DC Multiverse

Fascinating Factoids from Earth-Two aka Earth-2

2012-02-06T21:22:00.000-08:00

As Thom Kallor aka Star Boy revealed to the assembled heroes of two worlds, the Earth-2 created after the Infinite Crisis was in fact the reconstituted Earth-Two made in its image. As such, life carried on there several years after the original Crisis on Infinite Earths had concluded. Within the Batcave, while interrogating an alternate Power Girl, her counterpart asked if she was a traitor like Judomaster, or a plant of Lex Luthor, or a member of the Crime Society.

These interesting elements of Earth-2 reveal that Sonia Sato existed on that world, assuming the alter ego of Judomaster while gaining the trust... and possible membership... of the Justice Society of America. On the composite Earth spawned after the first Crisis, Lex Luthor had the foresight to create a clone to house his malevolent mind... and no doubt Alexie Luthor would have hatched a similar escape plan should he face his own mortality which he eventually did aboad Brainiac's spaceship. Hence this second incarnation, known by the abbreviated "Lex" carried on his crusade against his former foe's allies. One wonders who such "plants" were within the Justice Society... perhaps a replica of Superman who had been residing in a pocket dimension following the initial Crisis... which he could have devised from the same bio-ray projector developed by Funny Face (the villain who spawned the first Superman clone, the Flying Tiger). Like Bizarro Superman and Bizarro Lex Luthor from Earth-One's universe, these faux-Luthor and Superman would ulimately be revealed as the fakes they were when confronting these costumed crimefighters. Having come to the realization that this "plant" was not her cousin but a clone, Power Girl would fly off into space for years seeking him out, sadly never to find them.

As for the Crime Society, they were a variation of Earth-Three's Crime Syndicate only they mimiced the Justice Society just as the Syndicate replicated the Justice League.... certainly not a far-fetched possibility of such a team existing within the Multiverse of infinite variations of Earth. Apparently, the JSA had occasion to clash with their Crime counterparts, apparently without their League allies joining them on that adventure. In fact, this was probably during the occasion when the Cary Bates of Earth-Prime ended up on Earth-Two and most of the Justice Society were "off Earth", as Bates would have shunted them to the Crime Society's world rather than face the entire assemblage of the JSA.

Star Boy Explains the Multiverse: In One Panel!

2012-02-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

Note that the Starman (Thom Kallor) of the revitalized composite Earth formed after the Infinite Crisis states that the original Earth-Two (Earth-2) had thus been reconstituted into the form of the Justice Society Infinty that his Justice Society of America met in the present day, hence the method by which this world (and by extension parallel planets in the Multiverse) could continue to have futures divergent from the composite Earth as seen prior the Crisis on Infinite Earths. In essence, the sole survivor of Earth-Three's universe, Alexander Luthor, implemented the means by which the Multiverse was replicated in a fashion that mirrored the original Multiverse, hence the impeccably identical members of the JSI to those of the JSA and Infinity, Inc. that originally existed. These were the individuals whom Power Girl met upon venturing to their reality from her own adopted realm, carrying on the lives left behind by these Socialites prior to the dessolution of their separate dimensional plane.

The implication of this modern-day matchup between twin Societies is profound, as it leaves the door open to other universe likewise residing, as they had prior to the incursion of the Anti-Monitor's evil machinations. Included in this was Earth-Four - home to Captain Atom and his allies on the Sentinels of Justice, Earth-S - home to Captain Marvel's family and friends, and Earth-X - home to expatriates of Earth-Two that composed the Freedom Fighters. As for Earth-One's reality, this too would need to continue to coexist somewhere amidst the cosmos as the 30th Century Legion of Super-Heroes, of whom Kallor was a member as Star Boy, would, have existed separate of the composite reality composed from the various Crisises. Having been severed from the rest due to its having been the template of all other universes, Earth-One and its reality would have to be rediscovered another time, by a different band of costumed crusaders curiously curtailing creation.

Migrants of Multiple Earths: Mekanique's All-Stars

2012-01-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

As Sargon tells the tale, the year was 1950 when he... and by extension four other All-Stars and four kids from the Bronx... left the world of their birth for a parallel Earth. What motivated them to make such a monumental change in their lives? None of these men were then attached romantically to significant others, each were still actively operating as "mystery men" even though at that point political sentiment was such that such vigilantes were hunted down by the authorities, and they just learned of a missing comrade needing help. Or so the time-travelling Mekanique would have told them!

In fact, her agenda was two sided, as she was fulfilling her future master, an older Henry "Steel" Heywood, to retrieve allies from his old Earth-Two to help his new Earth-One to fill the void left during periods of time when there wasn't a Justice League (at lesat as he defined it). Plus, she could then remove further impediments to her original master Rotwang's plans for domination in a future era, from which she came. Were she able, undoubtedly she would have successfully lured the remaining superheros... Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Superman... to that same exttra-dimensional exile. Thankfully, they had substantial lives that kept them on Earth-Two.

So how could this femme fatale convince her former "beau" Robotman, and by extension his old colleagues of the All-Star Squadron, to join him in such a trip? Explaining to each of these heroic individuals that great things lie ahead for them on this parallel planet, she no doubt added personal details she would only know from having been acquainted with Steel himself (a man whom she never met in the 1940's, as he left their world prior to her arrival) Convinced of her sincerity, the other All-Stars would join Robotman in his travels to another universe, while the stress of so much temporal travel would once more render Mekanique's robotic body a near unsalvagable husk. Bringing her remains along with them to Heywood industrial complex on Earth-One, Henry set up for each of his fellow All-Stars new civilian lives on his adopted world while encouraging them to continue in their costumed crusades. Spurred on by what Mekanique told them, of their individual dreams coming true on this new world... while she also withheld her knowledge of tragedies that would befell each of them still later on... such men as Air Wave, the Guardian and his Newsboy Legion (Tommy Tompkins, "Big Words", "Gabby" and "Scrapper"), Robotman, Sargon and Zatara would carve out legends for themselves. Legends that would inspire such native heroes as a young and impressionable Superboy, who had himself encountered Air Wave and Zatara as a young lad.

Meanwhile, Henry Heywood would learn of a future weapon that he could use to bend time and space to stem the chaos his growing paranoia would perceive through the decades. With the remnants of Mekanique's body attached to her surviving head, left on Earth-Two for the rogue Per Degaton to horde for decades, she would decades later start this whole universes shaking process all over again!

Migrants of Multiple Earths: The Manhattan Project

2012-01-21T20:02:00.000-08:00

The mystery of how the Dynamite Duo.. TNT and Dan the Dyna-Mite... and their All-Star ally Manhunter left their native Earth-Two and arrived on Earth-One is heretofore revealed for the first time *anywhere*. Originally, in the timeline prior to the Crisis on Infinite Earths when these were two parallel planets rather than one world in one universe, Earth-Two contained all the superheroes and villains during World War II... their like would not appear on Earth-One until the next decade when, prior to Superboy's first appearence, these super-stalwarts weren't native of the Boy of Steel's world... but transplants. Previously, we considered how Steel's robotic minion Mekanique retrieved the likes of Air Wave, Guardian with his Newboy Legion, Robotman, Sargon and Zatara... following the commands implanted in her by her master for assistance from his homeworld. This was in 1950, when heroes such as the Justice Society were persecuted, leaving these few to find a new home to protect. However, years before the conclusion of the second war, TNT and his sidekick Dan as well as the second Manhunter, Paul Kirk had ventured to that heroless world. How... and why? If we look at a pre-Crisis tale, when Superman and Wonder Woman both investigated the Manhattan Project, they learned that the Axis Agents known as Baron Blitzkrieg and Sumo the Samurai sought the secrets unleashed by this conclave of scientists. These men, centered in Chicago, were prime targets for this dreadful duo of Germany and Japan... only they weren't able to kidnap these intellectuals... only steal their uranium bomb. Since Superman and Wonder Woman were thus occupied, it was up to other members of the All-Star Squadron to protect these notable geniuses. Who were these, and why did we not see them later in this titantic tale of "Superman VS Wonder Woman"? A clue is found in Dyna-Mite's participation in this case during a post-Crisis retelling of the original tale.

In fact, instead of Dyna-Mite working alongside England's Squire and Tigress (who would later become the evil Huntress), Dan would still be teaming up with his mentor TNT (TNT had perished at this point post-Crisis, but was still alive in the original timeline). As TNT would have aided Dan in securing these scientists instead of Squire, so to would Manhunter assume the place of the future Huntress on this case. Baron led his Nazi troops to capture this American braintrust, and when he found his troops outnumbered... TNT and Dyna-Mite each possessed superstrength and energy powers rivaling the Baron's, Blitzkrieg out of desperation used a new technique to vanguish the pair and Manhunter. Using his mental connection to his old foe Steel, now residing on Earth-One, he exhibited his previously portrayed dimensional travelling abilities (which he used when he had journeyed to Earth-X, while mentally tethered to Uncle Sam) to send the troublesome trio to Steel's new Earth. He could not replicate this ability immediately thereafter without exhausting his personal powers, which the Baron's ally Major Zwerg mentioned was dangerous, as he would need such power to combat Superman and Wonder Woman. Meanwhile, the three heroes ended up in Earth-One's Chicago where they met the counterparts of those intellects whom they were assigned to protect. As for the Manhattan scientists on Earth-Two... they still escaped the grasp of the Baron when Wonder Woman defeats his bomb-carrying henchmen afterwards!

As scientists themselves, TNT and Dan ended up assisting the Manhattan Project of Earth-One's in their research while using their civilian identities of Tex Thomas and Daniel Dunbar. Manhunter forsook his costumed alias as he now lived on a heroless world... joining Steel on the frontlines as soldier Paul Kirk in Europe. After the War embittered him to such conflicts, Kirk retreated to Africa and to his original pursuits as a big game hunter, leading to tragedy and almost the end of his life. Thankfully, the Council (no doubt secretly funded by the manipulative Henry "Steel" Heywood, now an industrialist with a relentless pursuit to protect his adopted planet) retrieved Kirk and revived him years later. Kirk would later be cloned and assigned to lead this army to "stabilize" world peace, however he instead destroyed the Council due to its becoming a corrupt organization. As for TNT and Dyna-Mite, their irradiated bodies were toxic, forcing them to live in bunkers underground for several decades before the Super Friends gave them new lifes... in Kandor and Atlantis respectively... where experts there could help this Dynamite Duo to finally be cured.

We have presented this likely scenario for the migration of these select superheroes based on various facts from the comics themselves, such as:

Commander Steel and Baron Blitzkrieg had a psychic-link tying them together over great distances.
The Baron was able to teleport to parallel planets using his superhuman abilities.
Steel journeyed to Earth-One in mid-1942 where he lived for several decades.
Later in 1942, the Baron was involved in a plot to overturn the Manhattan Project of Earth-Two.
This Project was assigned protection through the All-Stars Dyna-Mite and his older partner and a hunting hero.
Dyna-Mite soon therefter came in contact with the Manhattan Project of Earth-One alongside his mentor TNT.
Ergo, these heroes had the method and means to venture from their native Earth-Two to Earth-One in 1942.

Migrants of Multiple Earths: The Mekanique Connection

2012-01-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

Many mysteries remain regarding the original Multiverse which partially resurfaced in recent years (as evidenced by the discovery of the pre-Crisis Earth-Two discovered by Power Girl). One was how the the various Earth-Two heroes from World War II journeyed to Earth-One and back to their homeworld. Among these, the first was the hero known as Commander Steel who was shunted into Earth-One during the Crisis due to the machinations of Harbinger and Nazi scientists Gootsden.

When he resurfaced decades later, Steel had recruited the old advesary of his All-Star Squadron pals, Mekanique. Turns out, she had been destroyed battling the All-Stars, while she was allied with time bandit Per Degaton. In the late 1970's, Degaton retrieved the long buried head of the fembot female and journeyed to Earth-One, employed by Hank "Steel" Heywood to rebuild Mekanique as his ultimate robotic weapon. How did he know of her existence? Because of her appearence decades earlier, alongside several of his fellow former All-Stars.. more on that later. He then used her versus the Justice League of Detroit through helping him retrieve the sons and daughters of his Justice Society allies, Infinity, Inc.. When the Society themselves ventured to Earth-One to spoile his plans, the fembot returned to Earth-Two... only unlike in the post-Crisis reality, Degaton perished at his own hand, unable to be revived by her as in the post-Crisis reality. And so, without such a distraction as her former love-interest Per, she could follow Steel's programming... taking more drastic steps...

Robotman, who was the first ally of Mekanique in the 20th century, was also best friends with Steel while they both served on the Squadron. It was later revealed that in the 1950's Robotman had migrated to Steel's new world, although most of his life there was spent in suspended animation after his brief career there. After awakening, he was contacted and informed that his colleague Charles Grayson left his body in suspended animation awaiting the Man of Metal's return. Who informed him of this? Per Degaton, who had no doubt been brought up to date on the whereabouts of Robotman from the retrieved head of Mekanique, as Robotman had earlier installed a cybernetic link within Mekanique's mind. In turn, it was the revived Robotman who had been sought out by Steel after he reappeared in public. Having utlilized Mekanique's dimension spanning abilities to send Robotman back to Earth-Two (as Degaton had used to venture to Earth-One), the cyborg's brain found a new home in Grayson's body. And so, he would no longer an obstacle for Mekanique.. while materials for Robotman's old body could then be incorporated into the exo-skeleton of Steel's grandson, Hank III aka the second Steel!.

Steel mentioned to the Infinitors that he was aware of them through his "contacts" on Earth-Two, no doubt Degaton and Grayson. And so, when his scheme failed and Mekanique vanished, she no doubt looked for her love Degaton only to find a corpse.... as the malevolent mastermind took his own life when confronted by the assembled Justice Society after their congressional court caser.

Mekanique would have obtained the chrono-crystal she previously gave to Degaton to power his stolen time machine, left in his time machine. something she was prevented to do had Per remained alive. Although unable to return to her native 23rd century, the crystal allowed her to travel back in time. Under the new programming from Steel that she was still under, wherein he assigned her the task of bringing superheroes to Earth-One from their native world, Mekanique used the crystal to journey back to 1950, wherein she retrieved Steel's former fellow All-Stars still active and seeking a new world where they could operate unimpeded by the civil authorities (as superheroes were then banned, aside from a select few such as Superman, Wonder Woman as well as Batman and Robin).

So, on a world without superheroes, Earth-One would need its own superpowered saviors, in the form of Air Wave, Sargon, Zatara, Guardian and his Newboy Legion... as well as her former lover Robotman! Journeying to Earth-One, they met up with an up-and-coming businessman Hank Heywood who secured new private lives for his former colleagues, while they would become Earth-One's first mystery men. However, the former Steel had other operatives already in play to secure the safety of huis new home, in the form of the braintrust known as the Council... and their prime agent-to-be, Steel's old ally the Manhunter!

What became of Mekanique herself after her two cross-Earth migrations in 1950 is unknown, although perhaps from her time-ravaged body she became the cerebral helmet worn by the leader of Earth-One's Council, which merged his mind with that of eight other co-conspirators in schemes eventually squashed by their former agent, the revitalized Paul Kirk in his Manhunter alter ego. And having come into possession of the shattered remnants of Mekanique, Steel would await the time years later when she would play a part in his schemes... when Heywood recruited Degaton to rebuild her in the70's.

Little did the other former All-Stars realize that their old allies Manhunter, TNT and Dyna-Mite preceded them in migrating in 1945. How they came to that world will be revealed next.

Twice-Told-Tales: The Lights and the Leagues

2012-01-05T22:30:00.000-08:00

Doctor Light and the Light throughout their sinister careers paralleled one another's pathetic ploys towards power, and this included their each tied to Leagues. For Earth-One's Doctor, it was his mortal enemies of the Justice League. For the Light, it was his criminal organization known as the Octopus League. Utilizing their various nefarious gadgets and schemes, this drew them ones more into conflict with their old adversaries, costumed crusaders of the Justice League and Justice Society!

It is interesting that during this encounter with Starman, the Light obtained the gravity rod used by his foe, a device utilized by his arch-for in much the same manner as had the light-ray gun used by his cosmic twin, Doctor Light. Each of the Lights took to the seas for grand thefts that would by stymied by their heroic opponents.

After the Lights manipulated matters with their various devices, they used a myriad of mirrored images... be the the Doctor's holograms or the Light's henchmen.

Nevertheless, these nefarious nemesis of Justice were ultimately captured by their arch-enemies. Would they reappear again after such devise defeats? Absolutely... yet each time they'd fall short of their lofty aspirations. They may have reached for the stars, but their light was eclipsed time and time again.

