Sturdy Steel Sentinels: Sarge Steel & Cliff Steel

Sarge Steel of Earth-Four and Cliff Steele of Earth-One always gravitated to where the action was until disaster changed their lives. Then they increased their exposure to danger, to protect the innocent as agents of the people.

Sarge was a member of Army Intelligence operating overseas during the Vietnam War. There he stopped a grenade to protect others, but at the cost of his left hand. Cliff was a famous race car driver, who succumbed to life threatening injuries when his body was pulverized during a deadly car crash.

While Sarge gained cybernetics only in his left hand, Cliff had an entire robotic body with only his human brain housed within its cranium structure. While Sarge worked only on occasion with the Sentinels of Justice… preferring to work solo… Cliff as Robotman worked alongside the Doom Patrol, a team founded by its leader Niles “The Chief” Caulder who had saved Cliff’s life and built his new body.

Both Cliff and Sarge had a more cerebral but equally action-oriented doppelgänger on Earth-Two, scientist Robert Crane aka Robotman, who likewise had his life saved when his brain was implanted into his experimental mechanical body.

Fearless Fedora Fist Fighters: Radar and the Question

Amongst the more colorful costumed crimefighters, there are those who prefer wearing a stylized suit during their crimebusting careers. Two notable examples were Pep "Radar" Pepper of Earth-S and Vic "Question" Sage of Earth-Four. Both men had deductive abilities far exceeding those of their peers, as well as being adept at hand-to-hand combat.

Pep Pepper was initially a soldier who gained notoriety for his various skills during a live performance, and further boxing match with Captain Marvel. When it was discovered that he had low-level telepathy, he was recruited as an International Policeman code named Radar, who received his missions from transmissions originating at his employer's headquarters at Mt. Mysto while wearing a suit and fedora.

Vic Sage was a crusading journalist who fought to clean up the streets of Chicago, and later Hub City. However, his friend Professor Rodor gifted Vic with a special gas which transformed Sage's suit and fedora into a different color, while leaving his face featureless to disguise his identity. As the Question, Vic pursued various leads from his own news agency which he we employed at, and eventually worked alongside fellow superheroes like Blue Beetle and Captain Atom as part of the Sentinels of Justice.

On Earth-One and Earth-Two, the roles of Pep and Vic as the premiere suit-and-tie law enforcement professional of their worlds were filed by police detectives John “J’Onn Jon’zz” Jones and Larry "Radio Patrol" Trent (themselves tied to caped crusaders Dirk “Martian Manhunter” Giles and Clark “Superman” Kent)

Scarlet-and-Gold Spandex Skilled Soldiers

As the world was heading once more into a war that would grip the globe, a plethora of powerless protectors debuted.

Rip Jagger was a mere sergeant on a southern Pacific island on Earth-Four, when he encountered a band of Asian freedom fighters fighting against their Japanese occupiers. Once Rip completed his training and adopted the alias of Judomaster, he rejoined the armed forces and proved a valuable agent against the Axis young partner named Tiger. 

On Earth-Two at the same time but in the United States, newspaper publisher Lee Travis and his chauffeur Tiger used their own considerable fighting abilities as Crimson Avenger and Wing. Both on their own as well as members of Law’s Legionnaires and All-Star Squadron, they were exemplary mystery men among their peers.

Similarities? Definite love of red and yellow... not very common among the superhero set. Physically adept heroes equipped with various small weaponry. Mentors to junior partners. 

During the latter 1940's, each was pulled from their own time and awoke in a modern age decades later without having aged a day, standing alongside their fellow mystery men. While Travis succumbed to fatal exposure to radiation during his time-tossed adventure in the early 1980's, leading to his early demise, Jagger seemingly was thrust from his native time period into the mid 1980s during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Perhaps he reunited with his former protegee Tiger, who as a seasoned adult became the martial arts mentor of Eve Eden. Eden, the daughter of a prominent United States Senator and of royalty from a shadow dimension, was secretly the government agent known as Nightshade. Tiger's doppleganger Wing had himself given his life to save his mentor Lee and his Legionnaires allies durinr their final mission.

In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.

