Negative Man was one of the founding members of the whacky group The Doom Patrol, along with Elasti-Girl, Robotman, and The Chief. An exposure to radioactivity gave him the power to release an “energy being” from his body which could fly and exert super strength among other things.

The energy being was represented as a silhouette surrounded by an electric field and caused Negative Man to collapse when it left him. Although leaving him weak and defenseless, the energy being was still under Negative Man’s control and had to return to him within 60 seconds or he would die. How’s that for a convoluted super power?

Negative Man had to wear specially-treated bandages over his entire body to protect others from his radioactivity. No wonder, like the other members of the Doom Patrol, Negative Man saw his super power as less of a blessing than a curse.

Illustrating one playing card a day using characters found between 1957-1967 in DC Comics. Tomorrow: Aquaman’s wife, Mera!