Legends Lore: Special Rip Hunter Tales

Rip Hunter was a character introduced back in Showcase at DC Comics, and he considered himself a time master, traveling to various times with his crew to explore historical mysteries....

...a little different than the character found on DC's Legends of Tomorrow....

....yet maybe not so different, as you will see from these tales from Rip Hunter's comic book past.

Prisoners Of 100 Million B.C.

The first tale of Rip Hunter, from Showcase #20 (May-June, 1959) by Jack Miller and Ruben Moreira, sees Rip assemble his team, with lab assistant Jeff Smith, his friend Bonnie Baxter and her brother, Corky Baxter.  Rip had built two time spheres, and took off in one of them with Jeff, to check out the dinosaurs.  Criminals Hoyt and Keegan break into Rip's lab, and force Bonnie and Corky to take the other Time Sphere out for a spin, ending up at the same time, but damaging their Time Sphere.  The crooks go searching for and finding Rip's sphere and hide it, but get swept away in a roaring river.  Rip and Jeff are reunited with the Baxters, and look for the hidden Time Sphere, finding it, and Rip sends Bonnie and Corky back to their home time (while taking extra parts with him as well).  Finding the criminals and braving this prehistoric world, the four men get back to the broken Time Sphere, with Rip fixing it to enable them to return home.  The first recorded time travel of Rip Hunter....and already he seems to bring more trouble with him!

The Criminal League Of Time

Rip and his crew get green uniforms in Rip Hunter, Time Master #16 (September-October, 1963 by Jack Miller and John William Ely), but seem to still get into trouble with criminals.  Lars Kreel kidnaps Corky, forcing the boy to take him to Harry Hawkins, a famous rogue highwayman.  Rip, Jeff and Bonnie follow in their second Time Sphere, but Lars, Harry and Corky have already taken off to another time period by the time Rip's team arrived.  Rip and his crew follow, finding the criminals attempting to recruit the Black Knight, with Rip dueling the rogue in place of Count de Grammond.  After the battle, Rip follows the Black Knight to Kreel and Hawkins, and one of the Time Spheres is destroyed.  Everyone races back to the other, that has Bonnie guarding it, and the villains are defeated, being returned to their correct times.

Seems alliances over time don't work well for the villains, do they?

Adolf Hitler's Greatest Secret

One of the greatest fears of time travel is it falling into the wrong hands, and, while going back to get footage of World War II, the Time Sphere is shot down on the eastern front, with the team being captured by the Nazis (all related in Rip Hunter, Time Master #20 of May-June, 1964 by Jack Miller and John William Ely).  Adolf Hitler forces Rip to retrieve Napoleon to help in his battle with the Russians, and Rip must comply or Hitler will kill Jeff.  Rip saves Napoleon from the Prussians, and returns with the leader to Hitler.  Rip and Napoleon take charge of the German army, but lead them into a trap over a frozen lake, then return to Hitler's headquarters to free Jeff, and in doing so, leave this time, and Hitler, to his fate.

 
Sometimes enemies seem to control Rip, but sometimes, Rip can control them, and usually has a plan.

George Washington -- Enemy Agent

Documents are discovered that prove that George Washington was a traitor, working against the colonies during the Revolutionary War for the British in Rip Hunter, Time Master #23 (November-December, 1964, by Jack Miller and John William Ely).  As author Brad Meltzer and his Decoded team weren't yet available, the United States sends Rip back in time to explore these new historical facts...with Rip confronting Washington, who doesn't deny the charges, and tries to capture Rip and his crew, who escape and return to their home time, with the father of their country now known as a traitor.  Rip and his crew go back to the incident in question, finding George Washington conspiring with General Cornwallis of the British Army to steal continental money.  Things look grim, until Rip inspects the money on the ship, finding it to be counterfeit.  This was part of a plan of Washington's to lure the British away from Chesapeake Bay, which Rip's interference has now threatened, but Rip disguises himself as Cornwallis, leading the British Army away, then returning to his own time, knowing Washington wasn't a traitor.

