Sept.-Oct. 1954Editor: Mort WeisingerCover: Curt Swan (Pencils), Stan Kaye (Inks) The character of Jimmy Olsen, cub reporter at the Daily Planet, originated on the radio show The Adventures of Superman in 1940. Superman”™s creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster brought the character to comics in 1941, fleshing out his personality and physical appearance, but after using Jimmy in a handful … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 51 • Robin
It”™s been a while, but I”™m ready to finish this series. First up: Robin! Batman”™s junior partner, Robin, has been around almost as long as the Caped Crusader. Introduced in 1940, just a year after Batman”™s debut, Robin was created to lighten the dark tone of Batman”™s stories and appeal to young readers. He was the first young sidekick of … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 37 • Bat-Girl
If you’re familiar with Batgirl at all, you probably know the red-haired Barbara Gordon—daughter of Police Commissioner Gordon. But there was another Bat-Girl before her, and for some reason there was a hyphen in her name. Long story short, Batwoman was introduced in 1956 to quell any uncertainty about Batman’s sexuality, and 5 years later Bat-Girl showed up as a love interest for Robin. And if you think Batman was uncomfortable … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 36 • Aquaman
I’m not really sure why, but Aquaman has always been my favorite superhero. Maybe it’s because I was always predisposed to underdogs and stuff out of the mainstream, or it could be—as a blonde kid—I identified with the blonde character. It’s also possible that I was attracted to him because at the time I was discovering superhero comics, I loved swimming and the beach. Who knows? But enough about me. Aquaman debuted … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 35 • Alanna
Alanna lived on the planet Rann, 25 trillion miles from earth, the home planet of her boyfriend Adam Strange. The distress of their long distance relationship was lessened by her father’s invention of a “zeta beam” which instantly transported Adam to Alanna every six weeks until the effect wore off and he was returned back to earth. Each time Adam would … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 34 • Mento
Steve Dayton was the world’s fifth richest man and also an adventurer, financier, and professor of psychology. Possessing a huge ego and used to getting what he wanted, he set out to wed Elasti-Girl of the Doom Patrol. Dayton created a helmet to harness his brain’s telekinetic powers, which allowed him to move objects with his mind. He designed a costume and called himself Mento, … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 33 • Lead
Doc Magnus invented the Metal Men, a team of robots that possessed the unique strengths and weaknesses of their namesake element. The eccentric scientist also inadvertently bestowed individual personalities on the six mechanical heroes, and as a result they were sometimes too human. The heaviest member of the group, Lead was stammering and slow-witted but always willing to take on the job at hand. As a non-conducting metal, Lead could act as a … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 32 • Supergirl
When Superman’s home planet Krypton exploded, a big chunk containing Argo City and its inhabitants remained intact and drifted through space. Eventually that chunk of the planet turned into Kryptonite, deadly to the last of Krypton’s survivors. The life of teenaged Supergirl was spared by her father, who built a rocket and sent her to earth. After seeing her rocket land, Superman investigated and discovered the super powered teen. … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 30 • Lois Lane
In an era of comics defined by ridiculous, harebrained, what-were-they-thinking stories, Lois Lane wins the prize for off-the-chart silliness. In every issue of her own comic, she made a case for herself as the dopiest of Superman’s acquaintances. And that’s saying something when his best pal was Jimmy Olsen. Although billed as “Superman’s girlfriend”, Supes rarely acted as if he was … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 29 • Mercury
Comic Cards Project: Day 29 • Mercury Mercury was another one of the Metal Men and, as he liked to brag, the only metal that’s liquid at room temperature. I guess that would explain why he wasn’t held together with rivets like his robotic comrades (a little detail I never noticed until making the drawing for this card). Mercury was … Read More