4295. Joker/ Heath Ledger

The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Created by Jerry Robinson, Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the character first appeared in Batman #1 (Spring 1940).
Throughout his comic book appearances, the Joker is portrayed as a master criminal whose characterization has varied. The original and currently dominant image is of a highly intelligent psychopath with a warped, sadistic sense of humor, while other writers have portrayed him as an eccentric prankster. Similarly, throughout the character's long history, there have been several different origin tales; they most commonly depict him as falling into a tank of chemical waste, which bleaches his skin white and turns his hair green and his lips bright red, giving him the appearance of a clown. He has been repeatedly analyzed by critics as the perfect adversary for Batman. Their long, dynamic relationship often parallels the concept of 'Yin and Yang'.
The Joker has been portrayed by Cesar Romero in the Batman television series, Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's Batman, and Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, which posthumously earned Ledger the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Larry Storch, Frank Welker, Mark Hamill, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jeff Bennett, Corey Burton and John DiMaggio have provided the voice for the character in animated form.
As one of the most iconic and recognized villains in popular media, The Joker was ranked #1 on Wizard's list of the 100 Greatest Villains of All Time. He was also named #2 on IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time List, was ranked #8 on the Greatest Comic Book Characters in History list by Empire (being the highest ranking villain on the list) and was listed as the fifth Greatest Comic Book Character Ever in Wizard Magazine's 200 Greatest Comic Book Characters of all Time list, also the highest villain on the list. On their list of the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters, Fandomania.com ranked the Joker at number 30.

Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career. His work encompassed nineteen films, including 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), The Patriot (2000), A Knight's Tale (2001), Brokeback Mountain (2005), and The Dark Knight (2008).[1] In addition to acting, he produced and directed music videos and aspired to be a film director.
For his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain, Ledger won the 2005 New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and the 2006 "Best Actor" award from the Australian Film Institute and was nominated for the 2005 Academy Award for Best Actor as well as the 2006 BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Posthumously he shared the 2007 Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award with the rest of the ensemble cast, the director, and the casting director for the film I'm Not There, which was inspired by the life and songs of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. In the film, Ledger portrayed a fictional actor named Robbie Clark, one of six characters embodying aspects of Dylan's life and persona. Ledger received numerous accolades for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, a Best Actor International Award at the 2008 Australian Film Institute Awards, for which he became the first actor to win an award posthumously, the 2008 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor, the 2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and the 2009 BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Ledger died on 22 January 2008, from an accidental "toxic combination of prescription drugs". A few months before his death, Ledger had finished filming his penultimate performance, as the Joker in The Dark Knight, his death coming during editing of the film and casting a shadow over the subsequent promotion of the $180 million production. At the time of his death, he had completed about half of his work performing the role of Tony in Terry Gilliam's film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

4286. Captain Cold

Captain Cold, real name Leonard Snart, is a comic book villain created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino as one of the archenemies of Flash. He is a leader of the Rogues. A fan favorite, Captain Cold has served as a bitter enemy to the Silver-Age Flash Barry Allen, both enemy and grudging friend to the modern-day Flash Wally West, and one of the killers of the fourth Flash Bart Allen.

Cold takes his position as head of the Rogues very seriously. He employs a no-drugs rule (evidenced by his brutal beating of Mirror Master for his cocaine habit), docks pay for senseless violence (a 90% payout cut for the new Trickster's antics with stray dogs and T-bombs), and will kill only on certain occasions (he killed the Top for setting the newer rogues against him and his set of rogues), leading the Rogues in their 'code of honor' and refusing to kill women or children.
Captain Cold was not entirely as cold-hearted as his name suggests. He deeply cared for his sister, aka the Golden Glider, and lookes out for the well being of his fellow Rogues at all times, going so far as to arrange a secret funeral for Captain Boomerang. Even after killing the supervillain Chillblaine in revenge for his sister's murder, he was sitting at his coffee table drinking alcohol, and unable to open the door for his usual prostitute, realizing that his "heart's not always cold."
Although generally portrayed as rough around the edges at best, and known for his blunt attitude towards women, Cold has been shown to have a surprisingly moral streak at times. When circumstances have forced him to team up with the Flash, he has kept his word and avoided opportunities to stab Flash in the back even after the immediate crisis has been dealt with, admitting in private that he respects his enemy even if he operates on the other side of the law from him.

4187. Trickster

The Trickster is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics supervillains that are both enemies of the Flash. The original Trickster first appeared in Flash (1st series) #113 (June–July 1960), while the second debuted in Flash (2nd series) #183 (April 2002).

The original Trickster is a practical joker and conman whose favorite occupation is damaging enemies like the Flash with items such as explosive teddy bears.
His alter ego is "James Jesse", a stage name to replace his true identity, "Giovanni Giuseppe". He was a circus acrobat who decided to become a criminal just like his "reverse namesake" Jesse James. He created shoes that allowed him to walk on air to first help him in the trapeze shows his family was in, as every member of his family was a trapeze expert and his father wanted him to be one also, and other dangerous gag gadgets for his crimes. He clashed with the Flash (Barry Allen) many times. In his first appearance, his Harlequin costume causes the Flash to guess he is in a circus, and he captures the Trickster after pogo-sticking to the trapeze.
After Barry Allen's death, the Trickster relocated from Central City to Hollywood, where he spent some time working in special effects. He attempted to steal Dan Cassidy's innovative Blue Devil suit, but was defeated. When Cassidy later became trapped in the suit, Jesse befriended him and relied on Cassidy to help with his sporadic efforts to give up supervillainy. In the miniseries Underworld Unleashed Neron tried to create Hell on Earth. When James Jesse tricked his way into Neron's domain it was only to find himself an expected visitor. Neron made vague promises to Jesse, and seemed to keep Jesse in his confidences. However, once Jesse realized he was in Hell and Neron was the Devil incarnate, Trickster realized it was up to him to beat the Devil. He managed to trick Neron and defeat him with Captain Marvel's help. Upon finding himself back on Earth, Trickster lamented the fact that he had engineered "the greatest sting of all time" and no one had witnessed it... and promptly decided he'd better work the side of the angels, because he didn't dare go to Hell.
He began using his con-artist skills for good, and collecting the weapons of incarcerated supervillains because such things were too dangerous to be left lying around and could fall into the wrong hands. (He was right: see Trickster II.)
When his old girlfriend Mindy Hong called on him for help, Trickster went with her to the tiny mountain kingdom of Zhutan. There, with the help of the Pied Piper and Billy Hong, a 12-year-old boy who proved to be the Majee (a special agent of the Saravistran god Meshta, sent to observe and weigh humankind's progress), he again defeated Neron. As part of the deal, Jesse told Neron to forget the Rogues, who were grudgingly grateful for being rescued from the demon's wrath. Minutes later, Jesse was flabbergasted to be told that Billy Hong was his son.
Trickster returned to the States and kept on using his skills for good. He once saved Catwoman's life by tricking her into helping him "kill" her. She was grateful, and he thought her "the most fascinating woman I've ever met," but they parted as merely friends. The FBI contacted Jesse and recruited him. He worked for them awhile and then the Top reappeared and turned the Rogues' world topsy-turvy by brainwashing several of them, causing the ROGUE WAR. Still working as an agent of the FBI, James Jesse gathered the reformed Rogues to stop Captain Cold and the other Rogues. However, the Top appeared and reverted what he did to the reformed Rogues, eventually. It took Trickster and the Pied Piper a long time to sort out their own memories from the Top's hypnotic suggestions. The other Rogues scattered and laid low.

