Thing that made "The X files" work, though, was that both Mulder and Scully had opportunities to be grossly wrong about whatever they were investigating that week. Though the skeptic was usually wrong, every now and then the true believer stuck his foot in it too.... and sometimes BOTH of them were miles off target.

Well, yeah, there is "sensible skeptical," which you describe. And then there is "stupid skeptical," an example of which would be you were a citizen of Earth in the DCU, you saw Darkseid boom tube in with an army of Parademons ready to sweep across the globe to conquer humanity, and you dismissively concluded "Ehh, it's just a guy in a Halloween fright mask with a bag full of SFX."

Even in the DCU, magic and "psychic phenomena" probably aren't *that* common from the average person's perspective, and there are quite possibly *more* charlatans there than in the real world, since the "magic exists" premise is more or less a given. (Though perhaps the best debunker would be an actual practitioner of the real thing.)

At least one 13 story used that very idea, with Dr. 13 debunking a ghost that was really an otherdimensional alien... which didn't even surprise him a little. It's in the Phantom Stranger Showcase. In a world where aliens are commonplace, psychic phenomena is understood by science, and 7% of the population (as of Invasion!) has the potential to develop superpowers under stress, Dr. 13's point of view isn't hard to accept. In a way, he's the sanest man in the DCU.

Of course, his daughter's introduction really hurt his character. And where's Marie been for the past 20 years? I kinda miss her.

So whenever Thirteen came across supernatural phenomena, he could argue for a science-based explanation, i.e. "Those aren't ghosts, they're intangible energy-based lifeforms" or "We're not fighting demons, but creatures from another dimension" or "That guy over there who claims to be a Greek god is really just an incredibly advanced alien being posing as a deity." That way, Thirteen doesn't come across as such a stubborn, narrow-minded individual, but rather as a rationalist who seeks to understand the universe via scientific inquiry.

It seems that, as it's stated here, he can't exist in the DCU anymore. He got himself a ticket to limbo (following the steps of Buddy "Animal Man" Baker) and he's struggling to... get out? Maybe. It's hilarious to see him try to deal with other limbo'd characters since most of them are supernatural (talking nazi Gorillas, vampires, pirate ghosts, etc). I am hoping for a decent resolution on his ultimate fate when this limited series ends, but I bet it'll be far better than the out of character death he got.

Personally, the "atheist in a fantasy setting" always bugged me.

I even fondly remember him playing Candyland in the Hal Jordan Spectre series.

Were I to pitch a new Phantom Stranger series today (and I'd like to), I'd turn it into a supernatural version of Doctor Who, basically, with P.S. as the Doctor-- and perhaps Dr. 13's daughter (does he have just the one? I don't know) as the human sidekick. Dr. Thirteen would show up quite often too, because I wouldn't be able to resist. I quite liked Morrison's version before he got fried, and Azzarello has been doing some great and hilarious stuff with the guy, so I'd definitely like to see more of him in the DCU.

Having written it down, I realise just how Mulder & Scully it sounds, but as long as the writers are willing to write both kinds of stories then it could work.

I've admitted it in the past, but I'm actually a bit of a novice when it comes to DC; I'm a lifelong Marvel reader, but I only started picking up DC books in the early 90s. Pre-Crisis DC is something I'm more or less just learning about now, through these reprint volumes, and so there's a lot of stuff that I'll admit to not knowing. For example, I actually had to look up whether the 'Showcase Presents' stuff was the first appearance of the character, or whether he was older than what they showed.

(I will second your opinion on there being some potential in the pairing, though, if only as a limited series or a one-shot...the two as reluctant team-mates, each using their own area of expertise to solve a mystical crime CSI-style might be fun. I see each one as being convinced that the other should use their methods--the Stranger is convinced that Doctor Thirteen could be a powerful mystic if he only opened his mind, while Doctor Thirteen believes that PS has a fine analytical mind if he'd only use it.)

That said, I think there's potential to bring this pairing back, only play up the potential for a buddy comedy: "He's a skeptic who debunks ghosts for a living...He's a mysterious stranger who fights supernatural menaces. When they meet...they're in the ride of their life!" It's so obvious I'm amazed they never assigned it to Giffen and DeMatteis or Will Pfiefer.