship. Unfortunately,
the hero destroys the enemy before learning who they are.
SPACE ADVENTURES [1st series] #39 (April 1961)
Story: "Test-Pilot's Nightmare"
Synopsis: Captain Atom secretly saves Major Silberling when
he becomes oxygen-deprived during the test flight of the X-49
rocket.
Story: "Peace Envoy"
Synopsis: After thousands die in a brief alien attack, Captain
Atom locates and confronts the invaders. They plan on establishing
a slave colony on Earth, but Captain Atom's display of power
forces them to change their minds.
Story: "An Ageless Weapon"
Synopsis: While delivering important defense plans to NATO
headquarters in Berlin, Capt. Adam is captured by Communist
spies. He uses his special abilities to escape and complete
the delivery.
SPACE ADVENTURES [1st series] #40 (June 1961)
Story: "The Crisis"
Synopsis: At a summit meeting, the Russian premier threatens
to use atomic weapons in order to get what he wants. Captain
Atom destroys the missiles when the premier orders his troops
to fire.
Story: "The Boy And The Stars"
Synopsis: Captain Atom brings little Buddy Scott into space
to cure him of his gamma ray poisoning.
SPACE ADVENTURES [1st series] #42 (October 1961)
Story: "The Saucer Scare"
Synopsis: Captain Adam takes the X-44 rocket into space in
order to lure hostile aliens into the open. As Captain Atom,
he destroys the alien fleet.
Story: "The Man In Saturn's Moon"
Synopsis: The Soviets send a trouble-making statesman named
Andrei Rotov into orbit around Saturn. The new U.S. President
sends Captain Atom to find the missing renegade. Captain Atom
returns him to Russia, where he begins to rally others around
his cause of freedom.
Story: "The Silver Lady From Venus"
Synopsis: A woman from Venus hypnotizes men at Cape Canaveral
into deliberately sabotaging Titan missiles. When Captain Atom
locates her, she comments that it is not yet time for him to
be brought to Venus. After determining that her hypnotic power
has a limited range, he relocates her to the Soviet Union where
she can continue to cause her mischief.
CAPTAIN ATOM #78 (December 1965)
Story: "The Gremlins From Planet Blue Part 1"; "Part II Planet
Blue"
Synopsis: Captain Atom rescues an unconscious astronaut from
a failed orbital space flight. Aliens watch the rescue, commenting
that he has interfered with their plans time after time, and
must be destroyed. Later, Capt. Adam is assigned to protect
Professor Jupe, the leading scientist of NASA's space program,
and his daughter Leah. While the Professor sleeps, one of the
aliens uses a special device to hypnotize him into betraying
NASA. The Professor sneaks away from Capt. Adam and takes his
daughter to Silver Beach, where they board a boat. Before he
can search for the Professor, Captain Atom must rescue two
Gemini astronauts from the aliens' homeworld, the Blue Planet.
The hero eventually locates the Professor and Leah on an island,
where hypnotized scientists have been building a deadly missile.
After looting the Earth, the aliens plan on destroying all
life on the planet. Captain Atom stops the missile, breaks
the hypnotic spells, and chases the aliens off Earth.
CAPTAIN ATOM #79 (February-March 1966)
Story: "Doctor Spectro "Master Of Moods""
Synopsis: Somewhere in the southwest, Captain Atom captures
Rodent, a master criminal, and his gang. Rodent begins to burn
a list of the other gangs that he has been working with. Captain
Atom puts out the fire, but not before it burns the last name
off the list. After delivering the criminals to the authorities,
the hero begins searching the area for the final gang. As Capt.
Adam, the search brings him to the circus, where he watches
the performance of Doctor Spectro, Master of Moods. Spectro
claims he can affect moods, and possibly even cure diseases,
with his great invention—prisms which convert light into
various colors. He demonstrates on the audience. One color
makes them happy, another makes them depressed, and a third
makes one heckler frightened. In reality, Spectro is an angry
and bitter scientist who was shunned by his peers, and who
joined the circus to perfect his invention. The gang members
that Adam is searching for are in the audience, and decide
to use Spectro to help them rob a bank.
Later, as Adam meets with Gunner Goslin outside, the gangsters
attempt to force Spectro into helping them. When the performer
refuses, they push him into his large, experimental apparatus.
The lights from the device interact with his prisms, bathing
him in powerful radiation. This phenomenon causes him to absorb
the power of light and color. The red light, in particular,
alters his personality, making him more hateful. Spectro uses
his new increased powers on the gangsters, forcing them away
with a green light that makes them sick. When Adam goes to
speak with Spectro himself, Gunner overhears the fleeing gangsters
talk about bank robbery. They spot Gunner and take him captive.
At that same moment, Adam is chased away by the angry Spectro,
who again uses his green light to make Adam ill.
Adam discovers that Gunner has been kidnapped and, as Captain
Atom, he rescues his friend and captures the remaining criminals
at the bank. The hero then hears screaming coming from outside.
When he investigates, Captain Atom finds Doctor Spectro terrorizing
the crowd. The hero discovers that he too is vulnerable to
the Spectro's power, but creates a heat-shield to repel the
rays. Spectro blasts Captain Atom with a beam of energy, then
makes the crowd turn on him with hatred. The hero flies into
the air and hurls an atomic fire ball at the villain, but Spectro
simply absorbs the energy and becomes more powerful. As the
fight continues, Spectro absorbs more sources of energy. Finally,
he makes contact with high-tension power lines. The super-charged
villain flies at the hero, but begins to disintegrate because
his body can't contain such power. By the time he reaches Captain
Atom, Spectro has vanished. However, the hero has an odd feeling
than the threat of Spectro hasn't ended.
CAPTAIN ATOM #80 (April-May 1966)
Story: "Death Knell Of The World!"
Synopsis: When it is learned that a planetoid is hurtling
towards Earth and will destroy it in 2 days, Captain Atom flies
to the edge of the solar system to intercept it. He discovers
that it is a hollow, artificial world, ruled by a tyrant named
Drako. Drako explains that the planetoid will crash into Earth
unless the hero helps him build a machine that can safely slow
it down. After Captain Atom builds the device, the hero himself
must supply the power. The plan works, but Captain Atom soon
learns that Drako has trapped him within the device, and will
use his power to conquer Earth. Drako's daughter, Celest, hurls
herself into the energy field, disrupting it enough for the
hero to escape, but killing her in the process. The distraught
Drako surrenders, and is replaced by the benevolent Valdar.
Captain Atom sends the planetoid back out into space.
CAPTAIN ATOM #81 (July 1966)
Story: "The Five Faces Of Doctor Spectro"
Synopsis: Dr. Spectro's scattered essence maneuvers into a
storm cloud, believing he can reform by absorbing the lightning
bolts. When five bolts hit at the same time, he reforms as
five smaller versions of himself, each with a different power.
They conclude that they will not reach full power until they
merge back together. The villains begin to gather together
orbiting satellites which they combine to form the world's
first space station. They begin to stock their new secret base
with items stolen from around the world.
A few days later, Capt. Adam receives word of small men dressed
like Doctor Spectro, but in different colors, stealing equipment.
Captain Atom tries to stop two of them from stealing rare elements
from a safe at the Science Center in Cape May. When he is struck
by a red beam (heat) and a blue beam (cold), he is temporarily
disoriented. The hero believes they are midget assistants to
Doctor Spectro, until he overhears them mention that they are
trying to recombine into one being. The three others forage
through military bases looking for valuable equipment. While
green Spectro and yellow Spectro break into a vault, purple
Spectro is confronted by a small crippled girl. The sight of
her causes the good side of Spectro to reemerge. He uses his
power to heal the girl. Captain Atom arrives and battles the
green and yellow versions, but they beat him down and flee.
On their way out, they run into purple Spectro and the girl.
Purple Spectro tells them to continue on with the equipment
while he stops Captain Atom. He is actually protecting the
girl from being taken hostage, and hopes to merge with the
others so that he can exert control over his evil side. When
Captain Atom catches up, purple Spectro uses a beam to make
the hero quiet and still. After purple Spectro escapes, Captain
Atom recovers and the girl explains how the villain had helped
her.
Later, Captain Atom is assigned the task of finding out what
happened to some missing satellites, unaware that they are
tied to Spectro. On board the space station, the five Spectros
are nearly finished with the device that will merge them back
together. They are unaware that purple Spectro has made changes
that will make his personality dominant. When Captain Atom
finally stumbles on the space station, he charges the villains.
Purple Spectro tells the others to be careful not to damage
their equipment with their destructive beams. After they overwhelm
the hero, purple Spectro uses his sickness beam to disable
their captive, claiming they can kill him after they have merged.
Captain Atom makes an attempt to attack them, but he is knocked
out. They then turn on the machine and, just as they are about
to merge together, Captain Atom wakes up and throws a ball
of energy at the machine. He misses his mark, causing an explosion.
Although the space station is destroyed, Captain Atom finds
a single, merged, unconscious Doctor Spectro floating in space.
Later, as he hands over the raving villain, who now exhibits
multiple personalities, the hero overhears one personality
regretting that his good side was prevented from gaining control.
A shocked Captain Atom wonders if such a thing could ever happen.
THUNDERBOLT [2nd series] #53 (August 1966)
Story: "Captain Atom's Secret"
Synopsis: Captain Atom explains nuclear power to the reader
in a two-page featurette.
CAPTAIN ATOM #82 (September 1966)
Story: "Captain Atom vs The Ghost"
Synopsis: The government is concerned about a new threat,
the Ghost, so they summon Captain Atom and a new agent called
Nightshade. This is the first chance that they've had to use
her since she offered them her services. Meanwhile, the Ghost
thinks back to his origins. Girls avoided the good-looking
Alec Nois because he had no money. Guys avoided him because
he was always busy studying. Years later, Nois invented a teleportation
machine. Instead of using it to the benefit of mankind, the
bitter man decided to use it for personal gain, by integrating
his invention into the hands of a costume. Believing the agents
of the Ghost will be at a party held by Alec Nois, now a millionaire,
the government sends their team in undercover as Capt. Adam
and Eve Eden, a senator's daughter. Soon, Captain Atom and
Nightshade confront the Ghost there, but he temporarily sends
them into another dimension. They later track the Ghost to
the Pentagon, but before he escapes he brags that he will steal
the gold from Fort Knox. During a battle between Captain Atom
and the Ghost at the gold reserve, the hero damages the teleportation
device in the Ghost's glove, causing it to malfunction. The
Ghost screams as he disappears.
