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Other DC Universe topics Obscure DCU Characters - Round IX |
| Author | Topic: Obscure DCU Characters - Round IX |
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outpost2
Member |
posted May 21, 2004 12:58 PM
Welcome to Round IX of Obscure DCU Characters. This thread serves as a Q&A forum focusing on DC's many obscure heroes and villains. Rounds I through VIII have been archived at http://www.infiniteearths.org/dcu/obscurecharacters_files/obscuredcu.htm and are available for download. If you're new to this topic, take a few moments to check out those previous threads. The Obscure DCU Characters list now stands at 820 characters. Those entries that have yet to be covered are marked with an asterisk. 481 have been covered, 339 left to go! |
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outpost2
Member |
posted May 21, 2004 01:01 PM
1. Aaron Burr |
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outpost2
Member |
posted May 21, 2004 01:29 PM
OK, now it's time to stake your claims. I'm grabbing the following: 90. Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett, policeman) [Fox] |
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outpost2
Member |
posted May 21, 2004 01:43 PM
The following is a summary of a number of articles from Scott Shaw's Oddball Comics feature at Comic Book Resources ( http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/oddball/archive.cgi ). JERRY LEWIS MEETS THE DC SUPER-HEROES Joseph Levitch was born on March 16th 1926. Of course, we all know him by his stage name, Jerry Lewis. On July 25th 1946, the comedian partnered with singer Dean Martin, and the act lasted for ten years. In addition to his stage and film work, Jerry Lewis is well known for his annual fundraisers against Muscular Dystrophy. Jerry Lewis first appeared in comic book form in National Periodical Publications' THE ADVENTURES OF DEAN MARTIN AND JERRY LEWIS. The first issue of that magazine was cover dated July-August 1952. When the team of Martin and Lewis broke up, National dropped Dean Martin from the title, continuing the series under the name THE ADVENTURES OF JERRY LEWIS. The newly renamed title ran from issue #41 (Nov 1957) through issue #124 (May-June 1971). Jerry Lewis encountered some of National's most famous super-heroes and villains in four issues of his solo magazine. For the sake of argument, we will place these adventures firmly on Earth-12, in the same universe as the Inferior Five and Plastic Man II. THE ADVENTURES OF JERRY LEWIS #97 (Nov-Dec 1966)
"Batman Meets Jerry" Witch Kraft, the supernatural housekeeper of Jerry Lewis and his troublesome nephew Renfrew, goes on vacation. Inspired by the "Batman" tv show, Renfrew convinces Jerry that they should become costumed crimefighters named Ratman and Rotten the Boy Blunder. Soon they are attacked by the villainous Kangaroo, who overpowers Jerry and kidnaps Renfrew. The real Dynamic Duo arrive on the scene. Batman tells Jerry that ever since his tv show began, he and Robin have had to spend all their time saving their imitators. The heroes grudgingly allow Jerry to accompany them as they search for the Kangaroo. Meanwhile, Renfrew starts giving the villain and his son some effective advice regarding their criminal methods, and before long he is leading their gang! Batman and Robin manage to "rescue" Renfrew, but not before the Kangaroo and his son escape. Soon, thanks to Renfrew's career advice, the Kangaroo becomes the laughing-stock of the super-villain world, attracting the ire of the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, among others. Determined to stop the Kangaroo from giving a bad name to colorful crooks everywhere, the Joker suggests that all the villains wear "Kangaroo" costumes during their upcoming heist at the Batman-Land Amusement Park. Batman, Robin, and Jerry show up at the park to stop the crooks, battling amidst many gigantic mementos of past cases. In the end, Batman and Robin defeat the criminals. The Kangaroo and his son are revealed to be Witch Kraft and her niece Zanyia, who had masqueraded as super-villains to teach Jerry and Renfrew a lesson. They said they could get along without her, so she invented the Kangaroo to prove they couldn't. Robin chases Renfrew with Witch Kraft's broom, determined to swat the trouble-making brat! THE ADVENTURES OF JERRY LEWIS #105 (Mar–Apr 1968)
"Superman Meets Jerry" Jerry, his nephew Renfrew, and their housekeeper Witch Kraft watch a live television broadcast of Superman's three-day-long battle with a huge, dragon-like monster from outer space. After 72 hours of reporting, the news crew that has been covering his confrontation from their helicopter is exhausted ... and so is Superman! In fact, he hasn't had a night's sleep in over two weeks! The Man Of Steel finally emerges victorious when the gigantic space-creature -– which turns out to be a robot -- explodes in a green-tinged burst. Superman suspects his archenemy Lex Luthor is behind the mechanical monster. Superman is indeed correct. The gloating villain watches his super-foe on television. The explosion was actually caused by a bomb of his creation containing kryptonite dust, the only substance that can weaken Superman. Luthor used a very large amount of low-grade kryptonite, so it wouldn't be immediately noticeable, but the hero's outfit has now become covered with it. With his kryptonite-counter, he'll be able to locate Superman and discover his true identity ... before he dies! In the aftermath of the explosion, Superman is so tired that he can't even muster the energy to grant a television interview, thus alienating his fellow journalists who seek to speak with him. He crawls into a nearby phone booth, but falls asleep inside it. Later, when he, as Clark Kent, reports to the offices of The Daily Planet, editor Perry White gives the groggy reporter an "emergency" assignment. He has been chosen to write a story on "The Pre-Teen Jungle". Jimmy Olsen's computer selects the most typical, average, representative pre-teen to be Jerry's nephew Renfrew! Clark visits Jerry's home in the suburbs to interview the bratty kid. America's most typical, average pre-teen is busily destroying his uncle's furniture and appliances. While Clark speaks with Jerry, Renfrew grabs a zoom lens from a shattered camera to focus the rays of the sun, giving the reporter a solar hotfoot! As Clark hops around in pain, he realizes that something's dreadfully wrong ... he should be invulnerable to pain! When Renfrew dumps a tub of water on him to put out the fire, Clark nearly drowns, another unexpected weakness. Shortly, Clark changes out of his wet