Ralph and Event Leviathan

The other detectives.

"Also, the number one question that it’s been asked to me or yelled at me since we announced this series is “Where the hell is Elongated Man?” As if I didn’t know the difference between Elongated Man and Plastic Man. That was very funny. So I was so happy to finally reveal our second act twist, that he has been in the series the entire time. We are going to find out what they know soon."

— Brian Michael Bendis.

It goes without saying, but I was one of those yellers. “Where the hell is Elongated Man?” You can’t have a detective team on the DC Universe with Plastic Man but without the Elongated Man. When the premise of Event Leviathan was announced and its team of detectives missed the likes of Elongated Man, Slam Bradley, and Detective Chimp, it looked like its writer, Brian Michael Bendis didn’t know his DC Comics. Now that the mistake has been corrected, I'll have to buy the trade.

“Where the hell is Elongated Man?” The character was a regular feature of DC Comics all the way from the years of his Detective Comics feature, until the end of the International era of the Justice League. That’s about 30 years of sharing space with Batman, Flash or the Justice League, from the mid-60s to the mid-90s. After that, his appearances became sporadic.

Ghost Ralph and Sue trying to figure out if they are still part of the DCU.

2004’s Identity Crisis set him for prominence, after the murder of his wife, Sue Dibny. He got enough of it the 52 limited series, which famously established both as ghost detectives. And they did become ghosts, in that they barely appeared after that.

Ralph has been making a slow comeback since 2016. First, he reappeared alive with Sue as part of the current continuity, then as part of the regular cast of The Flash TV show, and just a couple of weeks ago, as a guest on Young Justice. A few months back, in Detective Comics #1000, he was revealed to be part of the Detectives Guild, and I'm guessing this new appearance has something to do with that.

• For more about the history of Ralph and the detective teams of the DC Universe, read “The Guild of Detection, Detective Comics #1000 and the return of Ralph and Sue Dibny”. 

Hartley Sawyer as Ralph in The Flash,
Ralph and Sue with the Detectives Guield,
Ralph in Young Justice.

Brian Michael Bendis’ Event Leviathan, is a new miniseries that forms part of the current DC Comics continuity. In it, a group of detectives, including Batman, Robin, Superman, Green Arrow, Plastic Man, the Question and Manhunter were assembled by Lois Lane to investigate the infiltration and destruction of various intelligence agencies by Leviathan, a terrorist organization formerly led by Talia, the daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul.

At the end of issue #4, it is revealed that Lois has a second team of detectives working in secret. This one includes Zatanna and John Constantine, Deathstroke, Lt. Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya, and of course Ralph Dibny. Its rooster might give us a clue of Lois' strategy since it includes two occult experts, a master assassin, two members of the Gotham City Police Department and Ralph, who might be the World's greatest detective.

It wouldn't be surprising to see Sue Dibny as well, since she is a master detective on her own right and one of the most proficient hackers within the DCU.

In an interview with The Beat, Bendis recognized that the number one question he gets is “where the hell is Elongated Man?”. Now after the reveal, it’s funny to read that fans have moved on and now they only ask about Detective Chimp or Slam Bradley. Can’t win, when it comes to DCU detectives, fans expect the common suspects to appear.

The great thing about all of this is that, even if Ralph’s appearances in comics have been sporadic, he is once again acknowledged as an icon within the DCU fiction. Remember, to us, he is not that famous, but for the DC characters, he is a World-famous celebrity and either the finest detective after Batman or the finest detective period.

Ralph and Sue's legend is still strong 1000 years later!

... In the form of a themed Grill & Bar.

There are many interesting things going on with the above image from the fantastic third issue of  Justice League 3001. I'm sure Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis were just having fun, but that's what happens when you have talented craftsmen on the job.

Among the extras we can see the somebody looking like Ambush Bug, a creation of Keith, and another guy resembling the Shadow (perhaps an homage to Andy Helfer?). The Chrysler Building seems to be on the background, which would mean we are seeing the New York City of 3001 AD, when Earth is a dumpster called Takron-Galtos, a place for criminals and low lives.

The restaurant sign alone reveals that there is a Ralph and Sue themed bar and grill, which might lead us to assume a number of things. Until we see the next panel!

You are thinking "is that Wolverine next ot Clark?", but in this picture,
there are a couple of DC regulars hidden in plain sight as well.

There's something funny going on. Let's take a closer look.

Those are freaking Ralph and Sue!! 

I won't get ahead of myself. We have two great options. In the worst case, those are not resurrected Ralph and Sue, which means their legend was so strong it lived as a franchise for almost 1000 years. But let's be practical, if Barry was resurrected for the 3rd time, and we know Firestorm (in control of Cadmus) is now reviving even guys like Gardner, odds are those are resurrected Ralph and Sue and they own a place now. Only Keith and J.M. know the answer and future plans for the characters.

This is a great year for Dibny fans.

