#who's who in the dc universe | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chernobog13 · 7 months

Text

The Fatal Five by Steve Lightle and Bill Wray for Who's Who In the DC Universe.

#The Fatal Five #Emerald Empress #Mano #Persuader #Tharok #Validus #Legion of Super-Heroes #DC Comics #Who's Who In the DC Universe #Steve Lightle #Bill Wray

21 notes · View notes

cantsayidont · 4 months

Text

August 1985. The original WHO'S WHO entry for Doctor Fate gives an okay rundown of how things stood at the time of the Crisis, with a few minor caveats. Here's the history text:

BACKGROUND Archaeologist Sven Nelson and his son, Kent, then a boy, were exploring an ancient temple in the Valley of Ur in Mesopotamia. Kent found the entombed body of the giant ancient wizard Nabu the Wise, who was in suspended animation. Nabu was actually a being composed of pure energy who had originated a half million years ago on the planet Cilea [sic] and had taken human form. He was revived by a gas that killed Sven Nelson. Over the following years, Nabu trained Kent in sorcery. Finally, when Kent reached adulthood, Nabu presented him with a helmet, a cape, and an amulet and, naming him Doctor Fate, sent him back to the outside world to battle evil. On his way to America, Doctor Fate first met Inza Cramer, who eventually became his wife. There, Doctor Fate became a founding member of the Justice Society of America (see JSA).

Although Doctor Fate first appeared in MORE FUN COMICS #55, he didn't have any kind of origin for the first year — in fact, until MORE FUN #66, which was the first time he was seen without his helmet, he often intimated that he had no human identity! The above account comes mostly from MORE FUN COMICS #67, which also gave him a name: Kent Nelson. The planet from which Nabu said he'd originally come was spelled Cilia; "Cilea" appears to be a typo.

Nelson came to realize that when he donned his helmet, his personality was being increasingly supplanted by that of Nabu, who was a mystical "Lord of Order." Hence, Nelson put the helmet aside, thereby greatly reducing his powers, and instead wore a different helmet that did not conceal his entire face as the original had. Doctor Fate thereafter joined the All-Star Squadron (see All-Star Squadron), and months later, his original helmet was stolen by the sorcerer Kulak and hurled with him through "an infinity of dimensions."

The idea that Nabu possessed Kent Nelson wasn't indicated in the Golden Age stories; it was first suggested in Marty Pasko's 1975 Dr. Fate solo adventure in 1ST ISSUE SPECIAL #9. Using this to explain why Kent adopted the half-helmet in MORE FUN COMICS #72 in early 1942 (which didn't originally have any in-story explanation) was a Roy Thomas thing — the stuff with Kulak happened in ALL-STAR SQUADRON #27–28 in 1983.

Years passed, and Nelson married Inza. His own magic powers and temporal energy absorbed from the villainous Ian Karkull kept Nelson physically in his twenties. The magic kept Inza physically in her twenties as well.

Ian Karkull was a Golden Age Dr. Fate villain, seen in MORE FUN #69, but the "temporal energy" absorption refers to ALL-STAR SQUADRON ANNUAL #3 in 1984, a cumbersome Roy Thomas contrivance to help explain why even the non-super JSAers were still unusually spry in the '80s, when most of them were pushing 70.

Under circumstances yet to be revealed, however, Doctor Fate regained his original helmet and began wearing it whenever he went on a mission. Now, whenever Nelson puts the helmet on, his psyche is entirely replaced by that of the Lord of Order, Nabu, although the latter retains Nelson's memories. Doctor Fate continues to be an active member of the Justice Society of America.

The eventual consensus was that Doctor Fate reclaimed his original helmet sometime after his last Golden Age appearances in 1944, but before the end of WW2. In any event, he had it back by the time of his first Silver Age appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #21, 19 years later. Dr. Fate remained a JSA member until the others were sent to limbo in the LAST DAYS OF THE JUSTICE SOCIETY SPECIAL, after the Crisis, and then joined the new Justice League.

POWERS & WEAPONS When wearing his original helmet, Doctor Fate is one of the most powerful of all known sorcerers, capable of virtually any kind of magical feat. However, his power is still dwarfed by that of the virtually omnipotent Spectre (see Spectre). When he is not wearing Nabu's helmet, Doctor Fate cannot cast spells. However, thanks to his training by Nabu, Doctor Fate can still fly and levitate objects. Nabu also made him superhumanly strong and nearly invulnerable even without the helmet, although Doctor Fate still needs to breathe.

Saying Kent Nelson couldn't cast spells without the Helm of Nabu isn't exactly correct, as he managed it on a number of occasions in Bronze Age stories. Also, his levitation and invulnerability were magic spells, based on molecular control; it's just that his personal abilities were much more narrowly focused than a magician like Zatanna.

