Remembering Artist Murphy Anderson

Remembering artist Murphy Anderson on his birthday (July 9, 1926 - October 22, 2015) with a pair of Hawkman covers....#9 (August-September, 1965), featuring a team up with the Atom, and #18 (February-March, 1967), featuring a team up with Adam Strange.

Celebrating Artist Steve Lieber

Celebrating the birthday of artist Steve Lieber (May 19, 1967) with a couple of his covers featuring Hawkman (appropriate for someone who attended the Joe Kubert School)...as Hawkman's history went from mildly crazy to really intense with Zero Hour, from Hawkman #10 and #11 (June and July, 1994).

Celebrating Artist Jerry Ordway

Celebrating artist Jerry Ordway's birthday (November 28, 1957), with a pair of Secret Origins covers that represent his career as well.

Jerry's earliest work involved both the All-Star Squadron and Infinity, Inc. (heavily focused on Earth-2, and the Justice Society of America), so the Hawkman/Power Girl cover shows that nicely.  After these issues, Jerry also spent many a year working on Superman titles (not to mention inking the Golden Age Superman in Crisis On Infinite Earths), so these covers are nice to help to sum up years of joy at looking at the work of Jerry Ordway, not only from the 1980s, but even today, as this variant Justice Society of America cover shows!

 

Happy Birthday Zatanna And Gardner Fox

According to the DC Calendar, today is the birthday of that mistress of magic, Zatanna...as well as the birthday of her creator, author Gardner Fox.  

That little bit of magic says what better time to look back at the saga that introduced Zatanna...the search for Zatara, her father!

Hawkman and Detective Comics

It all started in Hawkman #4 (October-November, 1964) by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, as Hawkman met Zatanna, and Hawkgirl met Zatanna....and the Hawks had to bring these two together (Zatanna had accidentally split herself in two using her magic to try to find her father).  Later, in Gotham City, Batman and Robin fought a witch in Detective Comics #336 (February, 1965) by Gardner Fox, Sheldon Moldoff and Joe Giella, who was manipulated into fighting the dynamic duo by the Outsider...but, what does this have to do with Zatanna?

Atom and Green Lantern

With her first cover appearance in Atom #19 (June-July, 1965) by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane and Sid Greene, Zatanna recruits the Atom for help in reaching the subatomic world of Catamoore, where she thinks she can find her father.  When the duo arrive there, they battle an old foe of Zatara's, the Druid, who claims to have stolen Zatara's magic and banish him.  They defeat the Druid, but, Zatanna must continue her quest.  Green Lantern helps out next, in Green Lantern #42 (January, 1966) by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane and Sid Greene, where Hal gets a magical power boost to his ring from Zatanna, ends up in another magical dimension (Ys), where Zatara had been sent by the Druid.  There, Green Lantern and Zatanna face the Warlock, but find Zatara had already left with the Warlock of Ys' crystal ball.

Detective Comics and Justice League Of America

Stretching things a bit, Zatanna gets help from the Elongated Man in Detective Comics #355 (September, 1966) by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino, where Ralph helps her find the book of I-Ching, which will help Zatanna find her father in the dark realms.  Zatanna finally finds her father in Justice League Of America #51 (February, 1967) by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Sid Greene, and defeats Allura (an evil elemental who caused the problem) with the help of magical duplicates of the heroes who helped her before (revealing she was the witch who bedeviled the Batman), but is nice enough to gather the real heroes to thank them for their help!

Zatanna's origins

After all that adventure, a look back at the origins of Zatanna and her father, Zatanna, including how John Zatara first learned his backward magic, and how Zatanna discovered her father was missing in a special tale originally from DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #5 (November-December, 1980) by Gerry Conway, Romeo Tanghal and Vince Colletta, rounds out the collection of JLA: Zatanna's Search (2004), which has a cover by Brian Bolland.

Now, if DC would just collect these stories again, perhaps adding Zatanna's back ups from Adventure Comics, Lois Lane, Supergirl and the Zatanna Special....it would be magic!

Happy Birthday Artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez

 

Happiest of birthdays to artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez!

Jose has done many covers (and interiors) for DC over the years, and these are two of his more recent (well, 21st Century) homages, based on classic Silver Age covers to honor editor Julie Schwartz, who used the idea of creating a cover then having a story built around it.

Hawkman #6 (February-March, 1965)

DC Comics Presents: Hawkman #1 (September, 2004)

Original cover by Murphy Anderson, 2004 cover by JLGL, inked by Kevin Nowlan.

