Not to be outdone by Namor, Aquaman brings the concept of Atlantis further into its mythos in November 1942. At this point, Aquaman still gained his powers from his scientist father who discovered how to live underwater, but this is the first time an actual Atlantis is seen in the Aquaman stories. In this story, […]
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By November 1942, Hawkgirl is a regular in the DC universe. She has her own pet hawks (one is named Kitty Hawk) and helps Hawkman on his adventures.
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Although Batman was first called “the Dark Knight” in Batman #1 (1940), writers for DC were also using the nickname to describe their own heroes, as seen here for the Spectre and Starman from October 1942.
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In Superman #19 (September 1942), we find what I can only assume is an intentionally-whimsical story in which Clark Kent takes Lois Lane to the movies and Clark has to prevent Lois from seeing key parts of the Superman cartoon to protect his actual secret identity from being discovered. Of course this makes no sense […]
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The first Two-Face story from Detective Comics #66 skips a month and continues from its cliff-hanger in Detective #68 (August 1942). Two-Face flips a coin (with a green hand!) to determine if he will lead a life of crime or try to get help. The coin stands on its edge so he lets fate decide. […]
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In the Superman story of World’s Finest Comics #7 (July 1942), Superman is shown spending time in his “mountain retreat”, working out and staying fit. This is the first sort of expanding of the Superman storylines to feature things he would do in his off-hours between adventures.
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In July 1942, Wonder Woman joins the ranks of Superman, Batman, Flash and Green Lantern in getting her own self-titled regular comic book. Wonder Woman #1 features a much expanded origin story both of Wonder Woman and of the Amazons, including Queen Hippolyte (later Hippolyta) facing off against a ridiculously muscle-bound Hercules.
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Detective Comics #66 (June 1942) saw the introduction of another great macabre Batman villain: Two-Face! This origin story features everything: Handsome public defender, angry criminal court scene, acid splash and then a psychotic break into a supervillain with a fascination for the number 2. The only difference from the modern day version is that he […]
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In June 1942, Superman gains a new supervillain in his roster: The Prankster. Looking like a creepy human representation of a vaudeville style ventriloquist dummy, complete with half-lidded eyes, he plagues Superman with practical joke-themed crimes.
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Not to be out-done by Superman’s nesting, Batman #12 (June 1942) continues to deepen the Batman mythos by offering two glimpses into how Bruce Wayne celebrates his mission against crime (which is really an excuse to adventure in tights, at this point): A Hall of Trophies and a detailed glimpse at the secret lair, which […]
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