Capricorn

All the forgotten characters from WORLD'S FINEST reminded me of a really obscure baddie from one the earliest issues I can remember reading of the book. And so, without further ado, in an effort to bump up this thread and at the request of absolutely no one, I present to you... Capricorn.

Only appearance: WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #218 (July-Aug. '73)

by Bob Haney, Dick Dillin and Dave Cockrum,
Real name: Dr. Bogardus (first name unrevealed)
Base of operations: Gotham City
Powers: Dying from an unnamed illness, Bogardus" attempts to cure himself gave him the ability to read minds
Current whereabouts: Deceased (and most likely out of continuity)

During a visit to Commissioner Gordon (or Commish, as Batman calls him), The Caped Crusader spots a mysterious note in the trash. Bearing a black goat's head symbol, it says, "Forget me not. Capricorn." At Batman's urging, Gordon explains someone has learned his darkest secret. Once, feeling pity for a young offender, Gordon concealed evidence that would have kept the man in prison longer. Later, feeling guilty, he turned in the evidence, claiming to have just found it. He told no one, but Capricorn knows all about it. Oddly, Capricorn has made no blackmail demands.

Batman later prevents the mayor of Gotham from jumping off the docks. Capricorn has learned his greatest secret, too. Batman is certain Capricorn is no mind reader, but when he gets home, he finds that Bruce Wayne has also been contacted and that Capricorn knows his secret as well.

After learning that several of Gotham's most prominent men are Capricorn's victims, Batman brings Superman in to help.

Certain the culprit is someone with a criminal record who has used "mentalism" as an M.O. before, they decide to pay a visit to retired gangster Rick de Fabio. Batman attempts to break into Fabio's home, only to be saved from an exploding booby trap by Superman. Fabio arrives with a gun, claiming he is only protecting his home from intruders. Certain that Fabio is Capricorn, Batman roughs him up and turns him over to the police.

Fabio is soon free and complains to TV reporters that the heroes wrongly accused him of being someone named "Capricorn." The real Capricorn, Bogardus, sees the report, then goes to Fabio's house and guns him down. He leaves behind a taunting note for the heroes: "There is only one Capricorn, and I am he."

Capricorn slips up in his next letter to Bruce Wayne when he makes it all too clear he had been in a health club the same time as the millionaire playboy. Wayne remembers a middle-aged man who looked like a professor and who ordered goat's milk. As Batman, he and Superman check with the club's owner and soon have Bogardus" name and address. At his home, the find proof he is Capricorn, but the doctor escapes through forgotten lead water mains running beneath Gotham. Dating back to colonial days, they were abandoned long ago when the detrimental effects of lead were discovered.

Unable to find Bogardus, Batman and Superman tell the press that Capricorn apparently died attempting to flee them. They hope Bogardus" ego will force him out into the open.

Capricorn's victims host a party in honor of Superman and Batman to thank them for ending his threat. But while they are toasting, the party is crashed - literally - by a black goat jumping through a skylight. The heroes race to the roof, but find only an animal trainer who was paid by a 'skid-row bum" to drop the goat through the skylight.

While the rest of the people present decide that this is a parting gift from the late Capricorn, Superman and Batman secretly listen to a cassette tape on the goat's collar. "This is Capricorn speaking!" a voice on the tape says. "I"m alive and well and living in Gotham! Batman, really Bruce Wayne, and Superman are liars and failures!"

"God!" Batman exclaims. "He's out there - laughing at us! And someday he"ll expose our failure to the entire world!"

But what the World's Finest team will never know is that Bogardus has died in the lead water mains. The last panel shows his skeletal remains and a caption says: "Yes, to this day the world believes our heroes triumphed once again while they dread Capricorn's return. Only you know the real story!"

Note: Capricorn was possibly inspired by Zodiac, a real-life serial killer who sent taunting messages to authorities, the media and even relatives of his victims. He is suspected of killing dozens of people between 1966 and 1981. His true identity remains a mystery.

Comment

Capricorn: cool story. The connection to the Zodiac killer makes it even creepier. People don't think much of Haney now but some of his stories are mini-classics that don't go on and on for six issues.

The Capsule Master

Vulkor was a Martian who had been exiled from Mars because he had sought to steal a super-weapon and take over the planet. the weapon was thought to have been destroyed in the final battle that resulted in Vulkor's capture, but it wasn't. It ended up on Earth inside various meteors, most of which landed around Star City. Vulkor's giant capsule (and massive robotic arm) and three Martian lackeys ended up battling Green Arrow and the Manhunter From Mars to obtain the meteors with the weapon fragments inside them. Naturally, the two emerald heroes (with help from Green Arrow's partner Speedy) was able to stop the villain's plan, and the Manhunter imprisoned the four Martians within an active volcano (?!).

Appearances:

• The Brave and the Bold #50

Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew

These animal personifications live on Earth-C (for Cartoon) where everyone is an animal version of regular people. Superman wound up in their dimension while battling Starro, the giant extraterrestrial starfish.

When Superman passed through into this realm, he used a meteor to help him pass through Starro's barrier. The meteor broke into six pieces, and each hero was exposed to a meteorite's radiation (which included some of Superman's energies).

Rodney Roger Rabbit (the first name finally came about when Who Framed Roger Rabbit was being considered to made into a film) was the only one who didn't receive his powers directly. He has to eat a carrot from his window sill garden that a meteorite landed in. Each carrot gives him about 24 hours of powers, depending on his exertion. As Captain Carrot, Rodney has super-strength, super-speed, super-senses, and (eventually) the power of flight.

Felina Furry became Alley-Cat-Abra when her magic wanda became enfused with mystical powers after exposure to her meteorite. But while she is great at teleportation and sending telepathic messages, she tends to be the least dependable in a crisis. For some unknown reason, most of her powers are useless against their super-foes. When she uses her brain instead of brute force, she usually defeats her enemies.

Actor Byrd Rentals became Rubberduck after he was exposed to his meteorite. He can stretch to incredible lengths and change into almost any kind of shape.

Rova Barkett, gossip columnist, turned into Yankee Poodle when her meteorite gave her the strange powers of "animal magnetism". Her right hand can shoot blue stars that repel anything. Her left hand can emit red and white stripes that can attract anything. She is also sensitive to the auras emitted by others. She can fly by creating a striped bridge and propelling herself with her shooting stars. She also can destroy almost anything by firing her stars and stripes (with contrasting energy forces) at objects.

Peter Porkchops had his own DC comic books before his meteorite turned him into Pig Iron, the Swine of Steel. He is virtually invulnerable, very strong, and very large (his former self was a bit of a runt).

Fastback is Timmy Joe Terrapin, a slow turtle both in action and in thoughts, until his meteorite gave him the power of super-speed. He is by far the most easy-going hero of the Crew.

Little Cheese became the latest member, who does not share the others' origin. He gained the power to shrink in size after eating some moon cheese. He aided the Zoo Crew in capturing his father's killer.

The Zoo Crew met the JLA -- the Justa Lotta Animals -- when super-villains from both Earth-C and Earth-C-Minus (minus the Zoo Crew, that is) joined in an interdimensional conspiracy. Aquaduck, Batmouse, Crash, Green Lambkin, Super-Squirrel, and Wonder Wabbit helped to defeat Armadillo, Shaggy Dawg, Feline Faust, Dr. Hoot, Digger O'Doom, and Amazoo.

The Zoo Crew also helped to end the Oz-Wonderland War when the former mystical land was taken over by an evil gnome. In this adventure, Captain Carrot was reunited briefly with Wonder Wabbit and they met Hoppy the Marvel Bunny.

Captain Compass

Naval Captain Mark Compass first appeared in STAR SPANGLED COMICS #83, solving mysteries at sea with his keen detective skills. He was last seen in DETECTIVE COMICS #500.

Captain Fear

A Caribbean pirate named Fero, he first appeared in ADVENTURE COMICS #425 and then intermittently in ADVENTURE for some time after. His ghost appeared in THE SPECTRE [3rd series] #40-41.

Captain Incredible

At first glance, this teen hero seemed to be an extremely poorly dressed four-eyed 98 pound weakling.

Captain Incredible was in fact an extremely powerful robot created by one Dr. Dane Gnorr in the year 2637. The doctor had been a big fan of Superman and sent his super robot into the past to help the Man of Steel out. At first, Captain Incredible did preform his duties extremely well, in fact at one point he saved Superman's life from a Kryptonite trap set by Lex Luthor. However, due to the stress of breaking the time barrier, Incedible malfuntioned soon after his arrival in the present and tried to kill Superman. And with his superior strenth, speed, and an array of unique powers such as Atomic Breath and Paralysis Vision, he almost managed to do just that.

Superman managed to defeat the Captain by tricking him into returning to the future where (or should it be when?) the ill effects of his first trip through the time stream were reversed and he became good once again. Of course, you are probably asking why the second trip didn't warp his mind even more. Sorry if you are, I don't have an answer for you. After some slight re-programming by Dr. Gnorr, Captain Incredible became a super-hero once again, but this time he stayed in the 27th century.

Captain Incredible's first and only appearance to date happened in ACTION COMICS #354, back in September of 1967, although I am hoping that one day he will be found in the Legion's time and reactivated.

Captain Invincible

Created by Cary Bates and Carmine Infantino.

The Captain Invincible sub-plot was just -- odd. It seemed a bit undignified for Daryl Frye, one-time police chief of Central City. He decided to fight crime under this costumed identity, much to the amusement of his employee, the late Barry Allen (Flash II), but I don't think he ever got any farther than exercising in his basement. That particular arc (FLASH #314-319) was darker than the norm (dealing with a murderous vigilante called the Eradicator) and I suppose the antics of a less-than-stellar costumed crimefighter were meant to provide some sort of balance. Frye briefly returned to his costume in #347 and 348. Waid & Augustyn's LIFE STORY OF THE FLASH skirted over the subject of Frye altogether ("The less said ... the better.").