#comics #who's who in the dc universe #who's who: the definitive directory of the dc universe #keith giffen #larry mahlstedt #gardner fox #roy thomas #doctor fate #dr fate #kent nelson #inza nelson #inza cramer #nabu the wise #ian karkull #martin pasko

7 notes · View notes

thebestcomicbookpanels · 1 year

Text

Silver Swan in Who's Who in the DC Universe #3

#silver swan #the best comic book panels #who's who in the dc universe #whos who in the dcu #dc comics

65 notes · View notes

comfortfoodcontent · 1 year

Photo

Abigail Arcane Profile from Who's Who in the DC Universe 1990 #15

#swamp thing #who's who #who's who in the dc universe #abigail arcane #abby arcane #dc #dc comics #vertigo #dc vertigo #comics #comic art

57 notes · View notes

tomoleary · 2 months

Text

Tom Mandrake and Klaus Janson - Who's Who in the DC Universe #1 Page 9 Black Mask Pin-Up Original Art (1992) Source

#tom mandrake #klaus janson #black mask #Who's Who in the DC Universe #original art

4 notes · View notes

smashpages · 1 year

Photo

DC’s The New Golden Age one-shot arrived in stores in early November, and one of the fun features it included was some new Who’s Who pages featuring several new and classic DC characters. Like The Harlequin’s Son! Artwork by Jerry Ordway and John Kalisz.

24 notes · View notes

sebeth · 4 months

Text

Who's Who In The DC Universe #1: The Atom I, The Atom II, The Atomic Knight, The Atomic Skull, Auron

The Atom I by Rick Hoberg & Romeo Tanghal

The “original 98-lb. weakling, Al Pratt bought dinner for a drunken vagabond who turned out to be Joe Morgan, a former boxing champ

Morgan put Pratt through an intensive training and exercise program

Pratt chose to become a costumed crime-fighter instead of pursuing a boxing career

Atom gained “atomic strength” from an encounter with Cyclotron in 1948

The Atom was a charter member of the Justice Society and later joined the All-Star Squadron

The Atom retired after the JSA’s breakup in the 1950s

He later became a professor of nuclear physics and married a woman named Mary

Al’s godson is Nuklon (aka Atom-Smasher) of Infinity Inc

He remains mostly retired but will don the costume when duty calls

The Atom made frequent appearances in the various Justice Society series and in All-Star Squadron. Damage (Grant Emerson) was later revealed to be Al Pratt’s long-lost son. If I remember correctly, Atom died in the Zero Hour mini-series so he never encountered Grant. I am unsure of the explanation behind the disappearance of Al & Marys son or how Grant ended up in the bad guy’s custody.

The Atom II by Gi Kane

Ray Palmer was a graduate student trying to find a way to reduce matter in an effort to aid farmers in increasing their yield. Ray discovered white dwarf matter was needed to successfully reduce objects.

Palmer shrunk himself in order to free himself and others from a cave-in.

Ray became a professor at Ivy University and the hero known as the Atom.

Palmer married Jean Loring but the duo later divorced.

Ray and Jean told their story to author Norman Brawler, ending Ray’s secret identity.

Ray suffered adverse health effects due to years of exposure to white dwarf matter.

He currently lives with an alien culture located somewhere in South America, permanently remaining at his six-inch size. The aliens are around six inches in height.

I’ve always loved Ray – a likable, relatable genius. “The Sword of the Atom” was the mini-series/special where Ray moves to South America. He fell in love with one of the aliens (I can’t remember her name) but their love was doomed when loggers (I think) destroyed the alien civilization, causing her death.

Ray returned to America, solved his shrinking health-related issues, and resumed his heroic adventures.

The 2000s were not friendly to Ray. Jean, his ex-wife, decided to murder Sue Dibny, among others, for…reasons. Ray became a shrunken recluse allowing Ryan Choi to become the third atom. Donna Troy, Jason Todd, and Kyle Rayner searched the multiverse for Ray Palmer for…reasons. Jean Loring became Eclipso and a Black Lantern and murdered more people for…reasons. Ryan Choi, a delightful character, was murdered for…reasons causing Ray to resume the mantle of Atom.

Did DC have to murder Ryan? DC has dozens of speedsters, kryptonians and Bat Family members. I think the universe can handle two Atoms.

…reasons = bad storylines I can’t be bothered to remember the details of.

Ray has had multiple solo titles and is a long-standing member of the Justice League.

Ray has appeared in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon and made multiple appearances in CW’s Arrowverse, most notably the Legends of Tomorrow series.

The Atomic Knight by Murphy Anderson

Gardner Grayle was an army sergeant who was placed in a sensory deprivation tank and subjected to a series of simulations, studying his response to nuclear war and its aftermath

Grayle tapped into his latent telepathic abilities and took over the simulations and the staff

He fantasized beyond a nuclear war, instead conjuring up a fantasy where he and a group of others wore radiation-proof suits of armor. The Atomic Knights helped restore order to post World-War III America.

The fantasies expanded to include an appearance by the mythological Hercules

Grayle fell in love with Marene Herald, a psychiatrist attached to the project and included her in his fantasies

Superman discovered the project when Grayle’s fantasies began reshaping reality. Superman shut down the project and freed Grayle from the tank.

The sergeant had to re-adjust to life in the real world and Marlene’s real place in his life.

