the ultimate encycloped ia comic-book icons and ... part of this book may be reproduced in any form...

The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes

Edited by Gina Misiroglu

with David A. Roach

Detroit

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Copyright 2004 by Visible Ink Press®

All illustrations are copyrighted by their respective copyright holders (according to the original copy-right or publication date as printed in the comics) and are reproduced strictly for historical purposes.Any omission or incorrect information should be submitted to the publisher, so that it can be correct-ed in any future edition of this book.

All DC Comics characters, logos, and related indicia are trademarks of DC Comics, Inc.

All Marvel comic book characters and Marvel comic book material featured herein: TM & © 2004 Mar-vel Characters, Inc. SUPER HERO is a co-owned trademark. All such material is used with permission.

Comic-book cover credits, clockwise from upper left: Aquaman #36 © 1967 DC Comics; X-Men #104© 1977 Marvel Comics; Hellboy #1 ™ & © 1994 Michael Mignola, published by Dark Horse Comics,Inc.; Captain America #106 © 1968 Marvel Comics; Elektra #3 © 2001 Marvel Comics; The SavageDragon #4 © 1993 Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics; Wolverine #27 © 1990 Marvel Comics;Wonder Woman #22 © 1988 DC Comics; Astro Boy #1 © 2002 Tezuka Productions, published byDark Horse Comics, Inc.; Spawn #126 © 2003 Todd McFarlane, published by Image Comics; SilverSurfer #124 © 1997 Marvel Comics; The Adventures of Superman #441 © 1988 DC Comics; Adven-ture Comics #432 © 1974 DC Comics; The Avengers #51 © 1968 Marvel Comics.

Additional image credits: The Hulk: Universal/Marvel Entertainment/The Kobal Collection; Batman:Warner Bros./DC Comics/The Kobal Collection; Spider-Man (front cover): from Amazing Spider-Manvol. 2, #46 © 2002 Marvel Comics; Spider-Man (spine): Columbia/Marvel/The Kobal Collection;Wolverine (back cover): 20th Century Fox/Marvel Entertainment Group/The Kobal Collection/AttilaDory.

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The Ultimate Encyclopedia of

Comic-Book Icons and

Hollywood Heroes

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AC Comics Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Action Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Adam Strange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3African-American Heroes. . . . . . . 4Alpha Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Alternative Futures . . . . . . . . . . . 11

America’s Best Comics Heroes . . . . . . . . . . 15Anime and Manga. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Ant-Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Anti-drug Series. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Anti-heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Aquaman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Aquatic Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Archie Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Astro Boy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Astro City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38The Atom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Atomic Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41The Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43The Avengers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Azrael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Bad Girl Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51The Badger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Bartman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Batgirl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Batman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Batman in the Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Batman Villains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Batman’s Weapons and Gadgets . . . . . . . . 70Battle of the Planets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Big Bang Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Bird Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Birds of Prey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Black Canary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79The Black Cat I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80The Black Cat II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82Black Condor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Black Panther. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Black Widow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Blackhawk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Blonde Phantom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90Blue Beetle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Bronze Age of Superheroes

(1970–1979) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Buffy the Vampire Slayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Bulletman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Camp and ComedyHeroes ...........................101

Camp Heroes in theMedia ............................107

Captain Action ....................110Captain America ..................................111Captain America in the Media ...............114Captain Atom.......................................116Captain Britain.....................................119Captain Canuck ...................................121Captain Marvel ....................................122Captain Marvel Jr. ................................124Captain Marvel/Shazam! ......................125

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Introduction xi Acknowledgments xviii Contributors xix

Contents

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Captain Marvel/Shazam! in the Media ...128Captain Midnight..................................131Card Captor Sakura ..............................132Casshan: Robot Hunter .........................134The Cat ...............................................135Cat Heroes ..........................................137Cat-Man ..............................................139Catwoman ...........................................140Challengers of the Unknown..................142Charlton Heroes...................................143Civilian Heroes.....................................145Cobra..................................................147Comics Code .......................................151The Creeper.........................................152Cutey Bunny ........................................154Cutey Honey ........................................155Cyberforce...........................................157

Daredevil I ..........................159Daredevil II .........................161Daredevil in the Media.........165Dark Horse Heroes..............167Dazzler...............................170

DC Comics ..........................................171Deadman ............................................176The Defenders .....................................177“Dial ‘H’ for Hero”................................179Doc Savage .........................................180Doctor Strange ....................................182Do-It-Yourself Heroes............................184Doll Man .............................................185Doom Patrol ........................................187Dr. Fate ...............................................188Dragon Ball .........................................189

Eclipse Heroes....................193ElectraWoman and

DynaGirl .........................194Elektra ...............................195Elementals .........................197

Elongated Man.....................................198E-Man .................................................199Everyday Heroes ..................................200Extreme Studios Heroes .......................202

Fantastic Four .....................205Fantastic Four in the Media ..208Femforce ............................210

Feminism ............................................212Fighting American.................................215Firestorm ............................................216The Flash ............................................218Funny Animal Heroes............................221

Gen 13...............................225Ghost Rider ........................227Golden Age of Superheroes

(1938–1954)..................228Good Girl Art.......................233The Greatest American Hero .234

Green Arrow.........................................236Green Hornet.......................................237Green Lantern......................................239Guardians of the Galaxy........................241

Hanna-Barbera Heroes ........245Harvey Heroes ....................247The Hawk and the Dove .......250Hawkeye.............................251Hawkman ...........................252