Captain Marvel II

For a full bio, visit http://members.aol.com/censulj/dcu/CapMvl2B.htm

Captain Quasar, Cmdr. Glenn Merritt &  Sgt. Kevin Tempest

Cmdr. Glenn Merritt was originally based on an action figure named Major Matt Mason. Mattel Toys had produced the "Major Matt Mason" line of toys from 1967-1970. Mason was an astronaut stationed on the Moon, and his accessories included the Jet Pack, Space Sled, Space Crawler, and Space Station. In 1968, a second astronaut, Sgt. Storm, was added under the Major's command. This was followed in 1969 by two final astronauts, Jeff Long and Doug Davis. The line also included a trio of aliens: Captain Lazer (1968), Callisto (1969), and Scorpio (1970). Callisto was a little green man from Jupiter, wielding advanced mental powers. Captain Lazer was from the planet Mars, and his height was nearly twice that of a normal Earthman's. Scorpio was an insect-like humanoid hatched on a planet in another galaxy, located in the star cluster Scorpio. He had a computer-like brain, and possessed the ability to read minds. Soon after birth, Scorpio felt a mental summons which he followed all the way to the Earth's moon. The source of the summons was Major Matt Mason, whom Scorpio quickly befriended. After the first Moon landing in July 1969, interest in Mattel's Man of Space waned, and the line was discontinued in the following year.

Mattel had apparently commissioned a Major Matt Mason comic book from DC Comics in 1970. Given that assumption, when the toy line was canceled in that same year, Mattel's need for the comic would have disappeared. With a little reworking, DC likely produced the following tale, starring Cmdr. Glenn Merritt, Sgt. Kevin Tempest, and Captain Quasar.

From Beyond The Unknown #7 (Oct-Nov 1970) - #8 (Dec 70-Jan 71)
"Earth Shall Not Die!" parts one and two
by Denny O'Neil and Murphy Anderson

The year is 1999. Mankind is taking its first tentative steps to the stars. Cape Kennedy contacts the crew of Jupiter-Probe, the first manned craft to the solar system's largest planet. After the crew signs off, the Jupiter-Probe loses its outer-ship electronics systems. Suddenly, something hits the probe. Sensors indicate that the hull has been ripped open. The crewmen don their oxygen masks, but the effort is a futile one. They are boarded and attacked by alien invaders. Every one of the dozen or so astronauts are killed.

Later, back on Earth, astro-physicist Dr. Glenn Merritt appears on Capital Hill before a top-level Washington conference. Dr. Merritt cannot believe that some of the committee members, especially Senator Archibald Beauregard, are suggesting that the Jupiter-Probe disaster might have been an accident. Merritt points out that the ship's hull was ripped wide open and the entire crew shot with laser-beams. The prior week, a space-station was mysteriously destroyed. The previous month, one of the Lunar bases exploded. Merritt believes that someone, or something, is out there waiting. He produces further evidence supporting his theory. His observatory recently began receiving radio signals that were clearly from intelligent beings. They don't know what the words mean, but it is obvious that it was not an Earth language. The committee is not entirely convinced but, over the objections of Senator Beauregard, it is suggested that Dr. Merritt receive sufficient funds to establish a monitoring post on the Moon. Merritt is forced to agree to a half-year time limit. He requests enough equipment to furnish a small bubble base, a crew of six trained astronauts, and, since he'll be using military facilities, an official rank. The committee grants Merritt one astronaut, and will arrange for him to be commissioned as a Space-Fleet Commander. Senator Woodrow tells Merritt that he wishes he could do more; at the very least, he will contact Space-Fleet Headquarters personally to ask for a good man to be assigned to the mission.

Shortly, at Space-Fleet Headquarters, General Watkins receives word and assigns Sergeant Kevin Tempest, an enlisted astronaut, to aid Merritt. Tempest is highly qualified and intelligent, and has an extraordinary aptitude for machinery. Unfortunately, he is also known as a brawling troublemaker. Tempest is a problem that General Watkins is glad to get rid of. He begrudgingly packs and heads to Cape Kennedy, the center of America's space-effort.

Soon, the mission is ready. As Cmdr. Merritt and Sgt. Tempest prepare to board their craft, Senator Beauregard arrives and warns Merritt that if he slips up even once, he'll see Merritt broken. The ship takes off without a hitch. Once free of Earth's gravity, Cmdr. Merritt orders Sgt. Tempest to switch from liquid fuel to atomics. The insubordinate Tempest tells Merritt to do it himself. He then begins to chide Merritt on his volume of The Collected Works of Shakespeare. Merritt knows that he must show Tempest who's boss, and begins berating him. As the Commander expected, a fight ensues. Tempest is unaware that Merritt was on the University Boxing Team, and obtained a black belt on the Karate Team. That, added to Merritt's understanding of zero-gravity, enables him to easily beat his belligerent co-pilot. As he had hoped, Merritt earns Tempest's respect, and the two make their peace.

Suddenly, the ship's alarm sounds. Cmdr. Merritt detects three incoming alien spacecraft. The aliens show their hostility by firing a laser-beam at the ship, barely missing them. Tempest fires the weapon's systems, destroying one of the attackers. The two remaining ships engage them. They are fired on once again, only this time they take a hit in the gun-turret, melting the weapon and stunning Tempest. Defenseless, Merritt waits for the final blow, but at the last moment another alien ship arrives and fires on the attackers. One attacker is destroyed immediately, leaving the two remaining alien craft to battle it out. The ships trade weapon's fire until both become disabled. The rescuer's ship begins to fall to the Lunar surface. Merritt is relieved when he discovers that Tempest is still alive and well, and the two astronauts prepare to land.

Once on the surface, they break out their jet-propelled vacuum-sleds in order to hunt for the fallen alien. They head for a trail of smoke vapor rising from a crater. When they locate their objective, the astronauts are amazed to see a ten foot tall alien standing outside his spaceship, not wearing any kind of protective spacesuit. As they approach, the alien that had just saved their lives inexplicably begins to fire upon them. Tempest's sled takes a hit, but Merritt is able to get the drop on the menace, knocking the creature out. The astronauts lash the alien to their sleds and bring him back to their ship, binding him before he awakens.

When the alien finally regains consciousness, the two Earthmen are shocked to discover that he speaks perfect English. Their captive explains that his race has monitored Earth's broadcasts for many years, and that English is a rather simple language. When Merritt asks the alien his name, the creature responds that it is difficult to translate, but sounds something like "K-Way-Zzr". Merritt recognizes the word as being similar to the transmission he picked up at his observatory. The alien goes on to explain that he is a renegade and outlaw from Trogg, a planet in the Beta-Centauri system. He states that, although Earth is a war-like world, it is a poor second to Trogg in the art of destruction. From their earliest history, they have loved war. Their only glory is battle, their only art the graceful imparting of death. Hundreds of planetary periods before, they developed a space-drive, and took their warriors to nearby planets - - burning, crushing, erasing whole civilizations. At last, they had nothing left to conquer.

Frustrated, their Leader, Ghorto, called a meeting of the Supreme Council. The Leader proclaimed that they must journey to the stars to find a worthy foe. He selected Earth, a world populated by beings nearly as mighty as they. It was at that point that K-Way-Zzr stood up, saying they should put an end to bloodshed, and turn their attention to peace. One Councilman proclaimed that K-Way-Zzr was speaking treason and should be arrested. K-Way-Zzr fled the Council and Trogg, determined to warn the people of Earth. He had been a Captain in the Troggian Space-Navy, so he had no problem commandeering a star-ship. Since the Leader had already prepared the vanguard of his Earth invasion, it was no problem for him to dispatch ships to follow. K-Way-Zzr hid in a space-warp, hoping to elude his pursuers and contact a responsible Earth government. When he saw their ship under siege, he intervened.

When asked why he shot at them, K-Way-Zzr apologizes, explaining that he was stunned and was fighting instinctively. Merritt tells Tempest to warm up the transmitter so they can call Senator Beauregard with proof. Tempest says they should first free their captive, but when he has trouble pronouncing the name "Captain K-Way-Zzr", the alien suggests an easier name - - Captain Quasar. K-Way-Zzr then easily snaps his bonds, freeing himself. As they exchange greetings, Merritt shows K-Way-Zzr his .45 pistol, and looks over the alien's laser-projector gun.

Shortly, just as the astronauts contact Senator Beauregard, two Troggians enter the airlock and fire on the crew, knocking out the transmitter. The invaders point their laser-projectors at the trio, telling them to drop their weapons. The Troggians state that Earthlings will be easily conquered, then inform K-Way-Zzr that, on orders of Leader Ghorto, he is to be executed for the crime of high treason. Before K-Way-Zzr can be killed, Tempest attacks one of the aliens, but is knocked down. Merritt and K-Way-Zzr use the diversion to fight back. During the battle, one of the laser-projectors is fired, striking the ship's wiring, plunging the ship into darkness. K-Way-Zzr gropes around in the dimly lit cabin for a weapon. He finds Merritt's .45 and shoots, wounding his fellow Troggians with the primitive firearm. Merritt switches on the emergency power circuit, and the trio place the aliens in the ship's brig. "Captain Quasar" joins the crew in their common enterprise to protect Earth and stop further attacks by the Troggian invaders.

Captains Of Industry

This short-lived group was founded by a number of corporate executives, spearheaded by the Sunderland Corporation, who were worried about the fact that Firestorm was on an environmental kick and was threatening to destroy any factories that didn't clean up their pollution messes. Sunderland and several others got together and decided to buy their own super-hero team to fight Firestorm with. Later, after Firestorm gave up that crusade, they kept the team together for a while in case it was needed to protect other corporate interests. The team first appeared in FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MAN #88, and its members were Maser, Firehawk, and Catalyst (a villain from the BLUE BEETLE series). Later, Major Victory (formerly of the Force of July) joined, in the aftermath of a battle with the Suicide Squad. Eventually they disbanded, because maintaining them was too expensive.

Captain Stingaree

Batman foe with the looks and M.O. of a pirate. Karl Courtney, one of four Courtney quadruples. (The other three were detectives and for some reason Karl believed them to be the Batman). Stingaree later became a member of the Secret Society of Super-Villains. He was seemingly murdered by Mr. Freeze.

Captain Strong

Captain Horatio Strong was a non-costumed sailor who appeared in several Superman stories; he gained temporary super-strength from eating 'sauncha," an alien seaweed. (As is especially clear from the names of his best friend and fiancee, J. Wellington Jones and Olivia Tallow respectively, he was a pastiche/parody of Popeye.) Created by Cary Bates and Curt Swan (with apologies to Elzie C. Segar).