By the way. I cannot recommend enough to buy this series. The creative team is a guarantee, and, after a great start, it has been getting more and more entertaining with every issue. The art is fantastic, the story is great and it's impossible not to care about these characters. Not because they are beloved DC icons, but because the compelling way they are written. 

The Periodic Table of Superheroes

It's funny how as awesome as it is I can't help but nitpick minor details. Like The Atom, Speedy and Mr. Mxyzptlk so notoriously missing. They were popular during that era, as well as Cyborg, Starfire, Raven and Beastboy. Harley has nothing to do there (although, retroactively, it would have been a really cool thing to see), and I feel that the Scarecrow, Captain Cold, Grodd, Black Manta, Zod, Solomon Grundy, Sinestro, Sivana, Mr. Mind and Mordru were more popular than Two-Face. That being said, we have to note that whoever did this grouped heroes by families, which wouldn't have made easy to fit everyone there. It's fun to play with these ideas, anyway.

Every comic book documentary you must watch

Well, not all of them, but at least I have your attention now.

After watching PBS's wonderful "Superheroes: A Never Ending Battle" I was left with an itch for more documentaries like that. However, there were much fewer than I would have imagined. So, here are some of the best.

Comic Book Confidential

This documentary produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer features the whole picture of the comic-book phenomenon in the United States as of 1988. The origins of the medium, the evolution of superheroes and all the other genres as they born in different eras: horror, comedy, underground, etc. All of this clearly contextualized and documented with nice production values and lots of style. I'd say this is one is essential (thanks, Frank!).

I did not want to add the whole movie in this case, but by the time I posted these videos, the full movie was available at youtube. It has Spanish subtitles, though.

Superheroes: A Never Ending Battle   

Produced by PBS, this is basically a three-hours intensive "History of Superheroes 101".  It is split into three episodes.

The first part, "Truth Justice and the American Way", deals with the origins of the superhero genre, how they represent the American dream, and their ties to the World War II era.

"Great Power, Great Responsibility" is about the silver age resurrection of the genre after Frederick Wertham crippled the comic book industry. This part explains the influence of the atomic age and the cold war on superheroes, as well as their new troubled lives and the transition into the bronze age.

Finally, "A Hero Can Be Anyone" covers the modern era, showing their more mature tone and how popular culture has embraced superheroes in recent years.

If you want to see a better description of the special, here are their creators in their Comic-Con 2013 panel:

Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked

This is History Channel's take on the superhero tradition. Everything you need to know in an hour and a half.

Tales from the Crypt - From Comic Books to Television

After watching all those documentaries, we get the big picture of American comic book superheroes, but our understanding of American comics is still quite incomplete. A big missing piece would be the history of EC Comics and how its explicit content lead to the creation of the Comics Code Authority that censored content during the silver age. This 2004, CS Films documentary covers all the basics. 

Overstreet's World of Comic Books

This one is pretty funny. It was done in 1994 and apparently, back in those times the comic book industry was booming like it was during the golden age. I can't help but think about what was about to happen back then.
I think it's worth seeing not only because we get the perspective of a slightly different era, but also because it features a lot of guys we wouldn't be able to see in more recent documentaries.

Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines

Here we have some focus on the history of superheroines and their influence on feminist movements. Before watching this I had no idea women actually cared that much about Wonder Woman. Good for them.

Super Heroes United - The Complete History Of The Justice League

Among various extras in the Justice League: The New Frontier (2008) DVD, Super Heroes United presents the history of DC's premier team. As a Justice League documentary it rushes through all the eras, leaving out important stuff, like the roster of the satellite era, for instance. However, it does a good job presenting the DC transition from golden age to silver age, something that was missing in documentaries like Superheroes: A Never Ending Battle.

Click here to see the video.

Comics Britannia

BBC's version of what was going on across the pound. Even though we love to adopt every brilliant idea the British ever have and make it par of our culture, and even though we are well aware that they somehow produce ridiculously talented giants like Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman or Grant Morrison, we still don't really know what is going on there. This series is quite eye opening. We need that kind of comic book culture over here.

In Search of Steve Ditko

Jonathan Ross' attempt to track down Steve Ditko, one of the most influential, enigmatic and idiosyncratic creators in the American comic book industry (Spider-man, Dr. Strange, The Question, Blue Beetle). This documentary was produced for BBC Four.

The rest of the documentary is available on Youtube.

Moebius Redux

In order to fully understand the potential of comic book art, this documentary is a must. The way I see it, Moebius is the Michelangelo of comics, and this BBC Four documentary is a great introduction to his world. 

Jack Kirby, Storyteller

.Jack is the King. Without him, American comics and the entire superhero genre would have a completely different vibe. It has been said that he created half the characters of Marvel and DC. Half. If all you can think when you see his stuff is how chunky it is, you need to watch this video.

NOTES:

• Please, let me know in the comments section if a link gets broken.
• I'll continue adding videos to this post as they become available. I might take recommendations from the comments.
• I don't know much about copyrights, so I'm just going by whatever Youtube allows. In any case, readers can always report them whatever they see here.
• UPDATE: Following Frank's suggestion I added Comic Books Confidential  

More Elongated art!

