Welcome back to another edition of ASK…THE QUESTION. I’m Alex Jaffe, question-answerer in chief of our official Discord community. Every month, I take some of the most interesting queries to cross my desk to present them here to you, the readers who haven’t made it over to the server yet. (You should try it! It’s a good time.) Here are just some of the many mysteries I did my best to solve for the curious public this June.
DrWhoDidle asks:
Oddly specific question, but has Batman ever displayed skills with a skateboard?
As far as I’m aware, never. Batman surfs in the Batman TV show. He snowboards in the movie Batman & Robin. He even luges in the final episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. But Batman’s only notable attempt at skateboarding to date has been in Chapter 42 of the digital series Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, where… he pretty heinously wipes out. Well, nobody’s good at everything.
Rain asks:
Is Streaky affected by kryptonite other than x-kryptonite?
This is an extremely astute question, especially when you consider the source of Streaky’s powers. Unlike Krypto, Streaky is actually an Earthborn cat, who was given powers by exposure to X-Kryptonite. So, it’s very reasonable to ask whether Streaky could be affected by Kryptonite the same way as natural born Kryptonians.
We got an answer to this pretty early on, in 1961’s Action Comics #277. At the time, X-Kryptonite exposure only temporarily granted Streaky powers before he required another dose. In that issue, it’s explicitly a time lapse which divests Streaky of his powers, as opposed to the nearby Kryptonite exposure which depowers an imperiled Supergirl and Krypto. The need for that distinction does in fact communicate that normally, Streaky would be immune to traditional forms of Kryptonite.
Patsy asks:
Me and a friend were arguing over what kind of beings the New Gods were. I said they were 4th dimensional beings because they're from the Fourth World saga, but my friend was insistent that they were even higher than that. Can you help me and explain who was right?
Friends, friends, settle down. You’re both wrong. “Fourth World,” as it’s used in the comics, has nothing to do with the number of dimensions. It’s a sequential term, as the fourth generation in a lineage of realities. They are beings with the same number dimension as everyone else, but they occupy their own realm. Hope that clears it up.
Dragon Moth asks:
I keep hearing Hawkman being described as a conservative, contrasted with Oliver Queen being an "old lefty," but having read a lot of Hawkman comics recently, I can't tell if this is just something writers made up/exaggerated, if I just have not read the proper comics or if my media literacy skills are awful because he doesn't strike me as a particularly political character. So, what's the answer?
You’d be excused for having no idea where this idea comes from if you’re only familiar with Hawkman through his solo titles. The idea of Carter Hall or his various other incarnations as a conservative hero is not really one that ever comes up in his own book—but it was a big part of the Pre-Crisis Justice League of America title, beginning with Dennis O’Neil’s run.
Part of Denny’s legacy on Justice League was affording definable character traits to much of the League in order for the ensemble to play off each other in interesting ways, in a departure from the title’s Silver Age modus operandi of focusing almost exclusively on combinations of superpowers to defeat a powerful enemy. Early on, Denny made Green Arrow a mouthpiece for his own left-leaning point of view, and cast Hawkman as a Strawman of sorts to counterpoint his political and ideological arguments. In the modern age, the culprit for the popularization of Hawkman’s relative conservatism is Kevin Smith, who drew on those Dennis O’Neil stories to characterize Hawkman’s relationship with Oliver Queen in his own 2001 Green Arrow run.
Barbrum asks:
Is Guy Garner still half alien?
Functionally, no. But genealogically, it depends who you ask. (For example, my associate Joshua Lapin-Bertone would say the answer is yes, based on his recent list of Guy Gardner facts.)
The biological functionality of Guy Gardner’s Vuldarian ancestry was ripped out of him by Parallax in Geoff Johns’ 2004 miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth. In the past twenty years, though, we’ve had to count for a great number of continuity shifts, reboots and restorations. So, “is this still canon” is a question I tend to get a lot, especially after the past-restoring events of Rebirth, Doomsday Clock and Death Metal. To help you all with this specific question, I have personally made this handy flowchart for you. (Look forward to seeing this a lot more often.)