Apps: ACTION #421, 439, 456, 566 and SUPERMAN #361 (plus a cameo in DC CHALLENGE #10). An unnamed dead-ringer for Strong/Popeye can be found in SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #72. Also makes a brief appearance in this week's GREEN ARROW v.3 #22.

Captain Thunder

Please also see http://members.tripod.com/originalvigilante/captainthunder.htm

Based on Captain Marvel, a character created by C.C. Beck

Alter Ego: William "Willie" Fawcett
Occupation: Employee of WHAM-TV
Known Relatives: None
Team Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: Metropolis (Earth-T)
First Appearance: Superman [1st series] #276 (June 1974)
Height: (as Willie) ~ 5 ft. 2 in.; (as Thunder) ~ 6 ft. 3 in.
Weight: (as Willie) ~ 90 lbs.; (as Thunder) ~ 225 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History: A group of orphan kids, of which Willie Fawcett was one, had been sent to camp every Summer. One night, when his buddies were asleep in their tent, Willie sat outside, with a funny feeling keeping him awake. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen. Suddenly, he heard a wise old owl, which swooped down and flew overhead until Willie followed. He ran off after the horned owl and followed it until he came to a hillside. The owl looked as if it would fly right into the solid rock wall, when suddenly the walls of the hill opened up. Although Willie should have been afraid to follow the owl inside, he wasn't. What he found was fantastic -- Merokee, last of the great medicine men of the Mohegan tribe.

Merokee explains to Willie that he has awaited the youth's coming. Tribal legends had foretold that one day a boy would come forth who was noble of spirit. He would be invested with great powers by the last of the great Mohegan shamans. Merokee holds up a belt with a buckle bearing the image of a lightning bolt. He tells Willie that, when he wears the magic belt-buckle, he will have seven spiritual powers. Merokee points to the words inscribed on an animal hide hanging on the wall.

Merokee tells Willie to rub the buckle and say the magic word composed of the first letters of every name on the list. Willie rubs the buckle and speaks the word "Thunder!". A brilliant starburst and a thunderous 'sha-boom!" fill the torch-lit chamber, changing Willie Fawcett into Captain Thunder! Merokee raises his eyes to a hole in the cavern ceiling, proclaiming to the Great Spirit that his work is done and that he is ready to pass on. Captain Thunder watches in awe as Merokee is transformed into a spirit that rises out through the opening. Merokee tells Thunder that he is leaving him to battle evil wherever it may appear.

Over the next few years, Captain Thunder would fight many crimes and injustices all over the world. One memorable battle was against the Monster League of Evil. He had fought them across 1,953 dimensions of time and space. Thunder imprisons them in a misty dimension, but not before they secretly do something to him which will make him turn evil. He heads back home across the time-and-space barrier, but ends up as Willie Fawcett in an alley in Earth-One's Metropolis. Sure enough, when Willie transforms into Captain Thunder, he becomes evil, as the Monster League had planned. After two battles with Superman, Thunder is forced to use his wisdom to override the hold the League has on him. Now cured, Thunder realizes how he got lost and, using his magic word, returns to his own parallel Earth.

Weapons and Powers: Captain Thunder derives his powers from his magic belt buckle. By rubbing the buckle and saying the magic word "Thunder!", young Willie Fawcett becomes Captain Thunder. When, using the same method, Thunder transforms back into his young alter ego, Willie automatically appears safely on the ground, regardless of where Thunder happened to be. Captain Thunder has immeasurable strength, super-speed, invulnerability, the power of flight, and great bravery, wisdom, and tenacity. He can also use his magic word to break the space-time barrier and travel to other dimensions.

Comments: Captain Thunder is based on the character Captain Marvel, published by Fawcett Publications from 1939 to 1953. The character was originally going to be called Captain Thunder, but the name was changed to Captain Marvel at the last moment. Sometime after Fawcett ceased publication of Captain Marvel, they sold the character to DC Comics. Even though DC had already started publishing new adventures of Captain Marvel in late 1972, the decision was made to create a derivative of the character to battle Superman, hence Captain Thunder. The mention of "1953 dimensions" in the story is an obvious reference to Captain Marvel's last appearance at Fawcett.

It is unclear what Captain Thunder's proper time period or base of operations are. Comments were made that Willie Fawcett's crew cut is 20 years behind the times. Also, Willie suspected that he had traveled into the future, something he continued to believe even when he had ample time to check the date. One may therefore conclude that Captain Thunder was last active on his Earth in the early 1950's. Given that Willie believed Metropolis to be his own home city, albeit in the future, one can conclude that his city bears the same name.

Although Captain Thunder's parallel Earth was never formerly given a designation, it is referred to here as Earth-T (the "T" is for "Thunder", of course).

Comment

Captain Thunder had a cameo as one of many alternate Captain Marvels in THE POWER OF SHAZAM a couple of years ago.

Captains of Industry

Firehawk
First Appearance: (as Firehawk) Fury Of Firestorm #17
- still healthy and fine, she was recently in WONDER WOMAN #174 and 175; Lorraine Reilly has fire powers like Firestorm...

Catalyst
First Appearance: Blue Beetle (vol. 5) #14
- was working for Kobra in JSA #11 and 12; he was a Blue Beetle foe, who later was put into the Captains in the later issues of FIRESTORM.

Maser
First Appearance (as Air Wave II): Green Lantern (vol. 2) #100
- back to his Air Wave name after JSA: OUR WORLDS AT WAR, after being freed from Kobra by the JSA in JSA #11 and 12 (again, that Kobra guy... ); he is the cousin of Hal Jordan, and used to hang out with GL, Green Arrow, Black Canary and Atom PRE-Crisis (which at least SOME of this history still exists), and got changed by Dr. Moon into Maser in FIRESTORM #88 (and faced Brimstone off-panel in FIRESTORM #99...)

Major Victory
First Appearance: Batman And The Outsiders Annual #1
- William Vickers was killed by Eclipso in ECLIPSO #13 (he was also in the Force of July in BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS and THE OUTSIDERS, and Suicide Squad after they killed the other Force members...); premiered in the BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS ANNUAL #1, later in THE OUTSIDERS #10-12, 23, THE OUTSIDERS SPECIAL and INFINITY INC SPECIAL, before seeing the Force of July killed during the course of the Janus Directive in SUICIDE SQUAD (#27-30), and serving with them from #31-39, and 58...before being one of many useful DCU characters killed in ECLIPSO #11-13...

Silver Swan (Post-Crisis)
First Appearance: Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #15
Valerie Beaudry was also getting attached to the Captains, but that was never followed up on, and now there is another Silver Swan. Valerie Beaudry was mostly in WONDER WOMAN issues (#15, 16, 42 - 44), until WAR OF THE GODS, wherein she was also in SUICIDE SQUAD #58 with the Captains...

The Card Queen

Written by Ryan Hardin (RHa3720137@aol.com)

The Card Queen: DETECTIVE COMICS issues #481-483

When BATMAN FAMILY was cancelled due to the DC Implosion of the late 1970s, those new BATMAN FAMILY stories that were scheduled to come out were published in DETECTIVE COMICS from issues #480-500 as sort of "bonus" stories.

In DETECTIVE COMICS issues #481-483, Duela Dent appeared in yet another costumed guise, one that has been almost completely overlooked in retrospects of her history and career. These issues all featured a "Robin Story" with Duela Dent along as "The Card Queen". She wore a red and gold costume and a wig of long brown hair. The costume kinda looked like a genie's but with a skirt. In the story, there was a villain who ran an organization called the Pseudo-Supermen who were, of course, out to take over the world. In order to do that, the world's most powerful super-heroes had to be taken down first. Duela was a memme ber of this organization, no less than the master villain's second in command.

Robin learns the true identitity of the Card Queen early on but we readers have to wait until the conclusion of the story ( in issue #483) to find out who she really is...Duela Dent. And she was employed as a secret government operative by the CBI to infiltrate the group. After she succeeded in that, she somehow contacted Robin for help and left clues for him to figure her identity and join her in her adventure.

note: Robin didn't take a new identity in the story but he DID wear several reader-designed costumes over the course if 'TEC #481.

Comments

I made some corrections to the Card Queen info and sent it to the Moderator who changed it. Robin and Duela went up against a villain organization called the Maze, who recruited college students to their cause. The Maze apporached Duela because they "knew" her to be the daughter of Two-Face and believed that she was a criminal too. How they got this info is beyond me. The Maze went to Hudson University and that is how they recruited Duela to the team, not knowing she was the Titan known as Harlequin. Duela infiltrated the Maze and left behind clues for Robin. The Maze wanted her to pretend to be a heroine to attract Robin's attention. A costumed figure called the Raven, who was also part of the Maze turned out to be Lori Elton's new boyfirend. Lori and Dick were boyfriend and girlfriend but had broken up. When the Raven was revealed to be a criminal and Dick beat him in a fist fight (boxing) Lori went back to Dick. All the corrections to the Card Queen can be found on the 'Titans Lair' site and on the 'Duela Dent Harlequin' site.

Cascade

A woman from Indonesia, with as yet unspecified powers, who joined the Global Guardians as of JUSTICE LEAGUE QUARTERLY #17. Was last seen in WONDER WOMAN [2nd series] #175.

Centrix

Another hero to join the Global Guardians in JLQ #17, this one from Canada; his powers and real name have not been revealed, and he's only shown up once.

The Chain Gang War

A group of highly organized vigilantes who felt that they wanted to lock up criminals instead of killing them, and set out to do so. They had their own series for 12 issues. Their members were Ernie Dorrs, Yale Strang, and Curtis Zecker. They eventually gave up their homemade prison when the series ended.

The Chain Master

Another of the Master's clone-slaves from the Dial H series.

The Challenger Corps

Not sure about these, other than that they were a team of civilians who were big fans of the Challengers of the Unknown and tried to help them with a couple of cases. The only one I've seen named was Anthony Dragio; the team first appeared in CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN [1st series] #45.

The Changeling I

In 1947, no one had ever heard of a metagene, the theorized element that would trigger super-powers if the body was subjected to sufficient trauma. That surely must have been the case with Erik Razar, an inmate who was electrocuted while trying to shut down the prison power supply in an escape attempt. Instead, Razar found that he now possessed the ability to become any animal that he chose, whether it be an ape, tortoise, rhino, bird, elephant or shark.