Hellboy................................................254Heroes for Hire ....................................256The Hulk..............................................257The Hulk in the Media ..........................263The Human Torch .................................267The Huntress.......................................270Hurricane Polymar ................................271

Image Comics Heroes .........273The Inferior Five ..................276The Inhumans.....................277Insect Heroes .....................278International Heroes............281

The Invaders........................................284Iron Fist ..............................................286Iron Man .............................................288Isis .....................................................290

Justice League ofAmerica..........................293

Justice League of Americain the Media ...................295

Justice Society of America ...298

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Kryptonite ..........................303

Lane, Lois ..........................305Legion of Super-Heroes .......307Lobo ..................................310Love Interests.....................313

Madara ..............................321Madman.............................322Mai, the Psychic Girl ............324The Man from Atlantis ..........326Manhunter..........................326Manimal .............................328

Martian Manhunter ..............................328Marvel Boy ..........................................330Marvel Comics.....................................331Mary Marvel ........................................336The Mask ............................................337Master of Kung Fu ................................338Metal Men...........................................340Metamorpho........................................341Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers ............343Milestone Heroes.................................344Miracleman .........................................346Miss Fury ............................................348Modern Age of Superheroes

(1980–Present) ...............................349Moon Knight ........................................353Ms. Marvel ..........................................354Multiculturalism ...................................355

The New Gods ....................361Nick Fury ............................363The Night Man ....................365Nightwing ...........................365Northstar............................367Nova ..................................369

Olsen, Jimmy ......................371One-Hit Wonders .................372The Outsiders .....................374

The Phantom ......................377The Phantom in

the Media.......................379Phantom Lady.....................380Phantom Stranger ...............382Plastic Man ........................383

Power Man ..........................................386Power Pack..........................................389The Powerpuff Girls...............................390Project A-ko..........................................391Promethea ..........................................394The Punisher .......................................395

Rising Stars ........................399Robin .................................400Robotman ..........................403Rock Superheroes...............404The Rocketeer ....................406

Ronin Warriors .....................................408

Sailor Moon........................411Sandman ...........................413The Savage Dragon .............415The Scarlet Witch

and Quicksilver ...............416The Secret Identity ...............................418The Sentry...........................................419The Shadow.........................................420ShadowHawk .......................................423The She-Hulk .......................................424Shi......................................................425Sidekicks and Protégés ........................427Silver Age of Superheroes

(1956–1969)...................................430The Silver Surfer ..................................435Space Ghost........................................437Space Heroes......................................439Spacehawk..........................................442Spawn.................................................443The Spectre.........................................446Speed Racer ........................................447Spider-Man..........................................449Spider-Man in the Media.......................455Spider-Man Villains ..............................460Spider-Woman .....................................464The Spirit ............................................466Starman..............................................469Static Shock.........................................471Steel...................................................472

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Stripperella ..........................................473Sub-Mariner.........................................474Super Friends.......................................477Super-archers ......................................479Superboy.............................................481Superboy in the Media..........................483Supercities..........................................485Supergirl .............................................488Superhero Cartoon Shows ....................490Superhero Confidants...........................494Superhero Creators..............................497Superhero Headquarters ......................505Superhero Movie Serials.......................508Superhero Nicknames ..........................509Superhero Radio Series........................511Superhero Role-Playing Games..............512Superhero Slogans...............................515Superhero Vulnerabilities......................516Superheroes and Celebrities.................519Superheroes and the Popular Culture.....520Superheroes in Prose ...........................525Superheroes with Disabilities................528Superheroines .....................................531Superman ...........................................538Superman in the Media ........................543Superman Villains................................549Superman’s Weapons and Gadgets .......552Supermedia.........................................553Supernatural Heroes ............................554Superpatriots ......................................558Superpets ...........................................561Superpowers .......................................562Superteams ........................................566Supervehicles......................................571Supervillains........................................573Superweapons.....................................580

Tank Girl.............................583Team-ups and Crossovers ....584Teen Titans.........................590Teenage Mutant Ninja

Turtles............................593

Tekkaman............................................595Thor ....................................................597T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents...........................600The Tick ..............................................602

Ultraman ............................605Ultraverse Heroes ...............608

Valiant Heroes ....................611Vertigo Heroes....................613The Vigilante.......................615

The Wasp ...........................617Watchmen ..........................618Watson, Mary Jane..............620WildC.A.T.S .........................622WildStorm Heroes ...............623Wolverine ...........................624

Wonder Warthog ..................................626Wonder Woman....................................627Wonder Woman in the Media.................632World War II and the Superhero .............636

X-Men ................................641X-Men: Excalibur .................645X-Men: Generation X............647X-Men: New Mutants ...........650X-Men: X-Force/X-Statix........652X-Men in the Media .............654

X-Men Villains ......................................657

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Resources 661 Photo and Illustration Credits 665 Index 667

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AC Comics HeroesAlong with Pacific, First, and Eclipse Comics, ACComics was a pioneer of the independent directmarket for color comics in the early 1980s, distrib-uting comics directly to a new network of specialtyshops. While the other three companies are longgone and many indie publishers are now known forsteering clear of superheroes, preferring not to com-pete with industry giants Marvel and DC Comics’specialty, AC Comics publisher Bill Black built hiscompany on costumed characters and it prospersto this day. Having already created an interwovenuniverse of supertypes in his black-and-whiteParagon Publications line of the 1970s, Blackbegan bringing them to comic-shop shelves in fullcolor, starting with the very first official AC Comicspublication (or “Americomics” as the company wascalled until 1984), Fun Comics #4.

