CSBG Archive
When We First Met – Debuts of Superhero Team Headquarters!
Every week we spotlight the various characters, phrases, objects or events that eventually became notable parts of comic book lore. Not major stuff like “the first appearance of Superman,” but rather, “the first time someone said, ‘Avengers Assemble!’” or “the first appearance of Batman’s giant penny” or “the first appearance of Alfred Pennyworth” or “the first time Spider-Man’s face was shown half-Spidey/half-Peter.” Stuff like that. Here is an archive of all the When We First Met features so far! Check ‘em out!
Today we take a look at four notable superhero team headquarters! The Legion Clubhouse, the Justice League’s Secret Sanctuary, the Justice League satellite and the Baxter Building!
First up are two simple ones, as they debuted in the same issue as the teams they belong to.
In Adventure Comics #247, we first met the Legion of Super-Heroes as well as their awesome clubhouse…

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Next, in The Brave and the Bold #28, when we meet the collected Justice League of America it is while they are in their Secret Sanctuary headquarters…

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The Justice League have to give up their headquarters when Snapper Carr is tricked into betraying where it is located. The Justice League replaces it with a satellite headquarters in Justice League of America #78…


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The Baxter Building debuted in Fantastic Four #3, the same issue that the Fantastic Four’s costumes first showed up.

The building is not actually NAMED, though, until Fantastic Four #6…

when we see the debut of the Fantastic Four belt beam to open the elevator (as well as a brand-new diagram of the building)…

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Feel free to send in ideas for other debuts that you’re curious about! Send your ideas to bcronin@comicbookresources.com!






19 Comments
BeccaBlast
June 11, 2012 at 4:16 am
So, the DC building was the site of the teleporter’s Earth station — and only Hal would think Ollie’s schtick was funny. Have to wonder if Hawkman was hoping someone would have an upset stomach the first time — especially GA.
Interesting that the first drawing has speed vectors and tries to avoid the whole “Star Trek” look to using the system — making Ollie look like something in a pneumatic tube. When did they actually start drawing it as if the JLA was being “beamed” around?
FS7
June 11, 2012 at 4:46 am
How about another simlar installment focusing on the first appearence of lesser-known headquarters like the Avengers Hydrobase, the JLA’s Detroit Bunker, etc?
Omar Karindu
June 11, 2012 at 5:24 am
This reminds me that the Justice League and Injustice Gang have now gone through two satellite headquarters each…with the Injustice Gang’s version reappearing in Identity Crisis decades after it had been destroyed twice in two different stories!
kalorama
June 11, 2012 at 8:02 am
The Justice League’s “modernistically outfitted cavern” looks pretty groovy. I like how WW’s supposedly invisible jet is parked right next to the meeting room. Seems like the kind of workplace arrangement OSHA would frown upon.
Jeff Ryan
June 11, 2012 at 8:05 am
You’d think that if Reed were so smart he wouldn’t have to individually label each one of the Baxter Building’s rooms with its own billboard.
PriestSyrinx
June 11, 2012 at 8:18 am
@Jeff Ryan
But how else would they know which room was the “Giant Map Room”?
jjc
June 11, 2012 at 8:41 am
I love how everything is labeled. I would do the same thing when I was drawing stuff like that as a kid.
chad
June 11, 2012 at 8:56 am
nice always wondered when the jl switched from their first headquarters to the satellite one plus love green arrows expression when he is beamed to it. the baxter building interesting that it took issue five to give the thing a name. surprise the batcave or asteroid m did not quilify for this topic
sandwich eater
June 11, 2012 at 11:17 am
What about Avengers’ Mansion?
Michael Howey
June 11, 2012 at 11:27 am
I love that the Baxter Building labels are isometric (ish). Reminds me of a Shintaro Kago strip.
(with less freakishness of course).
FS7
June 11, 2012 at 1:04 pm
Chad, I believe the batcave’s already been mentioned in another installment, plus it isn’t really a super team’s headquarters. I would like to find out when Batman’s penthouse headquarters from the 70s first appeared, but that’s a whole other story.
Eric Henry
June 11, 2012 at 4:39 pm
In the first JLA story, Aquaman is already being told “You go hang out in the ocean and keep an eye out for giant starfish while the rest of actual stop the bad guy.”
Bill Reed
June 11, 2012 at 7:09 pm
I love cutaway headquarters diagrams in comics. They are like my favorite thing.
Jax
June 11, 2012 at 8:51 pm
I never realised, until looking at those diagrams how superflous some of the flying vehicles are, you know considering that the Fantasti-car can actually fly!
I also love the possibility of getting a early morning message “Sorry, please stay at home today as Doctor Doom has once again taken over the building” “Ohh, Not again! I had a report due!”
JoeMac
June 12, 2012 at 1:18 pm
How about adding in Four Freedoms Plaza?
Tom Panarese
June 12, 2012 at 6:04 pm
How about Titans Tower?
David B
June 18, 2012 at 1:22 pm
Personally, I think the funniest bit is the belated realization of the telegram delivery guy that Sue was in the FF, given that she’s wearing the uniform…
FS7
July 12, 2012 at 2:24 pm
Great addition JoeMac.
JoeMac
July 12, 2012 at 6:20 pm
@FS7. Thanks, but I like Tom Panarese’s suggestion of Titans Tower better…