100 Fun Facts About DC Comics

What fictional city serves as the primary base of operations for Batman?

Gotham City is Batman's home and base of operations; the name first appeared in Batman #4 (1940), and the city is written as a darker, crime-ridden version of New York.

Which extraterrestrial material is famously able to weaken and even kill Superman?

Kryptonite, radioactive debris from Superman's destroyed home planet Krypton, weakens and can kill him; green is the classic form, and it debuted in the 1943 Superman radio serial before reaching the comics.

From what mythical island does Wonder Woman originate?

Themyscira, also known as Paradise Island, is the hidden home of the Amazons, a race of warrior women in the DC Universe, and Wonder Woman's birthplace.

The Flash's superhuman velocity is attributed to what extradimensional energy source?

Accessing the Speed Force lets speedsters run faster than light and even jump in and out of the timestream, and it also acts as an afterlife for deceased speedsters.

Members of the Green Lantern Corps derive their abilities from rings powered by what emotion?

Green Lantern rings are powered by the wielder's willpower, allowing them to construct anything they can imagine. Other Lantern Corps are powered by different emotions.

In Tim Burton's 1989 film 'Batman', what was the Joker's name before his transformation?

Jack Nicholson played the gangster Jack Napier, who becomes the Joker after falling into a vat of chemicals; in the comics the character's real name is usually left ambiguous.

What underwater kingdom is ruled by Aquaman?

Arthur Curry, also called Orin, is the son of a human lighthouse keeper and the queen of Atlantis.

Which Justice League member was a star high school footballer rebuilt with advanced mechanical parts?

After an accident nearly kills Victor Stone, his estranged father Silas uses S.T.A.R. Labs technology to rebuild him with cybernetic parts.

By uttering a single magic word, Billy Batson transforms into which powerful DC Comics hero?

Shazam is the word Billy Batson shouts, an acronym for Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury. The hero was called Captain Marvel from 1940 until DC renamed him Shazam in 2011.

What is the name of the multinational corporation owned and operated by Lex Luthor?

LexCorp is Luthor's international conglomerate, and it also owns the fast-food chain Big Belly Burger in the comics.

Which superhero identity did Dick Grayson adopt after retiring as Robin?

Grayson took the name in Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (1984), inspired by a story Superman told him about a legendary Kryptonian vigilante called Nightwing.

Which DC Comics heroine is famously known for wielding the Lasso of Truth?

The Lasso of Truth is an unbreakable magical weapon wielded by Wonder Woman, which compels anyone caught within its coils to tell the absolute truth.

Who is the acclaimed writer credited with creating the Vertigo imprint series 'The Sandman'?

The Sandman ran for 75 issues from 1989 to 1996 and won more than 26 Eisner Awards, including four for Gaiman as Best Writer.

Which 1985 DC Comics event collapsed the multiverse into a single universe?

Crisis on Infinite Earths, a 12-issue series by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez (1985–86), merged the surviving parallel Earths into one universe and killed off Barry Allen and Supergirl.

Who is Gotham City's Police Commissioner, as set on ridding the city of crime as Batman?

Gordon debuted in the very first panel of Detective Comics #27 (1939), the same issue that introduced Batman.

Which founding member of the Justice League is a powerful telepath and shapeshifter from Mars?

J'onn J'onzz was accidentally teleported to Earth and is one of the seven founding members of the Justice League of America.

In DC's pre-Crisis multiverse, which parallel world was home to the Golden Age Justice Society of America?

Earth-2 housed the Golden Age Justice Society while the Silver Age Justice League lived on Earth-One, setting up the annual 'Crisis on Earth-One/Earth-Two' crossover from 1963.

Which DC hero, partly inspired by Robin Hood, fights crime with a bow and a quiver of trick arrows?

Oliver Queen's trick arrows have included glue, grappling-hook, flash-grenade and even kryptonite tips; creator Mort Weisinger also drew on the serial The Green Archer.

Which Gotham City institution houses Batman's criminally insane foes?

Its full name is the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane; foes not judged mentally ill go to Blackgate Penitentiary instead.

Who does Darkseid go to war with in the 'Darkseid War' storyline?

In Darkseid War (Justice League #40–50, 2015–16), Darkseid battles the Anti-Monitor, revealed to be Mobius; Darkseid is killed and several League members briefly become New Gods.

Which DC Comics character is called 'The World's Greatest Detective'?

Batman's brilliance as a crime solver is a core part of the character, whose first appearance was in Detective Comics #27 in 1939.

Which DC hero is a Central City forensic chemist who gained powers when lightning struck his lab?

