''Secret Origins'' is the title of several

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

series published by

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 ...

which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters.

Publication history

''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and contained only reprinted material. The title became an ongoing reprint series in February–March 1973 which ran for seven issues and ended in October–November 1974. The title was used on various compilations of origin stories, including '' Limited Collectors' Edition'' #C-39: ''Secret Origins Super-Villains'' (October–November 1975) and #C-45: ''More Secret Origins Super-Villains'' (June–July 1976) as well as '' DC Special Series'' #10 (1978) and 19 (Fall 1979). Its most well-known incarnation was a 50-issue series that ran from April 1986 to August 1990, plus three ''Annual''s and one ''Special''. Typically, an issue would clarify the post-''Crisis'' origins of a number of characters, usually two as most of the issues were double-sized, i.e. 48 pages.

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...

was the initial writer/editorial consultant on the series; later issues were overseen by

Mark Waid Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', ''Fantastic Four'' and '' Da ...

. Two more ''Special''s followed in 1998 and 1999. In 2004, it returned to the all-reprint format with a ''Weird Secret Origins'' special featuring

Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version was originally created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More Fun Comics' ...

, the Spectre, Animal Man, Enchantress,

Metamorpho Metamorpho (Rex Mason) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon, the character debuted as the lead feature in The Brave and the Bold, ''The Brave and the Bold'' (January 1965). ...

, Congorilla, El Diablo, and

Bizarro World The Bizarro World (also known as Htrae, which is "Earth" spelled backwards) is a fictional planet appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in the early 1960s, Htrae is a cube-shaped planet, home to Bizarro and compani ...

. A new monthly incarnation focusing on characters in ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'', launched in April 2014 with a June

cover date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

. The first issue featured the origins of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...

and the

Dick Grayson Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman, Teen Titans and Justice League. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in ' ...

version of Robin. This series was cancelled as of issue #11 (May 2015).

Characters featured in the 1986–1990 series

* #1 (April 1986): The Golden Age Superman; this was intended as a tribute to the original version of the character, as the latter-day version of Superman was being concurrently introduced by John Byrne in '' The Man of Steel'' miniseries; art by Golden Age Superman artist Wayne Boring and

Jerry Ordway Jeremiah Joseph Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books. He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining ''Crisis on Infinite E ...

. * #2 (May 1986): The Blue Beetle, both the Dan Garrett and

Ted Kord Theodore Stephen "Ted" Kord is the second fictional character to use the identity of Blue Beetle, a superhero who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. He was created by Steve Ditko and first appeared as a bac ...

versions; art by

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz , ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...

. * #3 (June 1986): Captain Marvel credited by the ''Shazam!'' title; a retelling of the story from ''WHIZ Comics'' #2, albeit updated to the modern day. Much of this was changed in the '' Legends'' crossover. Thomas himself would

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...

this some months later in '' SHAZAM! The New Beginning'', all of which was changed again by Jerry Ordway in his

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

'' The Power of Shazam!''. * #4 (July 1986):

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

( Ronnie Raymond). * #5 (August 1986): the original

Crimson Avenger The Crimson Avenger is the name of three separate superheroes and supervillains in the DC Comics Universe. The character debuted in 1938 and is notable as the first masked hero in DC Comics. The first Crimson Avenger, Lee Walter Travis, first app ...

; art by

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the Social Security Death Index via ...

. * #6 (September 1986):

Halo HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to: Most common meanings * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head * ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021) Arts and en ...

of the Outsiders; the Golden Age

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

. This was the first double-sized issue. * #7 (October 1986):

Guy Gardner Guy Gardner may refer to: * Guy Gardner (astronaut) (born 1948), United States Air Force officer and former astronaut * Guy Gardner (character) Guy Darrin Gardner, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American ...

; the Golden Age Sandman * #8 (November 1986): Shadow Lass; Doll Man. * #9 (December 1986): The original Star-Spangled Kid (Skyman) and Stripesy; the Golden Age Flash. * #10 (January 1987): The

Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo imprint. The character ...