Superstrong, invulnerable, and puzzled as towhere he came from, Captain Paragon (who wouldeventually drop the military modifier from his name)burst forth from that issue in red, white, and blueglory, as did the sensuous sorceress Nightfall(almost immediately changed to Nightveil), thedimension-hopping yellow-and-green adventurerCommando D, and the stellar-powered alien super-

heroine Stardust. These heroes would continue fordozens of epic adventures.

Throughout 1983 and 1984, a plethora of cos-tumed crime fighters were sent into the spotlight ina superhero tryout title called Americomics. Thedark and ghostly avenger known as the Shadeappeared in the pages of Americomics #1, alongwith the unique cloned multi-hero Captain Freedom,quickly followed by the indomitable street fighterknown as the Scarlet Scorpion. Others appeared inadditional titles, including galaxy-roamer Bolt (Bolt &Starforce Six #1), who demonstrates the power offlight, near-invulnerability (including the ability toexist in airless space), and the skill of firing tremen-dously powerful bolts of pure energy, and Astronand Astra (Astron Venture Comics #1), members ofa group of para-dimensional police officers. In addi-tion to Black’s original characters, selected creatorswere encouraged to showcase their own concepts,including Jerry Ordway, John Beatty, and JimSanders II. These outside contributions met withvarying degrees of success, although Rik Levins’Dragonfly and Don Secrease’s Colt enjoyed longand popular runs at AC.

Changing market conditions toward the end of1984 led to using a short-term strategy that turnedinto AC’s biggest success, when the sudden popu-

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larity of black-and-white books prompted Black toedit together some existing stories to create a newsuperhero book, Femforce. Composed of beautiful,strong, and competent heroines inspired by GoodGirl art characters from long-defunct companies incomics’ Golden Age (1938–1954), the team ofMiss (soon to become Ms.) Victory, the Blue Bul-leteer, Rio Rita, and She-Cat crashed the scene intheir own fifty-two-page special with a World WarII–era adventure in which they battled Nazi super-criminals Lady Luger and Fritz Voltzman. It was asmashing success, and plans were immediatelymade for an ongoing color series, which appearedby spring of 1985. The girls of Femforce provedpopular and enduring, the title becoming one of thelongest-running comics of any kind ever spawned bythe independent comics market.

After striking gold with Femforce, the companybegan to reprint long-forgotten comic-book material innear-perfect full-story black-and-white editions. Start-ing with the squarebound, trade paperback GoldenAge Greats series, and continuing through the ongo-ing Men of Mystery comic, dozens of classic super-heroes have been brought before a new comic-read-ing audience. Golden Age heroes like the Black Ter-ror, Commando Yank, Golden Lad, the Flame, CaptainFlash, Cat-Man, the Green Lama, Pyroman, MissMasque, the Owl, Black Venus, Captain Wings, theEagle, Yankee Girl, the Fighting Yank, Black Cobra,Rocketman, Dynamic Man, the Grim Reaper, andcountless others round out the AC hero universe. Alltold, superheroes from more than a dozen formerpublishers have been showcased in AC’s comics, andthe company has intriguingly woven those charactersinto a number of brand-new stories.

As the comic-book medium hit some of itshardest economic times ever in the mid-1990s, ACcontinued to thrive, with a booming online and mail-order business that rivals and in some cases sur-passes its comic-shop presence. With its impres-sive output, longevity, and creative marketing (not tomention its role as an early showcase for some oftoday’s most popular comics artists, including Ord-

way and Erik Larsen), AC Comics stands as a lead-ing haven for the superhero in an often-harsh pub-lishing world. —GM

Action GirlErica Smith is a student at Hayley High, located in asmall town on the West Coast, some time in thenear future. A bit bored and frustrated with theusual issues surrounding adolescence and trying tomake her way in life, Smith discovers the costumeand personal effects of a forgotten crime-fightingfemale aviator of the 1940s, Action Girl. Inspired bythe Amelia Earhart–like story of Action Girl’s life andbravery, Smith decides to assume the hero’s nameand identity herself. Clad in the original Action Girl’svintage jacket with an “AG” logo on the chest, to-the-knee wrestling boots, and flared skirt, Smithbecomes the costumed crime fighter’s successor,leaving the confines of her bedroom hideout to fightagainst typical teenage angst. Her signature quote:“Action is everything!”

Action Girl was created by writer/artist SarahDyer, who started various Action Girl projects in 1992“as a desire to see self-published work by womenprofiled.” Although Smith first appeared as a non-superhero alter ego of Dyer herself in variousfanzines and Dyer’s own Action Girl Newsletter duringthe early 1990s, it was not until 1995 that Action Girlappeared as a superhero, in Dyer’s self-publishedAction Girl Comics #2. Dyer quickly introduced ActionGirl’s support team, friends Jenna, Lilia, and Marina,who collectively make up “Team Action,” as well as acool “signal ring” that Jenna created so that ActionGirl could call upon her comrades in times of need.With no superpowers except for superheroic determi-nation, the group has battled the Go-Go Gang, theCatgirls from Mars, and Neutrina (who eventuallyreformed and joined Team Action as Ultra Girl).