This image by Mark Stutzman deserves its own post I have to know the history behind it. I guess the trinity had to go for the Best next thing after Batman in whatever that adventure was (apparently a commission for a Fusion Toys puzzle series). Oddly enough, Ralph was a lot closer with Batman and only teamed-up once with Wonder Woman.

Hawkman and the Atom #46, art by Ryan Sook.

I believe this one was done by Willis Bulliner. And I guess that's Ralph saluting TPTB for his fabulous role in the New 52.

¡Viva los Superhéroes!: Yes, they have different names in Spanish

I was recently asked about my nickname (no, Rafa Rivas is not my real name). It comes from "Rafael Rivas", the real name the Elongated Man or El Hombre Elástico gets in Spanish translations.

Clark Kent is still Clark Kent, no Spanish name for him. However, most superheroes, villains and supporting characters have Spanish names like that.

So, just because, here is a list of the most notorious ones. I'll write in gray the most accurate they could have used instead (but didn't).

Superman / Clark Kent: Supermán / Clark Kent. 

Batman / Bruce Wayne: Batman / Bruno Díaz.
Robin / Dick Grayson: Robin / Ricardo Tapia.
Wonder Woman / Diana Prince: Mujer Maravilla (o Marvila) / Diana Pérez. Diana Príncipe.
Wonder Girl / Donna Troy: Chica Maravilla / Dina Rosas. Dona Troya 

Elongated Man / Ralph Dibny: Hombre Elástico / Rafael Rivas. 

Sue Dibny: Susana Rivas.
Supergirl / Linda Lee: Superchica / Linda Lara.

Aquaman: Aquamán (can't recall if there was any translation for Arthur Curry, but it's likely Arturo something). Arturo Curi (although it would make him a Latin Lebanese). 

Green Lantern / Hal Jordan: Linterna Verde / Raúl Jordán. Hal (Haroldo) Jordán.

Flash / Barry Allen: Flash / Bruno Alba. "Flushman" in Argentina (for some reason).

Kid Flash / Wally West: Flashito / Carlos Vela. Gualter Oeste.

Martian Manhunter / John Jones: Detective Marciano / Julio Jordán. Juán Juanez.

Hawkman / Carter Hall: Hombre Halcón / Carlos Lara. Carlos Salón. 

Hawkwoman / Shiera Hall: Mujer Halcón / Mirna Lara.

Green Arrow / Oliver Queen: Flecha Verde / Oliverio Reyna. 

Black Canary / Dinah Lance: Canario Negro / Diana Ríos. Dina Lanza.

Atom / Ray Palmer: Átomo / Ray Palmer. Raymundo "Ray" Palmera.

Adam Strange: Adán Luna. Adán Extraño.
Zatanna: Zitana. That one seems to makes no sense, as zitana is meaningless. Zatanna.
Batgirl / Barbara Gordon: Batichica / Bárbara Fierro.

Red Tornado / John Smith: Tornado Rojo / Juan Pérez. 

Flash I / Jay Garrick: Flash / Jorge Forcada.

Firestorm / Ronnie Raymond: Antorcha / Ronnie Raymond. Ronaldo Raymundo.

Captain Marvel / Billy Batson: Capitán Maravilla / Memo Batson. Beto Basto.
Guy Gardner: Gil Garza. Gil Jardinero. (G and J sound alike in Spanish).
Mr. Miracle / Scott Free: Sr. Milagro / Oscar Liberal.
Starman: Astro.
Hourman: Horario.
Wildcat: Gato Montés.
Johnny Thunder: Juan Trueno.
Sandman: Arenero.

Starfire: Nova.

Changeling: Mutante.

Raven: Corvina.
Darkseid: Oscuranto, Morbus or Penumbra.

With Superman characters they tend to keep both names or at least the last one in English:

Lex Luthor: Lex Luthor.
Lois Lane: Luisa Lane.

Jimmy Olsen: Jaime Olsen. Jaime Olmos.

Perry White: Pedro White. Pedro Blanco.

Lana Lang: Lina Luna.

Pete Ross: Pedro Ross or Fernando Suárez.

Brainiac: Cerebro ("Brain"). Cerebrático.

Metallo: Metálico ("Metallic"). Metalo.
Parasite: Parásito.
Mr. Mxyzptlk: Senor Mxyzptlk (pronounced misleplik).
Bizarro: Bizarro (And "bizarro" is Spanish for "bizarre").
Krypto: Krypto.

Batman characters:

Commissioner Gordon: Comisionado Fierro.

Catwoman: Gatúbela (close to "Catarella", like Vampirella or Barbarella).

Joker: Guasón or Arlequín.

Penguin: Pingüino.

Mr. Freeze: Capitán Frio (Somehow they gave him the name that should be used for the enemy of the Flash —sometimes they use "Señor Gélido", a better translation).

The Riddler: El Acertijo.

Egghead: Cascarón (meaning "Eggshell"). Cabeza de Huevo.
King Tut: Rey Tut.