Twice-Told-Tales: Lethal Lights versus Cosmic Crusaders

2012-01-03T17:32:00.000-08:00

This Twice-Told-Tale is really remarkable in the parallels they invoke, be that from the characters involved to the sinister schemes of the supervillains to the chronology of these crimes. The counterparts, Doctor Arthur Light of Earth-One and the heretofore nameless Light of Earth-Two, were also the malevolent masterminds behind this tale. They each drew members of the Justice League and Justice Society, the Atom and Starman, to face them mano-y-mano respectively. Using magnetic light and other inventions, they had their foes helplessly trapped at miniature size, the Doctor using solder to lock the size changing controls on the Atom's belt, and the Light by using his diminishing ray on Starman. How would they extract themselves from these seeming death traps?

As it turned out, the Lights' adversaries were not the only brilliant men in the room, as their foes figured out ways out of these traps. After leaving the Atom in an experimental light bulb devised to turn matter into energy, what the Doctor failed to realize was that the same heat from the filament designed to due his dirty deed was what melted the solder. For Starman, it was by his cornering the Light's henchman after the greedy genius left the room, using his gravity rod to turn the tables on the thug. So consumed these Lights were to revenge, Doctor Light towards the Justice League who defeated him and the Light towards his former professor who rejected him, that they failed to thing through their strategems. And so it would be for these brilliant baddies time and time again with their enemies.

Twice-Told-Tales: Devious Dreamers VS Sandmen and Justice

2011-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

This week's Twice-Told-Tale stems from two temporal tyrants who mentally muscle their way into their opponent's lives, attempting to seize limitless power despite already having plenty. We present twin tales of Doctor Destiny and Brain Wave...

On Earth-One, after responded to disconcerting dreams focused at its members and a request by Commissioner Gordon, the Justice League investigates the whereabouts of Doctor Destiny who fleed his cell in Arkham Asylum. On Earth-Two, the Justice Society responded to a mental suggestion and their allies the All-Star Squadron to a broadcasted threat to appear at the World's Fair in New York. The search led the League to Ivy Town's Dream Research Institute and the Society to New York's Perisphere exhibit at the Fair. Utilizing Destiny's Materioptikon and the Brain's cerebral apparatus, the cranium criminals believed they laid the groundwork necessary to ensnare their enemies.

Aiding the League and Society are honorary allies the Green Lanterns, John Stewart and Alan Scott, who are also summonded to aid their Amazing Amazon allies the Wonder Women and the rest of their team. In the process, the assembled avengers face various threats to their sanity launched from the unstable minds of Doctor Destiny and Brain Wave who mercilessly assault their adversaries with images while safely held up in reclusive headquarters, for the former in the Dream Dome within the dream dimension while the latter was in his penthouse suite in midtown Manhattan.

Although John isn't able to tip the balance in his new-found friends' favor, Alan is thanks to his superior will power. Although the rest of the League are in cases as were the Society, it was the defender of the Dream Dimension known as the Sandman who was in position to overturn Doctor Destiny's designs while the golden age Sandman was no more than another prisoner besides his fellow Socialites. Just as the Sandman of Earth-One recruited Superman to free his fellow Leaguers, Green Lantern of Earth-Two overwhelmed King's mental control which freed the Society.

This was the last encounter Doctor Destiny would have against the Justice League, and the first direct confrontation the Justice Society had with Brain Wave. Other tales of these arch-fiends would likewise mirror one another in key aspects, but none so much as these Twice-Told-Tales.

Supergirls Survive Chaotic Crisises

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

In her final moments, Kara Zor-El saved the her universe and those of others by vanquishing the Anti-Matter. However, that was not the last of her, if former Brainiac Five had anything to say about it. In the 30th century, he subconsciously constructed a robotic version of Supergirl... vastly superior to the one she used to double as her alter ego... who carried on a romance with him for a time until she perished. Kara Zor-L remained alive and vibrant to inspire the romantic fancy of her most persistent suitor, Star-Spangled Kid, even through turbulent times such as in the notional dimension of Asgard where they briefly rekindled their unrequisite affections.

However, just as there was Zor-L as Power Girl defending her native Earth-Two in the timeline in which her adopted world survived the Crisis, there was another Zor-El in the form of the Linda Danvers clone. While no longer possessing superpowers due to exposure to Gold Kryptonite, perhaps when her "cousin" Kal-El discovered her existence (maybe from Kara's long-lost diary or some other source) he may have revitalized these abilities through artificial means to regain his Supergirl. This, along with the original Girl of Steel's 30th century adventures alongside Brainiac Five's Legion of Super-Heroes prior to her demise would make up for the missing Maiden of Might's presence on one Earth while she existed and aided the Justice Society on another.

SInister Simulants: Sino-Supermen and Supernazis

2011-12-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

Foreign powers jealous of America's predominance in the area of metahuman protectors have long sought to create their own homegrown supermen. On Earth-One, it was Chinese spy master Wo Fong who orchestrated the creation of his Sino-Supermen. Originally soldiers granted the abilities similar to Superman, Flash, Green Lantern and Batman... such abilities came at a cost as after using them for a short period they would cause these agents to self-destruct. When Batgirl faced just such a faux-Superman and a male and female Flash, she was able to locate Wo Fong himselt, the man who caused her brother's death.

Decades prior the Sino-Supermen's appearence, in Germany there appeared the Supernazi and his allies. Originally Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Junior from the parallel world of Earth-S, the trio were drawn to Earth-Two by Hitler's scientists and cloned from their original personas of Billy and Mary Batson and Freddy Freeman. Obeying Hitler's commands to attack England and the Justice Society sent to stop them, the Marvel Family reigned terror across Europe while their normal alter egos were held prisoner in Berlin. That is, until Batman and his allied freed the teens and restored sanity to the Marvels.

While the technology undoubtedly still exists in China and Germany, Wo Fong and Hitler are long gone as are their mindless soldiers and shortterm super-henchmen.

Tale of Two Kryptons: Jor-El's Hypothesis

2011-12-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

Indeed, Jor-El of Krypton-One recognized the probability of a parallel planet to his own, one where he may be able to save himself, his family and his entire civilization. Devising a projector that would transport individuals across the dimensional void to the vibratory coordinates wherein he believed Krypton-Two would reside, he instead found himself trapped in the Phantom Zone. The same Phantom Zone that would become the prison for his world's most corrupt convicts. An interesting aside, the fact that Jor-El was generally correct in his analytical estimates, including his unfinished thought that perhaps Krypton-Two no longer existed (it hadn't, destroyed decades previous) seems to indicate that the extra-dimensional entity known as Aethyr that manifested itself as the Phantom Zone existed between these two vibratory planes. Perhaps even journeyed through the interdimensional void to the locale where Krypton-Two once was, sensing catastrophe like that which occured when two galaxies merged spawning Aethyr itself.

This being eventually merged with Mister Mxyzptlk to torment Kal-El a final time, unleashing the Phantom Zone criminals before absorbing them once more into his dimensional realm. Meanwhile, Mxyzptlk's counterpart Mister Mxyztplk remained in good standing in the fifth dimensional land of Zrfff as its surrogate ruler, unlike his twin who was a perpetual perpetrator of pranks. The Earth-Two Mxy kept what little sanity he had while the aeons old entity of Aethyr was no more when Earth-One's Mxy absorbed him.*

*The Earth-Two cosmos contained an adjacent Negative Universe of a slightly different composition to the Phantom Zone. It was within this realm that the evil Aquarius was led by a pair of parallel Green Lanterns to his doom.

Melba Manton and Valerie Vaughn: Ladies in Danger

2011-12-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

Though appearing less than a dozen times each, these two lasses each lived up to the moniker "Lady Danger". Melba Manton was an adventurous journalist reporting for WGBS in the Metropolis of Earth-One when she first encountered Lois Lane and, then, Superman himself. However, she stood on her own when tackling the criminal element. Similarly, Valerie Vaughn was a rich debutante bored with life, and pursued a career in journalism at the City Press (which city? Of Earth-Two's Metropolis?) after herself making the news repeatedly by curtailing the conniving of crooks with her couragous heroism. Although footnotes in history, these ladies lived up to her press.

Sinister Spiders Scheme Systematically

2011-12-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

Think of a full-masked man using an arachnid modus operandi, and you think of an extremely famous web-slinger superhero. However, others adopting such an alter ego had more nefaious agendas in mind . Take, for example, Eric Needham and Mister Crossart, two mentally unbalanced individuals with a propensity towards insuing chaos. One was swayed by the temptation of drugs, such as Eric, others by pure greed like Crossart. Still, both men realized to achieve their aims they needed avenging aliases, so Needham became Black Spider while Crossart adopted the Tarantula alias. The Spider was a viciouis vigilante who came in conflict with Earth-One's Batman, while Tarantula was a criminal repeatedly confronted by Sandman. Their shortlived careers cut short their misguided pursuits.

Shadowy Silhouttes: Sinister Shades

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Shadow-Thief was an elusive criminal named Carl Banks who encountered Thar Dan from the Xarapion dimension, who gave him a Dimensiometer allowing him to shift his body into a two-dimensional, intangible shadow form. Meanwhile, Ian Karkull obtained a similar device from the ancient city of Ragnor with which he transformed his henchmen into shadowmen.

While Shadow-Thief built his reputation as a recurring foe of Earth-One's Hawkman, Ian Karkull was a persistent pest of Doctor Fate. Banks was a charter member of the Injustice Gang, Karull recruited his own team of supervillains. On another occasion, Banks himself recruited Captain Cold, Icicle and Minister Blizzard to mask the creation of an ice age caused by his Dimensiometer. Ian's plans with his criminal cohorts was to extinguish the future of America rather than its environment as with his counterpart.

Twice-Told-Tales: Offset Adventures

2011-12-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Superman Family was prolific in having their tales chronicled, and not only alongside their most famous member. At least on Earth-One, as its members operated just as well individually as collectively like the Marvel Family.

On Earth-Two, there wasn't a "Superman's Pal...Jimmy Olsen" or the "Daring New Adventures of Supergirl" and the like. Sure, they had their own red-haired cub reporter, Girl of Steel (Power Girl, whose only solo tales were in "Showcase" #97-99), and our the Metropolis Marvel's one true love. Nevertheless, there were adventures on Kal-L's world that offset those near-and-dear on Kal-El's world, even if their participants weren't Halk Kar of Thoron, James Olsen of Metropolis, the Masked Wonder of Smallville or Kara Zor-L of Kandor.

In place of Mon-El's tales alongside the Legion of Super-Heroes (which took place after his spending a thousand years in non-corporeal state within the Phantom Zone) there was the Shining Knight's tales alongside his fellow Law's Legionnaires and just with his trusty steed Winged Victory (after spending a thousand years in suspended animation within an iceberg). Rather than the bizarre mis-adventures of "Superman's Pal", wherein Jimmy Olsen was transformed by all manner of strange occurences including a female 5th dimensional imp while wearing his trademark green suits... there was the wacky tales of the Justice Society's mascot Johnny Thunder, who's every wish and whim was turned on its head by an imp from the Thunderbolt Dimension. And Jimmy's latter day tales, when he teamed up with the Golden Guardian and the Newsboy Legion on Earth-One would be mirrored by the original Earth-Two adventures of the first Guardian and the Legion's parents, themselves children at the time. Instead of the adventures of Superboy, a different colorful crusader also created by Jerry Siegel named Star-Spangled Kid had a series of adventures (the "New Adventures of Superboy", such as when the older Teen of Steel battled Doctor Chaos, paralleled the tales of the half-helmet wearing Doctor Fate's cases in "More Fun Comics"... the comic where Superboy first appeared after Fate's last golden age appearance)... and both lads had best buddies in Pete Ross and Pat "Stripesy" Dugan to aid them along the way (not to mention their fellow Legionnaires.. same as those who Mon-El and the Knight teamed up with). And the various series headlined by the blonde bombshell known as Supergirl were mirrored by those of Liberty Belle... two orphaned girls with boyfriends in the forms of Dick Malverne and Rickey Cannon... who leaned toward careers in television while having several solo adventures in Action Comics and Star-Spangled Comics respectively. While these twice-told-tales weren't exactly the same, in principle they showed that there were heroic individuals in the forefront... and behind the scenes... defending innocents of their worlds.

Then there was that one true love, Lois Lane, who had golden age adventures in the backpages of Superman starting in issue #29 through #42, before graduating into a co-star in the Mr. and Mrs. Superman tales in a few issues of "Action Comics" and "Superman" before their continuing series featured in Superman Family #195-222. Although not nearly the volume of cases that her Earth-One counterpart had in "Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane" #1-137, before herself being featured in the same issues of Superman Family as her Earth-Two cosmic twin, then in the backpages of the "Daring New Adventures of Supergirl" #1-12. Nevertheless, there were undoubtedly many untold tales of the original girl reporter.

Mirror Metropolises of the Multiverse: Floating Fictionopolises

2011-12-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Supertown and Asgard... floating cities filled with fearless friends and fiendish foes of humanity... separated from Earths One and Two respectively by being tucked away in hidden dimensions accessed through boomtubes and bridges. Not bound by traditional physics, its advanced technology coupled with the powers possessed by its legendary citizenry makes it the stuff of legends. Kal-El visited Supertown, meeting its ruler Highfather and other residents of Supertown. Later he along with fellow Justice Leaguers and their allies of Earth-Two, the Justice Society, were brought there by Metron to save the Society's world from Darkseid's plans. Later, or earlier considering your frame of reference, the Justice Society were brought to Asgard to battle Surtur and his plans for conquest that would've led to Earth-Two's destruction. In both instances, the heroes prevailed.

Mirror Metropolises of the Multiverse: Kandor-One and Metropolis-Two

2011-12-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

When the Bottled City of Kandor was enlarged, it was decided that the planet where the sole surviving city of Krypton-One would reside on was the planet of Rokyn, However, Rokyn was a world on an interdimensional fault line, which shunted it into another dimension where the Kandorians, including Supergirl's parents Zor-El and Alura, would live. Not to long after this, during the Crisis in one timeline, Power Girl's adopted parents Kal-L and Lois Lane lived in a dimension accessed by Earth-Three's Alex Luthor, wherein Superman recreated the Metropolis of Earth-Two in perfect detail.

Mirror Metropolises of the Multiverse: Multiple Metropolises

2011-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

Next to Gotham City, the most famous fictionopolis in all of comics is Metropolis. No doubt this is due to its most famous adopted sons, men known as Superman, and of course their memorable supporting casts. On Earths One and Two, this is the largest city in America, and located directly opposite Gotham City, both cities dvided by a long bay leading to an ocean. The Atlantic? Perhaps, although this is never definitely verified.

Among the many notable buildings in both world's Metropolis are its tallest skyscraper, known as the Metropolis State Building on Earth-One and the Emperor Building on Earth-Two, as well as the Metropolis Museum of Natural History, Metropolis Planetarium, Metropolitan Museum on each. The major sports stadium within city limits was named Metropolis Stadium on Earth-One and Sportsman's Stadium on Earth-Two. The biggest similarity, and difference, between the two fictional burgs is its predominant newspapers, the Daily Planet and Daily Star, which beat out its rivals in both scoops and award-winning journalists... including two sets of Clark Kents, Lois Lanes, Jimmy Olsens and Perry Whites. In one timeline wherein the Multiverse was transformed into a single positive matter universe with a single Earth residing therein, a duplicate of Earth-Two's Metropolis had (much like Earth-One's Kandor) been created in an adjoining pocket dimension.

Mirror Metropolises of the Multiverse: Flashy Fictionopolises

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

Similarly situated somewhere in the ambiguous "midwest" of twin worlds, Central City and Keystone City were notable as the home towns of heroes known as the Flash. The alter egos of the Scarlet Speedster, Barry Allen and Jay Garrick, were originally police scientists and gained their superspeed powers accidently. Deciding to don their crimson garb, each Flash met up with all manners of malevolent malcontents within their city's limits. As noted by Barry in the adjoining panel, subtle differences such as the lack of a Memorial Tower and sports stadium in Keystone that were located in his Central City. And no doubt visa versa. When Vandal Savage emitted lightwaves on Keystone, it resonated in Central's airspace as well, and when Rainbow Raider emitted his black-and-white effect on Central, the colors from that city ended up in Keystone instead. While Central only had their Flash for a few years, Keystone's Flash was a life-long resident for decades to come.

Mirror Metropolises of the Multiverse: Secret Cities

2011-12-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

One situated in the dense jungle of Africa, the other set in the Arctic region of Greenland. One the refuge for a Scarlet Speedster, the other the sanctuary of a Winged Warrior. Remarkably, on Earths One and Two there were intelligent civilizations of both gorillas and birds. While most forget of the subterranean Bird-People whom Grodd encountered underneath Earth-One or the undersea apes known as the Kogats whom Hawkman met on Earth-Two, most remember Earth-One's Gorilla City and Earth-Two's Feithera. Gorilla City, led by King Solovar, was the metropolis of gorillas... Feithera, led by King Worla, the metropolis of bird-people. Both kept secret, secluded, separated from the prying eyes of humanity save for its two human saviors in Hawkman and Flash. Each a legend in its own right, memorable for its diversity and its ingenuity.

