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DC Comics’ Manhunter: The History of a Crime Fighter with a lot of Alter Egos

Kate Spencer - Manhunter DC Comics

People working at DC Comics sure love Manhunter. They gave us J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter, but also the evil Manhunters—predecessors to the Green Lantern who took a bad turn. And then, there is Manhunter, the crime fighter. Well, there is more than one.

The Golden Age Manhunters

The original “Paul Kirk, Manhunter” created by Jack Kirby in Adventure Comics #58 (1941) didn’t use the name Manhunter, he was just a civilian investigator with no secret identity or costume. This Golden Age detective quickly passed the title to a new Manhunter, a former big-game hunter named Rick Nelson who became a proper superhero in Adventure Comics #73—a version created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. The character who tracked down criminals in Empire City in his red costume (with a blue mask) also had to fight the concurrence as Quality Comics just launched his own hero called Manhunter (aka Dan Richards) in the pages of Police Comics #8 (1942).

Already, Manhunter was a popular name for a hero, but that was not the case for Rick Nelson who was renamed Paul Kirk after a few issues—he kept the big game hunter backstory. Also, when Quality Comics was bought by National Comics Publications (previous name of DC Comics), the two heroes kept the fight on, without even knowing they now existed in the same universe. During World War II, they joined teams to fight with, but not the same. Paul Kirk was a member of the All-Star Squadron while Dan Richards joined the Freedom Fighters.

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Something Is Killing the Children Reading Order, Explore The Slaughterverse

Launched as a five-issue limited series by BOOM! Studios in 2019, Something Is Killing the Children has since become a successful award-winning franchise with multiple spin-off series. Created by writer James Tynion IV and artist Werther Dell’Edera, this ongoing comic book series is about hunting monsters!

Everything starts when the children of Archer’s Peak begin to go missing. If some never return, a few resurfaced with horrible stories to tell about terrifying creatures living in the shadows. Those tales seem too improbable for most, but one mysterious stranger named Erica Slaughter believes what the children are saying because killing monsters is what she does. She’s here for that and won’t be stopped. But what will happen when the monsters are dealt with?

As Something Is Killing the Children explores the adventures of Erica Slaughter, her relationship with the mysterious Order of St. George who employs her, and her past, the spin-off series House of Slaughter goes further into the backstory with an exploration of the secret history of the Order. And the new Book of Butcher series is now exploring Maxine Slaughter’s journey from white to black mask.

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Millarworld Reading Order

According to Mark Millar, all of the titles that are part of his created-owned imprint Millardworld, take place in the same continuity. It may be confusing at times, but it’s because some of the stories are fiction in this fictional universe–like the Jupiter’s Legacy stories.

Launched in 2003 with the miniseries Wanted, the Millarworld imprint published all of Mark Millar-created series and the works of some authors who write stories in his universe (like with the Hit-Girl series). Millar worked with popular artists to give life to his stories like John Romita Jr. (Kick-Ass), Frank Quitely (Jupiter’s Legacy), Greg Capullo (Reborn), Stuart Immonen (Empress, The Magic Order 2), Rafael Albuquerque (Huck, Prodigy), Olivier Coipel (The Magic Order), Pepe Larraz (Big Game), Dave Gibbons (Kingsman: Secret Service), and a lot more.

Most of those series work as standalone. In fact, the links to the other parts of the Millarworld are often limited to easter eggs or one-line references. However, the Big Game series is a crossover that connects a lot of the previous series (Hit Girl, Empress, Kingsman, The Chononauts, Kick-Ass, Nemesis, Huck, The Magic Order, and more). With that, the idea of reading the series in a certain order started to make sense.

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From Russia, With Love: A Brief History of Black Widow and Winter Soldier’s relationship

 

During February, love is in the air because of Valentine’s Day. In the Comic Book World, you’ll find many classic and great tales of love stories, from the iconic couple of Clark Kent and Lois Lane and the more complicated relationship of Batman and Catwoman at DC Comics, to the long history between Sue Storm and Reed Richards or Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker at Marvel Comics. And many many more!

Today, we turn the spotlight on a ‘more’ recent romantic relationship in the pages of Marvel with the tragic history of Black Widow and Winter Soldier — Natasha Romanova and James ‘Bucky’ Barnes. This spy couple was created during the classic modern run of Ed Brubaker on Captain America. As the writer said himself “One of the reasons I thought she and Bucky made sense together was that they both have that brainwashed aspect, and I also thought it was a clever way to integrate her preexisting continuity as the femme fatale/fake ballerina.”

The perfect mix of espionage, thriller, and romance, Black Widow and the Winter Soldier’s romantic history is as complicated as it is tragic. Today, we revisit their history in comics!

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Metal Men, DC’s robotic superhero team

In 1962, a year before the more famous Doom Patrol team made its debut, a unique group of superheroes made their first appearance in the pages of Showcase #37. Created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru, the Metal Men is a team of robots created by brilliant scientist Dr. William “Will” Magnus. Each Metal Man was named after a different metal and possessed abilities that mirrored the unique properties of their namesake.