Gotham City: Ciudad Gótica.

Poison Ivy: Hiedra Venenosa, or Hortiga.

Two-Face: Dos Caras or Doble Cara ("Double Face").

The Ventriloquist / Scarface: Ventrílocuo / Cara Marcada.

Clayface: Cara de Barro.

Harley Quinn: Arlequín (sometimes Arly Quin).

Teams

Justice League of America: La Liga de la Justicia de América ("de América" is rarely said).
Justice Society of America: Los Defensores de la Justicia ("de América" is rarely said).
Doom Patrol: La Patrulla Salvadora o El Escuadron Suicida (that last one is "Suicide Squad", lol).

Teen Titans: Los Héroes Juveniles o Los Jóvenes Titanes. Los Adolescentes Titanes.

Wonder Twins: Gemelos Fantásticos.

Cities, places, and stuff
Gotham City: Ciudad Gótica ("Gothic City").
Metropolis: Metrópolis.
Krypton: Krytón or Kriptón.
Smallville: Villa Chica.
Coast City: Ciudad Costera.
The Watchtwer: La Atalaya.
The Batcave: La Baticueva (a made-up word).
Batmobile: Batimovil (another made-up word —since "bat" is "murciégalo", and that's too long, anything Batman-related is translated with the meaningless prefix "bati-", as in Batichica, Batibúmerang, Bati).
The Daily Planet: El Planeta ("The Planet").

Marvel:

Spider-man / Peter Parker: El Hombre Araña / Pedro Márquez.
Dr. Octopus: Dr. Pulpo.
Green Goblin: E Duende Verde. El Orco Verde.
Sandman: El Arenero.
Fatastic Four: Los Cuatro Fantásticos.
Mr. Fantastic / Reed Richards: Sr. Fantástico / Enrique Ricardo.
Invisible Woman / Sue Storm: La Mujer Invisible / Susana Sánchez.
Human Torch / Johnny Storm: La Antorcha Humana / Juan Sánchez.
The Thing / Ben Grimm: La Mole / Benito Gris. La Cosa.
Dr. Doom: Dr. Muerte. Dr. Perdición.
Galactus: Alberto el Hambriento (Hilarious! That means "Hungry Albert").
X-Men: La Patrulla-X, Los Hombres X ("X" or "equis" is a bit funny, because the word modern slang for "generic", "indifferent", or "it's ok").
Wolverine / Logan:  Guepardo / Leonardo (keep in mind that "guepardo" is Spanish for cheetah). Also: Emilio Garra, Lobezno, Carcayú, Glotón, Aguja Dinámica ("Dynamic Needle") and Aullador ("howler"). Carcayu. Carcayú or glotón are the right way to call a wolverine (gulo gulo), and "lobezno" is only ok for a wolf pup).
Morpho: Morfo.
Professor X / Charles Xavier: Profesor X (the X is pronounced "equis") / Carlos Xavier (prounounced "ha•vee•er"). He is often called "Profesor Xavier" instead of Profesor X.
Magneto: Magneto (although "a magnet" is "un magneto" in Spanish).
Rogue / Titania. Pilla.
Daredevil: Dan Defensor ("Dan Defender"), or Diabólico (Diabolic). Tough one. Dan Defender is pretty bad, but the translation would be "Temerario", which has no D or anything to do with "devil".
Dr. Strange: Dr. Centella. Dr. Extraño.

The Golden Age chronology!

For no particular reason (well, there's one, but you don't get to know about it for a while), I'm posting a chronological list of the debuts of the golden age characters of DC.

1935

Oct, More Fun Comics #6 – Dr. Occult, Rose Psychic

1937 

March, Detective Comics #1 – Slam Bradley and Shorty Morgan

1938 

Apr, Action Comics #1 – Superman, Zatara, Tex Thopson

Oct, Detective Comics #20 - Crimson Avenger and Wing

1939 

May, Detective Comics #27 – Batman

Jul, Adventure Comics #40 - Sandman

1940

Jan, Flash Comics #1 – Flash, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Johnny Thunder

Feb, More Fun Comics #52 – The Spectre

Mar, Adventure Comics #48 - Hourman

Spr, Batman #1 – Catwoman

Apr, Detective Comics #38 –  Robin

May, More Fun Comics #55 – Dr. Fate

Jun, More Fun Comics #56 - Congo Bill

Jul, All-American Comics #16 – Green Lantern

Oct, All-American Comics #19 – The Atom

Nov, All-American Comics #20 – Red Tornado
Win, All-Star Comics #3 – The Justice Society of America (Hawkman, Atom, Flash, Green Lantern, Dr. Fate, Spectre, Hurman and Sandman).