Charlton Comics’ Other Action Heroes

On the parallel planet of Earth-Four, a terrific trio of troubleshooters appeared on occasion alongside Blue Beetle and Peacemaker. While this quintet never had a name, they may have been a precursor for the future Sentinels of Justice, of which Blue Beetle would be a future member. The original Sentinels consisted of another tremendous trio bequeathed with specialized garments which granted them amazing abilities. As to the origin of the superpowers on display by today's trio, whether these traits were inherent or augmented by sophisticated devices, is unknown.

When the aspiring young  inventor Jack Biceps adopted to alter ego of a supervillain named  Sinestro the Boy Fiend, he attempted to make a name for himself as protector for all criminals. Biceps was opposed by the two established action heroes, as well as newcomers Captain USA, Green Spider and Superguy. While never having appeared before, these three were apparently well known by their adversary, thus establishing their notoriety among the more publishized contemporareous costumed crusaders.

Captain USA had cosmic twins on Earth-One/Earth-Two who were  geologists/oil magnates Pete Ross and Tex Thomson. This pair were amateur adventurers, inspired by  Superboy and Superman, and for a time wore caped costumes as superheroes.

Pete of Earth-One and Tex of Earth-Two assumed the alter egos of the second Superboy and Mister America, respectively. While Captain USA seemingly had natural superhuman strength and the power of flight, Pete and Tex used their technological prowess to artificially replicate the abilities of the Supermen.

Superguy’s Earth-One/Earth-Two doppelgängers were Kara Zor-El/Linda Lee Danvers and Kara Zor-L/Karen Starr. These two heroines also known as Supergirl and Power Girl were the first cousins and secret weapons of their Earths’ Supermen during the same period of time, until they latter gained public notoriety. Superguy likewise was less well known than the Superman of Earth-Four, Captain Atom, of whom there was no known familial connection. 

Green Spider’s counterparts were the rogue vigilantes Black Spider and the Spider, dark reflections of the more noble Batmen. While those heroes operated in the Gotham Cities of Earth-One and Two, Green Spider’s base of operations was in Earth-Four’s Gothamville.

Although nothing is known as to their personal origins nor their civlian identities, each man possessed superpowers. Whether they had innate abilities or were technically enhanced, they appeared to be barely sufficient at holding this own versus an amateur antagonistic, his world's version of the twin Earth Flash’s’ foes Trickster and Gadgeteer.

The Boy Fiend was able to evade this quintet, a loss which Peacemaker and Blue Beetle recovered from but which this trio of amateur costumed crusaders apparently did not.  This is evident in the short term nature of Green Spider, Captain USA and Superguy's heroic histories.

Sinister Supervillain Squad of Hub City

The sinister Squad was a one-time assemblage of antagonists founded by the Manipulator, a corrupt corporate seeking power to dominate his world. To that end, he has enlisted the aid of Iron-Arms, Fiery-Icer, the Banshee as well as the Madmen.

Following their initial appearance unopposed, the Squad drew the attention of their World’s Greatest Heroes, the Sentinels of Justice. These Sentinels were the second incarnation of this heroic team, following the adventures of Helio, Mentalia and Brute who were the group’s original members.

The new Sentinels were the fantastic four of Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Question and Nightshade. Like their counterparts of Earths One, Two and S (the Justice League, Justice Society, Squadron of Justice), the Sentinels “dark mirror” followed a long line of opposing opposite numbers, just as Injustice Gang, Injustice Society, and the Monster Society of Evil. 

However, the Squad members doppelgängers were far more successful than the Squad themselves. While Ironarms and Fiery-Icer were only occasional annoyances of Captain Atom, Metallo/Metalo and Captain Cold/Icicle were persistent pests of the Supermen, the Flash and Green Lantern. Although Banshee was a two-time failure, Ragman and Rag Doll were like him tied to the circus life with specialized suits and skills. The menacing Madmen were more street-level thugs than the Jokers and the equally numerous Secret Society of Super-Villains.

Terrific Trios: Flying Furies & Mighty Mites

Within both the Justice League and Justice Society were informal sub-groups, where likeminded members formed close bonds with one another. Examples of these included Green Lantern and the Flash, and the World’s Finest Team of Superman and Batman. Then was also a terrific trio, the flying furies Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and their pal the Atom.

On Earth-Two in 1940, Al “Atom” Pratt and Carter “Hawkman” Hall were founding members of the Justice Society of America. Decades later on Earth-One, Ray “Atom” Palmer and Katar “Hawkman” Hol were the second and third members inducted to the Justice League of America following its founding. Early adventures of these dual duos later included Shiera Hall and Shayera Hol aka  Hawkgirl and Hawkwoman, respectively.

