The Hangman is the name of several fictional

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

es that appear in periodicals published by

MLJ Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc. (often referred to simply as Archie Comics) is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the village of Pelham, New York. The company's many titles feature the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jugh ...

and later Dark Circle Comics.

Publication history

The first Hangman (Robert Dickering) debuted in MLJ Comics' '' Pep Comics'' #17 (January 1941). Dickering is the brother of the Comet, a superhero who had been appearing since ''Pep'' #1. The Comet is killed in issue #17, and dies in his brother's arms. Robert promises to avenge his brother's death, and takes on the mantle of the Hangman. His recurring enemies include Captain Swastika and the villainous Jackal. The Hangman appeared in ''Pep Comics'' until the 47th issue, as well as in ''Special Comics'' #1. In Spring 1942, ''Special Comics'' was renamed '' Hangman Comics'' starting with issue #2. It ran for seven issues, ending in fall 1943 when it was renamed '' Black Hood Comics''. The Hangman appeared in '' Fly Man'' #33 (September 1965) after a 21-year absence. However, this time the Hangman was a villain who fought against the Mighty Crusaders. A new Hangman (Steve Dickering) appeared in ''The Comet'' #1 (1983), however he eventually faded into obscurity. After

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

continuity altering "

Final Crisis "Final Crisis" is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely ...

" company-wide crossover had ended, they licensed the rights to the Red Circle and

Milestone Media Milestone Media Company LLC is the media company which created the Milestone Comics line, which were published and distributed by DC Comics. Milestone Media created the source material that was adapted as the '' Static Shock'' animated series. T ...

heroes, bringing them into

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...

continuity. The Hangman appeared as a second feature in ''The Web'' written by Angela Robinson with art by Roger Robinson. His first appearance was in ''The Web'' #1 (November 2009). In March 2015, a new series featuring The Hangman was announced under the Dark Circle Comics imprint. ''The Hangman'' debuted in November 2015, written by Frank Tieri with art provided by Felix Ruiz. Dark Circle Comics Editor Alex Segura has described the new series as "

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

adapting a

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

novel.".

Robert "Bob" Dickering

MLJ Comics

Fictional character biography

The Hangman is secretly Robert "Bob" Dickering, whose brother John Dickering is the hero the Comet. Bob Dickering becomes the Hangman after watching his brother die by the men he was trying to put behind bars. Afterwards, he promises to get revenge against all criminals and takes up the identity of the Hangman. Whenever the Hangman is needed, Dickering changes into his costume, which consists of a green, skin-tight body suit, along with a black cowl and cape, blue gloves, and black trunks and boots; he also carries a noose. He announces his presence by using a flashlight to shine an image of gallows on the nearest wall to a criminal he's caught in the act. Dickering fights alongside such heroes as

the Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...

while doing battle against villains, most notably Madam Satan. After disappearing for some time, he returns as a criminal himself, fighting against the Mighty Crusaders. He eventually returns to the side of good.

DC Comics

Robert Dickering is a lieutenant and doctor in the United States Army during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

against the Confederate States of America. During this time he was ambushed by a group of thieves and left for dead. After awakening he realizes that the thieves left him behind enemy lines. When he returns he is sentenced with the death penalty for spying behind enemy lines. With minutes left to live, he is approached by a mysterious figure cloaked in the shadows offering him a way out of death. He told Dickering that he could survive the hanging in return for hunting down all those who don't repent for the evil deeds they have committed. He must do this forever until he is destroyed by something equal to the mysterious shadow's powers, or until the end of the world. Dickering accepts the offer and survives the hanging. He decides to take up a secret identity creating the Hangman. For over a hundred years since his execution, he has continued to punish those guilty while helping the innocent.

Dark Circle Comics

Robert Dickering appears as the Hangman in the first issue of ''The Hangman'' (vol. 2) in November 2015. He comes for hitman Michael Minetta and proceeds to hang him. After hanging Minetta, Dickering is deemed worth of ascension.

Steve Dickering

Archie Comics

Fictional character biography

The second Hangman is Steve Dickering, the son of the original Hangman who first appeared in '' The Comet'' #1 (1983). He took up the mantle of the Hangman to prove to his father that he could honor the title. The second Hangman wore a costume similar to the original Hangman complete with carrying around a hangman's

noose A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot tightens under load and can be loosened without untying the knot. The knot can be used to secure a rope to a post, pole, or animal but only where the end is in a position that the loop can ...

Eric Adams

DC Comics' Impact imprint

The third Hangman debuted under DC Comics'

Impact Comics Impact Comics was an imprint of DC Comics that was aimed at younger audiences. It began in 1991 and ended in 1993. The initial "I" in the logo was stylized as an exclamation point, but the official name of the imprint was not ''!mpact''. Impa ...

imprint. He is secretly Eric Adams, a lawyer working for Native American rights. He is attacked because of his work leaving him blind and left for dead. A local tribal shaman found him and healed him as well as giving him a bag of magical charms and a

raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

whose eyes Eric could see through. With these gifts, Adams fights corruption both in the courtroom and on the streets as the Hangman.

Powers and abilities

The Hangman has no superpowers, however he uses a bag of magical charms to fight crime as well as using the eyes of a Raven to see through.

Michael Minetta

Dark Circle Comics

The fourth Hangman first appeared in ''The Hangman'' (vol. 2) #1 as a loyal hitman-for-hire named Michael "Mikey Ice" Minetta. He lives in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn with his wife and daughter, Gabby. He is hired to "take care" of a man named Petey after he slept with another man's wife. On his way back for the hit he is attacked by the Hangman (Robert Dickering) who proceeds to beat up Minetta and hang him from a street lamp. Minetta awakens in hell and is met by Satan. Satan tells Minetta the story of the Hangmen and how they have been around for centuries collecting the souls of those who are deemed unworthy to remain existing. Satan offers the now open position of the Hangman after Dickering was deemed worthy of ascension. Minetta initially refuses the offer until he realizes that his wife and daughter could still be put in danger. He accepts Satan's offer and is brought back to walk the Earth as the Hangman.

In other media

Michael Minetta appears in the second season of

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

series '' Riverdale'' as Sheriff Tom Keller's replacement in the investigation of Midge Klump's murder.

Notes

External links

Toonepedia entry

the Mighty Crusaders Encyclopedia

the Mighty Crusaders Encyclopedia {{GoldenAge Golden Age superheroes Hangman Characters created by Harry Lucey Comics characters introduced in 1941 DC Comics superheroes 1941 comics debuts 1943 comics endings 1965 comics debuts 1965 comics endings 1983 comics debuts 2015 comics debuts Vigilante characters in comics