The Changeling found himself opposed by the Flash and, in a desperate battle beneath the sea, the drowning Scarlet Speedster smashed his foe's shark-head against a rock before he could take the form of an octopus. Justifying his actions with the explanation that "it was him or me," the Flash recovered the Changeling's body so that scientists could determine what truly caused Razar's metamorphosis (FLASH COMICS #84, art by E.E. Hibbard).

II

Whether Erik Razar was truly killed is unknown. His name and his powers, though would live on in years to come. In 1965, Tomar-Re, the Green Lantern of Xudar, found himself in opposition with a second Changeling, an energy-being that was the sole survivor of the world of Krastl. As a survival mechanism, the Changeling was forced to assume the guise of other beings and objects at regular intervals. After a Xudarian archeologist was left comatose when the Changeling took his form, Tomar-Re pursued the parasite to Earth.

There, Earth's GL, Hal Jordan, ascertained the being's weaknesses, notably the fact that it could only transform itself into an object that already existed. As the Changeling prepared to mimic a stuffed toy, Hal obliterated the object and the nuclear menace was trapped in its insubstantial true form, not unlike a mushroom cloud (GREEN LANTERN (second series) #38, by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane and Sid Greene).

III

The 1971 death of Superman's friend, Jan Nagy, was followed by a second shock when the scientist's will made the Man of Steel the guardian of his son, Gregor. The young man reacted angrily to the news, screaming that he hated Superman. Following Gregor to his room, Superman was stunned to see him transform into a gorilla. "YOU did this to me, my guardian! YOU placed the mark of the beast on my brow ... and for that you will pay!"

As the effect wore off, Gregor revealed that his condition had been caused as a result of Metamorphon, a synthetic element created by his father. Superman rushed to prevent catastrophe when the atomic furnace containing the element ruptured. Advised that "only hydrogen can slow down and halt that runaway reaction," the Man of Steel threw the kiln into the Nagy swimming pool where, despite Superman's efforts, a nearby Gregor was affected.

He soon learned that the slightest suggestion would cause him to involuntarily take new shapes and forms. A wish to vanish turned him into an invisible man while a desire to fly from a bully transformed him into a bat. Regarding himself as a freak, Gregor became a recluse and broke up with his girlfriend, Denise.

Determined to channel Gregor's powers for good, Superman convinced the teenager to let him train him in the use of his powers. Codenamed the Changeling, Gregor soon put his talent to good use, unearthing a stolen fortune for the F.B.I. and driving away a band of poachers in Africa.

The Man of Steel's efforts seemed to have no effect and the bitter Gregor even discovered Superman's Clark Kent alias just to taunt his guardian. While tampering with switches in the Fortress of Solitude, the Changeling accidentally triggered a self-destruct mechanism in a space station and Superman was forced to make an emergency rescue.

While Superman was absent, a life-or-death call was received at the Fortress and the contrite teen wished that he had the hero's powers. On cue, the Changeling gained the power of his guardian and, wearing a Superman costume, he raced to the bottom of the sea to recover a submarine and its crew. The transformation wore off in mid-rescue and only the arrival of the genuine Man of Steel prevented total disaster.

For Gregor, though, it was too late. His body crushed by the ocean pressure, he had only enough time to gasp out his gratitude for Superman's efforts on his behalf. "At least I die -- not as a beast -- but as a man. A WHOLE man."

Dying, the Changeling made his final transformation, turning to dust in the arms of his surrogate father (ACTION COMICS #400, by Leo Dorfman, Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson).

IV

Elsewhere in the globe, there lurked a fourth Changeling, a European assassin and metamorph who ended his career as a free agent to join the international terrorist cell known as the Cartel. The assassin's costume consisted of a camouflage-style design against a gaudy orange background while his identity was concealed by a blank face-plate. The loud outfit belied the Changeling's unique abilities, which he used in March of 1980 to take the form and voice of a French crimelord and kidnap the man's daughter. Trailing the assassin and his partners to an undersea base, Wonder Woman ruptured the stronghold and the entire band of criminals was taken into custody (WONDER WOMAN #268, by Gerry Conway, Jose Delbo and Vince Colletta).

V

And elsewhere, Garfield Logan was fighting his last battle with his former guardian and current super-villain, Nicholas Galtry. Weary of Galtry's taunting him with his Beast Boy codename, Logan told the reeling bad guy that "you've SPOILED that name for me. Now I gotta CHANGE it" (1982's TALES OF THE NEW TEEN TITANS #3, by Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Gene Day). Reuniting with Wonder Girl and Robin in August of 1980, Logan insisted they "call me Changeling. 'Beast Boy' was for the birds, er ... no offense, Robin!" (NEW TEEN TITANS (first series) #1, by Wolfman, Perez and Romeo Tanghal)

Cinnamon

In 1898, a young lady with red hair was blazing a trail across the west, hunting the men who killed her father...

...and she was called Cinnamon.

Along with her pistols, she used a sheriff's badge like a shuriken...

She appeared in two issues of WEIRD WESTERN TALES as a backup (and a third was lost to the DC Implosion), and it looked like her hunt would be uncompleted.

But things took a strange turn, and she ended up meeting Scalphunter, Bat Lash (both heroes from the 1860s), and Jonah Hex (from the 1870s) in a pair of issues of JLofA (though they WERE facing the Lord of Time... but it was never suggested that she or they were moved in time...)

She then appeared in Crisis (but only in group shots, where she may have been taken out of any time...), and then as a member of Nighthawk's "Rough Bunch" (a loose affiliation of western heroes, basically organized to fight Extant in GUY GARDNER: WARRIOR), and had an even slighter recent cameo in WONDER WOMAN as an advertisement on a billboard.

That is, until her recent appearance hooking up with Nighthawk in HAWKMAN.

Appearances:

• Weird Western Tales #48, 49
• Justice League Of America #198, 199
• Crisis #5, 7
• Guy Gardner: Warrior #24
• Wonder Woman [2nd series] #175 (as an image on a billboard)
• Hawkman [4th series] #7

Comments

The date of her original debut was said to be 1898. Since then, this has been moved some years earlier to make her fit better among other heroes of the time.

A number of the early Jonah Hex stories in WEIRD WESTERN TALES, for instance, also had dates some of which were actually later than the dates given in the beginning of the JONAH HEX series (at least I'm pretty sure that's the case; been some time since I last read those issues). And considering JONAH HEX followed up on some of the things shown in WWT, that must mean that the dates given in the early stories were wrong.

So, if we can move back those appearances, I see no problem doing the same with Cinnamon, as there was no important reason for it to take place in 1898 as far as I recall. That way, her later appearances wouldn't cause much of a problem.

Of Cinnamon's WEIRD WESTERN TALES... the only mention of dates were indeed in the captions (which also try to place her in a time after Jonah and such...)

BUT, Nighthawk mentions hearing of her from Jonah, and Jonah met Cinnamon in JLofA #199 (in 1878, BTW...). So, no REAL problem moving her earlier...

The Class of 2064

"Class of 2064" was one of the better strips in 1984's NEW TALENT SHOWCASE. The creation of Todd Klein, each arc focused on, as the name says, kids in the space-faring graduating class of 2064.

The first episode (#1-3, art by Scott Hampton) introduced Chryse Bantry, Pern Muller and Tycho Kushiro as kids from the Lagrange Colony on Mars. They become involved with Free Earth terrorists, who fought on behalf of the nuclear war-ravaged humans who still lived on Earth. Issue #7-8(art by Terry Shoemaker and Karl Kesel) spotlighted Miranda Venezia, who joined her father on Lagrange-based space tours around Mars.

Wayne Clifford ("Dateline: Frontline")

Cary Burkett and Jerry Grandenetti's Wayne Clifford (of "Dateline: Frontline") was an American war correspondent whose adventures took place in a variety of venues over the course of 1940-1942 (MEN OF WAR #4-6, 9-11, 21-23 and UNKNOWN SOLDIER #243-245 and 254-256). In his final appearance, Clifford was forced to endure the horror of the Bataan Death March, escaping with his life thanks to a handful of soldiers.

The Clipper

The Clipper was the creation of William Messner-Loebs, a Shadow parody appearing in 1988's FLASH #20 and 23. He was a demented, gun-wielding vigilante of the early 1930s who eventually, according to #23, disappeared without a trace. Mason Trollbridge was his kid sidekick and tried to take the identity as his own in #23.

Unlike the better known mystery-man of the 1930s, the Clipper's chief concern was that said hearts stopped beating. "Mason," he told his kid sidekick, "The IMPORTANT thing's not if their guilty, the important thing's if their DEAD! So I need someone to hold them down while I shoot them again and again and again and again and ..." Well, you get the idea.

The story of the Clipper comes exclusively from the memory of Mason Trollbridge, a man who claimed to be the kid sidekick of the early 1930s vigilante. "I was his assistant," Mason explained. "I carried the disguise and the extra guns." They'd first met in 1931 when the Clipper saved the boy from bullies. "It impressed me that despite his rigid standards and important work, he'd been willing to stop and help a slum kid. It still does. As it turned out, he was drunk that night. But the principle still holds."

Like the Shadow, the Clipper had multiple identities (which Mason helped him keep track of) and wore a long-brimmed hat and trenchcoat, though his were brown rather than black. One account indicated that his entire face was covered by a porous blank mask (1988's FLASH #20) while another depicted him with a bandana-style mask and a thin mustache (FLASH #23). "Those whom he did not imprison or kill would find the tops of their ears clipped off, so they could never pass for honest men."

Not content with merely gunning down thieves and murders, the Clipper made it his business to pass judgment on anyone who committed a moral lapse. The father, mother and son that the Clipper saved from a burglar were forced to atone for their own crimes of bribery, adultery ... and breaking "Jimmy Allen's toy truck last week."

When things got too hot for him, the Clipper gave his costume and weapons to Mason and left for parts unknown. Decades later, Mason was living in a low-rent apartment in Keystone City, where he met Wally West, no stranger to life as a sidekick himself (FLASH #20, by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque). When Mason decided to take the persona of the Clipper as his own, Wally followed close behind (FLASH #23, by Loebs and Gordon Purcell).

