As with Captain Marvel or Robin, there have been multiple superheroes named Doctor Fate. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman in the Golden Age of Comics, appearing in More Fun Comics #55 (May 1940).

Wearing blue-and-yellow tights and a golden helmet, Doctor Fate operated from a windowless, doorless stone tower situated on the outskirts of Salem, Massachusetts – so you know it was magic-related. Beneath the costume was Kent Nelson, who accidentally awakened Nabu by opening its tomb while on an archaeological expedition in the Valley of Ur with his father, and killed his father in the process.

Nabu is a fictionalised version of the Mesopotamian god of the same name — a cosmic being allied with the Lords of Order. He takes Kent under his wing and teaches him how to become a sorcerer and fight his enemies, the Lords of Chaos. Twenty years later, Nabu gave Kent a mystical helmet, an amulet, and a cloak. Now well-equipped, Kent returned to America and began fighting crime and supernatural evil, such as armies of the undead, the green-skinned Wutan, fish creatures, and elder gods. He also became a founding member of both the All-Star Squadron and the Justice Society of America.

Read More »Doctor Fate Reading Order

Death is not always the end in comic books, especially for characters like the Spectre who embody vengeance from beyond the grave. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Bernard Baily, the Spectre first appeared in More Fun Comics #52, published by DC Comics in February 1940.

It all begins with Jim Corrigan, a hard-nosed police detective who is murdered by gangsters. Rather than passing into the afterlife, Corrigan’s spirit is bonded with a cosmic entity known as the Spectre, a supernatural force tasked with enacting divine vengeance. This entity is later revealed to be Aztar, a former angel who repented after joining Lucifer‘s rebellion and was subsequently transformed into the embodiment of God’s Wrath.

As the Spectre, Corrigan becomes one of DC Comics’ most powerful beings, capable of reality-altering feats. He also served as a member of the Justice Society of America (JSA), one of DC’s earliest superhero teams.

Jim Corrigan remained the Spectre’s primary human host for decades, but he has not been the only one. Notable successors include Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, and Gotham City Detective Crispus Allen. The Spectre has also existed without a human host at times, though his power is diminished in such states.

Over the decades, the Spectre’s mythology has been deepened through various storylines and reinterpretations, making him a unique and enduring figure in the DC Universe. For those interested in exploring the character further, a recommended reading order follows.
Read More »The Spectre Reading Order

In 2017, Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment partnered with Random House Books for Young Readers to publish young adult novels naturally set outside DC Comics’ main continuity. Those are coming-of-age stories centered on the characters when they are younger and discovering who they are and what it means to be a hero.

Those are all original stories, and not retellings of classic origin stories, written by some of the most famous young adult novel writers right now. And if this all began in the book format, some of those stories have also been adapted into graphic novels (it’s DC Comics after all!).

The DC Icons Series is one of the lines developed by DC Comics to attract a younger and new audience to the world of superhero comics and for them to become more familiar with those pop culture icons that everybody knows by name.

Below you’ll find a list of the DC Icons book series, with Batman, Catwoman, Wonder Woman, and more…

Read More »DC Icons Series: The Complete list of the DC Young Adult novels