In Action Comics #106 (January 1947), Clark is told he is a long-lost heir to an English barony. But what’s interesting (as a reader 70 years later) is the blurb in which it is revealed that Clark doesn’t even know he is not human. At this point in his history, Clark does not know anything […]
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For the first time in five years, the origin story of Robin the Boy Wonder, is re-told in Batman #32 (October 1945). The story recounts how his parents were murdered and the criminals brought to justice, but it also focuses on how Dick Grayson worked hard to transform himself from circus acrobat into detective sidekick.
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As the Superman writers begin to cast about for fresh ideas, I am sure they were heavily influenced by the Captain Marvel Family and wanted to capture the young reader fantasy like Captain Marvel Jr and Mary Marvel did. Superboy debuts for the first time in More Fun Comics #101 (November 1944). This Superboy is […]
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I don’t know if DC decided to give origin stories to some of their superhero partners or if this was a coincidence, but Green Arrow and Speedy are given an origin story in More Fun Comics #89 (January 1943): Roy Harper is orphaned and marooned on a mesa while Oliver Queen chases after an archaeologic […]
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Well it’s 1943 – and the World War II rages on. In Star Spangled Comics #18 (January 1943), the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy are given an unlikely origin story: two strangers decide, at the same time, independently, to take up costumed adventuring, on the same case, and choose different parts of the flag as their […]
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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 All-Star Comics #8 (October 1941), the third of DC’s “Trinity” finally arrives: Wonder Woman! Tucked behind a Justice Society of America story (in which Hourman and Green Lantern have been replaced by Starman and Dr. Mid-Nite), Dr. William Moulton Marston, aka Charles Moulton gives us the definitive Wonder Woman origin story. This story has […]
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The second major hero to be introduce in More Fun Comics #73 (September 1941) was Aquaman, created by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris. This first story featured a different origin than in later years, in which Aquaman’s father was a scientist who discovered the underwater ruins of Atlantis, then helped his son learn to live […]
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Joe Simon and Jack Kirby have their first hit with Captain America #1 (December 1940). Captain America is the first character to star in his own comic book, not as a try-out feature in another book, and comes complete with a fully-fleshed out (and interesting) origin, a sidekick and an iconic villain (the Red Skull) […]
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The original Golden Age character, The Atom was introduced in All-American Comics #19 (August 1940). In his first adventure, Al Pratt was a short, meek college student who was tired of being bullied, gosh-darn it. He had Joe Morgan, a retired boxer, train him to the peak of physical perfection. In this first appearance, we […]
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