Who’s Who Review #13

28 responses to “Who’s Who Review #13”

1. What am I up at 7:30 on a Sunday morning? Because there’s a new episode of The Who’s Who Review!!!
   You gentlemen are not only celebrating 15 years of podcasting together, but the Lucky 13th episode! This also means that by covering 13 entries per episode, there are only 50 episodes left! Start planning the next version of The Who’s Who Podcast now!
   Dr Mid-Nite is indeed one of the best pieces of art in the series. I don’t know if Shagg was unaware or if he just failed to mention it, Dr Mid-Nite is getting his own Super Powers action figure in the rebooted McFarlane line along with fellow JSAer Wildcat!
   Shagg should have also mentioned that Adventure Comics wasn’t just the debute of Karate Kid, Nemisis Kid, Ferro Lad and Princess Projectra, it was the first published work of the legendary Jim Shooter!
   Now, if it seems like I’m being petty pointing these minor details, it’s because I am!
   Did you hear that Tom Baker is starring in an upcoming WHO’s Who film adaptation? He’s playing a character named Doctor Who’s Who.
   All jokes and petty snarking aside, thank you both for another great episode.

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2. Great episode as always. I’m going to guess that you subconsciously pulled Atari force and All-Star Squadron as the first two page entries, since they were.
   As to when Dr. Mid-Nite begins a writer, it was way back in his first appearance in All-American Comics 25. (From AAC 25, two issues before Doiby Dickles first appearance) IN THE SCIENTIST’S STUDY SEVERAL WEEKS LATER, WE FIND HIM WITH HIS FAITHFUL ASSISTANT, MYRA MASON…
   “MYRA, YOU’VE BEEN A GOOD ASSISTANT TO ME IN MY RESEARCH- I WANT YOU TO WORK WITH ME.” Myra, “BUT
   DOCTOR, YOUR EYES!”
   “THERE ARE STILL THINGS LEFT FOR ME TO DO– I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A WRITER-I WILL WRITE NOW- STORIES
   THAT WILL HELD TO BRING JUSTICE TO THE DOWNTRODDEN AND OPPRESSED!”
   AND THUS
   STARTS DR.
   MCNIDER’S CAREER
   AS A
   WRITER, FIGHTING FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD…
   Rob, the artist in Omega Men that drew the issue of Bedlam ripping Harpis’ wings off was none other than Keith Giffen. It occurred in Omega Men #3, where Bedlam’s partner made his first appearance. He was a bounty hunter named…Lobo. I recently started reading Omega Men and have to say that Giffen in those early days was not like the scratchy Ambush Bug, 5YL Giffen. With DeCarlo’s inks, his planets, ships, landscapes, etc., stand with George Perez and Jack Kirby.
   Oh, guys. There WAS a remco Rostov figure. I recently made a custom and wanted to make sure I didn’t say “for the first time in action figure form” and be wrong. You said his name in the entry, “Mikola Rostov”. The figure used his first name. It was the one that Rob couldn’t think of. Shagg, you read my mind. When I was looking for the right head for my custom and thought, “Why don’t I just take the head off my Jason blood and call it a day”? Lastly, I’d love an episode with Usamu so he can pronounce his full name on the podcast and talk about Xum’s Who. I can’t recall if that been done already or if I’m thinking of you guys reading his comments.

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3. I think STAR Labs — when it’s drawn with the curved front — is the Solow Building at 9 W 57th St. in New York. Scroll down on Wikipedia to see the curve:

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solow_Building

   The Who’s Who entry looks kind of different, with an angle. But in the first New Teen Titans story in DC Comics Presents #26, Perez draws it curved and it pretty much looks exactly like 9 57th street. That’s how I think of it.

   This is also the building where Superman caught the guy climbing the windows in Superman: The Movie, so I always knew it as that when I would see it.

   Or — there could be another source building. The W.R. Grace building at 1114 6th Avenue has a very similar curve. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._R._Grace_Building

   Both of these were in the same neighborhood as DC Comics in the 1980s.

   Like Rob, I would also use the Overstreet Guide as reading material. I remember the one I bought around 1986 referred to the current comics age as the Silver Age. I guess they coined the term Bronze Age a lot later.

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4. Well, i guess I screwed up the spacing on my comment. I’ll try again:

   I think STAR Labs — when it’s drawn with the curved front — is the Solow Building at 9 W 57th St. in New York. Scroll down on Wikipedia to see the curve: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solow_Building

   The Who’s Who entry looks kind of different, with an angle. But in the first New Teen Titans story in DC Comics Presents #26, Perez draws it curved and it pretty much looks exactly like 9 57th street. That’s how I think of it.

   This is also the building where Superman caught the guy climbing the windows in Superman: The Movie, so I always knew it as that when I would see it.