. This was a '' Legends'' tie-in that related four possible origins for the character; one by Mike Barr and

Jim Aparo James N. Aparo (; August 24, 1932 – July 19, 2005) was an American comic book artist, best known for his DC Comics work from the late 1960s through the 1990s, including on the characters Batman, Aquaman, and the Spectre (DC Comics character), Sp ...

was a variation on the Wandering Jew myth, while another by

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

and

Joe Orlando Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian Americans, Italian-American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' and ...

postulated that the Stranger was a

fallen angel Fallen angels are angels who were expelled from Heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" does not appear in any Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven. Such angels are often described ...

. * #11 (February 1987): the Golden Age

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

; Power Girl. Both stories presented have since been retconned, with Power Girl's backstory being redefined by

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash (comics), Flash, and Superman has drawn critical accl ...

in the pages of ''JSA Classified'', which served as part of the buildup to ''

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...

''. * #12 (March 1987): The Challengers of the Unknown; Fury. * #13 (April 1987):

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero alias used by multiple characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The most prominent bearer is Dick Grayson, the original Robin, who adopts the Nightwing identity to assert his independence from Batman. ...

(art by

Erik Larsen Erik J. Larsen (born December 8, 1962) is an American comic book artist, writer, and publisher. He currently acts as the chief financial officer of Image Comics. He gained attention in the early 1990s with his art on Spider-Man series for Marvel ...

); Johnny Thunder and

Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...

; the Whip. * #14 (May 1987):

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

. Another ''Legends'' tie-in, it served as a prequel to the later series and was written by that series' writer, John Ostrander. * #15 (June 1987): The Spectre;

Deadman Deadman or Deadman's may refer to: * "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch * "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander (metallurgy), Salamander in metallurgy * "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, con ...

. * #16 (July 1987): Hourman; the

Warlord Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...

; 'Mazing Man. * #17 (August 1987):

Adam Strange Adam Strange is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by editor Julius Schwartz and designed by Murphy Anderson, he first appeared in '' Showcase'' #17 (November 1958). Adam Strange made his live-action de ...

; Doctor Occult. * #18 (September 1987): The Golden Age Green Lantern (

Alan Scott Alan Ladd Wellington Scott is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and the first character to bear the name Green Lantern. He fights evil with the aid of his mystical ring, which grants him a variety of powers. H ...

); Creeper. * #19 (October 1987):

Uncle Sam Uncle Sam (with the same initials as ''United States'') is a common national personification of the United States, depicting the federal government of the United States, federal government or the country as a whole. Since the early 19th centu ...

; the Guardian. * #20 (November 1987):

Batgirl Batgirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. The character Bette Kane, Betty Kane was introduced into publica ...

; Doctor Mid-Nite. * #21 (December 1987):

Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...

; Black Condor. * #22 (January 1988): Manhunters. This was a tie-in with ''

Millennium A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...

'' as was the subsequent issue, and aligned the various histories of the characters with the Manhunter name together. * #23 (February 1988): the

Guardians of the Universe The Guardians of the Universe are a race of extraterrestrial superhero characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Green Lantern. They first appeared in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 2) #1 (July 19 ...

written by Todd Klein; the Floronic Man written by

Rick Veitch Richard Veitch (; born May 7, 1951) is an American comics artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground comics, underground, and alternative comics. Biography Rick Veitch is a native of the small town of Bellows Falls, Vermont. One ...

. * #24 (March 1988):

; Blue Devil. Mark Waid became editor beginning with this issue. * #25 (April 1988): The

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...

(now apocryphal); the Golden Age

Atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...

. * #26 (May 1988): Black Lightning;

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

. * #27 (June 1988):

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara (), known mononymously as Zatanna, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman (comic book), Hawkman'' #4 (N ...

, her father Zatara, and Doctor Mist. * #28 (July 1988):

Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...

art by Gil Kane;

Nightshade Solanaceae (), commonly known as the nightshades, is a family of flowering plants in the order Solanales. It contains approximately 2,700 species, several of which are used as agricultural crops, medicinal plants, and ornamental plants. Many me ...

art by

Rob Liefeld Robert Liefeld (; born October 3, 1967) is an American comic book creator. A prominent writer and artist in the 1990s, he is known for co-creating the character Cable (comics), Cable with writer Louise Simonson and the character Deadpool with wri ...