Another triumphant triad on Earth-Four were the first to call themselves the Sentinels of Justice. These  included the gliding guy Helio, mind-over-matter maiden Mentalia, and powerful paragon Brute. Originally a musical group, these lads and lass were given devises allowing them to either defy gravity or gain superhuman strength. After a series of adventures, they apparently retired, and later the Sentinels of Justice consisted of Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Nightshade and Question.

On Earth-S, the dynamic duo of Bulletman and Bulletgirl… their world’s Hawks… never had occasion to meet their planet’s version of the Atoms, Captain Kid/Courage. Instead, another trio in the Lieutenants Marvel filled that role as predecessors of the later incarnation of their world’s premier team, the Squadron of Justice.

Straight Shooting Suave Stud of Earth-Four

Not all the analogues on the “Charlton” based characters of Earth-Four lined up nearly with the superheroes on Earths One and Two. But they still had their doppelgängers’ heroic dispositions. Such was true with the romantic vagabond known as Jonnie Love.

While sporting a vandyke beard and socially conscious attitude like Oliver “Ollie” Queen on Earth-One, he was more rigid to authority structures such as the Oliver Queen of Earth-Two. Unlike either of them, Jonnie never adopted a costumed alias as the Queen’s had with their Green Arrow alter ego. And Jonnie modeled his look more on the Arrows’ teenage sidekick Roy “Speedy” Harper of red and yellow. And instead of a bow and arrow, Jonnie preferred plucking his guitar to serenade his sweathearts and swoon sassy sisters he met on his journeys.

During the early 1940s, Love would travel from town to town,  getting involved in a seeming endless string of relationships that ended with his defending innocent women from predatory males, whom he'd fearless face. Whether or not he ever found true love is unknown, as if if he ever met any of his world's "Action Heroes" that were active in the 1960s through the 1980s.

Crime busters: Charlton Copycats

Two obscure worlds with equally obscure heroes, known as Earth-Four and an Earth in an adjacent Earth within the Watchmen Universe. Their parallel are remarkable!

The preeminent teams of each world, the Sentinels of Justice and the Crimebusters, did not have long tenures. Their members mostly operated separately or in smaller teams as fabled "Action Heroes"..

For instance, Captain Atom and Nightshade had a budding romance that blossomed during their adventures as had Doctor Manhattan and Silk Spectre. 

Other dynamic duos such as Blue Beetle and Question handled more street level crime as had Niteowl and Rorschach.

Then there were those who worked mostly on their own... the cerebral athletes Thunderbolt and Ozymandas a prime example... as were weapon wielding warriors such as Peacemaker and Comediante. 

These champions were the latest to don colorful costumes, and were preceded by an earlier generation birthed during the Second World War. Perhaps most notable of those first heroes were the original Blue Beetle and Niteowl who inspired their successors directly and others by example.

Other golden age gladiators of good, such as Earth-Four's Judomaster, Tiger, Captain USA, Superguy, Green Spider and Yellowjacket mostly did their own things.

Conversely, the longest lasting leagues of legends in the Watchmen realm... the Minute-Men... assembled such golden oldies as Captain Metropolis, Hooded Justice, Dollar Bill, Moth, Silhouette and the first Silk Spectre into a tenuous team.

Joining them. were the first Niteowl and Comedinate, and combined were longer lasting than the original Sentinels of Justice composed of Helio, Mentalia and Brute that took orders from federal agent Sarge Steel for a brief period of time during the modern age of manhunters.

The Other "S" Teams of Justice: Why didn't they last?

Earths S and Four were the more in conspicuous parallel planets to the more famous Earths One and Two. Unlike those latter two, the former two consisted of superheroes who mostly operated on their own or with their familial sidekicks. Think the Marvel Family...Judomaster and Tiger... and more whom we will now consider. Nevertheless, on occasion the greatest champions of each Earth banded together as had Justice League and Justice Society.

On Earth-S, Captain Marvel banded together with the three Lieutenant Marvels and labeled their quartet as the Squadron of Justice, and decades later six more heroes formed a second Squadron to fight alongside the League and Society. This was their only known adventure.

On Earth-Four, three young heroes in Helio, Brute and Mentalia used special devices to fight the forces of evil as the Sentinels of Justice. Later, a quartet led by Captain Atom adopted this same moniker for a single chronicled tale.