   Or — there could be another source building. The W.R. Grace building at 1114 6th Avenue has a very similar curve. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._R._Grace_Building

   Both of these were in the same neighborhood as DC Comics in the 1980s.

   Like Rob, I would also use the Overstreet Guide as reading material. I remember the one I bought around 1986 referred to the current comics age as the Silver Age. I guess they coined the term Bronze Age a lot later

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5. Another fun and informative show. Thank you, Uncles Rob and Shag.

   FLASH: My understanding is that the Mopee note was part of the mission statement of “the definitive directory of the DC Universe” to essentially point out notable “historical stories” that either don’t fit into the overall continuity or were essentially dismissed by fans and/or DC editors and writers. These were usually “retcon” tales like the Mopee one in THE FLASH #167, as well as the Grodd origin story in DC SUPER-STARS #14 that supposedly revealed that Grodd and Gorilla City came from an alien planet called Calor and took advantage of Green Lantern Hal Jordan’s presence on another mission (which took place in GREEN LANTERN #1!) to tap his power ring energy to transport their city to Earth. However, Flash encountered Grodd before the publication of the first Green Lantern Hal Jordan appearance in SHOWCASE #22, so this retcon story was also discounted in WHO’S WHO, as noted in both the Gorilla Grodd and Gorilla City entries.

   Sometimes these “corrective actions” are more subtle. For example, the Luthor entry does *not* include under his known relatives niece Nasthalthia (“Nasty”) Luthor, who was a regular antagonist in the Supergirl stories of the 1970s because her relation to Lex did not make sense even to readers back then.

   What I found interesting about the conclusion of THE FLASH #350 was that Iris’s psyche was transplanted into a completely different woman, while Barry Allen had his face changed by surgeons in Gorilla City to protect his secret identity. So these two long lost lovers reunited in unrecognized physical forms, which shows that their love was more than skin deep…

   HARPIS: The logo is very nice. I believe the OMEGA MEN series had a number of short solo character adventures that would had warranted each member to have an individual logo.

   The Omega Men was another Marv Wolfman creation, and he had used them in his Superman stories in ACTION COMICS (in the same storyline where he was split in two by Lord Satanis, as it so happens) as well as THE NEW TEEN TITANS. Mike W. Barr also used them in another GREEN LANTERN story (issues 160-161) before they were awarded their own title.

   LORD OF TIME: His first appearance was essentially the B-plot of the Felix Faust-Demons Three story in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #10-11 (1962). In #10, the JLA were fighting minions of the “Time Lord” when Faust captured the heroes with his magic to help him retrieve three mystic artifacts he needed to summon the Demons Three, who would grant him much greater magical powers. The JLA managed to disrupt Faust’s incantation, but it worked just enough that the demons would appear on Earth in 100 years (i.e., 2062). In issue #11, the JLA finally go after the Time Lord, who flees to the year 3786. So the JLA time travel after him and capture the villain. But on their way back to 1962, the JLA are stopped at 2062 by a mystic barrier created by the now present Demons Three, so the League have to fight and defeat the demons in order to return to the present and take the Lord of Time to prison.

   LUTHOR: It should be noted that George Pérez designed the power armor for the Super Powers toyline, which may explain why he inked this Curt Swan pencilled entry. Uncle Rob mentioned that Mr. Pérez brought out something in Curt Swan’s art that many other inkers do not, and that reminded me of comments made by Mr. Pérez in an interview published in the British fanzine FANTASY ADVERTISER #107 (and reprinted in my Dad’s copy of the amateur press association fanzine INTERLAC #73). He stated that Curt Swan tended to add grey shading in his pencils to give them more dimension, so Mr. Pérez would do cross-hatching and feathering in his inks to bring out the grey tones of the pencils. That is very likely the case with this entry.

   The glass dome of the power armor was visible in the armor’s first appearance in ACTION COMICS #544. Obviously the dome is retractable, or perhaps the “dome” is really a force field that diffuses light in a way as to appear like glass.

