Comic Cards Project: Day 25 • Batwoman Now would be a good time to talk about Frederic Wertham’s book Seduction of the Innocent. Published in 1954, this bestselling condemnation of comic books as a major cause of juvenile delinquency had a huge impact on the industry. It led to congressional hearings on the subject and to the formation of the Comics Code … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 24 • Iron
Like his other five comrades in the Metal Men, Iron was a robot who thought he was human. However, he didn’t cause the Metal Men’s creator Dr. Will Magnus nearly as much trouble as some of the others—like hot-headed Mercury, timid Tin, or impetuous Platinum. Iron was always reliable, good-natured, and strong—the group’s powerhouse—who, like the others, was able to form himself into an … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 23 • Kid Flash
Kid Flash was Wally West, the nephew of the Flash‘s girlfriend, Iris West. A repeat of the freak accident that created the Flash also gave Wally his powers of super speed. For the first 3 years, his costume was identical to the Flash, and since it covered the entire body except for the lower part of the face, it was virtually … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 22 • The Atom
The Atom was physicist Ray Palmer, who acquired the ability to shrink to any size. He often used this ability to help his girlfriend, lawyer Jean Loring, with her cases. She turned down his many marriage proposals with the excuse that she wanted to prove that she could be a success before giving up her career and settling down. It … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 21 • Wonder Woman
After the comic book witch hunts of the 1950s when Wonder Woman was accused of being a lesbian, her publishers no longer seemed sure of what to do with her. It was unwholesome of her to fight against men so she resorted to bargaining with criminals—fulfilling some impossible mission in exchange for them turning themselves in. Yeah, right. It’s nice … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 20 • Challengers of the Unknown
Although the Challengers of the Unknown didn’t have super powers or secret identities, they were a big part of comics in the late 50s and 60s. The Challengers traveled to exotic locations and often took on aliens, monsters, and dinosaurs—adversaries typically found in sci-fi B-movies of the era. The Challengers were all white guys, each conveniently sporting their own hair color so you could tell them apart. The blonde was … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 19 • Mera
I guess we’ll probably never know why Aquaman’s wife Mera only went by her given name and not something a little flashier like Aqua Lady. She was queen of an underwater world in another dimension but married Aquaman and became queen of Atlantis. Shortly after the wedding they had a baby, making Aquaman the first superhero to have a family. They … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 18 • Negative Man
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 … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 17 • Jimmy Olsen
Believe it for not Jimmy Olsen starred in his own comic book for 20 years. That’s quite a run for someone who’s only claim to fame was being Superman’s pal. If you ask me, though, Superman could have made better friend choices. Superman could have been buddies with anyone in the world so it always baffled me why he would … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 16 • Green Lantern
Green Lantern was the next character to get a reboot in the 60s following the success of the Flash. As Hal Jordan, he was a test pilot who’s boss was also his girlfriend, a somewhat progressive arrangement for the time. His young Inuit co-worker (with the un-PC nickname “Pieface”) served as a non-costumed sidekick who also knew Hal’s secret identity. Green Lantern’s … Read More