clothes and into some of Jerry's, hiding his Superman uniform in the bottom of Jerry's laundry hamper. While Jerry admires Clark's muscular physique, his enchanted housekeeper levitates the dirty clothes out of the hamper, including Superman's empty uniform! She shows her discovery to Jerry, who correctly assumes it belongs to Clark, but incorrectly concludes that the reporter wears it to maintain a deluded fantasy. It's only a matter of minutes before Jerry himself tries on the super-suit, fantasizing that he is Superman. Meanwhile, the kryptonite-counter has led Lex Luthor and his henchman to Jerry's home. Hearing the lurkers outside, Clark investigates and spots Luthor, but his x-ray vision suddenly becomes blurred. He recalls the explosion, and realizes that it impregnated his costume with low-grade kryptonite, weakening him. The villains trailed him there with a kryptonite-counter. Clark spots Jerry wearing his costume, and knows he's in terrible danger. Clark rushes to burst through the wall to save his host but, forgetting he's still weakened by the green k, knocks himself unconscious. Luthor climbs though a window and pulls a gun on the person he believes to be Superman wearing a stupid mask! While the villains chase Jerry, aiming to shoot him in the head (since the super-uniform protects his body), Renfrew enlists the aid of Witch Kraft to help his uncle. They fly off on her broomstick while Clark recovers, stumbling outside, right through the wall. Witch Kraft and Renfrew locate the villains, however their gunfire blasts her broomstick out from under them, and they plummet toward the sidewalk. Clark crashes through a block of buildings to catch Renfrew before he becomes a grease-spot on the pavement, but Witch Kraft isn't so lucky. The impact causes her to lose her memory. Clark heads off to rescue Jerry, who has taken sanctuary in a local junkyard, his head hidden inside a heavy metal soup kettle. Jerry manages to lift the kettle with the secret aid of Clark, who hides in a treetop, inhaling with his super-breath to keep the kettle aloft. Unfortunately, Clark accidentally swallows "the last swallow of autumn", which lodges in his throat, cutting off his super-breath, causing the heavy kettle to drop down over Jerry. Not far away, Renfrew tries to restore Witch Kraft's memory, but all of his efforts are useless until he accidentally whacks her with a loose plank from a wooden fence. After regaining her mental faculties and magical skills (and punishing Renfrew with a hot steam iron applied to his rear end), she comes to Jerry's rescue just as Luthor is about to ventilate his rather vacant skull! At that moment, tickled by the bird feathers in his throat, Clark suddenly sneezes, sending the swallow at super-speed right into Witch Kraft's head, sending her back to la-la land. This gives Luthor and his thug a chance to recover their firearms, which they once again aim at Jerry. Clark uses super-speed to invisibly remove his uniform from Jerry's body, then blows away all traces of green kryptonite from it with gusts of super-breath. Finally back in his super-suit, Superman makes short work of Lex Luthor and his henchman. THE ADVENTURES OF JERRY LEWIS #112 (May–June 1969)
"The Flash Meets Jerry Lewis" Jerry and his nephew Renfrew arrive at the neighborhood tailor shop to drop off a sweater for cleaning. They watch as the tailor is tossed into a waiting auto by a pair of tough-looking hoods. Inside, they discover that the shop is full of super-villain costumes. Jerry assumes the outfits are for Halloween, but Renfrew isn't fooled, especially when an escaped convict shows up and dons a Captain Cold outfit, complete with an operating cold-gun! Captain Cold seals the nosy little wiseguy inside a block of ice, then takes off. Jerry soon discovers his flash-frozen nephew. Meanwhile, police scientist Barry Allen (a.k.a. The Flash) is tracking down a number of super-villains who've recently escaped in a mass jailbreak from the Central City prison. Barry finds a business card from the tailor shop at the scene of a crime. Since he once arrested a tailor who made apparel for his Rogues Gallery of villains, he decides to investigate the lead. Barry touches a hidden spring on his special ring, causing his Flash costume to shoot out and expand on contact with the air. He switches to his superheroic identity and races to the tailor shop, where he finds Jerry advertising for a delivery boy. However, Jerry fails to recognize the Scarlet Speedster. He needs another delivery boy till Renfrew thaws out, and offers the Flash the job! The hero recognizes every one of the costumes! He realizes he has been handed the addresses of a dozen villains by a gibbering idiot. Elsewhere, the kidnapped tailor is in the clutches of one of the Flash's deadliest villains, Abra Kadabra, the super-scientific magician from the 64th century. Kadabra is furious because his special wand is missing, and he blames the terrified tailor for it, even though the shop's clearly posted policy is "Not Responsible For Articles Left In Pockets". Back at the tailor's place, Renfrew finally defrosts and promptly discovers the missing wand. After sending dozens of needles flying to pierce poor Jerry's keister, the little brat decides to have some "fun" with his new plaything. After the Flash captures and jails the criminals on Jerry's address list, he changes back to his civilian togs to check out the tailor shop as Barry Allen. As Barry approaches the shop, a passing car splashes water and mud on his pants. Jerry sees this and wastes no time in dragging Barry into the shop and yanking off his slacks! While preparing to clean them, he doesn't notice Barry's Flash-ring falling out of a pocket. Jerry cleans and irons Barry's pants (with some unsuspected "help" from Renfrew's wand), but winds up shrinking, burning, and generally destroying them. As Barry storms out of the tailor shop, he leaves some angry parting words with its oblivious de facto proprietor. Meanwhile, Renfrew has made another discovery ... Barry's Flash-ring! But before he can do anything with it, Jerry snatches it away from his nephew with the intention of returning it to the customer who lost it. When he accidentally touches the ring's trigger mechanism, it releases the Flash's familiar costume. (Familiar to Renfrew, at least; Jerry recognizes it as "that delivery boy's outfit"!) At Renfrew's urging, Jerry tries it on. After his nephew secretly zaps the costume's boots with a blast from Abra Kadabra's wand, Jerry suddenly experiences, first-hand, what it's like to possess super-speed! Barry soon discovers that his Flash-ring is missing, so he dashes home to pick up a spare