Comic Book Resources

Crimson Fox, number 5

Cover homage: Dark Horse Presents #115 http://www.comicbookdb.com/graphics/comic_graphics/1/21/14148_20051130061512_large.jpg

What I want to know is, why does Cosmic Boy have on a helmet and neither of the other two do? Did he not have time to change out of his space-suit before hazing Superboy?

I think all three are the last issue before the logo/indica changed.

Specifically, the last issue in which they were “new”.

Actually, ‘New Teen Titans’ dropped the “Teen”, not the “New”.

“This week’s theme is “Reform School Girls,” or rather, when superheroes fall for reformed female super villains.”

Spider-Man and the Black Cat
I believe Punisher fell for Elektra somewhere in Garth Ennis’s Marvel Knights run
Johnny Storm and Lyja (he thought he loved her when she was somebody else, looking to betray the team, then she became herself, and joined the team, and he started to have feelings for her)

How about Hal Jordan and Star Sapphire, aka Carol Ferris? Granted, it is mind-controlled villainy, but what the heck.

Name me a Marvel or DC superhero who has a truly secret identity, one in which no character other than the hero him/herself knows who they really are.

This is a tough one. The only answer that occurred to me was the Phantom Stranger.

The covers ARE indeed the last issues with that specific title.

New Teen Titans became NEW Titans
New Thunderbolts got revamped into Thunderbolts (again)
All-New, All Different X-MEN (after a month of “Now on Sale Monthly”) became UNCANNY X-MEN

——–

Hero falling for (reformed) villain … sorta…

Doctor Strange had a thing with the Lillin Demoness; “Sister Nil” towards the end of his “Sorcerer Supreme” series.

She was a demon but she found him intriguing and couldn’t bring herself to destroy him.
Eventually becoming his “prisoner” (she was always tied up in bondages…er…bAndages, to prevent her from coming into contact with others – and thusly destroying them. Doc, of course, was magically “immune” and eventually dressed her in black goth dresses.

She was a rip-off of “Death” of the Endless in Sandman.

But… I liked her.

Her storyline was dropped out and she may or may not still exist in his pocket-Sanctum.
(heh heh… she plays in his Pocket-Dimension.. heh heh)

——

Also, minor one here… Man-Thing was dating an A.I.M spy (which is pretty much why he became the Man-Thing) and then years later, they re-met and (while he was temporarily possessed by an Angelic Force of the origin of the Universe,) they totally shacked up; joining essences and such.

That’s the obscure dark-corner of the Marvel U. dork-lesson for the day.

Class dismissed.

~P~
P-TOR

I actually guessed Crimson Fox on #2. Not conclusively, of course, but she was the first person to pop into my head after reading the questions.

Legion tribute covers:
Legion of Super Heroes #88: from 1997, with Impulse.
Dark Horse Presents #115, featuring Dr. Spin.
(Sorry to steal anyone’s, but I thought someone would get those two!)

Hawkeye and Moonstone.

Crimson Fox (Vivian, not Constance). #3 – I was actually reading that comic last night for no reason whatsoever, so this is seriously freakin’ me out.

I’d certainly say Batman and Catwoman have had at least three significant romances– the Hush-era one, the Earth-2 romance that led to marriage and Huntress, and the Earth-1 romance that ended with Legends and Year One (ostensibly ending with a Joker mindwipe, but then becoming continuity-dubious as Batman-E1′s history was gradually replaced with the history of Years One-Three, Legends of the Dark Knight, etc.)

Didn’t Barry Allen have a romance with Golden Glider?

“Name me a Marvel or DC superhero who has a truly secret identity, one in which no character other than the hero him/herself knows who they really are.”

The Phantom Stranger was the first one who jumped to mind, too (hi, Patrick!), but some say even he doesn’t know (or doesn’t remember) who he is any more.

The only other one who comes to mind is Rose and Thorn, where the “superhero” persona is one aspect of multiple-personality disorder. Before the Gail Simone mini-series that kind of relaunched the character, Thorn was the ultimate secret identity because not even Rose knew she was Thorn in the evenings. I don’t think anybody ever managed to uncover the truth in either version (or, if they did, they didn’t last long), though I may be misremembering.

And, in the name of egalitarianism, I’m going to reverse the “Reform School Girls” dynamic and say that Empowered and Thugboy from Adam Warren’s “Empowered” is a superhero(ine) and reformed villain “teaming up,” so to speak.

