Pre-Crisis, the ghost of Jack the Ripper turned up in an issue of LOIS LANE #108.
In DCU VILLAINS SECRET FILES & ORIGINS, an incarnation of the Resurrection Man battles Vandal Savage who had just murdered a woman in White-Chapel, London in 1884. This murder was very similar to the murders that would be committed by the mysterious Jack the Ripper several years later. Was Jack the Ripper actually Vandal Savage or did Savage inspire someone else to become Jack the Ripper several years later?
In Grant Morrison's DOOM PATROL, a strange being named Redjack claimed that he was God and Jack the Ripper (and others) in one. Redjack could be a Star Trek reference to that entity that killed women and then framed Scotty for the murders (in an episode written by Robert Bloch). Redjack also appeared in a few DC STAR TREK issues.
In Karl Kesel's SUPERBOY, there was a Jack the Ripper type character. I think he was a clone of the original Jack the Ripper. I don't remember the details.
Years ago, HELLBLAZER had a story involving demonic activities, the Royal Family of England, and Jack the Ripper. And it would be DCU since it was pre-Vertigo, I believe.
In SUPERGIRL (circa #55-60, 2003), the demon Buzz was said to be the one who inspired the Ripper (name??) to commit the Whitechapel Murders. This man was in fact the boyfriend of the last girl murdered.
See also http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix's (entry on Zaniac for their references to Jack the Ripper).
Secret identity: Darkseid.
First appeared: SUPER POWERS [third series] #3 (Nov 1986).
Television appearances: None.
Comic book appearances: SUPER POWERS [third series] #3 (Nov 1986) - #4 (Dec
1986).
Action figures: None.
Origin revealed: SUPER POWERS [third series] #3 (Nov 1986).
The origin of Janus, Son of Jupiter: Darkseid, the deposed ruler of Apokolips, comes to Earth and locates the scientist Kronar. Darkseid forces the scientist to restore his former might. Kronar first bathes him with Alpha Energy, which temporarily restores some of Darkseid's power. Kronar explains that Darkseid will need weeks of treatments of Omega Energy for total restoration. Darkseid kills Kronar, then adopts the costumed identity of Janus, Son of Jupiter. The evil dictator tracks down and saves the Super Powers Team from a threat he had secretly created, then convinces them that he is another hero created by Kronar. The Super Powers Team takes Janus with them to Apokolips, where the heroes eventually bring temporary stability. Darkseid, his immediate plans foiled, approaches Orion as Janus and asks if he could remain on Apokolips to aid in the fight against the forces of evil. Orion gladly accepts, unwittingly giving Darkseid the opportunity he will need to regain his throne.
Powers: Janus possesses great strength and the ability to fly. He wields an indestructible shield and a high-tech mace. As Janus, Darkseid appears as a handsome, blonde human.
Jan Vern starred in two Gil Kane illustrated episodes in 1965's MYSTERY IN SPACE #100 and 102, only the first of which I've read. In that one, the blonde Vern (a man, just to clarify) is an agent of Interplanetary Investigations (IPI) in our solar system's future. A master of disguise, Jan investigates various evildoers and spies and, in MIS #100, helps free IPI's Agent X, a Sean Connery lookalike named Damos.
In 1969, thanks to his successful revamp of WONDER WOMAN, Mike Sekowsky was a hot commodity at DC and he was given a free hand to develop new features for SHOWCASE. Thus was born "Jason's Quest", described as "the unusual story of a boy ... his bike ... his search."
SHOWCASE #88 set up the situation: Late in 1969, Jason Davis' father was mortally wounded in a shooting. Summoned to his deathbed, the blonde young man listened to a stunning series of revelations. His real name was Jason Grant, Jr. and his natural father had been murdered when he was an infant. The killer was a mobster named Tuborg, who sought the elder Grant's latest invention. As Tuborg's killers combed the house for witnesses, Grant's servant, Davis, rushed to the nursery, commanding the housekeeper to take Jason's twin sister into hiding while he did the same with young Jason. Over the next nineteen years, Davis moved himself and Jason constantly, always trying to stay one step ahead of Tuborg.