uniform. As he zooms around his apartment searching for it, his sniffling newlywed bride, Iris, complains about the draft he's stirring up. Across town, after mercilessly interrogating his captive without any tangible results, Abra Kadabra shows up at the tailor shop, determined to find his missing wand. The futuristic magician-criminal mistakes Jerry for his archenemy. His henchmen easily overcome the Silly Speedster. When Abra Kadabra realizes that Jerry's nephew is in possession of his high-tech wand, he offers Renfrew a reward of a dime, but the savvy little brat isn't moved by the offer. To keep it out of the super-villain's hands, he tosses away the wand, which inadvertently knocks out the real Flash as he enters the tailor shop! While the Fastest Man Alive recovers, Renfrew tries to make amends, distracting Abra Kadabra by convincing him that, despite Jerry's protests to the contrary, his uncle is the genuine Flash. Meanwhile, the Flash comes to and, using his super-speed, sews together the jackets of the villain's henchmen. Then he speed-punches Abra Kadabra, sending him flying right into a clothes-press that literally flattens the futuristic magician. After rounding up the crooks, the Flash thanks Jerry and Renfrew for their help –- but forgets to confiscate Abra Kadabra's wand. Renfrew uses it to make life "interesting" for his unsuspecting uncle, by infusing Jerry's sneakers with anti-gravitational properties! THE ADVENTURES OF JERRY LEWIS #117 (Mar–Apr 1970)
"Jerry Meets The New Wonder Woman!" Jerry and his nephew Renfrew hang around the stage door of a local theatre, hoping to get an autograph from the event's special guest, Diana Prince a.k.a. Wonder Woman. After getting her signature in his autograph book, Jerry thoughtfully throws himself across a puddle so Diana can cross it by walking on his back, but Diana trips over his head and falls, pulling a tendon in her shapely right leg. To get treatment for her injury, she creates a dimensional portal that transports her back to Paradise Island, and since Jerry and Renfrew are in contact with her, they're involuntarily drawn into the vortex as well. After they arrive, they visit Diana's personal physician, Dr. Carver D. Bratwurst, a wacky old medic who was shipwrecked on Paradise Island some years earlier. (Obviously, the writer ignored DC continuity that stipulated that no man could ever set foot on the Amazons' home island without dire consequences!) First, Dr. Bratwurst treats Diana's wounded leg, then he whips up a remedy to quell Jerry's upset stomach (caused by his inter-dimensional trip). While Jerry gratefully guzzles the mixture, two Amazons arrive with the bad news that Diana's mother, Queen Hippolyta, has been seized by the evil Zodor, who intends to hold her for a ransom of the "Sacred Pearl Of The Amazons". It is discovered that the medicine Jerry drank was a painkiller so strong that he's now completely immune to pain! Dressing him in Hercules' lion skin, Diana convinces Jerry -– now called "Jerkules" -- to lead the Amazons against Zodor. While on their way to Diana's temple, where the Sacred Pearl is kept, they encounter Zodor's massive henchman, the mighty Bulque, but the love-struck Amazon named Brawnhilda protects her "darling sweet boy" from their new enemy. When Jerkules sprains his wrist, it's apparent that the painkiller is wearing off, so Renfrew runs back to Dr. Bratwust's cave for more pain immunizer. When the doc accidentally destroys the formula, he resorts to using his memory to whip up another batch. While Zodor gloats to captive Queen Hippolyta, Jerkules (with Brawnhilda's assistance) clobbers Bulque. Later, realizing that the Amazons will never willingly follow a man into battle, Diana loans Jerry her curvy armor and a wig to impersonate her. Diana then outlines her plan. She explains that the rescue party will approach Zodor's camp from the South, using the underbrush as cover. She believes that Queen Hippolyta is probably being held in Zodor's tent. The one thing in Jerry's favor is that Zodor doesn't know Bulque was defeated, so the raid should surprise him. Unfortunately, unknown to Jerry and the Amazons, Zodor has learned of Bulque's defeat and is preparing to take off with Hippolyta. Dr. Bratwurst gives Jerry another dose of his formula, but instead of making his body immune to pain, it gives him the power to breathe fire! Meanwhile, as Zodor is busy packing, he orders five of his men to raid the Amazons' unguarded temple and seize the Sacred Pearl. However, before they can leave, Jerry's fiery breath incinerates their camp and weaponry. Then, like David slaying Goliath, Renfrew uses his slingshot to fire a smooth, glistening object into Zodor's mouth, knocking him –- and all of his teeth -- out! While Jerry gets uncomfortably comfortable with his feminine side, Diana is dismayed to receive a report that their Sacred Pearl has been stolen ... until she discovers that it was the shiny projectile that Renfrew used to clobber Zodor! Later, with Hippolyta rescued and Jerry's fire-breath cured, Diana heads back to the U.S.A. with Jerry, Renfrew, and the semi-conscious Zodor. Along the way, she strands the warlord on a remote island, far away from the home of the Amazons. Back at the theatre, Diana thanks the boys and rewards Jerry with a kiss before dashing on-stage. POST-SCRIPT: There was a fifth "appearance" of a DC hero on the cover of THE ADVENTURES OF JERRY LEWIS #122 (Jan-Feb 1971). The visage of Superman appears as one of the heads of a totem pole! |
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The Atom
Member |
posted June 02, 2004 09:13 PM
THE BIG GANG: Only appearance: THE ATOM #34 (Dec 1967-Jan 1968) Story: "Little Man -- You've Had a Big-Gang Day!" The Big Gang (not Big-Time as originally thought) was made up of several members, all of whom used the word "Big" in their names. They all wore similar uniforms, looking somewhat like "evil" Challengers of the Unknown than anything else. Their purple and black costumes did nothing to disguise their identities, although it seems unlikely that their mothers named them all "Big" for a first name at birth. Each costume had a symbol on the chest except for the leader. Their backgrounds all reportedly came from circus sideshow attractions except for the new recruit. The implication is that they're all midgets, although they're never seen close enough to a normal sized human to prove or disprove this theory. Big Head was the leader, and had a head almost the size of Hector Hammond's. His "oversized head contains more brains than an entire college faculty". He was the "mastermind" of the operation. His costume was the only one without