Action Girl is often aided by her ally, fellow high-school student Flying Girl, created by Elizabeth

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Watasin. Flying Girl is Ginnie Exupery, Action Girl’sbest friend and one true confidante. Watasin hastaken time to flesh out their friendship—devotingan entire story to the girls discussing their motiva-tions as heroes—Action Girl having chosen her pro-fession, Flying Girl reluctantly pursuing it. As a birth-day present, Flying Girl introduces Action Girl to thepower of flight by taking her to a vertical wind tunnel(as depicted on the cover of Action Girl #7 [1996]).

Action Girl Comics, a comic anthology createdto showcase the work of women comic-book writersand artists, drew a surprisingly mixed fan base.Fans of both genders responded to the display of

“practical, small-scale action” (as one reviewertermed it), the girl-friendly heroes being a refreshingdeparture from the very adult-themed mainstreamsuperheroine fare of the day. “Girls naturallyresponded to the empowerment undertones of thecomic, but guys seemed to really embrace it assomething that was not didactic, anti-male, or exclu-sivist,” observed Dyer. Every issue of the comic fea-tures paper-doll cutouts, with hip wardrobe addi-tions such as thrift-store-bought Doc Martens.While the comic has showcased the work of someforty writers and artists, the creators other thanDyer who have contributed to Action Girl stories areWatasin and artist Elim Mak. —GM

Adam StrangeAmong the many things gripping the imaginations ofchildren in the late 1950s were the emerging super-heroes of the Silver Age of comics (1956–1969)and the beginnings of the space race. DC Comicsdecided to combine those two interests by launch-ing a pair of space heroes in its tryout comic bookShowcase. The first to appear was the futuristicspaceman, Space Ranger, while the second (whopremiered in Showcase #17 in late 1958) wasAdam Strange, overseen by longtime science fictionfan and editor Julius Schwartz. His first choice asartist was Carmine Infantino, but, as Infantino wascurrently entertaining the troops in Korea, MikeSekowsky was drafted in for the three Showcaseissues. When these proved popular, Strange movedover to the Mystery in Space comic, where heenjoyed a run of fifty issues, most of them drawn byInfantino and written by the prolific Gardner Fox.

Strange is first seen deep in the Andes,searching for lost cities, when some sort of beamsuddenly transports him light years across the uni-verse to the planet Rann, where he is confronted bythose science-fiction staples, the pretty girl and theraging monster. Having dispatched the beast,Strange and his maiden-in-distress (rejoicing in the


Adam Strange

Action Girl #7 © & ™ 1996 Sarah Dyer.COVER ART BY SARAH DYER.

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suitably off-worldly name Alanna) travel to the near-est city with her father, a scientist called Sardath. Itturns out that the transporter ray—a zeta-beam—was only intended to contact far-off planets andthat Strange’s precipitous arrival on Rann was acci-dental. Unfortunately, the effect of the beam wearsoff after a while, and Strange is zapped back toEarth, but he has by then developed a taste for sav-ing far-off worlds (and far-off girls called Alanna). Soeach story for the next six years begins withStrange whizzing around the world to catch the nextzeta-beam and zoom off back to Rann.

Probably no comic series better typifies thehope and optimism of the postwar “new frontier”than Adam Strange under Fox and Infantino. Evenhis costume—a sleek red suit with aerodynamic jetpack and a shark-fin on his cowl (rather resemblingthe tail fins popular on cars of the late 1950s andearly 1960s)—seemed to be emblematic of theera. Infantino’s art was dynamic, slick, and very styl-ish, and the strip was littered with the sort of stark,elegant, and futuristic cities that architect FrankLloyd Wright would have been proud of. Strangehimself was the thinking man’s superhero, prefer-ring to use his intellect rather than his fists todefeat the menace of the week (although having hisown ray gun also came in handy).

And menaces there certainly were. Seeminglyevery time that Strange beamed down he was con-fronted by a panicking Alanna, describing yet anotherworld-shattering horror, be it Jakarta the Dust Devil (asort of sentient dust storm); a living, tentacled world;or Ulthoon the living tornado. A particularly entertain-ing alien race were the cube-headed Vantorians, whostruck terror into their enemies with their deadly vac-uum cleaners. For much of his run, Strange seemedto exist in a fictional world of his own, though he didshare a villain—the insect-eyed Konjar Ro—with DC’ssuperhero team the Justice League, resulting in amemorable meeting with those adventurers.

Although the strip had a devoted following, itwas never a massive seller, and when Fox and

Infantino were moved over to revive the failingDetective Comics the strip nose-dived in popularity.It struggled on for a further ten issues before beingreplaced by the ludicrous Ultra the Multi-Alien, andStrange was banished to a life of occasional guestspots and the odd backup series. In a touching1970s issue of The Justice League, Strange andAlanna finally got married, and many years later thepair appeared in a few issues of Alan Moore’s revo-lutionary Swamp Thing comic. That brief revivalprompted an ill-conceived, darker 1990 miniseriesthat was not well received by fans, and perhapsshowed that the feature was very much a product ofa more innocent time, with no place in a more cyni-cal real world. —DAR

African-AmericanHeroes

In 1990, DC Comics editorial director Dick Giordanowas asked by one of his young staff editors why vir-tually all of the DC superheroes were white:“Because they were created in the 1940s by Jewsand Italians who wrote and drew what they knew,”he replied.