The Trickster has a number of trick items that he employs. This includes itching powder, potato head bombs, exploding rubber chickens, exploding yo-yos, sharpened jacks, hard shell candy, and various other joke themed weapons.
The Trickster wears a pair of shoes that allow him to fly for up to 10 hours.

4186. Rocket Red

Rocket Red is a fictional character and comic book superhero from the DC Comics universe. Created by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton, he first appeared in Justice League No. 3 (July 1987). His first DC Universe canon appearance was in Green Lantern Corps No. 208 (January 1987).
The term "Rocket Reds" refers to any member of the Rocket Red Brigade; the name in the singular is used to refer to the three individual characters named Rocket Red who were members of the Justice League. These comprise the original Rocket Red, No. 7, later revealed as an android, Dmitri Pushkin and Gavril Ivanovich.

Dmitri Pushkin (Rocket Red No. 4) became a member of the JLI after the previously assigned Rocket Red No. 7 was revealed to be a Manhunter android. A kind-hearted and jolly man with a taste for American culture, Dimitri served with the Justice League International for many years.
When his armor was destroyed by Lobo, he replaced it with a more advanced model made on Apokolips. This happened during a small-team Justice League mission to save Mister Miracle. He also suffered the destruction of his battle suit while facing Time Commander in Animal Man No. 16 (Oct 1989), when Dimitri served with Justice League Europe. During this time, Maxwell Lord made arrangements with the Russian government for Dmitri's wife, Belina, and his two children, Mischa and Tascha, to live with him at the league's Paris embassy. He also became friends with Animal Man, also known as Buddy Baker, in a manner similar to the friendship of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. Dimitri and Buddy initially bonded because they both had wives and children.
Dmitri is featured in the second Captain Atom annual, helping to defend the country of Bialya from various threats.
In Justice League Europe No. 28, Dimitri was part of the small resistance against Starro because the alien could not take him over through his armor. Dmitri was neutralized when Starro threatens to harm his family. He willingly surrendered to the alien's control in order to keep them safe. Other JLA members eventually defeated the menace.
Later, Dmitri and most of the Reds are taken over by the sound-using criminal Sonar. In the same issue, Russian government reports have him listed as retired.
Dimitri was the only European on the team initially. He retired from super-heroics for a long time before dying in The OMAC Project, self-destructing to save the other members of the old JLI. His last words to Booster Gold were "My wife and children, Michael ... tell them I love them".
In the Booster Gold series, Rocket Red's grandfather Dr. Sergei Pushkin was a Russian scientist working with the U.S. on the space race in 1952. The Task Force X's mission was to expose Pushkin as a traitor to the American cause. Thanks to Pushkin, the launch was ahead of its schedule, and the Russians were conducting a flight to outer space that night. Booster Gold traveled through time to stop it, giving a diversion to Task Force X to apprehend Pushkin without exposing him. Pushkin became more careful, and the space program started to lag behind until he was exposed by Frank Rock as a traitor in 1954. Because he was a valuable source, the U.S. placed him under house arrest where he worked on the Rocket Red armor in secret until he was sprung in 1957 by the Soviets. He didn't live to see his work completed, and it was up to his son, Dimitri, to finish the suit. So the legacy of the Rocket Reds was secure until 1962.
In Blackest Night No. 3, Rocket Red was reanimated as a member of the Black Lanterns and is shown attacking the Rocket Red Brigade.

The Rocket Reds were originally created for the Soviet Union by Green Lantern Kilowog and the Rocket Red Brigade —normal human beings enhanced using "forced evolution" and armored battle suits— proudly defended the USSR.
Their abilities included super strength, invulnerability, rocket-powered flight, the ability to project powerful energy blasts, and "mecha-empathy"—the ability to sense and control computers and machines.

4180. Kid Quantum

Kid Quantum is the name of three fictional superheroes that appear in comic books published by DC Comics, who were members of different incarnations of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

James Cullen, the first Kid Quantum, was retconned into the Legion's past, ostensibly as a result of a history-changing disaster. He was described as having been the first Legionnaire to die in action, as well as the reason for the Legion's rule against members whose superhuman abilities were solely technological; however, it was later revealed that "James Cullen" was a constructed identity used by a cluster of shapeshifting amoeboid "Proteans", who were seeking to protect their race, and that, instead of being killed, Cullen had simply gone into hiding until such time as it was safe. This plotline was never fully resolved, as the Legion's universe was subsequently "rebooted" with the Zero Hour mini-series.

James Cullen
The second Kid Quantum was also named James Cullen; however, this one was an actual person rather than a constructed identity. Like his historical counterpart, he used a so-called "stasis belt" to augment his power to freeze time within a limited area to useful levels. He became a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes and became its first member to die between his overconfidence and a belt malfunction. His death also caused the "no technology powers" rule to be implemented when later characters were recruited.

Jazmin Cullen
The third Kid Quantum was Cullen's sister, Jazmin. After her brother's death, she underwent surgery to augment her power to a level where she would not require the belt. Despite initial hostility to the Legion when she first joined, she eventually grew within the role to the point where she was elected leader of the team, thanks in large part to Cosmic Boy's recommendation of her; she later entered into a relationship with him. Jazmin is a native of the planet Xanthu.

Post-Infinite Crisis
Following the Infinite Crisis, the Multiverse was reborn, now with 52 alternate Earths. In the recent Countdown: Arena mini-series, Monarch, formerly Captain Atom, began assembling a team made up of alternate versions of heroes from various Earths. In the final issue, he killed every single alternate version of himself in order to gain their power. James Cullen was seen among the various Captain Atoms.
Jazmin returned from limbo, alongside the rest of the Earth-247 Legion in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds to fight the new Legion of Super-Villains.