Yet what caused the Squadron and Sentinels to only be temporary team-ups? For the heroes of Earth-Four, their was a tension between its members due to their differing ideologies... from a government agent... an alien princess... a corporate magnate... and a ruthless journalist. For the heroes of Earth-S, their was mutual respect that bound these heroes into lasting friendships, although their cases took them in different directions that consumed their time and energy.

Bedeviling Brunette Beauty Bewilders

Illyria was similar in certain ways to her counterparts on other Earths, in so much as she had a strong will and resourcefulness that drove her to wrongdoing time after time. However, she diverted from her cosmic twins in that she didn't seek riches, but instead had a deep sense of perverse patriotic pride for her inidentifed nation.

On Earths One and Two, a Selina Kyle adopted the costumed criminal alias of Catwomna, after each of these larcenous lasses first encountered and were defeated by their respective Batman. After several classes with their mail adversaries throughout the years, both of these women retired to pursue romantic relationships with the alter ego of the Batmen, wealthy parallel playboys Bruce Wayne.

However, as is often the case on Earth-S, people there are substantially divergent. Such was the case as to Illyria, who remained in nightgowns without flamboyant costumes. And instead of encountering the Dynamic Duo of her world, Mister Scarlet and Pinky, she had a recurrent opposition with another hero... Minute Man aka Jack Weston.

On a fourth world, Earth-Four, Illyria and the Selinas’ counterpart was the foreign operative known as Lynx. She had a series of confrontations versus Sarge Steel, as each were working for nations on opposing sides during the Cold War of the 1960s. There seemed to be some romantic chemistry between Lynx and Sarge, although ultimately frustrated due to their opposing agendas.

As the Queen of Spies, she naturally continued to run into Minute Man as she tried to disrupt various aspects of the American government and military. Eventually, after a series of failures versus Weston's alter ego, Illyria's boss the Green Hood grew displeased at her seeming uselessness. Although she nearly perished at the hands of the Hood, Minute Man saved her life. After this encounter, she disappeared. Did she end up with Jack in the end?

Fawcett Fridays: Peak Physique Personas

On parallel planets populated with powerful people, it would at first seem that Peter Cannon and Jack Weston were ordinary. But in fact, each man was extraordinary, accomplishing tremendous feats of physical and psychological strength that far exceed their more common-place contemporaries, and earned the respect of their superpowered peers.

Jack Weston was the first to appear, in 1941 as the costumed crimefighter known as Minute-Man on Earth-S. Left an orphan after first his mother’s passing, followed by his father dying during World War I. Throughout his formative years, Jack was trained in various physical and psychological discipline, each of which he excelled in. Recruited by his guardian General Milton into adopting an alter ego as a One-Man-Army, Jack as Minute-Man battled a wide range of both local criminals and foreign adversaries.

Peter Cannon was an orphan whose parents were medical professional a group of Tibetan monks in the Himalayas from a ravenous disease. In gratitude for this self sacrifice, the monks raised Peter and taught him from ancient scrolls how to unlock his full physical and mental potential. Journeyed to his parents’ native country the United States of America, Peter as the costumes crusader known as the Thunderbolt on Earth-Four. Cannon fought a wide range of both local criminals and foreign adversaries.

While Peter’s femme fatale was the one-shot Egyptian temptress known as Evila, John’s femme fatale was his frequent foil named Illyria, who worked for various countries in the field of espionage, seeking to exploit secrets from the United States. 

The Earth-One and Earth-Two doppelgängers of Minute-Man and Thunderbolt were Star-Tsar and Star Spangled Kid, respectively. While the Kid was himself a child protégée, so much so that he was the leader of a dynamic duo consisting of he and his adult chauffeur, the Tsar was only highly intelligent. That said, Tsar’s alter ego of Snapper Carr was trained by the heroes in the Justice League, of whom he was an honorary member. The Kid had years of experience before joining the Justice Society.

Cannon’s constant companion was Tabu, who motivated him in his constant war against evil. Milton was Weston’s mentor and closest companion, continually spurring on his protégée in his heroic pursuits. While neither were team-players, preferring to work more solo, on occasion Minute-Man worked alongside Captain Marvel and the Crime Crusaders Club, while Thunderbolt operated on occasion with Captain Atom and the Sentinels of Justice.

