Secret Origins

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Brian Bolland's cover to the 1989 Secret Origins collection.

Secret Origins was a comic book series published by DC Comics. Although the title had existed in several prototype forms in the 60's and 70's (compilation specials in the former decade; a short-run reprint series in the latter) published under the title Secret Origins of Super Heroes (or Super Villains), its most well-known incarnation was a 50-issue series (plus three annuals and a special) that ran from 1986 to 1990. Typically, an issue would be given over to clarifying the post-Crisis origins of a number of characters, usually two (as most of the issues were 'double-sized', i.e. 48 pages, plus ads). Roy Thomas was the initial writer/editorial consultant on the series; later issues were overseen by Mark Waid.

1 Characters featured in the 80's/90's series
- 1.1 Annuals & Specials
- 1.2 Secret Origins in 52
2 External links

[edit] Characters featured in the 80's/90's series

Issue 1: The Golden Age Superman; this was intended as a tribute to the original version of the character, as the latter-day version of Superman was being concurrently introduced by John Byrne in the Man Of Steel miniseries; art by Golden Age Superman artist Wayne Boring. (See also Kal-L.)

Issue 2: The Blue Beetle, both the Dan Garrett and Ted Kord versions; art by Gil Kane

Issue 3: Captain Marvel (credited by the Shazam! title); a retelling of the story from WHIZ Comics #2, albeit updated to modern day. Thomas himself would retcon this some months later in SHAZAM! The New Beginning, which was itself later retconned by Jerry Ordway in his graphic novel The Power of Shazam!.

Issue 4: Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond)

Issue 5: the original Crimson Avenger; art by Gene Colan.

Issue 6: Halo of the Outsiders; the Golden Age Batman. This was the first double-sized issue.

Issue 7: Green Lantern Guy Gardner; the Golden Age Sandman (this story was later subtly retconned in Sandman Mystery Theatre.)

Issue 8: Shadow Lass; Doll Man.

Issue 9: The original Star-Spangled Kid (Skyman) and Stripesy; the Flash (Jay Garrick).

Issue 10: The Phantom Stranger. This was a Legends tie-in that related four possible origins for the character; one was by Mike Barr and Jim Aparo (a variation on the Wandering Jew myth), another by Alan Moore and Joe Orlando (which postulated that the Stranger was a fallen angel).

Issue 11: the Golden Age Hawkman; Power Girl. Again, both stories presented have been retconned, with Power Girl's backstory having been recently redefined by Geoff Johns in the pages of JSA Classified (which served as part of the buildup to Infinite Crisis) .

Issue 12: The Challengers of the Unknown; Fury.

Issue 13: Nightwing (art by Erik Larsen); Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt; the Whip.

Issue 14: Suicide Squad. Another Legends tie-in, it served as a prequel to the later series, and was penned by that series' writer, John Ostrander.

The 'all-gorilla' issue of Secret Origins.

Issue 15: The Spectre; Deadman.

Issue 16: Hourman; the Warlord; 'Mazing Man.

Issue 17: Adam Strange; Doctor Occult.

Issue 18: Green Lantern Alan Scott; the Creeper.

Issue 19: Uncle Sam; the Guardian.

Issue 20: Batgirl (Barbara Gordon); Doctor Mid-Nite.

Issue 21: Jonah Hex; the Black Condor.

Issue 22: the Manhunters. This was a tie-in with Millennium (as was the subsequent issue), and aligned the various histories of the characters with the Manhunter name together.

Issue 23: the Guardians of the Universe; the Floronic Man (script by Rick Veitch).

Issue 24: Doctor Fate; Blue Devil. Mark Waid began editorial duties with this issue.

Issue 25: the Legion of Super Heroes (now apocryphal); the Golden Age Atom.

Issue 26: Black Lightning; Miss America.

Issue 27: Zatanna and her father Zatara.

Issue 28: Midnight (art by Gil Kane); Nightshade (art by Rob Liefeld). Nightshade's origin doubled as an introduction/backdrop to a three-issue Suicide Squad (of which she was a member) arc where she returned to her place of origin to save her brother.

Issue 29: The Atom (Ray Palmer); the Red Tornado (Ma Hunkel; this was Sheldon Mayer's last comics story); Mr. America (aka the Americommando).