“Name me a Marvel or DC superhero who has a truly secret identity, one in which no character other than the hero him/herself knows who they really are.”
Unless I missed something in 52 (haven’t picked up my books in a few weeks) – Rip Hunter.

Also, for Hero falling for Reformed Girl – how about the opposite in “Birds of Prey” with Huntress and Catman.

Didn’t guess Vivian until #4. Just read that issue a few days ago. Sad way to go; seemingly killed off in JLE, only to reappear and then die for good.

And for the Reform School Girls bit: Forge and Mystique had a burgeoning relationship in the mid-90s X-Factor, although that never fully developed due to the book being overhauled and then subsequently canceled.

You might also consider the brief flirtations that both Captain Atom and Amazing Man had with Maxima. Granted she was never really a true “super villain”, but she was initially a sort of antagonist for Superman (even if it was more in the vein of sexual harassment).

Do Scott summers and Emma Frost count?

they should.

I know Darkhawk had a truly secret identity for a really long time, since it wasn’t his face under the helmet. I know in the Legion of Losers arc of Marvel Team-Up, Reed Richards knew who he was, but I don’t know if that translates to the 616…

Well, by now Ricochet, Lightspeed, Turbo, and Phil Urich all know Chris is Darkhawk. I think he told his mom at some point, too.

theme:

I havent read it in a few issues, but what is this with Iceman and Mystique? Is there anything there?

I dont remember if this was 616 continuity or not, but didnt Magneto and Rogue have some sort of relationship somewhere?

Actually, Gambit and Rogue works too.

This would be the reverse, but was there anything up between Juggernaut and Noctern?

Was Jean Grey after the Phoenix Saga considered “reformed”? If so, then her and Cyclops of course.

challenge: hmm. a superhero with a true secret identity. How bout a supervillain? The Joker? Or have they settled on Jack Napier now?

cover theme: I know I’m wrong now, but I was gonna guess that the covers all had Russians on them.

Name me a Marvel or DC superhero who has a truly secret identity, one in which no character other than the hero him/herself knows who they really are.

Black Orchid?

Does anyone know that Chris Allen is the current Spectre?

Name me a Marvel or DC superhero who has a truly secret identity, one in which no character other than the hero him/herself knows who they really are.

The Ditko Creeper since as far as I know Jack Ryder never told and no one ever discovered him.

And Black Orchid pre-gaimin for sure.

Phantom Stranger’s Secret Origins issue didn’t even tell us who he was.

Isn’t J’onn secretly a cat sometimes too? Or does the DEO know about that now?

“Does anyone know that Chris Allen is the current Spectre? ”

The Phantom Stranger. And probably a few others. Batman’s probably figured it out by now…cause c’mon, it’s Batman.

“The Ditko Creeper since as far as I know Jack Ryder never told and no one ever discovered him.”

I thought of him too, but then I remembered one thing. Batman.

Name me a Marvel or DC superhero who has a truly secret identity, one in which no character other than the hero him/herself knows who they really are.

T.O. Morrow

Like they said in 52 you can’t be a time traveler and let people know who you are. They will come back in time and kill you as a baby.

“Isn’t J’onn secretly a cat sometimes too? Or does the DEO know about that now? ”

this just reminded me of one of my favorite scenes in all of comic book history, where in Chase #1, as Chase is walking through the halls of the DEO, we just see in the background, J’onn staring down and cornering a DEO worker and saying “I don’t much care for all your paperwork.” (or something like that…I dont have the issue in front of me.) That was my favorite Martian Manhunter moment in all of his history.

fists of power (or hands)

bad sentences – baby on lap. sleeping. one free hand…

scott summers and emma frost totally count.

i don’t read moon knight but his identity, marc spector, that’s secret right? i dunno, i’ll google it.

It’s pretty heavily hinted, although not outright stated, that Max Lord knows that Jack Ryder is the Creeper in the first Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League arc. He tells his secretary to fetch the Jack Ryder file and says, “It’s filed under ‘C.’”

Callisto and Collossus?

The Shade from Starman had a pretty secret identity for a long part of the run as well.

The other Adventure 247 cover homages or recreations were the Overstreet Price Guide #29 (1999) and the splash page to L.E.G.I.O.N ’94 Annual #5.

You can see all of these images at the Legion Wiki page for Adventure 247 (the covers are at the bottom of the page).

One more cover homage, since no one else has posted this one: Adventure #322, featuring the Legion of Super-Pets.
http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=18458&zoom=4

hey, a belated Cover Homage (hope this gets noticed on the new comments) – Sidekick Super Summer Spectacular #1. Complete with head-bubble!