4177. Brainiac 5

Brainiac 5 is a long-standing member of the Legion of Super-Heroes with a 12th level intelligence and force-field belt. He is an expert on the science of time-travel (and many other things).

Current Events

Brainiac 5 is presently starring in the ongoing Legion of Superheroes series since the rebooted DC universe in the new 52. The Legion is presently fighting a Daxamite and a group of Controllers on the planet of Panoptes.

Origin

In the 30th Century, Querl Dox was born on Colu, a direct descendant of the original Brainiac and Vril Dox II. After centuries of disuse, the title "Brainiac" was taken by Querl's father, and eventually was given to Querl at the age of twelve. He was the fifth to ever hold the title. Making many breakthroughs in the science of time travel during university as a young boy thanks to his mentor Circadia Senius, Querl was invited to join the Time Institute in Metropolis on Earth. He became close friends with fellow time genius, Rond Vidar. He invented the Time Bubble, which became the primary mode of time travel for the Legion of Super-Heroes. While using a Time Viewer to see the dawn of time, the Green Lantern Corps attacked him, but he was saved by the newly formed Legion of Super-Heroes. Impressed by the team, and using his code-name of Brainiac 5, he tried out and joined the Legion alongside Supergirl. He went on to collaborate with the first Invisible Kid, Lyle Norg, to invent the Legion Flight Rings.

Creation

Brainiac 5 was created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney

Powers and Abilities

Intellect

12th Level Intelligence
While the population of 20th century Earth has a 6th level intelligence, and average Coluans have a 10th level intelligence, Brainiac 5 has a 12th level intelligence. Hence, Brainiac 5 is known as the smartest person in the universe.

He is able to create very advanced technology such as time machines (such as the Time Cube, Time Spheres and Chronexus), Flight Rings, artificial intelligences, and Force Shields. Brainy is also knowledgeable with medical technology as well, having invented the anti-lead serum for Mon-El and curing Matter-Eater Lad of his madness. Each level of intelligence represents a separate thought track, allowing him to think about or solve twelve equations simultaneously. His brain processes formulas at the speed of a computer.

While physical combat is not something he excels at, he has been known to use his body physics in combat to defend himself or incapacitate opponents. His advanced intellect presents a challenge when people try to affect him with mental abilities - he just thinks faster than they do. He has been known to learn new languages in just hours of listening to conversation.While it is not often illustrated, he excels at using technology in all forms (he is one of the Legion's best pilots), or finding weak spots in other people technology. With his powerful mind he can regulate his body's automatic nervous features with ease.

Equipment
Brainiac 5 has several other equipment items at his disposal. Brainiac's personal force field belt is nearly impenetrable when it is active. One version of his force field belt is used by Booster Gold. In some iterations, like the Brainiac 5 of Earth-247, this force field is actually internalized. As a Legionnaire, he is equipped with a Legion flight ring which allows him to fly. It can also be used as a long-range communication and tracking device.

As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Brainiac 5 possesses a Legion Flight Ring. The ring gives its wearer the ability to fly, the speed and range of which is determined by the wearer's willpower. It also acts as a long-range communicator (enabling constant vocal contact with other Legionnaires, even across vast distances of space), a signal device, and a navigational compass, all powered by a micro-computer built inside the ring. In the postboot reality, he had a utility belt which provided rations, a transuit, and telepathic ear plugs.

4176. Blue Devil

Blue Devil is a superhero featured in material published by DC Comics. He first appeared in a special insert published in Fury of Firestorm #24 (June 1984).[1] That story led directly into Blue Devil #1, also cover dated June 1984. He was created by Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn, and Paris Cullins.

Daniel Patrick Cassidy is a special effects wizard and stuntman hired to create and play the title character in the movie Blue Devil. To that end Cassidy creates a full-body costume with a hidden powered exoskeleton and built-in special-effects devices. When two of his co-stars accidentally free a demon named Nebiros, Cassidy uses his costume to drive the demon back, but not before being blasted with mystical energy. After the fight, Cassidy finds that the blast has permanently grafted the Blue Devil costume to his body.
Cassidy quickly finds himself embroiled in repeated adventures and conflicts with supervillains, as his newfound status has turned him into a "weirdness magnet." Never stopping to seek a way to remove his costume, Cassidy starts to enjoy his new lifestyle, and becomes more and more comfortable as a superhero, even accepting a place in the Justice League of America. He gains a sidekick of some sort, when Eddie Bloomberg, his former gofer and devoted fan, designs a suit similar to his own to adventure as the Kid Devil. Eventually, he moves into "The House of Weirdness" with Cain the Caretaker as his superintendent.

Powers and abilities

Even before he became Blue Devil, Dan Cassidy was a highly trained martial artist and acrobat. His costume included Kevlar body armor, visual and auditory amplifiers, radio gear, mini-gills allowing underwater breathing, and servo-motors which increased his strength at least twentyfold. After being grafted to Cassidy's body the costume became organic and gained the ability to self-repair at an extremely fast rate (effectively a healing factor). Cassidy's abilities seem to have been changed little by his transformation into an actual demon.
In his current incarnation, Blue Devil still possesses some degree of superhuman strength, capable of going toe-to-toe with beings like Eclipso, and knocking out a power-drunk Enchantress in one punch. He is also remarkably resistant to physical damage, evidenced when Eclipso threw him a distance of approximately 500 feet upwards, he did not even require time to recover before getting up and heading back into the fight.
Originally, Blue Devil wielded a trident of his own design which included, among other things, rocket engines capable of carrying two people at high speeds. He now carries the Trident of Lucifer, which allows him to find demons on Earth and banish them to Hell. During a battle with Eclipso and the Spectre the trident was thrown into the ocean; it was recovered shortly after by Aquaman who returned it to Cassidy, and much later given to Jack of Fire.
Briefly resuming his human body with a more powerful exosuit, Cassidy is given back his trident and demonic powers by Jack of Fire, but as a "demon with a soul".

4159. Dawn Marie Granger a.k.a. Dove

Dawn is the second character do personify the avatar of peace after Don Hall. In their crimefighting career together Hank and Don were an effective team up until Don’s death at which point Hank started to work alone. On one such case, he discovered Dawn. He was initially hostile towards her, attacking her so that she would stop impersonating his dead brother. Soon however their roles were explained to them by the Lords of Order and Chaos and they formed as uneasy but productive alliance.