In preparation for the day Jason would take over the fight, Davis drilled commando training into the boy's head. With his final breath, he gasped, "Your sister ... somehow your father secreted on her person evidence that will end Tuborg and his evil empire. In the fireplace at home ... the box your father gave me -- it has your papers ... money ... and -- and ... I'm ... I'm ... sor --"
Unknown to Jason, Tuborg had planted a bug in the hospital room and heard every word. Finding Jason's sister was now their number one priority. What followed was a race between Jason and Tuborg to get to her first. In London, Jason found a picture of his sister but failed to recognize her in a chance encounter. She was wearing a black wig and calling herself GeeGee.
After evading Tuborg's assassins for days, armed with nothing but his wits and his motorcycle, Jason crossed paths with GeeGee again in #90. This time he recognized her. Unfortunately, Tuborg's men were everwhere and Jason was forced to flee -- dragging his sister along. Constantly on his guard, Jason never had a moment to explain to GeeGee just why he was so desperate to talk to her. They were finally forced to split up but Jason asked her to meet him at a prearranged location the next day.
Watching him ride away to safety, she commented that "if he expects me to meet him tomorrow -- he's off his chump! If I EVER see that crazy man again -- I'll take off in the OPPOSITE direction as FAST as I can go! Goodbye -- and good riddance!"
And that's as far as "Jason's Quest" ever got. In the mid-1980s, long before he was a bankable name, Kurt Busiek cited the series as a dream project in a COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE interview. Wonder if he's still interested.
The Venusian scientist Jero and Martian Halk were both pink fleshed allies of Chris KL-99 in STRANGE ADVENTURES #1-3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 15 and DC COMICS PRESENTS #78 (though they weren't in the SECRET ORIGINS remake). Jero seemed to be of aquatic origin will a green, gilled outfit while Halk had an elongated bald cranium and wore a toga. Halk had exiled himself from Mars after accidentally damaged his world's power supply. He restored Mars' power crystal in S.A. #9 (reprinted in the PULP FICTION LIBRARY collection) but chose to stay with his comrades.
Halk Kar, an alien traveller briefly assumed by Superman to be his brother, was the Earth-2 universe counterpart of Lar Gand (known on Earth-1 as Mon-El, and post-Crisis as Valor and M'Onel). He appeared in SUPERMAN (1st series) #80, in a story by Edmond Hamilton and Al Plastino. Jero I don't know.
Edmond Hamilton (who also created Chris KL-99) often reused names, so it's not surprising he reused that one for the SUPERMAN tale. Aside from Halk Kar, there was Ronn Kar the flattening Neptunian in the Legion, and Batman met a Martian policeman named Roh Kar...Hamilton gave us enough Kars to fill a parking lot!
First appeared in NEW GODS #12 (late-1970s)
She appeared in NEW GODS #12-19 and in ADVENTURE COMICS #459-460, which picked up the story after NEW GODS was cancelled. These issues were almost entirely done by Gerry Conway and Don Newton.
Jezebelle also appeared in the first issue of NEW GODS [3rd series] (marking her only post-Crisis appearance) but she subsequently disappeared. This issue was written by Mark Evanier and drawn by Paris Cullins, but later issues were done by other writers.
Apparently, only Evanier had any interest in her. Many readers consider the Conway-Newton stories to be out of continuity, so Jezebelle's place in the canonical DCU is quite unclear.
She was a blue-skinned, red-haired native of Apokolips with huge eyes that could emit heat rays. She could also fly and likely had all the other powers associated with the New Gods. One flashback showed her being trained by Granny Goodness to kill her fellow students but her heart wasn't in it, and when she was captured in a war with New Genesis, she defected to the other side. (There was no mention of her being a member of the Female Furies.)
She was always reluctant to kill and when she was captured in a war with New Genesis, she eagerly changed sides.
For awhile, it looked like Jezebelle was being groomed to become Orion's romantic interest, but the DC implosion caused the cancellation of the title. The storyline was wrapped up in ADVENTURE COMICS.