Barry was famous for being slow and late before his accident, and he named himself after his childhood comic-book hero, the Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick.

What is the name of Zatanna Zatara's ancestral manor, which relocates periodically and is invisible to most?

Shadowcrest is the Zatara family mansion Zatanna inherited from her father, the stage magician Giovanni 'John' Zatara; it houses his library of spellbooks and magical artifacts and hides itself from outsiders.

Which 2011 DC Comics crossover rewrote the universe, leading directly into the New 52 relaunch?

Flashpoint follows Barry Allen through an altered timeline of his own accidental making, and its resolution reset DC continuity for the New 52.

Which three-eyed alien tyrant of the planet Kalanor debuted in Justice League of America #1?

Despero was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky and has clashed with the Martian Manhunter, Booster Gold and the Green Lantern Corps as well as the League.

Vixen, who draws her powers from the Tantu Totem, comes from which fictional African nation?

Vixen, Mari McCabe, hails from the fictional African nation of Zambesi, where her family's ancestral Tantu Totem originated, granting her the powers of animals.

Which Doom Patrol member is an ex-race car driver whose brain was put in a mechanical body?

Robotman, Cliff Steele, is the only member to appear in every incarnation of the Doom Patrol; after a racing crash, Niles Caulder placed his intact brain into a robotic body.

What is the name of the alien race that Superman belongs to?

Superman was born Kal-El on the planet Krypton; Action Comics #1 attributed his strength to his species being 'millions of years advanced of our own'.

Which bandaged Batman villain, a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, surgically altered his face to resemble Bruce's?

Hush is surgeon Thomas Elliot, who as a boy cut his parents' brake line and blamed Thomas Wayne for saving his mother; he debuted in the 2002–03 Batman storyline Hush, written by Jeph Loeb.

What is the name of the car Batman drives?

The Batmobile is Batman's car; it was first called by that name in Detective Comics #48 (1941), and the 1966 TV version was built from a Lincoln Futura concept car.

Which covert DC organization, often led by Amanda Waller, manages the Suicide Squad?

A.R.G.U.S. (Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans) is the New 52 agency Amanda Waller directed, overseeing Task Force X, the official name of the Suicide Squad.

Which DC character, an ancient Egyptian champion of the wizard, was renamed after corrupting his gift?

The wizard originally granted Adam powers from Greco-Roman deities, later retconned to Egyptian gods, and renamed his errant champion after the betrayal.

In DC Comics, which planet, home of the Guardians of the Universe, hosts the Green Lantern Corps' headquarters and Central Power Battery?

Oa is a mostly lifeless desert planet apart from the Guardians' city, which holds the Central Power Battery.

Who is the butler of Wayne Manor and Bruce Wayne's confidant and surrogate father figure?

Alfred first appeared in Batman #16 in 1943 and was originally surnamed Beagle; a young version of him stars in the series Pennyworth.

What is the name of the fictional newspaper where Clark Kent works as a mild-mannered reporter?

When Superman debuted in 1938 the paper was called the Daily Star; the name was changed to avoid conflicts with real newspapers once the comic strip launched.

Which Batman villain is known for their mastery of fear-inducing toxins and psychological warfare?

Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow, is a psychologist turned supervillain who uses various fear-inducing chemicals and gas to terrorize his victims and exploit their deepest phobias.

Which landmark 1961 Gardner Fox story first introduced parallel Earths, and the multiverse, to DC Comics?

Written by Gardner Fox and drawn by Carmine Infantino, it has Barry Allen vibrate his way onto Earth-Two and meet the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick.

Which vigilante identity did the resurrected second Robin, Jason Todd, adopt in a 2005 storyline?

Jason Todd returned as the Red Hood in 2005's Under the Hood, a name the Joker himself once used; readers had voted to kill Todd by phone poll in 1988's A Death in the Family.

Which magic-focused DC team debuted in September 2011 as part of the New 52?

The team debuted in Justice League Dark #1 in September 2011 as part of the New 52, and its opening arc has the Enchantress defeating the regular Justice League.

Which founding member of the 31st-century Legion of Super-Heroes was its original leader?

Cosmic Boy, Rokk Krinn of Braal, generates magnetic fields; he founded the Legion alongside Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl and served as its first leader.

Which Superman villain was elected US President in the comics on a platform of technological progress?

Lex Luthor won the 2000 US presidential election in the comics (the President Lex storyline) and held office until 2004's Superman/Batman: Public Enemies exposed him and ended his term.

Which Batman villain, Arnold Wesker, commits crimes through a gangster dummy modelled on Al Capone?