Marvel Mondays: The Captains of Energy

No two figures are as prominent on Earth-Four and Earth-Shazam as the Captains, Atom and Marvel. Each our dynamos of power, the pinnacle of human perfection, the guardians of the greater good. And also partial to the similar color scheme in their speedos.

Captain Marvel is really Billy Batson, a young lad transformed by lighting which he calls upon from ancient Shazam to grant him vast powers unmatched by his peers. Captain Atom is Captain Nathaniel Adams, a soldier who during a mishap in a launched rocket finds him body atomized and transformed into a human nuclear furnace. Each fly, have superhuman strength and durability, and can call upon tremendous energy to transform themselves from mere men to mighty mortals!

Both men are the recognized leaders of their worlds premier heroic teams, the Squadron of Justice and Sentinels of Justice! Alongside their skirt-clad gal pals, goggle-clad aviators and fellow red-and-yellow spandex studs, they champion the cause of justice. While Atom changed to a red, white and blue suit latter in his career, Marvel remained in his familiar duds.

In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.

Fawcett Friday: Colorful Crusaders

As the world was heading once more into a war that would grip the globe, a plethora of powerless protectors championed the cause of the everyman. Foremost among them were Mister Scarlet, a Fawcett costumed hero of Earth-S who in his day-to-day life was district attorney Brian Butler. Tired of the rampant crime going unchecked in his burg, he donned a red and yellow costume, using his natural acrobatic prowess to combat the criminal element.

After succeeding in his righteous cause, he found that there were no more criminals for him to prosecute. Left unemployed as the public at large felt Butler was lazy, he persisted in his double identity while adopting a ward named Pinky and supported financially by secretary Miss Wade. Butler was his world’s version of Batman, while Pinky the Whiz Kid filled the role of the Boy Wonder, Robin.

Over at Fox Feature Syndicated on Earth-Four, they had a winner in the form of police officer Dan Garret. Transformed by the miracle vitamin 2-X into a superstrong powerhouse thanks to local pharmacist Dr. Franz, Garret donned a chainmail costume and became the Blue Beetle. Defeating criminals in a manner unavailable to him as a mere beat cop, Garret made a reputation for himself and curried the attaction of crime reporter Joan Mason of the Daily Blade, both in and out of his super-suit. His career lasted into the late 1940's, was briefly revived in the 1950's and then disappeared from the scene. Another would take his place, and a third!

While Beetle never gave his vitamin to Joan, he did bequeath it and a costume to sidekick Sparky for a brief period. his career briefly, he eventually reverted to the restful slumber of civilian life and marital bliss, not to be seen again after one final outing with Captain and Mary Marvel in the late 70's.

World's Wickedest Wednesdays: Devious Docs

Dual demented docs do doggedly devilish deeds! Say that five times fast! Or better yet, have the bad Doctors... Sivana and Spectro... of adjacent Earths S and 4 say that via their cloned proxies. Each of the good Captains... Marvel and Atom... faced off against these evil geniuses more than once. And on one occasion, against several duplicates of themselves. Thankfully, their heroic opposite numbers still proved superior!

Doctor Thaddeus Bogus Sivana was once an aspiring physicist who invented various revolutionary devices for the benefit of mankind. And yet, secular authorities scoffed at him, and as a result Sivana swore revenge against his fellow man. From that point forward, upon meeting the World's Mightiest Mortal, Sivana was Captain Marvel's most persistent and deadly foe. In fact, on on occasion he trapped the hero and his allies in suspendium. Alas, the mad mental menace and his family was also captured and held in stasis along with the heroic Marvels in suspended animation for decades. Even after his revival, Sivana never won except once when his inventions were actually acclaimed to the point where he received a Nobel Peace Prize when Marvel used them to aid mankind... much to Sivana's chagrine!

Doctor Spectro also wanted to use his colored light technology for the medical benefits of mankind. However, once he was attacked by a gang of opportunistic hoods and his beam was reflected back on himself, Spectro turned evil and gained vast powers which he used against Captain Atom on more than one occasion... including when a miniature malicious mob of his clones attached the Atomic Avenger intent on reassembling Spectro into one man once more. Yet a good persona existed in the group of Docs, who attempted to exert control over the reconstituted Spectro later.

n 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.