a symbol on his chest. Big Ben was "an expert at synchronizing time schedules so that each member knows exactly when he's to go into action during a robbery". The symbol on his chest was predictable... a clock (Big Ben, to be precise). His timetables are constantly being upset by the unpredictable appearances of the Atom. Big Wig was a villain that used wigs as a weapon. One guess as to his symbol... a wig. He had one wig that was explosive and others as well. Big Bertha was the only female member of the group, and was described as a woman "whose arms are so strong she can hurl an object as accurately as the famous World War One cannon after which she's named". Big Bertha's symbol... a cannon. Big Shot "makes his special guns talk a language all their own". Big Shot's symbol... a golden bullet. He had a gun that the Atom jammed, a gun that fired razor sharp propellers, and a "knob" gun that apparently fired doorknobs(?). Big Cheese "concocts cheeses with extraordinary powers". You guessed it... his symbol's a slice from a cheese wheel. His cheeses included one that had knock-out odor and another that stuck like glue, as well as some standard limburger. And the final member of the "Big Gang" was recruited in the beginning of the story -- Big Deal was a stage magician and card shark. His symbol... a card "spade". Big Deal threw razor sharp cards that always managed to miss the Atom. The Big Gang had already stolen the world's largest book and the world's largest drum, as well as making off with the biggest money heist of all time, but now had their sights set on the world's biggest emerald. Jean Loring and Ray Palmer happen to be on hand as the emerald is removed from the safe to be shown to a young girl, Candace, when the Big Gang shows up. Big Cheese lets loose with a knock-out odor cheese that flattens everyone but the Atom, who shrinks out of the "smell". He in turn flattens Big Head, Big Wig, Big Time, and Big Deal, and disarms Big Cheese and Big Shot. Unfortunately, Big Bertha, with her incredible aim, takes out the Atom in one shot, using a 16 ounce shot put. He takes a dive in the nearby pond, apparently pushed down by the weight of the shot. The Atom survives, having switched to near weightlessness before being hit by the shot. He floats to safety already unconscious and lands atop a lily pad. Figuring out that the Big Gang is likely to steal the only other "big" items in Ivy Town (the world's largest coin and world's largest stamp), the Atom lurks in near-microscopic size atop the coin. In order, the Atom takes out Big Wig, Big Bertha, Big Time, Big Head, Big Shot, Big Cheese... and neglects to notice Big Wig throwing an explosive toupee at his back while the Atom prepares to take out Big Deal. The Atom shrinks subatomic but the Big Gang is sure he's dead and gets away with the loot. Following the theme, the Atom figures the Big Gang would hide somewhere... well, BIG. With, uh, BIG in the name of the place - or sort of. The Atom goes off to "Giant" Caverns (hereafter known as "Big" Caverns), where the Big Gang is storing the world's biggest silver nugget. The Atom again takes out Big Head, uses the world's largest book against Big Bertha, Big Shot, and Big Wig, then takes out Big Cheese, Big Ben, and Big Deal with the largest drum. Number of times the word "BIG" is used in the story... ninety-one! |
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MikelMidnight
Member |
posted June 13, 2004 07:33 AM
I don't think this one has been covered. THE AQUABEAST A rich playboy maddened by drugs pumped into him by a tame scientist. Playboy Peter Dudley, out on his yacht, nets Aquaman's wife Mera by accident and falls in love with her. Reasoning, as rich nutty playboys do, that she'll fall in love with him if he turns into a copy of Aquaman, he calls in a scientist who does the business, but it all goes horribly wrong and Dudley becomes a misshapen and mad monster in an Aquaman suit. "The infusions... I must reverse the flow!", yells the doctor. "No you don't, doctor! Once born, no-one can kill... Aquabeast!", replies the new villain. He redeems himself at the end, though: faced with an even more inhuman mutant menace who knocks Aquaman for six, Aquabeast saves Mera and is dragged to his death in an undersea current, along with the other one-shot mutant. It all happened in AQUAMAN [first series] #34. Contribution written by Mike Kidson, posted with permission. |
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Ghituslinger
Member |
posted June 15, 2004 07:20 PM
I got dibs -DIBS!- on number 267. Gauntlet and his "family" (Andromeda, Scarab, and M.A.C.) appeared in HAWK AND DOVE [third series] #1, 8, and 10-12. Douglas Strange was a technological genius when it came to robotics. Hired by the United States government during the days of the Cold War, he invented a number of weapons systems and devices to be used in the event of a nuclear war. Strange had the foresight to patent many of his inventions, making himself enormously wealthy. During all of this (and more important than any of it) he fell in love with a woman named Andromeda. The two were married soon after. Retiring from government service, the two purchased an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It was then that Douglas started work on his dream project: to create the world's first true android. Met with scorn and derision by many of his peers, including Will Magnus (the creator of the Metal Men) Douglas pressed on with his work, without success. An extraterrestrial rocket ship crash-landed on their island home soon after, bringing with it a mechanical life-form Douglas dubbed Scarab. Taking the Stranges captive, the alien consumed scrap metal for nourishment for its soon to be offspring. When that no longer was sufficient, Scarab demanded that Douglas bring it large quantities of gold. When he refused, Scarab killed Andromeda. It then placed a twisted copy of her memories and personality into one of Strange's android prototypes and threatened to 'kill' the android Andromeda permanently if Douglas wouldn't cooperate. He reluctantly agreed. With the use of one of his last government sponsored creations (a robot remote-controlled by use of a virtual reality harness), Douglas Strange started a criminal career as the armed and armored Gauntlet, robbing a number of locations across both coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. As Gauntlet, his standard M.O. was to send a teleportation disk to the crime scene, teleport in, rob at gunpoint, and teleport away with as much gold as possible. It was during a heist of a Washington D.C. jewelry store that he first encountered Hawk I and Dove II. Despite