The Ventriloquist, Arnold Wesker, debuted in Detective Comics #583 (1988); his dummy Scarface famously says 'Gatman' because the letter B is hard to voice without moving the lips.

Which Frank Miller series depicts a 55-year-old Bruce Wayne coming out of retirement?

The Dark Knight Returns (1986), written and drawn by Frank Miller, pits a 55-year-old Batman against the Gotham police and a Superman working for the US government; it became a two-part animated film in 2012–13.

According to Superman: Birthright, the emblem on Superman's chest is the Kryptonian symbol for what?

Mark Waid's Superman: Birthright (2003–04) established the S-shield as the Kryptonian symbol for hope, an idea the 2013 film Man of Steel repeated.

Which Flash villain is a super-intelligent ape with mind-control powers from a meteorite?

Grodd first appeared in The Flash #106 in 1959, created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, and seized control of the hidden Gorilla City.

Who is the mystical protector of the Swamp, often associated with the Parliament of Trees?

Swamp Thing is a elemental creature who protects the Green, the force that connects all plant life on Earth, and is often guided by the Parliament of Trees.

Which DC heroine, a master martial artist and Green Arrow's longtime partner, can shatter objects with a high-powered sonic scream?

Black Canary's cry can shatter objects and incapacitate powerful foes; in the New 52 it was traced to government experiments on an alien child named Ditto.

Which Teen Titans member goes by the human alias Megan Morse?

Miss Martian, M'gann M'orzz, is a White Martian who poses as a Green Martian; Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel introduced her in Teen Titans #37 (2006), and she starred in the Young Justice cartoon.

Which Batman villain, a former district attorney, decides his victims' fate with a scarred coin?

Two-Face is Harvey Dent, Gotham's former district attorney; a disfiguring acid attack in court left him with a split personality and a habit of flipping a scarred coin to choose his victims' fate.

Which member of the Shazam family was introduced in 1942 as the long-lost twin sister of Billy Batson?

Mary Marvel first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 in 1942 as Mary Bromfield; as infants she and Billy had been nursed by a woman named Sarah Primm.

In what year did Action Comics #1 put Superman on newsstands?

Action Comics #1 went on sale on April 18, 1938, with a June 1938 cover date; a high-grade copy sold for more than $3 million in 2021.

Which writer-artist duo created Superman?

The two met as teenagers at Glenville High School in Cleveland and spent years pitching the character before it finally sold.

Who was officially added to Batman's 'created by' credit line in 2015?

Bill Finger, who wrote Batman's first stories and shaped his look, got a 'created by' credit in 2015 after 76 years of 'Batman created by Bob Kane'; Gotham season two and Batman v Superman carried it first.

Wonder Woman's creator William Moulton Marston helped invent an early form of which device?

His systolic blood pressure test became one component of the modern lie detector, a neat echo of the Lasso of Truth.

The initials 'DC' in the publisher's name stand for which comic book series?

The series launched with a March 1937 cover date, two years before it introduced Batman in its 27th issue.

Which conglomerate bought DC's parent publisher in 1967?

Kinney National Company bought DC's parent, National Periodical Publications, in 1967, then acquired Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in 1969 and renamed itself Warner Communications in 1972.

Who illustrated Watchmen, written by Alan Moore?

Dave Gibbons drew all twelve issues of Watchmen (1986–87) on a rigid nine-panel grid, with colours by John Higgins; he and Alan Moore had first worked together on 2000 AD strips.

After being paralysed by the Joker, Barbara Gordon adopted which information-broker identity?

Barbara Gordon became Oracle, a wheelchair-using computer expert and information broker, in Suicide Squad #23 (1989), after her paralysis in The Killing Joke (1988); she later led Birds of Prey.

Which hulking monster beat Superman to death in Metropolis in DC's 1992 'Death of Superman' storyline?

Doomsday and Superman both fall at the end of their fight in Metropolis; the arc that followed was titled 'Funeral for a Friend'.

Who replaced the injured Bruce Wayne as Batman during Knightfall?

Jean-Paul Valley, the assassin Azrael, took over as an armoured and increasingly brutal Batman after Bane broke Bruce Wayne's back in 1993's Knightfall; a recovered Bruce later deposed him.

Kingdom Come, written by Mark Waid, was fully painted by which artist?

Alex Ross painted Kingdom Come (1996) in gouache, having conceived the project after finishing Marvels in 1994; Mark Waid scripted its story of an aging Superman's return.

Whose wife, Sue, is murdered at the start of Identity Crisis (2004)?