FROM INVISIBILITY

TO COMIC RELIEF

Superhero comic books have mirrored societaltrends since their inception, and when the mediumoriginated in the late 1930s, African Americanscast no reflection: Segregation made blacks invis-ible to most whites.

When African Americans did appear in the earlycomics, they were abhorrently stereotyped with wideeyes and exaggerated pink lips, portrayed as easilyfrightened to elicit a chuckle from the white reader,and characterized as utterly dependent upon theirCaucasian benefactors. The cover of The Spirit #1


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(1944) promised “action, thrills, and laughs,” the lat-ter provided by black sidekick Ebony White, nervouslytiptoeing through a graveyard while sticking close tohis protective mentor, the white Spirit. Timely (laterMarvel) Comics’ kid team the Young Allies includedan African-American teen named Whitewash Jones—the “comic relief” equivalent of Buckwheat from theOur Gang (a.k.a. “The Little Rascals”) theatricalshorts—who was frequently rescued by white heroesBucky and Toro. No black sidekick was more offen-sive than Spirit-clone Midnight’s aide Gabby, the talk-ing monkey, drawn in some stories to resemble achimp-sized black person with a tail.

Other portrayals of people of color depictedthem in subservience. A black butler answering thedoor in the Vision story in Marvel Mystery Comics#13 (1940) announced to white visitors, “Ise sorry,gennilmun, de doctor is pow’ful busy, experuh-mintin!” Lothar, the aide to comic-strip hero Man-drake the Magician, “served for many years as thedumb, faithful factotum of the intelligent whiteman,” wrote Reinhold Reitberger and WolfgangFuchs in their book Comics: Anatomy of a MassMedium (1972). “This black man, dressed in a lionskin and wearing a fez, could be trusted at first toperform only the simplest of tasks for the intellectu-al Mandrake.”

Sidekicks and servants aside, the integrationof white and black Americans was mostly avoidedduring comics’ Golden Age (1938–1954). DCComics, however, published at least two stories inthe later Golden Age that included early attempts atenlightenment. World’s Finest Comics #17 (1945)shows African-American World War II servicemen onleave being denied service in a “white-only” restau-rant, and in Batman #57 (1950), the hero stops afight between a white man and a black man. Butinstances such as these were rare. African Ameri-cans remained in the background, if seen at all, incomic books of the late 1940s and 1950s,although a handful of titles specifically targeted ablack audience: All-Negro Comics (1947), NegroHeroes (1947–1948), and Negro Romance (1950).

THE FIRST BLACK SUPERHERO

During the early Silver Age (1956–1969),African Americans were nonexistent in the pages ofDC Comics’ superhero series like Superman, TheFlash, or Green Lantern. Remarked historian Brad-ford W. Wright in his tome Comic Book Nation(2001), “Handsome superheroes resided in clean,green suburbs and modern, even futuristic citieswith shimmering glass skyscrapers, no slums, andpopulations of well-dressed white people.” The bur-geoning Marvel universe, commencing from therelease of Fantastic Four #1 (1961), occasionallydepicted a token person of color amid Manhattancrowd scenes, or in an urban school class withPeter (Spider-Man) Parker. By 1965, war—“thegreat leveler,” according to Reitberger and Fuchs—afforded African Americans equality in the fictionalrealm of war comics, with black soldiers like JackieJohnson (from the Sgt. Rock series in DC’s OurArmy at War) and Gabriel Jones (from Marvel’s Sgt.Fury and His Howling Commandos) valiantly fightingalongside whites in stories set during World War II.

Marvel made history by introducing the BlackPanther in Fantastic Four #52 (1966). Whether thecomic’s writer, Stan Lee, intentionally named the heroafter the militant civil rights group, the Black Panthers,is uncertain. The Panther—actually Prince T’Challa ofthe affluent, industrialized African nation of Wakan-da—was highly educated, extremely noble, and amaz-ingly lithe, becoming a colleague of the FantasticFour’s resident brain, Reed Richards (a.k.a. theimmodestly nicknamed Mr. Fantastic). The Black Pan-ther broke the color barrier for African Americans inthe world of superheroes and was portrayed as anadmirable role model for readers of any race. Theimpact of his introduction, however, was not apparentfrom an examination of the cover: The Black Panther’sfull facemask provided no hint as to his ethnicity.

Though the 1966 premiere of the Black Pan-ther is regarded as acutely influential from a long-term historical perspective, the hero appeared spo-radically at first, and no other African-American



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superheroes followed his lead. The comics industrywas experiencing a superhero boom during the mid-1960s and regarded black superheroes as a finan-cially risky venture given the social unrest playingout on college campuses and in American streetsof the day. Yet through the actions of real-lifeactivists, most notably the Reverend Dr. MartinLuther King Jr.—the greatest African-American heroof the decade—a blending of cultures was transpir-ing across America, warmly welcomed by the pro-gressive, vehemently resisted by the ignorant, andviolently opposed by the bigoted.

Avengers #52 (1968) took the next giant stepfor African-American heroes in comics by admitting

the Black Panther into the roster of Marvel’smighty superteam—and this time, the color ofT’Challa’s skin was clearly evident on the cover(and in the interiors), as his facemask was modi-fied to reveal his nose, mouth, and chin. ScribeRoy Thomas dropped the “Black” from the hero’sname to distance Marvel’s Panther from the mili-tant group, and showed no fear in chroniclingwhite America’s distrust of people of color. WhenT’Challa arrived at Avengers headquarters toreport for duty, he discovered three of his newteammates apparently dead, and he was suspect-ed of and arrested for the crime by Caucasianoperatives of the covert organization S.H.I.E.L.D.The Panther was soon cleared, and his fellowAvengers, unlike S.H.I.E.L.D., were colorblind,accepting T’Challa with no hesitation.