Twice-Told-Tales: The Metropolis Marvel and Amazing Amazon

2011-12-18T00:00:00.001-08:00

Superman and Wonder Woman always had a plutonic but amicable relationship, although at times sparks flew between the pair. Both pairs on parallel planets known as Earths One and Two. On the former, beside being teammates on the Justice League, they were tempted by one of the Amazing Amazon's old foes into a courtship with the Man of Steel. This caused quite the tempest in a teapot with Kal-El and Diana's normal dancing partners, Lois Lane and Steve Trevor. Never fear, for they shook of this temporary attraction.

As for the latter dynamic duo, Kal-L and Diana didn't seem to how the same level of eros, no doubt due to having a conflict of conscious. As this was during the period of World War II, the Justice Society teammates quarreled regarding the development of an atomic weaon by their adopted land. He was for it, she was against it. Turns out, two villains... Baron Blitzkrieg and Sumo the Samuri... helped them focus on the real issue, keeping such a device out of the wrong hands. Since it detonated, the conflict between the two Socialites defused as well.

While not technically a "twice-told-tale", the end result was the same. These were key events that cemented a substantial bond between these powerful paragons of the people, as they formed a lasting friendship that endured for years to come.

Twice-Told-Tales: Antagonist Athletes Aggressive At the Lanterns

2011-12-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

We have previously considered the aggressive athletes, Guy Gardner and Joe Morgan, who partook of the power shared by their worlds' Green Lanterns. Each had previously been background characters, known for their benevolent nature, nurturing youths through their formative years. Gardner's career as a physical education teacher while Morgan was a boxing trainer. While Earth-One's Hal Jordan as Green Lantern saved Guy, himself trying to save a scared girl from the collapse of a bridge, Joe saved a discouraged Earth-Two's Al Pratt by teaching him to protect himself. Pratt would become the Atom, leaving behind a frustrated Morgan whose former and latter protegee Ted Grant and Jim Harper would become Wildcat and Guardian, using their training for good instead of greed.

The heroic spirit of Guy and Joe captured the attention of cosmic entities wishing to bestow them with the emerald energies of the Lanterns. The Guardians of the Universe decreed that Gardner would be Jordan's backup, and the Guardian's excised evil in globe form deemed that Morgan would be its agent versus Earth-Two's Green Lantern, Alan Scott. However, tragedy struck as Guy's power battery was defective and self-destructed and threw him into the Phantom Zone, while Joe's white-globe of energy split him into three parts. Consumed by the evil Phantom Zoners and Guardian's evil essence, as well as the dejection of Guy's fiancee turning her affections to Hal and Joe's trainees forgetting their mentor, Guy and Joe became prime antagonists versus the Green Lanterns and their allies. However, the experience of the GLs helped crash the dreams of power and glory that consumed Gardner and Morgan.

Guy Gardner would later be granted the power and title of a Green Lantern once more during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, given a mission to lead an army of supervillains to the Anti-Matter Universe to defeat its leader the Anti-Monitor. Joe Morgan's life ended the night he gained his powers.

Exiles of the Planet Oa Terrorize the Multiverse

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Early in the history of Earth-One's universe, a scientist of the planet Maltus named Krona obsessed with learning the secrets of the past. While on the world known as Oa, Krona used technology to witness the dawn of creation. What this event caused instead of increased knowledge was having his own dimension replicated an infinite number of times, spawning the Multiverse and the Anti-Matter Universe. For his crimes, his fellow Oans banished him to wander his universe as a globe of energy.

Sometime later, these same benevolent blue-skinned beings became the Guardians of the Galaxy.. then the Universe. Realizing that their own iuherant evil might motivate them to do despicable deeds like that of the former brother, they purged all of this negative energy and banished it in a globe of energy to wander Earth-Two's universe, where they had previously sent the Starheart. Realizing that the Starheart's energy would eventually locate a champion in that realm with powers similar to their own Green Lanterns, they were confident that this individual could combat this Evil-Globe. And, in fact, this was accomplished when Alan Scott, weilding the green lantern and power ring, joined alongside his allies of the All-Star Squadron to vanquish this entity from Earth-Two when it merged with Joe Morgan in a fit of vengence.

Decades later, another globe of energy arrived planetside, only this was actually Krona who merged with Alan's power ring. Leading Scott back over to Earth-One to meet up with his counterpart Hal Jordan, both Green Lanterns were soon summoned by the Guardians who advised them that Krona had reintegrated his physical body and threatened this universe. Side-by-side, this pair defeated the villain and consigned him once more into the void of space.

Corrupt Counterparts of the Fastest Men Alive

2011-12-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Eobard Thawne and Edward Clariss, as previously mentioned, used their considerable intellect to artifically reproduce the superspeed manifested by their hated obsession, the Flash of Two Worlds. Their motivation being greed for ill-gotten gains was exceeded in Thawne's case by his lust for Iris West, the one true love of Barry "Flash" Allen. By the time Clariss had encountered Jay "Flash" Garrick's girlfriend Joan Williams, he was of to advanced an age to notice her at that point. While Clariss only had one documented and one untold escapade as the as the Rival , Thawne's Reverse Flash or Professor Zoom returned time and again. At one point, Zoom actually lived and operated on Rival's Earth-Two. However, it was upon returning to Earth-One and seemingly ending the life of Iris Allen that utltimately led to his end as well!

Femmebots Fatales: Bellicose Beauties of Bald Bedevilers

2011-12-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Lex Luthor and Brainiac... two bald birds of a feather who stuck together. When it suited them, obviously. And as they were of similar mind, they'd at times use similar means to defeat their Kryptonian foes... such as Brainiac's Genia femmebot used to impersonate a United Nations Chairman against the World's Finest Team of Earth-One, and Luthor's little femmebot he employed versus Earth-Two's Superman. Neither stuck around long enough to be a threat, however.

Famous Femme First Appearence: Duela and Merry

2011-12-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

During their brief but memorable careers, Duela Dent and Merry Pemberton truly annoyed the titanic teens whom they tried to impress. Earth-One's Robin had a legitimate complaint, considering that Duela as Joker's Daughter was staging faux-crimes to engage and impress the ex-Boy Wonder. As for Merry in her Gimmick Girl alias, all she did was try to help Earth-Two's Star-Spangled Kid defeat Pesto, whcih she succeeded in doing. While Dent eventually as the Harlequin was accepted as a member of Robin's Teen Titans, the Kid's team Law's Legionnaires soon after were lost in time for decades. More is the pity, since she ended up marrying a fink in the Brain Wave... like those whom she once fought. Sigh... so while Duela obsessed with emulating supervillains, Merry's birth father and future husband were felons themselves! Still, she got a great son in Brain Wave Jr.

Leading Ladies of Living Legends: Girlfriends of Good Guys

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

You have your Hawkmen and Hawkgirls, Supermen and Lois Lanes, Batmen and Catwomen. Virtual mirror images of one another, marital matches of magnificent marvels. Then there are these heroes comrades of the Justice League and Society of America... how had their love life mirrors their cosmic twins a universe away? Remarkably similar, actually, as both Barry "Flash" Allen and Jay "Flash" Garrick immediately found their true loves even before their superhero careers began. However, only Jay trusted his girl enough to divulge his dual identity... something Barry would hesitate doing even up to a year after they were married. Then there was Ray "Atom" Palmer and his years-long fiancee Jean Loring, the two never quite meshing even after marriage... while Ray's twin Al "Atom" Pratt simply waited a couple more decades than his contemporary and met Marion "Mary" Thayer whom he would remain happily ever after with. Finally, there was the eternal angst between the competitive Hal "Green Lantern" Jordan and his boss Carol Ferris, similar to the professionally driven Alan "Green Lantern" Scott and his secretary Molly Mayne... keeping these two couples apart longer than necessary. Even when Carol and Molly became supervillainesses, their was still romantic tension with the objects of their desire. In the end, they solidified their relationships as well. Then there were the romances that never were... on Earth-One Black Canary ended up with Green Arrow while on Earth-Two she didn't settling for detective Larry Lance instead. Or Aquaman meeting his maiden Mera on Earth-One while on Earth-Two his doppleganger continued to swim the seven seas solo. Considering that these two lady-less legends debuted in More Fun Comics, one wonders was it more fun for them as bachelors or what?

Avenging Authors Act as Ace Adventurers

2011-12-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

Points of similarty aplenty for these part-time protectors, so much so its almost as if their tales were written by the same writer! Both Beau Baer and Jonathan Law were authors who craved adventure, and thanks to the inspiration of two femme fatales (Golden Glider and Dian Belmont) adopted their heroic aliases.

Both wore flowing capes originally, and employed various gadgets while adopting superhero identities. Baer as the Ringmaster had his flying rings, shocking rings, paralyzing rings... Law as the Tarantula had his suction cup boots, web-gun and stun-gun. Each had rivals in superspeedsters, for Ringmaster it was Earth-One's Flash and for Tarantula it was Earth-Two's Johnny Quick. The rivalry stemmed from their love for Iris West and Libby (Liberty Belle) Lawrence, respectively. While Ringmaster's career was shortlived, Tarantula carried on his costumed exploits both on his own and as a member of the All-Star Squadron.

Twice-Told-Tales: Superwomen for a Day

2011-12-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

While their boyfriends were the superheroes in their relationship, there were brief periods when both Lois Lanes gained their suitors superpowers. On Earth-One, it was on the occasion when Clark finally had enough of Lois' snoopy and suspicious nature over his dual identity and transferred his powers to her on a short-term basis. Of course, the goal was to see how she would conceal her change of identity when trouble manifested itself. Which she accomplished until they very end, as plain Ms. Lane, ace reporter. There would be other opportunities where Lois would gain superhuman abilities, such as when she borrowed her frenemy Lana Lang's bio-ring to replicate the redhead's superheroine alias of Insect Queen during one misadventure. Mostly, though, it was Lois' own tenacity towards getting to the truth her fearlessness were her most endearing aspects in Kal-El's eyes.

The Lois Lane of Earth-Two had finally figured out about her Superman's dual identity, after marrying him! As Mrs. Kent, she was surprised to see with her there-to-fore unknown ability of x-ray vision an alien plant her husband was hiding in a closet for their anniversary. Said plant transferred his abilities to her, and the couple realized that they would need to work together to continue protecting Metropolis. Working behind the scenes, she helped him simulate all his former abilities through her unseen actions. And then, her powers were also gone. Although Lois would continue to aid her mate on his various cases for the years and decades to come, using her own self-sacrificing and intuitive nature to help the Man of Steel continue to protect the city the both loved, while continuing her stellar career as the Daily Star's ace reporter. And the love of Kal-L's long and illustrious life, of course.

Kryptonite Can Kill Kent: Synthetic K

2011-12-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

When there wasn't a plentiful enough supply of this toxic substance arriving from outer space, various villains of Earths One and Two simply created Synthetic Kryptonite which had similar effects to the original. The Luthers, Doctor Vallin, Professor Benet and various others.. both good and bad scientists, synthesized this substance through various means. For instance, Vallin devised the means to do so by fusing gold, silver, lead, and bismuth with acid and crackling electricity. Luthor created his own variation from a Asian homocessandi plant, an oyster, moon dust and the rare element binarium. Additionally, more radical departures from the typical green Kryptonite replica were X-Kryptonite, Slow Kryptonite, Magno-Kryptonite, and Mutated kryptonite.. all which produced varying adverse affects on Kryptonians through initial exposure. In the case of X-Kryptonite, however, it enable humanoids and even animals like Streaky the Super-Cat to gain superpowers through temporary exposure.

Kryptonite Can Kill Kent: Blue Kryptonite

2011-12-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Look in a mirror and what do you see? Your mirror image, only everthing is reversed from the part of your hair to the label on your shirt. For the Supermen, their mirror images were Bizarro of Earth-One and Flying Tiger of Earth-Two, each being made of non-living matter designed to replicate their template's powers. In the process, they also gained their opposite number's weaknesses, specially Kryptonite. Superman used the imperfect duplicator ray to make blue Kryptonite from the original green material His counterpart didn't need to go that far, instead using the real thing versus Flying Tiger since the bio-ray projector wouldn't have worked on the substance. The end process was the same, as such Kryptonite proved deadly (as much as anything can towards imitation life) to Bizarro and the Tiger.

Kryptonite Can Kill Kent: Red Kryptonite

2011-12-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

A small percentage of fragments floating through space that were formerly Krypton-One passed through a red gaseous cloud in space, transforming not only their color but their nature from green to red Kryptonite. When Superboy first encountered this substance, he found that its effects were temporary and unpredictable, causing varous physical transformations in his physiology more a nuisance than anything else. A similar strand of red Kryptonite formerly part of Krypton-Two was revealed later in the golden age Superman's career, only from a future era. In that instance, used by the criminal Futuremen, this element caused the hero to lose control of his abilities and temporary paralysis in each instance that he encountered it. Which, thankfully, was only once.

Kryptonite Can Kill Kent: Green Kryptonite

2011-12-06T00:00:00.001-08:00

The first and most prevelant form of Kryptonite mythos is the green variety, definitely the most famous and deadly of them all. Superboy first encountered it as a lad, nearly snuffing out his young life before his step-parents removed the harmful element from their home. Although Kryptonite appeared earlier on Earth-Two chronologically speaking, in the jewel of a crook known as Swami Riva, that Superman was an adult when he first ecountered it unlike his Earth-One twin. When each visited the others universe, they learned that this element effects them the same even if not from their native universe. Thankfully, they always managed to outsmart foes who used it against them.

At one point, after the explosion of a nuclear reactor all the Kryptonite on Earth-One was rendered inert leaving the Man of Steel invincible, that is until more of this element arrive on his planet from space. Earth-Two never seemed to have as much of this radioactive rock land on its surface, although its Man of Steel had other weaknesses unaccounted for by his counterpart, hence both Men of Tomorrow had to face their fears repeatedly and show why they were Super men!

Kryptonite Can Kill Kent: Colorful K-Metal

2011-12-05T00:00:00.001-08:00

In most universes throughout the Multiverse, each planet Krypton faced a simiilar eventuality... its eventual destruction. While some would survive, a scant few, perhaps the most immense testimony to this dying world are these meteors formed from its exploding mass. Hazardous to any superpowered Kryptonian, aside from Earth-Thtree's Ultraman for whom it has the opposite effect, every Superman finds this mineral to be his Achille's heal. Originally mentioned iu an unpublished non-canonical tale when it was known as K-Metal, it was first referred to when Earth-Two's Superman faced the wicked Scarlet Widow and later Atoman who possessed this deadly element, although not in it recognized form. On Earth-One, it was a continual feature in Superman's mythos since his days as the Superboy of Smallville, utlized by various foes throughout the years. However, the typical manifestation of this radioactive rock as green Kryptonite was only the tip of the proverbial iceburg, as other variations incluindg red, gold, blue, white and others would reveal themselves over time. Each with their own destinct effects which we shall dissect.

Twice-Told-Tales: Superman Meets the Futuremen

2011-12-04T00:00:00.001-08:00

XL-49 of Earth-One as well as Vard and Boka of Earth-Two' have something in common. A few somethings in common, or we wouldn't consider them here, obviously! They were all Futuremen, coming from their world's future, using advanced technology to manipulate their respective Superman into doing something that would be personally gratify them. And therein, the comparison between these costumed characters ends, although this twice-told-tale involves a few inventive twists along the way.

XL-49 adopts the alias of the faux-superhero Futureman with the intent of engaging Lois Lane in romance. However his true agenda, as a historian with a specialty on the life-and-times of the Man of Tomorrow himself, was curious about a missing piece of information regarding the Metropolis Marvel's latter life... did he ever wed Miss Lane? Meanwhile, relatively speaking, Boka and Vard portrayed themselves as agents of a worldwide agency in their era, returning to the middle 20th century to capture Superman who would be a villain in their time. However, their intent was to use Superman's abilities to restore the depleted oceans of their century's Earth-Two, which they could capitalize on by profitting from this tragedy.

For Earth-One's Superman, its all a matter of staying cool and keeping his current convictions as a single man, causing Futureman to rethink his ploy and orchestrate the Man of Steel and his girlfriend to reconcile their feelings for one another. And despite causing the powers of Earth-Two's Superman to go bezerk from an ususual strain of Kryptonite leading him to their time, the Man of Steel still saved his adopted world using the frozen liquid from Saturns' sun while leaving the Dastardly Duo without their desired windfall of currency. Still, the machinations of the Futureman benefited their fellow man, or at least one woman in the Daily Planet's newsroom.

