The Mystery of Rubberman: Plentiful Plastic

Among the rogues gallery of adversaries which the golden age Robotman faced throughout his lengthy career on Earth-Two, one undoubtedly bore him a striking resemblance to a long-lost All-Star ally of his years earlier. In fact, the resemblance wasn't just uncanny, but his true origins were even more so, as we unwind this mystery.

This foe known as Rubberman led a gang in a payroll heist, witnessed by scientist Paul Dennis and his intelligent cybernetic canine Robbie. In fact, Dennis and his pet were Robotman and Robotdog, and shortly after witnessing this crime in action, they purused the criminals and were rebelled by their pliable leader.

This led the robotic duo to visit a local circus, where the attraction's owner refers them to the local fire eater who knew the recently departed Indian rubber man personnally. However, when approached by the metal man and his dog, the fire eater breathes intense flames that nearly melt the pair's metallic frames. Dousing their fiery-tempered foe, Robotman and Robbie track down Rubberman himself, who ensnared them in liquid rubber hardened around them. Despite this, the heroes escaped and subdued Rubberman and his gang.

But some questions can be asked: Who was this Rubberman? Why did he resemble a former teammate of Robotman who disappeared years earlier? In fact, this artificial being was a replica of the original Plastic Man, himself a member of the All-Star Squadron who joined the Freedom Fighters and left their native world of Earth-Two to protect the parallel planet of Earth-X.

Prior to Plastic Man's departure from Earth-Two, a gangster allied with a criminal mastermind created synthetic Plastic Men, with the same abilities and appearance of the original, which he used to initiate a crime wave. During this caper, Woozy Winks had himself transformed through this process into a version of his partner Plastic Man. After the pair defeated the crooks behind the elastic clones, apparently all the Plastic Men were eliminated, although conceivably at least one seemingly remained behind. This being reverted to the criminal mindset of Plastic Man's former identity as criminal Eel O'Brien.

And on another parallel planet, Earth-One. the young hero known as Robbie Reed. the possessor of the H-Dial. This lad could "Dial 'H' for Hero" , allowing him to become various superheroes. Twice, Robby become a clone of Plastic Man, first as a hero and years later as a misguided villain for a brief period. During his second adventure in this identity, Robby was defeated by the Plastic Man native to his world, who helped Reed recover his sanity once their battled had concluded.

The Ladies Behind the Legendary Leeches of Parasite & Atoman

While themselves nearly as infamous as their fellow vile villains, the Luthors the Toymen and Pranksters, counterparts Parasite and Atoman may not have achieved their legendary status without the women behind the scenes. For Parasite, this was is former attorney turned wife Lorna Kramer*, a selfless woman who saw the good in the irradiated rogue whom she sought to legally defend. For Atoman, this was the black marketeer who gave prized Kryptonite meteor rock to Nazi scientist Der Teufel to spawn the irradated Atoman.

Black Widow initiated a bidding war with four prominent men including Teufel, demonstrating to potency of the recently discovered Kryptonite which weakened their mutual foe, Superman. Although Widow's relationship with Atoman was tangental through her client and his superior Teufel, together they were able to  hatch a threat upon the Superman of Earth-Two that nearly ended his life. Although Atoman failed to subdue and slay his foe after multiple encounters, Atoman would return decades later to renew their conflict, while the Widow retired from crime.

Lorna Kramer was a German American defense lawyer, working on the early release from prison request of her client, Raymond Maxwell Jensen aka the Parasite. After a period of time together, the pair fell in love, and as a newly wed couple sired twins. Despite this, the strains of Parasite's former criminal past as a recurring foe of Superman coupled with his powers becoming reactived due to an alien invader known as Mister Xavier caused the couple to divorce.

However, Raymond and Lorna's son Troy and daughter Trini inherited the mutated genes of their father, which nearly ended their lives. Having moved with her children back to her native Germany, Lorna eventually sought out her ex-husband who was able to restore their health with his renewed powers. With the aid of scientists, Parasite was able to extra enough energy from a captive Superman to rid the children of their life-threatening “para-fever”, while giving them temporary powers.

Sadly, continuing to be with his ex-wife and children might eventually have debilitating effects on them physically, as well as emotionally for the bad example he was setting. So Jensen left them once more, finding solace is his continual conflict with his greatest foe, Superman!

While neither Heinrich "Atoman" Melch nor Scarlet Widow had any children of their own, the doppelgängers of Troy and Trini were the German Jewish brother and sister Horst and Frieda, children of the telepathic mutant Friedrich who perished protecting his family and Wonder Woman from Nazi sailors using his power for their benefit. Unlike Troy and Trini, Horst and Frieda had neither father nor mother as they were placed in an American orphanage. Such was the sad tale of these children of gifted men with tragic lives.

* The existence and canonicity of Lorna and her children Troy and Trini were verified in the Parasite's entry in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol 1 17.

Sinister Symbionts Siphoning Supermen

Two documented techniques were employed to drain powers possessed by the Supermen, one which left him weakened and the other which potentially had far deadly effects. Interestingly, two pairs of deadly doppelgänger employed each of these techniques against their world's Man of Steel, very nearly leading to the demise of the Last Sons of Krypton. Although each counterpart used a a different technique against Superman than had the other!

