In Action Comics #254 (May 1959), a renegade scientist copies Professor Dalton’s failed duplicator ray from years ago and deliberately re-creates the Bizarro creature. Then the renegade scientist unmasks himself and it is revealed to be Luthor. Funnily enough, Bizarro rejects Luthor’s attempt at controlling him and Luthor is quickly sent back to prison. The […]
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Superman #130 (May 1959) gives us a tale on how kryptonite has affected Superman throughout his life, as he lays dying next to a chunk of kryptonite he was not able to melt or crawl away from. It includes the first time we see Superman’s kryptonite-shielded suit, including how television played a role in helping […]
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In Jimmy Olsen #37 (April 1959), “Superman’s Super Rival” has Jimmy meeting a new boy-sized “hero” covered in lead-lined bandages and sporting superpowers like Superman. Superman is curious as to the identity of the new hero, who calls himself Mysterio, who appears to be trying to steal Jimmy’s loyalty away from Superman. It turns out […]
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Wow March 1959 was a busy month for DC in terms of world-building! In Superman #129, “The Girl in Superman’s Past” describes Clark Kent in college where he falls in love with a student, Lori Lemaris. Love those L.Ls! Turns out Clark has really fallen for a telepathic mermaid from the sunken land of Atlantis […]
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Showcase keeps cranking out characters, with Rip Hunter debuting in Showcase #20 (March 1959). Rip Hunter is a blonde, handsome, t-shirt-wearing, but sometimes shirtless scientist who invests a couple time spheres. With his companions Jeff, Bonnie and Corky they initiate a series of adventures across time. This first adventure lands them in the prehistoric days […]
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Although not as big news as Supergirl’s debut, Action Comics #252 (March 1959) also introduced another Superman villain in the main Superman feature: Metallo, created by Robert Bernstein and Al Plastino. John Corben is a reporter with a secret: he’s really a criminal. On his way home one night, he gets into a fatal car […]
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Well, after years of stories which teased a female counterpart to Superman, and testing the concept in the previous year, DC finally pulled the trigger in Action Comics #252 (March 1959) with the introduction of Supergirl into the DC continuity. Supergirl is Kara, daughter of Zor-El and cousin of Kal-El (Superman). Her father’s city survived […]
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Well we go from a nice little Silver Age moment to a cringe-worthy addition to the Batman mythos in Detective Comics #267 (March 1959) with the introduction of Bat-Mite. Like Mr. Mxyzptlk, Bat-Mite came from another dimension, but unlike Mxy, Bat-Mite actually adored Batman and tried to help him. Always with disastrous consequences. Was never […]
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18 years after his debut, Aquaman’s origin gets a complete re-tooling in Adventure Comics #260 (March 1959). This seems like DC wanted to bring Aquaman into the Silver Age in a big way. Aquaman is forced to reveal his origin story to a submarine commander who is testing nuclear depth charges in the ocean. The […]
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In Wonder Woman #105 (Feb 1959), the writers revised the origin story of Wonder Woman and decided to start telling tales of Wonder Woman as a young teen, Wonder Girl. Much like Superboy, Wonder Girl started out as another famous-superhero-as-a-teen and then became popular enough that DC weaved that character into the mainstream timeline. The […]
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