Migrants of Multiple Earths: Compensating Counterparts of the Crisis

2011-12-03T00:00:00.001-08:00

It was the same in both timelines, with Earth-Two's power-couple of Superman and Lois Kent, the Superboy of Earth-Prime and Alex Luthor, sole survivor of Earth-Three exiled from their homeworlds. Just as in the timeline where all remaining universes merged into one, so in the reality where Earth-Two remained separate, this fantastic foursome lived out their lives in a pocket dimension modeled after Superman's adopted world. Down to the Daily Star and surrounding Metropolis, this quartet resided there for an indeterminant period of time, never returning either to the merged Earth nor Earth-Two. The presence of Superboy compensated for that of fellow Earth-Prime hero Ultraa who migrated to Earth-One. Alex Luthor was a similar displaced scientist from the same universe as Jur-Ul, counterpart of Jor-El and Jor-L. And Clark and Lois lived in another dimension separated from step-daughter Kara "Power Girl" Zor-L, which mimiced Zor-El and Alura living on Rokyn apart from their real daughter Kara "Supergirl" Zor-El.

That this reality was connected with that of Earth-Two is evident in the indominable will of Kal-L himself, who remade that malleable dimension into the beloved Metropolis he had lost... even though Superboy and Luthor themselves also lost there universes. That this was an extension of Earth-Two is due not just to the presence of the Man of Steel and his reporter wife, but also because Earth-Two itself remained intact... kept apart from the merged post-Crisis due to the influence of its most powerful protector, the Spectre. Sadly, Kal-L and Lois would not find their way back to their home realities despite their nobility and their best efforts.

Brilliant Bearded Bedevilers Face Fearless Finheads

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Kaskor and Hans Gootsden... two of a kind. Diabolical geniuses craving raw power, and using advanced technology at their fingertips to achieve their evil ends. Working alongside the dominant military powers of their respective worlds, they drew into the web of intrigue the mighty mortals of two Earths, and two fearless finheads.

Kaskor was a military assistant and closet scientist conspiring to take over Rann-One. Despite using zeta beams and other futuristic science to his advantage, he had to face the master problem-solver from Earth-One.. Adam Strange. Saving his adopted world more than once from its native born malevolent, Strange got the better of Kaskot three times, including one occasion when Superman was involved in a planet swap scheme of the malevolent mastermind. Then there was Gootsden, the top scientist in Hitler's Nazi German regime, using a zeta-beam like technology to pluck Captain Marvel from Earth-S to battle Earth-Two's Superman. Later he faced Starman twice, along with that Dark Knight's Justice Society allies, sending them to alien planets as exotic as Rann. Nevertheless, Gootsden's plans were always foiled by such mighty champions of justice!

* Interestingly, while Gootsden's three known appearance were against the combined Justice Society, Kaskor's was just again Adam Strange (and Superman once). However Doctor Light of Earth-One like Gootsden battled the Justice League three times, while his counterpart the Light only battled Starman alone.

Darknight Detectives Meet Maidens of Might

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

The bond between the Superman and Batman Families has a long and storied tradition. While typically depicted as teamups of the World's Finest Team themselves, sometimes with Robin assisting them, or with the World's Finest Females of Supergirl/Power Girl and Batgirl/Hunttress, on occasion the guys met the gals attempting the emulate their best friend's example. When Batman teamed up with Supergirl, it was to save her step-father Fred Danvers... while when the former Batman turned Commissoner Wayne encountered Power Girl it was after she had been saved by her stepfather Superman. Villains Colonel Sulpher and Psycho-Pirate staged an elaborate web hoping to obtain limitless power, yet both were taken down by their heroic adversaries. And respect was earned with both the Darknight Detectives and the Maidens of Might!

Batmen VS Wildcats: Round 1 Ends in a TKO

2011-11-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

Batman and Wildcat had a long and storied relationship on parallel planets in separate universes. On Earth-One, Batman encountered a Ted (Wildcate) Grant who was a former heavy weight champ turned vagrant turned business executive of a fuel company turned boxer turned spa owner. On Earth-Two, he was a former heavy weight champ turned Justice Society member turned gym owner/manager. Whew!

The centerpiece of this post revolves around a showdown between two pairs of powerful protagonists. Manipulated into a fistfight through the manipulative machinations of two mad masterminds, the Joker and Psycho-Pirate, the resulting duel comes out different. On Earth-One, Batman and Wildcat nearly knock each other to save a dog! Actually, a dog that infected the residents of a nearby prison including Joker himself. On Earth-Two, Psycho-Pirate manpulated the retired Batman in his Commissoner Wayne identity to recruit several former Justice Society members including Wildcat to duel with the current team in the Batcave. Wildcat made short work of the out-of-shape Bruce, though thankfully his partner Robin stepped in to keep the Feline Fury occupied. In the end, the Batmen and Wildcats parted as friends as they had through years in All-Star Comics and the Brave and the Bold.

Four Generations of Romance in the Batman Family

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

Everytime a Batman and a Catwoman crossed paths, it wasn't a traditional hero versus villain encounter. Underneath their conflicting values and beliefs was a romantic tension simmering. If only the Queen of the Cats walk the path of redemption on the side of justice like her Dark Knight opponent. In fact, on Earth-Two, this happened when Selina Kyle grew tired of crime and helped the caped crusader shake of the influence of Scarecrow's fear gas. From the marital union came a daughter, Helena, who would assume the mantle of Gotham's protector as the Huntress after her mother'd death. Shortly thereafter, while visiting Earth-One, she encountered that world's Catwoman who was still a criminal, albeit in her last case as a felon. Then that Selina would finally embrace her Knight in Dark costume, and would date his alter ego Bruce Wayne on-and-off for years. Although not married, they're love would never die.

Not to be outdone by their mentors, the sidekicks of the Batmen also found love in the form of their fellow crimefighters. While teenage Earth-One's Robin knew of the young adult librarian Barbara Gordon and her alias of Batgirl from a distance, the age roles were reversed as an adult Robin of Earth-Two met Helena Wayne when she was but a baby in the arms of the Wayne family. Although he and Helena were surrogated siblings, not truly growing up together but nevertheless in close contact, when a then forty year old Dick Grayson reaquainted himself with the now attorney Helena Wayne aka the Huntress, he found that she had what he was looking for in a love interest. However, the familial connection proved an obstacle, one which a now adult Robin didn't have with Batgirl. However, she could never take the once boy wonder serious enough to forment a true relationship beyond friendship.

In the lives of the Batmen Family, romance rarely reconciles with the rough road of its members.

Flying Females: The Many Loves of Jor-(E)l

2011-11-28T00:00:00.001-08:00

Lois Lane left her native Earth-One in a time traveling device to journey to Krypton-One in order to save it, using a futuristic device. Instead, she got embroiled in a love triangle with her man Kal-El's father and mother.. before Jor-El and Lara married that is. Thankfully, even with her extensive knowledge of future technology and nifty anti-gravity boots, it was Lara who won her heart. Although the planet still blew up. On Krypton-Two, Lora never met her future daughter-in-law Lois Lane Kent, however she had similar fashion sense to her counterpart and lept to heights even Lois-One never reached, thanks to her advanced physiology and that of her people. Didn't save them either.

Twice-Told-Tales: Superman Versus Shazam

2011-11-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

In one of the most remarkable manifestations of the "Twice-Told-Tale" parallelism between worlds, we present for your consumption the battle of "Superman VS Shazam", golden and bronze age editions (although the latter tale, chronologically, was published years before the former). Since Captain Marvel debutted only a couple years after Superman had himself made history, on and off the pages of comics these two have waged an epic war. In the first decade of their concurrent existence, Marvel reigned supreme in sales, while at the start of their second full decade it was the Man of Steel who won the right to wear the mantle without a chellenger to his comics dominance.

These tales begin with the power mad ravings of to lunatics, whose insane lust for immortality led to pain and heartache for their peoples. While Karmang wished to collide the parallel planets of Earth-One and Earth-S into one another in order the restore his shattered race, Hitler wished to counquer the old and new world of Earth-Two to restore what he believe was his master race. In so doing, this destructive duo created agents to manipulate towards their cause. Karmang revived Quarrmer the Sand Superman and Black Adam the black sheep of the Marvel Family.

In the process, both madmen sent their psuedo-Captain Marvels to attack the Supermen, with the hopes that they could remove such obstacles from the equation and also to deliver a destructive device that would extinguish civilizations other than their own. During their prolonged battles, it was quite evident that Earth-One's Superman was evenly matched with Captain Marvel, who was also evenly matched with Earth-Two's Superman. After Supes and Cap first fought each other's imitators, Quarrmer and Adam, disguised as their opposite numbers... and the original Supes battled the cloned Cap... a return battle versus the real deal proved a stalemate.

Thankfully for our pair of powerhouse protectors, they had more rationale thinkers of the fairer sex who help their male mates from behind the scenes. Supergirl enlisted Mary Marvel to take the battle to Karmang as they dynamic damsel duo attacked his fortress on Mars-One. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman saved her Earth-Two from Mary Marvel's attack on Britain alongside her Justice Society allies as they tackled the Marvel Family. Eventually, the Amazing Amazon and World's Mightiest Girl along with Supes can Cap saved the day!

Earth-Three Tour de Force: A World No More

2011-11-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Crisis on Infinite Earths effected all adjacent universes with the same eventuality (with the exception of Earths One, Two, Four, X and S... which in one timeline merged as one and in their individual timelines managed to escape their eradication through undisclosed means). An anti-matter wave of energy from the Anti-Matter universe had consumed each of these, including Earth-Three. On this occasion, the Crime Syndicate displayed for the first (and last) time true heroic mettle as its individual members had attempted to save humanity from the wake of destruction caused by this wave.

While Owlman and Johnny Quick seem terrified at the powerless situation they were faced with, the fellow three Syndicators Ultraman, Power Ring and Superwoman each did their best to save innocents caused in the path of this destructive anti-matter. With the dimension-traveller known as Pariah watching helplessly, each member of the Syndicate was wiped from existence in an instant. And while admiring his former foes' tenacity toward aiding their fellow man in this time of Crisis, Alex Luthor recognized the futility of such efforts. And, in an event mirroring that which sent an infant Kal-El and Kal-L from their doomed planet Krypton to Earth, Alex sent his son the Earth-One in a rocketship. Little did Luthor know how instrumental his son would be in saving the remaining universe while on board the Multiverse traveling satellite of the Monitor!

Earth-Three Tour de Force: Luthors Versus Earths

2011-11-25T00:00:00.001-08:00

We discussed earlier the meeting between the two greatest geniuses of their parallel planets, now lets dissect their meticulous and maddening manipulations versus the Men of Steel. Lex Luthor learned of the existence of Earth-Two, and traveled there to meet and exchange places with his counterpart Alexei Luthor. While Lex bedeviled the original Superman, Alexie dueled with Earth-One's Superman, neither permently vanquishing their new foes. Left in the limbo between universes, Lex proved the master strategist, providing a way out of their predicament by transporting them both to Earth-Three to renew their attack on the Kryptonians.

And yet, appearences can be deceiving, for upon arriving on Earth-Three Lex was surprised with Alexei's access to advanced equipment. Turns out that Alexei had visited this Earth months prior, planting such devices as his ion tractor beam with the intent of destroying both Earths One and Two by merging them together. Why he didn't proceed with this plan, and instead resumed his personal grudge against Superman, shows how truely insane Alexei was at this point in his life. Evidently, senility had begun to creep in despite his considerable intellect (earlier in this tale, when he met Earth-One's Lois Lane he said he had met her before, when in fact it was his world's Lois whom he had known for decades). So while Alexei had formented his scheme on Earth-Three, around the same time Lex had visited Earth-S and attempted to assist Mister Mind in defeating Captain Marvel, which proved fruitless. So had this plan, as the Supermen both defeated the Luthors and prevented their adopted worlds from merging and exploding.

Earth-Three Tour de Force: Meet Ultraman's Father!

2011-11-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

For the first time, anywhere, we present to you the father of Earth-Three's Man of Steel, Ultraman! Previously we had considered how Krypton-Three had not exploded, yet Ultraman did not live with his people who undoubtedly rejected his sinister disposition, which he apparently inherited from his father Jur-Ll. Jur-Ll had been the malevolent Crime-Lord of Kandor who repeatedly clashed with its resident heroes, Nightwing and Flamebird. It would seem that this criminal scientist had been banished in his own version of the Phantom Zone, and found his way into Earth-One's universe prior to the City of Kandor having been shrunken and placed in a bottled form by the evil Brainiac. Now, an aged Jur-Ll sought to free himself of the prison he now found himself in, along with seven million Kandorians. Using the Sun-Stone, instead of the synthetic Kryptonite which his son consumed to revitalize his powers, the elder Ll had the goal of destroying the city in his enlarged state and conquering his new universe. Instead, he perished when consumed by the Sun-Stone's energies. As for how Jur-Ll's presence on Earth-One would be compensated in other universes, such as his own and on Krypton-Two where Jor-L perished, can be explained by the presence of a certain red-haired sole surviovr from Earth-Three, whom we'll consider.

Earth-Three Tour de Force: Krypton... and Kryptonite

2011-11-23T00:00:00.002-08:00

A curious statement expressed by the dim-witted Ultraman of Earth-Three when he, alongside his fellow Crime Syndicators, encounted Earth-Two's Per Degaon in interdimensional limbo. He said "I'm from a Krypton which didn't explode as it did ns some other universes". And yet, this is the element that gave him additional abilities!

It was on this occasion wherein Ultraman revealed to Degaton that he also had been freed from their bubble-prison in limbo as had Superwoman, Johnny Quick and Power Ring (poor Owlman, he never had his opportunity to return to his homeworld until just prior to the Crisis on Infinite Earths, which had destroyed it!). Bathed in Kryptonite radiation from Lex Luthor's power-glove, Ultraman was strengthened, and it was this same residual radiation that weakened both the golden and silver age Supermen who were visiting his world and engaged him in battle. So the obvious question we need to ask is this: If Ultraman's homeworld of Krypton-Three hadn't blown up, why has he encountered Kryptonite since it is formed from fragments of the exploding planet itself! A supplemental question might well be how it was he ended up on Earth-Three, leaving behind his fellow residents of Krypton-Three? The latter question is easily answered... he is a malcontent and criminal... and their form of punishment was exiling such individuals in space as had been on the other two known Kryptons.

Evidently, we have to surmise one of two hypothesis. The first is that the Kryptonite that ended up in Earth-Three's universe is originally from either Krypton-One and Two, somehow crossing the dimensional gulf and ending up where Ultraman could siphon its energy. This is highly enlikely given the amount of such substance necessary to empower Ultraman for years would necessitate a large quantity of this element, not to mention to drastic cosmic imbalance that that loss of such mass in one universe would have without some compensatory mass in exchange. The second hypothesis which is more likely is that is was synthesized much like that in laboratories on Earths One and Two. Since Ultraman himself did not posses the shear intellect to create such an anomaly, as evidenced by his demeanor versus the Supermen and Luthors, evidently a scientist on either his adopted world or Kyrpton-Three had created this. And since Synthetic Kryptonite was based on the original substance that could come only from the mass of a planet Krypton, this scientist would have had to have been a resident of Krypton-Three (logically, this would have been Ultraman's father Jur-Ll whom we'll consider next). This would indicate that there were potentially millions of superhuman beings, just like there had been on Krypton-Two although able to do more than simply leap tall buildings as had those Kryptonians, albeit not on Earth-Three but Krypton-Three!

Earth-Three Tour de Force: Objects of Power Corrupts

2011-11-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Power corrupts... and absolute power corrupts absolutely! While the good guys in other universes forsook this temptation, using their powers and abilities for justice, on Earth-Three this hadn't been the case (until Alex Luthor donned a uniform and become his world's first native-born hero). The ambitous antagonists of humanity on that world were the Crime Syndicate of America (although two of their number, Ultraman the Kryptonian and Superwoman the Amazonian, were not Americans). While Ultraman relied on Kryptonite to power him, and Owlman mysteriously had mental abilities his dopplegangers the Batmen had not possessed, the other three Syndicators were also equipped with devices that gave them tremendous might. Similar to the speed force of the Flashs, the power rings of the Green Lanterns, and the golden lassos of the Wonder Women... these three items of power were distinct in their own right. For instance, Johnny Quick's superspeed was derived from a helmet he wore, much last the Jay Garrick Flash, only this was the source of said speed. Superwoman's lasso could transform into animal forms such as a winged serpent. And Power Ring's ring functioned similar to Green Lanterns Hal and Alan's only its effects could prove toxic to himself and others over time.