The first technique is exposing the heroes to Green Kryptonite, the radioactive substance remaining from the planet Krypton. On Earth-One, the criminal cyborg Roger "Metallo" Corben was implanted with a Kryptonite "heart" with a two-fold purpose, to keep his cybernetic body alive and as a radiological weapon against the modern day Superman. On Earth-Two, the German soldier Heinrich "Atoman" Melch was injected with a Green Kryptonite serum which both empowered his superhuman body and as a radiological weapon against the golden age Superman.

A less common technique is projecting purple energy dampening radiation, coming from an extraterrestrial origin. On Earth-One, janitor turned criminal Raymond Maxwell "Parasite" Jensen was inadvertently exposed to radioactive material brought from outer space, and which Parasite then used against Superman which weakened him. On Earth-Two, scientist turned villain George "Metalo" Grant developed a purple ray projecting weapon which likewise weakened Superman. While Parasite employed his purple ray aura to transfer Superman's abilities to himself, Metalo developed a related super-serum from the purple radiation to grant Grant his Superman-like attributes.

Parasites’ Power Plays

Maxwell Raymond Jensen and Heinrich Melch were the recipients of tremendous power thrust upon them through exposure to extraterrestrial radioactive elements. These substances transformed them into living atomic furnaces, burning through as much energy as they could absorb. As the Parasite and Atoman, these sinister supervillains required devices that would enable them to control these awesome abilities.

In order to maintain and harness this awesome energy, they were in possession of the Power Prism and Power Regulator. While the Parasite developed his Power Prism with the help of the stolen intellect he purloined scientists, Atoman was bequeathed his Power Regulator (or Control Device) from his mentor. That man was Dr. Teufel, a Nazi scientist bent on seeking vengeance against the man he believed was Germany’s greatest foe, the Superman of Earth-Two. And undoubtedly, the prime intellect from whom Parasite obtained the blueprints for his Power Prosm was Teufel’s counterpart on, the alien adversary known as Amalak. And  indeed, Amalak had a seething hatred towards all surviving Kryptonians in his universe, especially the Superman of Earth-One.

The synthetic prism of power enabled the Parasite the ability to drain energies and vitality from individual from afar, while his innate power required him to make physical contact with his prey to enable this energy-drain. Although in its test phase, the prism inadvertently empowered other random individuals, such as Superman’s young friend Jonathan Ross, this defect was later corrected. Parasite used the prism to animate some toxic muck from Earth-Two’s Slaughter Swamp which its famous resident, Solomon Grundy, brought with him to Earth-One on one occasion. This created an Earth-One version of Grundy, similar to how decades earlier the villain Per Degaton used his temporal crystal which empowered his Time Machine to spawn a temporal clone of Solomon in 1941.

Despite this technology which potentially could’ve tipped the balance of power towards Parasite and Atoman, it was the quick wit and strategy of the Men of Steel who always came out on top during their battles with the Supermen.

Mindful Malevolent Metallics Mask Mystery

The Responsometer was a revolutionary device developed by robotics scientist Dr. Will Magnus. Theorizing that the intrinsct properties of various metals reflects "personality traits", and so created this mechanism which when implanted in specific metals gave them a form of sentience. From this invention, Magnus created the Metal Men, consisting of the original six members: Gold, Iron, Lead, Mercury, Platinum and Tin. Over time, other metals and elemental substances would also be implanted with their own Responsometers, spawning various sub-groups similar to the Metal Men themselves. These robots at times teamed up with various members of the Justice League of America on Earth-One, including the Batman whom they worked with frequently throughout the years.

On Earth-Two, sentinence also was implanted in the vehicle originally named Esmerelda and eventually named Goitrude. Throughout the decades of its existence, this car had various forms consisting of numerous parts, yet was aware of its existence and its surroundings. Eventually, it became the property of cab driver Doiby Dickles, and aided its owner and his friend Alan "Green Lantern" Scott of the Justice Society of America in various adventures. Possibly due to exposure from the emerald energies of Scott's green lantern battery, Goitrude gained its intelligence.

The Metal Men was a cohesive unit, working as one, and even on occasion were fused together as an alloy entity. They also from time to time used their shape-changing abilities to become various racing vehicles. Although the "Jovian Metallic Horde" invading Earth-Two originating from Jupiter-Two were also doppelgängers for these Metal Men, they lacked the mobility of these beings

Goitrude was the forerunner of a generation of special vehicles aiding various superheroes, including the Black Widow, Sand-Car, Atomobile, Esmerelda and the Doll-Plane... driven by the Spider, Sandman, Atom, Wonder Woman's friend Etta Candy and the Doll Man, respectively. 

While none of these other transports evidentially displayed the same self-sentience as had Goitrude, that cab itself passed a portion of its own sentience onto various clones of the supervillain Sinestro, as that renegade former Green Lantern of Earth-One's universe merged his mind with Goitrude's in order to restore his body. It seems that the sentience of the Green Flame Starheart empowering Alan’s lantern also imparted a portion of its intellect to Goitrude, with its emerald energies attracting Sinestro, who wielded such enemies before his rebellion.

