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Who is Black Adam? The origin story of Shazam’s villain

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Like several DC characters created in the 1940s, the history of Black Adam is a complicated one. His origin story has been told multiple times and changes have been made throughout the years.

Soon played by Dwayne Johnson on the big screen, Black Adam was created by Otto Binder, Bill Parker, and C.C. Beck. He made his first appearance in The Marvel Family #1 (1945) published by Fawcett Comics where he served as a powerful one-time enemy of the superhero Shazam (see reading order) and the Shazam Family. 

However, Black Adam was resurrected nearly 30 years later as a recurring character following DC’s acquisition of the Fawcett characters. The character was redefined with time by writers Jerry Ordway, Geoff Johns, and David S. Goyer and the character has evolved from outright villain to sometimes anti-hero.

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Blue Beetle Reading Order (Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes)

Officially created by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski in 1939 (working for the Eisner and Iger shop), Blue Beetle is a superhero who started his career at Fox Comics. Charlton Comics acquired FOX Comics and, ultimately, was itself bought by DC Comics. That’s how Blue Beetle joined the Justice League. In truth, the original Blue Beetle was not the same as the one that became friends with Booster Gold.

Everything began with Dan Garret, the original Golden Age Blue Beetle. Introduced in Mystery Men Comics #1 (August 1939), Dan was a Rookie patrolman and the son of a police officer killed by a criminal. He simply became a vigilante, without powers, who wore a bulletproof blue costume–looking a lot like The Phantom. At some point, he temporarily gained power with the help of a special vitamin. He even got a sidekick named Sparky. Also, during World War II, Garret became a government agent–he got his cop uniform back after the war ended. As time went by, he gained even more powers, but that didn’t save him from Fox Comics going out of business.

Charlton Comics reprinted some Blue Beetle comics for a time and, during the Silver Age of comics, launched a new series–in 1964, written by Joe Gill. This time, Dan Garrett (with two “t”) was an archaeologist who discovered a mystical scarab during a dig in Egypt. This artifact gave him superpowers. Like Shazam, he only needed to say the word (“Kaji Dha!” in his case) to transform into the Blue Beetle. This Dan Garrett only got two years on the newsstands before getting replaced.

Introduced by Gary Friedrich and Steve Ditko in a backup story in Captain Atom #83 (November 1966), Ted Kord was a genius-level inventor and a gifted athlete without superpowers who operated out of his airship, “the Bug”. When he died, Garrett passed the torch to Ted–years later, DC Comics retconned his origins by adding that Ted was a former student of Dan Garrett. The series was canceled shortly after its launch.

When Charlton Comics went out of business in the early ’80s, AC Comics bought the right to the character, among others, did some stories, then the rights reverted back to Charlton, and DC Comics purchased them.

Using the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, DC Comics introduced Charlton’s characters into its newly revised universe. After the Crisis ended, Len Wein wrote a new Blue Beetle series after penning Secret Origins Vol. 2 #2 in which he rewrote Ted Knight’s origins. After 24 issues, the series was canceled, but Blue Beetle joined the Justice League International not too long after and found a new life. Ted became Booster Gold’s best friend, a relationship that defined the hero as a proper character in the DC Universe.

In 2006, DC Comics decided to retcon and expand upon the Blue Beetle mythos with the help of Jaime Reyes. Introduced in Infinite Crisis #3 (February 2006), he really became the new Blue Beetle in Infinite Crisis #5. Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner, Jaime bonds with the scarab, and it is revealed that it is an artifact alien in origin. Soon, Jaime became friends with Booster, and joined the Teen Titans and even the Justice League.

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Aquaman Reading Order, the King of Atlantis

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Aquaman emerged from the sea during the Golden Age, making his first appearance in More Fun Comics #73. It was only one month after Wonder Woman‘s first appearance, and it was the same issue as Green Arrow and Speedy. Since then, he has been one of the more enduring heroes of DC Comics. Yet, the King of the Sea is still often overshadowed and overlooked. Even his splash on the big screen where he was played by Jason Momoa didn’t change the situation.

Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, Aquaman from the Golden Age was quite different from the hero we know today. First, this version of the character – known today as the Aquaman of Earth-2 – was not a true denizen of Atlantis. He had no particular powers. His father was a scientist and undersea explorer who discovered the ancient city of Atlantis. He taught his son how to survive and breathe underwater, and how to use all the power of the sea to make him strong and swift. Then, he was erased from existence with Crisis on Infinite Earths.