Team-Up Tuesdays: Malevolent Mobsters

While DC Comics pioneered the concept of a superhero team of diverse heroes from various comic books assembling together to tackle a mutual threat, the same could be said for Fawcett Comic's treatment of villains. As Captain Marvel developed quite an extensive gallery of rogues on Earth-S, it was only a matter of time before a certain wicked worm recruited most of them to try defeating their common foe.

However, after several issues throughout a historic comic serial, Cap himself defeated the whole lot of them. They would resurface again decades later, most preserved in their youthful 1940's forms through various means. Yet despite new schemes and modern technology, this assemblage of evil were still unable to wrest control of Earth -S away from the forces of good!

Over on Earth-Four, a millionaire businessman named Jonathan Barrington Collingsworth Junior decided one day that the world was not enough (hmmmm, an interesting name for a movie, perhaps?) So he adopted the alias of the Manipulator to live up to the infamous dictators of old. So he channeled his inner Doc Doom and found himself a fantastic four to plague his existence!

Somehow, amazingly, he pulls off what no one else was able to accomplish through the decades of the Action-Heroes' publishing existence. Make them all play nice and in the same sandbox...as in motivate them to join together against a common foe. Okay, Cap Atom and Nightshade had a thing going, and Blue Beetle and Question got together once formally and prior to that informally (Quest was in his civvies on that occasion). Still this was quite an accomplishment, only not the kind the Manipulator would be proud of. Thankfully, while his army of Fiery-Icer, Ironarm,and the Madmen kinda fell flat against our Sentinels, Jr. had enlisted a henchman who seriously upgraded since his last appearance:

And that was that, as both masterminds slunk back into the depths of comic book limbo. And aren't we thankful that we don't have to relive *that* painful experience again? Blue Beetle sure is! Ouch.

In the next-door neighbor universe of Earth-Four, the supervillains there didn't always play that nice together. In fact, on only one occasion did a significant number of them join together to lock horns with the Sentinels of Justice (although they were lesser lights Banshee, Fiery-Icer, Iron-Arms and the Madmen led by newby the Manipulator).

Prominent Princesses Protect Powerless

Nightshade was in actuality Eve Eden, the debutante daughter of a U.S. Senator. However she secretly had a family connection with a royal family in another shadow dimension through her mother. This mirrored the origin of Princess Diana, who grew up amongst the Amazons on Paradise Island and who would later move to another dimension when she was an adult. 

Eve was separated from her brother Larry, as he had been trapped in that other-dimensional world when she and her mother visited it during their childhood. It is unknown if Eve ever reunited with him on their native world of Earth-Four. 

Following the loss of both her sibling and mother to the shadow realm's new diabolical ruler, Eden was motivated to train alongside seasoned martial artist Tiger... the adult version of Judomaster's World War II sidekick... to become an adept hand-to-hand combatant. Similarly, the Diana Prince of Earth-One when she was de-powered was trained by her aged Asian mentor I-Ching in martial arts techniques. 

As Nightshade, Eve became a sanctioned governmental agent, which would lead to her working with its premier powered operative, Captain Allen Adam aka Captain Atom. A lasting friendship and budding romance would develop between this dynamic duo. 

While Wonder Woman had a superhuman physique including massive strength speed and agility, Nightshade's abilities differed in that she transformed into a shadow, allowing her to teleport from the third dimension. In each case, the gal was rendered immune to physical attack while in that form. 

On parallel planet of Earth-S, Nightshade's doppelgänger was Princess Taia of Thebes, an ancient Egyptian royal consort to the superhero known as Ibis the Invincible, both of whom ventured to the 20th century where they became frequent allies of their fellow Squadron of Justice member, Captain Marvel... as well as his fellow Marvel Family. 

And each provided a valuable skill set and ally for Superman and Captain Atom, respectively. While Superman and Wonder Woman had a long documented partnership in the Justice League and Justice Society, Nightshade and Cap only had a few recorded cases together and with their teammates in the Sentinels of Justice. And of course, Cap and Nightshade's frequent battles with their recurring foe, the Ghost.

Team-Up Tuesdays: The "S" Teams of Justice

When you think superheroes you think super-teams, which help to define the individual members in the context of their fellow teammates. While there are more prominent teams in the cosmos, for our purposes here today we center on two with significant parallels.