Those Sinestro clones remained on Earth-Two, presumably incarcerated or transported off-world to prevent them from harming humanity. They seem to have have been ingrained with Goitrude's redeeming quality of loyalty, as these synthetic Sinesteos allowed themselves to be easily defeated by the Green Lanterns of Earths One and Two, despite having superior numbers and power matching the pair. Perhaps these clones eventually turned good themselves, with Goitrude’s personally overwriting that of Sinestro’s, who returned to his own native universe.

Mercurially Malevolent Metal Men

Will Magus' and Herbert Crawford's Metal Men were either malevolent machines or menacing mechanisms. On Earth-One, Magus developed his Responsometers which stored personalities within the malleable metallic frames of his Metal Men, originally developed to assist the United States government and later the world in combating various threats, both those originating from their own planet as well as those arriving from outerspace. 

On Earth-Two, Crawford developed a means to communicate with an extraterrestrial metallic horde from Jupiter-Two, luring them to his world where solar rays enlarged these Metal Men. Magus designed his artificially produced Metal Men based on the metals of gold, lead, iron, mercury, platinum and tin. Crawford's alien Metal Men replicated the metals of gold, silver, iron, magnesium and copper (another form of Metal Men remained on an alternate Jupiter that Starman once visited).

While the Mangus Metal Men had dozens of adventures as protectors, the Crawford Metal Men only had one notable appearance opposing the Justice Society of America. However, while the original five robot men of Gold, Iron, Lead, Copper, Mercury and their lady robot Platinum were all destroyed after their debut, Mangus rebuilt them and would continue to each time they were destroyed. The later models proved structurally superior to the originals he built.

Besides the original Metal Men, either a maddened Mangus or a robotic duplicate of his spawned other malevolent mechanized men, These included the Robots of Terror aka the "New Metal Men", consisting of Barium, Aluminum, Calcium, Zirconium, Sodium, and Plutonium. Shortly after, the Gas Gang is unleashed on the world, consisting of Oxygen, Helium, Chloroform, Carbon Monoxide, and Carbon Dioxide. Then there was the most notable Metal Men clones, the Metal Women!

While these various versions of the Metal Men co-existed, so too were multiple copies of the Jovian Metal Men on Earth-Two, consisting of at least four of each metal: Gold, Cooper, Silver, Iron, Magnesium, and Metal-X. All these quartets save the Metal-X men were destroyed during their battle with the Justice Society.

The Metal Women consisted of five female counterparts and a male counterpart of the Metal Men created to be love interests for their opposite numbers. The five Metal Women tragically had their synthetic lives cut short during their first adventure, with only the sole male member Platinum Man remaining functional. He would reappear years later, seeking revenge against the Metal Men while entrapping the honorary Metal Men femme-bot known as "Nameless". Batman and the Metal Men defeated Platinum Man and his robotic minions, while the object of his... and Metal Man Tin's... affection perished protecting them.

On occasion, the Metal Men even transformed into various vehicles, which mirrored those automated entities who took the place of Crawford's Metal Men. These were the vehicles Goitrude, Black Widow, Sand-Car, Atomobile, Esmerelda and the Doll-Plane... driven by Green Lantern's pal Doiby Dickles, the Spider, Sandman, Atom, Wonder Woman's friend Etta Candy and the Doll Man. Sometimes these mechanisms, such as Goitrude and its former host vehicle Esmerelda displayed sentience, while others such as the Doll-Plane and Black Widow were at times self-piloting vessels. Some had metamorphic properties, such as the Sand-Car and Atomobile.

The Metal Men of Earth-One had scores of adventures handling a wide-range of threats, both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial. The Jovian Metal Horde only had a single case with the majority of their members versus the Justice Society on Earth-Two, while the aforementioned vehicles had rendered valuable assistance to their human masters in dozens of cases throughout the years.

Cantankerous Cops Cause Costumed Crusaders Conundrums

Sergeant Harvey Bullock was a... complicated... officer who had been a part of the Gotham City Police Department of Earth-One for an unknown period of time. While he had a spurious reputation that hinted at some unethical behavior, while led to his suspension by Police Commissioner James Gordon, Bullock was reinstated to the police force by the corrupt Mayor Hamilton Hill. As a paw of the mayor, who saw Gordon as a political obstacle, Bullock employed a prank on Gordon which backfired, leading the Commissioner to being in a coma for a short period. Regretting his prior decisions, Harvey sought to restore his reputation and became a notable office within GCPD. His relationship with the vigilante Batman was... also complicated.

On the parallel planet of Earth-Two, Detective McGonigle had a similar salty disposition towards the Batman of his world, going so far as to seeking to uncover the vigilante's secret identity. Both Batman and McGonigle save each other from threats to their lives, when both men pursue an ugly horde of gang members secretly led by Larry Larrimore, who himself disfigured the gang members as he himself had been in an attempt to seek both revenge for himself and a cure for his condition. Despite repeated tries, McGonigle is unable to unmask the Batman, and thereafter left Gotham City Police Department.

Bullock would have tense exchanges with Batman and other members of the Batman family, although he restrained himself and worked alongside these masked manhunters. McGonigle moved the Empire City, joining that city's police force where he became the supervisor of police officer Dan Richards, who was secretly the original Manhunter*. 

