Saturday, October 28, 2017

10 common misconceptions about the Elongated Man



Finally! The Elongated Man is set to debut this Tuesday (October 31), and many fans of the show might want to know a little more about him. Googling him is easy enough, but with so many misconceptions spread online it's very easy to get the facts wrong.

For instance, Geek History Lesson podcast #184 got every possible fact wrong. Which goes to show us the limitations of the Internet as a source. So, I made a Steemit post about the most common misconceptions about Ralph. Click here to read it.

Why Steemit? Because that network allows us to get rewarded for every contribution we make as bloggers. So, if you like the content, please make sure you start an account there, upvote it, and create your own.

Here are two of the ten misconceptions:

10. "Identity Crisis and 52 are the best Elongated Man stories"


Those are some of the best stories with him, but not the best about him. Neither has a protagonist. In the first —which some fans even consider damaging for him as a DC property—,  he and Sue are plot devices and the mystery is solved by chance. In the second he gets a great case to solve, but that's one of six main plots of the series.

Showcase Presents the Elongated Man shows the character in his original spirit —imagine a 60s sitcom with Dick Van Dyke as a detective with super stretching. It compiles all of his early appearances in The Flash and his first 45 in Detective Comics, although it has no second volume and it leaves out anything published after January 1968.

A complete list of recommentations would have to include Detective Comics #500, 557 and Justice League Quarlerly #6, because....

7. "Sue always hung out with the League at the Watchtower"


Although it's a good one, the sad truth is that Sue didn't frequent the Watchtower. She started hanging out with the Justice League at the bunker during the Detroit years, and later again with the Justice League Europe at the Paris JLI Embasy (which they eventually moved to London). This takes us to...

Click here to read the other 8 misconceptions about the Elongated Man.

2 comments:

  1. Excellent work! That podcast annoyed me as well. They should've had that guest at the end lead the episode.

    I had considered starting a podcast dedicated to Ralph's comics, but considering time, lack of a cohost and the fact that I'm a better writer than a speaker (despite doing another podcast for eight years) and the hosting cost, I started a blog instead at http://dibnydiaries.blogspot.com

    Good to see you posting on here again, it's a very exciting time to be a fan of Ralph.

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    1. Wow, great to read from you, Jay. You were one of my inspirations for this blog.

      Ralph is doing a bit better in other media, but his presence in comics could be a lot better. He is going to be back in Detective #1000. I hope it's a good portrayal.

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