being destroyed, Gauntlet escaped with the loot and vowed to return with friends in tow. Sometime later, one of his 'friends' did return. This time Douglas Strange sent out a diesel-guzzling giant of a robot named M.A.C. to rob an armored car of all its gold. M.A.C. shook off everything Hawk and the D.C. Special Crimes Unit could throw at it before Dove found a way to bring the mechanical behemoth down. The robot was put into the custody of the S.C.U., where it could be dismantled and studied. Scarab ordered Gauntlet and the Andromeda android to retrieve M.A.C., bringing them into confrontation with Hawk and Dove yet again. After a running battle in which Hawk was nearly killed, M.A.C. was successfully rescued. Using 'borrowed' tracking equipment, Hawk and Dove traced Strange to the Atlantic but were unable to reach the island without transportation. A quick visit to Manhattan provided them with a ride and backup in the form of the Titans (Troia, Cyborg, Speedy, Raven, Starfire and Jericho). Once on the island, the heroes split into two teams. Hawk's team was immediately attacked by all of the robots while Dove's team battled Scarab itself. During the course of events, Scarab escaped to fight another day while Andromeda was permanently destroyed. Free of Scarab's control, Douglas Strange surrendered. To this day, the Scarab creature remains on the loose, its whereabouts unknown. POWERS AND ABILITIES Douglas Strange is a brilliant inventor, specializing in robotics and weapon systems. He is the creator of the Gauntlet units, the Andromeda android, the M.A.C. robot and the teleportation disks his robots are equipped with. An extraterrestrial being of unknown origin, Scarab possesses heightened speed, reflexes and strength. It can reproduce seemingly at will, often shooting its newborn offspring (its 'bytes') as projectiles at its enemies. The creature seems to have a vulnerability to acid. Scarab may also possess the power of teleportation. The typical Gauntlet unit is a walking arsenal. Each unit has the ability to transform its hands into dangerous laser firing guns as well as numerous high-powered weapons hidden throughout the robot's torso and limbs. In addition, it also has the power of flight. The Andromeda android possessed the power of elongation, limited shape-changing abilities, greater than average strength, and limited ability to control mechanical devices (she was able to override Cyborg's systems). It also had a split personality bordering between subservient 1950's housewife and a homicidal killer. The M.A.C. robot was one of Strange's earliest creations, a 10 ft. tall diesel-powered walking juggernaut. Its armor plating allowed it to withstand the firepower of a small army. (Literally. The S.C.U. couldn't so much as scratch it.) Its primary weakness was that it could not right itself once toppled over. |
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Ghituslinger
Member |
posted June 20, 2004 05:49 PM
CERBERUS '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. Cerberus appearances:
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) Cerberus' 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' 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. |
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Hellstone 1
Member |
posted June 25, 2004 03:59 AM
Ghutislinger - Cerberus also appeared in JOKER: LAST LAUGH #4, where he was shot (although not necessarily killed) by Army troops. /ola |
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The Atom
Member |
posted June 25, 2004 05:19 AM
BUG-EYED BANDIT Appearances:
Bertram Larvan was a brilliant entomologist and robotics expert who was determined to build a miniature insect robot whose job would be to rid the world of pests. Pitching his brilliant concept to the banks proved to be impossible, as no one would lend money to him. Frustrated but still determined, Bert continued to work on his invention with a single-mindedness that cost him his fiancee, Alice Morse. Eventually, his work paid off and he was able to create his prototype, a nearly perfect robotic insect, capable of performing pest control and much, much more. Jaded by the world's rejection of him, Bert decided to make the world pay for what they had done to him. Outfitting his robotic insect with weaponry that imitated real-life insects, Bert set out on a life of crime. His first job was a simple payroll heist that turned out to be anything but simple. Stealing the combination to the safe at Rogers Imports by using a knockout gas from his insect on owner Clifford Rogers, Bert used his insect's robotic arm to steal the wallet from Rogers. He was then able to pluck the combination to the safe from Roger's wallet and easily break into the office and steal the $100K from the safe. Everything would have worked out perfectly, if Ray Palmer had not decided to investigate. Being called in by Police Chief Baxter to examine Roger's condition at the hospital, where he ended up, Ray decides to look into Roger's place of business before heading home that night. Almost coincidentally, Ray runs into Bert as he exits the building holding a huge bagful of cash. Noting the mechanical insect circling above Bert's head, he deduces that this is the man he's looking for and quickly (while no one is looking) switches to the Atom. The fight between Atom and robot insect is furious and Ray almost manages to win, but Bert is concerned about his invention and ultimately calls it back after Ray has damaged it. Bert drives away too fast for the Atom to pursue, although he manages to secure a small blade from the robot insect for study. Back at the lab, Ray begins to notice the blade twitching as Bert sends his insect off on another heist. Allowing the blade to pull him, the Atom is drawn to the home of a retired jewel collector, Ivar Norbert. Sure enough, he spots the robot insect, fully repaired, and in the process of stealing some priceless gems. The Atom manages to stop the theft, but cannot catch the bug or thief. But something odd happens during the fight. Larvan notices an odd energy reading on his insect monitor everytime the Atom changes size or weight. Using his own brilliant powers of deduction, he is able to improve his monitor so that he can discern the Atom's special energy signature from other energy. When Ray runs into Alice Thayer nee Morse at a party and figures out where Bert lives, he decides to visit as a fellow scientist. Bert detects the Atom's energy signature at the front door, and determines that Ray Palmer is the Atom. Sending his robot bug to pursue Ray after he leaves, he nearly succeeds in killing Ray. Bert monitors the whole incident, where Jean Loring saves Ray's life. Traumatized, she immediately tells Ray to propose. Stunned, he does and after hundreds of rejections - she says "yes". However, Bert thinks that Jean is his former girl Alice and is incensed to destroy Ray Palmer and the Atom. The Atom returns to Bert's home later and immediately runs into a trap. After another furious fight with the bug, Ray manages to evade the trap, but discovers that the Bug-Eyed Bandit now knows his secret identity. Larvan is hit by the Atom riding his bug, and accidentally triggers his amnesia spray. Waking later, he remembers nothing including the secret identity of the Atom. Larvan goes to jail, and Ray and Jean celebrate the engagement that would last for what seems like forever. |