At this point, McGonigle gave up trying to uncover the secret identities of costumed crusaders whom he met, with Richards finding his coworker an amusing distraction from the grime of crime. It’s unknown if McGonigle came up in conversations between Batman and Manhunter at All-Star Squadron meetings, of which they were both members.

* This is confirmed in the Batman Encyclopedia entry on Detective McGonigle.

What is a Penny Worth? Enough to Fund the Wayne Foundation

For this year's Super Blog Team Up, we each look back on key foundational issues that led to our comic book journey. Yours truly had his passion for this medium sparked by Batman Family #13, although the road to this issue began years earlier.

It all began when Batman and Robin left town, leaving the infamous Tri-State Gang with a golden opportunity to plunder Gotham City uncontested. Nurturing his budding detective skills, Batman's butler Alfred Pennyworth seeks to track down and disrupt the Gang's activities, leaving behind a trail for his employer to pursue. When Batman and his young ward return to the Batcave, ascertaining Alfred is in pursuit the Tri-State crooks, the Dynamic Duo follow his trail. Although they, like Alfred, are captured by the Gang... all three escape and each confront the felons. When Alfred sees his beloved Master Bruce and Master Dick the target of a dislodged boulder, he pushed them out of the way at the cost of his life. Pennyworth perishes, leaving behind his heartbroken masters.

In fact, Alfred was in a deep deathlike coma, and when his body is retrieved from his mausoleum by physician Brandon Crawford, he enters a dramatic new phase in his life! Simultaneous to these events, Bruce decides to fund a new charity enterprise with his vast wealth, naming it the Alfred Foundation. While this was to honor the memory of noble Mr. Pennyworth, Crawford's experimental research unlocked an ignoble side of this same man! From Crawford's radical radiation treatment, Alfred was transformed into the unearthly anomaly known as the Outsider!

In his new identity, the Outsider sought to disrupt and destroy the lives of the two men whom his alter ego Alfred cherished deeply. Unleashing from the behind the scenes the man-monster known as Blockbuster, the Grasshopper Gang, and even Batman's future Justice League colleague Zatanna against the Caped Crusaders... the Outsider's schemes were designed to tear away the confidence of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson until they ended up as he felt they had left him. But the memory of their fallen friend Alfred helped them to endure.

Eventually, Batman and Robin were able to vanquish the Outsider, and restore Alfred Pennyworth to the man he once was. Although forgetting his brief path towards villainy, the experience subconsciously shaped his life, subtly hardening him as had young Bruce when faced with his own trauma years earlier. Meanwhile, the foundation of their friendship endured and grew, just as the foundation named after Alfred transformed.

In fact, the Alfred Foundation was rechristened the Wayne Foundation, still endeavoring to help the underserved in the community through monetary means, just as its founders had through their costumed crimefighting. While these events transpired on Earth-One, on the parallel planet of Earth-Two, that world's Bruce Wayne had himself founded his own version of the Wayne Foundation. This was seen in a similar structure to that of its counterpart, as each Wayne built a Wayne Foundation Penthouse. 

Although the Earth-One Penthouse resided in Gotham City, the Earth-Two Penthouse resided in Metropolis, perhaps due to that world's Wayne having divested himself of his business entanglements to pursue a position as Gotham City's police commissioner. This may also be due to the fact that the Justice Society made their home in Gotham City, unlike the Justice League which headquarters their operations in space orbiting the Earth, and so performed charitable works there. The nearest city to Gotham, Metropolis, was Bruce’s next best option for his Foundation. By that point, Alfred Beagle had retired from being a valet, exploring his thespian side in New Stratford where he could put on his own performance as an “outsider” on the stage.

While Alfred Pennyworth of Earth-One would on occasion revert to his Outsider alter ego, his doppelgänger Alfred Beagle had a different type of physical transformation, as he in his younger years engaged in extensive physical fitness to shed some girth, becoming more gaunt like his cosmic twin

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Batman Family #13 was the first issue purchased by a young Doppelgänger aka Mallo, founder of this blog, and had a profound impact in his comic journey. Subsequent purchases of further comics, highlighting the adventures of an older Bruce Wayne's daughter Helena "The Huntress" Wayne along with his teammates the Justice Society, and their team ups with the Justice League sparked an intense interest not only in comic books, but also in the Multiverse. Points of divergence, where one man retains his station as the trusted butler of the Wayne family, while another man transforms into a supervillain for a time. Such is the shear beauty.... of the DC Multiverse!

Super-Blog Team-Up: Foundations

Date: August 21st 2024

Our comic book  journey takes us to foundational works that ignited your collecting passion. We cover works that built the basis of a character such as a 1st appearance or a major storyline development. We can consider a major story or plot line that had major foundational impact on a universe, set of characters or over all genre. A foundation can be a start point, a central point in history, a trigger, a catalyst. The sky is the limit.. the Foundation begins now.