A few tales from the early days of Rip Hunter, and more information on Rip Hunter and his 1980s teammates of the Forgotten Heroes can be found here....
  
...as well as information on where to find the few reprints of Rip Hunter's original tales can be found here. 
 

With 4 issues of Showcase and 29 issues of his own title, seems to me, with the popularity of the CW's time traveling series, the Legends of Tomorrow (featuring Rip Hunter in tales related to tales in the comics), it is time to see all of these legendary tales collected in Omnibus form (including the ones above, as the TV Show has encountered dinosaurs, seen villains unite, gone to World War II and even met George Washington).

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!).

Forgotten Heroes Showcase

It's rough to be forgotten, and sometimes that even happens to heroes.  Thankfully, while researching DC Comics history, writer Marv Wolfman decided to revive a few of those forgotten heroes with Action Comics #552 (February, 1984, with artist Gil Kane)....

...and here's an opportunity to look into the past of some of these heroes!

Rip Hunter, Time Master

Since time is what usually makes one forgotten, let's start with Rip Hunter, Time Master!  Rip Hunter made his first recorded time trip in Showcase #20 (May-June, 1959) by writer Jack Miller and artist Ruben Moreira, where the inventory of the Time Sphere (Ripley Hunter), and his friend, Jeff Smith, went back to the age of the dinosaurs...

...followed by thieves who used Rip's original Time Sphere and brought along Rip's girlfriend, Bonnie Baxter and her brother, Corky Baxter, and the four almost became "Prisoners of 100 Million B.C.".

Rip and his crew continued their adventures in Showcase #21 (July-August, 1959, written by Jack Miller and art by Mike Sekowsky), facing Circe and Alexander the Great in the search for the origins of Atlantis, Showcase #25 (March-April, 1960, by Jack Miller and Joe Kubert), with Jeff Smith taking the trip off, and Rip, Bonnie, Corky and a Dr. Senn facing the sorcerer, Cholorus, 1000 years ago (and again facing dinosaurs).  With Showcase #26 (May-June, 1960 by Jack Miller and Joe Kubert), Rip and his companions faced "The Aliens From 2,000 B.C.", as aliens had invaded ancient Egypt!  A formula for success seemed to have been formed with the issues, and Rip and his crew graduated to a regular series with Rip Hunter, Time Master #1 (March-April, 1961, by Jack Miller and Ross Andru), with Rip tracking a friend's history through the 17th, 14th and 10th centuries, while facing a 10th Century sorcerer, Karatan's evil.

Rip and his crew continued their trips through time, mostly into the past, fighting dinosaurs, aliens, and ignorance, along with meeting a few historical figures along the way...

...like Kublai Khan, Cesare Borgia, Leonardo Da Vinci, Cleopatra, Adolf Hitler, Helen of Troy, Robin Hood, King Richard, George Washington, Queen Elizabeth and  Galileo.

The team updated from casual clothes to green uniforms in Rip Hunter, Time Master #16 (September-October, 1963, by Jack Miller and John William Ely), as well as making an enemy of Kraklow, an 18th Century Polish sorcerer in Rip Hunter, Time Master #28 (September-October, 1965, by writer George Kashdan and artist John William Ely).
 
Kraklow would return later as well, as he wouldn't be forgotten...

Sadly, Rip's time traveling title ended with Rip Hunter, Time Master #29 (November-December, 1965), but Rip's adventures continued, coming back in Challengers of the Unknown #85 to #87 (in 1978), helping the Justice League and Teen Titans (among others) in Showcase #100 (May, 1978), getting a few more facts of his early tests with Jeff Smith in Justice League of America #144 (July, 1977), finding out that Rip and his crew might have supplied the Time Sphere's original power unit to themselves in DC Comics Presents #37 (September, 1981, by writer Mike Tiefenbacher and artist Alex Sauvik, as part of the "Whatever Happened To...?" series), before popping up in Action Comics #540 (February, 1983, by Marv Wolfman and Gil Kane), setting the stage for the Forgotten Heroes, where most of the rest of Rip's appearances took place (except for a brief spot on the witness stand in Flash #342 of February, 1985) until the Crisis On Infinite Earths.   