Issue 30: Plastic Man; the Elongated Man.

Issue 31: the Justice Society. A full-length story, and Roy Thomas' last contribution to the series (excluding the Grim Ghost story in Issue 42).

Cover to Secret Origins #50, the last issue of the series.

Issue 32: the Justice League. In a full-length story by Keith Giffen and Peter David, the league is formed by Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), the Flash (Barry Allen), Aquaman, the Martian Manhunter and Black Canary. Superman and Batman were not founding members, and Wonder Woman's revised continuity precluded her from same. The events depicted were later expanded upon in JLA: Year One and JLA: Incarnations.

Issue 33: Fire, Ice and Mister Miracle. This and the subsequent two issues dealt with members of Justice League International.

Issue 34: Captain Atom, G'nort and Rocket Red.

Issue 35: Booster Gold, Maxwell Lord, and the Martian Manhunter (rendered apocryphal by events & revelations in J'onn J'onnz' later solo series).

Issue 36: Green Lantern Hal Jordan (story by Jim Owsley); Poison Ivy (story by Neil Gaiman).

Issue 37: The Legion of Substitute Heroes; the first (villainous) Doctor Light.

Issue 38: Green Arrow and Speedy (Roy Harper/Arsenal).

Issue 39: Animal Man (story by Grant Morrison); Man-Bat.

Issue 40: the all-gorilla issue, spotlighting the likes of Congorilla, Detective Chimp, and Gorilla Grodd.

Issue 41: the Flash Rogues Gallery - Weather Wizard, Heat Wave, the Trickster, the Pied Piper, Grodd, and Captain Cold.

Issue 42: Phantom Girl; the Gay Ghost/Grim Ghost.

Issue 43: the original Hawk and Dove; Cave Carson; Chris KL-99.

Issue 44: Clayface I, II & III. This issue gave background information for an arc that appeared in Detective Comics issues 604 through 607, entitled "The Mud Pack".

Issue 45: Blackhawk; El Diablo

Issue 46: the headquarters of the Silver Age Justice League (story by Grant Morrison), the New Titans' Titans Tower, and the 'rocketship clubhouse' of the Legion of Super Heroes.

Issue 47: deceased Legionnaires Ferro Lad, Karate Kid and Chemical King

Issue 48: Ambush Bug, Stanley and His Monster, Rex the Wonder Dog, and the Trigger Twins.

Issue 49: Bouncing Boy, the Newsboy Legion, and the Silent Knight.

Issue 50: a 96-page last issue. This consisted of a prose retelling of Dick Grayson's first encounter with Batman (by Dennis O'Neil and George Perez); the first meeting of the Golden and Silver Age Flashes (story by Grant Morrison); how Johnny Thunder (the western hero) came to be; the definitive history of the Black Canary; and the stories behind Dolphin and the Space Museum.

Secret Origins Annual #3, featuring the Teen Titans.

[edit] Annuals & Specials

Annual 1: the Doom Patrol (art by John Byrne); Captain Comet.

Annual 2: The second and third Flashes (Barry Allen & Wally West).

Annual 3: the Teen Titans. This was an anniversary tribute with contributions from George Perez, Tom Grummett, Irv Novick, Dave Cockrum, Kevin Maguire, and Colleen Doran.

Special 1: the Penguin (by Alan Grant and Sam Kieth), the Riddler (by Neil Gaiman, Matt Wagner and Bernie Mireault), and Two-Face.

There was also a newsprint format trade paperback collection (released in 1989) that reprinted several stories from the series. The focus was on DC's major characters: the Flash (Barry Allen, from Secret Origins Annual #2); Green Lantern (Hal Jordan, from #36); J'onn J'onnz, the Martian Manhunter (from #35); and Superman (from The Man of Steel #6). There was also an all-new retelling of Batman's origins, Batman: The Man Who Falls, by Dennis O'Neil and Dick Giordano; this story later served as a cited inspiration for the 2005 film Batman Begins.

Additionally, there was a belated Secret Origins 80 Page Giant issued in 1998, that focused on the members of Young Justice. In a sense, this was bringing the concept full circle, as Secret Origins had begun as an 80-page reprint collection in 1961 (which was itself reissued in 1998).