   S.T.A.R. LABS: I checked the feedback for WHO’S WHO XX as well as the Loose Leaf Edition episode 4 and found that the New York City building in question is either the Solow Building on W. 57th (noted by “Mike W”), which has the angle slope as it appears in this entry, or the W. R. Grace Building on 6th Avenue with the curved bottom (noted by my dad). It is also noted by poster “John” that the “first appearance” of S.T.A.R. in 1971 predates the construction of both of these buildings. However, in that SUPERMAN issue, “S.T.A.R. Labs” was only shown as an interior room, and later appearances of S.T.A.R. showed the exterior as a non-distinct city building. It first has its “iconic” curved-bottom Grace Building look in THE NEW TEEN TITANS insert in DC COMICS PRESENTS #26, pencilled by New York City native George Pérez (also noted by Dad)…

   DOIBY DICKLES: Dad wrote the entry and created the logo, and I collaged the artwork. I suppose if I had paid more attention to other WHO’S WHO entries, I would had updated Doiby’s occupation from “Planetary Ruler” to “Monarch Consort”…

   I am looking forward to the Legion of Doom Draft Pick later this week… even though it is very likely that Terra-Man will be left standing off to the side with the D- to Z-list villains…

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6. I have a few things about Unknown Soldier, did y’all read the Garth Ennis Vertigo mini from 1997? It was dark & cool. I wish there would have been a story featuring all the war heroes ala Kingdom Come with the Unknown Soldier either coming into contact or observing the battles like Creature Commandos, The Losers, Ghost Patrol, Viking Commando. If y’all could make a big 7 of the war heroes who is it? mine are Unknown Soldier, Sgt. Rock, Mademoiselle Marie, Gravedigger, G. I. Robot, Jonny Cloud, Jeb Stuart.

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   1. Kevin, the Unknown Soldier #250 features a good chunk of the DC war comics stars, as does the 1994 Sgt. Rock Special #2. They all come into contact with the Soldier in the former, but the latter has separate stories. There are probably other examples.

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7. 1. I TOO love curt swan
   2 I thought of kobra when I Read brother blood too. Me? I Love Kobra. But objectively Brother blood HAS to be Better cuz he’s a titans bad guy who fought the titans. Pretty cool right? Kobra was Jack kirby doing Corsagin brothers which flooped so threw him into Batman Family. Dont get me wrong I LOVE kobra he’s really good for failed Batman pitches
   3 Lord of time Heh every supergroup needs a time lord obsessed with them to prove they’re historically important (even the all winners squad had future man
   3a Off topic Kang was a time traveler obbesed with the Avengers but he only fought the most original line up Twice
   4 I thought flash went to the 45th century

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8. One last thing so…
   5 Alan Moore’s swamp thing IS REALLY GOOD. You know what else it is? Alan Moore using swamp thing to write the character he REALLY wanted to write

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9. Chris Franklin, the Triumph of the Fire and Water Podcast Network here.

   Or maybe I’m like Fatman in James Robinson’s and Paul Smith’s The Golden Age. And Rob is the Tex Thompson/ Mr. America/ Americommando embarassed to remember me.

   -Brother Blood: He should get points for forever ruining Nightwing’s original Who’s Who entry when Marv put the very-of-the-moment (kind of like poopie lettuce) comment that Dick had become a “believer in the Church of Blood”. He also was a member of that Columbia House Penny Casette Tape club, but that went unmentioned.

   – Dr. Mid-Nite: I always liked the character BEFORE this entry, but after…this is my mental image of him for all time. And yes, he did just get a Super Powers figure, which I received just a few days ago. And it’s the best one of that wave! Doc brings out the best in everyone.

   – The Flash: I really like this entry, and I remember being excited that Barry got a two page-spread…like Batman should have. Great to get Murphy Anderson back on inks over Infantino, like the best Silver Age covers. I was a big Flash fan but grew tired of the never-ending trial and dropped out. I think I learned of Barry’s death in Comic Feature magazine which was strangely on the newstand of one of my local stores. I missed Crisis #8 and it was one of the first back issues I tracked down, finding it at a flea market a few months later.

   – Karate Kid: Man, Steve Lightle was incredibly underrated. Why wasn’t he a huge mega-star?

   – Luthor: I’m a big fan of the “War Suit” or “Power Suit”. In fact, Michael Bailey and I recently recorded an episode covering the first several appearances of the suit. The dome was always there in the comics, but not on the Super Powers figure. And I think they went with “Luthor” so they could lump Earth-Two’s Alexi, and Earth-Three’s Alexander Luthors together.

   – Rostov: Uncle Bruno beat me to it, but Rostov did get a Remco Warlord figure. Man, those things are insanely expensive nowadays!!!

   – Unknown Soldier: I always assumed his pose was a “Make war no more” gesture. Kind of presaging that memorable moment from Platoon by a few years.

   – Doiby Dickles: Yes, it should be pronounced “Doy-bee” I believe. Just imagine Curly Howard saying “Coicumstance”. The Yukinoris knocked it out of the park once again!