Earth-Three Tour de Force: Similar yet Different

2011-11-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

A veritable treasure trove of information was gleaned about Earth-Three from the latter two appearances of the Crime Syndicate, when they battled the Secret Society of Super-Villains and later as they encountered the Justice League, Justice Society and All-Star Squadron (these Syndicators weren't modest in the appraisal of their powers, given the number of foes they encountered at any one time!) For instance, when five felons of the Secret Society arrived on the Syndicator's world, they quickly learned that while Power Ring had the appearance of Earth-One's Green Lantern aka Hal Jordan, he had the weakness of Earth-Two's Green Lantern aka Alan Scott. Specifically, a vulernability to wood, as illustsrated by the Floronic Man's tree shield which the emerald beam should've been able to cut through. Could Power Ring's power battery, originating in Asia like Scott's, have originated from that universe's Green Flame of Life in the form a a green meteorite? Remember, Earth-S had its own version of the meteorite originating from the Starheart just like that found on Earth-Two. Given the similar nature of the energy, defying scientific laws like Alan's ring and the same weakness, it seems likely that this is in fact true. That Power Ring used his alien energy for evil which was not permitted on Earth-Two can be explained away given the reverese logistics of good and evil found in Earth-Three's universe, a trait it shared with the Anti-Matter Universe wherein evil reigned supreme instead of good as in other positive matter universes.

Additional facts revealed from the heroic Captain Comets visit to Earth-Three, in pursuit of the Society, was how this planet's history was dramatically reversed from that of his own (and our's). With America as the dominant imperial power of this world instead of Great Britain and a President John Wilkes Booth instead of Abraham Lincoln, it seemed that each counterpart on this world had a dyametrically different view on world affairs from that of their cosmic twin on Earths One and Two. With the except being the aforementioned (in an earlier post) Lois Lane, who was a heroic reporter on Earth-Three as she was elsewhere. The curious factoid is that no heroes, prior to Luthor, appeared on this world. Such individuals would have corresponded with the Secret Society of Super-Villains and other devious despots.

Wizard led

Earth-Three Tour de Force: Malevolent Mutants

2011-11-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

There has been a longheld believe that the pre-Crisis Earth-Three had only six costumed crusaders and/or criminals.. the five Crime Syndiate members known as Ultraman, Superwoman, Owlman, Johnny Quick and Power Rig as well as their arch-foe Alex Luthor. And that would be correct. However, there were other metahumans who menaced that world's populance, albeit only briefly. During his brief freedom from their limbo dimension prison, the Syndicator Power Ring's power battery infected various humans with a radiation plague granting them incredible power. Only the timely intervention and treatment administered by Earth-One's Captain Comet saved this planet from further chaos at the hands of malevolent malcontents!

Oh, and that woman in the first panel is Earth-Three's Lois Lane, who would quickly become smitten with her globe's first record superhero, the Captain himself. It would be his inspiration that would lead to the first native-born champion of justice to appear there, Alex Luthor, in a few years.

Earth-Three Tour De Force: Heinous Headquarters

2011-11-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

Although alluded to in their first appearence, the Eyrie of Evil was first named and shown in somewhat detail during the Secret Society of Supervillains' invasion of Earth-Three. The headquarters of that world's most powerful organization of metahumans, it had long been abaonded due the imprionment of its occupants the Crime Syndicate after the Syndicate's battles and defeat at the hands of the Justice League and Society of Earths One and Two. A mountain retreat secluded from the eyes of public, it was a haven for the heinous. When they were free, that is.

Migrants of Multiple Earths: Emerald Energies

2011-11-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

The year was 1978, a momentus period in the Multiverse as there was numerous incursions into adjacent universes by superheroes and villains alike. For example, Earth-Two's Wizard drew four of his cronies in the Secret Society of Supervillains (and his new foe Captain Comet) first to Earth-Three before finally arriving at the world of his birth. In order to get there, he had to purloin items of power possessed by the Crime Syndicate of America*, which led the Society and Comet in direct confrontation versus CSA. After discovering the cause of a mutant plague afflicting Earth-Three, originating from Power Ring's own battery, the Captain used Power Ring's power battery to transport him to Earth-Two where he would "destroy it". Whether that was done or not, this green lantern given to Power Ring by the evil Volthoom was transferred to Earth-Two's universe.

Later in 1978, another villain named Zalaz stole the Starheart from a solar body in the center of Earth-Two's universe, bringing it back to Earth-One's realm in order to revive his love M'la. When he perished in order to accomplish this, M'la herself merged with the Starheart itself in order to secure it from future attacks against it. M'la was the counterpart of a female manifested from Alan Scott's power ring which had guided him on occasion, just as the Starheart's Green Flame of Life was the cosmic twin of the Phantom Zone entity known as Aethyr.

As for Earth-Three's Volthoom battery, this compensated in Earth-Two's universe for the missing Starheart now in Earth-One's universe. Apparently, when Power Ring and his fellow Crime Syndicate allies were brought aboard the Justice League satellite thanks to Per Degaton's machinations, the rogue was able to retrieve a power battery from Earth-One (perhaps Hal Jordan's spare battery left behind while he was on his year-long assignment in space at that time) allowing him to regain his near immeasurable abilties. That is, until the Crisis wiped his world, and himself, from existence.

* Wixard and his Secret Society also on this occasion stole Power Ring's ring of power, Superwoman's lasso and Johnny Quick's speed helmet... which he used to transport himself and his team to Earth-Two from Earth-Three. When they arrived on Earth-Two, these devices had disappeared from Earth-Three but had not reappeared there. Hence, they were undoubtedly left in the limbo between universes, where the Syndicate were imprisoned. They apparently retrieved them even though trapped within their interdimensional prison when Degaton freed them for his own sinister schemes.

Twice-Told-Tales: Men of Steel Face Men in Hoods

2011-11-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

Kal-El was a bit more ambitious than his counterpart Kal-L, feeling that he needed to be everywhere for everyone doing everything possible to save the day. Hence, he needed some humility... and few could provide him this. Except these two mysteriously clad gents. Destiny with his book of tales had chronciled various curious cases, as had Spectre simaltaneously on a parallel planet. The first of these two whom the silver age Superman was the Spectre when their teams, the Justice League and Justice Society, teamed up repeatedly throughout the years. However, the first whom the Man of Steel met was Destiny, a being with similar powers and protecting his Earth-One from behind the scenes as opposed to his doppleganger Spectre who was more publically proactive on Earth-Two.

In both cases, Superman attempted to save innocents, however Destiny and Spectre realized that the Kryptonian Crusader was overtaxing himself... while not allowing humanity to find hope in themselves. When various chaotic incidents occured in Metropolis, it was Destiny who stopped the Man of Tomorrow repeatedly. And when Superman traveled through the cosmos, chasing after his cousin Supergirl whose body had been flung into deep space, and it was the Spectre who stopped him from breaking cosmic barriers best left untouched. Both times, those he tried to protect such as Lois Lane and his cousin Kara ended up savd without needing his protection.

Would he learn his lesson or need a third reminder? In fact, during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was his counterpart Kal-L who humbled him once more during the final confrontation with the Anti-Monitor, saving Kal-El's very life!

A Pair of Pretty Powerhouses of Parallel Planets

2011-11-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

The parellel planets of Staryl and Zor each had their own superwomen in the forms of Luma Lynai and Tharka. Luma first met Kal-El after his cousin Kara played matchmaker on the pair. Tharka journeyed to Earth-Two to aid Kal-L.

Turns out that neither heroine had superpowers on the Earths' solar systems. In fact, the yellow solar rays were deadly to Lynai, while Tharka found herself in deadly situations while under that sun. And so their returned to their native worlds, never to be seen again!.

Miniscule Mimics: Lookalikes and Socialites

2011-11-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Bottled City of Kandor had seven miliion inhabitants, and after the floating habitation known as Argo City was destroyed due to the meteor shower, was the sole surviing city of Krypton-One. Later retrieved from their captor Brainiac by Superman, who placed the miniaturized metropolis in his Fortress of Solitude. No such situation occured on Krypton-Two, where its Kandor perished with the rest of its planet, although the mental facsimiles of the Kandorians remained in the memory cells of Power Girl's Symbioship. This was a major inequity between the two universes. Or was it?

On June 28, 1941, the assembled membership of the Justice Society of America were drawn into a web of mystery and intrigue hatched by Doctor Fate's old foe Ian Karkull. Combatting each of Karkull's costumed minions, assigned to assassinate individuals who would be prominent in American one day, this led the team to confront Ian himself. Now a shadow entity who had stumbled on the sinister secret of the lost city of Ragnor, whose inhabitants resided in another shadow realm (much like the Phantom Zone), when his essence evaporated and flooded the Justice Society with tiny entities which extended their lives.

Kandor had the heroic cousin of Kal-El, Don-El and his eleven allies on the Superman Emergency Squad... and the Superman Lookalike Squad, which had six members (Clark Kent's lookalike Vol-Don, Jimmy Olsen's lookalike Zol-Lar, Lana Lang's lookalike Ti-Arra, Perry White's lookalike Ar-Rone, as well as Lois and Lucy Lane's unnamed lookalike). Similarly, there was Superman and his eleven fellow Justice Socialities and six associates (Thunderbolt, Robin, Joan Garrick, Catwoman, Lois Lane and Hawkgirl) on this case. Those participants's, and those myriad (10,000) of miniscule shadows in the Ragnor dimension, gained extra years deprived by those potential Kandorian children who would've been born after Krypton-Two's destruction. And like Ragnor, Kandor once enlarged would be placed on a planet in another dimension separated from that in which Earth-One resided.

The Wild West... in times of Crisis

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Firebrand must have found a niche in the old west during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. During the initial stages of the Anti-Monitor's attack on her world and other parallel planets, she was swept in the late 1800s of Earth-One where she met notable cowboys Jonah Hex, Bat lash, Johnny Thunder, Nighthawk and their native American pal Scalphunter. Then, shortly thereafter, she was swept back into the modern era where she met cowboys Roving Ranger and the Trigger Twins as well as the native Americans known as Strong Bow and Super-Chief. Quite the oddity!

Curious Krypton Customs: Kissing Cousins

2011-11-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Lovely Ladies Linked to Luthor Lads

2011-11-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

As unlikable as the Luthors were, there were women who loved them. Obviously on Earth-Three, it was Lois Lane who married that world's greatest scientist and sole superhero Alex Luthor. On Earth-One, it was Ardora of the planet Lexor, who idolized the Defender who was actually the villain Lex Luthor... that world's sole superhero. On Earth-Two, okay no one really loved Alexie nor would he, since unlike his counerparts he had no a redeeming bone in his wicked body. That's no doubt why the alien Ardora's counterpart on that world Ms Milen, although equally intellectual, stuck to her research in linguistic communication in her own alien land... of Quebec.

Then there was Lex's sole surviving blood relative, Lena Luthor, whose parents changed her last name to Thorul. Growing up thinking her older brother died in a mountain climbing accident and her parents perishing in a car crash, her employers at the FBI and her friends Superman and Supergirl knew of her sinister sibling. Only they kept that secret to themselves. Thankfully for her, Lena's twin Susie Tompkins wasn't related to Alexie but rather to another double "L", Lois Lane Kent. As Lois' niece, she and Lena possessed telepathic abilities and a knack for falling into troublesome scenarios.

All these women had pure goodness in their hearts and held out hope for their heroes, believing in them... warts and all!

Titanic Teams: Secret Societies

2011-11-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

In the beginning, there were Injustice Gangs and Societies that terrorized their native worlds, each time put down by their opposite numbers in the heroic community. So a new type of organization was developed by these ferocious felons, more a collaborative than a syndicate. A Secret Society of Super-Villians, if you will. And right from the start, the men who made their fellow superpowered champions know of their evil existence were the resident telepaths... Captain Comet and Brainwave Junior. Traveling through space and time, they were bound and determined to bring down the Society... or perish in the attempt!

Early on in the lifespan of these lethal leagues, two hyper-intelligence simians assumed the power vacuum left behind by their predecessors who first assembled these Societies. Though strategists par none, aligning superior numbers of costumed criminals to their cause, these individuals... Gorilla Grodd and Ultra-Humanite... found a formidable challenge in the presence of Captain Comet and Brainwave Junior, who matched their mental energies in mind matches between them. Even when the simians thought the foes in the Justice League and Society were defeated, their plans were overturned.

Even avalances caused by their adversaries did little to stem the tide of victory in the path of Comet and Junior. One other candiate for leadership tied to the Secret Society was the Wizard, who manipulated rogues on both Earths One and Two to vanquish his persistent foes. Ultimately, things came full circle to the beginning, as it was Ultra-Humanite who... as he had in the 1940's, regained authority over his Super-Villains in a desperate attempt to wipe his world of all heroes. Failing in that, his sending his erstwhile allies back to the 40's renewed the legacy that was a Secret.

Titanic Teams: Injustice For All!

2011-11-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

Undoubtedly, the arch-adversaries to the World's Greatest Superhero Teams of parallel planets are these guys. And the tip-off might be their names... the Injustice Gang of the World and the Injustice Society of the World... who bedeviled the Justice League and Justice Society. And they did so under similar circumstances throughout their long and infamous histories as outlaw organizations. How did the shape the face of infamy and illegality?

The original incarnation of these teams was founded by masterminds Libra and Wizard, wherein the former merely manipulated his minions in order to steal the League's powers... whereas the latter wanted a profitable criminal venture which he tried to recruit the Society to evil ends. During the second incarnation, the same five core members Libra enlisted: Mirror Master, Poison Ivy, Tatotted Man , Scarecrow, and Shadow Thief regrouped on board their satallite headquarters... only to be demolished by the League. The Wizard, however, scrapped former allies Brain Wave, Per Degaton, Thinker, Vandal Savage and the Gambler for newer members Icicle, Huntress, Sportsmaster, the Fiddler and Harlequin... each competing for leadership of the team. Turns out, Harlequin betrayed her allies to save her foe whom she loved, Green Lantern.

The third incarnation which we previously considered hatched a scheme that brought two Earth-Prime protagonists, Ultraa and writer Cary Bates, into the tale. While Ultraa unwittingly stole the League's powers while redistributing them to the Gang, Bates utilizing the power given him by the Wizard seemingly dealt a fatal blow towards six Justice Socialites whom the writer disguised as their Injustice foes in a battle with the visiting League. One additional member in these third teamups was Abra Kadabra (who led the Gang from behind the scenes, mirroring Wizard's capacity on his own gang), while the Shade joined the evil Society of his world during this occasion. While Kadabra's plan was to acquire ancient artifacts though his poisonous proxies in order to control Earth-One's natural resources, once more Wizard's plans was simply to plunder Earth-Two's fudiciary resources instead!

A fourth incarnation of the Injustice Society appeared sometime after this, with the Fiddler recruiting Solomon Grundy, followed by four of their allies who avenged the duo's previous defeat. During this case, the four members of Wizard, Icicle, Brain Wave and Thinker were working in concert with Ayrn the Underlord in his attempt to conquer the surface world. Prior to this, the four remaining cohorts pledged that should this venture not succeed, one of them would travel to Earth-One to recruit additional villains to aid in their cause to extinguish the JSA.

While there was no fourth incarnation of the Injustice Gang, another organization assumed its place as Earth-One's dominant criminal organization, the Secret Society of Super-Villains! With Wizard slyly working his way into this corrupt confederation, the villains were originally brought together by Darkseid of Apokolips through his henchman Manhunter, although that affiliation deteriorated quickly. The Society would repeatedly battle Captain Comet and others, including during a period led by Gorilla Grodd versue the League. However, one faction led by the Wizard would achieve his earlier goal! After a sidetrip to Earth-Three, he led erstwhile allies Star Sapphire, Blockbuster, Floronic Man and Reverse Flash to Earth-Two to battle the Justice Society individually. Simaltaneously, on Earth-One Mirror Master and Copperhead are hired by the Silver Ghost to recruit Chronos, Killer Moth, Quakemaster and the Sizematic Twins to battle the Freedom Fighters, visiting from Earth-X. In this untold tale, the Fighters defeat their adversaries and return to their homeworld. And a planet away, Wizard's month long campaign leads to defeat.

Back on Earth-One after six months in interdimensional limbo, the Wizard and his lackies are the sole remaining members of the original Secret Society, and hatch a scheme whereby they assume six Leaguers' identities, while the heroes are trapped in the villains bodies This too fails. Shortly thereafter on Earth-Two, three Injustice Socialites (the Shade, Fiddler and Icicle) assemble on Earth-Two to pillage again. Darkseid turns his attention to these rogues confident they would be more obedient than the felons of Earth-One. That tale told previously ended in defeat as had Darkseid's Secret Society.

At this point, there are no further incarnations of either the Injustice Gang nor Society of their Worlds, and the initial core Secret Society of Earth-One and its satellite team on Earth-Two were now defunct. However, they were not finished, for Ultra-Humanite along with his sub-commanders Brain Wave and Killer Frost brought together ten criminals (here pictured) from both Earths to abscond five Leaguers and five Socialites in order to remove heroes from his world (for the reason why this worked, consider this reference). Although succeeding, the Earth-Two Secret Society betrayed their Earth-One colleagues, who returned the favor by releasing their heroic adversaries. This led to one final occurence wherein the Secret Society operated on Earth-Two, which was incidentally the first time they ever appeared on either world. However this and a more detailed history of that similar yet distinct organization, alluded to in this posting, will be considered at another time. Suffice it to say, Injustice never seems to go away but he never lasts long when champions of good stand in the way of such rogues.

