Great news! It’s time once again for another edition of ASK…THE QUESTION. I’m Alex Jaffe, better known to the DC Community as HubCityQuestion. I’m a professional comic book expert who’s here to dispense my expertise on the breadth and depth of DC, answering all the mysteries you contain about every element of the DC Universe. No case is too broad, no case is too granular. All you have to do is stop by my quarters in the official DC Community, drop your inquiry, and I’ll take it from there. Let’s get some answers.
GALAXY’S LEAST WANTED
Moonknightrider2.98991 asks:
When we first met Hyathis, she was captured and imprisoned by the JLA on a meteor planet with her rivals, including Kanjar Ro. Kanjar escaped the “escape proof” planet, and later, so did Hyathis. Did Kromm or Sayyar ever get off? If so, what are they up to in the DCU these days?
Kromm and Sayarr only appear once more in Pre-Crisis continuity after the incident you describe from 1961’s Justice League of America #3. All of Kanjar Ro’s rivals from this story reunite in 1978’s Showcase #102-103, as part of a joint assault on the planets Rann and Thanagar. Their efforts are thwarted by a coalition of Hawkman, Hawkwoman and Adam Strange.
Kromm and Sayyar next appeared in the 2000 “Silver Age” event. But as that was set in the past, one could easily say those events took place before their imprisonment. Between Crisis and Flashpoint, Kromm and Sayyar made no other modern-day appearances, apart from the 2000 Creature Commandos series—but those were counterparts to the Kromm and Sayyar we’ve met from an alternate universe.
The pair finally made their return in earnest in 2014’s Green Lantern Corps Annual #2, where they address their initial Justice League of America #3 appearance directly by joining forces in hunting down Kanjar Ro and selling him into slavery as vengeance for his treachery.
Since achieving their revenge, the two have gone their separate ways. Sayyar has since only appeared in a most likely non-canonical team-up with Kanjar Ro in 2014’s Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman #14-15 against Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Lady Shazam. Kromm would only return in 2019’s The Green Lantern #3, in a small cameo as one of the prospective bidders for a planet on the black market.
Both may be presumed still at large.
DR. & MRS. FATE
Keath asks:
When were Kent and Inza Nelson first portrayed as a married couple? Was it really not canon until the ’80s? Or could they have been married prior to Katar and Shayera?
In a previous column, I made the bold claim that Hawkman and Hawkgirl were the first superheroes in DC history to be explicitly portrayed as married in 1961, beating Jay Garrick’s updated marital status by a matter of months. Considering how many years of superhero stories precede that, I can hardly blame you for challenging me. But after exploring the archives, I can attest that Doctor Fate and Inza had not yet wed by the conclusion of their Golden Age adventures in More Fun Comics and beyond. In fact, Inza made no appearances at all in comics between 1943’s More Fun #90 and 1965’s Showcase #55, an Earth-Two adventure where Doctor Fate and Hourman would team up against the might of Solomon Grundy. It’s only here we see that at some point during her twelve years off-panel, Inza had finally become Inza Nelson.
A MILLION LIGHTS ARE DANCING AND THERE YOU ARE, A SHOOTING STAR
Mojaka asks:
When did Madame Xanadu become part of Arthurian legend? Also, when did she become blind? And then not blind?
For thirty years since her introduction as a horror comics host in Doorway to Nightmare, Madame Xanadu’s origins were long kept a mystery. They were finally explored in the 2008 Madame Xanadu series, opening in the age of Camelot and exploring her past up to the present day. Most of what we know about Madame Xanadu’s history comes from this series, including a complicated, winding history with Phantom Stranger, a love affair with the master magician Zatara, and a fateful card game for her immortality with Death of the Endless. She was blinded by the Spectre in 2005’s Day of Vengeance during his Eclipso-driven crusade against magic, but had her sight returned to her after the events of 2011’s Flashpoint.
Our final question this month comes courtesy of Jadzia Axelrod, author of Galaxy: The Prettiest Star and Hawkgirl!
TRINITY TRICKSTERS
Jadzia asks:
Greg Rucka said once that he was one of the few writers to achieve the DC Hat Trick: writing Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman at the same time. Who were the others?
Rucka’s claim is indeed true, having achieved this between 2005 and 2006 with his work on Adventures of Superman and Gotham Central intersecting with his original landmark Wonder Woman run. To qualify for the Hat Trick under Rucka’s criteria, this feat must take the form of three individual books, each starring or centrally featuring one of the Trinity, all getting published at the same time. In other words, writing DC’s Trinity title doesn’t automatically qualify you (and yes, I know that’s an image from Matt Wagner’s Trinity up above—it still doesn’t count.) It’s a very rare achievement, and one which was not easy to check—even with the knowledge that there have been far fewer Wonder Woman writers over the years than Batman or Superman writers. Here are the talents at this rarified table:
- Robert Kanigher (1969-1974) The first. As the most prolific writer in DC Comics history, including a 22-year long continuous run on the Wonder Woman title and fill-ins on practically every other DC title over much of the 20th century, this should come as little surprise.
- Dennis O’Neil (1972) The great Denny’s prolific work on Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman only intersected for one month, but that’s enough to count.
- Marv Wolfman (1982) The great co-creator of New Teen Titans squeaks in thanks to dual stints on Wonder Woman and Action Comics intersecting with a couple 1982 issues of World’s Finest.
- George Pérez (1989) New Teen Titans’ other mastermind moves in comfortably thanks to his legendary introduction of Wonder Woman into the Post-Crisis canon. In 1989, Perez’s Wonder Woman shared shelf space with his words in Adventures of Superman as Tim Drake made his “Lonely Place of Dying” debut in a New Teen Titans crossover with Batman.
- Greg Rucka (2005-2006) Arguably the most visible accomplishment, with ongoing simultaneous representation in all three worlds.
In addition to being the most visible talent to achieve this, Rucka is also, to date, the last. One side effect of the increasing diversity of perspectives within DC’s writing pool through the 21st century is that the division of labor spreads further than ever before—making this already rare feat even more daunting. Becky Cloonan would seem to have come close in 2021 thanks to her work on Wonder Woman, some shorter Batman titles, and Action Comics, but on second glance, we had to disqualify her as those Action stories featured Midnighter, not Superman. I’m not saying that the age of the DC Hat Trick is behind us, but if it’s ever going to happen again, it’s gonna take some doing.
You know what else is going to take some doing? Getting to the bottom of your next batch of questions. But every moment I spend in pursuit of comic book truth on your behalf is one where I feel I am fulfilling my truest purpose. Join me on this pursuit of knowledge by adding your personal quests to my hallowed backlog. All it takes to walk with me is a single act. All you need to do is ASK…THE QUESTION.
Alex Jaffe is the author of our monthly "Ask the Question" column and writes about TV, movies, comics and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Bluesky at @AlexJaffe and find him in the DC Community as HubCityQuestion.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Alex Jaffe and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