Sue Dibny was the wife of Elongated Man, Ralph Dibny; her murder in Identity Crisis (2004, Brad Meltzer) reopens the secret that the League had mind-wiped villains who learned their identities.

What colour are the power rings handed out by the Sinestro Corps?

Sinestro Corps rings are yellow, the colour of fear on the emotional spectrum; the Corps recruits anyone with 'the ability to instill great fear', as Sinestro did after his expulsion from the Green Lanterns.

Larfleeze, sole keeper of the orange light, draws power from which emotion?

Larfleeze's orange light is powered by avarice, or greed; he found the orange power battery on Okaara in the Vega system and refuses to share it, making him a one-being Corps.

Hal Jordan works as a test pilot for which company?

The company is run by Carol Ferris, his on-off love interest who later becomes the Star Sapphire.

What is Green Lantern John Stewart's civilian profession?

John Stewart is an architect, introduced in Green Lantern #87 (1971) by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams, who modelled his look on Sidney Poitier; his debut story showed him out of work.

Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash, is a scientist from which century?

Eobard Thawne comes from the 25th century; obsessed with Barry Allen, he recreated the Flash's accident, then travelled back in time and, as revealed in The Flash: Rebirth (2009), murdered Barry's mother Nora.

What is the real name of the Flash's cold-gun-wielding foe Captain Cold?

Captain Cold is Leonard Snart, who debuted in Showcase #8 (1957); raised by an abusive father, he took refuge with a grandfather who drove an ice truck.

Aquaman's queen, Mera, is a royal native of which oceanic realm?

Mera's home Xebel was originally called Dimension Aqua when she debuted in Aquaman #11 (1963); Brightest Day (2010) recast Xebel as a Bermuda Triangle penal colony for exiled Atlanteans.

Brainiac shrank and bottled which Kryptonian city?

Kandor, once Krypton's capital, was shrunk and bottled by Brainiac; both debuted in Action Comics #242 (1958), and Superman kept the bottle city in his Fortress of Solitude.

General Zod was sentenced to 40 years in which Kryptonian prison?

The Phantom Zone, a ghostly prison dimension discovered by Jor-El, debuted in Adventure Comics #283 (1961); its inmates, including Jax-Ur and Faora, repeatedly escape to fight Superman.

Bizarro's duplicates live on a cube-shaped planet with which name?

Htrae is 'Earth' spelled backwards; Bizarro World debuted in Action Comics #263 (1960), and its Bizarro Code requires inhabitants to do the opposite of whatever Earth humans would.

Where is Superman's Fortress of Solitude traditionally located?

The Arctic is the classic site, but later versions moved the Fortress to the Antarctic, the Andes and even the Amazon rainforest; the idea was borrowed from Doc Savage.

Harley Quinn made her 1992 debut in which show?

Batman: The Animated Series introduced Harley Quinn in the episode 'Joker's Favor' (September 1992); Paul Dini and Bruce Timm created her, and she reached the comics in The Batman Adventures #12 (1993).

Ra's al Ghul extends his life using which restorative pools?

The Lazarus Pits restore Ra's al Ghul's youth and have kept him alive for centuries, at the cost of a brief bout of madness on emergence; Ra's himself debuted in Batman #232 (1971).

Who is Damian Wayne's mother?

Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul, conceived Damian with Bruce in Batman: Son of the Demon (1987), told him she had miscarried, and raised the boy within the League of Assassins.

By how many votes did readers choose to kill Jason Todd in 1988?

The 900-number poll drew 10,614 calls; death won 5,343 to 5,271, and Batman #428 showed Bruce finding the body.

The Court of Owls carries out assassinations using agents known as what?

The Talons are the Court of Owls' assassins, kept in suspended animation and revived for missions; Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo introduced the Court in their 2011 Batman run, hidden behind a Gotham nursery rhyme.

In The Long Halloween, the mystery killer strikes on special dates under which alias?

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's story runs a full year of holidays and charts district attorney Harvey Dent's fall from grace.

Teen Titan Raven is the daughter of which demon lord?

Raven's father is the demon Trigon; her human mother Arella raised her in the pacifist dimension of Azarath, and Trigon's threat to Earth drove Raven to assemble the New Teen Titans in 1980.

Princess Koriand'r, better known as Starfire, comes from which planet?

Starfire is from Tamaran, a planet in the Vega system; her elder sister Komand'r, Blackfire, ousted her and handed her to the Citadel as a slave before she escaped to Earth.

Which Titan is revealed as Deathstroke's spy in 'The Judas Contract'?