Titanic Teams: Batallions of Brave and Bold

2011-11-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

Two tremendous teams in two very different eras that reflect quite a bit with one another. The Legion of Super-Heroes was the 30th century's premier protectors in a time when a variety of supervillains and interplanetary intrigue sparked a need for superpowered teenages to band together under R.J. Brandt's sponsorship. Inspired by the 20th century's Superboy, the Legion had throughout its entire history over forty members serving in one status or another... combating foreign foes like the Khund or their opposite number, the Legion of Supervillains.

Over a thousand years prior to this and in an adjacent universe, the All-Star Squadron had been called upon to likewise stem the threat of foreign and domestic terror. With Superman and his Justice Society allies headlining this team, a variety of seemingly solo heroes made their mark during this golden age of mystery men handling the Axis powers and powerful criminals with the same tenacity and grit. And creating legends as a result.

From their epic headquarters, first borrowing the designs of their inspirations before adopting more palatial settings to meet together, to their large membership that meshed well with one another, to their timeless example of true heroism. The Legion and the Squadron were definietly teams for the ages!

Titanic Teams: Infinite Titans

2011-11-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

While we previously considered them in an earlier post, its educational to reevaluate these twin youth movements. No they were not to first... even amidst their age bracket. The New Teen Titans were the successor of... you guessed it... the original Teen Titans headlined by Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Speedy and Aqualad. Later members included Hawk, Dove, Lilith and Mal Duncan. This quartet harkening an earlier era on a parallel planet with Little Boy Blue and his Blue Boys as Earth-Two's first teen team. And, lest we forget, the All-Star Super Squad consisting of Power Girl, Robin and Star-Spangled Kid had worked alongside the Justice Society versus Brainwave before its members were recruited by the JSA. This led to the more famous incarnation of adolescent avengers on their world was Infinity, Inc.

What made both teams unique was that they were second generation groups, building upon the success of their World's Greatest Superhero Teams. While the Titans were sidekicks (and the sister/nephew in Wonder Girl and Kid Flashs' case) of the Justice League, the Infinitors were the children (or wards as in Nuklon and Northwind) of the Justice Society. In both instances, there was a bit of a generation gap causing tension at times between the older and young sets of supers, although for the Infinitors its was more difficult relating to those that were like older parents or grandparents rather than idnviduals that were like big brother and sisters as in the case of the Titans. In fact, in their initial cases the Titans and Infinitors fought the brain-controlled Leaguers and Socialities, saving the world in the process. Still, a budding respect formed due to their selfless sacrifices for the cause of good. And each team carried the torch of heroism admirably for another era now and that yet to come...

Titanic Teams: Outside the Law

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Not every group could be the World's Greatest Superhero team. Nor a team of teens. Nor a monolithic membership in the dozens. However, these twin teams have something the others lacked, a gritty determination to prove themselves despite the odds being stacked against them, for which they succeeded.

The Outsiders was formed when Batman left for Markovia to free his friend Lucius Fox, held hostage by that nation's dictator Baron Bedlam. Recruiting Metamorpho and Black Lightning, two mem who rejected Justice League membership, the trio encountered another terrific triad: Katana, Geo-Force and young Halo. Seeing the need to have a team of Outsiders working outside the normal bounds of superheroics, the Dark Knight relocated his five teammates along with their ally scientist Helga Jace to his Gotham City headquarters beneath Wayne Foundation where this group battled many foes over a span of years.

Law's Legionnaires were a band of brothers in a sense that they all had a common purpose, defeating the criminal hordes of their day. While not headliners like their peers of the Justice Society, they more than measured up with their tenacity and determination. Consisting of Vigilante, Green Arrow with sidekick Speedy, Crimson Avenger, Shining Knight, Stripesy and the Star-Spangled Kid... oh and the Avenger's partner Wing tagged along from time-to-time. This team also had several adventures versus a variety of villains for some years. Then they disappeared to reappear in modern times.

Each team had the crimefighter (Batman and Vigilante), the adaptable avenger (Metamorpho and Green Arrow), the colorful crusader (Black Lighting and Crimson Avenger), the sword-weilding savior (Katana and Shining Knight), the courageous carrot-top (Geo-Force and Stripesy) and the cosmic kid (Halo and Star-Spangled Kid). While not exact counterparts, they filled similar niches.

Titanic Teams: Greedy Gangs

2011-11-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Science is neither good nor evil, only its implementation is such depending on who discovers the secrets behind it. Rachel Berkowitz and a man named Mousey were brilliant yet demented individuals who wished to bend natural laws around their sinister sensibilities. As such, Rachel discovered the means to access tremendous forces Einstein's Unified Theory while Mousey gathered objects allowing him to harness size-altered radiation. As Blackstarr and Blackstar, the pair of rogues battled teams of heroes, as Rachel's Blackstarr alias was a nemesis of Supergirl and later her cousin Superman, while Blackstar dueled with Law's Legionnaires. Tragedy struck when, consumed with their own power, they were tricked by their adversaries into overextering themselves, to their downfall.

Blackstar had prior to this recruited five criminals to obtain the items necessary for his theories to work: Brain, Falseface, Hopper, Captain Bigg and the Rattler... each battling members of the Legionnaires. While Blackstarr herself worked solo, at the same time she was terrorizing Chicago other villains also attacked Supergirl's city, including the Gang consisting of "the Gang" members Brains, Ms Mesmer, Kong and Bulldozer... as well the Council's Director. Despite their mental aptitude, psychological superterfuge, raw power and brute might as well as cunning... these career criminals could not defeat the Girl of Steel nor the Legionnaires of Law.

Girls of Steel Versus: Themselves Actually!

2011-11-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

While Lesla-Lar attempted to assume Kara Zor-El's identity on Earth-One, after living near twenty years in the Bottled City of Kandor, she perished due to the cunning of the Phantom Zone felons and her own hubris a few years later.. However, Kara Zor-L of Earth-Two lasted for over sixty-five years including a lengthy period in suspended animation. Further, Kara Zor-El perished during the Crisis while her counterpart lived on. Since Earth-One's Supergirl and Lesla-Lar combined for an approximate fifty years of existence, what compensates for this discrepency?

As previously discussed, this was balanced out by the presence of six minature clones of Supergirl. Created by the evil Council, they were defeated by the Girl of Steel and left in suspended animation after being stripped of their powers by gold Kryptonite. Just like Power Girl, who was in suspended animation, and powerless through her flight through space! However, shortly therafter the six former foes of the Maiden of Might reaasembled into a full sized version of their template and assumed the identity of Linda Danvers. This replica of Kara would compensate for the Kara aka Power Girl that was stilling living on Earth-Two

Other clones were the Bizarro Supergirl and another variation of Zor-El created in Supergirl v1 #10, a male known as Superlad. Sent on a mission to steal riches for his designer, he took his life soon after he had been spawned rather than kill his "sister". Similarly, the Bizarro Maiden of Might wasn't long for this world.

Girls of Steel Versus: Kandorian Girls of Steel

2011-11-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

In the Multiverse there are times when the right circumstances, and even people, can be replicated precisely on the same plane of existence. This is never more evident than the case of Lesla-Lar and her twin Kara!

In the bottled city of Kandor was a noted scientist, Lesla-Lar, who had observed the secret heroics of Supergirl aka Kara Zor-El, and grew envious at her potential for greater notoriety than Lar herself. Using one device to strip Kara of her abilities, and another to switch places with her temporarily, Lesla sought to besmirch the reputation of the Maiden of Might at the start of her career. As the second Supergirl, her public feats of goodwill masked her hidden contempt for humanity, for Superman, and for her lookalike Zor-El. At one point, this femme fatale actually allied herself with arch-enemy to Kryptonians everywhere, Lex Luthor... in a bid for power.

After being discovered by her city's authorities, she sought other means of vanquishing Supergirl with the aid of Phantom Zone prisoners. Alas, they turned on her and destroyed her using Kyrptonian weaponry. Or did they? Turns out, Lesla would return to torment Supergirl time-and-time again for years to come before revealing herself once more as who she now was.

___________

Meanwhile, on Earth-Two there never was a surviving city of Kandor, only the virtual one within Kara Zor-L's Symbioship. And within that fabricated dream reality was the ship's construct of what it envisioned Kara Zor-L should be instead of the woman she turned out to be. A wife and mother with an infant, this Kandorian was the altered ego of the Kara who existed during part of her (just under) sixty-year voyage across the cosmos in her vessel. Then this Kara, perhaps assuming the last name of her mate Les-Lar, attempted to assimilate the body of Power Girl. A war of minds occured between these gals similar to that between Lesla-Lar and Supergirl around the same time period a universe away. Tranformed into an energy being much like Zor-L's dream doppleganger, Lesla adopted different aliases before finally confronting her arch-enemy. In the end, both entities dissolved into nothingness when the twin Kara's rejected them from their once shattered psyches.

_____________

Hypothesis: Lesla-Lar was stated as having been an orphan in Kandor since she was a young girl. Around this period of time the Crime Syndicate of Earth-Three had discovered Earth-One. Could she have possibly been the Kara of that universe, the cousin of Ultraman and hence competition he'd try to remove from his own universe?

Girls of Steel Versus: Greedy Gangs of Goons

2011-11-04T00:00:00.001-07:00

Among the hordes of horrible hoods the Girls of Steels faced during their careers was two groups of gangs that repeatedly menaced their cities Chicago and Gotham. On Earth-One, it was the Council led by their mysterious leader the Director. On Earth-Two, it was an unnamed band led by Brain Wave, unrevealed at first. Additionally, the Council employed the behemoth bot known as Matrix-Prime while Brain Wave utilized gigantic robotic war-machines. Additionally, the telepathic powers of the Council's member Brains and Ms Mesmer* as well as BrainWave nearly broke down the Maidens of Steel. Almost, but not quite.

*Brains, Ms Mesmer, Bulldozer and Kong as well as the director were the counterparts of a gang that battled Earth-Two's Law's Legionnaires, which we'll consider in another post.

Girls of Steel Versus: Radioactive Rogues

2011-11-03T00:00:00.002-07:00

Goofy looking containment suits aside, Reactron and Vulcan were true heavyweights in the supervillain department. Hence why they almost immediately were drawn into conflict with the Girls of Steel. While each formerly serve the government under their name and rank of Sergeant Ben Krullen and Commander Christopher Pike, serving in the military in Vietnam and onboard a spaceship headed for the sun, each cracked under pressure. Exposed to dangerous levels of radioactivity, Krullen from atomic testing and Pike from the sun itself, it was left to the crime syndicate Council and the alien XLK-JNN to provide suits harnessing their abilities.

Krullen's Reactron alter ego iniitally drew the attention of the second incarnation of the Doom Patrol, which were particularly interested in the villain as member Tempest had served alongside Krullen in the military and knew how dangerous he was. Pike's Vulcan immediately returned to Earth-Two to combat his childhood heroes, the Justice Society, whom he blamed for his situation. While Kara Zor-El figured creating a superspeed vortex thrusting Reactron into space would cause him to detonate, Kara Zor-L's teammate Star-Spangled Kid figured a burst of sunlight would cause Vulcan to vaporize. Of course, both criminals would return, but they'd have the prospect of once more facing the Girls of Steel!

Girls of Steel Versus: Powerful Plunderers

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

A remarkable parallel occured when two seemingly omnipotent entities from other universes lured the Girls of Steel to their planets, attempting to garner additional power and/or challenge from them. Drang the Destroyer had created a Circle of Evil that drew Supergirl into his nefariuos cosmos. Maalador the Darklord simply plucked Power Girl from her dimension into his own. Drang brought other heroic contemporaries of Supergirl, such as Lux, Multiple-Man, Slirya, Maskman and Strella... Maaldar attracted the attention of Earth-One's Superman, Green Lantern Corp, Madame Xanadu, Phantom Stranger and the Joker! Both beings were so egotistical they were tricked by their foes, ultimately destroyed.

Girls of Steel Versus: Alien Antagonists

2011-11-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Born and bred in cultures that led to their rise to supreme authority over their peoples, Mongul and Ayrn the Underlord were two of a kind. Vicious, vindictive, villainous. Each attracked the attention of the Maids of Might who sought to challenge their unbridled egos. Alongside the Justice League and Society, Supergirl and Power Girl faced off against these fearsome fiends, with Supergirl clearly outmatched versus Mongul while the Underlord was finally humbled by Power Girl. However, it should be noted that Mongul was at a strength-level at or above Earth-One's Superman, which definetly made him a tougher foe than Ayrn. And while Mongul returned again and again to face off against J'Onn J'onzz, Superman, Supergirl, Prince Gavyn, the League and Legion of Super-Heroes... after his initial confrontation versus Power Girl, Wildcat, Star-Spangled Kid, the Flash and Hawkman while aided by the Injustice Society, Ayrn quitely retreated to his underlord empire.

Girls of Steel Versus: Purple-Pleated Punks

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

The very first foes Kara Zor-L faced were Brain Wave and Per Degaton, only they were different from the golden age versions. The former had a holographic body, the latter a fabricated one. In Degaton's case, he was formerly a time bandit whose prime timeline led to his ruling Earth-Two since 1947, However, the Justice Society unseated his scheme causing him to have a homeless existence until his old ally gave him a new lease on life. Utilizing gadgets he devised, he nearly ended Power Girl's career before it began. Almost, for she and her teammates defeated them.

Around the same time, a young man named Ranar of the Hakawee people was raised to believe that Supergirl was his ideal mate. Arriving on Earth-One, he used his star rod to attempt to subjegate the Girl of Steel. However, she foiled his plan causing a star to eclipse at the critical moment he was to bond with her for life, causing him to lose the power he hoped to obtain from the Maid of Might. Yet there would be other annoying antagonists that would plague these parallel protectors...

Twice-Told-Tales: The Mystery of the Krell

2011-10-30T00:00:00.001-07:00

Mystery in Space #73 introduced Evan Wright, who could answer any question from any book he has ever read, but he would come in contact with a book he had heretofore not seen. Tied to the ancient Krell Empire that once dominated this sector of space, this was but one of many artifacts left behind by this seemingly extinct space race. And as indicated in World's Finest Comics #249 and Superman Family #192 (in February and November 1978 respectively), the exact same tale took place on both Earths One and Two! Talk about a twice-told tale! But it's what took place afterward in those two issues (plus one other later on) that we're interested in today. For you see, on Earth-Two in the early 1940's, Wonder Woman faced off against her old foe Doctor Psycho and his unwitting henchwoman Joan White (whose counterpart June Moone faced off against a different famous female on Earth-One, Supergirl, but we digress). And during this encounter, Princess Diana met Sgt Rock and his Easy Company of her world, as well as some descendents of the once proud Krell Empire. They were seeking to replicate their triumphant reign of peace throughout the galaxy, although they sought out a supervillain who was truly Psycho. At the end of this encounter, when they witness the heroism of the Amazing Amazon, they returned to space to continue their search for regions where they could reign unimpeded once more.

On Earth-One, Kal-El had contemplated using a Computer Probability Simulator what would happen had Krypton-One perished before he was born. A world without a Superman, how unthinkable this would be. The program led him to an alternate reality wherein his grandfather, Jor-El I, discovered that his world's existence was threatened. Only he was accompanied by a fellow scientist, Lor-Van, who had access to ancient Krell technology left behind on their planet. When Krypton-One was finally destroyed, not by internal tremors but by a passing comet, its sole survivors on board this vessel were the two intellectual's children, Jor-El's twin sons Jor-El II and Nim-El, and Lor-Van's daughter Lora. Arriving on Earth-One, these kids would be adopted by the Kens and Clarks!

However, would the actual Krell appear on Earth-One as they had on Earth-Two? Yes, only this would transpire twp years later, in November 1980, when a strange object returned to Superman's adopted world after having departed years before. The floating Superman Island, a structure which Kal-El used to store all the Kryptonite he could locate on his adopted planet, had been floating in space until it was discovered by the last of the Krell in that universe. In a much weaker state than their counterparts in Earth-Two's dimension, these Krell depneded on the Kryptonite radiation in order to survive. Seeing the image of their savior fashioned after the Man of Steel, they steered the man-made planetoid towards Earth-One in order to meet their unintentional savior. Although a scheme hatched by the criminal organiation known as the H.I.V.E. deprived them of their precision meteor rocks, Kal-El saved them once more, sending the island to a habitable planet.