CAPTAIN ATOM #83 (November 1966)
Story: "Finally Falls The Mighty!"
Synopsis: When costumed thieves, under orders from Prof. Koste,
attempt to rob the public exhibit of the newest Air Force technology,
Capt. Adam becomes Captain Atom and attacks. A blast from one
of the criminal's weapons tears the hero's costume. As the
criminals get away, Captain Atom notices that radiation is
leaking out of the tear in his uniform, threatening the bystanders.
Soon, the newspapers are reporting that Captain Atom is a radioactive
menace. With public relations at a low ebb, two top scientists
are put at the hero's disposal to prevent a recurrence. Later,
when Prof. Koste sabotages a reactor, Captain Atom must enter
its core and attempt to shut it down using his own powers.
The hero succeeds, but passes out from the effort. When he
awakens, he spots Prof. Koste and his men. However, when Captain
Atom attempts to use his powers, he discovers they have faded!
The criminals overpower the weakened hero and take him aboard
their hovercraft. Elsewhere, a man wearing powerful iron arms
says he's going to take a little trip to see Koste.
CAPTAIN ATOM #84 (January 1967)
Story: "After The Fall A New Beginning"
Synopsis: Prof. Koste broadcasts his ransom demands to television
sets across the country. Koste wants 10 million dollars in
gold for the return of the hero. He pulls off Captain Atom's
mask for all the world to see, but the hero's white hair prevents
anyone from recognizing him as USAF Capt. Adam. Later, in his
prison cell, Captain Atom's powers begin to return. He escapes,
but encounters Iron Arms, a criminal who wears power-pack generated
metallic arms. Iron Arms fells Captain Atom with a mighty blow.
Unaware that the hero's powers are returning, Koste places
the hero in a cage so he and Iron Arms can talk. Captain Atom
escapes from his captors, but not before the gold is delivered.
The government tells Captain Atom that they have just perfected "Project
Rebirth". The formula is liquid metal. It will be sprayed on
his body, absorbed under his skin, and will become invisible.
It will make him absolutely radiation proof. Before they begin,
Captain Atom transforms into his civilian form and is sprayed
with the substance. The first coat is only the protective base.
All the rest are special ones to form the colors of his new
uniform, a new look designed to give him a better public image.
At first it doesn't seem to work, but when the hero triggers
his powers, it causes the substance to come to the surface
as a metal covering over his skin. The new Captain Atom returns
to the criminal's base, defeating Koste, his men, and Iron
Arms.
CAPTAIN ATOM #85 (March 1967)
Story: "Strings Of Punch & Jewlee"
Synopsis: Punch and Jewelee, a new criminal team, kidnap two
scientists from a golf course. Later that afternoon, they remotely
abduct Alec Nois, who is recovering from an injury sustained
as the Ghost. Capt. Adam and Eve Eden are swimming in Nois'
pool when the abduction occurs, and they soon meet at the Pentagon
as Captain Atom and Nightshade. Unfortunately, Captain Atom
is to fly to upstate New York and undergo a series of tests,
while Nightshade is sent to the Long Island golf course where
the scientists disappeared.
Elsewhere, Punch and Jewelee discuss their successes. The
flying Punch used strings to stun their victims, while Jewelee
used gems which induce a hypnotic state. They think back to
when they were just cheap carny crooks who spotted a chest
floating in the water while walking on the beach. He put on
shoes that enabled him to fly, she donned a mind recorder device
which explained how to use the hypno-gems and the sting strings
that were also in the chest. With the gems, she charmed a realtor
into giving her the abandoned carnival section in Coney Island.
She then used hypnotized workers to build the hidden laboratory
that they now occupy. Since they had always been puppeteers,
they decided to adapt the characters of Punch and Judy to themselves.
The next scientist that the villains plan to kidnap is Lewis
Coll, who at that moment is running tests on Captain Atom.
The tests have left Captain Atom's power levels very drained.
In addition, Coll gives the hero a tranquilizer that will enable
the scientist to study the amount of radiation he projects
when idle. The villains break in and kidnap the defenseless
Coll. Punch is delighted to find the helpless hero, who he
turns into his puppet. Captain Atom is able to transmit a signal,
which eventually leads Nightshade to the Coney Island lab.
She presses a button on her belt and transforms into a shadow.
The villains reveal to Captain Atom that they have been recording
the minds of all the great scientists into recording molds.
They'll sell the information to any interested government.
Having his mind will be the crowning touch. Nightshade suddenly
materializes and attacks Jewelee, while Captain Atom summons
enough power to break free and attack Punch. During the confusion,
Alec Nois secretly uses the technology hidden in his hand to
teleport some of the smaller devices to his own lab. Captain
Atom captures Punch, but Jewelee is able to use her gem to
escape.
CAPTAIN ATOM #86 (June 1967)
Story: "Fury Of The Faceless Foe"
Synopsis: The Ghost gathers together a gang who impersonate
him, using his teleporters to commit crimes, and frustrating
Captain Atom's and Nightshade's attempts to capture them. [From
other sources, not verified personally.]
CAPTAIN ATOM #87 (August 1967)
Story: "The Menace Of The Fiery-Icer"
Synopsis: In the Caribbean, Captain Atom encounters the Fiery-Icer,
an enemy who wields the powers of both heat and cold. [From
other sources, not verified personally.]
CAPTAIN ATOM #88 (October 1967)
Story: "Ravage Of Ronthor"
Synopsis: Captain Atom answers an S.O.S. from an uninhabited
world endangered by giant insects. [From other sources, not
verified personally.]
CAPTAIN ATOM #89 (December 1967)
Story: "Thirteen"
Synopsis: An adversary named 13 and his talking cat, both
of whom appear to wield magic, arrive to stop Captain Atom
and the USAF from working on a missile, and to stop the Ghost
from stealing it. [From other sources, not verified personally.]
THE CHARLTON BULLSEYE [fanzine] #1 (1975)
Story: "Showdown In Sunuria"
Synopsis: The Ghost has Captain Atom and an injured Nightshade
teleported to the Sunurians' dimension for a showdown. [From
other sources, not verified personally.]
THE CHARLTON BULLSEYE [fanzine] #2 (1975)
Story: "Two Against Sunuria"
Synopsis: The Sunurians force the Ghost and Captain Atom to
undergo a trial by combat, without the use of their super-powers.
[From other sources, not verified personally.]
GHOST MANOR [2nd series] #21 (November 1974)
Story: "Death In A Darkroom"
Synopsis: Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, and E-Man participate
in a parade.
CHARLTON BULLSEYE [comic] #7 (May 1982)
Story: "The Games Of Ragnath!"
Synopsis: With the knowledge and consent of his superior officer,
Captain Atom is kidnapped by the Gamemasters of Ragnath to
compete in their gladiator games. The hero escapes from their
world and, upon reaching Earth, severs his ties with the U.S.
government. Comment: Captain Atom is incorrectly identified
as Lt. Col. JOHN Adam (his first name is Allen). He is also
incorrectly shown in his original costume.
AMERICOMICS SPECIAL #1 (August 1983)
Story: "Sentinels Of Justice"
Synopsis: Captain Atom, Nightshade, Blue Beetle, and the Question
team-up and battle the Manipulator, Iron Arms, Fiery-Icer,
the Madmen, and the Banshee. Only the Manipulator and the Banshee
escape capture. The reader learns that a shadowy figure is
the true mastermind behind the Manipulator.
CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #6 (September 1985)
Story: "3 Earths! 3 Deaths!"
CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #7 (October 1985)
Story: "Beyond The Silent Night"
CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #9 (December 1985)
Story: "War Zone"
CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #10 (January 1986)
Story: "Death At The Dawn Of Time!"
CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #12 (March 1986)
Story: "Final Crisis"
Synopses: The heroes of Earth-4 join in the battle against
the threat of the Anti-Monitor.
DC COMICS PRESENTS #90 (February 1986)
Story: "Escape From Solitude!"
Synopsis: Captain Atom teams up with Superman and Firestorm
(after the remaining Earths merge, but before the full effects
of the post-Crisis reality take hold). The heroes rescue astronaut
Connie Matthews from a radioactive man called Rayburn
Captain Baboon
A small spaceship that sped into Earth's defensive perimeter was discovered to be piloted by a baboon. The baboon, however, could write, and claimed to be Captain Gordon Walters, and that the Earth was going to be destroyed in three days unless his warning was heeded.
15 years earlier, Walters had been a battlefleet captain in the war against the alien Chall. He was responsible for smashing the Chall's defense line around their home planet. After capturing the Chall ruler Ektinor, Walters found he was tired of combat and resigned his commission, preferring to become an explorer, sowing seeds on many worlds (much like Johnny Appleseed). He found many strange and wonderful things on the planets he visited, and discovered a unique device known as the transoptikon that allowed him to transfer his mind into that of animals.
Several days ago, he landed on a planet in the Asterope system (in the constellation of Taurus). He found little vegetation, and an odd but healthy baboon who ate a strange seed. Eating the seeds himself, Walters was soon listening in on a conversation in the Chall language between Ektinor and a flunky, talking about the finishing touches on something called a hyperometer. Further eavesdropping revealed that the device had the ability to transmit matter from one part of space to another instantaneously, and Ektinor planned to get his revenge on Earth by transmitting a trytanium bomb to the planet.
As Walters listened, he also heard that his spaceship had been discovered and Ektinor ordered that he be shot when he appeared. In order to get back to his ship, Walters transferred his brain into the body of the baboon (named Koko by Ektinor's men) and got past the guards and into the ship, launching it and heading for Earth. As he finished his story to the authorities, Walters wrote that he could save the Earth from the sneak attack, and all he needed was a package of seeds, prepared as miniature sleep-gas bombs.