Dawn was designed as a replacement for Don Hall as the counterpart to Hank Hall in the superhero duo of Hawk and Dove. Her first appearance was in a miniseries of the same name and she was created by Karl and Barbara Kessel and Rob Liefield.

Exemplifying the role of peace, throughout her superhero career she has been the more logical counterpart to Hank, who is not always happy with her role as his partner. Her character development was somewhat restricted as the duo failed to maintain any longstanding series, but she has appeared often as a background or secondary character in the DC Universe.

Dawn’s early story were all tied closely to those of Hank. In their first adventure together they battled Kestrel, who would be one of their more consistent foes.

The first major story in which she and Hank took part was Armageddon 2001 and Zero Hour. In Armageddon 2001 a time traveler from the future, Waverider, travels to the past to find out the hero who would be corrupted into the villain known as Monarch. Eventually he discovers that Captain Atom will become this villain, but upon discovering this Monarch is freed from the time-stream and murders Dawn in front of Hank. Hank becomes enraged and kills Monarch in to found out that in fact that it is Hank that will become Monarch. Due to the psychological stress Hank dons the armour and becomes the villainous would-be-emperor. He would later take on the persona of Extant after killing Waverider and stealing his powers. He later attacks the Justice Society and even kills two of its members before being stopped.

Dawn is later revealed not to have died but rather that her supposed death was part of an elaborate hoax by the sorcerer Mordru. Hank Hall’s insanity was also caused by the sorcerer. Dawn soon joins her sister Holly Granger who had become the third Hawk as reserve members of the Teen Titans. She goes on a few missions with the team especially after Cyborg is forced to populate the team with younger members.

Dawn plays a relatively important role during the events of Blackest Night. Here Holly and Dawn are confronted by a resurrected Hank who has been possessed by the black power ring of the Black Lantern Corps. Hank is able to kill Holly and she is animated as well as a Black Lantern, and Dawn retreats knowing she cannot beat both alone. Retreating to Titans Tower she finds that it has been overrun by even more Black Lanterns. When the Black Lanterns catch up to her they try to remove her heart as well. Doing so reveals a great light within Dawn which frees Holly from the ring and which she uses to destroy the other Black Lanterns except for Terra, Tempest and Hawk. She passes out afterwards and has a vision of Don, who tells her that his brother can still be saved. She later joins the majority of the Earth’s heroes in the battle against the Black Lantern Corps in Coast City. Although her powers are effective for a short time against the Black Lanterns, they are soon drawn out of her and stored in the Black Lantern’s Power Battery, of which the Anti-Monitor was trapped inside. After the heroes are victorious, Hank is brought back to life and the two continue in their adventures together.

During the events of Brightest Day Dawn starts to worry about Hank’s behavior since his resurrection, as he is more violent than previous. Deadman contacts the two heroes and Hank uses his mystical ability to try to resurrect Don, which ultimately fails. They briefly discuss the idea to resurrect Holly, but decide against it. The three heroes are summoned to New Mexico where it is revealed that the Entity requires a new host and the three travel together hoping to find one. In so doing Dawn and Deadman realize they have feelings for one another. The two heroes are also soon recruited into the Birds of Prey by Lady Blackhawk. They are later called to Star City to protect the White Lantern Tree which become the foundation for the new Parliament of Trees.

Since the reboot into the new 52 it is not yet clear how much of the character histories remains, however, dawn is still in a relationship with Deadman.

Powers and Abilities

When she manifest the avatar of peace and becomes Dove, Dawn has enhanced intelligence and compassion as well as enhanced strength, the ability to fly and a danger sense. At one point after being lured to Druspa Tau, the home of the lords of Order and Chaos, it was revealed that they could take off their costumes while still in powered form. Underneath were bird like creatures. This experience also increased their powers.

4157. Lackey DC

Definition of LACKEY
1.a : footman 2, servant
b : someone who does menial tasks or runs errands for another
2: a servile follower : toady

He was nothing but a spineless lackey of the establishment.
a celebrity surrounded by his lackeys

Origin of LACKEY
Middle French laquais
First Known Use: 1523

4155. Weather Wizard

Weather Wizard (Mark Mardon) is a fictional DC Comics supervillain, normally portrayed as an enemy of the Flash. The Weather Wizard first appeared in Flash #110 (December 1959-January 1960).

Escaping a prison transport by leaping from the window, Mark Mardon fled to his brother's house only to find him dead. Mardon's brother, Clyde, a scientist, had just discovered a way to control the weather before dying of a heart attack (although recent evidence implies that Mardon murdered his brother and either lied about or blocked out the memory of finding his body[1]). Mardon took Clyde's notes and used them to make a wand to generate weather and embarked on a criminal career as The Weather Wizard, sometimes using his powers on a small scale (such as zapping someone with lightning) and sometimes a larger scale (imprisoning a town in winter), almost always facing defeat by The Flash (Barry Allen). In his first appearance he tried to get revenge on the policemen who imprisoned him, allowing the Flash to predict his target and defeat him.
After Barry Allen's death during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, The Weather Wizard went into semi-retirement for a while, until, during Underworld Unleashed, he teamed up with other Rogues which included Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Captain Boomerang, and Mirror Master, as part of a ploy for greater power. Ultimately, it ended with their deaths and the release of the demon Neron. They were later resurrected as soulless demons, by Neron to use against Barry Allen's successor Wally West, who manipulated Neron to return the Rogues' souls. The Weather Wizard and the others, save Heat Wave, returned to a life of crime.
Weather Wizard joined up with Blacksmith and her rogues. Through her, he learns he has a son from a one night stand with Keystone City police officer Julie Jackham. Their son, Josh, had exhibited internalized weather-controlling abilities and Mardon wanted to have the same ability without the use of his wand. He tried to kidnap Josh from Wally's wife, Linda and dissect him to understand out how his son gained that ability, but hesitated to harm the child when he noticed that the child had "my eyes...my brother's eyes." He was stopped by Flash and sent to Iron Heights, but escaped. After Blacksmith's group disbanded, the Weather Wizard, along with Mirror Master and Trickster, joined up with Captain Cold, who declared himself the leader of the Rogues. Mardon was also the representative of the rogues for the Secret Society of Super Villains.