Note the differences in the appearance between the two versions of the Krell, with one pinkish skin color and another with a bluish-green hue instead. Their style of clothing in also distinct, one preferring a superheroic look while the other clad in white robes and white space suits. While both seem to possess remarkable technology, the Krell-One people are definitely more dependent on their surroundings than our their Krell-Two dopplegangers. Regardless, both were peace-loving peoples who touched the heart of a Wonder Woman and a Superman from two parallel planets.

Heir-Apparents of the Green Lanterns: Crusaders in Crisis

2011-10-29T00:00:00.001-07:00

During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, several heroes courageously protected their worlds from the threats invading their cosmos. Among those were some not as experienced as others, yet were hand-picked by the Monitor as prime protectors of their parallel planets. Of these, John Stewart and Todd Rice as Green Lantern and Obsidan lived up the confidence placed in them by their predecessors. While John inherited his power ring and battery from Hal Jordan, who retired his alter ego, Todd inherited his energy powers directly from his father Alan Scott. As those two Green Lantners first met during times of Crisis, so had John and Todd.

Early on in their careers, both men moved from their homes in the Great Lakes Region to the California coast. John, a native of Detroit, and Todd, a native of Milwaukee, soon met women that would deeply impact not only their superhero careers but their very lives. John met his future wife, Katma Tui, sent to train him in the proper usage of his power ring. Todd met his long-lost twin sister Jennie-Lynn Hayden, who as Jade trained him in how to control his own powers over light. These two pairs of dynamic duos carved out niches as the resident crusaders of the west coast. Wielding will power matched by their manipulation of energy and light/darkness, these champions proved legends in their own right.

Strange Tales of Starman: Second Gen Finheads

2011-10-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

In the 20th century, the villain known as Okri-Ro threatened Rann-One which naturally involved Adam Strange, the terran troubleshooter who protected his adopted world from such threats. In the 22nd century, five devices were sought by Space Ranger to combat a horde of aliens invading his solar system, which led to his enlisting the aid of Adam's descendent. On one other occasion, this Adam Strange II teamed up with the Ranger. Who was his Earth-Two twin?

Turns out, in the post-Crisis reconstituted Earth that assembled parts of individual Earths that existed previously, there was revealed two offspring of Ted Knight. The oldest son, David, assumed his father's identity as Starman before his quick career was cut short... along with his life. However, through a fluke of the cosmos David was shunted back from the 1990's into the 1950's where he assumed the alias of that decade's Starman for a year. At the reknowned Comic Treadmill website, it was postulated that a then unnamed foe of Doctor Fate clad in "Red bodysuit. Green trunks. Yellow belt. Power contained in a wand/rod" was the original Starman. However, in the pre-Crisis Earth-Two of the 1980's, perhaps similar circumstances occured to David wherein he was shunted over forty years in the past, arriving in 1941 instead of 1951. Additionally, perhaps the trauma of such a trip caused David to turn insane and evil, leading to his death battling his pop's future teammate!

Strange Tales of Starman: Finheads and Females

2011-10-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

When last we considered the famed finheads known as Adam Strange and Ted "Starman" Knight, we focused our attention primarily on them rather than on their partners. One coupling was only temporarily, the other was enduring.

Alanna Strange was blessed with many attributes, beside her physical attractiveness. She had a rare heroic quality lacking among her fellow females during the silver age of comics, charging into danger rather than simply succumbing to it. Additionally, as the daughter of her world Rann's most reknowned scientist Sardath, she not only inherited cool gadgets like her rocket pack and blaster but near unmatched resourcefulness. She met her match when future husband Adam teleported to her homeworld, having been plucked from his Earth-One by Sardath's experimental Zeta Beam. Although often separated throughout the years as the aftereffects of the beam eventually wore off each time, eventually the two wed. Meanwhile, a universe away on Earth-Two, Libby Lawrence donned the mantle of Liberty Belle after losing her father Major James Lawrence perished in Europe during World War II. While she met Strange's counterpart Starman, the two never fell in love as she already had her heart tied up with one Johnny Quick. Still, this pair were a dynamic duo in their own right.

The Mystery of the Blackhawks Through Time

2011-10-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

In August 1941 a team debuted that would endure for decades to come. As high flying aviators combating the Nazi regime and other treats to humanity, the Blackhawks consisted of the following:

Blackhawk - The group's leader, Bart Hawk, a Polish American

Andre Blanc-Dumont - He is a French member of the this group.

Olaf Bjornson - He is either from Norway or Sweden.

Chuck Wilson - He is an American from Texas.

Hans Hendrickson - He is a Dutch member of the team.

Stanislaus - He is another Polish member.

Chop-Chop - Named Liu Huang or Wu Cheng

And, of course, their unofficial member Lady Blackhawk- Zinda Blake, the counterpart of Dinah Drake Lance whom we previously considered.

And yet, their multiple appearences in latter years beside various superheroes from different eras, and different worlds, caused no shortage of confusion as to whether there was more than one set of seven such soldiers. And indeed there were, for the first such team (appearing in Quality Comics) resided on Earth-Two, that is until Uncle Sam recruited several freedom fighters from that world to the parallel planet of Earth-X in 1942 with no resident heroes up to that point. When the Freedom Fighters reappeared in 1973, only six costumed crusaders remained on that world (Firebrand would show up later), stating that their fellow Quality characters who aided them against the Nazis had perished. Specifically spotlighted were the Blackhawks and Plastic Man. A second set of Blackhawks, the ones who appeared when DC Comics acquired the Blackhawks' title from Quality in January 1957 onward, resided on Earth-One. Those tales chronicled their modern day adventures, while a latter reappearence of their publication in the 1980's showed their tales during the 1940's (confusing isn't it)? However, two oddities have thus far not been reconciled, until today. First, the Earth-One Blackhawks, who battled during World War II, appeared unaged and still in their prime alongside the Justice League. And the Earth-Two Blackhawks appeared alongside that world's Batman in September 1944, two years after they supposedly left for Earth-X!

This can be explained a few different ways. First, we may postulate that during the Crisis on Infinite Earths which distorted space and time (at which point Earth-Two's team left for Earth-X), perhaps the Earth-One flying aces were plucked from the 40's ending up in the 60's/70's to work alongside the League... while their counterparts were taken to Earth-X not during the spring of 1942 but from a future point after meeting Batman in 1944. The second possibility is that the original teams inspired copycats to duplicate their idols, even going by the names of the first Blackhawks on each world.

Whatever the explanation, the fact remains that the Blackhawks stood alone and beside their fellow costumed crusaders throughout the decades. Also, their courage and capabilities was unmatched.

Keepers of the Cosmic Balance: Metron and Mallo

2011-10-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

The true nature of the beings known as Metron and Mallo are unknown. What is known about both of them is that they each fulfill their personal obligations to reconcile disparative forces in the cosmos. Or put another way, they are keepers of the cosmic balance. And intrinsct in their nature is a curiousity that exceeds the bounds and scope of any other beings in their resepctive dimensions attached to the universes of Earths One and Two. While Metron appeared first, it is evident that Mallo equals him in age and experience.

Metron was a being of similar nature to the residences of New Genesis and Apokolips, though from neither planet. Granted mental attributes which exceeded his own superhuman physique, he created the Mobius Chair powered by an x-element allowing him to travel through space and time. Devising boom tubes for interdimensional transport, he once brought together the Justice Leauge and Society for a mission of salvation towards those of New Genesis. Mallo came equipped with a similar chair, and used his abilities to transfer the powers of Ray Palmer and Al Pratt aka the Atoms of two worlds, stabilizing both realms.

Darkseid and the Societies of Super-Villains

2011-10-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Darkseid was master of his domain on the planet of Apokolips, in a dimension adjacent to but not confined within the Earth-One universe. While his counterpart Surtur was manipulated by Earth-Two's Hitler into attempting to bring about the end of the dictator's world in a fit of vengence, Darkseid himself visited that world in order to restore himself while transporting his own world in place of Earth-Two. Thus, leaving himself unchallenged from his foes of New Genesis from his own dimension, Darkseid could reign supreme in a new universe. Remarkably, he once more recruited a Society of supervillains like he had on Earth-One, only unlike the Secret Society which had greater numbers and a more rebellious streak, the Injustice Society of Earth-Two yielded in submission to the power mad being. Regardless, in each instance his human servants failed fulfilling his schemes.

Migrants of Multiple Earths: The Swan and the Canary

2011-10-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

An interesting anomaly took place between Earths One and Two involving a set of blonde bombshells known for their vibrating vocal cords. In Wonder Woman #288 through 290, we're introduced to Helen Alexandros who is an aspring ballet dance limited by only one thing... her appearance. Though talented, her "ugly duckling" face fails to land her an roles on stage. Granted the ability to transform from the homely brunette into the beautiful blonde known as Silver Swan, she only needs destroy Wonder Woman of Earth-One. Gaining the power of flight, great strength and a destructive swan song, she sets out to remove the Amazing Amazon from the equation. Along the way she becomes anamored by the gorgeous Captain Wonder, himself a mere fabrication of the sinister Doctor Psycho, and is ultimately defeated.

Thereafter, in Wonder Woman #291-293, the second Black Canary... Dinah Laurel Lance daughter of the original... returns to her homeworld of Earth-Two to assist Power Girl and the Huntress deal with an alien horseman known as Plague sent by the cosmic Adjudicator. Herself granted with a canary cry jsut as destructive as her doppleganger's swan song, she makes up for her lack of strength with her savy martial arts techniques. Once this case wraps up, Canary returns to Earth-One. But how can this be... with two counterparts existing on the same Earth simaltaneously, leaving a void on its parallel planet?

Actually on Earth-One, the Steve Trevor that existed around this time wasn't that world's native Trevor, but a version from a parallel planet (perhaps Earth-Three which would have had one whom a vindictive Superwoman may have spurned). The original Steve on that world died years before, so through cosmic happenstance he was replaced by another version. This compensated for the extremely long-lived Steve Trevor of Earth-Two. Similarly, while Earth-Two's Black Canary lived for years on Earth-One, Earth-One's Harbinger traveled to many worlds of the Multiverse including Earth-Two where she operated for a time as the Monitor's minion.

Cosmic balancing is complicated, without a doubt, but always can be reconciled within the Multiverse!

Membership Through the Decades for the JLA and JSA

2011-10-23T00:00:00.001-07:00

Docs who aided the JLA/JSA

The Justice League and Justice Society each had a large membership roll, second only to their fellow fearless friends of other eras, the Legion of Superheroes and the All-Star Squadron. In their pre-crisis histories, they each had exactly twenty-two members, however there were others affiliated with these teams throughout their histories. For the Justice League, among those twenty-two was the Phantom Stranger, who never officially accepted membership (as he was kept busy by his femme fatale foe Tala and frenemy Doctor Thirteen). Another individual awarded honorary membership status was Sargon, originally of Earth-Two (where he battled femme fatale foe Blue Lama and was assisted by his ally Doctor Occult), who aided the League once against Starbreaker. However, Sargon had repeatedly worked alongside his homeworld's Society multiple times... such as versus Kulak, versus Earth-One's Johnny Thunder, and during the Crisis versus the Tornado Tyrant before returning with them to protect Earth-Two. Similarly, the Stranger aided the League on a handful of occasions throughout the decade.

Just as Sargon wasn't counted ultimately in the League's offical rolls unlike his counterpart Phantom Stranger, neither was Snapper Carr's cosmic twin Edmund Blake who revealed that his long association with the Society during the 1950's culminated in his being awarded honorary membership status. Other heroes who aided the League in an honorary capacity were Adam Strange and Metamorpho. Those who aided the Society though not in an offical capacity were the original Red Tornado (Ma Hunkle) and the Thunderbolt. While the golden age Superman and Batman were honorary Society members in the 1940's, the silver age versions were irregular attendees in the League's early days.

Some members departed each team only to return later, such as the Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, Batman, Green Arrow and Hawkgirl of the League as well as the Flash, Green Lantern, Hourman, Sandman, Starman, Doctor Fate and the Spectre of the Society. There were also the parallel phases on each team, with the original seven of the League and first ten of the Society, followed by their initial recruits Green Arrow and Johnny Thunder Some were recruited for emergency cases such as the League's Metamorpho and Sargon and the Society's Wildcat and Mister Terrific. As the years rolled along, more members would join these prestigious paragons of protectors. Then a new generation of heroes in the League's Detroit team of Steel, Vibe, Vixen and Gypsy and the Society's All-Star Super-Squad of Star-Spangled Kid, Robin, Power Girl and the Huntress. Regardless of who joined, the goal of each team...Justice... never falted nor failed! Nothing less would be expected from their Worlds' Greatest Teams!

Twice-Told-Tales: Ferocious Floral Femme Fatales

2011-10-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

We had earlier dissected in depth the evidence that proves who the Black Orchid really was, another persona adoped by Rose Forrest after she briefly discounted her Thorn alter ego in the mid-1970s. After a lengthy absence, Orchid came out of retirement when one of her old foes, Lisa Patrick, once more impersonated her as she had done previously as a member of the Legion of Black Orchids. This time, Patrick faced the Super Friends, aided by her new gang to purloin green Kryptonite she intended to use against Orchid whom she believed was a Kryptonian! However, it was revealed in this tale by Orchid's comments to Superman that she is a native of Earth-One, and removed the radioactive rock before it harmed Kal-El further. Then, as was her custom, she mysteriously left the scene.

About the same time as that had transpired, over on Earth-Two the original Thorn came out of retirement leading her own gang of Thorns as well as villains-for-hire Sportsmaster and his wife the Huntress in a takeover of Keystone City. The Justice Society of America quickly became embroiled in a conflict with this nefarious nemesis, and despite nearly losing Wildcat's life in the process, succeeded in vanquishing Rose Canton's adversarial alter ego. Thorn would return later to bedevil Infinity, Inc. in Los Angeles, while Black Orchid would likewise return in her Los Angeles to aid Blue Devil and others... both during the Crisis.

What If: Anti-Monitor Had Faced Power Girl?

2011-10-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

What If: Adam Strange Met Starman

2011-10-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

This would have been an epic teamup for the ages. Two analytical types jetting through space, saving their own Earths and Rann. Perhaps they would have had an adventure on Rann planetary parallel, Karma. Perhaps someday we'll see these two legends finally meet.

What If: The All-Stars Assembled as the Teen Titans?

2011-10-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Earth-Two's Donna Troy, Dick "Robin" Grayson, Roy "Speedy" Harper and Johnny "Johnny Quick" Chambers surrounding the Red Panzer... playing the parts of Earth-One's Wonder Girl, Robin, Speedy, Kid Flash and Cyborg, respectively.

What If: Supergirl and Firestorm Dated?

2011-10-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's truely amazing how the DC Universe works... or doesn't work as the case may be? For instance, in Midway City there were two teams of heroes, Hawkman and Hawkgirl as well as the Doom Patrol, and yet they never met despite operating there around the same period of time! Then there are the Batmen of two worlds who never met even though their Justice League and Society mates teamed up repeatedly throughout the decades. And then, there is what could have been, the courtship of Supergirl and Firestorm! Why would we ponder this concept?

Consider how, each years during a few crossovers between the League and Society, Firestorm of Earth-One and Power Girl of Earth-Two worked together on various cases and grew fond of each other. Alas, living in two separate universes would cause a strain on any budding relationship. However, had the Nuclear Man only considered that the object of his effection had a counterpart on his own planet, Kara Zor-El instead of Zor-L. Sure she had on-again off-again relationships as had he, yet had they have met no doubt sparks would've flown. Who knows?

What If: Power Girl and Brainiac Five Met

2011-10-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

One bad date would undoubtedly ensue. Although Power Girl would remind Brainiac Five of his beloved Supergirl, with a little less hair and a litte more... *ahem*. However, she doesn't have the sensitive side of her counterpart, and Brainy wouldn't see the logic of courting a woman living not only a century in his past like Kara Zor-El, but in another universe like Kara Zor-L does.

Those Who Came Before... and After... the Emerald Crusaders

2011-10-16T00:00:00.001-07:00

Abin Sur was the predecessor of Hal Jordan, who met the young man from Earth-One at the point of Sur's dying breath. Bequeathing him his power ring and battery, at that point Hal became Sur's successor as the Green Lantern of Sector 2814. Albert Zero was the successor, in a sense, of Alan Scott, himself an apparent genetic mutant possessing various mental abilities (similar to Jordan's arch-foe Hector Hammond). Unable to control his stray thoughts which created chaos, it was up to Scott to impart some of Green Lantern wisdom upon the lad, who promised to use it and his abilities for good from then on.