Justice League of America #53 (May, 1967)

DC Comics Presents: Justice League of America #1 (October, 2004)

Original cover by Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson, 2004 cover by JLGL.

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez has done many covers over the decades, ranging from DC Comics Presents, Superman, Flash, Hercules Unbound and more, and looking forward to even more!

 

  

Wanted Dr. Clever Gentleman Ghost Dr. Glisten Captain Cold Mister Who

E. Nelson Bridwell didn't make it easy for future comic historians.  While it was great seeing stories of Johnny Quick, Hawkman, Hourman, Flash and Dr. Fate in Wanted, The World's Most Dangerous Villains, these villains he chose for the seventh and eight issue....

Doctor Clever....Gentleman Ghost (okay, not a bad choice, but he isn't on the Nick Cardy cover!)....Doctor Glisten....Captain Cold (good one there!)....and Mister Who!

Still, here there are!

The Adventure Of The Human Streak

First up for the seventh issue of Wanted from More Fun Comics #76 (February, 1942) by Mort Weisinger and Mort Meskin is the story of Johnny Quick facing a new speedy menace, thanks to his reoccurring foe, Dr. Clever (under an original cover of Dr. Fate by Howard Sherman)!


Johnny Quick's foe, Dr. Clever, fakes his own hanging in prison to get free, and continue his war with his foe. Dr. Clever has a new trick up his sleeve, a ray that gives whomever he shines it upon super-speed, and uses it on his henchman, Breezy.

After sending Breezy on a looting spree, Dr. Clever has his man confront Johnny Quick in the ring (as Johnny was using his speed formula in a boxing exposition to raise money for the USO).  Breezy beats Johnny, and Dr. Clever takes him back to his lab, where he leaves Johnny in a heated cage to perish.  Johnny gets a little extra boost from his speed formula, frees himself, and is able to defeat both Breezy and Dr. Clever.

Dr. Clever had faced Johnny before in More Fun Comics #74, and would return in More Fun Comics #78 and #89, while Johnny Quick would eventually go on to Adventure Comics (with many of these tales reprinted, and later, be a focus of the retroactive comic, the All-Star Squadron).

The Crimes That Couldn't Have Happened

Next up, is a tale of Hawkman and his invisible foe, the Gentleman Ghost (so invisible he didn't make the cover) from Flash Comics #90 (December, 1947) by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert (with original Flash cover by Carmine Infantino and Frank Giacoia).


Gentleman Ghost returns (his first appearance reprinted in Secret Origins #1), this time having taking the loot from a locked bank vault.  Hawkman and Hawkgirl spring into action, finding out he had taken the jewels before it was placed into the vault.

The Gentleman Ghost strikes again, taking a pharaoh's ruby from a museum, but his gives Hawkman a hint how to trap his foe.  Posing as archeologists having just returned from Africa with a precious gem, the Gentleman Ghost tries to rob the Hawks, who had a phony gem rigged with a camera to take his picture.  In battle with the Ghost, he tries a weapon on the Hawks, which explodes on him, and he disappears.  Checking the camera footage, Carter and Shiera still are unsure whether he was really a ghost.

Gentleman Ghost would return, to face not only the Golden Age Hawkman, but the Silver Age Hawkman as well, revealing that he really was the ghost of Gentleman Jim Craddock! 

Dr. Glisten

The last adventure in issue seven was from Adventure Comics #72 (March, 1942 under a Starman cover by Jack Burnley) with an Hourman (Rex Tyler, the man with power for an hour) story by Ken Fitch and Bernard Baily, featuring his foe, Dr. Glisten.

While patrolling, Hourman comes across a hit and run that was really a kidnapping, taking submarine Captain Frank Preston.  The Captain was taken by Dr. Glisten, who used his hypnotic powers to enslave himself a submarine crew, who he planned to use on his own submarine to loot the seas and blame it on enemy subs.  Hourman tracks down the villain, and puts the lights out on his nefarious scheme.

This was the only appearance of Dr. Glisten, but Hourman had many adventures in Adventure Comics with quite a few of them being reprinted.

The Big Freeze

Wanted #8 starts off with more recent villain, that of Captain Cold, and his second story from Flash #114 (August, 1960) by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson (under an original cover by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella).


Leonard Snart was up for parole, with Iris West taking Barry Allen there so she could testify. 