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10. 1) I’m not going to research my own comments on the original Who’s Who Podcast to see whether I already said something, but I feel like I’m about to repeat myself. I bought New Teen Titans #15 and the second annual when they were actually new. Almost everything else I read as a back issue, and more specifically out of quarter bins. I got a chunk of Tales of the Teen Titans this way in 1989, and then much of the original run in 1991-92. In my experience, NTT was more miss than hit in the first two years, with the Brother Blood two-parter being the point where I found the book started to get more consistently good. I’ve always loved the character designs associated with The Church of Brother Blood, and their kinky cult creepiness was my thing. I also liked the reprise during NTT’s most glorious period, from around the introduction of Terra through to the opening Trigon arc in the Baxter series. Shag, as someone who also invested deeply in the “Titans Hunt” period, should definitely pick up the DC Finest collection “Terra in the Night!” to fill that worthwhile gap in his Titans exposure. I’ve got mine on pre-order, owing in part to its finally collecting the drug awareness comics for the first time, so that in particular the Perez drawn one will finally be presented in a higher quality format than newsprint.

    2) I listened to the entire episode while navigating slow, heavy traffic in Houston for work, but I have to confess that I have absolutely no memory of the Harpis being brought up. I was either distracted or I entirely spaced out on her.

    3) I was proud of Shag for actually remembering our recent discussion of the proposed Mike Chen run on Blue Devil, given his memory usually leaks like a sieve. I was very enthused about the prospect, based on those vibrant Pakrat back-ups. However, on further inspection, I think his inker Joe Delbeato may have had a disproportionate hand in that, as his work on Sectaurs also popped in a way not seen here, with Chen embellished by Greg Theakston (of Theakstonization fame.) But even the nostalgic work here would have fit Blue Devil well.

    4) Steve Lightle is a top 10 artist for me. I mourn never having gotten the chance to get a commission. He deserved a better career. Do I vaguely recall a mention of the Karate Kid movies having to acknowledge the DC Comics in a legal disclaimer? I’m confident that I’ve seen it onscreen.

    5) Joining the choir, I bought a Mikola (Rostov) figure at K-Mart, and he became my primary hero and favorite figure of the MOTU size range. Zartan arguably served that role for my 3 3/4″ figures, but not to the same degree of use or affection. I still have my original Warlord line Mikola, plus I picked up a spare in the ’90s with a slightly dark hair color. He was the Wolverine of my childhood play, but crossed with Ben Grimm.

    6) The Alan Moore Adam Strange retcon will come up in the next episode of DC Secret Files, and before the end of the year, we’re doing a war comics spotlight centering on the Unknown Soldier. I recently read the last issue, and I feel like reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated. There were no human remains from the explosion, and the soldiers sifting through the bits of gear he left behind were only pretty sure that he was dead. As we know, the guy seemed to have post-war adventures in books like Brave and the Bold and, much later, Suicide Squad vol. 2.

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11. Another great show!
    A few comments.

    Cosmic King: Basically an evil Element Lad. I’d love to see the two go toe-to-toe. But why call him Cosmic King???

    Doctor Mid-Nite: Unbelievable page and made me want a solo book! He is too cool!

    Flash: I can remember the Batman page where he was teeny weeny on the page to fit all his history. So I was thrilled when the Flash Splash happened. Thankfully we got more! Agree that the Iris story loses its way but the character was running on fumes.

    Karate Kid: I love that ‘better karate’ is a seed I have planted in Shag’s brain. YASSSSSSS !!!! Nemesis Kid for the win. And Shag explains it perfectly. Nemesis Kid doesn’t become intangible or have a force field. He just ups his kung fu game. Amazing! Great page. Lightle could do no wrong in this time period.

    Unknown Soldier: I also don’t quite get the pose. Seems like he is preaching to a crowd. But it doesn’t matter. Such an awesome page.

    Loving these reviews!

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12. As a non-American (so what the heck do I know about it), I have always heard the name Doiby as using the same convoluted vowel sounds as heard in the voiceover at the start of episodes of Eighties detective show “Hart To Hart” – “When they met… it was Moider”!

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13. Hey guys,

    Long time listener (seriously some of those old shows took forever) first time writer in er or something. Actually I think I have left Who’s Who feedback before.

    First off it is clear to me that not only do you need to do an Impact Comics Who’s Who, but you also need to do. Fire and Water Podcast Network Who’s Who episode – maybe then Rob will remember who is on the network.

    This episode was great fun, aren’t they all?

    I believe Flash is arguably the most important DC hero outside of the big 3 and certainly the one that established the concept of the DC Universe. He deserved a full 2 page spread. Of course Batman should also have had that honour but this is pre 1989 Batman and he wasn’t BATMAN…

    I am also all in on a DC show with Dr Mid-Nite as the lead. If it’s a Caped Crusader style animated show or a lIve action Mystery Men where Dr Mid-Nite works with the likes of Sandman (Dodds) in dealing with late 1930s adventures…. They could call it Midnight Men … And… Right now I need the power of F&W to manifest this with James Gunn!