The space armada of Earth surrounded Ektinor's planet around Asterope, and Walters went in as the baboon, thinking Ektinor's men would believe it to be some random miracle that the creature was able to bring back the ship safely. He crashed it a bit to make it look good, but the guards believed that the baboon had flown and landed the spacecraft. Ektinor and his men gathered around the baboon, while Walters clowned around to make more of them get within range of his sleep gas "seeds". "Koko" was able to knock them all out, and used a seed that was a signal flare to call down the armada.
After Ektinor and his army were imprisoned, "Captain Baboon" went off to restore himself back into his proper body.
Appearances:
Mystery In Space #68 ("Captain Baboon's Space War")
Naval Captain Mark Compass first appeared in STAR SPANGLED COMICS #83, solving
mysteries at sea with his keen detective skills. He was last seen in DETECTIVE
COMICS #500.
Captain Fear
A Caribbean pirate named Fero, he first appeared in ADVENTURE COMICS #425
and then intermittently in ADVENTURE for some time after. His ghost appeared
in THE SPECTRE [3rd series] #40-41.
Captain Incredible
At first glance, this teen hero seemed to be an extremely poorly dressed
four-eyed 98 pound weakling.
Captain Incredible was in fact an extremely powerful robot created by one
Dr. Dane Gnorr in the year 2637. The doctor had been a big fan of Superman
and sent his super robot into the past to help the Man of Steel out. At first,
Captain Incredible did preform his duties extremely well, in fact at one point
he saved Superman's life from a Kryptonite trap set by Lex Luthor. However,
due to the stress of breaking the time barrier, Incedible malfuntioned soon
after his arrival in the present and tried to kill Superman. And with his
superior strenth, speed, and an array of unique powers such as Atomic Breath
and Paralysis Vision, he almost managed to do just that.
Superman managed to defeat the Captain by tricking him into returning to
the future where (or should it be when?) the ill effects of his first trip
through the time stream were reversed and he became good once again. Of course,
you are probably asking why the second trip didn't warp his mind even more.
Sorry if you are, I don't have an answer for you. After some slight re-programming
by Dr. Gnorr, Captain Incredible became a super-hero once again, but this
time he stayed in the 27th century.
Captain Incredible's first and only appearance to date happened in ACTION
COMICS #354, back in September of 1967, although I am hoping that one day
he will be found in the Legion's time and reactivated.
Captain Invincible
Created by Cary Bates and Carmine Infantino.
The Captain Invincible sub-plot was just — odd. It seemed a bit undignified
for Daryl Frye, one-time police chief of Central City. He decided to fight
crime under this costumed identity, much to the amusement of his employee,
the late Barry Allen (Flash II), but I don't think he ever got any farther
than exercising in his basement. That particular arc (FLASH #314-319) was
darker than the norm (dealing with a murderous vigilante called the Eradicator)
and I suppose the antics of a less-than-stellar costumed crimefighter were
meant to provide some sort of balance. Frye briefly returned to his costume
in #347 and 348. Waid & Augustyn's LIFE STORY OF THE FLASH skirted over
the subject of Frye altogether ("The less said ... the better.").
Captain Quasar, Cmdr. Glenn Merritt & Sgt. Kevin Tempest
Cmdr. Glenn Merritt was originally based on an action figure named Major
Matt Mason. Mattel Toys had produced the "Major Matt Mason" line
of toys from 1967-1970. Mason was an astronaut stationed on the Moon, and
his accessories included the Jet Pack, Space Sled, Space Crawler, and Space
Station. In 1968, a second astronaut, Sgt. Storm, was added under the Major's
command. This was followed in 1969 by two final astronauts, Jeff Long and
Doug Davis. The line also included a trio of aliens: Captain Lazer (1968),
Callisto (1969), and Scorpio (1970). Callisto was a little green man from
Jupiter, wielding advanced mental powers. Captain Lazer was from the planet
Mars, and his height was nearly twice that of a normal Earthman's. Scorpio
was an insect-like humanoid hatched on a planet in another galaxy, located
in the star cluster Scorpio. He had a computer-like brain, and possessed the
ability to read minds. Soon after birth, Scorpio felt a mental summons which
he followed all the way to the Earth's moon. The source of the summons was
Major Matt Mason, whom Scorpio quickly befriended. After the first Moon landing
in July 1969, interest in Mattel's Man of Space waned, and the line was discontinued
in the following year.
Mattel had apparently commissioned a Major Matt Mason comic book from DC
Comics in 1970. Given that assumption, when the toy line was canceled in that
same year, Mattel's need for the comic would have disappeared. With a little
reworking, DC likely produced the following tale, starring Cmdr. Glenn Merritt,
Sgt. Kevin Tempest, and Captain Quasar.
From Beyond The Unknown #7 (Oct-Nov 1970)—#8 (Dec 70-Jan 71)
"Earth Shall Not Die!" parts one and two
by Denny O'Neil and Murphy Anderson
The year is 1999. Mankind is taking its first tentative steps to the stars.
Cape Kennedy contacts the crew of Jupiter-Probe, the first manned craft to
the solar system's largest planet. After the crew signs off, the Jupiter-Probe
loses its outer-ship electronics systems. Suddenly, something hits the probe.
Sensors indicate that the hull has been ripped open. The crewmen don their
oxygen masks, but the effort is a futile one. They are boarded and attacked
by alien invaders. Every one of the dozen or so astronauts are killed.
Later, back on Earth, astro-physicist Dr. Glenn Merritt appears on Capital
Hill before a top-level Washington conference. Dr. Merritt cannot believe
that some of the committee members, especially Senator Archibald Beauregard,
are suggesting that the Jupiter-Probe disaster might have been an accident.
Merritt points out that the ship's hull was ripped wide open and the entire
crew shot with laser-beams. The prior week, a space-station was mysteriously
destroyed. The previous month, one of the Lunar bases exploded. Merritt believes
that someone, or something, is out there waiting. He produces further evidence
supporting his theory. His observatory recently began receiving radio signals
that were clearly from intelligent beings. They don't know what the words
mean, but it is obvious that it was not an Earth language. The committee is
not entirely convinced but, over the objections of Senator Beauregard, it
is suggested that Dr. Merritt receive sufficient funds to establish a monitoring
post on the Moon. Merritt is forced to agree to a half-year time limit. He
requests enough equipment to furnish a small bubble base, a crew of six trained
astronauts, and, since he'll be using military facilities, an official rank.
The committee grants Merritt one astronaut, and will arrange for him to be
commissioned as a Space-Fleet Commander. Senator Woodrow tells Merritt that
he wishes he could do more; at the very least, he will contact Space-Fleet
Headquarters personally to ask for a good man to be assigned to the mission.
Shortly, at Space-Fleet Headquarters, General Watkins receives word and assigns
Sergeant Kevin Tempest, an enlisted astronaut, to aid Merritt. Tempest is
highly qualified and intelligent, and has an extraordinary aptitude for machinery.
Unfortunately, he is also known as a brawling troublemaker. Tempest is a problem
that General Watkins is glad to get rid of. He begrudgingly packs and heads
to Cape Kennedy, the center of America's space-effort.
Soon, the mission is ready. As Cmdr. Merritt and Sgt. Tempest prepare to
board their craft, Senator Beauregard arrives and warns Merritt that if he
slips up even once, he'll see Merritt broken. The ship takes off without a
hitch. Once free of Earth's gravity, Cmdr. Merritt orders Sgt. Tempest to
switch from liquid fuel to atomics. The insubordinate Tempest tells Merritt
to do it himself. He then begins to chide Merritt on his volume of The Collected
Works of Shakespeare. Merritt knows that he must show Tempest who's boss,
and begins berating him. As the Commander expected, a fight ensues. Tempest
is unaware that Merritt was on the University Boxing Team, and obtained a
black belt on the Karate Team. That, added to Merritt's understanding of zero-gravity,
enables him to easily beat his belligerent co-pilot. As he had hoped, Merritt
earns Tempest's respect, and the two make their peace.
Suddenly, the ship's alarm sounds. Cmdr. Merritt detects three incoming alien
spacecraft. The aliens show their hostility by firing a laser-beam at the
ship, barely missing them. Tempest fires the weapon's systems, destroying
one of the attackers. The two remaining ships engage them. They are fired
on once again, only this time they take a hit in the gun-turret, melting the
weapon and stunning Tempest. Defenseless, Merritt waits for the final blow,
but at the last moment another alien ship arrives and fires on the attackers.
One attacker is destroyed immediately, leaving the two remaining alien craft
to battle it out. The ships trade weapon's fire until both become disabled.
The rescuer's ship begins to fall to the Lunar surface. Merritt is relieved
when he discovers that Tempest is still alive and well, and the two astronauts
prepare to land.
Once on the surface, they break out their jet-propelled vacuum-sleds in order
to hunt for the fallen alien. They head for a trail of smoke vapor rising
from a crater. When they locate their objective, the astronauts are amazed
to see a ten foot tall alien standing outside his spaceship, not wearing any
kind of protective spacesuit. As they approach, the alien that had just saved
their lives inexplicably begins to fire upon them. Tempest's sled takes a
hit, but Merritt is able to get the drop on the menace, knocking the creature
out. The astronauts lash the alien to their sleds and bring him back to their
ship, binding him before he awakens.
When the alien finally regains consciousness, the two Earthmen are shocked
to discover that he speaks perfect English. Their captive explains that his
race has monitored Earth's broadcasts for many years, and that English is
a rather simple language. When Merritt asks the alien his name, the creature
responds that it is difficult to translate, but sounds something like "K-Way-Zzr".
Merritt recognizes the word as being similar to the transmission he picked
up at his observatory. The alien goes on to explain that he is a renegade
and outlaw from Trogg, a planet in the Beta-Centauri system. He states that,
although Earth is a war-like world, it is a poor second to Trogg in the art
of destruction. From their earliest history, they have loved war. Their only
glory is battle, their only art the graceful imparting of death. Hundreds
of planetary periods before, they developed a space-drive, and took their
warriors to nearby planets—- burning, crushing, erasing whole civilizations.
At last, they had nothing left to conquer.
