Flashback Friday: Perry White

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

This week: Perry White!

Perry White is fascinating because most people don't realize he originated outside of comics. When Superman debuted in Action Comics #1 (April 1938), his editor didn't have a name. In Superman #2 (August 1939), we learn his name is George Taylor.

Around this same time, Superman gained his first adaptation, the Adventures of Superman radio show. In the second episode, "Clark Kent, Reporter" (February 1940), we meet Clark's editor, here named Perry White. This is not that out of the ordinary; adaptations trying to stay as faithful as possible to the comic books they're adapting is only a fairly recent phenomenon, and the farther back you go, the less they care. (For a particularly extreme example, check out the Captain America serial where he's a district attorney named Grant Gardner.) Of course, I should also mention that continuity was much less of a thing in comics in the early days, so basic details about characters could change on a whim from issue to issue.

Later that year, Perry White arrived in comics as the editor of the Daily Planet in Superman #7 (September 1940). There was no story about how or why he replaced George Taylor; he just did.

In the comics, George Taylor would not be forgotten, appearing on Earth-2 as that Superman's editor (at the Daily Star) and on the main earth as the Daily Planet's editor before Perry White and/or the editor of the Daily Star, the Planet's rival newspaper. As far as adaptations are concerned, however, Perry White is the only editor that matters. He has become a mainstay of Superman stories and has appeared in all adaptations (except for the Superboy tv show, though his son WAS in it).

Flashback Friday: JARVIS

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

This week: J.A.R.V.I.S.!

Tony Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis, who first appeared in Tales of Suspense #59 (September 1964)...

...was adapted for the Iron Man movie (2008) as an advanced AI that controlled the Stark Mansion (and the Iron Man suit later on) and was called J.A.R.V.I.S., which was explained in the movie novelization to stand for "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System".   

J.A.R.V.I.S. later appears, which the same acronym explanation, in Invincible Iron Man #11 (March 2009), this time based on the personality of the real Jarvis and as the controller AI of Pepper Potts's "Rescue" armor.

As a side note, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s personality being based on a real Edwin Jarvis, who presumably helped raise Tony when he was young, was a common MCU fan theory. This was later confirmed when Agent Carter had Jarvis in a major supporting role across both seasons.

Flashback Friday: Marsha, Queen of Diamonds

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

This week: Marsha, Queen of Diamonds!

Marsha is a diamond thief who first appears in the episode of the same name (November 1966). She wants to get her hands on the Bat-Diamond, so she blackmails Batman into marrying her, which would have the added benefit of giving her access to the Batcave and his secret identity. Needless to say, Batman manages to find a way to escape and save Robin, Commissioner Gordon, and Chief O'Hara in the process.

Although this villain from the Batman tv series (1966-1968) hasn't yet made a real appearance in comics, she was mentioned by the Riddler in Secret Origins Special #1 (June 1989).  At the time, the rights to the 60s series were in a strange sort of limbo, which is why the tv-original characters were never used in the comics. But that's all sorted out now, so there's no telling when Marsha will appear for real!

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.

Flashback Friday: Mystique's Movie Design

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

This week: Mystique's movie design!

It can't be understated how big the first X-Men movie was in 2000. Avengers: Endgame becoming the top-grossing movie of all time can be traced directly back to the success of this movie. It was certainly the most important Marvel adaptation at the time, and Marvel - generally not one to have major canon immigrants at the time - bent over backwards to make the comics better reflect the movies.

As I'm sure you know, X-Men was much different from the comics of the time. The team was smaller and wore black leather. Xavier's was an actual school. The Brotherhood was made of some of the team's biggest villains (and Toad), and nearly all of them had a less human appearance than normal. The changes go on and on. Mystique in particular was naked with small spikes all over her skin. The rationale for her nakedness was that, if she morphed clothes, she'd be naked regardless (although let's be honest: they just wanted Rebecca Romijn to be naked); the textured skin was never explained.