Barry then appeared as Flash to testify as well, recommending Captain Cold not be let go.  The prison board agreed, but Snart was able to escape anyway with a refrigeration device he had made.  As Captain Cold, Snart approached Iris West, who informed him she wouldn't have anything to do with him even if he was the last man on Earth.  Captain Cold worked on that, with a new device that froze everyone in Central City except those two.  Barry, being outside of the city, heard of its plight, and sped home as the Flash, breaking through the ice barrier surrounding the city.  Inside, Flash faced off against Captain Cold's cold illusions and real ice threats to knock out his foe, and with Iris' help, turn off the device freezing Central City.

Captain Cold had faced Barry before during his original Showcase run (reprinted in Treasury form), and would repeatedly return to face the Flash!

Mr. Who

Last but not least for the eighth issue, is the first appearance of Mister Who from More Fun Comics #73 (November, 1941) by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman, with Sherman also providing the original cover with Doctor Fate!



Dr. Fate shows up to stop hoods from robbing a museum, but their boss, Mr. Who, gets the painting he wanted and escapes. 

Dr. Fate finds Mr. Who's headquarters, and confronts him, but is surprised by the power of Mr. Who, enhanced by Solution Z, which gives him powers of strength, regeneration, growth and camouflage.  Capturing Dr. Fate, Mr. Who tells him the tale of how he was a sickly youth, and developed Solution Z to give himself a new lease on life.  Leaving Dr. Fate to face a giant spider, Mr. Who goes out to steal a diamond.  Dr. Fate escapes the spider, tracks down Mr. Who, and faces him on a boat, where Dr. Fate (still not use to his lesser power with his half helmet), throws Mr. Who through the boat, to the bottom of the lake.

Mr. Who would return a few more times in More Fun Comics (only reprinted in the Doctor Fate Archives), and even later, as a member of the Monster Society of Evil (facing Hawkgirl, Hourman, Dr. Fate and Sandy) introduced during the Crisis during World War II (and tying in with the next issue of Wanted).

Proceeding to the end of Wanted, having Batman, Flash and Golden Age stories (though no Golden Age Flash) with one more issue left (though the letter pages didn't foreshadow this).  Hope was still there, with possible promises of new stories, and perhaps an all female issue of Wanted, with Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Cheetah or the Huntress!

Wanted Dummy Nyarl-Amen Human Fly Bandits Solomon Grundy Master Man

More E. Nelson Bridwell goodness from the past, as shown on these Nick Cardy covers for Wanted: The World's Most Dangerous Villains #3 (November, 1972) and #4 (December, 1972).

This time, it is foes of Vigilante, Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Green Lantern and Kid Eternity....all from the Golden Age, with villains of the Dummy, Nyarl-Amen, the Human Fly Bandits, Solomon Grundy and Master Man.

The Little Men Who Were There

First up, the first story reprinted in Wanted #3 is Action Comics #69 (February, 1944) by Joe Samachson, Mort Meskin and Joe Kubert, featuring the western Vigilante and his foe....the Dummy (though the original cover by Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye featured Superman fighting the Prankster!).

The Dummy was a small man, with a big evil intellect, who after finishing a train robbery, sent a message to Vigilante about his next robbery....he was going to heist a flying plane! 

Vigilante (Greg Sanders) and Stuff the Chinatown Kid got aboard that plane to keep it safe, but the Dummy and his men used a shrinking ray at their blacksmith headquarters.  The Dummy and his men were hidden in a crate on the plane, and enlarged to go after the diamonds on the plane, and escaped via parachute.  Vigilante and Stuff followed them back to their HQ, but that was the Dummy's plan....so he could use the shrink ray on them!  After a fight with a chicken (!!!), Vigilante and Stuff turned the tables on the villains and shrunk them, defeating them easily.  Then, they presented the villains to the police...in a parakeet cage!

The Dummy was the only villain from the third issue who appeared outside the tale reprinted, featuring in issues of Leading Comics with the Seven Soldiers of Victory, as well as facing Vigilante in other issues of Action Comics (sadly no other Vigilante/Dummy stories were reprinted).

The Fish-Men Of Nyarl-Amen

Next up is the Doctor Fate reprint from More Fun Comics #65 (March, 1941) by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman (though Bernard Baily's Spectre was on the cover). 

Here, the Doctor faced the ancient foe of Nyarl-Amen!

Nyarl-Amen were fishmen from the sea who ruled over 50,000 years ago, and Dr. Fate saw them attacking a Hawaiian naval base in the here and now!  The fish-men attacked the soldiers with ancient mystic weapons, but Doctor Fate drove them off.  Doctor Fate followed them to their undersea home, where he found that Nyarl-Amen was gathering information on the worlds' armies to plan an attack against mankind.  Using his ancient sorcery, he fought Nyarl-Amen, who perished falling on his own sword, with Dr. Fate destroying the city of the fish-men to end their ancient evil.