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Hellstone 1
Member |
posted July 02, 2004 02:04 AM
Kinda off-topic question for the poster Vigilante (if he still lurks around this thread) or anyone else who is a resident Hero Hotline expert. I'm currently indexing DC's Hero Hotline miniseries for the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe ( http://www.dcuguide.com/ ), but got a bit stumped when it came to the Night Crew members. 1. In Vigilante's recap of the Hotline series (see Round V of this thread), he named some characters "Ms. Terrific", "Herald II", and "Card Queen II". I remember asking Vigilante about this but I don't remember the answer - did he ever get these names from Bob Rozakis, or were those Vig's own inventions? 2. Likewise, I remember that a poster once claimed that he had named the bat-like creature in issue #6 "Bat-Myte" (not to be confused with Bat-Mite) and that Rozakis had agreed on that as the official name for the character. Was that you, Vig? Or was that someone else here? 3. And who's the bearded guy in the rainbow-colored hat in the Night Crew? Could that be Chlorino, a member Rozakis mentioned on the editorial page? Yep -- these are real geek questions, but if anyone can help me
with them, I'll be soooo grateful. /ola |
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MikelMidnight
Member |
posted July 25, 2004 07:20 AM
Some more for the list: The Burma Tiger Man, from TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED #90 which was actually a sequel to MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #59. Man-Fish, who appeared in SEA DEVILS. Bob Buethe informs me that in SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #81, Superman's pal met a skinny, mild-mannered American Indian named Broken Spear, who, in times of danger, ducks into a hollow tree and becomes Mighty Eagle, who uses glider wings and scientific trickery (simulating magic powers) to thwart evil in the Midwest. |
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Hellstone 1
Member |
posted July 26, 2004 04:58 AM
An addition to the list: Does anyone know anything about "the Nuclear Superhero" from TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED #99 (Feb-Mar 1967)? A predecessor of Firestorm, perhaps? /ola |
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The Atom
Member |
posted August 09, 2004 05:31 AM
Never heard of the Nuclear Superhero. How about the "Atom Detective" from the same series, I think issue #86? I've heard that he was a potential predecessor (in a way) of the Atom. |
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KoppyMcFad
Member |
posted August 12, 2004 01:18 AM
Say, whatever happened to the Supermen of America? They get their own miniseries and then-- nothing. Not even a one panel cameo during the summer crossovers. I notice that the Shadowdragon character got revived in one panel of the latest ACTION COMICS. |
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Hellstone 1
Member |
posted August 12, 2004 02:56 AM
Originally posted by KoppyMcFad: Say, whatever happened to the Supermen of America? They get their own miniseries and then-- nothing. Not even a one panel cameo during the summer crossovers. They appeared as members of an army of teen heroes in YOUNG JUSTICE #50-51. /ola |
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erdmann
Member |
posted August 16, 2004 10:02 PM
In an effort to bump up this thread without stepping on the toes of anyone who may have already called "dibs" on one of the characters listed above, I present... THE INHERITOR First appearance: (as "Syntho-Rob") METAL MEN [first series] #54
(November-December 1977) Tina was fed up. Tired of being treated like property by Doc Magnus, the platinum robot had stormed out and the rest of the Metal Men followed. Doc realized he had ignored the robots' feelings for too long and agreed they were right to leave him. He wished them well and moved on to a new project, Syntho-Rob 1, a plastic android he believed might ultimately prove superior to his original robots. His old friend, General Casper, wasn't interested, however. At least not at first. When first shown the Syntho-Rob (which then looked like a grouchy, jaundiced Michelin Man), Casper railed against Magnus for letting the Metal Men leave. The U.S. military had financed Doc's experiments, and he expected the robots to be at the military's beck and call. Meanwhile, Green Lantern Hal Jordan was on a mission to stop the Metals' old foe, the alien robot Z-1, and his army of Missile Men. Learning that Z-1 still wanted Tina for his queen, GL sought out the Metal Men. Unfortunately, Z-1 was aware of Jordan's plans and tricked the Metal Men into thinking the Lantern planned to destroy them. A short battle later, Jordan was unconscious (having been smothered by Gold) and Iron, Lead, Mercury, and Tina were scrap. Z-1's Missile Men then attacked, trashing Tin and absconding with Tina's remains. As Z-1 rebuilt her on the moon, Doc became aware of the Metal Men's defeat and decided he had no choice but to release Syntho-Rob 1 from its protective crystalline cube 24 hours ahead of schedule. Only "The Inheritor" of the Metal Men's place could save Earth from Z-1. When the crystal opened, the pudgy android was gone, having morphed into a tall, muscular being with flowing white hair. It wore a black "onesie" with blue highlights. It was open to expose the android's massive yellow plastic chest. Completing The Inheritor's wardrobe were red metal wrist bands, belt, and boots. Magnus told the now-impressed Casper The Inheritor's secret: unlike the Metal Men, its responsometer was devoid of feelings and humanity. "I learn from my mistakes, General Casper," Doc said. "I won't put another robot through the anguish I've caused my first robot band." The Inheritor could not be hurt, physically or emotionally. The Inheritor set out for the moon, but in the meantime, Gold, with the