His origin story has been revised a few times since then. He is now known as Arthur Curry, half Atlantean, half-human, and undersea royalty. Since his debut and his gained popularity from his 1960s animated appearances, DC worked at making Aquaman more powerful and edgier, but failed to give him a more defined role and purpose. For a very long time, DC Comics didn’t know what to do with the character.

If Aquaman is more of a joke for some people, the character has lived some great, strange, colorful, and exciting adventures. He has gained a devoted fan base and the respect that he is due as one of the top-tier DC superheroes. Long live the King!

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Batman: Hush Reading Order

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Not unlike The Batman Who Laughs, Hush is an enemy of Batman who’s visually iconic and extremely lethal, and who made a hard-to-miss entrance into the universe of the Caped Crusader.

Created by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, Hush made his first appearance during the storyline named after him that started in Batman #609 – during the Modern Age era aka the Post-Crisis era. In this 12-issue storyline, we learn his real name, his connection to Batman, and everything you need to understand his actions, but it wasn’t the end.

Hush became a regular in the gallery of enemies that Batman must stop. At least, before the start of the New 52 era. After DC’s continuity was rebooted, it took a little time before Hush was reintroduced into the world of Batman during the Batman Eternal storyline. With his return, his backstory was a little bit retconned. And then came DC Rebirth, another relaunched of the DC line. Hush briefly came back to fight the Batfamily.

If you like Hush, all you need to do is follow the reading order.

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Stargirl Reading Order (Courtney Whitmore)

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Created by Geoff Johns and Lee Moder, Courtney Whitmore made her first appearance in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (July 1999)–she was in part based on Johns’ sister Courtney, who died in the explosion of TWA Flight 800 in 1996.

Courtney is the stepdaughter of Pat Dugan, the inventor of the powered armor suit S.T.R.I.P.E. and former sidekick of the original Star-Spangled Kid. Before becoming Stargirl, she was in fact the new Star-Spangled Kid. She joined the Justice Society of America (JSA) and, after being given Starman Jack Knight’s cosmic staff, she officially became known as Stargirl.

She stayed with the JSA for a long time, until the moment when DC rebooted its universe and launched the New 52 era. Then, Stargirl became a member of the new Justice League of America title. Her origin story was also rewritten. In this version, she found the staff and the rest of the uniform in Pat Dugan’s office who was then Barbara Whitmore’s boyfriend. Pat agreed to train her and she became a full-time superhero.

Of course, there’s now a Stargirl TV Show. You may have seen it. Brec Bassinger is playing the young Courtney/Stargirl. The character also appeared in other TV Show, live or animated, through the years (and also in Video Games).

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Green Lantern New 52 Reading Order, with the Green Lantern Corps, Red Lanterns, New Guardians and Sinestro

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Green Lantern New 52 Reading Order

A new era started in the DC Universe with the New 52. But the impact on the Green Lantern was quite limited. Geoff Johns took over creative duties on Green Lantern with the limited series Green Lantern: Rebirth in 2004 and was still the main writer for this relaunch with Doug Mahnke as penciler.

Like most DC characters, Green Lantern Hal Jordan was five years younger than his previous incarnations but there was no change in his history — all of Johns’ run on the Green Lantern title was still part of the continuity. During Geoff Johns’ time, Green Lantern Corps vol. 3 was written by Peter Tomasi, and the new Red Lantern series (written by Peter Milligan) was launched, as well as the Green Lantern: New Guardians series (written by Tony Bedard).

After issue #20, all the teams were changed with writer Robert Venditti and artist Billy Tan taking over as the main creative team for Green Lantern Vol. 5. Venditti also co-wrote Green Lantern Corps vol. 3 with Van Jensen before the latter became the sole writer. The Red Lanterns series continued with Charles Soule (#21-37) and Landry Q. Walker (#38-40), and the Green Lantern: New Guardians series was written by Justin Jordan (#21-40). The new Sinestro was launched, written by Cullen Bunn.

What to read before Green Lantern New 52?

First, you can check out our Green Lantern Reading Order which covers the history of the GL characters from start to finish. But it may be a bit too big. After all, we are here for the New 52 era. The DC Universe was rebooted after the Flashpoint event. It is not required reading, but you could take a look at it before reading anything else.