Participants:

Between the Pages Blog - Everything I Need To Know I Learned From Star Trek 

https://www.betweenthepagesblog.com/2024/08/everything-i-need-to-know-i-learned-from-star-trek.html

TEAL Productions/NewsPrint Commando - Witzend A Foundational Comic

Superhero Satellite: The Comics Digest. A foundational entryway to comics from Archie to DC Blue Ribbon and Beyond.

https://charltonhero.wordpress.com/2024/08/21/super-blog-team-up-foundations-a-digest-story/

Dave’s Comic Heroes Blog - Justice League Of America 200.

https://davescomicheroes.blogspot.com/2024/08/justice-league-of-america-200.html

*51 - My First Next Issue, Incredible Hulk #333

https://asterisk51.blogspot.com/2024/08/my-first-next-issue-incredible-hulk-333.html

The Source Material Comics Podcast - “Traumatic Resonance - What I Learned from Deb Whitman” -  https://www.spreaker.com/episode/super-blog-team-up-traumatic-resonance-what-i-learned-from-deb-whitman--61072981

DC Multiverse - What is a Penny Worth? Enough to Fund the Wayne Foundation 

https://earth-one-earth-two.blogspot.com/2024/08/what-is-penny-worth-enough-to-fund.html

2nd Generation Goggled Gliders: Von Hammer II & McNider II

Rittmeister Hans Von Hammer and Doctor Charles McNider were noble individuals with heroic dispositions. However, while McNider was a doctor and a healer, VonHammer was a warrior and a killer. Each faced tragedy, the Rittmeister from the blind greed of his society and the Doctor the literal blindness inflicted by a bullet. As the Enemy Ace and Doctor Mid-Nite, these two doppelgänger led among the most diametrically divergent lives of any two counterparts on Earths One and Two respectively.

At some point, possibly in the 1940s, Von Hammer died of undisclosed causes. In the late 1940s, McNider himself technically died alongside his fellow members of the Justice Society when each of them was attacked by an insane museum guard impersonating history's greatest villains. While Von Hammer had progeny in the form a descendant named Heinrich Von Hammer, McNider faced a drastically different situation.

After being brought along with four other Justice Socialites to Transformation Island by their colleagues Wonder Woman and Black Canary, each of them was revived thanks to Paula VonGunther's Purple Healing Ray (of which the original model was invented by Wonder Woman herself). Months after the Society defeated the crazed museum bandit, the Justice Society faced Professor Zobar Zodiak, who bound the male members of the team on his perpetual motion machine.

Freeing themselves by reverting their bodies to that a adolescent boys using Zodiak's elixir of youth, McNider gained that which the other four members already gained years before, a second chance at a new life! While Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Atom gained extended life due to exposure from the shadows emitted from their foe Ian Karkull, a revitalized McNider/Mid-Nite was born that day!

After a sky duel in which Heinrich assumed his forefather's role as the Enemy Ace versus Batman, the German lost his life when his plane crashed. At this point, it was his rival and the true heir to the original Enemy Ace's legacy, the Batman who took up his role. As such, shortly after during a cosmic crisis involving Creator 2, the cosmos deemed that Doctor Mid-Nite's closest Earth-One counterpart was the Batman, since both previous Enemy Aces had since perished. Soon after, the Batman of Earth-Two would himself die in battle saving his allies of the Justice Society.

Miracle Medicines Manufacture Meta-Human Marvels

Many catalysts imbued various humans throughout the Multiverse with a wide range of superhuman abilities. From intense solar radiation to divergent gravitational forces, from lightning bolts to hard water, from white dwarf stars to atomic radiation, from genetic mutation to biological adaptation. Such were the catalysts that spawned the Supermen, the Flashs, the Atoms and the Aquamen of Earths One and Two.

But there were other means, developed by scientists, to unlock metahuman potential in themselves and others. Among these were miracle medicines or divergent drugs, such as those considered below. These examples are both a small sampling of the many possible chemical combinations potentially available in each universe.

Zoologist Kirk Langstron of Earth-One sought to harness traits found in the unique flying mammals which inspired his personal hero, the Batman, Through his Bat-Gland serum, Langstrom was able to transform his body into Man-Bat, a hybrid hero blending but human and bat into a new life form. Initially, his transformations affected his mind, until Batman was able to help him regain his sanity. Man-Bat would oscillate between hero and villain, using his wings to glide, his sonar sense to navigate and his superior strength to subdue his foes.

Chemist Rex Tyler of Earth-Two developed the Miraclo pill, enabling him to obtain superhuman strength, speed, durability and agility for one hour at a time. As the Hourman, he successfully carved out a costumed career for himself, soon after becoming a founding member of both the Justice Society of America and the Freedom Fighters. However, addiction to Miraclo caused Rex to experience adverse affects, leading him to partially retire until he could reformulate his miracle drug into a safer compound.

Research assistance Duncan Pramble of Earth-Two worked alongside an archaeologist when he discovered an ancient elixir known as Liquid Light, which when ingested caused Pramble to mutate into various bodies. Each body had its own superhuman abilities, which he used unsuccessfully as the supervillain Multi-Man, as the Challengers of the Unknown defeated him time and again, as its leader and resident scientist Prof Riley developed an anecdote that neutralized Liquid Light's effects.