Sea Devils

The Sea Devils first swam into comics with Showcase #27 (July-August, 1960, by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath), with Dane Dorrance (son of John Payton Dorrance, a wartime frogman), diving on a ship looking for treasure, and meeting aspiring actress, Judy Walton, who was looking to be in a movie called Sea Devils.  The two get into trouble with an octopus, and are rescued by Biff Bailey, another diver.  After that, they encounter a sea monster, and are saved by Judy's younger brother, Nicky, and the team stops the monster with a mine explosion (but also sinks the treasure).

They decide to become a team of undersea explorers and heroes, calling themselves the Sea Devils.

In Showcase #28 (September-October, 1960), Dane's father awards him a pair of prize flippers, and Dane decides to test the rest of his team, giving the most spectacular diver the fins as a prize.  Showcase #29 (November-December, 1960) has two stories, one facing an alien, Horro, whom the team faces in the ocean, and the second tale has them facing off against the Black Mantas (a diving team, no known relation to Aquaman foe, Black Manta).  This series proved popular enough (likely due to the beautiful Russ Heath art) to get its own series, starting with Sea Devils #1 (September-October, 1961), which had them face off with the Octopus Man, Captain Shark and the Emerald Whale.

In Sea Devils #2 (November-December, 1961, by Bob Haney and Russ Heath), the team meet Mr. Neptune, a spy with a miniaturization ray, but even small, they are able to defeat him (and he returns later, in DC Comics Presents #77 as Mr. Poseidon), along with their trained seal, Pappy.  The team continues on, fighting various underwater menaces, including aliens like Hroodo and K'Poora, mermen and mermaids, pirates (like Black Shark and Sea Wolf) and mad scientists (like Dr. Deep and Dr. Quad), and even a sentient computer, the Manchine.

The Sea Devils even have a few regular foes...

...like Captain X and Man-Fish (in Sea Devils #22, #24, #26, #28 and #30)...

...and a few teams that are inspired by them, like the International Sea Devils (running from Sea Devils #22 to #30), and the Sea Angels in Sea Devils #34 (March-April, 1967).

Sadly, sinking sales led to the end of the Sea Devils' title, with Sea Devils #35 (May-June, 1967), but it didn't end the adventures of the Sea Devils.  The team popped up in Showcase #100 (May, 1978) with a bevy of other past Showcase stars (including the Challengers of the Unknown, with whom the Sea Devils guest-starred in issue #51 of the Challengers of the Unknown mag in August-September, 1966, between issues #30 and #31 of their own mag, fighting Challs foe, the Sponge Man), and Judy (now Mrs. Dorrance) hired Christopher Chance (the Human Target) to protect Dane in Detective Comics #486 (October-November, 1979). Dane pops up next in Action Comics #545 (July, 1983, by Marv Wolfman and Gil Kane), where he meets with Rip Hunter and explorer Cave Carson (while Superman fights Brainiac)....which leads to the formation of the Forgotten Heroes.

Dolphin

Dolphin was a bit of mystery, starting in Showcase #79 (December, 1968, by writer/artist Jay Scott Pike), where Chief Petty Officer Chris Landau and Seaman First Class Ben Harkey find "The Fantasy at 14 Fathoms", a girl, surviving on a sunken Navy ship.

The divers bring her to the surface, where the girl begins to die...because she has trouble breathing in the air for any length of time because she has gills!

Chris teaches the girl English, and now known as Dolphin, retrieves the paperwork from the wreck and brings it back to the ship, but then leaves for the ocean, not being able to live in Chris' world.

Then, Dolphin had a brief appearance in Showcase #100 (May, 1978, by Paul Kupperberg and Joe Staton), where it was revealed that Aquaman knew of Dolphin, but the Sea Devils didn't (though Aquaman didn't let the readers know what he knew, which wasn't much we later found out)...and Dolphin would have been forgotten, until she was recruited to Rip Hunter's team in Action Comics #552.

Other heroes were recruited to the Forgotten Heroes, so don't forget to check back as we delve into their history soon....