The Squadron of Justice from Earth-S was recruited by Shazam when he and his Marvel Family were left powerless by ancient adversary King Kull. Formed out of sheer necessity, some of these previously joined forces in another team during the 1940's known as the Crime Crusaders Club. Surviving into the modern day thanks to the bumbling machinations of Doctor Sivana, these still youthful heroes joined forces to stem the tide of Kull's villainous hordes on three Earths including their own Earth-S. And then they faded back into retirement aside from scant appearances thereafter.

Remarkably, there was an earlier Squadron of Justice that consisted of Captain Marvel and his three Lieutenant Marvels of Fat Marvel, Hill Marvel and Tall Marvel that operated during the 1940's.

And the progenitor of the modern incarnation of the Squadron was Captain Marvel Junior's known as the Crime Crusaders Club. However, that Club was more of a meeting of Junior, Minute Man, Bulletman and Bulletgirl solely for the purpose of recounting their latest cases and occasionally team up to handle social issues rather than criminal threats. Thus, the Crusaders filled the role that the Seven Soldiers of Victory had on Earth-Two. The vast majority of teamup tales on Earth-S were of the Marvel Family, that world's version of the Justice Society satellite team Super Squad of the Justice League unofficial affiliate of the Super Friends... both of which like the Crusaders operated out of their respective worlds' Gotham City.

The Sentinels of Justice on Earth-Four formed also on one occasion, although there was a hint during their first appearance that they previously met up, and battled a crime lords super-armored forces to save criticial solar technology. The next appearance of this team was during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, when their initial membership of four expanded to included three more drawn towards the presence of heroes arriving from two other Earths, the same two from whom the Squadron met earlier!

The Squadron's membership constituted Ibac, Spy Smasher, Bulletman and Bulletgirl, Mister Scarlet and Pinky, as well as allies Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Junior (and, of course, the team's founder Mercury who brought them all together under Shazam's suggestion). The Sentinels membership originally comprised Captain Atom, Nightshade, Blue Beetle and the Question with later allies Peacemaker, Thunderbolt and a time lost Judomaster joining forces with them.

Alas, the history of each was fleeting at best. But the potential for both was sky high!

_____________

In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.

Twice-Told-Tales: Majestic Multiverse Myths

The Multiverse holds various Twice-Told-Tales, some chronicled, many left to the imagination. And all tied in to the nature of the cosmos in the DC Universe. This is only natural considering that they all originated from the Earth-One cosmos, when the Malthusian known as Krona unleashed cosmic forces while attempting to view the dawn of creation. As a result, his universe was cloned an infinite number of times to become with countless positive matter and one Anti-Matter Universe of Qward. Undoubtedly the main universe that mirror Krona's own was Earth-Two which seemed to be twenty years ahead of Earth-One due to exhibiting a slower vibratory rate. This may be due to the fact that Earth-One existed for untold eons prior to the other universes, and as such this is a way for all universes to stay in sync.

From Earth-One's universe was spawned the imperfect clones that would become the Bizarro race migrated to a world that Superman remodeled into a square planet at its inhabitants' decree. Several years after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, when the Multiverse was transformed into a single matter and anti-matter universe, another Crisis reignited the Multiverse due to the machinations of Alex Luthor from Earth-Three. Not only was his world recreated, but so was Earth-Zero which mirror the Bizarro Earth of Htrae, alluding to the possibility that the planet which the Bizarros migrated to was actually not in their own universe but a parallel one, accessed by a wormhole Superman used when he first ventured there. This world had a twisted nature, wherein the Bizarro League mirrored the evil sensibilities of the Lawless League from Earth-A and that of Earth-Three with its Crime Syndicate, with sinister counterparts of superheroes.

Then there were the seemingly peripheral planets that didn't seem to resemble Earth-One's Justice League of America and Earth-Two's Justice Society of America, yet had heroes of equal measure. There was, for example, Earth-S that like Earth-Two debuted superheroes in the golden age of the 1940's, and Earth-Four that for the most part had their superhero explosion in the modern age like Earth-One. Then there was the initially hero-less worlds such as Earth-Prime and Earth-X, although they eventually would have their own versions of costumed crusaders. And, lest we forget, just as their was a heroic Justice Alliance of America on Earth-D there was also a Freedom Brigade on Earth-Twelve that were also erstwhile imitators of the League and Society that were more well known. This doesn't even include Earth-666 where Marvel's mightiest reign, nor Earth-MLJ that are published elsewhere....