Cinqo35 asks:
Isn't saying DC Comics technically like saying ATM machine?
Technically, I suppose. But here’s the thing about language: it exists not to be confined by established rules, but to best suit a function. Conversationally, you may hear “DC Comics” to distinguish it from other kinds of media. There are movies, television, games and all other sorts of media under the DC umbrella. So, when we say “DC Comics,” then you know we’re talking about the comics. Language is always evolving, and what works best always overrules any prescriptive linguistics.
Khamass Pigeon asks:
When was Superman’s original motto of "Truth, Justice and the American Way" established? Was it during the 1940s at the height of World War II?
It was, yes. Specifically, in the intro of the Adventures of Superman radio show. But after the war, it went back to “Truth and Justice.”
The 1948 Superman film serial changed the motto to “Truth, Tolerance and Justice.” “American Way” was added again in the 1950s Adventures of Superman TV show with George Reeves, but after that went off the air, the Filmation Superman cartoons of the ’60s had it as “Truth, Justice and Freedom.”
It wasn’t until 1978’s Superman: The Movie that “Truth, Justice and the American Way” became a lasting indelible slogan, up until it was modified to “Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow” for Jon Kent’s debut as Superman in 2022.
Xxgre3gxx asks:
Is there a list of which superheroes debuted in another series before getting their own?
No, Greg, there isn’t. But…you did get me curious. So, I took a week to go through the history of every single DC Super Hero to ever get their own solo title, either with DC, or predating DC at a publisher before they were acquired. Now, you’ll have to forgive a certain margin of error for what constitutes a “superhero,” or even their “own series,” so depending on where your personal parameters lie, there may be a few names on or off this list you might object to. But this is the result of my best estimation.
|
Access |
DC Versus Marvel #1 |
|
Adam Strange |
Showcase #17 |
|
All-Star Squadron |
Justice League of America #193 |
|
Ambush Bug |
DC Comics Presents #52 |
|
Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld |
Legion of Super-Heroes #298 |
|
Anarky |
Detective Comics #608 |
|
Angel and the Ape |
Showcase #77 |
|
Anima |
New Titans Annual #9 |
|
Animal Man |
Strange Adventures #180 |
|
Anthro |
Showcase #74 |
|
Apollo |
StormWatch #4 |
|
Aquaman (Arthur Curry) |
New Fun Comics #73 |
|
Aquaman (Jackson Hyde) |
Brightest Day #3 |
|
Arak, Son of Thunder |
Warlord #48 |
|
Arsenal |
More Fun Comics #73 |
|
Artemis |
Wonder Woman #90 |
|
Argus |
The Flash Annual #6 |
|
Arion, Lord of Atlantis |
Warlord #55 |
|
Atlee |
Supergirl #12 |
|
Atom (Ray Palmer) |
Showcase #34 |
|
Atom (Ryan Choi) |
Brave New World #1 |
|
Azrael (Michael Lane) |
Batman #665 |
|
Backlash |
StormWatch #3 |
|
Bat-Mite |
Detective Comics #267 |
|
Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) |
Detective Comics #359 |
|
Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) |
Batman #567 |
|
Batgirl (Stephanie Brown) |