The Human Fly Bandits

Last but not least of the first issue of reprints, is a Hawkman/Hawkgirl tale from Flash Comics #100 (October, 1948) by John Broome and Joe Kubert (with a Kubert Hawkman cover no less!). 


The flying duo faced The Human Fly Bandits!

John Rotor was the villain of the story, and he was kidnapping Professor Garvey (an inventor friend of Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders) when the alter egos of Hawkman and Hawkgirl came upon the crime, and stopped Rotor from kidnapping Garvey in their heroic alter egos (though they had to chase a car up a building to do it!).  The professor had invented a way to deny gravity via gyroscope and the Human Fly Gang wanted it.  Rotor and his men were tracked by Hawkman and Hawkgirl, but the gang overpowered them using their new walking on walls gimmick.  Captured, Hawkgirl was placed in a giant thermometer, with Hawkman fighting to get a chemical before being thrown in with her.  The plan was to use a heating plate, and have the mercury suffocate them as it rose from the heat.  But, Hawkman got a chemical that would explode in contact with the mercury, which it did, allowing the Hawks to escape, then capture the villains (though they destroyed the professor's gyroscopic car in the process).

Fighters Never Quit

First up for the fourth issue of Wanted is All-American Comics #61 (October, 1944) by Alfred Bester and Paul Reimman (who also drew the cover), it must have been Monday, featuring the debut of Solomon Grundy and his first battle against Green Lantern Alan Scott!



Cyrus Gold was an old thief who died in Slaughter Swamp 50 years before this story.  Escaping hoods wandering the depths of Slaughter Swamp outside of Gotham found a reanimating corpse...who could articulate enough to say he was born on Monday (which gave them the idea to name him Solomon Grundy). 

Getting non-prison attire on Tuesday, the new gang went to rob a jewelry story on Wednesday, facing Alan Scott (at least until the gang pulled out guns, at which point Alan left to become Green Lantern).  Solomon Grundy proved invulnerable to Green Lantern's mystic ring (which was only vulnerable to wood), and with his tremendous strength beat Green Lantern.  Going over the battle with his pal, Doiby Dickles, Alan found out that Solomon Grundy dropped the silver ring of Cyrus Gold in a robbery (Gold having died 50 years ago, escaping police in Slaughter Swamp...his body was the basis of Solomon Grundy).  After Solomon Grundy had a looting spree on Thursday, Green Lantern confronted him again, where the giant nearly killed Green Lantern!  Dazed, Doiby tried to confront Solomon Grundy on his own on Friday (with Alan eventually recovering and going to help on Saturday....but he forgot his Power Ring!).  Fighting Grundy in a trainyard, Green Lantern was able to trick Grundy in front of a train, perhaps spelling an end to Solomon Grundy as the sun rose on a Sunday.....

Only this and Grundy's JSA appearance from the Golden Age have been reprinted, but his Silver Age appearances (against Dr. Fate and Hourman, and two battles against the JLA and JSA have been).  Grundy would soon become very popular, facing Superman in his title and becoming a member of the Legion of Doom on the Super Friends cartoon.

Master Man

The last story of the fourth issue is from Kid Eternity #15 (May, 1949) by William Woolfolk and Al Bryant (with an original cover by Al Bryant)...

....featuring the debut of Master Man, evil foe of Kid Eternity and his helper, Mr. Keeper!



As Kid Eternity could summon dead heroes to help him by saying "Eternity", Master Man was empowered by the devil to bring up dead villains for more dastardly deeds by saying "Stygia". 

Outside a prison, Master Man first summoned evil Russian Rasputin to break into a prison (where Kid Eternity and Mr. Keeper brought up coach Knute Rockne for help).  Foiling Master Man's plans, the devil bid him to kidnap Kid Eternity, and use the Spanish Inquisition's main torturer, Torquemada, against the kid.  Fighting free after being found by Mr. Keeper, Kid Eternity summoned Will Rogers for help....then Master Man summoned Mongol Batu Khan, whom Kid Eternity had face European Charles Martel...with Kid Eternity eventually beating Master Man...who was dragged to hell via a fissure because of his failure.

Master Man would later return with other Satanically influenced villains to face the Marvel Family and Kid Eternity in two digest issues of Adventure Comics (the Marvel Family's last solo tales before the Crisis On Infinite Earths).