It quickly became evident that Mason was just too nice to be a hard-boiled crimebuster. He negotiated a deal between a suicidal, cash-strapped thief and his victim and stopped a hold-up "because both the thugs and the victims were laughing so hard." When Wally and Mason became embroiled in a battle with Abra Kadabra, the would-be Clipper rammed his flaming car into the villain. "I though it'd be more fun," he observed, "killin' somebody that evil."

Mason mothballed the Clipper outfit but remained a staunch friend of Wally over the next few years, serving as a surrogate for the young man's own estranged father. Wally, as it turned out, filled a similar void for Mason, who hadn't seen his son, Donnie, in years. That changed in 1992 when the young man returned as a ruthless vigilante with an invisibility vest known as the Last Resort. As the name implied, he was often "the only venue for the desperate and forlorn." Father and son finally had a long overdue chat, the details of which remain private (FLASH #59-60).

One month later, the widowed Mason proposed to Leonora McDonald and spontaneously turned the marriage ceremony of Wally's mother to Ernesto Varni into a double ceremony (FLASH #61). With a family of his own once more, Mason soon faded out of Wally's life.

Codename: Assassin

Created by Gerry Conway, Steven Skeates, Carmine Infantino, and the Redondo Studios

Profile written by Ola Hellsten

PERSONAL DATA:
Alter Ego: Jonathan Drew
Occupation: Vigilante, Assassin
Marital Status: Unknown
Known Relatives: Unnamed parents (deceased),
Marie (sister, deceased)
Group Affiliations: None
Base of Operations: New York City, NY
Height: N/A
Weight: N/A
Hair: Blond
Eyes: Blue
Skin: Caucasian white
First Appearance: 1st Issue Special #11 (February 1976)

HISTORY:
When Jonathan Drew was ten years old, his parents died under as yet unrevealed circumstances. Standing by their gravestone, his older sister Marie said to him, "now that mom and dad are gone, I'll take care of you, and you'll take care of me." She promised never to leave him and that he didn't have to be afraid. He believed her.

Eleven years later, in 1976, Jonathan found himself completing his first year of Graduate School at Antioke University. After flunking his psychiatry course, he agreed to participate in an E.S.P. research experiment designed by a Doctor Andrew Stone. By doing that, he would pass his exam.

But something in the experiment went horribly wrong. While Jonathan was still attached to Stone's "E.S.P. machinery", Stone's colleague, Doctor Anderson, accidentally stumbled on a power cable, which resulted in the testing device blowing up, and a surge of power flowing through Jonathan Drew's body.

Waking up in a hospital, Jonathan was thirsty and was going to ask for a glass of water. However, the water came to him before nobody had had the chance of giving it to him. Watching the decanter floating in the air, Jonthan let out a scream of shock as he realized that he had gained telekinetic powers.

More shocks were on their way. Leaving the hospital, Marie started telling Jonathan a secret she had kept for years, but before she had even finished the first sentence, she was gunned down by machine-gun fire from a passing car. In shock and rage, Jonathan insinctively let out a burst of his new-found power, crushing the car with it.

He later found out that Marie had been working for a crimeboss named Victor Grummun, only to earn money so that Jonathan could go to college. For some reason, she became a security risk, and was killed. After learning this, Jonathan went underground for some time, training and developing his powers for the task that had to be done. When he appeared again, it was as the costumed vigilante with the codename: Assassin.

Going after Grummun's employees Rossi, Morganthau, and Carmody, killing some and delivering others to the authorities, the Assassin made a name of himself, angering Victor Grummun himself. Grummun vowed to kill the Assassin before the Assassin would kill him.

The Assassin evidently had some associates since establashing himself. He has mentioned a man named Ben who possibly was another casualty in the war against crime. While the district attorney Roberts and police commissioner Runyon seemed to be thankful for the Assassin's contribution to their daily work, Jonathan's own friend Doctor Stone considered him a very ill man.

Judging from their comments, it also seems that the Assassin's real identity was public knowledge, at least among the authorities.

When last seen, the Assassin had just entered Grummun's yacht, and was engaged in a fight against two hired metahuman thugs called Snake and Powerhouse. It is not known how this conflict ended.

Further exploits of the Jonathan Drew are unrecorded, although Ted Knight, the original Starman, has stated that he encountered the Assassin in Opal City in the late 1970s, and that his career was very brief.

Obsessed and uncompromising, the Assassin would seemingly do whatever it takes to put Grummun and his likes to justice. The swift ending of his vigilante careermay imply that he succeeded...or that he failed.

POWERS AND ABILITIES:
The Assassin had a variety of mental powers. His telepathic abilities allowed him to read the thought of other humans, as well as noticing their presence before seeing or hearing them come. His telekinetics allowed him to move objects at least as heavy as himself, and to walk in the air. Occasionally, he could also emit devastating blasts of mental energy, enough to blow up a car, or to burn out a man's psyche. However, this ability seemed exclusively restricted to acts of pure reflex. The Assassin's mental powers were not inexhaustible, and he had to let them re-load once in a while.

Apart from using his mental powers, the Assassin was also an excellent hand-to-hand combatant. He carried a gun with which he could shoot tranquilizer darts, and he sometimes used other equipment such as a pocket blowtorch, which he carried in his utility belt.

APPEARANCE LIST:
1ST ISSUE SPECIAL #11 (February, 1976)
STARMAN (2nd series) #76 (April 2001) (mentioned only)

Kit Colby

Katherine "Kit" Colby was the "girl sheriff" of Moonbow and relatively unique among Western strips in that her adventures took place in the present. Specifically those adventures occurred from 1949 to 1952 in JIMMY WAKELY #1-13, 16-18. Art was by Carmine Infantino & Frank Giacoia in the first episode with subsequent issues pencilled by Giacoia (#2-5), Gil Kane (#6-10) and Irwin Hasen (#11-13, 16-18). Bob Lander inked all of Kane's episodes and all but the last two of Hasen's.

Kit rode a horse named Whitey (referred to as Flash in #1) and her supporting cast included her father, Judge Colby (in JW #1, 3 and 8) and Deputy Jess Sayers (#7-13, 18). She fought the Tumbleweed Kid in JW #7 ("The Stranger From Sunburst Bend").

Commander Blud

Profile by John Censullo

First Appearance: Karate Kid #5 (Nov-Dec 1976) - #6 (Jan-Feb 1977)

It is Veterans Day, and Karate Kid and Iris Jacobs are on the sidewalk watching the parade. Without warning, soldiers marching in the parade begin to fire at the crowd! They use the resulting panic to grab Karate Kid, but it isn't him they want ... its Iris. Suddenly, a signal device in Karate Kid's wrist band beeps. He rushes off, leaving Iris in the soldiers' hands.

Ten minutes later, in his West Side apartment, Karate Kid speaks to someone through a floating orb. He is angry because Iris might be killed. The person speaks of rules and a test that Karate Kid agreed to. One rule is to report to the monitor globe whenever the signal coil commands. The person adds that how well Karate Kid overcomes his personal obstacles to follow those rules will weigh heavily in the final judgment.

After finishing his conversion, Karate Kid heads out to try and find Iris. A man posing as an old lady leaves the hero a clue, which leads him to the Empire State Building. There he is attacked by Frederik Sanguine, a.k.a. Commander Blud, and his men. Iris, he learns, was just the bait. Blud wants Karate Kid's knowledge of the future. He has dedicated his life and resources to the art of combat, and now Karate Kid will help him further that dedication by telling him which countries will fight in the next world war. He intends on allying himself and his mercenaries with the losing side! That way, he can help tip the balance of power and prolong the conflict, giving even more men the chance to taste the splendor of battle. Karate Kid is sickened by what he hears.

Blud begins striking Karate Kid, and a battle between the two ensues. Just as it appears Karate Kid has beaten Blud, the villain shoots knockout gas out of his ring. When Karate Kid wakes up, he is bound next to Iris. They are strapped to a machine of Blud's own design. It works on principles of pain tolerance, developed from years of research into brainwashing techniques. Blud is happy to give the hero a little demonstration -- unless he wants to be smart and give Blud the information he seeks voluntarily. Karate Kid replies that Blud's insane plan would not only change history, but wipe out his own future in the process. In response, Commander Blud turns on the machine. The pain causes Karate Kid to snap and go berserk. He breaks free and begins tearing up the room in a rage, attacking all within reach.

Cosmic Boy, Star Boy, Sun Boy, and Princess Projectra arrive just in time to stop Karate Kid from killing Commander Blud. They knock out their teammate, but Blud escapes in the confusion. Upon seeing Projectra tenderly holding Karate Kid, Iris Jacobs leaves.

When Karate Kid awakens, his sanity has returned. The Legionnaires explain that their time-scanners at Legion headquarters detected someone trying to tamper with the timestream. They traced that tampering to this location. Karate Kid is angry that they let Blud escape, a man whose plans could destroy the future. He tells them to leave, but Cosmic Boy says the responsibility for stopping Blud can't be left to one man. Karate Kid storms off.

Projectra is concerned that he is not himself. Cosmic Boy has a feeling that Karate Kid has a deeper reason for coming to the 20th century other than the ones he's told them. They will have to worry about it later though. Right now they need to stop Blud.

Karate Kid is walking down the street, when suddenly he is grabbed by a large robot bird. The bird brings him to an artificial dome under the Hudson River, where he is attacked by Blud's elite cyborg corps. Karate Kid quickly defeats them all. Blud then tells the hero that he has gathered his finest robot warriors along with a fleet of submarines to take them to the site of the next world war, as soon as Karate Kid tells him where it will be.

Blud reveals that he has captured the other Legionnaires. They followed clues he left and fell right into his trap. He states that the force field holding them protects him from their powers, but also enables him to dissipate their mass. Blud activates the mechanism which causes the heroes to begin fading. Blud says they will soon disappear completely if Karate Kid doesn't cooperate.

Karate Kid rushes over to try and help Projectra. When it appears he can do nothing, he agrees to help Blud. Just then, the dome cracks and water begins pouring in. Karate Kid disables the force field and frees the Legionnaires. Suddenly, the crack and water are gone. Karate Kid had in fact whispered to Projectra to use her illusion powers, which were unaffected by Blud's force field. Blud orders his robot troops, Squadron D, to attack and destroy the outsiders, but the Legionnaires easily defeat them. Blud tries to escape in a mini-sub, but Karate Kid captures him.