Then came the Falcon, a black hero flying intoCaptain America #117 (1969). Behind his featheredfighting togs was Harlem social worker Sam Wilson,who guest-starred with Marvel’s “Star-Spangled Sen-tinel” before actually becoming his teammate, shar-ing cover co-billing. Noteworthy is the fact that Cap-tain America, the superheroic embodiment of Ameri-can ideals, was the first white superhero to partnerwith a black superhero; he also endorsed the BlackPanther’s membership in the Avengers. Cap’sactions tacitly endorsed racial equality, imprintingthe mores of many of Marvel’s readers.

“Alienated superheroes like the Hulk and theSilver Surfer especially empathized with AfricanAmericans,” historian Wright observed. “The greenHulk befriends an impoverished black teenagerand explains to him, ‘World hates us … both ofus! … Because we’re different!’” African Ameri-cans were now a part of the Marvel universe. Out-side of the occasional in-house public-serviceannouncement extolling racial harmony, however,DC’s world—its superheroes, its supporting cast,and its incidental background characters—wasalmost exclusively white.

But DC was about to receive a wake-up call.



Jungle Action #10 © 1974 Marvel Comics.COVER ART BY GIL KANE AND FRANK GIACOIA.

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THE RELEVANCE MOVEMENT

Writer Denny O’Neil grabbed DC Comics and itsreaders by their collective collar and forced them toaddress racism in the landmark Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76 (1970). A haggard old African-American man asked the following of Green Lantern,the power-ring-wielding, conservative cosmic cop:

I been readin’ about you … how you work forthe blue skins … and how on a planet some-place you helped out the orange skins … andyou done considerable for the purple skins!Only there’s skins you never bothered with—!… The black skins! I want to know … howcome?! Answer me that, Mr. Green Lantern!

On the 2003 History Channel documentary,Comic Book Superheroes: Unmasked, O’Neilrevealed his rationale behind that speech: “It wastoo late for my generation, but if you get a realsmart twelve-year-old, and get him thinking aboutracism,” then change can be effected.

A “relevance” movement swept DC’s comics,and people of color at last gained visibility. “It’simportant that I live the next 24 hours as a blackwoman!” asserted Metropolis’ star reporter to theMan of Steel as Lois Lane—now with brown skinand an Afro hairdo—exited a pigmentation-altering“body mold.” This scene played out on the cover ofSuperman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane #106 (1970), in atale titled “I Am Curious (Black),” described bywriter Les Daniels in his book, Superman: The Com-plete History (1998), as a “well-intentioned butunsuccessful story, inexplicably named after a sexu-ally explicit film.” DC had better results with theintroduction of John Stewart, the African-American“substitute” Green Lantern, first seen in GreenLantern/Green Arrow #87 (1972). Stewart soextolled “Black Power” that GL/GA #87’s coverblurb touted, “Introducing an unforgettable newcharacter who really means it when he warns …‘Beware My Power.’” Even DC’s romance titles, longthe home for fairy tales starring spoiled white debu-

tantes, printed love stories featuring black women(often social workers) and men.

One “relevant” moment in a DC comic ignited afirestorm of controversy. In Teen Titans #26 (1970),Mal Duncan, a black member of the Titans, wasgiven an innocent farewell kiss by his teammateLilith—who was white. “This was a superhero group,and Mal and Lilith were friendly—why wouldn’t shekiss him good-bye?” thought Giordano, the editor ofthat issue, in his recollections in his biography, DickGiordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time(2003). When others at DC objected to the sceneprior to its publication, Giordano instructed the col-orist to color the scene monochromatically, to callless attention to it. “Regardless of its hue, it madesome readers see red,” observed Giordano biogra-pher Michael Eury. Some readers wrote hate mail tothe editor—including a death threat!—but a flood ofsupportive letters validated Giordano’s gutsy inter-racial encounter.

Outside of comics, doors were opening forAfrican Americans in popular culture. Primetime tele-vision introduced series featuring black leads, includ-ing Julia (1968–1971) and Sanford and Son(1972–1977). The interracial friendship of real-lifeChicago Bears football stars was chronicled in thetearjerker telefilm Brian’s Song (1971), starring BillyDee Williams as Gayle Sayers and James Caan asBrian Piccolo. “Blaxploitation”—a trend of low-budgetmovies starring black action heroes—became popu-lar through vehicles like Shaft (1971) and Superfly(1972).

I’M BLACK AND I’M PROUD

Marvel Comics once again took a momentousstride forward by producing the first comic-bookseries starring an African-American superhero: LukeCage, Hero for Hire #1 (1972). “Lucas” was a street-wise black man unjustly incarcerated and givensuperpowers—superstrength and ultra-dense skin—in a scientific “experiment” intended to destroy him.He punched his way through the stone walls of jail



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and, as a free man, sold his augmented talents as amercenary. With his Afro, open-shirted funky discooutfit, and bad-ass attitude, Cage was Shaft as asuperhero—the cover to his first issue, in fact, wasblatantly inspired by the montage motif so commonamong blaxploitation movie posters. He eventuallycalled himself “Power Man,” beginning in issue #17of his magazine. (Nicolas Coppola, a young fan ofLuke Cage, Hero for Hire, was so enamored of thecharacter that he took his name, and is better knownas Academy Award–winning actor Nicolas Cage.)