Frustrated, their Leader, Ghorto, called a meeting of the Supreme Council.
The Leader proclaimed that they must journey to the stars to find a worthy
foe. He selected Earth, a world populated by beings nearly as mighty as they.
It was at that point that K-Way-Zzr stood up, saying they should put an end
to bloodshed, and turn their attention to peace. One Councilman proclaimed
that K-Way-Zzr was speaking treason and should be arrested. K-Way-Zzr fled
the Council and Trogg, determined to warn the people of Earth. He had been
a Captain in the Troggian Space-Navy, so he had no problem commandeering a
star-ship. Since the Leader had already prepared the vanguard of his Earth
invasion, it was no problem for him to dispatch ships to follow. K-Way-Zzr
hid in a space-warp, hoping to elude his pursuers and contact a responsible
Earth government. When he saw their ship under siege, he intervened.
When asked why he shot at them, K-Way-Zzr apologizes, explaining that he
was stunned and was fighting instinctively. Merritt tells Tempest to warm
up the transmitter so they can call Senator Beauregard with proof. Tempest
says they should first free their captive, but when he has trouble pronouncing
the name "Captain K-Way-Zzr", the alien suggests an easier name
—- Captain Quasar. K-Way-Zzr then easily snaps his bonds, freeing himself.
As they exchange greetings, Merritt shows K-Way-Zzr his .45 pistol, and looks
over the alien's laser-projector gun.
Shortly, just as the astronauts contact Senator Beauregard, two Troggians
enter the airlock and fire on the crew, knocking out the transmitter. The
invaders point their laser-projectors at the trio, telling them to drop their
weapons. The Troggians state that Earthlings will be easily conquered, then
inform K-Way-Zzr that, on orders of Leader Ghorto, he is to be executed for
the crime of high treason. Before K-Way-Zzr can be killed, Tempest attacks
one of the aliens, but is knocked down. Merritt and K-Way-Zzr use the diversion
to fight back. During the battle, one of the laser-projectors is fired, striking
the ship's wiring, plunging the ship into darkness. K-Way-Zzr gropes around
in the dimly lit cabin for a weapon. He finds Merritt's .45 and shoots, wounding
his fellow Troggians with the primitive firearm. Merritt switches on the emergency
power circuit, and the trio place the aliens in the ship's brig. "Captain
Quasar" joins the crew in their common enterprise to protect Earth and
stop further attacks by the Troggian invaders.
Batman foe with the looks and M.O. of a pirate. Karl Courtney, one of four
Courtney quadruples. (The other three were detectives and for some reason
Karl believed them to be the Batman). Stingaree later became a member of the
Secret Society of Super-Villains. He was seemingly murdered by Mr. Freeze.
Captain Strong
Captain Horatio Strong was a non-costumed sailor who appeared in several
Superman stories; he gained temporary super-strength from eating 'sauncha,"
an alien seaweed. (As is especially clear from the names of his best friend
and fiancee, J. Wellington Jones and Olivia Tallow respectively, he was a
pastiche/parody of Popeye.) Created by Cary Bates and Curt Swan (with apologies
to Elzie C. Segar).
Apps: ACTION #421, 439, 456, 566 and SUPERMAN #361 (plus a cameo in DC CHALLENGE
#10). An unnamed dead-ringer for Strong/Popeye can be found in SUPERMAN: THE
MAN OF STEEL #72. Also makes a brief appearance in this week's GREEN ARROW
v.3 #22.
The Card Queen
Written by Ryan Hardin (RHa3720137@aol.com)
The Card Queen: DETECTIVE COMICS issues #481-483
When BATMAN FAMILY was cancelled due to the DC Implosion of the late 1970s,
those new BATMAN FAMILY stories that were scheduled to come out were published
in DETECTIVE COMICS from issues #480-500 as sort of "bonus" stories.
In DETECTIVE COMICS issues #481-483, Duela Dent appeared in yet another costumed
guise, one that has been almost completely overlooked in retrospects of her
history and career. These issues all featured a "Robin Story" with
Duela Dent along as "The Card Queen". She wore a red and gold costume
and a wig of long brown hair. The costume kinda looked like a genie's but
with a skirt. In the story, there was a villain who ran an organization called
the Pseudo-Supermen who were, of course, out to take over the world. In order
to do that, the world's most powerful super-heroes had to be taken down first.
Duela was a memme ber of this organization, no less than the master villain's
second in command.
Robin learns the true identitity of the Card Queen early on but we readers
have to wait until the conclusion of the story ( in issue #483) to find out
who she really is...Duela Dent. And she was employed as a secret government
operative by the CBI to infiltrate the group. After she succeeded in that,
she somehow contacted Robin for help and left clues for him to figure her
identity and join her in her adventure.
note: Robin didn't take a new identity in the story but he
DID wear several reader-designed costumes over the course if 'TEC #481.
Comments
I made some corrections to the Card Queen info and sent it to the
Moderator who changed it. Robin and Duela went up against a villain organization
called the Maze, who recruited college students to their cause. The Maze apporached
Duela because they "knew" her to be the daughter of Two-Face and
believed that she was a criminal too. How they got this info is beyond me.
The Maze went to Hudson University and that is how they recruited Duela to
the team, not knowing she was the Titan known as Harlequin. Duela infiltrated
the Maze and left behind clues for Robin. The Maze wanted her to pretend to
be a heroine to attract Robin's attention. A costumed figure called the Raven,
who was also part of the Maze turned out to be Lori Elton's new boyfirend.
Lori and Dick were boyfriend and girlfriend but had broken up. When the Raven
was revealed to be a criminal and Dick beat him in a fist fight (boxing) Lori
went back to Dick. All the corrections to the Card Queen can be found on the
'Titans Lair' site and on the 'Duela Dent Harlequin' site.
Cerberus
Written by Ghituslinger
'Credit where credit is due' department: The majority of this text is taken
from the Superman: The Man Of Steel Sourcebook published by Mayfair Games,
1992, written by Roger Stern. All I've done is add the quotes, issue numbers,
and expanded on the original text in spots.
Dragon Lady (attached to Cerberus): "I had meant that Superman would
discover our location through his... conversations with Metallo. I had hoped
that he would... join us. But not that he'd do it so quickly."
Macho Man: "He'll never be one of us! He ain't got what it takes!"
Physicist: "If he won't join us..."
Homicidal Manic: "Can't, doctor. He can't! He lacks that certain flair for
evil, doesn't he? That must be obvious, even to you!"
Physicist: "Then he must be destroyed! Give Cerberus to me!"
Dragon Lady: "Don't you mean... give you to Cerberus?" (Superman:
Man Of Steel #13)
"You know who you are. You know what we want. Capitulate to our demands
or worse will follow... Cerberus!" (Superman: Man Of Steel #1)
History
Cerberus, named for the dog with three heads who guards Hell, is one of
the most formidable of Superman's villains. The Man of Steel encountered
this enigmatic villain when his organization (also called Cerberus) was hired
by the Latin American island country of Tattamalia to terrorize Lexcorp and
force the corporation to pull its holdings from the country. (The country's
main export was agricultural, which Lexcorp had near total control of. Also
thrown into the mix were a group of revolutionaries trying to overthrow the
Tattalmalian government.)
Superman first learned of Cerberus by his terrorist attacks on several Lexcorp
facilities that usually left cryptic messages burning in the sky. After disposing
of an explosive device placed in an industrial park outside Metropolis, he
faced a cyborg sent by Cerberus whom he managed to subdue. As he took his
prisoner into custody, however, the cyborg was vaporized by the Eradicator,
which had returned in humanoid form. (But that's a story for another time.)
(Superman: Man Of Steel #1)
Cerberus then sent two more henchmen to terrorize Lexcorp: Rorc, a cyborg
who's left arm had been replaced by a giant claw and Sergeant Belcher, an
ex-army sergeant who spewed acid. After they destroyed all traces of the
previous agent's operation, these two launched a remote controlled helicopter
to napalm the Newstime Building and launched a series of missiles into downtown
Metropolis. Superman managed to track these two to a warehouse and discovered
during their confrontation that they went unconscious when interrogated.
(Superman: Man Of Steel #2)
Not long after, the Tattamalian government resumed negotiations with Lexcorp,
reneging on its contract with Cerberus. The revolutionaries, afraid of reprisals
from Cerberus, stepped up their efforts to overthrow the government by sabotaging
the negotiations in Metropolis, but were thwarted by Superman. All of this
was observed by the god Phobos, who wanted the Man of Steel removed from
interering in the 'War of the Gods'. Phobos awoke the dormant Aztec god Quetzalcoatl,
tricking him into seeking out Superman.
Meanwhile, Cerberus went to collect his payment from the Tattamalian government.
When the country was unable to pay, Cerberus had it napalmed from above via
a squadron of helicopters. With the help of Quetzcoatl, Superman arrived
in time to save most of the tiny country. (Superman: Man Of Steel #3)
After the Man of Steel foiled his plans, Cerberus sent two more henchmen,
Jolt (a cyborg with an energy draining whip) and Blockhouse (a powerhouse
who lived up to his name) to kidnap Lois Lane, reasoning that if she were
taken, Superman would be sure to follow. In spite of the agents' firepower,
Superman managed to save his wife. (Superman: Man Of Steel #7-8)
Seeing the writing on the wall, Cerberus took more drastic actions. He procured
the cyborg Metallo and, altering him to certain specifications, sent him
to lure Superman into his trap. (Adventures of Superman 491) But thanks to
the assistance of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit, Metallo was interrogated,
leading Superman to the location of Cerberus' mountain headquarters much
quicker than expected and the mercenary was not (fully) prepared. (Action
Comics #678)
After braving the headquarters' defenses, Superman met Cerberus face to
face and was repulsed by the villain's appearance and its collection of living
heads, which Cerberus endangered with no hint or remorse. After a lengthy
fight, in which the Man of Steel was distracted by Cerberus' head switching
as well as his abuse of the heads, the base was destroyed, leaving the origin
and fate of Cerberus a mystery. (Superman: Man Of Steel #13)
Cerberus also appeared in JOKER: LAST LAUGH #4, where he was shot (although
not necessarily killed) by Army troops.
