Flashback Friday: Livewire

Each Friday, I take one of the entries from my old Super Posts and expand it into its own featured article.

This week: Livewire!

These days, comic book adapters realize that Marvel and DC have thousands of characters and one of them will probably fit whatever story they want to tell. That wasn't always the case. Until the mid-00s (and possibly later), tv shows based on comics mainly used original characters, and the DC Animated Universe was no different. That brings us to Livewire.

Like Roxy Rocket, Livewire's first appearance wasn't really on tv. She debuted in Superman Adventures #5 (January 1997) in a story that has her attacking men because they've run the world for so long. What's interesting to me is that the issue is written as if everyone already knows Livewire, which makes me wonder if her premiere episode was originally planned for season one and then pushed back.

Either way, Livewire first appeared in Superman: The Animated Series in an episode of the same name (1997).  In the episode, Leslie Willis is a shock jock who was struck by lightning during an outside concert. The lightning gave her electric powers and changed her appearance, and she blamed Superman for it. So she became Livewire to get revenge. She became a recurring antagonist, also appearing in The New Batman Adventures, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited.

She first began appearing in the main DC Universe in Action Comics #835 (January 2006). Her backstory is mostly the same as her animated counterpart, except that she was born with her electric powers. The lightning strike only enhanced them and changed her appearance. She continued to appear and even reformed by 2011, just in time for the New 52.

In the New 52, Livewire made her first appearance in Justice League #30 (May 2014) during Forever Evil as a member of the Secret Society of Super-Villains. In Batgirl #42 (July 2015), she receives a new origin - now she was a vlogger who was electrocuted during a prank where she tried to make the lights of Metropolis spell out a dirty word.

And if comics to tv to comics weren't enough, she also made it back to tv - twice, actually. The first was in Smallville ("Injustice", May 2009), although you'd be forgiven for not realizing it's the same character...

...and the second was in Supergirl ("Livewire", November 2015), where she has once again become a recurring character.

Lois Lane's Violet Eyes

Usually canon immigrants are big things like characters and events. But sometimes they're details so tiny, most people don't even realize they're there. This is an example of the latter. 

In Superman: The Animated Series (1996), Lois Lane had violet eyes to match her suit.

This had never been the case in comics before. When Lois debuted in Action Comics #1 (1938), eyes weren't given that level of definition at all...

...and once they were, she was depicted with blue eyes. 

After the animated series, however, she started appearing with violet eyes in the comics. In cases like this it's hard to determine the absolute first time it happened, but here's a smattering of examples released over fifteen years or so (the final one being a variant cover for Superman #13, July 2019).

I also can't guarantee her eyes are ALWAYS violet. Coloring is a tricky beast and there are often inconsistencies even when the colors of an object are set in stone.

Flashback Friday: Mas y Menos

Each Friday, I take one of the entries from my old Super Posts and expand it into its own featured article.

This week: Mas y Menos!

Mas y Menos first appeared in the Teen Titans cartoon, beginning with the episode "Titans East, Part 1" (January 2005). They're speedsters who can only use their powers when they're touching, though this extends to touching something the other is also touching.

They first appear in comics in Teen Titans Go! #20 (June 2005), although this is a tie-in series to the show. They appeared in several issues of this series.

They debuted in the mainstream in Teen Titans #38 (July 2006), which established them as Titans during the 52/One Year Later gap year. This appearance would set the stage for all future appearances; they seem to only exist to cameo.

They appear on a screen in Teen Titans #66 (December 2008)...

Final Crisis #1 (April 2009) shows them in action for the first time, but only for two panels with no dialogue...

They're in Teen Titans #100 (August 2011), but only in a pinup after the main story...

And Multiversity: The Just #1 (October 2014) has them in a group shot at a pool party.

Not the most illustrious career, but at least they still exist in the post-Rebirth DC Universe (even if, right now, it's only on Earth-16).

Flashback Friday: Hall of Justice

Each Friday, I take one of the entries from my old Super Posts and expand it into its own featured article.

This week: the Hall of Justice!

The Hall of Justice first appeared as the Justice League headquarters in first episode of the Super Friends animated series (September 1973). It quickly became a trademark of the series, especially during Challenge of the Super Friends when it was contrasted with the equally iconic Legion of Doom headquarters. Here's an interesting piece of trivia for you: the Hall was based on Cincinatti's Union Terminal:

The Hall of Justice first appeared in comics in Super Friends #1 (September 1976), but since DC TV comics are...complicated in terms of continuity, we'll keep going.

The designed was used in Kingdom Come (1996) as the United Nations headquarters...

...but the actual Hall of Justice debuted in Justice League of America #7 (March 2007) as one half of the JLA's new headquarters (the other half being the Satellite Watchtower).

Since then it has become a mainstay. It technically continued to exist in the New 52, although it was blown up in the first month, in Justice League International #1 (September 2011).