Luke Cage, Hero for Hire trailblazed a trend:Marvel broadened its universe with new blacksuperheroes. Tomb of Dracula #10 premiered thevampire slayer Blade, a human/vampire crossbreedwith a mission to destroy Deacon Frost, the vampirethat killed his mother as she was giving birth tohim. Blade rode the wave of 1970s superhero blax-ploitation, then retreated into the void until several1990s revivals and a successful 2000s franchiseof live-action movies. Brother Voodoo, first seen inStrange Tales #169 (1973), mixed the supernaturalwith superheroics. He was Jericho Drumm, a U.S.-schooled physician who returned to his native Haiti toavenge his brother’s death by using occult powers.The Black Panther leapt into his own series beginningwith Jungle Action #5 (1974), in an acclaimed collab-oration by writer Don McGregor and African-Americanartist Billy Graham. This duo handled provocativesubject matter, including T’Challa’s war with the KuKlux Klan (issues #19–#23 [1975–1976]). Despiteits innovation, Jungle Action was canceled in 1976and replaced with the hero’s own title, produced bythe legendary Jack Kirby, who, unfortunately, madeBlack Panther (1977–1979) a routine superherocomic.

Storm, the African weather-controlling goddess,moved to the U.S. to join Marvel’s menagerie ofmutants in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975), and blackscientist Bill Foster became a ten-foot superhero inthe short-lived series Black Goliath (1975–1976).Discounting Storm’s inclusion in the popular X-Menseries, these titles failed to attract their target audi-

ence—black readers—and carried marginal appealto whites of the era. Only Cage’s comic survivedpast the 1970s, and did so by incorporating a whiteco-star, Iron Fist. Penned commentator Aylze Jama-Everett in the irreverent magazine BadAzz MoFo vol.2 #3 (1998), “There are just more white geeks inAmerica than black. And sadly, little cracker geeksain’t down with brothers and sisters kicking honkyass on a monthly basis.”

Just when the 1970s black-hero boom wasdying, DC joined in with its own African-Americanheadliner. Black Lightning #1 (1977) starred Jeffer-son Pierce, an inner-city high-school teacher in the“Suicide Slum” district of Superman’s berg, Metrop-olis. To help clean up the community’s drug traffic—and to give teens in the ’hood an empowering rolemodel—Pierce donned a voltage-generating belt, ablue bodysuit with stylized yellow lightning bolts,and a white mask (with an Afro attached!) and tookto the streets as Black Lightning. His title was dis-connected after eleven issues, falling prey to the1978 “DC Implosion,” a collapse brought on by anoveraggressive expansion the year prior.

THE CULTURAL BLEND

The shackles had been broken, and beginningin the 1980s African Americans were regularlydepicted as superheroes. Cyborg, a black teenwhose nearly destroyed body had been outfitted withcybernetics, premiered in The New Teen Titans #1(1980). New Orleans Police Captain Monica Ram-beau acquired the ability to become living energy asCaptain Marvel in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual#16 (1982), but later changed her heroic name toPhoton. In a storyline running from 1979 to 1985 inthe pages of Marvel’s Iron Man, white industrialistTony Stark, secretly Iron Man, succumbed so deeplyto alcoholism that his best friend, African AmericanJim Rhodes, temporarily replaced him in the super-charged armor. Black Lightning returned, not as a solocharacter, but as a team member, in DC’s Batman andthe Outsiders/The Outsiders (1983–1988). Other



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people of color came and went through myriadseries, some as heroes, some as supporting castmembers or villains.

Since the 1980s, black superheroes haveoccasionally received their own comics. Notableexamples include the four-issue Black Pantherminiseries (1988) that addresses apartheid; GreenLantern: Mosaic (1992–1993), starring John Stew-art; DC’s Steel (1994–1998), a Superman spinoff;a monthly Black Panther series (1998–2003) exam-ining Wakanda’s role in a volatile and vastly chang-ing global landscape; and several attempts torevive Power Man, including the hard-hitting, graphi-cally shocking Marvel “MAX” interpretation Cage(2002). The mainstream media took note whenMarvel published a provocative miniseries, Truth(2003), which revealed that the “super-soldierserum” that created Captain America had actuallybeen tested on black GIs, one of whom had asecret career predating the Captain’s. This was fol-lowed by a series (telling the story of the secretCaptain America’s son) that did not cause a stirwith the general public but was more anticipated infan circles: The Crew (2003), by popular Black Pan-ther writer Christopher Priest, is unusual both forstarring a black and Latino superteam and for itsunflinchingly realistic look at modern race and classrelations.

In the early 1990s, a group of African-Americancomic-book writers and artists banded together toproduce superhero comics starring multicultural(largely black) characters, presenting “a range ofcharacters within each ethnic group, which meansthat we couldn’t do just one book,” explainedDwayne McDuffie, one of the partners involved, inDC Comics: Sixty Years of the World’s FavoriteComic Book Heroes. “We had to do a series ofbooks and we had to present a view of the worldthat’s wider than the world we’ve seen before.”Under the DC Comics–published imprint MilestoneMedia, a handful of series were released, spanningseveral years of publication. Milestone titles includ-ed Icon (1993–1997), Hardware (1993–1997), The

Blood Syndicate (1993–1996), and Static(1993–1997). Arguably the most famous African-American superhero is Spawn. Published by ImageComics, Spawn #1 (1992) sold 1.7 million copiesand made its creator, Todd McFarlane, a wealthysuperstar.