E. Nelson Bridwell seemed to be picking favorites here, as both Vigilante and Kid Eternity would have their Secret Origins featured in a soon to debut new reprint title that he edited, and the Hawkman and Dr. Fate stories were more for the heroes (though Green Lantern was a big thing).  The letters' pages promised if there was enough demand, new stories would be possible, but later issues didn't prove that out (but, unlike the first two issues, these were all Golden Age stories!).

JSA Vs The Marvel Family Crisis In WWII

To be fair, even though this issue involved heroes from different Earths, there was no Crisis here.  But, what the issues did have was a historic meeting, with members of the greatest hero team of World War II meeting with the youngsters who had the power of Shazam, all within the confines of the retroactive continuity of the All-Star Squadron, which, meant that this meeting was taking place while many Earths were facing the threat of World War II!

Thunder Over London

The story all started in All-Star Squadron #36 (August, 1984, by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Richard Howell, with cover by Buckler and Jerry Ordway), with some of the members of the Justice Society of America (Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkman, Superman and Wonder Woman) watching a newsreel about a new "Super-Nazi" causing havoc over London...and even besting London's protector, the Shining Knight! 

All set to charge off to face this new menace, Plastic Man instead shows up to get the heroes to meet with the President instead, as Superman sees at a newsstand that this new menace resembles the comic book hero, Captain Marvel (and charges off to England anyway).  The other heroes still head to the White House (just missing a boy with a crutch and a young girl).  In Germany, Hitler plans with his new pawn, this Captain Marvel, how best to attack the allies (and that Hitler has Billy Batson prisoner....but, how?  Doesn't Captain Marvel come into existence in place of Billy when Billy says Shazam?  Why is he working with the Nazis?  What is that Spear of Destiny). 

FDR meets with the other heroes and sends them after Superman.  In England, Superman meets the recovering Shining Knight, and then goes to fight Captain Marvel.  The Superman vs. Captain Marvel battle goes evenly, with Captain Marvel retreating, but thankfully the JSA shows up to stop Superman from following (which would have led him into the mystic barrier Hitler set up with the Spear of Destiny that would allow Hitler to take control of any magic based or magic vulnerable hero, like Superman).  The heroes land in London, where they meet Freddy and Mary (the young boy and girl), who say their magic words and become....Captain Marvel Jr. and Mary Marvel!

Lightning In Berlin

All-Star Squadron #37 (September, 1984 by Roy Thomas, Arvell Jones and Richard Howell, with cover by Rick Hoberg and Jerry Ordway) picks up where the last issue left off....with Superman, upset from his battle with Captain Marvel, thinks about attacking the two younger Marvels, until Batman convinces him to stop (though Green Lantern and Junior and Wonder Woman and Mary skirmish a little as Superman doesn't quickly stop).  Mary explains how she just got her powers (in a world where they aren't comic book characters) and the three Marvels were flying when Captain Marvel disappeared.  Mary and Junior went to the old Wizard (Shazam) at the Rock of Eternity, who gave them enough information to track Cap here, and they were looking for help.  The heroes plan to go to Germany, but Mary and Junior change back to Mary and Freddy, and only Batman, Flash, Hawkman and Plastic Man can go to Germany (as magic heroes would fall under Hitler's Spear of Destiny spell).

At Hitler's headquarters, the heroes find Billy Batson...and are found by Hitler and Captain Marvel!  Hitler explains that he had his scientist, Hans Gootsden bring Captain Marvel to this Earth, and split Billy from Cap, with Cap under Hitler's control.  Gootsden does the same to Mary and Freddy, taking control of the Shazam powered Mary and Junior. 

The now controlled Marvel Family take a bomb from Hitler's arsenal, with the plan to fly and drop it on London.  The heroes  and alter egos escape, following along to London, where they are shot down.  Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern stop the bomb and fight Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr....and looks like the heroes nearly lose.  Meanwhile, the others are nearly shot...until the previous six show up and save them (inexplicably, the Marvel Family fell out of Hitler's influence...by flying Billy, Mary and Freddy out of Hitler's Spear of Destiny control).  The evil plan defeated, Billy guesses that if the three Marvels and their alter egos all say their magic words, they'd go home and be restored to normal....which they do (and readers guess they did!), as the JSAers and Plastic Man head home.