She had a clear resemblance to Dave Cockrum's Storm of the (then) new X-Men. I saw her included in a few panels in the Paris Cullins revival of the New Gods, but have not noticed her since.
She was possibly the first original character introduced into the Fourth World titles after Kirby left.
They were the first opponents as well as the opposite number of the Suicide Squad. They were absolutely ruthless in killing and the Squad in turn had little hesitation in killing them. The Jihad's acts of terrorism were chillingly reminiscent of the September 11 atrocity and their battles with the Suicide Squad set the tone for the series which remains one of the most exciting and genuinely suspenseful runs in recent comic history. I will list only brief thumbnail synopses about the Jihad to avoid spoiling the fun of anyone who might be interested in buying back issues of this excellent title.
Despite their Islamic name, the Jihad were not primarily religious. They were terrorists for hire, created or recruited by the government of Quarac (the DC universe version of Iraq), with a little help from the Soviets. Many of their members were clearly not Muslims. But almost all of them had some grudge with the United States or some U.S. ally. They usually had names taken from various myths and legends, which conveyed their menace.
They made their debut in the first issue of the first run of SUICIDE SQUAD by seemingly slaughtering an entire American airport full of people and crashing Airforce One with the president on board. The Suicide Squad heard that they were planning an attack on an American target and the team struck first, sneaking into the Jihad's base in an abandoned Nazi fortress in Quarac and going after each of the Jihad's members. But despite being decimated by the Squad, the Jihad reassembled and went after the Squad, this time in New York (including the World Trade Center.) Eventually, in issue no. 26, the Suicide Squad's team leader Colonel Rick Flag sneaked back into the old Nazi fortress and set off an old atom bomb supposedly destroying the Jihad. Despite this, individual Jihad members survived (while others were grotesquely resurrected) and continued to plague the Squad both individually and as a group.
They also popped up later in SUICIDE SQUAD, facing the Hayoth and Superman, Batman & Aquaman...during the dealing with the death of the Atom), issues #59-62.
The Jihad members largely did not engage in banter so little was known about their backgrounds. They killed people. That was what they were suppose to do. The key members were:
Rustam: the field leader. Possibly Iraqi or Iranian. He could conjure up a flaming scimatar which could slice through anything. He had the drive and intensity to match Flag's so the two were in a way, counterparts to each other. We never learned his origin.
Manticore: a beast-like creature with great strength and speed, partial invulnerability and who could fire his "claws" like bullets and launch grenades from his scorpion tail. A product of genetic manipulation.
Jaculi: a young man from a desert tribe. He had bursts of super-speed and hurled exploding javelins. He was later replaced by a female version who appeared to be of East Asian origin. Again, no origin was given for either of them.
Djinn: an electronic man, given solid form by a computer program. He could "phase" through objects, scrambling electronics. He could also just plan break someone's neck with his bare hands. He was later replaced by a female version called Ifrit.
Ravan: an Indian belonging to the Thugee cult. A master of ritual assasination. He had no powers but was extremely skilled in combat. He was later recruited by the Suicide Squad.
Koschei, the deathless: Koshchei the Deathless was another member of Rick Flag Jr.'s original Suicide Squad, Jeff Bright. (Appeared in B&B #25-27, 37-39, as well as during the flashback in the first appearance of the Forgotten Heroes, ACTION COMICS #552, before we saw his apparent demise in SECRET ORIGINS #14, and how he survived that in SUICIDE SQUAD #50. He was one of the forces that helped CREATE the Jihad. He worked first for the Russians, then the Jihad. After being mortally wounded in the first Suicide Squad attack on Quarac, he discovered that his body had been re-animated, using his own technology. By putting implants on dead bodies, Koschei could control them to do his bidding and his killing.
Babd: an 10-year-old Irish girl who had mental powers. She could drive people wild, even seizing control of Superman's mind briefly.
Agni: presumably another Indian. A human flame thrower who confronted Captain Cold in New York.
Chimera: the Jihad's teleporter. It is soon revealed that she has other loyalties.