Detective Comics #647 |
|
Batman (Bruce Wayne) |
Detective Comics #27 |
|
Batman (Thomas Wayne) |
Detective Comics #33 |
|
Batman (Jace Fox) |
Batman #313 |
|
Batwing (David Zavimbe) |
Batman, Incorporated #5 |
|
Batwoman (Kate Kane) |
52 #7 |
|
Beast Boy |
Doom Patrol #99 |
|
Black Adam |
The Marvel Family #1 |
|
Black Canary |
Flash Comics #86 |
|
Blood Pack |
Showcase '94 #12 |
|
Blue Beetle (Dan Garret) |
Mystery Men #1 |
|
Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) |
Captain Atom #83 |
|
Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) |
Infinite Crisis #3 |
|
Blue Devil |
Firestorm #24 |
|
Body Doubles |
Resurrection Man #1 |
|
Bulletman |
Nickel Comics #1 |
|
Cameron Chase |
Batman #550 |
|
Captain Atom (Allen Adam) |
Space Adventures #33 |
|
Captain Atom (Nathaniel Adam) |
History of the DC Universe #2 |
|
Captain Carrot |
New Teen Titans #16 |
|
Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) |
Whiz Comics #2 |
|
Captain Marvel, Jr. |
Whiz Comics #25 |
|
Catwoman |
Batman #1 |
|
Cave Carson |
The Brave and the Bold #31 |
|
Challengers of the Unknown |
Showcase #6 |
|
Checkmate |
Action Comics #598 |
|
City Boy |
WildStorm 30th Anniversary Special |
|
Congo Bill |
More Fun Comics #56 |
|
Cosmic Boy |
Adventure Comics #247 |
|
Creature Commandos |
Weird War Tales #93 |
|
Creeper |
Showcase #73 |
|
Crimson Avenger |
Detective Comics #20 |
|
Crush |
Teen Titans Special #1 |
|
Cyborg |
DC Comics Presents #26 |
|
Damage (Ethan Avery) |
Dark Days: The Casting #1 |
|
Dead Boy Detectives |
The Sandman #25 |
|
Deadman |
Strange Adventures #205 |
|
Deadshot |
Batman #59 |
|
Deathblow |
Darker Image #1 |
|
Deathwish |
Hardware #5 |
|
Destiny |
Weird Mystery Tales #1 |
|
Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) |
More Fun Comics #55 |
|
Doctor Fate (Inza Nelson) |
More Fun Comics #55 |
|
Doctor Fate (Khalid Nassour) |
Convergence: Aquaman #2 |
|
Dogwelder II |
All Star Section Eight #1 |
|
Doll Man |
Feature Comics #27 |
|
Donna Troy |
The Brave and the Bold #60 |
|
Doom Patrol |
My Greatest Adventure #80 |
|
DV8 |
Gen 13 #6 |
|
Elongated Man |
The Flash #112 |
|
Eternity Girl |
JLA/Doom Patrol Special #1 |
|
Female Furies |
Mister Miracle #6 |
|
Fire & Ice |
Justice League International #12 |
|
Flash (Barry Allen) |
Showcase #4 |
|
Flash (Wally West) |
The Flash #110 |
|
Flex Mentallo |
Doom Patrol #35 |
|
Forager |
The New Gods #9 |
|
Freedom Fighters |
Justice League of America #107 |
|
Gen 13 |
Deathmate: Black |
|
Golden Arrow |
Whiz Comics #2 |
|
Great Ten |
52 #6 |
|
Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) |
More Fun Comics #73 |
|
Green Lantern (Alan Scott) |
All-American Comics #16 |
|
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) |
Showcase #22 |
|
Green Lantern (Abin Sur) |
Showcase #22 |
|
Green Lantern (Guy Gardner) |
Green Lantern #59 |
|
Green Lantern (John Stewart) |
Green Lantern #87 |
|
Green Team |
1st Issue Special #2 |
|
Grifter |
WildC.A.T.s #1 |
|
Guardian (Jim Harper II) |
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #135 |
|
Gunfire |
Deathstroke the Terminator Annual #2 |
|
Hawk and Dove (Hank and Don Hall) |