But that's not how Mystique appeared in the comics. From her first appearance in Ms. Marvel #18 (April 1978), she's had more or less the same iconic look.

In 2001, Marvel started publishing a miniseries called X-Men Forever, ostensibly to build on the success of Avengers Forever. Like that series, this one would travel through the X-Men's history, but that's where the similarities end. While Avengers Forever's ultimate goal was to explain away some continuity bugs, the goal of X-Men Forever was simply to make the X-Men more like the comics. And that is how, in issue 6 (April 2001), Mystique came to look like this:

To say the change didn't last would be putting it lightly. It might as well have not happened at all. Her next published appearance that wasn't a flashback or morphed was a year later in Uncanny X-Men #404 (April 2002). She looks normal.

In fact, the only other appearance I can find of Mystique's movie form is in X-Treme X-Men #32 (October 2003), when a mutant named Revenant make Rogue think she's turning into Mystique.

And that's not even really Mystique. But that's for the best, because it's not a great design. I think the movies have realized that too, because over time, her skin has gotten smoother and smoother and she's started wearing clothes even when unmorphed.

Flashback Friday: Granville, Kansas

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

This week: Granville, Kansas!

Granville first appeared in Smallville as a neighboring city of Smallville.  In the episode "Accelerate" (May 2003), Clark tracks the father of a childhood friend of Lana's to the city. Granville continued to be mentioned or appear once a season until season 8. This is a good name because it plays off the size angle - Small vs Grand - but it's also a reference to Smallville's production. The show (and most genre television) was filmed in Vancouver, which was originally known as Granville.

It appeared in a similar capacity in Superman/Batman #13 (August 2004). It has appeared a few times since then, but details on the internet are scarce so I can't find another mention. I know I've seen it, though, and recently. If you have a lead, let me know!

For the sake of full disclosure, I should point out that Action Comics #791 (May 2002) mentions a "Grandville". This is possibly a case of parallel thinking, or - since the issue is a flashback to Clark's high school days published at the tail end of Smallville season one - possibly a use of information from the Smallville writers' room that hadn't made its way on screen yet. Either way, the spelling of the town's name is a canon immigrant even if the town itself might not be.

One final note: Granville was also seen on a map in Batman: The Brave and the Bold's "Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure!" (January 2010).

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: Inspector Henderson

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

This week: Inspector Henderson!

Inspector Henderson first appeared in the The Adventures of Superman radio show during the 1940s, although I can't find a specific first episode. I can confirm, however, that he appeared by 1945, as he is included in the 15-part episode, "The Atom Man", which has been published in book form.  His role was mainly to provide exposition for the story.

The radio show was very popular and had great influence on the comics, but Henderson wasn't one of them...yet. He did, however, appear in The Adventures of Superman tv show, as a way to keep Superman off-screen as long as possible (thanks to a limited budget).

His next appearance was also not in comics. It was in Filmation's "New Adventures of Superman" series. I can't confirm, but internet chatter leads me to believe he played a minor role in the episode, "Rain of Iron" (1968).

He finally made his first comics appearance in Action Comics #440 (August 1974) and became a minor recurring character until the New 52. He played a bigger part, however, in Black Lightning, which also took place in Metropolis.

He continued to be part of the Post-Crisis universe and made his first appearance there in Adventures of Superman #424 (November 1986).

Despite having a minor role in the comics nowadays, he has been a favorite of Superman adaptations, also appearing in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Superman: The Animated Series, and Smallville. Most recently, he is a major supporting character in the CW's Black Lightning.

I should also probably note that Supergirl introduced an Inspector Mike Henderson in 2009, after Bill Henderson had been promoted to commissioner, but I don't know if that's coincidence.

Flashback Friday: Gray Ghost

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

This week: Gray Ghost!

As most people know, Batman is inspired by earlier pulp heroes such as the Shadow and Zorro. In fact, "inspired" is putting it charitably, considering several of Batman's earliest stories were plagiarized Shadow stories. But the comics and other adaptations like to pay homage to this in various ways, with the main one becoming that the Waynes went to see a Zorro film on the day they died (which Zorro movie it was changes based on when the story takes place, but it's usually The Mark of Zorro).