Malevolent Masterminds Manipulate the Multiverse

2011-10-15T00:00:00.001-07:00

In the first incarnation of Brainiac, he was an green skinned android from the robot-dominated world of Colu who sought to collect information throughout the cosmos, coming into conflict with Superman over his diabolic capture of Krypton-One's city of Kandor. By the 30th century, his newest incarnation would be that of Pulsar Stargrave, possessing the power of the harness stellar energy which he used versus Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes. However, there was another version of this vile villain that appeared in the mid-1980s, himself consumed by a star going nova yet undergoing quite a different transformation from that of Stargrave, turning into ambient energy that assimilated into a cybernetic collective of a distant world. Transformed into an entity of organic metal and a cold calculating logic unmatched by any past or future versions of himself, this new Brainiac threatened not only his arch-foe Kal-El but the entire universe. Was such a threat made manifest on the parallel planet known as Earth-Two? Yes.

About a year about the metallic menace's debut in one realm, in another an entity known as the Commander appeared on Earth-Two leading an incursion from his own universe into that dimensional plane. Diverted there by Professor Champion of Earth-One, the Commander sought to capture this bright blue globe and its inhabitants, until challenged by its superhuman protectors. Soon the origin of this nefarious nemesis was crystallized as the Commander revealed himself to now be a machine hybrid, once a man, now collecting the conscious energies of his dimension's subjegated citizens.

Wishing to make his new home in the Earth-Two universe, he like his counterpart faced the Man of Steel. While on Earth-One, Superman was joined by the Justice League and Teen Titans in averting an invasion, here it fell upon the native Justice Society with the visiting Justice League and the Champion family assisting them. In both instances, Brainiac and Commander found a worthy implacable enemy in the Last Son of Krypton, who led the fight to topple these intergalactic egomaniacs from their insatiable thirst for conquest. In Brainiac's case, it was through Superman's manipulations of the sun to cause power spikes in the robotic rogue's cerebral cortex which cause him to lose his memory and plotting capabilities. Seeking refuge in hyperspace, the villain to humanity would next appear in the void between universes, having created a floating replica of Metropolis complete with a horde of Supermen robots that lured the Legion and the original Kryptonian Crusader into a trap. A trap they managed to circumvent, causing Brainiac to once more escape only to return during the Crisis on Infinite Earths to lead a villain war against five Earths.

In the case of the Commander, it took the combined cognitive capabilities of the Champion children and their aunt coordinated by Doctor Fate to create a dimensional rift, one into which Superman and his JSA and JLA allies could thrust the tyrant. Seeking to return him to his own universe, the Commander forced himself to remain in Earth-Two's plane of existence, at the cost of his own essence dissolving into all of that universe's reality, which the League and Society (like the Legion and Superman above) were thrust through dimensions into the void between universes albeit briefly. Interestingly, just as decades earlier the original Brainiac's counterpart in this dimension, Mister Mind, had left Earth-Two's universe for that of Earth-S... now the new Brainiac's cosmic twin the Commander left his native universe for that of Earth-Two's. Hence, the cosmic balance was restored, in part due to the unintentional interference of the Monitor and his apprentice Lyla.

Thus in each case, the seemingly insurmountable mental might of these machinized menaces did not prove a match for the heroes of two Earths... and their adopted sons from long extinct worlds... who like them were aliens of great power but unlike them used such might for right!

What If: Katma Tui and Jade Met?

2011-10-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Fireworks would result from such a meeting. These Emerald Empresses each has tremendous energy at her disposal, together they would be near undefeatable. Coupled with good natured spirit and their sense of adventure, inspired by their admiration of the Green Lanterns of Earths One and Two... Hal Jordan and Alan Scott... Katma Tui and Jennie Lynn Hayden would live up to their legends. We're sure they'd have met in the pre-crisis Multiverse at least once, in the timeline were their individual universes survived as separate realms. Perhaps alongside their partners, John Stewart and Todd Rice in their Green Lantern and Obsidian alter egos (who did meet during the Crisis).

What If: Karate Kid Battled Mister Terrific

2011-10-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

These powerless protagonists possessed prime potential. Both Mister Terrific and Karate Kid were staunch protectors of the innocent during the days of World Wart II on Earth-Two and the era of the 30th Century on Earth-Two, who more than made up for their lack of superhuman aptitude with their adaptable abilities. So how would they match up had they have met (and perhaps, they did meet in an unrecorded tale between the time tossed Justice Society and Legion of Super-Heroes).

From a prominent Legion website comes the following description of Kid's skills: "Karate Kid is skilled in every known form of combat in the galaxy - from Earth martial arts such as boxing, savate, and kendo (Adventure Comics No. 363, 365) to exotic disciplines from many other planets. His specialty is super-karate, a technique developed by his Master, which enables him to do virtually super-human things." From a prominent JSA website comes the following description of Kid's skills: "A child prodigy that demonstrated extreme intelligence and physical skill at an early age, Mister Terrific fashioned himself as a champion of justice and fair play. He honed his body and martial skills to champion levels and relied upon these exclusively."

In other words, it would be a toss up, since the Man of a Thousand Talents and the Man who took out Superboy would know how to size up any competition, even from his own counterpart!

What If: Ronnie Raymond Met Rod Reilly

2011-10-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

While Rod Reilly would definitely match up well with Ronnie Raymond, each superb athletes in their own right, when Ronnie merged with his mentor Professor Martin Stein to become Firestorm, then Rod's Firebrand alter ego needs help! At which point, he would undoubtedly phone his little sister Danielle's former boyfriend, Doctor Terry Curtis, who would lend a hand as Cyclotron to show the Nuclear Man that he's not alone in smashing atoms. Imagine Firebrand and Cyclotron tag-teaming against Raymond/Stein's fiery-haired alias, then they would have a fair match-up. Hopefully, however, cooler heads would prevail with Stein and Curtis deciding to sit down and discuss their differences rather than lead with their fist like their younger allies. Then again, Curtis was fiery in temperment at times and Stein fell into a mentally frazzled state at the start of his heroic career, so it may be up to Raymond and Reilly to keep things from going critical mass!

What If: Halk Kar and Power Girl Met?

2011-10-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

What If: The Martian Manhunters Met?

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Twice-Told-Tales: Attack of Alien Antagonistic Armies

2011-10-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Before highlighting the points of commonality between today's twin tales, its good to distinguish between the two in the areas where they diverge. Specifically, our Earth-One tale had as its alien antagonist the Marshal, genetically superior warmonger of Mars II where J'Onn J'Onzz surviving brethren ended up after Mars proved inhabitable. However, Earth-Two's Atom faced the Marshal's counterpart not on his own world but on his universe's Mars II, wherein the evil alien Butor had attacked the peaceloving Martians. That was a separate tale, not connected with this Twice-Told Tale.

The date was July of 1984, one year before the Crisis on Infinite Earths would threaten the entire Multiverse. Twin forces attacked parallel planets, with the aforementions New Martians laying claim to Earth-One while the Commander of another cosmos invaded Earth-Two's airspace. While each antagonistic alien army dueled with members of the Justice League and Justice Society, they specifically went for the centers of power as they perceived them. For the Marshal, this was by approaching the United Nations with an ultimatium, backed with an arsenal of spacecraft at his disposal. For the Commander, it was by sending his powerful grunts against the United States' Pentagon, consisting of winged apes then legendary menaces.

While the Society battled back and defeated the Commander and his cronies with the aid of Earth-One's Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Supergirl, on the quartet's homeworld their League allies barely stymied the incursion of the Martians while losing their prized satallite headquarters. Hence, the Justice League disbanded, in part due to Aquaman's claim that not all members were present to defend the Earth. However, that was because three of their own members were lending a hand aiding the Society, who only had four of their own to tackle their cosmic crisis. So ironically, more Leaguers saving more worlds led to their disbanding, whereas only a handful of Societialites present to protect just their own planet... no problem!

However, there is much left to be told about the Commander who nearly claimed Earth-Two and its entire dimension has his latest prize. Would anyone equal his infamy on Earth-One? Yes, about a year earlier, whom we'll learn more about soon...

Dynamic Duo Damsels: The Last Daughters of Krypton

2011-10-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most desired teamup between counterparts that never occured was with the Batmen, who never actually met (although they did work on a case together tackling the same foe in different eras). However, a close second would be with the Last Daughters of Krypton, Supergirl of Earth-One and Power Girl of Earth-Two. Actually, they did meet once, albeit briefly.

When a cosmic entity known as the Arbitrator came first to Earth-One then three other parallel planes of existence including Earth-Two, Earth-X and Earth-I(mmortality) with his synthetic minions to plague those planets, Womder Woman enlisted the aid of heroines on her world and others. Among these were Kara Zor-El and Kara Zor-L, the former assisting Madame Xanadu and Phantom Lady on Earth-X and the latter assisting the Huntress and Black Canadry on Earth-Two. During their final confrontation with the Arbitrator, the Maidens of Might had a brief one panel interaction that showed a rather lack of mutual respect that their cousins shared. Then they parted along with their fellow heroines rather abruptly when this odd case concluded.

Although Power Girl returned to Earth-One for annual Justice League/Justice Society teamups, and Supergirl once joined the League on an adventure versus the Commander on Earth-Two... these two never again met. Perhaps the reason is the adjoining frame of a potential interaction between the two Girls of Steel. As a result, these Girls of Steel weren't able to build a lasting relationship like the Supermen, Flashes, Green Lanterns, and others of their two worlds. By the time they'd have a chance to start over with one another, the Crisis on Infinite Earths occured leading to the tragic death of Supergirl in the Anti-Matter universe, while Power Girl was left behind, saving her life.

Dynamic Duo Damsels: The Lanes and Catwomen

2011-10-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

It seemed inevitable that the women in the lives of Superman and Batman would eventually meet, the two true loves of these greatest of superheroes. However, such a meeting between the Catwomen and Lois Lanes of two worlds didn't occur until years later! On Earth-One, Lois met the criminal Queen of Cats who set as her prey the nosy newspaper nuisance, transforming Lane into her unwitting dupe. On Earth-Two, Catwoman had already retired from her life of crime and was now the bride-to-be of Gotham City's most eligible bachelor, Bruce Wayne! Still, troublesome times laid ahead for these dynamic duos of determined damsels

The silver age Selena uses her new faux-Catwoman to carry on a crime campaign in her absence, while events draw in another foe of the Dark Knight in the form on the Penguin whom Superman captures. Eventually, the real Catwoman lures Superman into a trap wherein he's transformed into a cat, only transformed back by Lana Lang using an ancient device. The golden age Selena has decided to walk down the isle with her former arch-foe to become his wife, and this ceremony draws in another enemy of the Caped Crusader, Two-Face in his Harvey Kent alias. In a more realistic plot, an assassin attempts to elminate Harvey but is subdued by Superman himself. After these events, Lois and Selena become friends as their husband disclose their secret identities. This is in sharp contrast with the conintued emnity of their Earth-One counterparts, as Catwoman and Lois and Lana part as adversaries, and none of these ladies know the alter egos of their men they love.

Earth-Two was definitely a less screwed up, more down-to-Earth place, indeed!

Dynamic Duo Damsels: Wonder Women and Gifted Girls

2011-10-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

The relationship between the Amazing Amazon and Dark Knight Damsel was considerably more rocky on Earth-One than on Earth-Two, and with good reason. There, the Batman and Batgirl were not related, and as such she was was more prone to being enamored with amor toward her caped crimefighting mentor. However, on a parallel planet Batman and Huntress were father and daughter, and thus had a more familial instead of a romantic relationship. Plus, by the time Helena (Huntress) Wayne debutted on the scene, the golden age Wonder Woman had been married to her true love Steve Trevor for decades. However, the silver age Wonder Woman was in the prime of her life and still unattached when she was lured into a caring conflict, fighting over Batman's affections with Barbara (Batgirl) Gordon. Okay so they were enlisted to simulate this situation to draw out the criminal Copperhead, but it quickly got out of hand beyond what the trio of heroes had planned at the start.

Thankfully, Barbara and Diana already built up a repoire with one another when they along with the Justice League defeated Queen Bee only months before. As for Helena and Diana, they quickly assimilated to one another working side-by-side with the Justice Society allies on New Genesis, saving their universe from Darkseid's incursion into their universe.

While acquainted prior to these tales, the Girls of Steel and Amazing Amazons had theretofore not worked side-by-side until they were absconded from their worlds to alien planets in another cosmos. While Wonder Woman and Supergirl were abducted by Klamos the Mighty in order for one of them, the victor of a battle between them, to become his queen... Wonder Woman and Power Girl were brought to New Genesis in the same case as mentioned above. Although the Earth-One Diana and Supergirl dueled, it was only to get close enough to Klamos to render his devices inert and reveal his identity. Earth-Two Diana and Power Girl worked on seperate teams to defeat their foe.

Dynamic Duo Damsels: Mighty Maidens and Leaping Ladies

2011-10-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

The predominant female dopplegangers to their World's Finest Teams, Supergirl/Batgirl and Power Girl/Huntress, each had relationships as essential to one another as had the Supermen and Batmen. And during the Crisis On Infinite Earths... even moreso. How so?

Their dynamic was such that there was a dominant and passive member to each Dynamic Damsel Duo, only reversed in each universe. On Earth-One, it was a Supergirl who provided the inspiration for a dejected Batgirl, feeling vulnerable perhaps for the first time in her caped crusading career. On Earth-Two, it was her cosmic twin the Huntress who needed to inspire Power Girl despite the death of the Maid of Might's Kryptonian counterpart. By the end of the Crisis, it was the weaker pair... Batgirl and Power Girl... who were left behind as their courageous best friends Supergirl and Huntress perished attempting to protect their worlds from the mad schemes of the Anti-Monitor. However, in the Earth-Two that remained after the Crisis, in an alternate timeline indicated by past stories, no doubt Huntress continued to inspire her pal through the years to come. Meanwhile, Batgirl was left to reflect on her fallen frriend who died so that the Multiverse could remain in one form or another...

Dynamic Duo Damsels: Kryptonians and Amazons

2011-10-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

The relationship between Kryptonians and Amazons typically involved the Supermen and Wonder Women. However, it was their less notable family who we spotlight today. Specifically, from Earth-One we have Supergirl and Nubia, and from Earth-Two we have Power Girl and Fury.

We have but one encounter between Kara and Nubia, when the former is summonded to Paradise Island and made an honorary Amazon, which coincides with their need to send the Girl of Steel to obtain a rare root that will cure Nubia from a mutated shark bite. Don't ask.

Their counterparts had a more momentus meeting, working side-by-side alongside their Infinity Inc. teammates in defeating the man-monster Solomon Grundy, with Kara imparting knowledge to Lyta who just started her superheroine career as Fury. They'd then part a friends.

Dynamic Duo Damsels: Impetuous Impersonators

2011-10-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Just as two other Earths had mirror images of major marvelous maidens, so had Mary Marvel herself, although maybe not quite as polished! On Earth-S it was a rather trouble-seeking teen who attempted replicating the success that was the World's Mightiest Girl. Freckles Mary Dudley was the niece of the famous Uncle Marvel aka Uncle Dudley, and like her uncle she was prone to stitch together a uniform patterned after the Marvel Family while seeking adventures. She wore a similar costume to her heroine idol while sporting alternate blonde and brunette lockes of hair. While possessing no superpowers as had Mary herself, she still displayed the legendary couragous of her idol.

While Freckles Marvel's career was brief, lasting only a few adventures, her impact was measurable as she helped her best buddy Mary Batson understand the concept of a heroic spirit is not limited to a superhuman body. Just like her counterparts on Earths One and Two, Lena Luthor Thorul Colby and Susie Tompkins, she proved invaluable in aiding the mightiest beings of her world more than once. Although not possessing the mental telepathy of either Lex Luthor's sister Lena or Lois Lane's niece Susie, all three ponytailed lasses proved insightful more than once. And note, while Lena was blonde (like Power Girl's alter ego Karen Starr) and Susie was brunette (like Supergirl's alter ego Linda Danvers), Freckles was both a blonde and a brunette. Regardless, all three ponytail protagonists were ingenious in their own way.

Dynamic Duo Damsels: Modern Mighty Maidens

2011-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

In modern times, Mary Broomfield Batson and Susan Kent Barr had to acclimate to a new era, revived after decades of suspended animation. In this new age, they soon learned something their contemporaries Supergirl/Power Girl and the Hawkgirls already knew, that men were beginning to respect women for the unique aspects they bring to relationships. And to difficult situations, such as when the femme fatale Dreamdancer used her fleet feet and limber style to enthrance her male audience to do her bidding. With Captain Marvel, Bulletman, and other mighty members of the masculinity unable to defeat her, it ended up being the quickwitted planning of this pair that saved the day... and mankind ultimately. The third heroine perserved through the ages, Princess Taia, never had opportunity to bond with these lasses, sticking close to her prince, Ibis the Invincible, as she had done through the ages. And the Wonder Woman of Earth-S, Isis had already apparently concluded her short-lived superheroine career after debutting only a few years prior to this adventure. Between Taia's Ibistick (she borrowed it sometimes), Isis' various abilities and the power of Mary and Susan, this quartet would have been interesting to observe in action!