Projectra asks Karate Kid to come back with them to the future. He says he can't, that his work in the 20th century is not yet done. The Legion time-projector glimmers once more and the four heroes return to their own time.

Commando Yank

Written by Jack Holt

Commando Yank first appeared in WOW COMICS #6, cover dated July 15, 1942 and originally released sometime around April 17 of the same year. Apparently created by the Chesler studios Charles Sultan, the strip later featured art by Carl Pfeufer and Dan Barry. He started out as a masked solider without too many super hero attributes. He didnt even have a secret identity. He just apparently enjoyed wearing that infernal mask. (DCs Captain Desmo had a similar affectation for a white flying helmet).

In his first adventure, Commando Yanks debt to both the movie newsreels and the radio dramas was obvious. You can almost hear the crisp, overdramatic newsreel delivery as I let the story speak for itself:

And the radio drama continues in the adventure as Commando Yank goes to Norway on a reconnaissance mission disguised as an old fisherman. He uses a corny radio drama accent in one sequence that is unintentionally funny. Here is the sterling dialogue. Please note the disgusted inn-keepers reaction:

Yimme, please a sandvich, ya?

Harrumph!! the innkeeper responds, but hands him the note anyway, obviously hoping Commando Yank will just TRY to actually speak Norwegian instead of a bad stage accent.

It is not to be.

Tanks please. C.Y. responds. Meanwhile the nearby Nazi troopers are clearly enjoying their lager a little too much because they miss the whole exchange.

Thank goodness or it would have been Fawcetts shortest cover feature character ever!

Hey, if I were a Norwegian who was playing host to German troops and this goon, I probably would have shot him. Good thing the innkeeper was a patriot!

Anyway, the story gets a lot better. Commando Yank is detected back at his boat, which is revealed as a speedboat instead of a fishing trawler. Our fighting Commando battles his way free and takes off to an undisclosed location on the British coast.

Commando Yank enters what appears to be a dilapidated fishing shelter. However as he quickly descends a secret stairway, an underground tunnel to Base 33 is revealed. General stereotyped British bon home transpires where we see the unwavering bravery of the British forces - all of whom, however, turn naturally to the Yank for any leadership and guidance.

Sigh.

Anyway, they decide to target the Norwegian Undergrounds goals, but to attack at an unexpected location up the coast. They will destroy radio and supply lines and take German prisoners if they can.

The plan begins, with the commandos entering beetle boats to invade the Norwegian coast. They are accompanied by two British destroyers and air cover by a wing of Hampden bombers. And a good thing too.

The fighting is fierce. (Another unintentionally funny line occurs in this segment as Commando Yank uses old American Indian tricks of warfare as he and his troops blast their way up a deserted street. Personally, Im guessing Sitting Bull, Pontiac, and Chief Joseph wouldnt have wasted their time blasting up a deserted street. But thats just me.

Commando Yank is hit by a snipers bullet in the shoulder, but manages to take out the sniper with his own pistol. He also engages in a lot of hand-to-hand combat, including fisticuffs with the defending Nazi troopers.

Finally, however, the commandos win the day. They return victorious to England.

The first few adventures are very similar, featuring different European locales all cheerfully resisting Hitler and his crew. They are a sort of travelogue of conventional scenes from old movies about foreign countries. Typical was Danger at the Dike from AMERICAS GREATEST COMICS #7, dated Spring 1943. In that adventure, Commando Yank appears disguised in his mask, wooden shoes, and a cap. Meanwhile, Vandermeer, the leader of Hollands underground, hides a coded message in a meerschaum, and the evil Nazis burrow a tiny hole in one of the dikes facing the Zuider Zee. Commando Yank is just barely able to defeat Baron Glutz, stop up the hole in the dike, and use a windmill to leap onto the struts of a low-flying RAF fighter before the night is over. Incredibly, the hero climbs inside the planes cockpit and returns home to England with the pilots.

Our faceless hero was a young boys wish fulfillment, but not a serious hero even by Captain Marvels standards. I have to assume that Fawcett asked for something more accessible. The nameless, faceless hero was just too unbelievable.

But it was a series of baby-steps.

In The Adventure of the Enemy Express from WOW COMICS #13, we learned for the first time that Commando Yank was, in reality Chase Yale, a reporter working for the American Broadcasting System and using shortwave to broadcast across the channel to occupied France and to the world. He was shown using a quick speedboat to slip through the Nazi coastal patrols and slip into France. There, he entered factories and towns to meet with underground leaders and plot the disruption of German plans.

Chase Yale resided in the Hotel Aster. An odd feature of the old building is that it faced a small courtyard on one side that was bounded by a different hotel. Oddly, Chase Yales window was one of the two that opened on the courtyard. Across the way was Commando Yanks HQ. Chase would leap from one window to the other creating the illusion that Chase and the Commando were not the same man. Commando Yank simply retired to his room, leapt across the courtyard, and re-appeared as Chase Yale in the Hotel Aster.

Also, early on, Chase Yale pretended to disbelieve rumors of this masked Commando Yank, the terror of the Nazis. Recklessly, Chase would broadcast information on the rumored activities of Commando Yank and the resistance. Then, transforming into the Commando, he would carry out his rumored plans to confound the enemy.

In that very issue though, the idiocy of this approach was shown. The Nazis actually almost catch the Commando because of Yales broadcast. Incredibly, Commando Yank uses fast footwork to defeat two German-sympathizing trainmen and a detachment of soldiers. He hijacks a munitions train and gives the arms to the French Underground.

At the end of the story, Yale again publicly doubted the existence of Commando Yank and brags on air about how his prediction that the enemys munitions plant would be upset by the resistance was proved to be true.

Contrary to all those Hogans Heroes reruns you might have seen, the German Army was filled with a lot of very bright people. Chase might as well have hung a sign on his neck that said I am Commando Yank.

This story idea was, wisely, later abandoned. Baroness Orczys Scarlet Pimpernel could get away with that kind of taunting because he was dodging muskets. Machine guns are a little harder to laugh off.

All in all, the Commandos stories did not ever gel as well as the well-defined Marvels or Bulletman.

In an odd correlation with All-Americans ALL STAR COMICS, Commando Yank fought the dread Black Dragon Society in a story called Mikado for a Day. The story, from WOW COMICS #18, dated October 1943, is eerie for many reasons. The art appears to be by Phil Bard, who did a mean swipe of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. The aforementioned Black Dragon Society was lifted from ALL STAR COMICS #12 from the previous year. And to top things off, Chase Yale was referred to repeatedly as Carter Yale. Its almost like a Gardner Fox story got lost and rewritten by the Chesler studio!!

In the tale itself, Carter Yale hears about the plight of Americans who lived in a section of Tokyo called Little America. The Chinese and American forces are helpless to save them from execution at the hands of the Black Dragons - who intend to throw them into the volcanic Mount Fujiyamas smoldering crater.

Commando Yank hitches a ride on the wing strut of a Chinese reconnaissance plane and parachutes onto Mount Fujiyama. In short order, he dispatches the Black Dragons and rescues the Americans. They decide to hide in plain sight, a la Poe, and return to Little America in the heart of Tokyo. From there they hope to make plans to escape.

But instead, a surprise visit from the Emperor gives Commando Yank a priceless opportunity. He captures the Emperor and holds him at gunpoint. Because ordinary Japanese soldiers are trained to obey the Emperors slightest command and do not see him, Commando Yank is able to get the Emperor to order the return of the Americans to their countrymen as non-combatants. Commando Yank stays with the Emperor until the command is carried out.

The Emperor calls upon a prototype of Nippo, Captain Marvels foe, and two other bodyguards. However, Commando Yank defeats the bruisers and takes over the Mikados throne. Then, from inside the palace grounds, he orders a second attack on Pearl Harbor.

What?!?!?!? you say. Yep. You read it right. But since the American forces were prepared this time and it wasnt a sneak attack, the Japanese fleet is easily destroyed.

Wish fulfillment and jingoism at its best. And somewhat similar to the effect of Doolittles raid perhaps.

At the end, Commando Yank leaves the Emperor alive to avoid creating a martyr (I guess the Black Dragon folks were too anonymous to count).

But the stories did start to become more and more believable. Carl Pfeufers appearance on the art chores also meant some great action-packed stories.

Commando Yank seemed to start focusing more on the war in the Pacific. And he continued the newsreel-like coverage of the war. So, in WOW COMICS #36, dated May 1945, for example, Commando Yank and MacArthur are both shown in the same story liberating the Phillipines. Commando Yank smokes out a few underground Japanese Army contingents, destroys a munitions plant disguised as a village, and frees Filipino slave-laborers. MacArthur does the heavy lifting of freeing the island at the end.

In one unusual moment, Commando Yank mistakenly believes a Filipino freedom fighter is a traitor and tosses him at the Japanese troops. After learning of his error, freeing the man, and encountering the brave slave-labor force, he discovers that one of the slaves is the daughter of the man he tossed away.

The story ends assuring us those stories of Japanese soldiers having health problems and retreating are lies. In reality, Commando Yank defeated them all.

Fawcett must have ordered a stockpile of stories during the war to cover for the possibility of losing its artists and writers to the draft. Wartime tales continued for a while after V-E Day and V-J Day, from the Official War Archive. Many appear to be recycled stories of one sort or another as the publisher tried to adjust to having a character called a commando in peacetime.

For example, in WOW COMICS #40s The Secret of the Vial (inadvertently called Tokyo Takeoff in the table of contents), Commando Yank battled Dr. Yaki on a secret volcanic island base. The island was kept a secret by shooting down all over flying planes and by capturing all the American forces that landed near the island.

Dr. Yaki had invented a serum that makes men into giants. (Again, this same idea was used many times by Gardner Fox, whose Professor Hugo Strange and Mister Who both used similar formulas.) And he used the American pilots and soldiers as gladiatorial combatants to test his brutal creations.

Like a costumed James Bond, Commando Yank infiltrates the hidden base, finds the lost American pilots, defeats the giants and Dr. Yaki, and blows the whole thing to kingdom come.