Cerberus' powers and abilities:
Cerberus is a calculating and ruthless being of immense power whose personality
changes with each human head he wears. With the Dragon Lady head, he is calculating
and devious. She is the planner and schemer. The Physicist is the non-aggressive
intellectual. The Macho Man is aggressive and unintelligent. He fights with
strength rather than tactics. The Homicidal Maniac is just plain crazy and
will fight with anything he can get his hands on (including Cerberus' other
heads!). These, of course, are not the only heads Cerberus owns; he has many
more. Cerberus takes great pride in creating elaborate plots and does not
take their being foiled lightly.
Without his armor, Cerberus' own face is on his chest and it appears to
be demonic in nature. Cerberus himself hinted that he was of supernatural
origin. Cerberus him/itself always speaks through whichever human head it
is wearing, never through its own mouth. All of Cerberus' heads also seem
to be in telepathic contact with each other.
In addition to super strength and invulnerability, the Cerberus creature
could spew a green gas capable of weakening Superman. Whether this was kryptonite
or magical in nature is, like everything else about Cerberus, unknown. With
the accumulated knowledge of its human heads, Cerberus has created numerous
weapons, including battle armor, cyborg enhancements, and its own mountain
headquarters.
Appearances:
Superman: The Man Of Steel #1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 13
Adventures Of Superman #491
Action Comics #678
JOKER: LAST LAUGH #4
The Chain Gang War
A group of highly organized vigilantes who felt that they wanted to lock
up criminals instead of killing them, and set out to do so. They had their
own series for 12 issues. Their members were Ernie Dorrs, Yale Strang, and
Curtis Zecker. They eventually gave up their homemade prison when the series
ended.
Not sure about these, other than that they were a team of civilians who were
big fans of the Challengers of the Unknown and tried to help them with a couple
of cases. The only one I've seen named was Anthony Dragio; the team first
appeared in CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN [1st series] #45.
The Changeling I
In 1947, no one had ever heard of a metagene, the theorized element that
would trigger super-powers if the body was subjected to sufficient trauma.
That surely must have been the case with Erik Razar, an inmate who
was electrocuted while trying to shut down the prison power supply in an escape
attempt. Instead, Razar found that he now possessed the ability to become
any animal that he chose, whether it be an ape, tortoise, rhino, bird, elephant
or shark.
The Changeling found himself opposed by the Flash and, in a desperate
battle beneath the sea, the drowning Scarlet Speedster smashed his foe's shark-head
against a rock before he could take the form of an octopus. Justifying his
actions with the explanation that "it was him or me," the Flash
recovered the Changeling's body so that scientists could determine what truly
caused Razar's metamorphosis (FLASH COMICS #84, art by E.E. Hibbard).
II
Whether Erik Razar was truly killed is unknown. His name and his powers,
though would live on in years to come. In 1965, Tomar-Re, the Green Lantern
of Xudar, found himself in opposition with a second Changeling, an
energy-being that was the sole survivor of the world of Krastl. As a survival
mechanism, the Changeling was forced to assume the guise of other beings and
objects at regular intervals. After a Xudarian archeologist was left comatose
when the Changeling took his form, Tomar-Re pursued the parasite to Earth.
There, Earth's GL, Hal Jordan, ascertained the being's weaknesses, notably
the fact that it could only transform itself into an object that already existed.
As the Changeling prepared to mimic a stuffed toy, Hal obliterated the object
and the nuclear menace was trapped in its insubstantial true form, not unlike
a mushroom cloud (GREEN LANTERN (second series) #38, by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane
and Sid Greene).
III
The 1971 death of Superman's friend, Jan Nagy, was followed by a second shock
when the scientist's will made the Man of Steel the guardian of his son, Gregor.
The young man reacted angrily to the news, screaming that he hated Superman.
Following Gregor to his room, Superman was stunned to see him transform into
a gorilla. "YOU did this to me, my guardian! YOU placed the mark of the
beast on my brow ... and for that you will pay!"
As the effect wore off, Gregor revealed that his condition had been caused
as a result of Metamorphon, a synthetic element created by his father. Superman
rushed to prevent catastrophe when the atomic furnace containing the element
ruptured. Advised that "only hydrogen can slow down and halt that runaway
reaction," the Man of Steel threw the kiln into the Nagy swimming pool
where, despite Superman's efforts, a nearby Gregor was affected.
He soon learned that the slightest suggestion would cause him to involuntarily
take new shapes and forms. A wish to vanish turned him into an invisible man
while a desire to fly from a bully transformed him into a bat. Regarding himself
as a freak, Gregor became a recluse and broke up with his girlfriend, Denise.
Determined to channel Gregor's powers for good, Superman convinced the teenager
to let him train him in the use of his powers. Codenamed the Changeling,
Gregor soon put his talent to good use, unearthing a stolen fortune for the
F.B.I. and driving away a band of poachers in Africa.
The Man of Steel's efforts seemed to have no effect and the bitter Gregor
even discovered Superman's Clark Kent alias just to taunt his guardian. While
tampering with switches in the Fortress of Solitude, the Changeling accidentally
triggered a self-destruct mechanism in a space station and Superman was forced
to make an emergency rescue.
While Superman was absent, a life-or-death call was received at the Fortress
and the contrite teen wished that he had the hero's powers. On cue, the Changeling
gained the power of his guardian and, wearing a Superman costume, he raced
to the bottom of the sea to recover a submarine and its crew. The transformation
wore off in mid-rescue and only the arrival of the genuine Man of Steel prevented
total disaster.
For Gregor, though, it was too late. His body crushed by the ocean pressure,
he had only enough time to gasp out his gratitude for Superman's efforts on
his behalf. "At least I die — not as a beast — but as a man. A WHOLE
man."
"Gregor ... son ..."
"You called me ... son. Thanks! I'd have been proud
to have a father like you."
Dying, the Changeling made his final transformation, turning to dust in the
arms of his surrogate father (ACTION COMICS #400, by Leo Dorfman, Curt Swan
and Murphy Anderson).
IV
Elsewhere in the globe, there lurked a fourth Changeling, a European
assassin and metamorph who ended his career as a free agent to join the international
terrorist cell known as the Cartel. The assassin's costume consisted of a
camouflage-style design against a gaudy orange background while his identity
was concealed by a blank face-plate. The loud outfit belied the Changeling's
unique abilities, which he used in March of 1980 to take the form and voice
of a French crimelord and kidnap the man's daughter. Trailing the assassin
and his partners to an undersea base, Wonder Woman ruptured the stronghold
and the entire band of criminals was taken into custody (WONDER WOMAN #268,
by Gerry Conway, Jose Delbo and Vince Colletta).
V
And elsewhere, Garfield Logan was fighting his last battle with his former
guardian and current super-villain, Nicholas Galtry. Weary of Galtry's taunting
him with his Beast Boy codename, Logan told the reeling bad guy that "you've
SPOILED that name for me. Now I gotta CHANGE it" (1982's TALES OF THE
NEW TEEN TITANS #3, by Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Gene Day). Reuniting
with Wonder Girl and Robin in August of 1980, Logan insisted they "call
me Changeling. 'Beast Boy' was for the birds, er ... no offense, Robin!"
(NEW TEEN TITANS (first series) #1, by Wolfman, Perez and Romeo Tanghal)
Cinnamon
In 1898, a young lady with red hair was blazing a trail across the west,
hunting the men who killed her father...
...and she was called Cinnamon.
Along with her pistols, she used a sheriff's badge like a shuriken...
She appeared in two issues of WEIRD WESTERN TALES as a backup (and a third
was lost to the DC Implosion), and it looked like her hunt would be uncompleted.
But things took a strange turn, and she ended up meeting Scalphunter, Bat
Lash (both heroes from the 1860s), and Jonah Hex (from the 1870s) in a pair
of issues of JLofA (though they WERE facing the Lord of Time... but it was
never suggested that she or they were moved in time...)
She then appeared in Crisis (but only in group shots, where she may have
been taken out of any time...), and then as a member of Nighthawk's "Rough
Bunch" (a loose affiliation of western heroes, basically organized to
fight Extant in GUY GARDNER: WARRIOR), and had an even slighter recent
cameo in WONDER WOMAN as an advertisement on a billboard.
That is, until her recent appearance hooking up with Nighthawk in HAWKMAN.
Appearances:
Weird
Western Tales #48, 49
Justice
League Of America #198, 199
Crisis
#5, 7
Guy
Gardner: Warrior #24
Wonder
Woman [2nd series] #175 (as an image on a billboard)
Hawkman
[4th series] #7
Comments
The date of her original debut was said to be 1898. Since then, this has
been moved some years earlier to make her fit better among other heroes of
the time.
A number of the early Jonah Hex stories in WEIRD WESTERN TALES, for instance,
also had dates some of which were actually later than the dates given in the
beginning of the JONAH HEX series (at least I'm pretty sure that's the case;
been some time since I last read those issues). And considering JONAH HEX
followed up on some of the things shown in WWT, that must mean that the dates
given in the early stories were wrong.
So, if we can move back those appearances, I see no problem doing the same
with Cinnamon, as there was no important reason for it to take place in 1898
as far as I recall. That way, her later appearances wouldn't cause much of
a problem.
Of Cinnamon's WEIRD WESTERN TALES... the only mention of dates were indeed
in the captions (which also try to place her in a time after Jonah and such...)
BUT, Nighthawk mentions hearing of her from Jonah, and Jonah met Cinnamon
in JLofA #199 (in 1878, BTW...). So, no REAL problem moving her earlier...
The Class of 2064
"Class of 2064" was one of the better strips
in 1984's NEW TALENT SHOWCASE. The creation of Todd Klein, each arc focused
on, as the name says, kids in the space-faring graduating class of 2064.
The first episode (#1-3, art by Scott Hampton) introduced Chryse Bantry,
Pern Muller and Tycho Kushiro as kids from the Lagrange Colony on Mars. They
become involved with Free Earth terrorists, who fought on behalf of the nuclear
war-ravaged humans who still lived on Earth. Issue #7-8(art by Terry Shoemaker
and Karl Kesel) spotlighted Miranda Venezia, who joined her father on Lagrange-based
space tours around Mars.