Showcase #75 |
|
Hawk and Dove (Sasha Martens and Wiley Wolverman) |
Genesis #2 |
|
Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) |
JSA Secret Files and Origins #1 |
|
Hawkman |
Flash Comics #1 |
|
Hector Hall |
All-Star Squadron #25 |
|
Hero Hotline |
Action Comics #637 |
|
Hitman (Tommy Monaghan) |
The Demon Annual #2 |
|
Holden Carver |
Point Blank #1 |
|
Hoppy the Marvel Bunny |
Fawcett's Funny Animals #1 |
|
Hourman (Matthew Tyler) |
JLA #12 |
|
Human Target |
Action Comics #419 |
|
Huntress (Helena Wayne) |
All-Star Comics #69 |
|
I, Vampire |
House of Mystery #290 |
|
Ibis the Invincible |
Whiz Comics #2 |
|
Immortal Men |
Dark Days: The Forge #1 |
|
Impulse |
The Flash #92 |
|
Infinity, Inc. |
All-Star Squadron #25 |
|
Inferior Five |
Showcase #62 |
|
Inferno |
Legion of Super-Heroes #64 |
|
Jenny Sparks |
StormWatch #37 |
|
Jet |
Backlash #9 |
|
Jezebelle |
Wildstorm Annual 2000 |
|
John Constantine |
Swamp Thing #37 |
|
Jonah Hex |
All-Star Western #10 |
|
Judomaster |
Special War Series #4 |
|
Justice League of America |
The Brave and the Bold #28 |
|
Justice Society of America |
All-Star Comics #3 |
|
Karate Kid |
Adventure Comics #346 |
|
Katana |
The Brave and the Bold #200 |
|
Kid Eternity |
Hit Comics #25 |
|
Klarion the Witchboy |
The Demon #7 |
|
Knight and Squire |
Batman #62 |
|
Krypto the Superdog |
Adventure Comics #210 |
|
L.E.G.I.O.N. |
Invasion! #1 |
|
Legion of Super-Heroes |
Adventure Comics #247 |
|
Lobo |
Omega Men #3 |
|
Loose Cannon |
Action Comics Annual #5 |
|
Madame Xanadu |
Doorway to Nightmare #1 |
|
Magog |
Kingdom Come #1 |
|
Man-Bat |
Detective Comics #400 |
|
Manhunter (Mark Shaw) |
1st Issue Special #5 |
|
Martian Manhunter |
Detective Comics #225 |
|
Mary Marvel |
Captain Marvel Adventures #18 |
|
Mera |
Aquaman #11 |
|
Metal Men |
Showcase #37 |
|
Metamorpho |
The Brave and the Bold #57 |
|
Midnighter |
StormWatch #4 |
|
Minute-Man |
Master Comics #11 |
|
Mister Majestic |
WildC.A.T.s #11 |
|
Mister Miracle (Shilo Norman) |
Mister Miracle #15 |
|
Mister Terrific (Michael Holt) |
The Spectre #54 |
|
Monkey Prince |
DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1 |
|
Mother Panic |
DC's Young Animal Ashcan Edition |
|
Nemesis |
The Brave and the Bold #166 |
|
New Guardians |
Millennium #1 |
|
Night Force |
New Teen Titans #21 |
|
Nightwing (Dick Grayson) |
Detective Comics #38 |
|
Nubia |
Wonder Woman #204 |
|
OMAC (Michael Costner) |
Brave New World #1 |
|
Omega Men |
Green Lantern #141 |
|
Orion |
The New Gods #1 |
|
Outsiders |
The Brave and the Bold #200 |
|
Pandora |
Flashpoint #5 |
|
Peacemaker |
Fightin' 5 #40 |
|
Phantom Lady |
Police Comics #1 |
|
Plastic Man |
Police Comics #1 |
|
Power Company |
JLA #61 |
|
Power Girl |
All-Star Comics #58 |
|
Primal Force |
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #2 |
|
Psyba-Rats |
Robin Annual #2 |
|
Question (Vic Sage) |
Blue Beetle #1 |
|
Question (Renee Montoya) |
Batman: The Animated Series |
|
Ravagers |
Teen Titans Annual #1 |
|
Raven |
DC Comics Presents #26 |
|
Red Hood |
Batman #357 |
|
Red Lantern Corps |
Green Lantern #25 |
|
Red Tornado |
Justice League of America #64 |