    Anyway I digress. Regards Omega Men I don’t think I read anything of their original run. I saw it advertised and the occasional cross over…. See Blue Devil in Crisis for example. So I have no idea about those entries but I wonder if the ripping off the wings thing would have been too horrific for me back then.

    Karate Kid obviously wouldn’t work as a title right now I am sure there are trademarks and what not in the mix. But I would love to see a series staring him somehow. I often wonder if DC would try and drop him into modern era DCU again if would be cracking to see him mixing with all the other Martial Artists in a book… K.O. as a title doesn’t work thanks DC… But in a world of MMA there is a book waiting to be read if not a TV show. He would have been perfect in Arrow for example.

    As for the other classic character… Unknown Soldier… I would have loved if someone had tied him to Human Target somehow. Both had similar disguises skills and would be a great mirror to each other. I read that Garth Ennis mini series and I like the idea we can still have Unknown Soldier today after all sadly there hasn’t been a time without war somewhere for a long long time. Again it’s a concept crying out for an HBO Max style show.

    I missed commenting on Chuck Patton’s appearance (at least I think I missed) but it was wonderful to hear him on the show.

    P.S. If Brett sees this if the F&W tribe votes you out because of Shag give us a shout we can install a bar in the Satellite.

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    1. Oh and I should have been clear thanks for making this show it’s a real treat.

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    2. Great show idea, Doug!

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14. I’m late to the party as always. so I’ll (try to) be brief.

    Cosmic King: Hold on, lemme check something … yep, found it. I still have my 6 Tempo Books paperbacks from when I was a kid that each had a focused DC title, and the Superman book includes the first appearance of the Legion of Super-Villains. Man, I haven’t read that in ages! Cosmic King was such a jerk in that story! He even wore a bubble helmet to give him that 50s sci-fi look, and also borrowed from Cosmic Boy’s original costume. And the capper, the story has the LSV teaming up with Luthor, and they address him with “We are your friends from the 21st century who are aiding you!” Not 30th. 21st! I really need to dig into early Legion stories to see if that lines up, or google it if I’m feeling lazy.

    Dr Mid-Nite: Dang! That entry is boss!

    Matter-Eater Lad: Always a lift to see a Giffen entry. And no surprise I think Tenzil’s 5YL issues were superb,

    S.T.A.R. Labs: Not only do I agree the building should curve near the bottom, I know I read an issue of Titans which used that in the story, but I *cannot* remember what. It would have been New Teen Titans or Teen Titans Spotlight, so in the 80s, but that’s all I got. The twins Thunder and Lightning were security guards for the building, chasing some intruder out, and Thunder use the smooth curved slope to slide down the outside of the building, before jumping to catch his brother. Annoying that I can picture it, and apparently, that’s the only memorable bit in the story. Kind of telling.

    Doiby Dickles was the breakout star of Young/Old Justice. Loved his appearances there, plus pulling weapons and gadgets from this bottomless doiby! (It’s bigger on the inside.)

    Thanks for another great show, guys!

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15. Rob and Shag, thanks for another terrific episode of The Review! (There, that should stop those cool kids from calling it that. Did you know I personally killed the parachute pants fad?) It was refreshing to hear the two of you defend one another, as grudgingly as it may have been.
    – You also agreed with one another on the best entries, and you were both 100% correct.
    – Yeah, that Chuck Patton episode was downright inspirational. Sorry for not pointing that out before.
    – I was surprised no one commented on the Unknown Soldier’s height and weight – 5’9″ and 155 lbs. That makes him “medium height, medium build,” and the perfect guy to pretend to be other people, or just disappear into a crowd. Fantastic character, too. The moral dilemmas he encountered were even thornier than those of the other war characters.
    – Another fantastic entry from the Yukinoris, and one of the most well-deserved. I always liked Doiby. And hey, I’m a monarch-consort, too! I think I’ll see what the IRS thinks when I list that as my occupation next year.
    – Rob, I also enjoyed Monument Men, so there were at least two of us. And what do you mean you didn’t move just to be closer to us? My illusions are shattered!
    – This episode had the most harmonious “Who’s Next?” in a while. Another eight or nine years, and you two should have that nailed.

    Looking forward to the November show!

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16. Oh, I read along with my Omnibus this time as I listened. I recommend this method. I just can’t do it while driving.