Some of the Jihad members survived the end of the first run of the SUICIDE SQUAD and since most of the members were artificially created, it wouldn't be hard for new versions of the Jihad members to be spawned. Whether any writer would want to use such terrorist characters in today's charged atmosphere remains to be seen.
The Jihad returned in OUTSIDERS (#5-6) with a new Djinn and a new Manticore, among others. Not to mention the Dervish, who has later shown up as a villainess in GREEN LANTERN, WONDER WOMAN, and elsewhere. This Jihad felt they were the victims of U.S. aggression, specifically, Cheshire dropping the A-bomb on Qurac.
Still, I am doubtful that they can be revived now, at least in the highly-lethal way they were depicted in SUICIDE SQUAD. A Jihad that doesn't really kill anybody wouldn't have the same impact. On the other hand, if they are presented like they were in Ostrander's run, then then DC could be accused of: 1. Capitalizing on a national tragedy while the nation's wounds are still fresh. 2. Stirring hatred against Islamic and/or Arabic characters. And let's face it: with a name like "Jihad", they would be seen as Islamic/Arabic characters even if their membership were made up of South African mercenaries.
Johnny Dune was a Vietnam veteran who had returned home after being wounded during the Battle for Firebase Bravo. He had originally aspired to be a musician, but was also one of the head toughs for a local gang. While on reconnaissance in Nam, he and his team were pinned down by machine gun fire and Dune was hit several times. the pain of his wounds opened up a new channel within him and he screamed at his attackers to stop killing him. Amazingly, they did so, and Dune was able to mow them down with his own gun. He was awarded a silver medal for his actions that day, but he also had discovered that he was a mutant with a powerful voice.
Dune did not find many opportunities after he returned home, and started up his music career again, using his vocal powers to great advantage in his performances. He appeared at a festival in Prospect Park that also featured Green Arrow and the Atom. Dune had recently been double-crossed by the city's political boss, who had promised to back Dune for Mayor, but reneged on the deal after Dune had spent the summer performing and getting the word out to the voters. On this platform, Dune used his voice to get the crowd riled up and into a fury over the political situation. He ordered several men to attack Green Arrow and the Atom when they started approaching the stage. the two heroes were overwhelmed and the Atom hit his JLA signal device before he passed out.
Because of a situation in space that had Hawkman, the Flash, and Green Lantern trapped on the planet Rann (and a malfunctioning JLA transporter) Batman and Black Canary were the only ones able to respond to their distress call, finding Dune leading a large parade of "disciples" into the city. Dune had several men attack the two heroes, but was unable to control them over the noise of the crowd. He instead sent Green Arrow and the Atom into the fray (even though he called GA "Lantern") and they subdued their two friends. All four were bound for use as hostages to get past the authorities.
Unfortunately, Dune's "Pied Piper" powers were limited and soon the crowd was beginning to rampage of its own accord. When people started destroying property, Dune freed Green Arrow and ordered him to use his arrows to herd the others back into line. After he reluctantly shot a smoke arrow and Dune was distracted, Green Arrow ripped some of the stuffing out of a boxing glove arrow and plugged his ears so that he couldn't hear Dune's commands. He then let a suction cup arrow fly over Dune's mouth and knocked the young man out so that they could straighten things out.
Unfortunately, without Dune's control the crowd began rioting. Dune, not wanting the young people to be hurt, screamed that they all should direct their anger at him. They unfortunately did, battering Dune to the ground. the Justice Leaguers got to him too late, and were only able to hear Johnny Dune relent that power didn't work the way he had hoped, before he succumbed. Batman carried the young man to the emergency ward, and the heroes were happy to learn that Dune would survive, if only by his sheer determination. That final scream had cost Dune his powers, but he still planned to go into politics to try and make a difference by winning votes the hard way - "the clean way".