aid of GL's ring, rebuilt his fellow robots. They raced to the moon, freed Tina, and tricked the Missile Men into blasting away their own creator. As the metal band returned to Earth, they ran into The Inheritor, who decided with Z-1 gone, they were the next threat to be eliminated. It might well have destroyed them if Magnus, horrified by what his new creation was doing, had not ordered it to stand down. Next, the Metals were attacked at their new apartment by Casper and his men. Vowing they would never be anyone's property again, they dropped a roof on the Army and fled to the United Nations. There, they sought the help of Diana (Wonder Woman) Prince. She introduced them to attorney Crystal Carpenter, who arranged for a hearing on having the robots declared "citizens of the world". Doc attended the hearing, along with Casper (who apparently was suffering a bad case of Thunderbolt Ross-itis) and The Inheritor. Casper snarled, "the Army paid for those machines and no bunch of peaceniks is going to steal them away." As Gold presented his case to the UN, Casper ordered The Inheritor to shut up the "traitor". The android went to work destroying the Metal Men and declared its intent to rule the inferior human race. All seemed lost until Lead took a flame blast meant for Mercury. While The Inheritor was still pondering the illogic of Lead's sacrifice, Mercury "poured" his liquid metal form down the android's throat, shorting it out from the inside. With the menace over, the Metal Men were granted their "citizens of the world" status. And then, the Metal Men were gone, victims of sluggish sales. Casper would pop up again soon in an issue of FIRESTORM, a new series that would not survive the coming DC Implosion. The METAL MEN title was replaced on the publication schedule by CLAW THE UNCONQUERED, another book doomed by the Implosion. The Inheritor has not been seen, or (AFAIK) even mentioned, since METAL MEN #56, and given the presence of the Pre-Crisis Diana Prince (and the fact that the robots' citizenship status has been ignored), it is likely its story is not considered part of continuity. This could be easily changed, however, as Diana can be removed without affecting the story in the least. Perhaps, when a new METAL MEN book is launched, a Syntho-Rob 2 will arise to trouble the robots anew. |
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Nuadha
Member |
posted September 13, 2004 07:39 AM
Since they were just discussed in another thread, I need to bring them up: Six Pack |
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Nuadha
Member |
posted September 13, 2004 08:02 AM
Checking to see if my favorite obscure New God, Lonar, was on the list, I noticed that a lot of obscure Fourth World characters are missing. I started a list of them to be added, but remembered this list from New Gods Library: http://fastbak.tripod.com/charlist.htm |
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Hellstone 1
Member |
posted September 14, 2004 03:01 AM
Originally posted by Nuadha: Since they were just discussed in another thread, I need to bring them up: "super-heroes" from HITMAN's Section Eight: Six Pack Jean de Baton Dog-welder Friendly Fire Bueno Excellente I loved those guys. But you forgot Flemgem, Shakes, and Defenestrator. /ola |
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Nuadha
Member |
posted September 14, 2004 05:06 AM
I knew there were several I was missing. OK, I got another obscure one to add to the list: FIREFIST, THE INCENDIARY MAN (BLUE BEETLE #1-2) - Lyle Byrnes was a researcher at a lab in Chicago that specialized in Pyrotechnics. In an accident, the lab caught fire and turned into a blazing inferno. Lyle Byrnes was trapped under burning rubble. The firemen who came in to save him were unable to reach him. He pleaded for help but the fire was too great and the firemen needed to leave. He survived the fire due to a weak floor (presumably falling through it), but was horribly burned and disfigured. To get revenge on the men he felt had abandoned him, he created a fire-proof suit which was able to shoot a liquid a lot like the legendary Greek Fire. With this suit, he began setting fires to the homes of firemen and the fire stations. |
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Hellstone 1
Member |
posted September 14, 2004 05:30 AM
Firefist last appeared in ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #608 (November 2002), as one of several super-villains assembled by Manchester Black to attack friends of Clark Kent. /ola |
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Nuadha
Member |
posted September 14, 2004 05:35 AM
Neat. Does anyone know any other appearances? Is he still obsessed with avenging himself on firemen? If so, why did he join with Manchester Black and attack Superman? Does he still have the same suit, or did they "Neron him up" a few notches so he could challenge the Man of Steel? |
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Hellstone 1
Member |
posted September 14, 2004 06:00 AM
Originally posted by Nuadha: If so, why did he join with Manchester Black and attack Superman? The villains in this arc were all mind-controlled and didn't know why they did what they did. /ola |
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Unclesam007
Member |
posted October 09, 2004 11:35 PM
The Tempter, Star-Breaker, and that being that Dr. Fate called upon in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #100!!! Super-Chief had a problem according to SWAMP THING, and yes, Captain Compass, Roy Raymond TV Detective, Mr. Mystic, and the Ghost Patrol. The Gay or Grim Ghost also from SENSATION COMICS. |
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Eclipso13
Member |
posted October 10, 2004 09:40 AM
Does anyone have any info about Mal? I picked up SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS #4 (Nov-Dec 1976) yesterday, and in the previews section in the back, there is a hero named Mal with the Teen Titans. Issue #44 shows him and the Titans fighting Dr. Light. He is an African-American wearing a costume that looks like the Guardian's. |
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Hellstone 1
Member |
posted October 19, 2004 10:10 AM
I just posted this in the "Seventh Metal Man" thread, but realized it would fit here as well. This is a list and a brief backstory of some of the more obscure Metal Men members: Uranium was Doc Magnus' first robot and Agantha was his silver
"girlfriend". They fought the Metal Men and the Atom in The Brave And The Bold #55: The evil team. When Platinum created a Doc Magnus robot to love, the
robot turned out to be evil and created new Metal Men who defeated the old ones.