Wayne Clifford ("Dateline: Frontline")
Cary Burkett and Jerry Grandenetti's Wayne Clifford (of "Dateline:
Frontline") was an American war correspondent whose adventures took place
in a variety of venues over the course of 1940-1942 (MEN OF WAR #4-6, 9-11,
21-23 and UNKNOWN SOLDIER #243-245 and 254-256). In his final appearance,
Clifford was forced to endure the horror of the Bataan Death March, escaping
with his life thanks to a handful of soldiers.
The Clipper
The Clipper was the creation of William Messner-Loebs, a
Shadow parody appearing in 1988's FLASH #20 and 23. He was a demented, gun-wielding
vigilante of the early 1930s who eventually, according to #23, disappeared
without a trace. Mason Trollbridge was his kid sidekick and tried to take
the identity as his own in #23.
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The
Shadow knows!"
"Evil is evil! The Clipper guesses! Heheheheheheh."
Unlike the better known mystery-man of the 1930s, the Clipper's chief concern
was that said hearts stopped beating. "Mason," he told his kid sidekick,
"The IMPORTANT thing's not if their guilty, the important thing's if
their DEAD! So I need someone to hold them down while I shoot them again and
again and again and again and ..." Well, you get the idea.
The story of the Clipper comes exclusively from the memory of Mason Trollbridge,
a man who claimed to be the kid sidekick of the early 1930s vigilante. "I
was his assistant," Mason explained. "I carried the disguise and
the extra guns." They'd first met in 1931 when the Clipper saved the
boy from bullies. "It impressed me that despite his rigid standards and
important work, he'd been willing to stop and help a slum kid. It still does.
As it turned out, he was drunk that night. But the principle still holds."
Like the Shadow, the Clipper had multiple identities (which Mason helped
him keep track of) and wore a long-brimmed hat and trenchcoat, though his
were brown rather than black. One account indicated that his entire face was
covered by a porous blank mask (1988's FLASH #20) while another depicted him
with a bandana-style mask and a thin mustache (FLASH #23). "Those whom
he did not imprison or kill would find the tops of their ears clipped off,
so they could never pass for honest men."
Not content with merely gunning down thieves and murders, the Clipper made
it his business to pass judgment on anyone who committed a moral lapse. The
father, mother and son that the Clipper saved from a burglar were forced to
atone for their own crimes of bribery, adultery ... and breaking "Jimmy
Allen's toy truck last week."
When things got too hot for him, the Clipper gave his costume and weapons
to Mason and left for parts unknown. Decades later, Mason was living in a
low-rent apartment in Keystone City, where he met Wally West, no stranger
to life as a sidekick himself (FLASH #20, by William Messner-Loebs and Greg
LaRocque). When Mason decided to take the persona of the Clipper as his own,
Wally followed close behind (FLASH #23, by Loebs and Gordon Purcell).
It quickly became evident that Mason was just too nice to be a hard-boiled
crimebuster. He negotiated a deal between a suicidal, cash-strapped thief
and his victim and stopped a hold-up "because both the thugs and the
victims were laughing so hard." When Wally and Mason became embroiled
in a battle with Abra Kadabra, the would-be Clipper rammed his flaming car
into the villain. "I though it'd be more fun," he observed, "killin'
somebody that evil."
Mason mothballed the Clipper outfit but remained a staunch friend of Wally
over the next few years, serving as a surrogate for the young man's own estranged
father. Wally, as it turned out, filled a similar void for Mason, who hadn't
seen his son, Donnie, in years. That changed in 1992 when the young man returned
as a ruthless vigilante with an invisibility vest known as the Last Resort.
As the name implied, he was often "the only venue for the desperate and
forlorn." Father and son finally had a long overdue chat, the details
of which remain private (FLASH #59-60).
One month later, the widowed Mason proposed to Leonora McDonald and spontaneously
turned the marriage ceremony of Wally's mother to Ernesto Varni into a double
ceremony (FLASH #61). With a family of his own once more, Mason soon faded
out of Wally's life.
Codename: Assassin
Created by Gerry Conway, Steven Skeates, Carmine Infantino, and the Redondo
Studios
Profile written by Ola Hellstone
"I've a feeling this is a fight we're all going
to enjoy!"
—The Assassin, 1st Issue Special #11 (February, 1976)
PERSONAL DATA:
Alter Ego: Jonathan Drew
Occupation: Vigilante, Assassin
Marital Status: Unknown
Known Relatives: Unnamed parents (deceased),
Marie (sister, deceased)
Group Affiliations: None
Base of Operations: New York City, NY
Hair: Blond
Eyes: Blue
Skin: Caucasian white
First Appearance: 1st Issue Special #11 (February 1976)
HISTORY:
When Jonathan Drew was ten years old, his parents died under as yet unrevealed
circumstances. Standing by their gravestone, his older sister Marie said to
him, "now that mom and dad are gone, I'll take care of you, and you'll
take care of me." She promised never to leave him and that he didn't
have to be afraid. He believed her.
Eleven years later, in 1976, Jonathan found himself completing his first
year of Graduate School at Antioke University. After flunking his psychiatry
course, he agreed to participate in an E.S.P. research experiment designed
by a Doctor Andrew Stone. By doing that, he would pass his exam.
But something in the experiment went horribly wrong. While Jonathan was still
attached to Stone's "E.S.P. machinery", Stone's colleague, Doctor
Anderson, accidentally stumbled on a power cable, which resulted in the testing
device blowing up, and a surge of power flowing through Jonathan Drew's body.
Waking up in a hospital, Jonathan was thirsty and was going to ask for a
glass of water. However, the water came to him before nobody had had the chance
of giving it to him. Watching the decanter floating in the air, Jonthan let
out a scream of shock as he realized that he had gained telekinetic powers.
More shocks were on their way. Leaving the hospital, Marie started telling
Jonathan a secret she had kept for years, but before she had even finished
the first sentence, she was gunned down by machine-gun fire from a passing
car. In shock and rage, Jonathan insinctively let out a burst of his new-found
power, crushing the car with it.
He later found out that Marie had been working for a crimeboss named Victor
Grummun, only to earn money so that Jonathan could go to college. For some
reason, she became a security risk, and was killed. After learning this, Jonathan
went underground for some time, training and developing his powers for the
task that had to be done. When he appeared again, it was as the costumed vigilante
with the codename: Assassin.
Going after Grummun's employees Rossi, Morganthau, and Carmody, killing some
and delivering others to the authorities, the Assassin made a name of himself,
angering Victor Grummun himself. Grummun vowed to kill the Assassin before
the Assassin would kill him.
The Assassin evidently had some associates since establashing himself. He
has mentioned a man named Ben who possibly was another casualty in the war
against crime. While the district attorney Roberts and police commissioner
Runyon seemed to be thankful for the Assassin's contribution to their daily
work, Jonathan's own friend Doctor Stone considered him a very ill man.
Judging from their comments, it also seems that the Assassin's real identity
was public knowledge, at least among the authorities.
When last seen, the Assassin had just entered Grummun's yacht, and was engaged
in a fight against two hired metahuman thugs called Snake and Powerhouse.
It is not known how this conflict ended.
Further exploits of the Jonathan Drew are unrecorded, although Ted Knight,
the original Starman, has stated that he encountered the Assassin in Opal
City in the late 1970s, and that his career was very brief.
Obsessed and uncompromising, the Assassin would seemingly do whatever it
takes to put Grummun and his likes to justice. The swift ending of his vigilante
careermay imply that he succeeded...or that he failed.
POWERS AND ABILITIES:
The Assassin had a variety of mental powers. His telepathic abilities allowed
him to read the thought of other humans, as well as noticing their presence
before seeing or hearing them come. His telekinetics allowed him to move objects
at least as heavy as himself, and to walk in the air. Occasionally, he could
also emit devastating blasts of mental energy, enough to blow up a car, or
to burn out a man's psyche. However, this ability seemed exclusively restricted
to acts of pure reflex. The Assassin's mental powers were not inexhaustible,
and he had to let them re-load once in a while.
Apart from using his mental powers, the Assassin was also an excellent hand-to-hand
combatant. He carried a gun with which he could shoot tranquilizer darts,
and he sometimes used other equipment such as a pocket blowtorch, which he
carried in his utility belt.
Katherine "Kit" Colby was the "girl sheriff" of
Moonbow and relatively unique among Western strips in that her adventures
took place in the present. Specifically those adventures occurred from 1949
to 1952 in JIMMY WAKELY #1-13, 16-18. Art was by Carmine Infantino & Frank
Giacoia in the first episode with subsequent issues pencilled by Giacoia (#2-5),
Gil Kane (#6-10) and Irwin Hasen (#11-13, 16-18). Bob Lander inked all of
Kane's episodes and all but the last two of Hasen's.
Kit rode a horse named Whitey (referred to as Flash in #1) and her supporting
cast included her father, Judge Colby (in JW #1, 3 and 8) and Deputy Jess
Sayers (#7-13, 18). She fought the Tumbleweed Kid in JW #7 ("The Stranger
From Sunburst Bend").
Superman and Batman both receive mysterious messages from someone who knows
their secrets. The message instructs them to meet the writer at Black Mountain
the next day. There, they meet the Composite Superman.
The Composite Superman tells Superman and Batman that if they don't let
him become their third partner, then he'll expose their identities to the
world. They agree, and are left wondering who this new "hero" is.
Composite Superman then sets up a series of accidents, and uses his powers
to save the day, and to upstage Superman and Batman.
We then learn the origin of this character. Joe Meach, a "failure", wanted
to be the most famous high-diver in the world, and he attempted to dive off
of a high building into a pool of water. Superman catches him, and informs
Meach that the pool was leaking. Superman gets Meach a job at the Superman
Museum as a caretaker. Meach holds a deep resentment of Superman and Batman,
and feels that they got all the breaks.
One night, Meach is struck by lightning while at work. The same bolt of
lightning also struck statuettes of the Legion of Super-Heroes, who made
the statues using a duplicator machine. Meach immediately realizes that he
has gained super-powers.