|
Rip Hunter |
Showcase #20 |
|
Robin (Tim Drake) |
Batman #436 |
|
Robin (Damian Wayne) |
Batman: Son of the Demon |
|
Rose and Thorn |
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #105 |
|
Sandman (Wesley Dodds) |
New York World's Fair Comics #1 |
|
Scare Tactics |
Showcase '96 #11 |
|
Sea Devils |
Showcase #27 |
|
Section Eight |
Hitman #18 |
|
Seven Soldiers of Victory |
Leading Comics #1 |
|
Shade (Richard Swift) |
Flash Comics #33 |
|
Shade the Changing Girl |
DC's Young Animal Ashcan Edition |
|
Shadowpact |
Day of Vengeance #1 |
|
Signal |
Batman #21 |
|
Sixpack |
Hitman #9 |
|
Smax |
Top 10 #1 |
|
Son of Vulcan (Johnny Mann) |
Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds #46 |
|
Spartan (Yohn Kohl) |
WildC.A.T.s #1 |
|
Spectre |
More Fun Comics #52 |
|
Spy Smasher |
Whiz Comics #2 |
|
Stanley and His Monster |
Fox and the Crow #95 |
|
Starfire |
DC Comics Presents #26 |
|
Stargirl |
DCU Heroes Secret Files & Origins #1 |
|
Starman (Jack Knight) |
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #1 |
|
Steel (John Henry Irons) |
Adventures of Superman #500 |
|
Suicide Squad |
The Brave and the Bold #25 |
|
Superboy (Conner Kent) |
Adventures of Superman #500 |
|
Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) |
Action Comics #252 |
|
Supergirl (Matrix) |
Superman #16 |
|
Superman (Clark Kent) |
Action Comics #1 |
|
Superman (Jon Kent) |
Convergence: Superman #2 |
|
Superwoman (Lana Lang) |
Superboy #10 |
|
Swamp Thing (Levi Kamei) |
Infinite Frontier #0 |
|
Team 7 |
Gen 13 #4 |
|
Teen Justice |
DC's Very Merry Multiverse #1 |
|
Teen Titans |
The Brave and the Bold #54 |
|
Telos |
Convergence #0 |
|
Tempest |
Adventure Comics #269 |
|
Timber Wolf |
Adventure Comics #327 |
|
Time Masters |
Showcase #20 |
|
Trenchcoat Brigade |
Books of Magic #1 |
|
Trinity |
Wonder Woman #800 |
|
Triumph |
Justice League America #91 |
|
Uncle Sam |
National Comics #1 |
|
Unknown Soldier |
Star-Spangled War Stories #151 |
|
Valor |
Superboy #89 |
|
Vext |
DCU Heroes Secret Files and Origins #1 |
|
Vibe (Cisco Ramon) |
The New 52: FCBD Special Edition #1 |
|
Vigil |
Lazarus Planet: Next Evolution |
|
Vigilante (Greg Sanders) |
Action Comics #42 |
|
Vigilante (Adrian Chase) |
New Teen Titans #23 |
|
Vigilante (Dorian Chase) |
Nightwing #133 |
|
Vixen |
Action Comics #521 |
|
Voodoo |
WildC.A.T.s #1 |
|
Wanderers |
Adventure Comics #375 |
|
Warlord |
1st Issue Special #8 |
|
Wetworks |
WildC.A.T.s #2 |
|
Wise Son |
Blood Syndicate #1 |
|
Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark) |
Wonder Woman #105 |
|
Wonder Girl (Yara Flor) |
DC Nation Presents: DC: Future State #1 |
|
Wonder Twins |
Super Friends |
|
Wonder Woman |
All-Star Comics #8 |
|
Xanthe Zhou |
Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn |
|
Zatanna |
Hawkman #4 |
|
Zealot |
WildC.A.T.s #1 |
I hope that satisfies your curiosity for now. If there are any other itches in your comic brain that need a good scratch, you know where to find me. You only have to 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 Official Discord server 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.