However, Platinum saved the day and the evil robots were destroyed: Nameless, created by Tin as a companion. (He always called her
"Beautiful" or "Precious".) Nameless went missing for years until she and Tin
were reunited and even got married, shortly before she sacrificed her "life": The substitute team. Doc Magnus once created a back-up team for the
original Metal Men. These were just as good as the originals but even had some
further abilities to outshine them. The originals didn't like them at all. When
the newbies were possessed by an alien named Darzz the Dictator, the originals
were able to defeat them in combat: The counterpart team. Created by Magnus as companions to the originals.
However, they never got along. All the females were destroyed when they fell into
a crack in the Earth. The male platinum robot later returned as a villain: The Plutonium Man was a creation of Doc Magnus during the time that he
suffered from a nervous breakdown. Loaded with Doc's destructive feelings and
personality, the Plutonium Man went berzerk before being destroyed. Once he had
an element-shifting drone to help him commit his evil deeds: The Inheritor (a.k.a. Syntho-Rob One.) Built by Doc Magnus when the
Metal Men had deserted him. Inheritor was stronger than all the other Metal Men
combined, but had a faulty responsometer that made him commit evil deeds. He was
destroyed by Mercury who short-circuited his electric wires with his own liquid body: Tungsten. Tungsten II was a robot servant invented by Doc Magnus that had
no free will as the Metal Men had. He was destroyed by the Candlemaker during the
latter's battle with the Doom Patrol: Tantalum. A robot that was only used as a school example: /ola
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theatom
Member |
posted October 19, 2004 08:00 PM
Originally posted by Eclipso13: Does anyone have any info about Mal? I picked up SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS #4 (Nov-Dec 1976) yesterday, and in the previews section in the back, there is a hero named Mal with the Teen Titans. Issue #44 shows him and the Titans fighting Dr. Light. He is an African-American wearing a costume that looks like the Guardian's. I believe you are referring to Mal Duncan, a former Teen Titan. Also known as "Hornblower", "The Guardian", and as "Herald". Check out the following links:
http://www.angelfire.com/ks/RoyToys/hornblower.html
<-- Good write up here |
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outpost2
Member |
posted October 24, 2004 08:00 PM
OK, Captain Atom is all typed up, but I still need to proofread it, so I need one more day for that. (I have minimal info on CAPTAIN ATOM #86-89, and CHARLTON BULLSEYE #1-2, so the synopses are a little skimpy on those issues.) For now, I'll just post what I have for the golden age Blue Beetle, who probably isn't part of the continuity of the second and third Beetles. For that reason, I didn't spend too much time on a history of the character. I'll try to get to the other Charlton Action Heroes in a timely fashion, posting them in the order that they debuted. Next up after Captain Atom is Blue Beetle II, hopefully in two weeks. |
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outpost2
Member |
posted October 24, 2004 08:00 PM
THE CHARLTON ACTION HEROES (part one) BLUE BEETLE I Real Name: Daniel "Dan" Garrett Fox Appearances: Newspaper Appearances: Radio Appearances: Charlton Appearances: I.W. Enterprises/Super Comics Appearances: Americomics Appearances: History: With the help of a pharmacist friend, Dr. Franz, police officer Dan Garrett acquires temporary super-powers from a secret experimental substance called Vitamin 2-X. The amazing Vitamin 2-X bestows upon its user such powers as super-strength, rapid healing, increased speed, heightened senses, and enhanced intelligence. Garrett dons a costume made of a bullet-proof chain-mail and becomes the Blue Beetle. In 1942, Sparkington J. Northrup becomes the Blue Beetle's boy sidekick, Sparky, wearing a simplified version of the Beetle's costume. |
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outpost2
Member |
posted October 25, 2004 08:00 PM
THE CHARLTON ACTION HEROES (part two) CAPTAIN ATOM Real Name: Allen Adam Charlton Appearances: In 1977-1978, Modern Promotions reprinted many Charlton Comics including: Captain Atom #83, Captain Atom #84, Captain Atom #85. Americomics Appearances: DC Appearances (Earth-4 only): History: SPACE ADVENTURES [1st series] #33 (March 1960) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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 spac |