Superman, Batman, and Robin are discussing the motives of CS. They decide
to meet in the Batcave. CS was listening in on them, using invisibility powers.
He flies to the Batcave before them, and uses Chameleon Boy's powers to disguise
himself as a statue of the Joker.
Batman and Superman arrive, and come up with a plan to find out if CS is
sincere, or if he is trying to destroy them. Their plan involves firing kryptonite
missiles at robot duplicates of Superman and the Batplane. CS does not help.
He then breaks into the Batcave, and reveals that he knew about the test.
For defying him, CS orders Superman, Batman, and Robin to give up their super-hero
identities. They reluctantly do so, but plan on fighting CS in their civilian
identities.
Superman tracks CS with his super-vision, and finds out that CS is flying
around the world, gathering large amounts of precious metals.
Superman and Batman decide to put their costumes back on, and travel to
the mountains where CS is staying. They find a composite castle, made of
various metals. They do battle with CS, and CS uses Element Lad's powers
to make common objects into kryptonite. CS wins the battle, but also notices
that his powers are fading.
He flies back to the Superman museum to recreate the original accident,
but his powers are too faded. His memories also fade, and he returns to being
Joe Meach.
Black police officer Corrigan (JIMMY OLSEN #149, 150, 152) was rumored
to have been a candidate for an Earth-One Spectre when Joe Orlando rediscovered
the series in the early 1970s. Instead, Orlando went with the traditional
Jim Corrigan and Jimmy Olsen's pal popped up in a couple Leo Dorfman stories
(JO #163; SUPERMAN FAMILY #167) before going into limbo. Tony Isabella revived
him in BLACK LIGHTNING #4 and 7-9, finally officially establishing his first
name as Jim. After a final appearance in WORLD'S FINEST #260, the Metropolis
cop was never seen again. (He'd be a good candidate for the SCU if you ask
me.)
It's not at all sure there really IS a Jim Corrigan of Earth-1 who merged
with The Spectre (who was the ghost of his Earth-2 counterpart) or if The
Spectre simply assumed that identity while on Earth-1. They never seemed to
exist separately, as Corrigan and the Spectre did on Earth-2. Possibly the
Earth-1 Jim Corrigan was a black Metropolis policeman (although only his last
name was ever given) who appeared in several Jimmy Olsen stories circa 1972.
This Corrigan was created by John Albano and Jose Delbo.
The Cossack was sent by the Soviet Union to retrieve Lt. Valentina Vostok
after she defected to the United States. He was monitored in his mission
by KGB agent Igor Brunovich.
Vostok, now Negative Woman of the New Doom Patrol, was caught unawares
by the huge man, who was armed with a glowing energy sword and a flying
horse. Negative Woman was short-circuited by his sword, and the Cossack
also made fairly short work of the rest of the team in his quick attack
and kidnapping of Negative Woman.
The New Doom Patrol caught up with the Cossack, and Negative Woman got
away from him. A power blast from Tempest revealed that they were fighting
a sophisticated robot and not a human being or metahuman, so unfettered
by that fact, the team destroyed the Cossack in short order.
Brunovich was knocked out and captured by Lt. Matt Cable, who had been
on hand to take Vostok into protective custody (but did not, because of
the circumstances).
Appearances:
Showcase #96 (Dec 77-Jan 78)
The Council
Here's some info on the Council (assuming we're talking about the
same group). They are from the classic MANHUNTER back-up feature from DETECTIVE
COMICS by Archie Goodwin and Walter Simonson.
Following the creation of the atomic bomb in World War II, a group of future-gazing
scientists banded together to "protect humanity from itself." This
sinister agenda became their driving motivation, even to the point of extending
their own lifespans via suspended animation.
Seeking to build an army, the Council found a perfect human specimen in Paul
Kirk, the former Golden Age hero known as Manhunter. Kirk had been killed
by a wild elephant while on a hunting trip in Africa but the Council's sophisticated
technology revived him and augmented his genetic structure with a "healing
factor." During the process of Kirk's resurrection, the Council had also
cloned him and assigned the task of training these new warriors to Asano Nitobe,
last surviving master of ninjutsu.
Manhunter's first mission in the Council's service was to assassinate the
head of Interpol. Refusing to take a life in cold blood, Manhunter tried to
warn his prey. But when the lights came up, he discovered that the Council
was testing his loyalty and had replaced the Interpol agent with one of their
own people earlier. Realizing the Council's madness, Paul Kirk escaped them
and became a fugitive, travelling from country to country pursued by assassins
with his own face.
Eventually, Kirk gathered allies in his war against the Council. Among them
were Interpol agent Christine St. Clair, his teacher Asano Nitobe (who finally
escaped the group's brainwashing), an African weapons dealer who was the son
of one of Kirk's hunting companions, and finally the dread Batman himself.
Batman had been drawn into the case by the murder of a friend. Evidence pointed
to the mysterious Council and though the Dark Knight disagreed with Kirk's
methods, he joined his crusade.
Eventually, the small band of heroes infiltrated the Council's hidden fortress.
There, Batman faced a masked martial artist who he believed had murdered his
friend. But during the course of the battle, the Caped Crusader realized the
truth- that the masked man WAS his friend. He had been taken in by the Council's
brainwashing and, in a way, the man Batman had known was truly dead.
Meanwhile, the Manhunter had reached the inner sanctum of the fortress and
faced the Council themselves. Linked in their hibernation chambers by telepathy,
the old men tried to have the rebellious Paul Kirk destroyed. In the end,
Kirk sabotaged the fortress's technology and perished beside the Council in
the resulting explosion.
Though consisting of only seven issues, the MANHUNTER series was critically
acclaimed and fans were clamoring for more. Goodwin and Simonson reunited
for a final chapter to be added for a collected edition. Sadly, Archie Goodwin
passed on before the script could be completed but the story was included
in the collection as a 'silent" comic. A man resembling Manhunter was
rampaging across Gotham City, attrracting the attention of Batman. St. Clair
and Nitobe appear, kill the imposter, and cross the last of the Manhunter
clones off their list. The Council's agents were at last defeated.
Or so it seemed. In the JSA SECRET FILES #1, Black Canary and Hippolyta are
seen battling a group of assassins who "all have the same face".
"And it's a face familiar to me", the Amazon Queen remarks....
Courageous Man & Minute Lad
Profile by Rich Meyer
Courageous Man and Minute Lad were the main characters of a popular television
action series, much akin to the Batman TV show of the sixties. Courageous
Man was known for his courage, and his unique Bola-Gun.
Bill Anderson was the star of the show, playing the main hero. He also believed
someone was trying to kill him before he could honor his contract to finish
that particular season and leave the show (which he wanted to do before the
show was syndicated and he was veritably typecast). After numerous accidents
and close calls, he turned to an old friend for help, Christopher Chance,
who was also known as the Human Target.
Chance impersonated the actor and yet another accident occurred (almost being
killed by "Pastafazool's Pasta-Maker of Death", and he began scoping out the
crew for possible suspects. His co-star, Doug Duncan, was a bratty actor who
considered Anderson a has-been. He also was a chain-smoker who flaunted union
rules on the set. Producer Frazier White was on the set as well, worrying
about the accidents and what would happen to his insurance rates.
Chance was beginning to enjoy his role in the limelight after his first week,
but another accident (this time with a "mock microwave" and a malfunctioning
Bola-Gun), and decided to get down to task and find out who was behind the
events. Barney, the chief electrician on the set, saw through Chance's disguise
(saying Anderson wasn't that good of an actor) and told Chance to meet him
in his office at midnight. Chance (as Anderson) kept the meeting, but found
Barney dead, clutching a burnt match.
The next morning, Chance gathered the cast and crew on the set and revealed
that he wasn't Anderson, saying that he was hired to find a killer. The police
were already on their way over, and Chance told them that Barney had been
killed the night before. He had been hired to stage all of the accidents,
but had become nervous once he realized that "Courageous Man" was not who
he seemed. Chance said that before he died, he managed to tell him who the
killer was. Chance then proceeded to pull out a cigarette and ask for a light.
Both Duncan and White offered lights, Duncan using a lighter and Barney a
match, which pointed to him as the killer. White tried to escape, but Chance
knocked him down with the inane Bola-Gun, which actually worked for once.
Chance had also checked into White's finances, and he would've been bankrupted
if the show hadn't gone into syndication. He planned to get revenge on Anderson
for leaving, and cash in on an insurance policy on the actor.
Perry Klein, the show's director, offered Chance a role once Anderson's contract
was up, but Chance refused, saying he does his best work capeless.
Appearances:
Action Comics Weekly #641
The Criminal Alliance of the World— C.A.W.
A secret war was being waged against the Earth and the only two people who
could stop it were from a planet hundreds of light years away. The Criminal
Alliance of the World — C.A.W. — was scouring the globe in search of
the scientific secrets of the ancients — and their treasures.
In 1965, the organization had discovered an Egyptian statue in the form of
a dog that was designed by the priests of Sebek to be far more. It was also
capable of short range teleportation, something which C.A.W. used to loot
the underground tomb of Ramses. The villains abducted laborers to steal the
riches, erected an invisible force field that was deadly to the touch and
preyed on native superstitions by wearing the heads of animals.
C.A.W. was unaware that there was a twin to the Dog of Sebek, one capable
of long range teleportation that activated each time the short range unit
was used. In a fateful development, the second dog was on display in the Midway
City Museum and unwittingly transported curator Shiera Hall to C.A.W.s Egyptian
site. Trailing Shiera via the radiation given off in the exchange, her husband,
the Thanagarian police officer Hawkman, trailed her to Valley of the Crocodile,
fought off a band of Crocodile-Men and rescued Shiera.
Her appearance had alerted C.A.W. to the existence of the other teleporter
and the couple made a desperate flight out of the stronghold hoping to beat
the agents to Midway City. In the process, the local Dog of Sebek was broken
and its American duplicate suffered an identical injury (HAWKMAN (first series)
#7, by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson). Now deemed worthless by C.A.W., the
fragments of the Dogs of Sebek proved to be a breakthrough when Hawkman and
Hawkgirl delivered them to Thanagar. Within a few years, the planets scientists
had solved the secret of teleportation and the technology was eventually shared
with the Justice League of America (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #78).