Rex Tyler eventually developed a variation on his Miraclo treatment, creating a Black-Ray device which helped him unlock the pills powers by bathing in its radiation. Eventually, Tyler developed a safer version of Miraclo, perhaps derived from investigating the foe of his Justice Society ally Doctor Fate. That foe, Mister Who, had himself developed the Z-Solution which allowed him to transform into various forms similar to that displayed by both Multi-Man and Garfield "Changeling" Logan of Earth-One, who's father treated him with to save his life. Having observed how Mister Who displayed no detrimental physical defects to his solution when both Doctor Fate and Hourman battled him, Tyler may have adopted part of Who's formula and integrated into his reinvented Miraclo pill.

Green Globs vs Glowing Globes: Good vs Greed

The Guardians of the Universe, that is the universe of Earth-One, sought to restore order to their chaotic realm through various means. First, the converted the rogue member of the race Krona, transforming him into a globe orbiting the expansive cosmos for all eternity. Second, the Guardians exile energy incompatible with their own emerald energy, which the concentrated and projected into the heart of a star in Earth-Two's universe. Third, they developed a series of powerful protectors, which they dispatched throughout the galaxies surrounding their planet Oa.

Among these avenging agents were the android Manhunters, who eventually became defective as they saw all living beings as inherently evil, which they saw as falling into the mission statement and purpose to remove all evil from the universe. Following this, the Guardians developed numerous power batteries and power rings which drew energy from these, appointing living agents throughout thousands of space sectors as Green Lanterns. To further aid in civilizations untouched by the Lanterns' activities, the Guardians also developed sentient Green Globs, empowered by their emerald energy to teach individuals moral lessons. One such Green Glob arrived on Earth-One during the 1960s, prior to the appointment of that world's first Green Lantern, Hal Jordan.

Meanwhile, in last 1941, Earth-Two was invaded the the exiled Globe of Evil. This entity sought out an individual nursing animosity which it could harness to split its essence into multiple globes. Together with this human, former boxer and trainer Joe Morgan, the Evil-Globes fomented a conflict between Joe's three former students.... Ted "Wildcat" Grant, Al "Atom" Pratt, and Jim "Guardian" Harper... versus Alan "Green Lantern" Scott, Jay "Flash" Garrick and Diana "Wonder Woman" Prince. Once freed of the globes' mental control, the three protegees of Morgan joined their three former foes to track down Joe and combat the original Globe.

One such individual whom the Green Glob regrettably never had opportunity to encounter and thus effect was gym teacher Guy Gardner, who was later be recruited by the Guardians as the backup Green Lantern of Sector 2814. Although Gardner was eventually tasked with substituting for the primary Lantern, Hal Jordan, this case led to tragedy which fractured Guy's mind. Like his counterpart Joe Morgan, Guy Gardner became corrupted by the emerald energy gifted him, turning him into a morally dubious Green Lantern when finally called upon once more during the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Following their battle with the Evil-Globes, the six members of the All-Star Squadron vanquished the creature as Morgan perished, with Alan Scott using his power ring to exile the emerald entity from Earth-Two. Like the Evil-Globes, the Green Globs left Earth-One, nevermore to return.

Plant People Pester Planetary Protectors

Bur Ser and his son Ker Sed were self-appointed "Keepers of the Balance", who traveled to various worlds attempt to return the worlds they visited to ecological balance. Their terraforming of Earth-One was opposed by members of the Justice League, including Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Black Canary, Atom and Hawkman.

King Tassel and his lieutenant Lord Cob were the rulers of the planetary moon known as Rykornia, which sought to usurp control over worlds they visited. Their terraforming of Earth-Two was opposed by Justice Society member Wonder Woman, along with her friend Etta Candy and the other Holliday Girls of Holliday College.

Each Dastardly Duo was armed with powerfully potent seeds, which they spread across areas of North America. These subverted the normal ecology of the Earths, causing devastating effects to the environment as their alien nature was incompatible with the worlds they were introduced to. Initially, they plant men and their vile vegetation seemed to overwhelm their superhuman opponents.

Ker Sed and his papa Bur Sed wielded staffs, which were the source of their amazing powers. This included the power of flight, teleportation, force fields and the ability to redirect any force projected against the ones who wield them, which made the Seds nearly invincible when facing individual Leaguers and the combined team. Similarly, the various forms of plant life which they introduced on Earth-One proved difficult to remove.

Lord Cob and his master King Tassel had a vast army of creatures like themselves. While mentally controlling their fellow Plant People, the Rykornian’s forests quickly grew to gigantic size, sucking the nutrients from soil of which it was planted. 

Eventually, the Justice League hatched a scheme where they tricked the father-son foes by pretending to aid them I  spreading their seeds, distracting them as their staffs were stolen from them. Now susceptible to the excess oxygen in Earth-One’s atmosphere, Bur Sed and Ker Sed had to flee from that planet once their staffs were given back to them.

Similarly, Wonder Woman and the Holliday Girls constructed and unleashed a gigantic mechanical vacuum, capable of capturing King Tassel, Lord Cob along with their Plant People and large stalks. With this device, the Amazing Amazon exiled them back to Rykornia, which she was able to thrust back into space.