It was then rebuilt following the destruction of the Watchtower, and the new version debuted in Justice League #1 (June 2018).

It has also been featured as - or inspired the look of - headquarters in many adaptations. I won't list them all, but some examples include the Arrowverse...

...Young Justice...

...The Batman...

...and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Flashback Friday: Kal-El's (and Kal-L's) Name

Each Friday, I take one of the entries from my old Super Posts and expand it into its own featured article.

This week: Kal-El's name (and Kal-L's)!

Everyone knows Superman debuted in Action Comics #1 (April 1938), and that's where his origin was told for the first time. What many people don't realize is how bare-bones the origin was at the time. A scientist on a dying planet sent his infant son into space, where he landed on Earth, grew up as Clark Kent, and used his superpowers as Superman.

All of that is still accurate today, but it's missing a lot of detail. Luckily, Superman became very popular very quickly, so in January 1939, a Superman comic strip started - which, incidentally, was Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's preferred format for Superman in the first place (the first Superman story was simply the first 38 strips they had produced when they were shopping the character around). This new strip allowed them a do-over, so it started with a more detailed origin, where we learn the baby's name is Kal-L in the first strip ("Superman Comes to Earth").

Superman's origin was re-told again when he got his own series (Superman #1, April 1939), but it didn't include the baby's Kryptonian name.

Soon after, Superman got a radio adaptation and one of the radio show's writers, George Lowther, wrote a book called The Adventures of Superman (1942). In this re-telling of his origin, his name is spelled "Kal-el" for the first time. I couldn't find proof of that, but here is an image from the book of "Jor-el" being spelled the same way.

Surprisingly, the spelling "Kal-El" (with or without a capital) wouldn't appear in comics until Superman #113 (March 1957).

Over time, it was established that one of the differences between Earth-One and Earth-Two is Kryptonian naming conventions, with Earth-One using "-El" and Earth-Two using "-L". The name "Kal-L" would appear as the birthname of the Superman of Earth-Two in Action Comics #484 (April 1978).

In the New 52, the primary Earth's Superman is still called Kal-El, but Earth-2's Superman is also called Kal-El. However, the Pre-Crisis Earth-Two's Superman is still known as Kal-L when he appears (such as in Convergence: Action Comics #1, April 2015).

Flashback Friday: Samurai

Each Friday, I take one of the entries from my old Super Posts and expand it into its own featured article.

This week: Samurai!

Samurai always makes me a little sad to think about. Everyone wants to use him, but no one wants to use him, you know? You'll see what I mean.

Samurai debuted in the eighth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour (segment: "Volcano" (1977)). His main powers are that he can turn into wind and also become invisible, but occasionally he was also seen to control flame or cast illusions.

Samurai's first comics appearance was a cameo in Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 (June 1985), but it's easy to miss him even if you're looking. Panel 4, far right, next to Catwoman.

He appeared more fully in Super Powers #1 (July 1986) and he would go on to appear in every issue of the miniseries. Strangely, even though the comic is a tie-in with the toyline that would also be adapted as the last couple seasons of Super Friends, the Justice League does not recognize Samurai and Samurai does not seem to have ever been a superhero before; in fact, he debuted as a villain - although brainwashed. Ultimately it doesn't matter because this story is not in continuity.

He later appeared as a toy in Green Lantern #89 (June 1997), but obviously this doesn't really count.

His next cameo was as a member of the Super Friends in the "Crisis One Million" section of DC One Million 80-Page Giant #1 (August 1999). Superwoman used a bad luck generator and made Hypertime fold in on itself, causing numerous alternate Justice Leagues to appear together.

His first appearance in mainstream continuity was a - you guessed it - cameo in a group shot in the Infinite Crisis #5 section of the Infinite Crisis hardcover (December 2006)...

...while his first full appearance was in Justice League of America #46 (August 2010), though again, he's playing an antagonistic role against his will.

Another version of Samurai (using his same first name, Toshio) appeared in Justice League of America 80-Page Giant #1 (November 2009) as a samurai in 1223.

And finally, Samurai did survive the New 52 and Rebirth, though fittingly only as a cameo: in Doomsday Clock #6 (July 2018), the backmatter addresses superheroes in the East, and Samurai is listed on Japan's team.

A strange thing I noticed while researching this post is how similar it is to Golden Pharaoh's: Super Powers volume 3, Green Lantern #89, Doomsday Clock backmatter...a lot of things line up. What a strange coincidence.

Anyway, Samurai has fared slightly better in adaptations. A version of him called Wind Dragon appeared in the Justice League Unlimited episode, "Ultimatum" (December 2004)...

...and then Young Justice featured a female version of him called Asami Koizumi in season 2 for several episodes, beginning in the episode "Beneath" (May 2012).

He also makes cameos in Scooby-Doo!: The Mask of the Blue Falcon (2013) and The LEGO Batman Movie (2017).