1941

Apr, All-American Comics #25 – Dr. Mid-Nite

Apr, Adventure Comics #61 - Starman

Sep, More Fun Comics #73 – Aquaman, Green Arrow, Speedy

Sep, Adventure Comics #66 – Shining Knight

Sep, Action Comics #40 – Star-Spanged Kid, Stripesy

Oct, All-Star Comics #8 - Wonder Woman

Oct, Star-Spangled Comics #1 - Tarantula

Nov, Action Comics #42 – Vigilante

Winter, Boy Commandos #1 – Liberty Belle
Winter, Leading Comics #1 – Seven Soldiers of Victory

1942

Jan, Sensation Comics #1 – Wildcat, Mr. Terrific

Feb, Detective Comics #60 – Air Wave

Apr, Star-Spangled Comics #7 – Robotman, TNT and Dan the Dyna-myte, The Guardian

1947

Aug, Flash Comics #86 – Black Canary

1948

Jun, - Star-Spangled Comics #81 – Gimmick Girl

1983

Jul, All-Star Squadron #23 – Amazing Man

Adoptive characters

A bunch of current DC Comics properties were created outside National Comics / All-American Publications. In this list I'm mixing Fawcett Comics, Quality Comics and Fox Comics. However, it must first  be considered that [besides the ancient and classic god pantheons and the biblical characters] certain classic characters that exist in the current DCU were created even before that:

c. 9th Century: King Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table

c. 1422: Robin Hood

1887: Sherlock Holmes and John Watson

1904: Rima, the Jungle Girl

1912: Tarzan

1933: Doc Savage

1939

Aug, Mystery Men Comics #1 – Blue Beetle

1940

Feb, Whiz Comics #2 – Captain Marvel, Spy Smasher

May, Nickel Comics #1 – Bulletman and Bulletgirl

May, Crack Comics #1 – Black Condor

Jul, National Comics #1 – Uncle Sam

Jun, Register and Tribune Syndicate – The Spirit

Sept, Smash Comics #14 – The Ray

1941

Aug, Police Comics #1 – Plastic Man, Phantom Lady, Human Bomb, Firebrand

Aug, Military Comics #1 – Miss America, Blackhawks

Dec, Whiz Comics #25 – Captain Marvel Jr.

1942

Dec, Captain Marvel Adventures #18 – Mary Marvel

1943

Jul, Military Comics #20 – Lady Blackhawk (unnamed)

Oct, Wow Comics #18 – Uncle Marvel

1944

Apr, Feature Comics #77 – Doll Man

It is interesting to note that in both cases, most of the characters were created between January 1940 and December 1941, and that, in general, they also had more staying power than the rest, with the exception being the two big archetypes that predate them: Superman and Batman.

Villains

And finally the villains (I might do supporting cast if I'm ever in the mood). It's funny I'd have never expected Wonder Woman to have the clearest gallery or Superman to be so difficult.
In this case we can also appreciate that, unlike superheroes, must of the villains were not created in 1940 or 1941. However, many archenemies are from those years: Luthor, Joker, Catwoman, Clayface, Scarecrow, Penguin, Hugo Strange, Sivana, Captain Nazi, Wotan, Karkull, Mr. Who, Hath Set, Dummy, Zor, Oom and Blackjack (hey, he was basically the only Aquaman guy back then!)

Wonder Woman

1942, Feb, Sensation Comics #2 – Doctor Poison

1942, Apr, Sensation Comics #4 – Baroness Paula von Gunther

1942, Sum, Wonder Woman #1 – Ares

1942, Fall, Wonder Woman #2 – Duke of Deception, Lord Conquest, Earl of Greed

1943, Apr, Wonder Woman #4 - Mavis

1943, Jun, Wonder Woman #5 – Dr. Psycho

1943, Oct, Wonder Woman #6 – Cheetah

1943, Dec, Comic Cavalcade #5 -Zara

1944, Mar, Wonder Woman #8 – Queen Clea

1944, Jun, Wonder Woman #9 – Giganta

1944, Fall, Wonder Woman #10 – Eviless

1944, Win, Wonder Woman #11 – Hipnota

1945, Apr, Sensation Comics #42, Draska Nishki              

1946, Sep, Sensation Comics #59 – Blue Snowman

1946, Oct, Comic Cavalcade #17 – Gunra the Valkyrie

1947, Jul, Wonder Woman #24 – The Mask
1948, Mar, Wonder Woman #28 – Villainy Inc.

1948, Apr, Wonder Woman #29 – Minister Blizzard

1949, Sep, Wonder Woman #37 - Circe

1953, Nov, Wonder Woman #62 – Angle Man

Batman

Wasn't able to get any Kane gallery, but here's some Sprang.