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17. My favorite entries from this fine episode:
    Brother Blood, you would think the white cape would have a blood splatter or two. Those cultists must go through a lot of bleach.
    Dr. Mid-Nite, you were both correct about how amazing the art for the entry is. I’m looking forward to your eventual top ten episode.
    Harpis, I’ve no connection to this character, but she reminds me of the Gargoyles cartoon from the mid-90s. I wonder if Greg Weisman had a subscription to the Omega Men?
    Karate Kid, I’ve always thought of the movie before the DC character, but now, thanks to your comments, I want to read an issue while listening to a Madonna album.
    Lex Luthor II, power armor Lex, is my favorite variation of the character, and the image of him tinkering in jail brings back fond memories of Gene Hackman’s projection trick. I can’t wait to hear the Legion of Doom draft to see who picks this version.
    And of course the Xum’s Who entry of Doiby Dickles. Isamu your dedication to your father’s work is truly moving. I hope you continue to find joy in it for years to come. Even if the chubby less known characters are easily confused across the F&W Network 😉

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18. My top three are
    3. Karate kid
    2. Matter eater lad
    1. Lord of time
    If could have would have given it the golden age
    Green lanterns side kick .
    Also here’s a random question since in dial H for Robby read turns in giant boy is Robby a member of the legion and does giant boy remember his time in Robby’s time there’s one to grow on .

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19. 7) Picking up on Doug Adamson’s comment, looked at objectively, the most important super-hero concept beyond the DC Trinity is Green Lantern… and if I’m being honest, there’s a sound argument for Green Lantern displacing Wonder Woman. Flash launched the Silver Age and solidified the Multiverse, and then it was 1962. How much of the rest of the architecture of the DCU goes back to the Corps, and who has sold more books since the Bronze Age? How many different GLC-related titles have there been? How many events have they anchored?

    8) There was a reader and retailer backlash to the level of violence seen in Omega Men, which started the type of discussions that would see Marvel swiftly cancel titles like Void Indigo and Freddy Krueger’s a Nightmare on Elm Street a few years later over similar concerns.

    9) I think dropping Karate Kid into the modern era misses the point that the martial arts have evolved over a millennium to the extent that his moves are effectively super-human. It’s like dropping an MMA champion into the Byzantine empire. A truly modern equivalent would be Richard Dragon, who can’t get a title much past two years.

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20. I completely understand confusing Doiby Dickles w/ Woozy Winks, Rob. At least, you didn’t get him mixed up w/ Hula Hula. The Zum’s Who entry is fantastic as usual.

    Brother Blood made for a good, creepy villain for the Titans and I always thought he was part of one of the better Amalgam concepts: Brother Brood!

    Anj alludes to the strangeness of Cosmic King. Lightning Lord? He’s Lightning Lad’s brother w/ the same electrical powers. Saturn Queen? She’s a telepath just like Saturn Girl? Cosmic King? Well, he transmutes elements. Completely different from Cosmic Boy. It’s not as if magnetism wouldn’t make a villain fearsome and powerful. And since everyone on Braal has those abilities, it’s not like you would have to come up w/ a special secret origin.

    I agree that the Dr. Mid-Nite entry is awesome. And I loved the mentor/protege relationship of “Charlie” w/ Beth Chapel on the Stargirl TV series. My personal favorite entry here is Lex Luthor. Swan AND Perez is such a great combination.

    A few years ago at a panel, I asked Keith Giffen about Matter-Eater Lad and all he could barely answer because he was laughing so hard.

    The Joe Kubert Unknown Soldier may be my second favorite entry here, but he does look like he’s standing on the turnbuckles in a WWE ring and playing to the crowd.

    It was a rough and busy day when I listened and this episode gave me some joy that I badly needed. Thanks, guys!

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21. Another fun tour through the greatest gift DC Comics ever gave to obsessive nerds like me…

    — I want to like Brother Blood—I’m with you, Rob, cults are cool and creepy—but his intro story in NTT left me cold; he just didn’t seem like a magnetic figure that would justify the interest. Though I will say that this entry sticks in my memory as Young Me’s introduction to the word “charisma.”

    — Cosmic King: As others asked, why doesn’t he have magnetic powers? Who wrote those original LSV stories? Was it ever addressed there?

    — Dr. Mid-Nite: One of the coolest costumes of the Golden Age, never drawn better. I love describing him as “Batman meets Daredevil” (my favorite DC and Marvel characters, respectively). One detail that isn’t mentioned in this entry—probably because it wasn’t established in continuity, and because duh—is that Charles McNider is a supreme ladies’ man. In the “JSA: Unholy Three” Elseworlds story, in which he’s known as “The Owl,” another character jokes he’s probably seduced the nurses treating him in the hospital and should be called “The Cock.”

    — Yes, there were plenty of double-page spreads before the Flash: All-Star Squadron, Atari Force, Doom Patrol, Brotherhood of Evil, Camelot 3000, Atlantis, the Clayfaces, Easy Company, probably something else. True, Barry was the first single character to receive one, and it was well warranted. (I recall a later letter published in WW that asked why Batman didn’t get two pages, but the Flash—”a minor hero”—did.)

    — Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t the Lord of Time figure as one of the big bads (along with Kang) in the aborted JLA/Avengers crossover from the ’80s? I know a story like that was referenced in Busiek and Perez’s eventual project, and I thought it was a bit of an inside joke.

    — Lord Satanis: I find it curious that the text includes the pronoun “we.” (“We have never seen his unmasked face.”) Was this common in Who’s Who and I never noticed? Also, I think his boots are a bold choice.

    — Luthor: I absolutely love the Swan/Perez team, and it’s one of the reasons “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” is probably my all-time favorite Superman story. I was never a serious Superman reader, but I’d have bought the hell out of a regular series with this art team.

    — When my nephews were six or seven and getting into DC characters, they asked me to tell them about some weird, more obscure ones, and I immediately thought of Matter Eater Lad. That led us to a couple conversations in which we applied kid logic to the mechanics of MEL’s superpower and wrapping our brains in knots.

    — I recall the STAR Labs entry flummoxing me way back when because it seemed to defy WW’s alphabetical scheme. (“Why is it before the Scavenger and not among the various Starmans and Starboys?”) It was only later I realized it was classified as “Scientific Advanced…” etc.

    — Doiby is 4’2″ and 210 pounds? Is he a medicine ball? Four-two is shorter than Peter Dinklage.

    Bring on the Impact!

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    1. Hi, Mr. Tarnow.

       My dad’s All-American Comics issues show Doiby to be roughly two-thirds the height of Alan Scott, and since Alan is 6’0″…

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22. Thanks for another joyous edition, boys. I’m happy for you to mine Who’s Who for as long as you like in as many ways as you wish, bring on that Top Ten show. As for this quarter’s episode…

    BROTHER BLOOD: It’s interesting that Marv Wolfman has followers of BB in positions of authority all over the world, didn’t he do something similar with Lilith’s wacko goddess mother Thia? I wonder if there’s any intersection between the two groups.

    COSMIC KING: The original Legion of Super-Villains was so confusing. Lightning Lord has lightning powers. But Saturn Queen has super-hypnosis. And Cosmic King transmutes things… I suppose we can be glad he predates Element Lad or that would be even more weird.

    THE FLASH: As regards the Flash entry, yes it was creepy Barry being with Iris in the body of a dead girl, especially one apparently a good few years younger. And then, he had a new face. All so weird.

    THE LORD OF TIME: As Isamu noted, the Lord of Time story did originally start in the middle of the first Felix Faust story, in JLA #10, that was a pretty advanced move on the part of Gardner Fox. ‘Epoch’ (ugh) has recently been in the Superboy story in Action Comics.

    HARPIS: Did Keith Giffen have a thing about ripping wings off pretty people, Dawnstar also lost hers in the 5YL Legion when she was possessed by Bounty.

    LUTHOR: Luthor’s late Bronze Age armour suit is hideous, just look at that daft neck business and silly skirt. The slick Seventies purple and green outfit is much better.

    STAR LABS: I’d be pretty confident saying Ross Andru drew all the faces, Murray T does look like an Andru face to me. Think Aunt May.

    UNKNOWN SOLDIER: I don’t think the Unknown Soldier is crying to the heavens or angsty, I think he surrendering to the Germans before playing a much-deserved trick on them.

    DOIBY DICKLES: I really don’t understand why Shag was confused as to how it’s pronounced, you pronounce it as you read it. Anyway, great work, the Family Yukinori.

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23. FYI – “Doiby” is pronounced “Nuclear”.

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24. Another Great Episode! And congrats on 15 years! I feel like an old-timer now, and I’ve only been listening for 8 or so years. Anyway, on to…

    Whatever Happened To…?
    • Brother Blood: Brother Sebastian Blood VIII was at one point captured by Robin (Damian) and his group of Teen Titans. Damian supposedly killed him after he escaped and plotted revenge. However, no body… Since then, the Church of Blood was subsumed by an interstellar cult led by a Tamaranean, Xand’r. He rebranded it as the Church of Eternity and called himself Brother Eternity. The Church worshiped the Necrostar, a perversion of Starro the Conqueror.

    • Cosmic King: He was revealed to be Laevar Botto, and his last significant appearance was in the pages of the briefly revived Adventure Comics where, as part of the Legion of Super-Villains, he was tasked with destroying the Legion Academy and killing all the students. He was only stopped when student Variable Lad sacrificed his own life to end Laevar’s.

    • Doctor Mid-Nite: Charles McNider’s legacy is alive in well as Dr. Beth Chapel has resumed the role and after being resurrected and Dr. Pieter Cross resides in Natal, Brazil where he is conducting medical research. Chaz himself has been watching over the current JSA from beyond with his fellow fallen teammates. They primarily communicate via the new Kid Eternity.