One Year Later, he and several other Rogues are approached by Inertia with a plan to kill the Flash (then Bart Allen). Inertia destroyed Weather Wizard's wand and used 30th century psychological therapies to remove the mental blocks which prevented him from using his powers without it. Though Inertia is eventually defeated, the other Rogues successfully beat Bart to death, Weather Wizard using his control over lightning to electrocute him. After Allen's identity was revealed, Mardon was surprised and horrified to discover that the Rogues had "killed a kid".

4154. Speedy

Speedy is the sidekick to Green Arrow and a member of Team Arrow. Originally Speedy was Roy Harper, the legal ward of Oliver Queen. As a young super-hero, he fights crime using martial arts and trick arrows. Eventually he would out-grow this position and graduate to calling himself Arsenal, then later Red Arrow. He was a member of the Teen Titans in his youth. Roy Harper was created by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris, first appearing in More Fun Comics #73. (1941)
Mia Dearden is the second and current Speedy. She is a young girl adopted by Oliver Queen who rescued her from a life on the streets as a prostitute. Mia Dearden was created by Kevin Smith and Phil Hester, first appearing in Green Arrow (Volume 3) #2. (2001)

Mia Dearden was introduced in Green Arrow (Vol. 3) #2 in 2001. Mia was a teenaged girl who ran from her home after being abused by her father and fell into child prostitution. Mia was rescued from one of her clients by Oliver Queen, who had just recently returned from the dead. Mia continued to try to convince Oliver, who was busy trying to reconstruct his own life, and began to secretly train with Connor Hawke in archery and combat. Mia continually petitioned Green Arrow to allow her to serve as his sidekick, but Oliver continually demurred, not wanting to put another youngster at risk. Mia redoubled her efforts and Green Arrow finally allowed her to become the new Speedy. Shortly thereafter, she joined the Teen Titans but has since left the team.

Speedy (like his/her mentor) has a wide variety of trick arrows. Most famously his punching glove arrow which is capable of knocking out villains. Speedy also has several other arrows ranging from sleeping gas arrows, exploding arrows, and regular arrows.
Along with his excellent archery skills, Speedy has mastered several different types of hand to hand combat including judo, kickboxing, and karate.
As Arsenal, Roy Harper displayed proficiency with a greater range of weapons, such as guns, truncheons, and boomerangs. He also became a master of Moo Gi Gong, allowing him to use virtually any handheld object as a makeshift weapon.
Roy Harper can speak Japanese[1] and can understand Russian.

4153. Ice

Ice (Tora Olafsdotter) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in publications from DC Comics. Created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire, she first appeared in Justice League International #12 (April 1988).

Ice is a separate character from Icemaiden, although the two are similar in appearance, group affiliation, and powers. When Icemaiden first appeared, she had blue skin and pointy ears, and was named Sigrid Nansen. When the character joined Justice League International, the comic book creators believed that her real name had never been given but were mistaken; it was revealed in the Global Guardians entry in Who's Who in the DC Universe.
After Ice was killed, the original Icemaiden (Sigrid Nansen) joined the Justice League. A backstory revealed that she was the first Icemaiden, who quit the Global Guardians when Tora appeared.
A new origin was revealed in Justice League: Generation Lost #12 (2010), written by Judd Winick and art by Fernando Dagnino Guerra.

In addition to being a proficient hand-to-hand combatant, Ice can project in various forms quantities of ice and snow through her hands just enough to down an opponent. She can create platforms of ice upon which she can skate. Before her initial demise, she was powered-up mysteriously (later revealed to be the result of the Overmaster). She was able to generate larger amounts of ice and snow, and gained super strength and the ability to fly. After her resurrection in Birds of Prey, Ice's powers seem incredibly destructive, expelling people from the building she's in as she awakens with bright white eyes, and conjuring a massive icy figure before her as well as controlling the weather to some degree, by causing the beginning of a blizzard far stronger than those known in that area.

4151. Black Lightning

Black Lightning is a super-hero with the ability to generate and control lightning. Originally he was a high school principal and Olympic-level athlete who became a vigilante to take down organized crime in Metropolis' Suicide Slum. Eventually he would become a member of Batman's team of Outsiders for many years, although he retired briefly to become secretary of education underneath president Lex Luthor. Returning to crime-fighting, he has also been a member of the Justice League. His two daughters operate as the super-heroes Thunder and Lightning. Black Lightning was created by Tony Isabella and Trevor von Eeden, first appearing in Black Lightning #1. (1977)

Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce) was one of the first major African American superheroes to appear in DC Comics. He debuted in Black Lightning #1 (April 1977), and was created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden.

A gold medal-winning Olympic decathlete, Jefferson Pierce returned to his old neighborhood in the Southside (Suicide Slum) section of the city of Metropolis, with his wife Lynn Stewart and his daughter Anissa to become the principal of Garfield High School. Southside as it was once known was where his father renowned journalist Alvin Pierce had been murdered. Guilt over this event was a factor in his decision to leave the city of Metropolis. Suicide Slum was being torn apart by a local organized criminal gang called the 100, shady corporations, and crooked local politicians like Tobias Whale. Peter Gambi, a family friend and tailor, had taught a much younger Jefferson how to suppress his inborn metahuman abilities so that he would not accidentally hurt any of the people he cared about. Upon his return Gambi suggested to Jefferson that he should use his powers to help the neighborhood, and refers him to a plaque with the paraphrased Milo Sweetman quote "Justice, like lightning should ever appear to some men hope, to other men fear", the original text of which was "Justice, like lightning, ever should appear to few men's ruin, but to all men's fear. Of mortal justice if thou scorn the rod, believe and tremble, thou art judged of God." Appalled by the public murder of Earl Clifford, one of his more promising students, Pierce tried to intervene on behalf of the schoolchildren, but quickly learned that the 100 objected violently to any interference. Pierce adopts the costumed identity "Black Lightning". Years later, he would tell fellow African American superhero Mister Terrific that he chose the name Black Lightning because he "was the only one of us around" at the time, and he "wanted to make sure everyone knew who they were dealing with."

Originally, he was described as having no innate powers, using a belt that allowed him to generate a force field and project electrical bolts. This power was later revealed to exist as a result of the Metagene, according to Invasion! #3.
According to Black Lightning: Year One, Jefferson Pierce is in current continuity a metahuman who was born with the ability to generate and magnify external localized electromagnetic phenomena, by manipulating intense bio-electric fields generated by his body. This is a power that he internalized and kept hidden for much of the early part of his adult life. Exactly how much electrical energy Black Lightning can generate is unknown but he can easily stun or kill a man with his internal powers, and on one occasion he was able to restart Superman's heart after the Man of Steel had suffered from a near-fatal Kryptonite exposure. He can also generate a powerful electro-magnetic force field capable of stopping projectiles, however, this act requires considerable effort and concentration. He has demonstrated the ability to create an electromagnetic repulsion field which grants him limited flight capabilities. Pierce also maintains his Olympic-level physical conditioning, giving him above average strength, speed, and stamina. Under Batman's tutelage, he has become a highly skilled hand-to-hand martial artist and combatant.