Long Lived Lads & Lasses Leave Lasting Legacies

Vitamin L-3 was first discovered by Holliday College student Etta Candy, while chemically unlocking water derived from the Amazonian Paradise Island, which granted those who ingested its solution with immortality. At least in one potential future of Earth-Two, this is the method by which Etta and her fellow teenage Holliday Girls along with her family friends lived through the centuries. By the 30th century, she along with her best friend Diana "Wonder Woman" Prince and Diana's boyfriend Steve Trevor had a series of adventures.

A similar chemical compound, a serum developed by Doctor B'renlden, was invented several years later on Earth-One. This serum was then shared with all humanity, which then offered it to other worlds who joined Earth's planetary alliance. This was the means by which members of the 30th century's Legion of Super-Heroes were able to remain as "teenagers", as decreed in their bylaws. However, this was a simply a term adapted to categorized individuals at that time who were below the age of 50 years old!

While the Earth-Two Wonder Woman was aware of this serum, and presumably shared it with her own extended friends... perhaps including fellow members of the Justice Society... such was not the case on the Legion's world. There, the Legionnaires prevented their 20th century member Superboy from learning of this immortality compound, for fear of disrupting the Legion's on timeline from the past.

Undoubtedly concurrent to Diana, Steve and Etta's presence in the same era as Rokk Braddon's Space Legion, it's highly likely that they worked together with those 30th century protectors of Earth-Two. Whether they were part of their universe's version of the Legion of Super-Heroes is unknown, yet quite possible given their similar aims at maintaining order and securing the police.

However, further evidence throughout subsequent tales of Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor indicate that in the main 20th century timeline, Etta either did not discover this vitamin, or did not share it with them... as the couple aged rather than maintain their youth as in the L-3 timeline. In fact, in an early 1950's Justice Society case, Wonder Woman and her teammates were thrust forward a thousand years, where they aided the Space Legion versus an invasion of Chameleons (after resolving a misunderstanding between them as seen here). Had Wonder Woman still be alive in this future timeline, her 20th century version and the Society wouldn't have been recruited to oppose this threat.

Diametrically Different Dimensions: Aqua & Tbolt

Amidst the myriad of dimensional planes attached to the various universes throughout the DC Multiverse, those associated with Earths One and Two have a pair that are distinct from one another. While the 4th dimension (Bgztl and Duomal respectively), the 5th dimension (each with its own planet Zrfff) and the 7th dimension worlds of each universe are remarkably similar, those of the two elemental dimensions are diametrically different. These realities known as Dimension Aqua and Thunderbolt Dimension have unique natures apart from each other, tied directly into how fundamental forces work differently in each.

Dimension Aqua was first encountered when Queen Mera of it predominant world fled that dimensional plane for that of Earth-One, when her throne was usurped. Encountering Aquaman and his sidekick Aqualad, the trio battled the evil Leron and his force seeking to recapture her and obtain the science behind the dimensional warp which led Mera to Earth. To combat Leron and his henchmen's mastery over hydrokinesis, Aquaman recruited the water-sprite named Quisp, who attempted to gather his fellow sprites to help Mera liberate her realm. Although Quisp and his fellow sprites were unsuccessful, Mera and the boys were able to thwart Leron.

Thunderbolt Dimension was first entered by humans arriving from Earth-Two shortly after the Justice Society along with Earth-One's Justice League battled the alien antagonist known as Aquarius. As she just lost her husband Larry Lance in death during the battle, Black Canary herself was also succumbing to radiation poisoning from the battle. Superman brought her to this dimension to see her daughter Dinah, who had been sleeping in suspended animation for decades following her traumatic metahuman mutation as a baby, Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt transferred the memories of mother in to daughter, with the young Dinah now gaining her mother's maturity allowing her to master her sonic screams that plagued her as a child. Years later, she along with Starman would return to the Thunderbolt Dimension, when Johnny's Earth-One counterpart temporarily took control over the Thunderbolt.

While Dimension Aqua had Atlantean-like humans as its residents, the Water Sprites were native to Earth-One. The Thunderbolt Dimension had the Sprites' counterparts the Thunderbolts as residents, while the Aqua-humans' doppelgängers (such as Mera's counterpart Eeras) were native to Earth-Two. As with the intrinsic nature of Hard Water and Lightning Bolts differing in each universe, So too the physics of these parallel Dimensions mirror this. Hard water grants superhuman speed on Earth-Two which lightning grants on Earth-One. Conversely, lightning creates solidified constructs on Earth-Two and hard water does the same on Earth-One.

Improbable Indiscernible Invisibility

Invisibility is the attribute of bending light around an object to make it appear indiscernible to either the naked eye, or even from technological detection. The first individual known to successfully uncover the secret behind this science was Professor Hans Van Dorn, whom private detective Kent Thurston attempted to free when Van Dorn was kidnapped. Kent as the Invisible Hood dowsed his cloak with the Professor's chemical compound, allowing him to disappear at will.

Over a year later, another scientist named Kyle developed his invisio-solution. Under the alias of the Mist, he coated both himself and his henchmen in this substance, allowing them to seemingly be undetected from law enforcement officials while they engaged in criminal activities. However, the caped crusader known as Starman repeatedly uncovered both the Mist and his schemes. Over time, the Mist's solution also transformed his body into a gaseous substance. Earth-One scientist Sam Toth utilized a particle accelerator, which inadvertently changed his body's composition into something similar to his Earth-Two counterpart the Mist.