Appearances:
A young masked man who first appeared in TEEN TITANS (1st series) #20 (Mar-Apr 69) by invading the Titans Lair and asking the Titans for help to stop a confrontation between the police and a group of teenaged protestors. (This was the funky seventies, remember?) After a few misunderstandings, the Titans learned that the protestors were actually (and unknowingly) backed by a criminal organization, who in turn were the pawns of the sinister aliens of Dimension X (recurring foes of the original Titans that first appeared in TEEN TITANS (1st series) #16 (Jul-Aug 68). The Titans collaborated with Joshua and his brother (the leader of the protestors) to thwart the aliens' plan to release the monstrous entity called the Meroul Being. Joshua was thanked and praised for his help, but to my knowledge he has not been seen since. People asked for Joshua's entry in the original Who's Who series, but he never got one.
An interesting note about this adventure (written by Neal Adams and illustrated by Adams with Sal Amendola and Nick Cardy) is that it was based on an earlier, unpublished story by Len Wein and Marv Wolfman. In the original version, the young hero was black and he was not called Joshua but - Jericho, a name Wolfman re-used fifteen years later, in TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #44 (Jul 84).
Earth-D was one of the last universes to be destroyed by the Anti-Monitor before he centered his efforts on the major universes of the DC Characters (Earths-One, Two, Four, S, X). Earth-D was very similar to Earth-One during the height of the Silver Age, especially in temperament, and its heroic population appeared to be much more racially diverse than that of any other DC Universe. the major super-hero team of Earth-D was the Justice Alliance of America, which was headquartered in an underwater base. the following heroes were on the team:
Superman and Supergirl: (Kal-El and Kara) Husband and wife Kryptonians who had arrived on Earth-D three years earlier. Superman died saving Supergirl from one of the Anti-Monitor's Shadow Demons. Supergirl was later killed, buying time for the heroes from Earth-One to return home.
Batman and Robin: Father and son Dynamic Duo (the Batman of Earth-D has a wife and two other children as well). Robin was killed trying to save an elderly woman from the Anti-Monitor's anti-matter wall.
Wonder Woman: (Diana) Amazon warrior who died saving a small child from the advancing anti-matter wall.
The Flash: (Tanaka Rei) Asian-American who, married to Hoshi, was inspired by the comic book adventures of Barry Allen, the Earth-One Flash.
The Atom: Tiny titan in possession of a jet pack, various technological devices, and an "atomic punch".
Aquaman: An Atlantean much like the Earth-One Aquaman, except for his appearance, which included pointed ears, pale skin, and external gills.
Green Arrow: Green Arrow appeared to be a Native American archer.
Martian Manhunter: (J'Onn) This Martian Manhunter adopted a slightly more alien appearance than his Earth-One counterpart.
Hawkman and Hawkgirl : (Kat and Shay). Brother and sister (presumed) Thanagarians who were killed by Shadow Demons. They were the first heroes to ever be killed on Earth-D.
Green Lantern (Captain Jose Hernandez): Brazilian fighter pilot who received his power ring from dying Green Lantern Tagin Sur, whose ship had been damaged by Shadow Demons and crashed. Green Lantern was killed saving Supergirl from a Shadow Demon shortly after he received the power ring.
Barry Allen was the first hero to encounter the denizens of Earth-D. He had been living in the 30th Century with his wife Iris when the effects of the Anti-Monitor's anti-matter wall began to destroy that time period. Deciding he needed help to combat this threat, he relaxed the internal vibration that kept him in the time period to return to the present to get the Justice League. This time however, he was shunted into the dimension of Earth-D (apparently as a result of the energy of the anti-matter wall), finding himself in Central City and watching this world's Flash battle an African-American Mirror Master. He followed this Flash to his home, where he was met by his wife Hoshi, and Barry Allen suddenly realized he had left his own wife to die in the future.
In New York City on Earth-D, several members of the Justice Alliance of America battled the combined menace of Medulla and Mollusk the Marauder on the Statue of Liberty. At the same time, Pariah and Lady Quark, two other survivors of worlds destroyed by the Anti-Monitor, appeared (Pariah had saved Lady Quark from the anti-matter wall that killed her husband and daughter, and Pariah had been forever cursed to travel to worlds about to be destroyed). As the JAA tried to get Medulla to surrender, Lady Quark blasted him in the back, much to the dismay of the team, who didn't use such harsh methods. Pariah was left to sort things out, and to warn the heroes about the danger their world was about to face.