4148. Shadow Lass

Tasmia Mallor is the champion of her homeworld of Talok VIII and has the power to project and control darkness. As Shadow Lass, she is a long-time member of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Current Events

Shadow Lass is presently starring in the ongoing Legion of Superheroes series since the rebooted DC universe in the new 52. The Legion is presently fighting a Daxamite and a group of Controllers on the planet of Panoptes. She was particularly vital in subduing the Daxamite as Mon-El was involved with the direct battle with him while she provided confusion in the form of darkness to which Mon-El was relatively accustomed (as their previous relationship is hinted at).

Origin

Tasmia Mallor is the latest in a line of mighty tribal champions from her desert homeworld of Talok VIII. Tasmia has the blue skin and pointed ears typical of her race, and as the Talokian champion she has the power to create and manipulate darkness. Tasmia has adapted to the harsh desert terrain of Talok VIII and kept very true to her people's beliefs and rituals. She and her younger cousin Grev Mallor received their powers from their ancestors, whose spirits reside in a mysterious and forbidden cave beneath the surface of the planet. When they entered the cavern their ancestors spoke to them, casting a pitch black cloud which acted on their genetic heritage and unleashed their powers. As her ancestors before her for the past thousand years, Tasmia is a hereditary shadow champion of Talok VIII. Her 20th-century ancestors Lydea Mallor (Darkstar) and Lyrissa Mallor were shadow champions as well as members of the interstellar police force called L.E.G.I.O.N. In this extended history of ancestral champions, Tasmia trained extremely long and hard to assert her power and status among her people.

Creation

Shadow Lass was created by Jim Shooter and Curt Swan

Powers and Abilities

Darkness Manipulation
Darkness Manipulation
Shadow Lass is able to tap into an unknown and ancient connection to the source of darkness in the universe. She received the gift when she visited the ancient spirits of her ancestral caves. The intense darkness that she creates can engulf large areas of space almost instantly, causing an absolute absence of light which very few (like Sensor Girl) can penetrate with their vision. Shadow Lass is able to control the shape of her darkness, from a large amorphous cloud to a tight beam of concentrated shadows. Those trapped within her darkness become disoriented and deprived of their senses, driving many enemies to the point of experiencing rampant fear and helplessness. Shadow Lass is completely immune to the effects of the darkness she generates and is able to see perfectly through it.

Unarmed Combat
Shadow Lass also is a superb athlete and hand-to-hand combatant who learned great fighting skill from her native people as their chosen champion. After joining the Legion, Tasmia's fighting skill grew even more formidable after she trained with martial arts master Karate Kid and other Legionnaires.

Equipment
Legion Flight Ring
As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Shadow Lass possesses a Legion Flight Ring. The ring gives its wearer the ability to fly, the speed and range of which is determined by the wearer's willpower. It also acts as a long-range communicator (enabling constant vocal contact with other Legionnaires, even across vast distances of space), a signal device, and a navigational compass, all powered by a micro-computer built inside the ring.

4100. Aquaman

Aquaman - An Historiography

By Hervé St-Louis

The Aquaman comics offered at the Comic Book Bin are the first issues of the Time and Tide mini series, the first issues of series after by Peter David and the first issue of the new series. In those stories, Aquaman reasserts his history, grows a beard, loses his hand to piranhas and is exiled from Atlantis. If you are a fan of the character this is a great way to build your Peter David collection for scratch for a very low price.

One of the most popular quick fix questions asked about the industry outside the "How do we get more people to read comic books" is the question "How can we make Aquaman a popular character again?" Unfortunately, this column will present no new information on that. It's too big a question that so many people have asked and tried to provide the answer to the question that it has hurt the character.

The current Aquaman series is going through a crisis again. The new team of Rick Veitch and Yvel Guichet who jumped started the series last year are replaced by DC Comic's editorial office very soon. Apparently, they, like many failed in their attempt to reboot Aquaman, again. Aquaman's many reboots have hurt the character as much as his exposure in the Super Friends in the 1970s and 1980s.

Few writers working on Aquaman have ever worked on the title without trying to reinvent him. I think that the next writer should stop trying to reinvent and work solidly with some established elements instead of adding another spin to the character.

About the success of previous series, the 1990s series was only cancelled to make way for Peter David's Time and Tide. It wasn't cancelled due to poor sales. Perhaps they should have continued the numbering, in hindsight.

Can one really blame anything on Aquaman for the cancellation of his 1970s series? I doubt so. Aquaman was a victim of a company wide crash.

Let me name some of the directions and misdirections in Aquaman's history, ignoring the out of continuity Golden Age character.

1-Ramona Fradon/Nick Cardy Aquaman - typical Silver Age stuff with finny friends and sidekick

2-70s Jim Aparo Aquaman - one of the best. This series added rogues, a wife, a baby, and continued to move forward. It never looked back. I think that this Aquaman series would have been better at home at Marvel.

3-JLA Aquaman - that's the Aquaman we got after his series ended. Not much different but dealing with the events of his old series. He also reached new heights by taking over the Justice League.

4-Mid 1980s Blue Suit Aquaman - This series expanded the Atlantis mythos like none before. It also added magic. It went beyond again and added an emotional dimension to Aquaman. The blue suit was temporary from the beginning but refreshing.

5-There was a one shot Aquaman Special that continued in this direction but was really bad. It was nothing more than my brother I love you blah blah blah crappy art let me cry on your shoulder. Most people don't remember that one, and I don't blame them.

6-The Legend of Aquaman and the five part Giffen series from 1989, I believe. Giffen retold Aquaman's origin again. It had been retold in the mid 1980s series and in the 70s. He added the orange shirt prison theme. He consolidated some underworld societies - the militarist Atlanteans and added more melodrama with Mera - too much if you ask me. The art was by Curt Swan, which was weird, but nice.

This version of Aquaman lived only under the seas and did not get involved with the surface. It wasn't bad as it was action-based.

Atlantis Chronicle Aquaman - There wasn't much Aquaman in there, but Peter David consolidated and added a complete history to Atlantis. What Atlanteans were was finally defined. Many former themes were picked up again, like brother versus brother, and magic vs science. David gave Aquaman another origin.