    • The Flash: Barry is currently powerless following the events of Absolute Power. He has taken the opportunity to write a New History of the DC Universe and spend time with Iris (Mark Waid has said he has “plans” for Barry and wanted him to lay low for a while).

    It should also be noted that a few major changes to his history have been made in the current continuity. He had a twin that was presumed stillborn, but was actually raised by the Thawne family and grew up to become the villain Cobalt Blue. When Barry was a child, his mother was killed by a yellow blur (Reverse-Flash), and his father was wrongly convicted for it. The day that lightning struck a second time, Iris had two nephews with her – Wally West, son of her brother Rudy – and Wallace, son of her brother Daniel. While only Wally gained speed powers that day, eventually Wallace would, too. He is not married to Iris, though they are engaged and will have children (The Tornado Twins – and their grandchildren – Impulse and XS are active).

    • Harpis: She was killed at some point prior to Omega Men v2 #1. A clone of Harpis and her sister were created and “programed” to fighting Supergirl and the Omega Men when Kara was roaming the stars looking for the supposed “Butcher of Krypton” Rogol Zarr (He wasn’t. He just claimed it). The clones were subdued and the Omega Men are trying to determine if any of their old friend is still inside.

    • Karate Kid: The pre-Crisis Val somehow came back to life prior the Lightning Saga, only to be killed again in Countdown to Final Crisis. It has been established that all versions of the Legion are legitimate (Original, Five Years Later, Reboot, Threeboot, Retroboot, Bendisboot and more) and most of them have interacted with current day at some point. However, Brainiac One Million has captured all these various futures within bottles. A new Legion must rise. (Keith Giffen has now killed Karate Kid at least 3 times: the Baxter Series, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, and the SW6 version in 5YL.)

    • The Lord of Time: Epoc was just defeated by Superboy (young Clark Kent) and a time-displaced Martian Manhunter, Mary Marvel, and Booster Gold in the pages of Action Comics.

    • Lord Satanis: Hold on to your hats, everyone: there are currently TWO iterations of this character in continuity.
    Lord Satanis was last seen as a member of the Suicide Squad on a mission to destroy Atlantis. However, he went rogue and attempted to take the magic of Atlantis for himself. Aquaman stopped him, with an assist from the Squad when they learned the truth.

    Meanwhile, Lord Satanus was just seen attempting to take over Metropolis with his sister Lady Blaze after Neron kicked them out of Hell. Superboy-Prime and Witchfire stopped them. He was also a part of the baseball team that played against heroes for the fate of two countries in the current iteration of World’s Finest.

    • (Lex) Luthor II: The Earth-One Luthor hasn’t been seen since Crisis, like most of Earth-One. In current continuity, Lex Luthor is the owner of LexCorp, a former President of the United States, a leader of the Society, and a convicted criminal. His family includes his sister Lena (who went mad, converted one of Lex’s battlesuits and became Ultrawoman), his mother Leticia (who claims Lex stole everything from her, went mad, converted one of Lex’s battlesuits and tried to poison Metropolis), and his daughter Lena (who is friends with Supergirl in Midvale, trying to prove that her name doesn’t control her destiny). Luthor was a final fighter in the recent DC K.O. event, and has since been granted probationary membership in the Justice League via their amnesty program. While his endgame isn’t clear, Superman has been trying hard to see the good in Lex and hopes he is working toward redemption.

    • Matter-Eater Lad: Like Karate Kid, the Pre-Crisis iteration of Tenzil Kem is trapped in stasis by Brainiac One Million. However, Tenzil Kem has been shown as an early member of the Legion in the new series starting this month (September, 2026). He even has a dedicated variant cover for issue 2!

    • Rostov: He’s been pretty much a ghost since his original appearances in the first Warlord series. Even when they retold Mariah’s origin in Warlord volume 3, he wasn’t mentioned.

    • S.T.A.R. Labs: S.T.A.R. Labs are all over the place in the DCU. Jenet Klyburn was last seen in the most recent Metal Men series. It should also be noted that S.T.A.R. has some serious competition: LexCorp, WayneTech, Terrifitech, Stagg Industries, Kord Industries, and Steelworks.

    • The Unknown Soldier: What happened to the World War II Unknown Soldier remains classified. However, the codename has been carried on into modern day. The current Unknown Soldier has been enhanced by the military and has limited metahuman abilities.

    • Doiby Dickles: Doiby was recently seen in the Alan Scott: The Green Lantern miniseries, which tells a story set early in Alan’s career – when he was discovering his power and his sexuality. In present day, he hasn’t been seen since his time in Old Justice. It should be noted that he won Myrg back by having Young Justice play a baseball game against invaders.

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