It’s almost like every book in the DC universe was told to expand their mythos. The Batman family got a new member, so did the Wonder Woman family. Superman had the Phantom Zone added. And the JLA got a new member. So what about Green Lantern? Well, Green Lantern #6 (March 1961) added the concept […]
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Those wacky Atlas / Marvel comics are still covered in giant monsters in February 1961. This volley includes Spragg, Googam (Son of Goom), Rommbu, and… Magneto. No, not that Magneto. This Magneto is an 8-foot tall, not-too-bright human, Hunk Larken, who gets continuously picked on for his lack of brains until he is fed up […]
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This month’s Justice League of America #4 (Feb 1961) also manages to change things up by considering who they should add as a new member. Adam Strange, Green Arrow, and Hawkman are up for consideration. Hm, how is Adam Strange a known hero at this time? Did Adam send them a few postcards from Rann? […]
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Mythos be busting out all over the place, with the introduction of another major element of Superman stories being introduced in Adventure Comics #283 (February 1961): The Phantom Zone! Superboy discovers some Kryptonian machines sent into space (by Jor-El of course) and learns about how the Phantom Zone was where Krypton placed its dangerous criminals […]
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Speaking of expanding the family, Wonder Woman #121 (Feb 1961) tries to change Queen Hippolyta from a sidelines-only character into one of action. In it we are treated to the first tale of “the entire Wonder Woman Family”. The trick is its all done through the “time and space screen” on Paradise Island, in which […]
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In Batman #139 (Feb 1961), the creators try to improve the supporting cast of the Batman “family” by adding Bat-Girl. Betty Kane, the niece of Kathy Kane, discovers her aunt is actually Bat-Woman and decides to help out with crime-fighting. Batman encourages her to train her sidekick as a stalling tactic, but it actually seems […]
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Atlas/Marvel’s latest batch of wacko giant monsters in January 1961 features Gruto, Grogg, Gorgilla and Metallo. Someone needs to fix the ‘G’ key on Stan Lee’s typewriter, it seems to be sticking! Metallo is a proto-Iron Man story. The army has produced an impenetrable metal suit about twice the size of a man. An escaped […]
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After all that deeper thinking about character motivation, it’s time for something light-hearted and fun: a new Legionnaire is introduced in Adventure Comics #282 (Jan 1961): Star Boy! Lana wants to make Superboy jealous, so she eavesdrops as a new teen superhero arrives from the future to meet Superboy. She learns the teen’s identity is […]
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We have had many stories before about Lois becoming “Super Woman“, usually done to explore some aspect of the love triangle between Superman-Lois-Clark, and Action Comics #274 (Jan 1961) is certainly no exception. This time it’s exploring whether Lois loves Superman for who he is, or because of his amazing abilities and his fame. Lois […]
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Green Lantern #5 (Jan 1961) introduces a new villain for GL in Hector Hammond. In this first tale, Hector has found a meteorite and secretly kidnapped and exposed four scientists to its radiation, forcing them to mutate and evolve along future lines of the human race. This involves giant craniums, feeble willpower, and the ability […]
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