Early 1990s Aquaman

This was my favourite Aquaman series. It's the only one that tried to make sense of everything that happened before while moving forward. Aquaman's powers were defined once and for all. His ties with the JLA and humanity were explained. It dealt with much of the problems from the past. I feel that the folks working on this series had the rug swept from under their feet in favour of Peter David.

I know few people agree with me, but I feel that this was an injustice. For once, someone was consolidating the character and doing something intelligent with him, instead of spinning new origins, new powers, new directions and before they could reap the results, they were shut down. This is one of the biggest mistake and wrong done to the character.

Peter David Aquaman

Peter reintroduced the Atlantis Chronicles' themes and took Aquaman in another direction. He cut off his hand and added more supporting characters, villains, and kids! Visually, Aquaman grew a beard and started to dress like Namor. I didn't like this series and its artists, but apparently, many did.

My main criticism is that David diluted and over used all of the great themes he had introduced in the Atlantis Chronicles. Before that, Aquaman had always been my favourite character. I lost interest in the character for the first time.

Following David's run were the Jurgens and Larsen stories. Compared with what had happened before, even if I didn't like Peter David's run, Aquaman reached new lows. Larsen is mostly responsible for this.

Rick Veitch Aquaman - In a way, some of the themes explored by Veitch were interesting, but again, he took the character in a far out direction and added the Arthurian stuff. I feel that this was a shallow gimmick that could not sustain itself. We can see the results of trying gimmicks on established characters. Visually, Aquaman changed for the better.

Finally, we're getting a new Aquaman with the orange shirt back. I don't know what it means to the character. Is he going retro like the rest of DC? What new direction -ahem, will he be given?

Let's wait and see.

4075. Black Manta

Black Manta is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as the archenemy of Aquaman.[2] The character debuted in Aquaman #35 (September 1967).

Black Manta's suit is specifically designed to adapt to an oceanic environment. It allows him complete resistance to the cold and pressure of deep sea conditions (It is unknown at this time how far down the suit can travel underwater and still function) and thus grants him a level of superhuman durability, and strength (allowing Black Manta to lift/strike with the force of 5 tons), the ability to breathe normally underwater (whether this is due to a hidden oxygen supply or its ability to extract oxygen from the water like the gills of a fish is unknown), jet boots which function in or out of water, a telepathic scrambler (used to temporarily strip Aquaman of his aquatic telepathy), and a large, varying array of weapons. Such weaponry have included blades, electric blasts from wrist gauntlets, miniaturized torpedoes, and energy beams emitted from the eye lenses in his helmet. It is also not known how this suit is powered or how long it can function before needing recharging or if it, indeed, even needs to be. Black Manta is highly intelligent, has a limited degree of expertise in mechanical engineering (as he was able to manufacture his suit, weaponry, and vehicles) and some amount of hand-to-hand combat training. For the most part, Black Manta generally relies more on technology and strategic planning than physical confrontation when it comes to his exploits.
Black Manta often utilizes unique vehicles such as a modified, Manta Ray shaped submarine for traveling.
At some point Black Manta was transformed by the demon Neron into a Manta hybrid. In this form he was completely at one with the water allowing him to dive to extreme depths and survive. He had natural weaponry, such as a tail that had offensive capabilities. The process has since been reversed by Aquaman.

3989. Kobra

I got this figure during the auction held at the Toy Convention in Megamall during the Christmas Season of 2011.

Jeffrey Franklin Burr, a mad scientist and terrorist known as Kobra, has been a dangerous, powerful, and enigmatic villain for many years, coming heavily into contact with groups such as Checkmate, the Outsiders, the Suicide Squad and the Justice Society of America. Kobra intended to bring about the Kali Yuga on earth. He was recently killed by Black Adam. (JSA #51)
His twin brother, Jason Burr, whom Jeffrey had killed, was resurrected by the Kobra cult. He set about destroying all those who had taken Jeffrey as their savior.

Originally a cult in an underreported part of the world, Kobra had a prophecy that one day someone would lead them to greatness. Finding this someone as one of a set of twins, they selected one at random and took him to be raised by them. This baby, named Jeffrey Burr by his parents, grew to be a formidable warrior and a criminal mastermind. As he took control of the organization, he was awarded the title "Naga Naga".
Under Burr, Kobra began using cutting-edge science to fulfill it ultimate goal of bringing about the Kali Yuga - the Age of Chaos, in which the imperfect world will be swept away by a divinely-inspired, better version. They were opposed by an international peace-keeping agency who recruited Jason Burr, Jeffrey's brother, with whom he shared a psychic connection. This particular campaign ended when Jason Burr dead.

Over the years, Kobra has clashed with several superheroes, most notably Batman and his Outsiders (considering the group's interest in "behind-the scenes" superheroics") and Wonder Woman (considering her mission of world peace). At one point, during a battle between the outsiders and Strike Force Kobra, the organization split into two factions, one led by Burr and the other led by his traitorous lover, Eve. This split remained in place, much to the glee of counter-terror agencies, until a few years before the Identity Crisis.

The main body of the Kobra Cult back Jeffrey Burr's efforts to take control of the world's telecommunications with the powers of the superhero Air Wave, but they were stopped by the Justice Society of America. Months later, when Burr escaped from court, rogue JSAer Black Adam led a team that killed Burr[1].

The New Direction
In the wake of this, Kobra underwent an internal struggle which began with would-be leaders including King Snake, and (unwillingly) a schoolfriend of Tim Drake who apparently fitted the prophecy, but this has apparently settled: a new leader has emerged (possibly Eve who had split off with half of the old school Kobra). Under her, the organization now seeks to fulfill 'the prophecies of Kali Yuga'. It is actively being fought by the super-spy agency known as Checkmate. However, the cult had a new weapon, in the form of the Bestowed, practitioners of blood magic who could sense treasonous thoughts and turn people's insides into piles of snakes.
The Day Evil Won
After a few years, however, the ruling body of Kobra came to a conclusion - the initial prophecy was accurate, but they had kidnapped the wrong child. Unearthing Jason Burr's remains and reanimated him in a Lazarus Pit[2]. Though initially murderous towards the group, he eventually took control.
Seeing Kobra's current form as inefficient, he decided to remake the organization. Initiating a terror campaign, he simultaneously tied up Checkmate and the American authorities catching old Kobra sleeper agents, while acquiring Lexcorp's Everyman Program biotech, Saul Erdel's teleportation technology, and a piece of stone taken from the Statue of Hatred in the Rock of Eternity. With these, in addition to the magic of the Bestowed, Burr was able to move invisibly from place to place, using magic to speed-indoctrinate whole cells of snakemen, creating infrastructure out of nothing.

