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.

Zack Snyder tweets the first Justice League trailer.

The bits in the trailer are visually similar to Batman v Superman, even with the bluish hue, yet the tome is very similar to that of a Marvel movie.

Snyder might have taken notes from his critics, besides the humor, and more joyful attitude of the characters, Ezra Miller looks a lot les like a slacker and more like the TV version.

It is also noteworthy that Bruce Wayne is the one recruiting other heroes, not Batman.

It is also noteworthy that the Elongated Man is not included in this movie. Well, no, that's comes without saying, but I noticed anyway.

The Elongated Man might make his live action debut in The Flash, season 3

According to tvline.com, The CW is casting a character that fits Ralph Dibny's description for the third season of The Flash.

"For Season 3, the CW hit is casting the major recurring character of Barry’s slightly older, slightly geekier contemporary, a guy who is as smart as he is intuitive. As such, this newcomer doesn’t buy Barry’s nice guy routine and sets out to learn what he’s hiding — all while concealing some secrets of his own…."

(sources: Den of Geek, TV Line)

Remember, the Elongated Man debuted in The Flash #112 (the 8th issue featuring Barry instead of Jay). In that story, he is introduced as a superhero rival of Flash. Ralph beats him to solve so many crimes he suspects him of being a criminal. Of course, the explanation is that Ralph is just a better detective.

This is a great move for the series. Ever since Flash: Rebirth, DC has limited the Flash mythos to Barry, Iris, Reverse Flash, the Rogues Gallery and the now altered story of the Allens, forgetting many important elements of the silver age: Ralph and Sue Dibny, Kid Flash, Earth-2 Flash and Dexter Myles (not to mention the occasional otherworldly villains like Mazdan, Katmos or the Breedans). Hopefully the series will also include Sue, Dexter and the rest.