This seems to mark the start of a sort of spy-game Commando Yank. Chase Yale travels the world for his paper and moonlights as the costumed freedom fighter, setting wrongs to right and advancing the United Nations (i.e., the victorious allies excluding Russia) interests throughout the world.

Again, in Scoop at Sea from WOW COMICS #47, Chase Yale is sent to Batistas Cuba, where he becomes involved in a plot to assassinate a beautiful young woman. Chase was summoned by his editor from the National Hotel in Brazil by a cryptic note. Because he doesnt know why hes in Havana, Chase explores the bay area (in a shirt that he must have stolen from Lance OCasey and monogrammed with a big C.Y.).

Seeing two boats on a collision course, he tries to intervene. Commando Yank first frees the girl from handcuffs on board a sailboat as a captainless vessel is heading toward her. Then he defeats agents from an unidentified totalitarian country. It turns out the girl is soon to take the throne of Slovenia and the agents were trying to assassinate her.

Finally, after the case is solved, Yales editor finally wires him that he is to keep a lookout for the Princess in Havana. As Chase puts it, he scooped himself.

As I understand it, Commando Yank lasted up until Mary Marvel herself was replaced by Ozzie in WOW COMICS #59, but I do not have enough issues to confirm that.

Commando Yank was an ordinary soldier without superpowers or superhuman abilities, but some skill at tactics, hand-to-hand combat, and disguise.

It was suggested, but never stated as far as I know, that he was a fair linguist and was able to speak many different languages, including French, Dutch, Chinese, and Japanese.

In his stories, everyone always appeared to speak English even when, in context, it was clear they must be actually using their native tongues.

He wore a gray tunic and gray pants, a blue weapons belt, black boots with red and white socks, and a blue hood that covered his eyes in a mask but left his nose and mouth bare. On his chest he wore a large white circular emblem in the center of which was a blue star. In the center of the star was a small red circle.

Excellent pictures of him can be found on numerous early and late issues of Fawcett's WOW COMICS, including his first appearance in #6, and an excellent side view on the cover of #8. He appeared as a smaller figure on many more covers of issues featuring Mary Marvel and the other WOW-sters.

I hope this was some help even though my sampling is small

Comments

The word "commando" had a more exotic connotation at the time. And the word "Yank" sounded so patriotic. I noticed he had no origin. Nor is there an explanation of why an American is leading all the British commandoes.  Reminds me of that American character in the movie "Pearl Harbor", who just shows up in England and starts shooting down all the German planes. As dated as this character sounds, he might actually be interesting to revive someday.

Jim Corrigan of Earth-One

Black police officer Corrigan (JIMMY OLSEN #149, 150, 152) was rumored to have been a candidate for an Earth-One Spectre when Joe Orlando rediscovered the series in the early 1970s. Instead, Orlando went with the traditional Jim Corrigan and Jimmy Olsen's pal popped up in a couple Leo Dorfman stories (JO #163; SUPERMAN FAMILY #167) before going into limbo. Tony Isabella revived him in BLACK LIGHTNING #4 and 7-9, finally officially establishing his first name as Jim. After a final appearance in WORLD'S FINEST #260, the Metropolis cop was never seen again. (He'd be a good candidate for the SCU if you ask me.)

It's not at all sure there really IS a Jim Corrigan of Earth-1 who merged with The Spectre (who was the ghost of his Earth-2 counterpart) or if The Spectre simply assumed that identity while on Earth-1. They never seemed to exist separately, as Corrigan and the Spectre did on Earth-2. Possibly the Earth-1 Jim Corrigan was a black Metropolis policeman (although only his last name was ever given) who appeared in several Jimmy Olsen stories circa 1972. This Corrigan was created by John Albano and Jose Delbo.

The Council

Here's some info on the Council (assuming we're talking about the same group). They are from the classic MANHUNTER back-up feature from DETECTIVE COMICS by Archie Goodwin and Walter Simonson.

Following the creation of the atomic bomb in World War II, a group of future-gazing scientists banded together to "protect humanity from itself." This sinister agenda became their driving motivation, even to the point of extending their own lifespans via suspended animation.

Seeking to build an army, the Council found a perfect human specimen in Paul Kirk, the former Golden Age hero known as Manhunter. Kirk had been killed by a wild elephant while on a hunting trip in Africa but the Council's sophisticated technology revived him and augmented his genetic structure with a "healing factor." During the process of Kirk's resurrection, the Council had also cloned him and assigned the task of training these new warriors to Asano Nitobe, last surviving master of ninjutsu.

Manhunter's first mission in the Council's service was to assassinate the head of Interpol. Refusing to take a life in cold blood, Manhunter tried to warn his prey. But when the lights came up, he discovered that the Council was testing his loyalty and had replaced the Interpol agent with one of their own people earlier. Realizing the Council's madness, Paul Kirk escaped them and became a fugitive, travelling from country to country pursued by assassins with his own face.

Eventually, Kirk gathered allies in his war against the Council. Among them were Interpol agent Christine St. Clair, his teacher Asano Nitobe (who finally escaped the group's brainwashing), an African weapons dealer who was the son of one of Kirk's hunting companions, and finally the dread Batman himself. Batman had been drawn into the case by the murder of a friend. Evidence pointed to the mysterious Council and though the Dark Knight disagreed with Kirk's methods, he joined his crusade.

Eventually, the small band of heroes infiltrated the Council's hidden fortress. There, Batman faced a masked martial artist who he believed had murdered his friend. But during the course of the battle, the Caped Crusader realized the truth- that the masked man WAS his friend. He had been taken in by the Council's brainwashing and, in a way, the man Batman had known was truly dead.

Meanwhile, the Manhunter had reached the inner sanctum of the fortress and faced the Council themselves. Linked in their hibernation chambers by telepathy, the old men tried to have the rebellious Paul Kirk destroyed. In the end, Kirk sabotaged the fortress's technology and perished beside the Council in the resulting explosion.

Though consisting of only seven issues, the MANHUNTER series was critically acclaimed and fans were clamoring for more. Goodwin and Simonson reunited for a final chapter to be added for a collected edition. Sadly, Archie Goodwin passed on before the script could be completed but the story was included in the collection as a 'silent" comic. A man resembling Manhunter was rampaging across Gotham City, attrracting the attention of Batman. St. Clair and Nitobe appear, kill the imposter, and cross the last of the Manhunter clones off their list. The Council's agents were at last defeated.

Or so it seemed. In the JSA SECRET FILES #1, Black Canary and Hippolyta are seen battling a group of assassins who "all have the same face". "And it's a face familiar to me", the Amazon Queen remarks....

Courageous Man & Minute Lad

Profile by Rich Meyer

Courageous Man and Minute Lad were the main characters of a popular television action series, much akin to the Batman TV show of the sixties. Courageous Man was known for his courage, and his unique Bola-Gun.

Bill Anderson was the star of the show, playing the main hero. He also believed someone was trying to kill him before he could honor his contract to finish that particular season and leave the show (which he wanted to do before the show was syndicated and he was veritably typecast). After numerous accidents and close calls, he turned to an old friend for help, Christopher Chance, who was also known as the Human Target.

Chance impersonated the actor and yet another accident occurred (almost being killed by "Pastafazool's Pasta-Maker of Death", and he began scoping out the crew for possible suspects. His co-star, Doug Duncan, was a bratty actor who considered Anderson a has-been. He also was a chain-smoker who flaunted union rules on the set. Producer Frazier White was on the set as well, worrying about the accidents and what would happen to his insurance rates.

Chance was beginning to enjoy his role in the limelight after his first week, but another accident (this time with a "mock microwave" and a malfunctioning Bola-Gun), and decided to get down to task and find out who was behind the events. Barney, the chief electrician on the set, saw through Chance's disguise (saying Anderson wasn't that good of an actor) and told Chance to meet him in his office at midnight. Chance (as Anderson) kept the meeting, but found Barney dead, clutching a burnt match.

The next morning, Chance gathered the cast and crew on the set and revealed that he wasn't Anderson, saying that he was hired to find a killer. The police were already on their way over, and Chance told them that Barney had been killed the night before. He had been hired to stage all of the accidents, but had become nervous once he realized that "Courageous Man" was not who he seemed. Chance said that before he died, he managed to tell him who the killer was. Chance then proceeded to pull out a cigarette and ask for a light. Both Duncan and White offered lights, Duncan using a lighter and Barney a match, which pointed to him as the killer. White tried to escape, but Chance knocked him down with the inane Bola-Gun, which actually worked for once. Chance had also checked into White's finances, and he would've been bankrupted if the show hadn't gone into syndication. He planned to get revenge on Anderson for leaving, and cash in on an insurance policy on the actor.

Perry Klein, the show's director, offered Chance a role once Anderson's contract was up, but Chance refused, saying he does his best work capeless.

Appearances:

• Action Comics Weekly #641

The Criminal Alliance of the World — C.A.W.

A secret war was being waged against the Earth and the only two people who could stop it were from a planet hundreds of light years away. The Criminal Alliance of the World -- C.A.W. -- was scouring the globe in search of the scientific secrets of the ancients -- and their treasures.

In 1965, the organization had discovered an Egyptian statue in the form of a dog that was designed by the priests of Sebek to be far more. It was also capable of short range teleportation, something which C.A.W. used to loot the underground tomb of Ramses. The villains abducted laborers to steal the riches, erected an invisible force field that was deadly to the touch and preyed on native superstitions by wearing the heads of animals.

C.A.W. was unaware that there was a twin to the Dog of Sebek, one capable of long range teleportation that activated each time the short range unit was used. In a fateful development, the second dog was on display in the Midway City Museum and unwittingly transported curator Shiera Hall to C.A.W.s Egyptian site. Trailing Shiera via the radiation given off in the exchange, her husband, the Thanagarian police officer Hawkman, trailed her to Valley of the Crocodile, fought off a band of Crocodile-Men and rescued Shiera.

Her appearance had alerted C.A.W. to the existence of the other teleporter and the couple made a desperate flight out of the stronghold hoping to beat the agents to Midway City. In the process, the local Dog of Sebek was broken and its American duplicate suffered an identical injury (HAWKMAN (first series) #7, by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson). Now deemed worthless by C.A.W., the fragments of the Dogs of Sebek proved to be a breakthrough when Hawkman and Hawkgirl delivered them to Thanagar. Within a few years, the planets scientists had solved the secret of teleportation and the technology was eventually shared with the Justice League of America (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #78).