Grayle joined S.T.A.R. Labs and use his precognitive abilities to prevent catastrophes

Grayle occasionally dons a suit of armor, stolen from the army, and goes into action as the Atomic Knight

The only Atomic Knight(s) I’ve read was their appearance in the Convergence Legion Of Super-Heroes mini-series. I will say, if I was stuck in a sensory deprivation tank and subjected to a series of post-Nuclear War scenarios, I too would create my own fantasy world.

The Atomic Skull by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson

Albert Michaels was a director of S.T.A.R. who suffered from a rare nervous disorder that short-circuited the electrical impulses of his brain.

Michaels stole his own inventions from S.T.A.R. and turned them over to SKULL, where he quickly became the leader

Skull attempted to cure Michaels by implanting a neural pacemaker made of radium in his brain.

The implant malfunctioned, mutating Michaels’ brain waves into a new form of energy

The Atomic Skull is a C – D level Superman villain. He did make a few appearances in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon.

Auron

Kidnapped by the Psions, the Okaaran woman X-Hal was forced to take part in a genetic experiment and was mated with a Branx warrior. The mating produced two children, one who became the first Citadelian, the other the being called Lambien.

The Citadelian left Okaara when X’Hal went mad and destroyed three of Vega’s 25 planets in her fury.

Lambien was raised by X’Hal once the Warlords of Okaara found a way to harness the incredible power granted her by the Psions’ experiment.

Lambien received some of X’Hal’s powers and appointed himself the guardian of Okarra

Lambien later joined the Omega Men

His power continued to grow and though he feared he may become as insane as his mother, he retained his sanity

Lambien changed his name to Aurion

Aurion and the Omega Men destroyed a Gordian fleet of Citadel slavers on earth and then returned to Vega, where they helped end the Citadel tyranny.

If you are a fan of the Wolfman/Perez era of the Teen Titans, a few of these names should be familiar even if you’ve never read an issue of Omega Men. The Citadel and the Warlords of Okaara feature in the origin of Starfire. And Kori swears by “X’Hal” in almost every Titans issue. Marv Wolfman is the creator of the Omega Men and Starfire which is why he can interweave the story elements between the two series. Starfire debuted in late 1980 and the Omega Men in mid-1981.

I’ve never read the 1980s Omega Men series (it’s on my TBR list as I’ve heard it is excellent). I have read many of the other appearances of the Omega Men from the 1980s to present day – their Teen Titans appearances, the Invasion, the Adam Strange, Rann-Thanagar War, and Tom King mini-series and I can’t recall Auron featuring in any of them.

Love the Omega Men, they’re a fun group.

#dc comics #dcu #atom #al pratt #ray palmer #atomic knight #atomic skull #auron #omega men #teen titans #starfire #marv wolfman #who's who in the dc universe

3 notes · View notes

browsethestacks · 2 years

Text

Saga Of A Doomed Universe #01 (2022)

Art by Scott Reed

#Saga Of A Doomed Universe #Comics #Scott Reed #Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe #Who's Who In The DC Universe #Watchmen #Secret Wars #Recreation #Cover Recreation

38 notes · View notes

savage-kult-of-gorthaur · 7 months

Text

"MR. BONES IS A CYNICAL SMART ALECK WHO SEEMINGLY HAS VERY LITTLE USE FOR LOVE AND AFFECTION."

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on Mister Bones, the chain-smoking, rhyme-speaking member of Infinity Inc. and Helix super-teams, artwork by Jay Geldhof & Anthony Tollin (colors), from "Who's Who in the DC Universe" Vol. 1 #6. January, 1991. DC Comics.

POWERS & WEAPONS: "Mr. BONES possesses superhuman strength. He also has a poison touch, the result of a cyanide compound produced by his skin to which he alone is immune."

-- "WHO'S WHO IN THE DC UNIVERSE" Vol. 1 #6 (text/script by Mark Waid)

Source: www.zipcomic.com/whos-who-in-the-dc-universe-issue-6.

0 notes

nightwingsgirlfriend · 3 days

Text

the babies (dick grayson & bruce wayne) (please don't flop this took a stupid amount of time) (i used a different pen and im not a fan switch back to my bae 😒) (i looove dick grayson as robin)

3K notes · View notes

robintherobiner · 3 months

Text

Love the idea of Gotham knowing there's different Robins and giving them titles (Flippy Robin, Happy Robin, WTF DID HE GET REBORN OR SOMETHING WAIT NEVERIND ITS ANOTHER DUDE LOL Robin, Girl Robin)

The batfam make bets on what Damian will be called. Angry Robin? Stabby Robin? SWORD Robin?

They're all wrong. They wake up after Damians first night of patrolling and theres a new hashtag trending on Twitter.

#CuteRobin

#that boy would give Superman a run for his money with the way he's saving cats #Gothamites find the new tiny Robin (who hisses at Batman insists he's an adult and saves animasl) utterly adorable #dc comics #dc universe #batman comics #batfamily #batfam #damian wayne #dc robin

7K notes · View notes

comics-centalx · 6 months

Text