1939, Jul, Detective Comics #29 – Dr.  Death

1939, Sep, Detective Comics #31 – Monk & Dala

1940, Feb, Detective Comics #36 – Professor Hugo Strange

1940, Spr, Batman #1 – The Joker
1940, Apr, Detective Comics #38 –  Boss Zucco

1940, Jun, Detective Comics #40 - Clayface

1941, Fall, World’s Finest Comics #3 – The Scarecrow

1941, Dec, Detective Comics #58 – The Penguin

1942, Ago, Detective Comics #66 – Two-Face

1943, Apr, Detective Comics #74 – Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum

1943, Nov, Detective Comics #81 – The Cavalier
1947, Sep, World's Finest Comics #30 – The Penny Plunderer

1948, Oct, Batman #49 – The Mad Hatter

1950, Jun, Batman #59 – Deadshot  

1951, Feb, Batman #63 – Killer Moth

1952, Jun, Detective Comics #184 - Firefly
1983, Jul, The Brave and the Bold #200 – Brimstone

Captain Marvel

1940, Feb, Whiz Comics #2 – Dr. Sivana

1941, Dec, Master Comics #21 – Captain Nazi

1942, Mar, Captain Marvel Adventures #8 – Mr. Banjo, Ibac

1942, Apr, Captain Marvel Adventures #9 – Nippo

1943, Feb, Captain Marvel Jr. #4, Sabbac

1943, Mar, Captain Marvel Adventures #22 - Herkimer

1943, Ago, Captain Marvel Adventures #26 – Mr. Mind, Goat Man

1944, Jun, Captain Marvel Adventures #36 - Jeepers

1944, Nov, Captain Marvel Adventures #41 – Evil Eye

1945, Dec, Marvel Family #1 – Black Adam

1946, May, Captain Marvel Adventures #61 – Oggar

1947, Nov, Captain Marvel Adventures #78 – Mr. Atom

1951, Oct, Captain Marvel Adventures #125 – King Kull

Superman

1939, Jun, Action Comics #13 – Ultra-Humanite

1940, Jan, Action Comics #20 – Dolores Winters (who woud become Ultra-Humanite)

1940, Apr, Action Comics #23 – Lex Luthor

1941 Nov, Superman #13 – The Archer

1942 Aug – Action Comics #58 – The Prankster

1942 Nov, Superman #19 – Funny Face

1942, Jun, Action Comics #49 – The Puzzler

1942, Sum, World’s Finest Comics #6 – Metalo

1943, Sep,  Action Comics #64 – Toyman
1943, Nov, Superman #25 – Hi-Jack

1944, Jan, Superman #26 - J. Wilbur Wolfingham

1944, Sep, Superman #30 – Mr. Mxyzptlk

1950, Feb, Superboy #6 – Humpty Dumpty

Flash

1942, Sep, Flash Comics #33 – The Shade

1942, Dec, Flash Comics #36 ­– Rag Doll

1943, Fall, All Flash Comics #12 – The Thinker

1945, Win, All Flash Comics #21 – The Turtle

1947, Nov, Flash Comics #89 - Thorn

1947, Dec, All Flash Comics #32 – The Fiddler, Star Sapphire

1949, Feb, Flash Comics #104 – The Rival

Green Lantern

1943, Win, Green Lantern #10 – Vandal Savage

1944, Sum, Green Lantern #12 – The Gambler

1944, Oct, All-American Comics #61 – Solomon Grundy

1947, May, All-American Comics #85 – Sportsmaster
1947, Ago, Green Lantern #27 – Sky Pirate

1947, Sep, All-American Comics #89 – Harlequin

1947, Oct, All-American Comics #90 – Icicle

Dr. Fate

1940, May, More Fun Comics #55 - Wotan
1941, May, More Fun Comics #67 – Nergal
1941, Jul, More Fun Comics #69 – Ian Karkull 
1941, Nov, More Fun Comics #73 – Mr. Who
1942, Jun, More Fun Comics #80 – Octopus
1942, Jul, More Fun Comics #81 – The Clock

Justice Society of America

1943, Feb, All-Star Comics #15 – Brainwave

1945, Win, All-Star Comics #23 – Psycho-Pirate

1947, Apr, All-Star Comics #34 – The Wizard

1947, Jun, All-Star Comics #35 – Per Degaton
1947, Oct, All-Star Comics #37 – Injustice Society of the World 
1948, Dec, All-Star Comics #44 – Evil Star
1951, Mar, All-Star Comics #57 – The Key
1999, Dec, Secret Origins of Super-Villains 80-Page Giant #1 – Johnny Sorrow

Hawkman

1940, Jan, Flash Comics #1 – Hath Set

1940, Fall, All-Star Comics #2 - Nyola
1941, Jan, Flash Comics #13 – Satana

1945, Apr, Flash Comics #64 – The Monocle

1947, Oct, Flash Comics #88 – The Gentleman Ghost

Plastic Man

1950, May, Plastic Man #23 – The Figure
1950, Sep, Plastic Man #25 – Mr. Aqua

The Spectre

1940, May, More Fun Comics #55 –  Zor
1940, Win, All-Star Comics #3 – Oom

Aquaman

1941, Dec, More Fun Comics #74, Blackjack

Green Arrow

1946, Sep, World's Finest #24 – Bulls-Eye

Dr. Mid-Nite

1947, Feb, All-American Coics #82 - Dr. Light

Starman

1941, May, Adventure Comics #62 – The Light

1941, Oct, Adventure Comics #67 – The Mist

Vigilante

1941, Win, Leading Comics #1 – The Dummy

Zatara

1938, Apr, Action Comics #1 – The Tigress
1938, Oct, Action Comics #5 – Amen-Hotep