By August of that year, the Central Intelligence Bureau had taken an active role in thwarting the growing threat of C.A.W. With the Atom already on a case for the CIA (THE ATOM #21), they sought an alliance with the Tiny Titans close friends, Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

The Hawks learned that C.A.W. was keeping other foreign agents under surveillance, waiting for them to steal government secrets and then hijacking that data for themselves. After running a gauntlet of super-weapons (including a multi-outlet dart gun and a unit that fired guided propellers as sharp as razor blades), the heroes brought the local C.A.W. agents into custody and their method of smuggling the stolen secrets was exposed (HAWKMAN #10).

Within months, C.A.W. had set their sights on the ultimate lost secret -- a legendary computer that contained all knowledge on Earth, something of a primitive version of Thanagars Absorbascon. The data was contained in a bronze talking head and it was activated by a small lamp. The two pieces had been stolen centuries ago from the scientific enclave known as the Nine Unknowns. In 1966, their successors had learned that the head and the lamp had finally been located and were going to be stolen again -- by C.A.W. A representative of the enclave was dispatched to Midway City to solicit the aid of the Hawks Absorbascon in tracking the artifacts. Unfortunately, C.A.W. feared the heroes interference and arranged for an attack of their own that would keep them in Midway City.

By now, the C.A.W. agents had put secrecy behind them, proudly displaying their affiliation in matching red and black costumes with a golden, razor-edged C.A.W. emblem on their chest that doubled as a weapon. This time, their high-tech armada included a gun with anti-gravity discharges, a bubble gun whose output ate through anything it touched, a particlizer that flooded its victim with enough radiation to create an explosion and a protonic amplifier.

No threat was enough to defeat Hawkman and Hawkgirl and they finally succeeded in uniting the talking head and the lamp before the Nine Unknowns. The scientists detected a radioactive aura surrounding the couple, however, and suspecting that C.A.W. would use it to locate their base, caused the energy to dissipate. In fact, the radiation had been the closest C.A.W. had come to a death-ray, one that takes time to permeate the human body. At the activation of an electronic signal, the aura would kill its victim. The unwitting Hawks had cheated death! (HAWKMAN #14)

Furious at their latest failure, an international triad of C.A.W. leaders vowed that someday -- somehow -- somewhere -- CAW will find a way to smash Hawkman and Hawkgirl! There is no truth to the rumor that C.A.W. was behind Hawkmans post-Invasion! DC continuity.

The Crimson Avenger II

For the full bio, visit http://members.aol.com/censulj/dcu/CrmAvn2B.htm

The Crimson Meteor

Created by Danny Fingeroth and Bob McLeod

PERSONAL DATA:

Alter Ego: Willie Schuman
Occupation: Cartoonist
Known Relatives: Cloris Danes Schuman (wife, deceased)
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: Metropolis, formerly Seattle
Height: N/A
Weight: N/A
Eyes: Brown
Hair: White, formerly brown
Skin: White

First appearance: Superman 80-Page Giant #1 (Feb 1999)

HISTORY:

In the 1940s, Willie Schuman worked for the Seattle News as a staff artist, mostly drawing political cartoons and courtroom sketches, winning a few awards on the road. Then he ghosted a bunch of strips for other cartoonists and later did one under a pen name for years. He also earned some money painting portraits of one of the minor super-heroes of the 1940s, the Crimson Meteor.

In his old age, Willie moved to Metropolis and sold his new strip "Captain Tomorrow" to a syndicate, finally getting to sign his own name to a strip.

When Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman first read the "Captain Tomorrow" strip in the Daily Planet, he was shocked to see the similarities between the main character and himself. the super-hero Captain Tomorrow was secretly the mellow Bill Trent, newspaper artist for the Daily Criterion in Cosmopolis. He even had a sweetheart named Clorid Dane, and fought several villains reminiscent of Superman's foes. Too close to be a coincidence.

Furthermore, some people, particularly children, started to confuse Superman with the fictional Captain Tomorrow. Disturbed, Clark Kent visited Schuman in an attempt to get an interview with the artist, but was met with utter suspicion. When Clark asked about from where Schuman got his inspiration or whether he had any agenda beyond entertainment, Schuman snapped:

"For all I know, you're the one with a hidden agenda. Maybe you want to steal my ideas and do a strip of your own, or sell movie rights to something I've created. Wouldn't be the first time it happened to me." Then Schuman asked Clark to leave.

It was not until Clark revisited Schuman as Superman, that he learned the truth. Delighted to meet one of his idols, Schuman told Superman his life story. In the 1940s, Willie was subjected to the radiation of a strange meteor and gained super-powers. As the heroic Crimson Meteor of Seattle he did not get as much publicity as the "Eastern guys" got, but his feats were admirable and his powers made him a Superman of that era. His powers, though, started to fade pretty soon after he got them, and in his old age, they were long gone.

Upon the death of his wife Cloris, Schuman moved to Metropolis and created the "Captain Tomorrow" strip, based on his life as a hero, his former secret identity and powers, mixed with some sci-fi elements and, he admitted, "some of the modern exploits of Superman himself. Hope you don't mind."

Although still amazed by the similarities between their lives, Superman was calmed by Schuman's story and did not mind. He then granted Schuman a favor. It had been decades since Schuman had last flown, but grabbing Superman's hand as he took off for the skies, Schuman experienced that feeling one more time. Helping Schuman "fly like an eagle" once again made Superman feel like a great hero. Maybe even as great as Captain Tomorrow.

POWERS:

In his prime, the Crimson Meteor could juggle pianos, fly like an eagle, and laugh if some goon hit him with a lead pipe. He could see things a mile away and hear a baby cry in the next country.

APPEARANCES:

• Superman 80-Page Giant #1 (Feb 1999) "Too Close To Home"

Croak McCraw, the Dead Detective

The creation of John Ostrander and William Messner-Loebs, Croak McCraw, the Dead Detective, was a corpse with a bullet in the center of his forehead and eyes wide open, still seated at a desk in his office. He delivered an internal monologue in his head even as all manner of bizarre events took place around him. By the end of the third installment, the Earth had been destroyed and McCraw was floating amidst the debris. In the finale, McCraw was escorted into Heaven and slapped into a seat next to Santa Claus. This weirdness can be found in 1988 and 1989's WASTELAND #8, 12, 17 and 18.

The Crusader

The Crusader only appeared in AQUAMAN [1st series] #56. As far as I know, he has made no other cameos in any other titles.

The Cryonic Man

In BATO #6, we meet the Cryonic Man for the first and last time. More on him later.

Here we go with the Cryonic Man (I mis-spelled his name last time, sorry)

The Cryonic Man - appeared in BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #6 and #7 - In 1947, Professor Niles Raymond (wonder if he's any relation to Ronnie (Firestorm) Raymond?) built four cryonic sleep chambers because he feared a world wide nuclear holocaust. Niles, his wife Bella, his assistant Philip, and Philip's wife Melissa entered the chambers and slept for years. In order to monitor the state of the world and maintain their equipment, Philip was selected to awaken every so often.

During one of the times he was awake, Philip discovered that his wife Melissa was slowly dying of a progressive degenerative disease (exactly what disease is never stated). Only complex organ transplants could save Melissa's life should she ever leave the cryonic chamber. Philip reasoned that the needed transplant technology would be developed in the near future, so in order to keep Melissa in the chamber he lied to Niles and Bella - telling them that there had been a horrible nuclear war which devastated the world. In the meantime, Philip began illegally gathering organs and transplanting them into Melissa's body. Sometimes, Philip even used Niles' and Bella's bodies as 'spare parts" as his own body withered with age.

Waking up in 1983 (when BATO #6 was written), Philip makes himself a costume comprised of blue tights, metallic gloves, a blue hard hat type thing, and a metallic mask which covers all of his face except his eyes. He also develops a backpack type machine which allows him to shoot liquid nitrogen out of hoses attached to the wrists of his costume. Dubbing himself the Cryonic Man, Philip goes about stealing organs from local hospitals in Gotham. This eventually brings him into conflict with Batman and the Outsiders.

While stealing a kidney from Gotham General Hospital, the Outsiders confront Philip, and chase him into one of Gotham's underground car tunnels. The Cryonic Man gets the best of the Outsiders this time, and escapes with the kidney and Katana as his hostage. Philip plans on using Katana as the source for all the other body parts Melissa needs. With the help of Soultaker (Katana's sword), the Outsiders track Philip to an underground bunker in an abandoned house just outside of Gotham. The usual heroics transpire, but there's a real cool James Bond-esque scene where a bound and almost sedated Katana frees herself and destroys one of the Cryonics Man's robots using only a tiny surgeon scalpel.

Eventually, the Outsiders discover the other three cryonic chambers and the people inside. Black Lightning is able to use his powers to "communicate" with them using the cryonic chamber's electric field. When Bella, Niles, and Melisa discover the truth, they become enraged and overload the chambers' electric field. This unleashes a backlash of electric energy which strikes Philip, either killing him or just knocking him out (we're never told, we just see smoke rising from the Cryonic Man's fallen body). The overload however, does cause the deaths of Bella, Niles, and Melisa.

Says Batman: "Their souls died long ago....when they decided to run from the world instead of facing it!"

The Cyclone Kids

For a full bio, visit http://members.aol.com/censulj/dcu/CyclKdsA.htm

Cyclotron II

Secret identity: An android.
First appeared: SUPER POWERS ACTION FIGURES, SERIES 3 (1986).
Television appearances: None.
Comic book appearances: SUPER POWERS [third series] #1 (Sep 1986) - #4 (Dec 1986).
Action figures: SUPER POWERS ACTION FIGURES, SERIES 3 (1986).
Origin revealed: SUPER POWERS [third series] #2 (Oct 1986).
The origin of Cyclotron: Cyclotron is an android created by Superman to store and maintain data. He aids the Super Powers Team in their fight against evil.
Powers: Cyclotron is programmed with tremendous amounts of information, including all known data on Earth's super-heroes and super-villains.