Green Lantern does learn that Cap was okay, as he ends up on Captain Marvel's Earth during World War II (and the Crisis On Infinite Earths, soon after the JSA was sent into hyperspace by Harbinger), and much later, after the Earths start to get designations (starting with the first JLA/JSA crossover), the Earth-1 Superman and Earth-S Captain Marvel meet as well.  This caps a little review, and a rare Earth to Earth crossover that did not involve Earth-1, but Earth-2 and Earth-S!

Two Face Plus Two Origins Grodd and Doctor Light

Secret origins were all the rage in comics for a time....and finding out here to now unknown facts on characters was an interesting idea.

So, when DC Super-Stars #14 (May-June, 1977) rolled around, here was a chance to explore the beginnings of two villains, Gorilla Grodd and Doctor Light, (but with different heroes helping them get their start as shown on this Jim Aparo cover), as well as the origins of the master of duality.....Two-Face!


But, there are dangers with this as well....

G -- As In Guardians, Green Lantern And Gorilla Grodd

First, a story where the Guardians of the Universe revealed unknown facts to the Green Lantern of Sector 2814 (Hal Jordan), about one of his early cases, in a story by Bob Rozakis, Rich Buckler and Bob Layton. 

Here, it was suggested that it was Green Lantern that, unknowingly, brought Gorilla Grodd, Solovar and the rest of Gorilla City to Earth, as an extension of one of his missions to the planet of Calor in Green Lantern #1 (July-August, 1960).

Nice idea, but impractical, as around this time, Flash was first encountering the Trickster in his own magazine, having encountered Grodd a while ago (and Flash and Green Lantern were co-founders of the JLA before this as well, with Flash encountering Grodd before the JLA formed).

A later telling of the origin in Secret Origins #40 (May,1989) by Cary Bates, Greg Weisman, Carmine Infantino and Mike DeCarlo, had the gorillas here on Earth mutated in the later 1800s by a meteor that crashed to Earth, and constructed a device to shield their city from outsiders after an encounter with some explorers (until Barry Allen stumbled upon the city later).

Double Take

The second story of the issue, by Jack C. Harris, Ed Davis and Josef Rubinstein, was an interesting exploration of the origins of Two-Face, looking at the career of District Attorney Harvey Dent, and how he worked with detective David Davis to take down Boss Moroni and the corruption of Gotham.  Dent learned that Maroni was really aiming for the detective when Dent was hit by Maroni's throw acid in the courtroom (the tragedy that led to Dent becoming Two-Face).  Oddly, his time as Two-Face served him well, as his two-sided coin deflected a bullet that would have killed him (and, as chance would have it, deflected into Maroni).

Consistent with his usual origins, but oddly lacking Batman in this tale (though slightly tied to his appearances in Teen Titans with his "daughter", the Joker's Daughter/Harlequin...a crazed bit of continuity confusion herself!).

Secret Origins Special #1 (1989) by Mark Verheiden, Pat Broderick and Dick Giordano, explored Harvey's relationship with his wife, his becoming district attorney and working with Batman, and tragic turn into Two-Face (yet that he still loved his wife, Grace - called Gilda, pre-Crisis, as he had recently saved her as Two-Face from Dalton Perry, a criminal Dent had put away in jail).

Let There Be Dr. Light

Last, but not least, is the story of Arthur Light, by Paul Kupperberg, Dick Ayers and Jack Abel, where Light invented a device that allowed him to transport to another planet, in this case, Thanagar, where he was able to steal technology that was based on light, which he used to fashion his villain identity of Dr. Light (imagination was not his strong point).  Dr. Light fought a young Thanagarian officer on his supposed first trip to Earth, Katar Hol, though he did not get the light devices back, so Dr. Light was still able to become a menace to the JLA, including Green Arrow, as well as the Teen Titans.

Problem arose with this story as well, as Katar Hol wasn't as available to be that Thanagarian police rookie (checking his extended origins in Brave and the Bold), and before the Crisis, the origin was amended to be "a Thanagarian police officer" who faced Dr. Light.

Secret Origins #37 (February, 1989) by Craig Boldman, Mike Parobeck and Ken Branch pull a Dr. Light of their own, stealing a thought from that past origin (but add to it and change it).  Arthur worked at S.T.A.R. Labs, but was a failure, until he stole the light costume from scientist Jacob Farley, who invented the costume to be a hero like the JLA, but died before he got a chance to.

The DC Super Stars issue also contained on page summaries (with earlier art) on Brainiac and the Shark...and provide an interesting look at the thoughts of creators in the 1970s, trying to link various heroes and villains (and serve as a nice example now, of some of the differences between the DC Universe, from pre-Crisis to after the Crisis On Infinite Earths!).