Congo Bill

1940, Jun, More Fun Comics #56 - The Skull

Robotman

1943, Feb, Star-Spangled Comics #17 – The Turtle

Wildcat

1943, Ago, Sensation Comics #20 – Yellow Wasp
1947, Ago, Sensation Comics #68 – The Huntress

Sandman

1942, Sum, World’s Finest Comics #6  - Ramulus

Boy Commandos

1946, Jun, Boy Commandos #15 – Crazy Quilt

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Survivors of the Golden Age! - A description of the transition between the Silver and the Golden Ages of DC Comics.
• The Elongated Man and the Silver Age Timeline! - A series of lists of the most important debuts and events of the Silver Age in chronological order.
• Part I: Pre-Classic - 1947 - 1956.
• Part II: Classic - 1956 - 1969.
• Part III: Post-Classic - 1969 - 1973.  
• The Elongated Man and the Bronze Age Timeline! - A list of the Bronze Age debuts of DC Characters and events in chronological order.

Know your Justice Leaguer

In a previous article, I made the personality profile of The Elongated Man. Knowing what makes a character tick is what makes them interesting. The bad (or the badass) seems to be the flavor of the day since the late 80s. Everybody needed to be like Rorschach, Batman or Wolverine to be cool. But that’s not good writing, just selling fool-proof hooks that can be pulled even by the lesser writers.

Good writers know how play with personality traits in order to sell any character. Take Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, as instance, Tolkien and Jackson, managed to make a pop cult icon out of Gollum, a petty worm who is the very antithesis of any type of alpha male. The most read book of all times is about a loon that sees windmills as villains. The most popular sitcom is about four neurotic misfits… The trick is to know the character and to know how to exploit his personality traits.

With that in mind, I give you a list of sketches the most notorious members of the Justice League. My focus is on temperament, which I consider the very core of a person’s attitude.

Aquaman: His personality has wildly changed in some media; however, in comics, he’s most commonly portrayed as a tough yet melancholic, no-nonsense guy with a lot of weight over his shoulders. That crown is heavy.

He has an old soul. Like Batman, his eye for detail is just as sharp as his eye for the big picture. He’s extremely loyal and noble, but he doesn’t waste time on lost causes.

Within the League he sits among the other "kings": Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the Martian Manhunter. I just happens.

Other versions have him as a merrier guy. Batman: The Brave and the Bold even gave him a loud, bigger than life personality, very similar to the Thor of the 2011 movie. It’s not the original deal, but I kind of like this better, even if toned down a bit.

The Atom: It is ironic, but the smallest man alive, often feels like a small man inside. Despite being a genius and having one of the greatest super powers, he tends to feel guilty and undeserving, making him the most typically melancholic member of the team. He’s very creative and escapes everyday life through science and superheroics. He pulled the whole superhero thing for a woman, who doesn’t seem to appreciate him that well, which doesn’t speak well of his self-esteem. Hawkman, his best friend is also bossy and overly confident. The second he gets out of his lab, Ray Palmer tends to give a lot, expecting nothing in return.

He loves his role as the idea guy of the JLA, he's no tactician, but when it comes to tehnical matters, hes the go-to guy.
However, he is sometimes portrayed as an absent-minded genius with little interests outside science; your average Egon Spengler, Gyro Gearloose or Mr. Fantastic.

Batman: A compulsive melancholic who is obsessed with perfection. Fueled by survivor’s guilt, makes sure he’s the best at everything he does, including being the ultimate alpha. He’s very methodical and needs to control people and information alike. Years of practice have made him faster when it comes to acquiring new skills. He is able to act like a very social person as Bruce Wayne, but that’s all it is, an act. He has deep trust issues and can’t communicate affection properly to his loved ones (even though he is not that bad at hinting it). His most significant love affair is with Catwoman, who is just as distant in her own way. 

Working with the JLA, he arrives late at the Watchtower, takes charge, solve the problem and goes back to Gotham.
During the silver age, both as Batman and as Bruce, he was more civic-minded, polite and preachy. This characterization was reused with some added coolness in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Black Canary: She’s an overachiever, focusing all her dedication and discipline in continuing her mother’s legacy as a superhero. Mother issues and poor taste in men are perhaps the biggest aspects of her personal life. Opposed to Green Arrow, she’s also a strong, independent woman with feminist values. She works her ass off; Hal would just get the job done right with the best  tool available, and then hit the bar; by contrast, Dinah would do hours of exhaustive practice, almost as intensively as Batman. She plays hard to get, but she is no Catwoman. Ollie is her weakness; she demands a lot of herself only to fall for the resident ladies man. Her temperament is a bit melancholic, but phlegmatic enough to have great people skills, which makes her a perfect field leader.

The Elongated Man: The guy is all about doing what he loves and getting some attention while he’s there, by far, the most laid back out of the classic leaguers; a perfectly sanguine type. He’s quite diligent but wastes no extra energy to get the job done; he’s so practical that in his debut, he proved to be a faster crime-solver than Flash himself. He can solve anything Batman does – only with fewer resources and more lateral thinking. He's often the one who humbly presents a practical solution when the team seems to be up against the wall (even more often when Batman is not around). 

