Finding the Forgotten Heroes

So, if you've been reading along, you've learned about DC's Forgotten Heroes....




....but, where to find reprints of those characters?




Sadly, Immortal Man and Dolphin haven't been collected anywhere but their original solo appearances in Strange Adventures and Showcase, but here are the rest of the team...

Rip Hunter

Rip Hunter's first appearance from Showcase #20 (May-June, 1959) can be found in World's Finest Comics #225 (September-October, 1974)...


....under the Nick Cardy cover that was the inspiration for the mock-up above.

Rip Hunter, Time Master #6 (January-February, 1962) was collected in the 52: The Companion tradepaperback of 2007, and Rip Hunter, Time Master #11 (November-December, 1962) was reprinted in World's Finest Comics #227 (January-February, 1975)...

...and Rip's four Showcase appearances along with the first 15 issues of Rip Hunter, Time Master...


...are collected in black and white in Showcase Presents: Rip Hunter: Time Master Volume 1, which gets readers about half of Rip's original adventures!




Sadly, we are lacking in reprints of Rip Hunter and his team in their green uniforms, which they didn't adopt until later.




  

Sea Devils

Dane Dorrance and his underwater team found one half of Sea Devils #1 (September-October, 1961) reprinted in Action Comics #437 (July, 1974), along with a few other reprints...


....and a new story with Superman, Green Arrow, Flash and Green Lantern fighting a magical menace all under a Nick Cardy cover!

Half of Sea Devils #3 (January-February, 1962) found it's way into Action Comics #443 (January, 1975), along with a few other reprints, and a new story with Superman and the Justice League (including Flash, Atom, Green Arrow, Black Canary and Red Tornado), facing off against Grodd, Chronos, Merlyn and more, also under a Nick Cardy cover!

The Sea Devils had their 3 Showcase issues and first 16 issues collected in black and white in the Showcase Presents: The Sea Devils Volume 1. 

Congorilla 

Congo Bill will likely get coverage of his own, but his first body switching with Congorilla from Action Comics #248 (January, 1959) was reprinted in the Weird Secret Origins of 2004, which was itself reprinted in DC Universe: Secret Origins HC of 2012, and  DC Universe: Secret Origins tradepaperback of 2013.

Congorilla's story from Action Comics #252 (May, 1959) was reprinted along with the first appearance of Supergirl and Metallo in the DC Silver Age Classics Action Comics #252 of 1992 and the Millennium Edition: Action Comics #252 of 2000.


Congorilla's time in "The One-Ape Circus" of Action Comics #259 (December, 1959) was reprinted in World's Finest Comics #150 (June, 1965), under a wild Superman/Batman cover by Curt Swan and George Klein.

"Congorilla's Last Stand: from Action Comics #261 (February, 1960) made it into World's Finest Comics #151 (August, 1965), with an even odder cover by Curt Swan and George Klein.

Congorilla's story of "The Ninth Wonder" from Adventure Comics #270 (March, 1960) was reprinted in World's Finest Comics #148 (March, 1965), with yet another Curt Swan/George Klein cover.

"The Congorilla In Space" story from Adventure Comics #276 (September, 1960) was reprinted in World's Finest Comics #149 (May, 1965), with an ominous Curt Swan/George Klein cover.

It's also worth noting that Congorilla and Congo Bill's aid with Superman's battle with Brainiac from Action Comics #280 (September, 1961) was reprinted in color in Superman Family #168 (December-January, 1974/1975)...


...also under a Nick Cardy cover!

Animal Man

Buddy Baker's first appearance from Strange Adventures #180 (September, 1965) has been reprinted a few times, once in Adventure Comics #412 (November, 1971) under a Supergirl cover by Bob Oksner, and along with the origin of Congorilla in the Weird Secret Origins of 2004, which was itself reprinted in DC Universe: Secret Origins HC of 2012, and DC Universe: Secret Origins TPB of 2013.

Buddy's second appearance from Strange Adventures #184 (January, 1966) made it into Adventure Comics #414 (January, 1972) under a Supergirl cover by Bob Oksner.

Strange Adventures #190 (July, 1966), with the first appearance of Animal Man in costume appeared in Adventure Comics #415 (February, 1972) under another Bob Oksner Supergirl cover.



Strange Adventures #195 (December, 1966) saw its Animal Man story reprinted in Adventure Comics #420 (June, 1972) under an infamous Supergirl cover by Bob Oksner.

Strange Adventures #201 (June, 1967) took the longest to see the Animal Man story reprinted, being collected in the DC Goes Ape tradepaperback of 2008, along with reprints of other famous gorilla stories, featuring Grodd, Titano and more, all under an Art Adams cover you'll surely go ape over!



These Animal Man stories could all easily fit in a 100 page reprint...

...and even include Dolphin's one and only solo story, and maybe room for a little more, like one of Immortal Man's original stories!

Enchantress

A quick side note, as one of the leaders of the Forgotten Villains, the Enchantress, saw her origin from Strange Adventures #187 (April, 1966) reprinted in the Weird Secret Origins of 2004, which was itself reprinted in DC Universe: Secret Origins hardcover of 2012, and  DC Universe: Secret Origins tradepaperback of 2013, as well as in Adventure Comics #417 (March, 1972) under a Bob Oksner Supergirl cover.

Enchantress' second (of three) solo appearances, from Strange Adventures #191 (August, 1966) was reprinted in Adventure Comics #419 (May, 1972) under a Supergirl cover by Bob Oksner (and maybe these explain why Enchantress was revived in Superman Family to face Supergirl later....), sadly not seeing Strange Adventures #200's Enchantress tale reprinted at all (and Enchantress making the cover, but not the inside of a Supergirl Giant, Adventure Comics #416).

Suicide Squad and Cave Carson

Sadly, DC's fighting forces of the Suicide Squad only saw one issue reprinted so far, that being half of the issue from Brave and the Bold #38 (October-November, 1961), reprinted in the Best of DC #26 (July, 1982) under a Jim Aparo cover, but DC is promising a collection of all six of the Brave and the Bold Suicide Squad issues in 2016 (but, wouldn't it be great if this collection included the 3 solo Enchantress tales from the 1960s as well?). 

Cave Carson's only reprint (from his first appearance in Showcase #31 of August-September, 1960) was also reprinted in the Best of DC #26 (July, 1982).  Wouldn't you dig a collection of his 8 original stories from Brave and the Bold and Showcase?

The nice thing is, the gathering of the Forgotten Heroes (Action Comics #545, #552 and #553) are all reprinted in the Adventures of Superman: Gil Kane hardcover of 2013.

Now, if we could just get a collection of early appearances of the Monitor from the Crisis on Infinite Earths, we could see a collection of DC Comics Presents #77 and #78 (which also features the beginnings of the Forgotten Villains, led by the Enchantress, and including villains from the Sea Devils and Rip Hunter!).