African-American heroes have been visible infilms and on television since the 1970s. Black Vul-can, inspired by DC’s Black Lightning, appeared inTV’s animated All New Super Friends Hour (1977),and Cyborg was among the cast of Super PowersTeam: Galactic Guardians (1985). Meteor Man(1994), starring Robert Townsend as an African-American caped superman, and Blankman (1994),a superhero satire featuring comedian DamonWayans, failed to attract large box-office receipts. Asimilar sad fate was met by the Fox network’s one-season show M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994–1995), starringCarl Lumly as an exoskeletoned super-scientist inmoody adventures. A live-action theatrical version ofSpawn (1997) was followed by made-for-videosequels and an HBO animated series. Basketballstar Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal portrayed DC’s ironman in the poorly reviewed theatrical Steel (1997).Townsend returned to tights as the “Bronze Eagle”in the Disney Channel telemovie Up, Up, and Away!(2000), featuring a family of black superheroes.Wesley Snipes sizzled on the big screen as Marvel’smartial artist/vampire slayer in Blade (1998), BladeII (2002), and Blade: Trinity (2004). And GreenLantern John Stewart is among the most popularheroes on the Cartoon Network’s Justice League(2001–present). —ME

Alpha Flight“One side, super heroes … This is a job only we canhandle!” So says the team of Canadian heroes on thefront cover of Alpha Flight #1 (August 1983). A spin-off from the ultra-popular X-Men series where thecharacters had first appeared, the members of AlphaFlight were the creation of writer/artist John Byrne.


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They were also the first non-American superteam togarner their own title at Marvel Comics.

The first member of Alpha Flight to appear wasWeapon Alpha in X-Men #109 (February 1978). Inthat story, a man named James MacDonald Hud-son, garbed in a costume based on the Canadianflag, attempts to retrieve Wolverine (whom he calls“Weapon X”) and return him to Canada. Defeated,Hudson returns in X-Men #120–#121 (April–May1979) with a team of heroes called Alpha Flight,and they face off against the X-Men. This time, Hud-son calls himself “Vindicator,” and he is accompa-nied by Sasquatch, Snowbird, Aurora, Northstar, andShaman. The X-Men learn that, prior to joiningthem, Wolverine had been involved with Alpha Flightin Canada. The mutant heroes would later meettheir Canadian counterparts again to stop the mys-tical beast Wendigo in X-Men #139–#140 (Novem-ber–December 1980).

It would be another few years until the fullstory of Alpha Flight began to unspool in their ownseries. There, it was revealed that Hudson was abrilliant engineer who had developed a superpow-ered armored suit and helmet that allowed him tochannel Earth’s magnetic fields to fly and projectforce fields and concussive blasts. Stealing thesuit from his employers who wanted to use thesuit for evil goals, Hudson sought refuge with theCanadian government. The Canadian Ministry ofDefense soon put Hudson in charge of Depart-ment H, a top-secret project. Inspired by the for-mation of the Fantastic Four, Hudson began toassemble superpowered individuals to protect theGreat White North. After his first recruit—Wolver-ine—left Canada, Hudson decided to lead theteam as Vindicator, though he later chose thename Guardian.

Hudson’s wife, Heather McNeil Hudson, hadbeen his research assistant prior to their marriage,and she assisted him with Alpha Flight duties.When Hudson was apparently killed, she took onthe battle-suit and powers of Guardian, renaming

herself Vindicator. She remained the team leaderon and off throughout its many adventures, until theresurrection of James Hudson.

Northstar and Aurora were orphaned twinbrother and sister Jean-Paul and Jeanne-MarieBeaubier. Raised separately, they were unaware ofthe fact that they were superpowered mutants untilthey were teenagers. Jeanne-Marie had a difficultchildhood and developed a split personality, withone side of her very uninhibited, and the other sidedeeply religious. Jean-Paul had fared better, becom-ing an Olympic skiing champion (perhaps throughthe use of his mutant powers), but he too held asecret: He was homosexual. The Beaubiers werereunited by Hudson as members of Alpha Flight,where they discovered that their similar powers—flight and superspeed—were accented when theytouched hands; then they could create brilliantbursts of light.

Sasquatch was Walter Langkowski, an ex-foot-ball player who became a doctor specializing ingamma radiation transformations, such as thatexperienced by Bruce Banner into the Hulk. Bom-barding himself with radiation from his own experi-ments, Langkowski became able to transform him-self at will to a ten-feet-tall orange-furred creaturewho had superstrength and stamina.

Snowbird was Narya, a demigod born to theEskimo goddess Nelvanna. Raised on Earth byShaman, Narya had the ability to transform into anywhite-colored animal from the arctic north of Cana-da. Narya eventually assumed the identity of AnneMcKenzie, who worked for the Royal CanadianMounted Police as a records officer. Shaman wasMichael Twoyoungmen, a Native North American whohad rejected the magical ways of his lineage tobecome a medical doctor. After the death of his wifeand grandfather—and an estrangement from hisdaughter—Twoyoungmen began to study the mysti-cal arts of the Saracee (née Sarcee) Indian tribes-people. He eventually became a powerful magician.


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