Out of the entire league, he’s the one that makes the most assertive life-choices and avoids drama the best. Ralph is a fun guy who managed to get the money, the girl, the fame and the status on his first day and then saves the world merely by “stretching at the right time”.

Firestorm: Ronnie is frat guy with a heart of gold. Being analytic never worked for him, so he focused on fun and what makes a male kid popular, but then, he got a challenge and was forced to change his ways. His fusion with Professor Martin Stein is like a permanent, intensive and forced mentorship that forces him to overcome that one aspect of his life he used to neglect. The way he acts, he looks self-secure, yet, he’s overcompensating for his lack of intellectuality, which he is overcoming as Firestorm. The JLA became even more reinforcement. Starting with Superman, they believe in his potential. He's the rookie of the team and when it came to fitting in, Ralph often took him under his wing.  

The Flash: One of the hardest to define for many people. He’s all about diligence and a huge sense of civic duty. His temperament is somewhere between phlegmatic and melancholic. He feels the need to complete great task and to do it step by step and by the book, often missing the forest for the tree. However, he can still be very creative. He’s very similar to Superman, only less bold, more humble and more of a side thinker. And while Clark pretends to be boring, Barry is the genuine article.

Green Arrow: This one is all about character. He’s sanguine like Hal, only with a shorter temper, savvier and more stubborn. He relies heavily on common sense and cynical observation to the point that he is perhaps the best judge of character in the League and, even though he’s about as old as the rest, he’s seen the “old devil” of the team. 

He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and yet, he’s so stubbornly liberal that he became the most socially aware JLAer; he’s the guy that often keeps the rest grounded. To him, watching out for the little guy is way more important than defeating the bad guy and his teammates appreciate him for that. That being said, he can also be patronizing, flawed and a bit chauvinistic. The fact that he’s an idealist doesn't mean that his behavior is perfect as a person, especially when it comes to women.

Green Lantern: The guy is the epitome of the charming alpha male. He likes, he takes. He shoots, he scores; very good at saving the day, getting the girl and having a great time. However, like a good sanguine (and unlike Ralph), he is not that great on the long term. Hal can’t keep the girl and doesn't really climb the job ladder, even when he has all the opportunities there. He probably feels a bit undeserving under all that cockiness.

Hawkman: He is a tough alpha male; nerves of steel, sharp, to the point; never misses a thing and he is always talking with authority. He never backs away from his frame. His views are often the toughest of the team. He and his wife might walk around bare-naked, yet he is very conservative (Republican in fact), overprotective with women (at least one time with Black Canary and often with his wife) and he takes the most aggressive stands on punishments.

As serious as Katar is, the ones that get close to him like Hawkgirl, the Atom and Elongated Man, can get him to show his lighter side.  That being said, he can’t stand Ollie.

Superman:  I always say, when your father treats you as if you were Superman, you end up flying. This is literally the case with Clark. He comes from two great sets of parents, the first gave them his genetic characteristics and the double gift of life and the second raised him as an assertive man with great values. He might feel the weight of the World when it comes to do the right thing with his powers (especially in the last decades), but classically, he does good because he truly likes and believes in kindness, Midwestern, all-American kindness.

The big difference with Barry, is that he is not as pressured by guilt, and that, as Clark, he only pretends to be a square. When it comes to Lois, he barely minds her aggressive exterior; he can only look at her great fiery heart.

In general, he’s easy going and calm. Modern interpretations have him more introspective, early ones had him self-righteous and the ones from the silver age, had him more easy going and even more chivalrous, with a slightly geeky sense of fun.

Wonder Woman: She is like Athena or King Solomon: graceful, merciful, assertive, proper, respectful, wise, kind and as self-secure as the archetypal good monarch. Generally calm and nice, she has no trouble being aggressive and taking the bull by its horns when the situation requires it. I would say that she is the best leader a team can have (keep in mind that leadership rotated in the original JLA).

With so many attributes everybody is in love with her; yet, she has something that prevents most from hitting on her. At some points she has been attracted to the idealist Superman, and at least an interpretation has had her with a thing for the more magnetic Batman; however, the guy that gets her heart (Steve Trevor)  is a suave gentleman with the right cause.

Zatanna: She is a crowd pleaser, loves the attention and manages to get that with her charming personality. Since she was created, there has always been constant drama on her life, she is always missing something, which tells me that she is a bit codependent. She’s mostly sanguine, having fun and going with the flow; however, she also has some supine and melancholic characteristics. Between the lines, I have noticed some daddy issues in her persona.

Did you like the character profiles? Here are some more:

Know your Super Buddy!
Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Fire,  Ice, Sue, 
Maxwell and the rest of the late 80s gang!

Know your Bat-Villain! Part I - 
Probably the craziest supervillains in 
American comics, so it is a longer read.