3893. Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, he first appeared in Action Comics #23 (April 1940). Luthor is described as "a power-mad, evil scientist" of high intelligence and incredible technological prowess. His goals typically center on killing Superman, usually as a stepping stone to world domination. Though he periodically wears a powered exoskeleton, Luthor has traditionally lacked superpowers or a dual identity.
The character was originally depicted as a mad scientist who, in the vein of pulp novels, wreaks havoc on the world with his futuristic weaponry. In his earliest appearances, Luthor is shown with a full head of red hair; despite this, the character later became hairless as the result of an artist's mistake. A 1960 story by Jerry Siegel expanded upon Luthor's origin and motivations, revealing him to be a childhood friend of Superman's who lost his hair when a fire destroyed his laboratory; Luthor vowed revenge.
Following the 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, the character was re-imagined as a Machiavellian industrialist and white-collar criminal, even briefly serving as President of the United States. In recent years, various writers have revived Luthor's mad scientist persona from the 1940s. The character was ranked as the 8th greatest villain by Wizard on its "100 Greatest Villains of All Time" list.

Lex Luthor has the physical capabilities and limitations of a normal adult with no metahuman abilities. However, he possesses a genius level of intelligence. For virtually his entire publication history, he has been depicted as the most intelligent human in the DC Universe, and as one of the most intelligent beings of any planet or species. He has mastered seemingly every known form of science, including space travel, extra-dimensional travel, biochemistry, robotics, computers, synthetic polymers, communications, mutations, transportation, holography, energy generation, spectral analysis, and more (including time travel in many Pre-Crisis stories). With the exception of the renegade Coluan scientist Brainiac, he does not view any other being as an intellectual peer.Although Batman has been able to outsmart him on numerous ocassions.
Over the years, Luthor has made liberal use of kryptonite weapons capable of injuring Superman and other Kryptonians. Since the Bronze Age of Comics, he has also utilized various battlesuits in many stories. Additionally, he often wore a kryptonite ring on his right hand in Post-Crisis stories, but abandoned this tactic after prolonged exposure to K-radiation resulted in the loss of his hand and poisoned his entire body (requiring him to transplant his brain into a cloned body in order to survive).

3877. Gorilla Grodd

Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. He debuted in Flash v.1 #106 (April–May 1959), and was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino.

Gorilla Grodd is a hyper-intelligent telepathic gorilla with the power to control the minds of others. At one time, he was nothing more than an average ape, but after an alien spacecraft (retconned from a radioactive meteor, the same one that empowered Hector Hammond) crashes in his African home, Grodd and his troupe are imbued with super-intelligence by the ship's pilot. Grodd and fellow gorilla Solovar also develop telepathic and telekinetic powers. Taking the alien as their leader, the gorillas construct a super advanced home named Gorilla City. The gorillas live in peace until their home is discovered by prying explorers. Grodd forces one of the explorers to kill the alien, and takes over Gorilla City, planning to conquer the world next. Solovar telepathically contacts Barry Allen to warn him of the evil gorilla's plans, and Grodd is defeated. The villain manages to return again and again to plague the Flash and his allies. Originally in his first Pre-Crisis appearance he first met the Flash while searching for Solovar, who had been imprisoned while on a trip to the human world. Grodd probed Solovar's mind to find the secret of mind control, so he could control Gorilla City and use the inhbitants to take over the World, but Solovar breaks out of his cage and tells the Flash, so the Flash defeats him and apparently knocks the power of mind control from his mind. But it is revealed he had not lost his power, he overcomes his guard and takes over an underground winged race by burrowing underground, trying to use a machine to take away the intelligence of the other Gorillas. But Flash finds out from Solovar where Grodd has escaped to and destroys the machine. The winged people are freed from his control and Grodd is imprisoned again. Grodd has four guards set to guard him, but summons a burrowing machine which he uses to escape. He transforms himself into a human, and starts a factory to create a pill that will give him vast mental powers. Grodd easily stops the Flash, but then unexpectedly turns into a Gorilla again, where his powers do not work as his brain is not evolved enough. He tries to get to the machine that turned him into a human, but Flash molds the metal into handcuffs for Grodd, then takes him back to Gorilla City. Grodd devises a means of transporting his mind to another body while his original one dies, and takes over a man in Central City, but is again arrested. Later he caused the first assembling of the Flash's Rogues Gallery, breaking them out of jail to distract the Flash after transferring his mind to that of 'Freddy', a Gorilla in a zoo. Thanks to Solovar the Flash found about Grodd's escape. Ironically Grodd, despite using radiations to stop the Flash moving at superspeed, is defeated by the Gorilla's mate when she hears him mention another Gorilla. He and Freddy are restored to their normal bodies.

2939. Batman

Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics. Originally referred to as "the Bat-Man" and still referred to at times as "the Batman", he is additionally known as the "Caped Crusader", the "Dark Knight", and the "World's Greatest Detective," among other titles.

In the original version of the story and the vast majority of retellings, Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne, an American millionaire (later billionaire) playboy, industrialist, and philanthropist. Having witnessed the murder of his parents as a child, he swore revenge on crime, an oath tempered with the greater ideal of justice. Wayne trains himself both physically and intellectually and dons a bat-themed costume in order to fight crime. Batman operates in the fictional American Gotham City, assisted by various supporting characters including his crime-fighting partner, Robin, his butler Alfred Pennyworth, the police commissioner Jim Gordon, and occasionally the heroine Batgirl. He fights an assortment of villains such as the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and Catwoman. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superpowers; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, martial arts skills, an indomitable will, fear, and intimidation in his continuous war on crime.

Batman became a very popular character soon after his introduction and gained his own comic book title, Batman, in 1940. As the decades wore on, differing interpretations of the character emerged. The late 1960s Batman television series used a camp aesthetic which continued to be associated with the character for years after the show ended. Various creators worked to return the character to his dark roots, culminating in the 1986 miniseries Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller, while the successes of Tim Burton's 1989 film Batman and Christopher Nolan's 2005 reboot Batman Begins also helped to reignite popular interest in the character. A cultural icon, Batman has been licensed and adapted into a variety of media, from radio to television and film, and appears on a variety of merchandise sold all over the world such as toys and video games. The character has also intrigued psychiatrists with many trying to understand the character's psyche and his true ego in society. In May 2011, Batman placed 2nd on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time, after Superman.