If New 52 was presented as a jumping point for new readers, Geoff Johns was the main writer for Green Lantern for almost 7 years at this stage, and, as said above, his run stayed in continuity. The events in Green Lantern Vol. 5 take place immediately after the last two books, War of the Green Lanterns and Aftermath. Don’t hesitate to check out Geoff Johns’ massive and celebrated run before entering the New 52 era. 

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Birds of Prey Reading Order

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A force to be reckoned with, the Birds of Prey is traditionally an all-women group of DC vigilantes founded in the late ’90s. Discover all their adventures in Gotham and beyond with our Birds of Prey comics reading list, covering the full history of the team, from their first appearance to Gail Simone’s celebrated run and the recent relaunch by Kelly Thompson.

Birds of Prey Logo

At its core, the Birds of Prey started as a partnership between Black Canary and Oracle, gradually expanding over time to include more superheroines. Their relationship was first established in Showcase ’96 #3, written by Jordan B. Gorfinkel—who also gave the team its name in the first issue of the ongoing series by writer Chuck Dixon and artist Gary Frank.

Chuck Dixon described the dynamic between Oracle and Black Canary as a clash of values, with “Dinah’s more idealistic approach” being at the heart of the book. Dinah Laurel Lance, alias Black Canary, is portrayed as passionate and idealistic, while Barbara Gordon, alias Oracle, has a strong sense of morality but is also less morally conflicted, per Dixon’s words who described her as a woman who knows that, sometimes, you have to kill to save lives–even if she’s not comfortable with that fact.

While Barbara and Dinah formed the heart of the team, other crimefighters joined throughout the series. One of the most prominent additions was Helena Bertinelli, a.k.a. Huntress, who became a key member during Gail Simone’s run.

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Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance) Reading Order

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Black Canary is an alias that has been used by two DC superheroines. Created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, the original Black Canary (Dinah Drake) was introduced in the pages of Flash Comics #86 (1947) where Dinah was working undercover to infiltrate a criminal gang. At first a supporting character in the Johnny Thunder serial, it took just a couple of months to steal his thunder and to become way more popular than him.

Introduced in Justice League of America #75, the second and more famous Black Canary is Dinah Laurel Lance, Dinah Drake’s daughter and successor of the superhero mantle. Created by Dennis O’Neil and Dick Dillin, she is commonly affiliated with the Justice League of America and the archer superhero Green Arrow, professionally and romantically (she is considered a member of the Arrow family). Most importantly, she has shined as one of the co-founders of the Birds of Prey team, with her friend Barbara Gordon/Oracle.

As one of the major female superheroine in DC Comics, Black Canary has been adapted in various media. She has been played in the past by Alaina Huffman in Smallville and Katie Cassidy in the Arrowverse. Lately, Jurnee Smollett portrays the character in the DC Extended Universe, having made her debut in the 2020 film Birds of Prey, and should reprise the role for a movie centered on the character.

It’s now time to explore her comic book adventures in this Black Canary reading order dedicated to Dinah Laurel Lance.

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Alan Scott, the comic origins of DC’s first Green Lantern

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If Hal Jordan can be considered the most famous Green Lantern, he was not the first human to bear the name. That title belongs to Alan Scott, the Green Lantern of the Golden Age.

A selfless and dedicated man, Alan Scott could only become a role model for others and inspired other men to take up the fight. Even though he serves as an inspiration for many Green Lanterns, Alan Scott always holds himself to a higher standard than anyone else.

Though Alan Scott has never been a member of the Green Lantern Corps, he was a founding member of the Justice Society of America. With or without other superheroes, Alan Scott always fought to protect others and choose to make his emerald glow a sign of hope and a source of inspiration for decades…

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Justice League Reading Order, DC Comics’ Greatest Team of Superheroes

Almost nine years after the end of the original JSA comic book run, DC Comics introduced another team of Super Heroes in The Brave and the Bold #28 (dated March 1960) by writer Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky. It was viewed as a modernization of the Justice Society but with a new name chosen by editor Julius Schwartz who thought that a “‘Society’ meant something you found on Park Avenue”. He went with “League” instead–because of the popularity of the baseball leagues.

The first Justice League team was composed of Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman, but also of Superman and Batman, even if they were mostly absent from the League’s early adventures (it was thought that they would quickly become overused if they appeared in too many titles). Soon, the team would welcome Green Arrow, the Atom, and Hawkman.

The Justice League comics became a hit. As the years passed, the roaster of superheroes changed a little, the DC Universe became more connected and events were organized like the famous annual crossovers with the Justice Society.

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