Meanwhile, the Flash met the Flash of Earth-D face-to-face for the first time, where he found that he himself was a comic book character on this world and had inspired Tanaka Rei to take up the identity of the Flash (much in the same fashion as Jay Garrick had inspired him). He asked for help in returning to his own world, which Tanaka Rei was glad to give, and took him to the base of the JAA to see if they could help. There, the Flash, Pariah, Lady Quark, and the JAA all discussed the situation, as the red skies announcing the arrival of the Anti-Monitor's energy were starting all over the world. the area around the JAA's underwater base began to shake and crumble as the effects of the skies became greater, and everyone was forced to flee for their lives, regrouping at Superman's Fortress of Solitude.
While they talked about their options, Pariah went to Earth-One to try to get help. He returned soon after with Superman, Supergirl, Batman, Green Lantern John Stewart, Nightwing, Cyborg, Firestorm, Starfire, and Dawnstar. After some brief introductions, the Anti-Monitor and the Psycho-Pirate watched their efforts. the villain sent a time bomb to Earth-D, as well as unleashing his Shadow Guard on the world.
The Shadow Demons attacked the Fortress of Solitude, in a battle that cost the lives of Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and Superman. After a ceremony in which Supergirl buried her husband, the heroes of the JAA decided to return to their loved ones one final time before what they presumed would be the final battle. the other heroes (along with the Earth-D Supergirl) surveyed the damage that the Shadow Demons were causing.
Meanwhile, in the skies above Brazil, a jet fighter flown by Captain Jose Hernandez was being pursued by the Shadow Demons. At the same time, a spacecraft piloted by Green Lantern Tagin Sur was entering the atmosphere above South America, only to be attacked and disabled by the Shadow Demons. Hernandez saw the craft crash and rushed in to assist. the dying alien Sur found Hernandez to be a suitable subject and gave him his power ring and battery, making the young pilot the planet's first Green Lantern.
The anti-matter wall continued to pass over the world. In the city the JAA and the Earth-One heroes were trying to defend, both Robin and Wonder Woman died saving civilians from the disintegrating power. With the arrival of the new Green Lantern, the heroes regrouped and the Flashes decided to build a large version of the Earth-One Flash's Cosmic Treadmill, to try and shift as many people from Earth-D to Earth-One as possible in the time they had left. the heroes quickly managed to put together the device, powered by both Flashes, both Supergirls, the Earth-One Superman, and the Earth-D Martian Manhunter. A portal was opened on the Earth-D version of the Brooklyn Bridge and cars began to slowly go through the opening, with the people presumably merging with their Earth-One doppelgangers. the Shadow Demons chose that moment to renew their attack, so the other heroes did their best to protect the speedsters and get more people through the portal.
The Anti-Monitor, watching the events, teleported the Earth-One Flash to his dimension, where he would later be tortured by the Psycho-Pirate and eventually give his own life to save the remaining universes. Without the other Flash to filter out the other speedsters conflicting vibrations, the Cosmic Treadmill began to spark and malfunction, so the Flash ordered everyone off while he continued to keep up the pace and allow more people to get to safety. While the Flash ran, the others kept the Shadow Demons busy, though the new Green Lantern was killed saving Supergirl. As the Flash began to slow down, he told the Earth-One heroes to return to their world while they could, but the Justice Alliance decided to stay to defend their homeworld to the end. Supergirl laid down her life to allow them time to get through the portal when the Shadow Demons renewed their attack once again.
Green Arrow, the Atom, the Flash, Batman, the Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman (along with their old foe Mollusk) spent the last 39 seconds of their lives protecting their world. the other heroes ended up on the Monitor's satellite, where Alexander Luthor and Harbinger had summoned the heroes of four worlds to begin planning an end to the destruction.
Appearances:
A-Aq
| Ar-Az | Angor | B
| C | Crusaders | D
| DC Super Dictionary
E | F | G
| H | I | Isis
| J | K | L
| M | Masters of the
Universe
N | O | P
| Q | R | S-Sl
| Sm-St | Su-Sz | Seven
Soldiers of Victory
T | U | V
| W | X | Y | Z