Batman: The Animated Series, however, provided its own twist on this idea. In the episode "Beware the Gray Ghost" (1992), we learn of an old tv show that Bruce loved to watch as a kid. The Gray Ghost is very inspired by the Shadow, and Batman was, in turn, inspired by the Gray Ghost. In fact, Batman's Batcave is an exact replica of the Gray Ghost's base of operations. The episode involves the Simon Trent, the actor who played the Gray Ghost (voiced by Adam West), dressing as the Gray Ghost and teaming with Batman to help solve a series of bombings based on an episode of the series.

The first time the Grey Ghost was mentioned in comics was Batman: Gotham Adventures #3 (June 1998), when Scarecrow's fear formula made it seem like Batman was dressed as the character.

The Batman Adventures #14 (May 2004) featured Simon Trent as the Gray Ghost and the creation of a Gray Ghost movie.

But both of those are extensions of the DCAU. The first time the Gray Ghost was seen outside of that world was, surprisingly, the Grant Morrison Vertigo title, Joe the Barbarian #1 (January 2010). This series is about a boy who hallucinates a fantasy adventure involving his toys thanks to low blood sugar, and Gray Ghost - along with Batman - is one of the characters who appears.

When he finally appeared in mainstream DC comics, it was in a much different form.  In Batgirl #15 (November 2010), the Grey Ghost appears as Clancy Johnson, Batgirl's self-proclaimed guardian angel. Incidentally, he's also the Mad Bomber (the villain of "Beware the Gray Ghost"). Clancy based his secret identity on the Grey Ghost tv show, which also now exists in DC Comics.

And then Simon Trent appeared as a theatre teacher in Gotham Academy, which I've previously discussed.

What I find most interesting about all of these appearances is that they keep the Gray Ghost a fictional entity. Writers could've easily made him a real hero, perhaps one active in the 30s. But they didn't. In some ways I prefer that.

The only (potential) example I can find otherwise is Batman Beyond 2.0 #40 (November 2014). I can't tell if this is Simon Trent taking up the mantle again or someone inspired by the Gray Ghost franchise. Either way, this series takes place on Earth-12, which is essentially the DCAU world in comics form.

Flashback Friday: The Batcave

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

This week: The Batcave!

Originally, the closest thing Batman had to a Batcave was an old barn he used for a hangar/garage, which he accessed via underground tunnel connected to Wayne Manor. You can see it here in Detective Comics #48 (December 1940). 

In Batman #12 (June 1942), we see underground hangars as an extension of the above idea, but they're presented as man-made. Incidentally, Batman #12 is the first appearance of Batman's trophy room, which is housed in Wayne Manor and mainly exists as a way for Batman and Robin to talk about past cases.

In 1943, Batman received his first serial, also called Batman. In it, Batman was a government agent and his base was a cave called The Bat's Cave, which debuted in the chapter of the same name (July 1943). It didn't house much except a desk and some science equipment. Although it was thematically appropriate, the only reason for it was as a money-saving measure since the studio already had a cave set.

It was thematically appropriate, though, so the Batcave itself first appeared in Detective Comics #83 (November 1943). Note that the image is essentially the same as the one above, only now drawn so that it exists in a natural cave. Also note that they've moved the trophy room into the Batcave.

Interestingly, Detective Comics #205 (January 1954) shows that Bruce originally planned to use the barn as his base of operations, but he fell through the floor and discovered the cave. That's a neat way to smooth that history!...although you'll also notice this says Bruce bought Wayne Manor as an adult, which is its own continuity snafu.

The Batcave, of course, has become a major part of the Batman mythos, appearing in every film and tv adaptation since, even the "grounded" Christopher Nolan films. It also, of course, continued to appear in comics after the New 52 and Rebirth.