A thousand years later, another scientist named Lyle Norg developed a serum which achieved the same effect as his counterpart Kent Thurston, transforming him into the Invisible Kid. While Lyle would join the Legion of Super-Heroes, a team of teenagers connected to the 30th century of Earth-One where they would travel to on various adventures, Kent joined the Freedom Fighters. Thurston and his teammates left their native world of Earth-Two to assist the hero-less world of Earth-X.

Sadly, both Lyle and Kent perished in battle while working alongside their teammates. Although still undetectable to human eye, neither was invulnerable to impending threats. If only their invisibility formulas had the added benefit of intangibility like Silver Ghost and the Mist, they’d still be alive.

Twice-Told-Tales: Black Spheres Face Justice

The Black Spheres were advanced entities from another universe where they developed over positive time into a hyper-intelligent state, until time was reversed. To avoid reverting to an inferior form now that they experienced negative time, these globular creatures entered the universe of Earths One and Two, with four of these beings on each Earth merging with human hosts. This granted the four individuals with superhuman abilities, yet also with a perversion towards committing evil acts.

While the events occurred simultaneously on these parallel planets, only the four adversaries of the Justice Society were identified and dealt with in the chronicled tales. As the Society battled Money Master, Gem Girl, Smashing Sportsman and How Chu... the League was facing four unidentified individuals with similar abilities. As Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt pulled four Leaguers to the Society's Earth-Two to assist them, the Black Sphere bandit's Earth-One counterparts would be dealt with following this adventure.

From similar encounters with the League on Earth-One, we can ascertain the identities of the four recipients of Black Spheres on that world. These were museum curator Dexter Myles (who was impersonated by Doctor Light aka the Green Ghost), queen Dela Pharon (aka the second Star Sapphire), scientist turned boxer Karl Keller (aka the Annihilator) and Attucka*. These four apparently had some contact with the spheres, which each hero dealt with separately. Then mid-battle, three Leaguers (Superman**, Flash and Green Lantern) as well as a fourth (Green Arrow***) were pulled to Earth-Two by the Thunderbolt. Following the resolution of this tale, they were then dispatched to Earth-One where they dealt with their foes... with Aquaman having finished his conflict with Attucka without interruption.

* While the Black Sphere bandit candidates of Earth-One each had other sources of power, from Doctor Light's weaponry to Star Sapphire's gem to Annihilator's Kryptonian chemical... these were all augmented and enhanced by absorption of the spheres. 

** At the same time as Justice Society member Hourman battled a Black Sphere enhanced Superman, Hourman’s counterpart Prof Riley and the Challengers of the Unknown battled the electrical scientist known as the Powerman, also granted powers in part by a Black Sphere.

*** Green Areow appeared to have had a rough day like his three teammates due to his costume, all his tale isn’t documented.

Misplaced Mechanized Motorized Marvels in the Multiverse

The six members of the Crime Champions wielded wonderous weapons against their arch-foes of the Justice League and Justice Society. Three of these supervillains originated on Earth-One, and the other three resided on Earth-Two. Among their number, two of these felons possessed mechanized marvels which they employed in various capers throughout the years.

Chronos designed his Flying Sundial, a gigantic hover craft with a protective dome allowing him to traverse various environments. Aboard this vessel, he carried numerous time-themed gadgets along with smokescreens allowing him to travel undetected.

Fiddler designed the Fiddle Car, a custom-made automobile in the shape of a gigantic fiddle on wheels affording him high-speed travel across various terrains. Within this vehicle, he carried numerous music-themed gadgets along with exhaust pipes emitting thick smoke cover.

During the Crime Champions' inaugural case, Chronos brought his Flying Sundial to Earth-Two when he faced members of the Justice League*. Years later, following his Injustice Society's latest defeat, Fiddler brought his Fiddle Car to Earth-One when he faced the Teen Titans. While both villains were captured by their opponents and returned to their native Earths, their vehicles were left behind. Apparently, Chronos and Fiddler had either rebuilt the Flying Sundial and Fiddler Car, or had already possessed a second set of these vehicles back on their own Earths. 

Hence, Earths One and Two each had a Flying Sundial and Fiddle Car, although those motorized marvels left behind evidently ended up collecting dust from disuse as their former owners left them behind.

* Interestingly, during this same adventure, the Batman and Wonder Woman of Earth-One were seen on piloting a Batplane and Invisible Plane on Earth-Two when they battled Doctor Alchemy of the Crime Champions. Alchemy transformed these planes into winged horses in an attempt to throw the Justice Leaguers to their death. Although this scheme was unsuccessful, it was not shown what became of these transformed horses. Did they stay in those forms or revert to their motorized versions? 

It seems likely that, in fact, these were solidified energy constructs created by Doctor Fate when he brought the Leaguers to Earth-Two, using his atomic restructuring powers (since there is no record of either hero/heroine meeting his/her counterpart on this occasion and borrowing their vehicles for this adventure). These planes allowed Wonder Woman and Batman to reach their destination.