Terra, Tara Markov, was Deathstroke's mole inside the Titans in The Judas Contract (1984); she had won over Beast Boy while feeding the mercenary the team's secret identities.

The Justice League debuted in 1960 in issue #28 of which anthology title?

The Brave and the Bold #28 (March 1960) introduced the Justice League of America; after two more tryouts there (#29–30) the team got its own series, Justice League of America #1, later in 1960.

Doctor Fate's helmet is tied to which Lord of Order?

Nabu, a Lord of Order, inhabits Doctor Fate's helmet; archaeologist Kent Nelson received it after his father Sven died on an excavation, and the helmet's wearer is rarely fully in control.

Ronnie Raymond fuses with which professor to form Firestorm?

Professor Martin Stein, a nuclear physicist, and student Ronnie Raymond first merged in Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #1 (1978), created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom; Stein at first had no memory of the fusions.

Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes is a teenager from which Texas city?

Jaime Reyes lives in El Paso, Texas, where the alien scarab Khaji Da bonded to his spine; his sister Milagro and parents Alberto and Bianca know his secret.

Occult con man John Constantine hails from which English city?

John Constantine was born in Liverpool; he first appeared in Swamp Thing #37 (1985), created by Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette and John Totleben, with a look modelled on the musician Sting.

Darkseid is the tyrannical ruler of which planet?

Darkseid rules Apokolips, the fire-pit planet opposite New Genesis in Jack Kirby's Fourth World; born Prince Uxas, he hunts the Anti-Life Equation to strip free will from every sentient being.

DC's mature-readers Vertigo imprint launched in 1993 under which editor?

Karen Berger founded Vertigo in 1993 and ran it until 2013; she had joined DC as an assistant editor in 1979 and already shepherded Sandman and Hellblazer before the imprint existed.

In Superman: Red Son, Kal-El's rocket lands on a collective farm in which Soviet republic?

In Mark Millar's Superman: Red Son (2003), Kal-El lands on a collective farm in Ukraine; Soviet radio hails him as fighting for 'Stalin, socialism, and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact'.

Which murdered cop became the human host of the Spectre?

Detective Jim Corrigan debuted as the Spectre in More Fun Comics #52 (1940), created by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily; thugs drown him in a cement-filled barrel and the ghostly avenger rises from it.

Jack Cole's Plastic Man was originally published by which company?

Quality Comics published Plastic Man from Police Comics #1 (1941), where reformed crook 'Eel' O'Brian debuted; DC bought Quality's characters when the company folded in 1956.

Which artist founded WildStorm, which became a DC imprint in 1998?

Jim Lee founded WildStorm Productions in 1992 as one of Image Comics' founding studios, sold it to DC in 1998, and went on to become DC's co-publisher in 2010 and later its publisher and chief creative officer.

Since John Byrne's 1986 reboot, Smallville has been located in which US state?

Smallville, Kansas, was fixed in the comics by John Byrne's 1986 The Man of Steel; the town's state had gone unnamed for decades and was first placed in Kansas by the 1978 Christopher Reeve film.

What is Poison Ivy's real first name?

Poison Ivy is Pamela Isley, who debuted in Batman #181 (1966) by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff; her botanist-turned-eco-terrorist origin came in Neil Gaiman's 1988 Secret Origins story.

Solomon Grundy rose from Slaughter Swamp as the undead form of which merchant?

Solomon Grundy was once Cyrus Gold, a Gotham merchant murdered in the 19th century and dumped in Slaughter Swamp; he rose in All-American Comics #61 (1944), named after the nursery rhyme about a man born on a Monday.

Who illustrated Frank Miller's Batman: Year One?

David Mazzucchelli drew Batman: Year One (Batman #404–407, 1987); he and Frank Miller had just finished the acclaimed 'Born Again' arc on Marvel's Daredevil, and Richmond Lewis coloured Year One.

Who drew Grant Morrison's 12-issue All-Star Superman?

Frank Quitely drew all twelve issues of All-Star Superman (2005–08), with digital inks by Jamie Grant; Grant Morrison's story gives a dying Superman twelve labours after Luthor overdoses him on solar radiation.

Which Guardian gave Kyle Rayner the last working Green Lantern ring?

Ganthet, the last Guardian, handed Kyle Rayner the final ring in Green Lantern #48 (1994), after Hal Jordan, grieving Coast City's destruction, tore through the Corps as Parallax.

How many episodes of the 1960s Adam West Batman TV series aired on ABC?

Batman ran for 120 episodes on ABC, twice weekly for the first two seasons and weekly in the third, from January 1966 to March 1968.