Despite their somewhat obscure status among today’s DC Comics characters, they were, once upon a time, quite popular among readers. Their run during the Silver Age is still considered one of the best DC has produced during this era.

So, let’s turn the spotlight on the Metal Men, the coolest team of neurotics robot superheroes out there!

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The Dresden Files Graphic Novels in Order

Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files Graphic Novels in Order

Popular urban fantasy book series written by Jim Butcher, The Dresden Files grew beyond its initial prose to embrace other types of storytelling. The story expanded to the Graphic Novel format with adaptations of some of the books, but most notably new stories that are really part of the canon.

Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a professional wizard living in modern-day Chicago. He operates as a private investigator and magical consultant, offering his services to both the magical and mundane communities. In this universe, magic is real and exists alongside the ordinary world, hidden from the majority of humanity—and vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, outsiders, and other monsters are also present.

In 2008, Jim Butcher worked with Dabel Brothers Productions to create a Dresden Files graphic novel series. Everything started with a prequel story before the first novel was adapted. Published by Dynamite Entertainment, the series continued with new stories taking place between novels. They have been illustrated by Ardian Syaf, Chase Conley, Joseph Cooper, Carlos Gomez, and Diego Galindo, but all were written by Jim Butcher and Mark Powers.

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Who Is Spider-Ham? The Origin Story of the coolest anthropomorphic pig from Marvel Comics

Now a well-established character in the Spider-Family, Spider-Ham started his life more than 40 years ago as a character for a one-off Marvel comic, without any real future. But who could resist this funny animal version of Spider-Man? Not long after his introduction, Spider-Ham headlined his own series for a short while before slowly fading into relative obscurity.

This situation changed in the 2010s when Spider-Ham came back slowly but surely into the spotlight. First, with his cameo in the video game Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. Then, making his real comeback into the comic book world in the big Spider-Verse event, followed by a stint as a main member of the Web Warriors team. And finally, making a splashing entrance in the mainstream area with the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018. 

Today, let’s explore Spider-Ham’s creation and origin story, from his improbable invention to his also improbable transformation into a superhero pig!

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Demon Slayer Manga Order

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The manga series Demon Slayer only started in 2016, but is already one of the best-selling manga series and has spun one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

Written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a Shōnen manga that follows Tanjiro Kamado, a young man on a quest to restore his young sister’s humanity after she was transformed into a demon and the rest of his family was slaughtered. For this purpose, he goes on rigorous training to become a Demon Slayer and join the Demon Slayer Corps.

Tanjiro’s story is now complete as the shōnen consists of 23 volumes, all released between 2016 and 2020. The Demon Slayer Universe has naturally expanded beyond the main manga, with light novels, spin-offs, and of course, an anime television series which is a smashing hit and still ongoing! There are also anime films and video games, per usual.

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Last Updated on June 28, 2024.

Doctor Occult, DC’s legendary Ghost Detective

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John Constantine wasn’t the first occult detective in a trenchcoat at DC Comics. Long before him, there was Doctor Occult, also known as The Ghost Detective—one of the oldest characters in the DC universe. Making his debut during the Golden Age, Doctor Occult paved the way for one of the most iconic superheroes of our time.

Doctor Occult, a prototype for Superman?

Doctor Occult made his first appearance in New Fun Comics #6 in October 1935—the last issue before the title was renamed More Fun Comics. Billed as a Mystic Detective but more often referred to as The Ghost Detective, he was introduced as a trenchcoat-wearing private eye the style of Sam Spade, specializing in cases involving the supernatural.

During the Golden Age, Doctor Occult did not possess particular superpowers, but he was aided by his “mystic symbol”—a powerful magical weapon that allowed him to defend himself and launch attacks against supernatural enemies such as vampires and werewolves. Doctor Occult wasn’t battling alone; he had the help of Rose Psychic.

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Last Updated on February 23, 2024.

Who is Clea? Marvel’s Sorceress Supreme and Daughter of the Dark Dimension

Wanda Maximoff can be considered Marvel Comics’ most famous sorceress, but she isn’t the sole possessor of mystical powers. Clea, introduced the same year, stands out as a superhuman spellcaster and illusionist, deserving readers’ attention.

She was first introduced as a damsel in distress to be saved by Doctor Strange in the Dark Dimension before she became her disciple and lover. Endowed with vast magical powers and knowledge, Clea dedicates much of her life to fighting oppression, on Earth or in her dimension, with Strange and as part of the Defenders. She fought many menaces (including her own family), led the rebellion in her dimension, took over as the new ruler, and became the Sorceress Supreme of The Dark Dimension.

Despite those prowesses, Clea appeared sporadically in Marvel Comics for a long time and was mostly used in service of other characters, mainly Stephen Strange. Her origins started to be explored only ten years after her debut, and it took many more decades before the character was offered a real chance to shine away from Strange. She had to undergo numerous tribulations, but her fate started to change in the noughties. She finally became a main character in her ongoing series in 2022, completing her transformation from the “mysterious silver-haired girl” into the Sorceress Supreme we know today.

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