By August of that year, the Central Intelligence Bureau had taken an active
role in thwarting the growing threat of C.A.W. With the Atom already on a
case for the CIA (THE ATOM #21), they sought an alliance with the Tiny Titans
close friends, Hawkman and Hawkgirl.
The Hawks learned that C.A.W. was keeping other foreign agents under surveillance,
waiting for them to steal government secrets and then hijacking that data
for themselves. After running a gauntlet of super-weapons (including a multi-outlet
dart gun and a unit that fired guided propellers as sharp as razor blades),
the heroes brought the local C.A.W. agents into custody and their method of
smuggling the stolen secrets was exposed (HAWKMAN #10).
Within months, C.A.W. had set their sights on the ultimate lost secret —
a legendary computer that contained all knowledge on Earth, something of a
primitive version of Thanagars Absorbascon. The data was contained in a bronze
talking head and it was activated by a small lamp. The two pieces had been
stolen centuries ago from the scientific enclave known as the Nine Unknowns.
In 1966, their successors had learned that the head and the lamp had finally
been located and were going to be stolen again — by C.A.W. A representative
of the enclave was dispatched to Midway City to solicit the aid of the Hawks
Absorbascon in tracking the artifacts. Unfortunately, C.A.W. feared the heroes
interference and arranged for an attack of their own that would keep them
in Midway City.
By now, the C.A.W. agents had put secrecy behind them, proudly displaying
their affiliation in matching red and black costumes with a golden, razor-edged
C.A.W. emblem on their chest that doubled as a weapon. This time, their high-tech
armada included a gun with anti-gravity discharges, a bubble gun whose output
ate through anything it touched, a particlizer that flooded its victim with
enough radiation to create an explosion and a protonic amplifier.
No threat was enough to defeat Hawkman and Hawkgirl and they finally succeeded
in uniting the talking head and the lamp before the Nine Unknowns. The scientists
detected a radioactive aura surrounding the couple, however, and suspecting
that C.A.W. would use it to locate their base, caused the energy to dissipate.
In fact, the radiation had been the closest C.A.W. had come to a death-ray,
one that takes time to permeate the human body. At the activation of an electronic
signal, the aura would kill its victim. The unwitting Hawks had cheated death!
(HAWKMAN #14)
Furious at their latest failure, an international triad of C.A.W. leaders
vowed that someday — somehow — somewhere — CAW will find a way to smash
Hawkman and Hawkgirl! There is no truth to the rumor that C.A.W. was behind
Hawkmans post-Invasion! DC continuity.
The Crimson Meteor
Created by Danny Fingeroth and Bob McLeod
PERSONAL DATA:
Alter Ego: Willie Schuman
Occupation: Cartoonist
Known Relatives: Cloris Danes Schuman (wife, deceased)
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: Metropolis, formerly Seattle
Height: N/A
Weight: N/A
Eyes: Brown
Hair: White, formerly brown
Skin: White
First appearance: Superman 80-Page Giant #1 (Feb 1999)
HISTORY:
In the 1940s, Willie Schuman worked for the Seattle News as a staff artist,
mostly drawing political cartoons and courtroom sketches, winning a few awards
on the road. Then he ghosted a bunch of strips for other cartoonists and later
did one under a pen name for years. He also earned some money painting portraits
of one of the minor super-heroes of the 1940s, the Crimson Meteor.
In his old age, Willie moved to Metropolis and sold his new strip "Captain
Tomorrow" to a syndicate, finally getting to sign his own name to a strip.
When Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman first read the "Captain Tomorrow"
strip in the Daily Planet, he was shocked to see the similarities between
the main character and himself. the super-hero Captain Tomorrow was secretly
the mellow Bill Trent, newspaper artist for the Daily Criterion in Cosmopolis.
He even had a sweetheart named Clorid Dane, and fought several villains reminiscent
of Superman's foes. Too close to be a coincidence.
Furthermore, some people, particularly children, started to confuse Superman
with the fictional Captain Tomorrow. Disturbed, Clark Kent visited Schuman
in an attempt to get an interview with the artist, but was met with utter
suspicion. When Clark asked about from where Schuman got his inspiration or
whether he had any agenda beyond entertainment, Schuman snapped:
"For all I know, you're the one with a hidden agenda. Maybe you want
to steal my ideas and do a strip of your own, or sell movie rights to something
I've created. Wouldn't be the first time it happened to me." Then Schuman
asked Clark to leave.
It was not until Clark revisited Schuman as Superman, that he learned the
truth. Delighted to meet one of his idols, Schuman told Superman his life
story. In the 1940s, Willie was subjected to the radiation of a strange meteor
and gained super-powers. As the heroic Crimson Meteor of Seattle he did not
get as much publicity as the "Eastern guys" got, but his feats were
admirable and his powers made him a Superman of that era. His powers, though,
started to fade pretty soon after he got them, and in his old age, they were
long gone.
Upon the death of his wife Cloris, Schuman moved to Metropolis and created
the "Captain Tomorrow" strip, based on his life as a hero, his former
secret identity and powers, mixed with some sci-fi elements and, he admitted,
"some of the modern exploits of Superman himself. Hope you don't mind."
Although still amazed by the similarities between their lives, Superman was
calmed by Schuman's story and did not mind. He then granted Schuman a favor.
It had been decades since Schuman had last flown, but grabbing Superman's
hand as he took off for the skies, Schuman experienced that feeling one more
time. Helping Schuman "fly like an eagle" once again made Superman
feel like a great hero. Maybe even as great as Captain Tomorrow.
POWERS:
In his prime, the Crimson Meteor could juggle pianos, fly like an eagle,
and laugh if some goon hit him with a lead pipe. He could see things a mile
away and hear a baby cry in the next country.
APPEARANCES:
Superman 80-Page Giant #1 (Feb 1999) "Too Close To Home"
Croak McCraw, the Dead Detective
The creation of John Ostrander and William Messner-Loebs, Croak McCraw,
the Dead Detective, was a corpse with a bullet in the center of his forehead
and eyes wide open, still seated at a desk in his office. He delivered an
internal monologue in his head even as all manner of bizarre events took place
around him. By the end of the third installment, the Earth had been destroyed
and McCraw was floating amidst the debris. In the finale, McCraw was escorted
into Heaven and slapped into a seat next to Santa Claus. This weirdness can
be found in 1988 and 1989's WASTELAND #8, 12, 17 and 18.
The Crusader
The Crusader only appeared in AQUAMAN [1st series] #56. As far as I know,
he has made no other cameos in any other titles.
The Cryonic Man—appeared in BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #6 and #7—In 1947,
Professor Niles Raymond (wonder if he's any relation to Ronnie (Firestorm)
Raymond?) built four cryonic sleep chambers because he feared a world wide
nuclear holocaust. Niles, his wife Bella, his assistant Philip, and Philip's
wife Melissa entered the chambers and slept for years. In order to monitor
the state of the world and maintain their equipment, Philip was selected to
awaken every so often.
During one of the times he was awake, Philip discovered that his wife Melissa
was slowly dying of a progressive degenerative disease (exactly what disease
is never stated). Only complex organ transplants could save Melissa's life
should she ever leave the cryonic chamber. Philip reasoned that the needed
transplant technology would be developed in the near future, so in order to
keep Melissa in the chamber he lied to Niles and Bella—telling them that
there had been a horrible nuclear war which devastated the world. In the meantime,
Philip began illegally gathering organs and transplanting them into Melissa's
body. Sometimes, Philip even used Niles' and Bella's bodies as 'spare parts"
as his own body withered with age.
Waking up in 1983 (when BATO #6 was written), Philip makes himself a costume
comprised of blue tights, metallic gloves, a blue hard hat type thing, and
a metallic mask which covers all of his face except his eyes. He also develops
a backpack type machine which allows him to shoot liquid nitrogen out of hoses
attached to the wrists of his costume. Dubbing himself the Cryonic Man, Philip
goes about stealing organs from local hospitals in Gotham. This eventually
brings him into conflict with Batman and the Outsiders.
While stealing a kidney from Gotham General Hospital, the Outsiders confront
Philip, and chase him into one of Gotham's underground car tunnels. The Cryonic
Man gets the best of the Outsiders this time, and escapes with the kidney
and Katana as his hostage. Philip plans on using Katana as the source for
all the other body parts Melissa needs. With the help of Soultaker (Katana's
sword), the Outsiders track Philip to an underground bunker in an abandoned
house just outside of Gotham. The usual heroics transpire, but there's a real
cool James Bond-esque scene where a bound and almost sedated Katana frees
herself and destroys one of the Cryonics Man's robots using only a tiny surgeon
scalpel.
Eventually, the Outsiders discover the other three cryonic chambers and the
people inside. Black Lightning is able to use his powers to "communicate"
with them using the cryonic chamber's electric field. When Bella, Niles, and
Melisa discover the truth, they become enraged and overload the chambers'
electric field. This unleashes a backlash of electric energy which strikes
Philip, either killing him or just knocking him out (we're never told, we
just see smoke rising from the Cryonic Man's fallen body). The overload however,
does cause the deaths of Bella, Niles, and Melisa.
Says Batman: "Their souls died long ago....when they decided to run
from the world instead of facing it!"
Secret identity: An android.
First appeared: SUPER POWERS ACTION FIGURES, SERIES 3 (1986).
Television appearances: None.
Comic book appearances: SUPER POWERS [third series] #1 (Sep 1986)—#4 (Dec
1986).
Action figures: SUPER POWERS ACTION FIGURES, SERIES 3 (1986).
Origin revealed: SUPER POWERS [third series] #2 (Oct 1986).
The origin of Cyclotron: Cyclotron is an android created by Superman to store
and maintain data. He aids the Super Powers Team in their fight against evil.
Powers: Cyclotron is programmed with tremendous amounts of information, including
all known data on Earth's super-heroes and super-villains.
Original text copyright DC
Comics unless otherwise noted. Used without permission.