. Nightshade's origin doubled as an introduction/backdrop to a three-issue ''Suicide Squad'' story arc where she returned to her place of origin to save her brother. * #29 (August 1988): The

; the Red Tornado (Ma Hunkel; this was Sheldon Mayer's last comic book story); Mr. America (a.k.a. the Americommando). * #30 (September 1988):

Plastic Man Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero featured in American comic books first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole (artist), Jack Co ...

; Elongated Man. * #31 (October 1988): The

Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...

. A full-length story, and Roy Thomas' last contribution to the series, excluding the Grim Ghost story in #42. * #32 (November 1988): The

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

. In a full-length story by

Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (November 30, 1952 – October 9, 2023) was an American comics artist and writer. He was known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of ...

and Peter David, the Justice League is formed by

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

(

Hal Jordan Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome (writer), John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and f ...

), the

Flash (Barry Allen) Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character known as the Flash, following Jay Garrick. The character first appeared in '' Showcase'' #4 (October 1956), crea ...

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...

, the Martian Manhunter and the Black Canary. Superman and Batman were not founding members, and

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

's revised continuity precluded her from the same. The events depicted were later expanded upon in ''JLA: Year One'' and ''JLA: Incarnations''. * #33 (December 1988):

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

Ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

and

Mister Miracle Mister Miracle is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first and third are humans Thaddeus Brown and Shilo Norman, while the second is New God Scott Free. The Scott Free incarnat ...

. This and the subsequent two issues dealt with the members of Justice League International. * #34 (Winter 1988): Captain Atom,

G'nort G'nort (pronunciation: "nort") Esplanade G'neesmacher is a character appearing in DC Comics. He is a member of the Green Lantern Corps and later a Darkstar and a member of the Justice League Antarctica. He resembles an anthropomorphic dog and is g ...

and Rocket Red. * #35 (Holiday 1988): Booster Gold,

Maxwell Lord Maxwell Lord IV is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Justice League'' #1 (May 1987) and was created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire (artist), Kevin Magui ...

, and the

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" in ''Detective Comics ...

rendered apocryphal by events and revelations in J'onn J'onnz' later solo series. * #36 (January 1989): Green Lantern (

) story by Jim Owsley;

Poison Ivy Poison ivy is a type of allergenic plant in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' native to Asia and North America. Formerly considered a single species, '' Toxicodendron radicans'', poison ivies are now generally treated as a complex of three separate s ...

story by

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

. * #37 (February 1989): The Legion of Substitute Heroes; the original Doctor Light. * #38 (March 1989): The

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...

and Speedy. * #39 (April 1989): Animal Man story by

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...

; the

Man-Bat Man-Bat (Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langstrom) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in ''Detective Comics'' #400 (June 1970) as an enemy of the superhero Batman, the character belongs to t ...

. * #40 (May 1989): Congorilla, Detective Chimp, and Gorilla Grodd. * #41 (June 1989): The Rogues - the

Weather Wizard Weather Wizard (Mark Mardon) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Weather Wizard made his first live-action appearance in the television specials '' Legends of the Superheroes'' (1979), played by Jeff Altma ...

Heat Wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

, the

Trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherw ...

, the Pied Piper,

Captain Boomerang Captain Boomerang is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, who respectively serve as enemies to both the Barry Allen and Wally West versions of the Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. Created by wr ...

, and

Captain Cold Captain Cold (Leonard Snart) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in '' Showcase'' #8 (June 1957). In his comic book appearances, ...

. * #42 (July 1989):

Phantom Girl Phantom Girl (Tinya Wazzo) is a superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. In post-'' Zero Hour'' continuity, she is known as Apparition. She has the power to ...

; the Gay Ghost/Grim Ghost. * #43 (August 1989): The original Hawk and Dove; Cave Carson; Chris KL-99. * #44 (September 1989):

Clayface Clayface is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Most incarnations of the character possess clay-like bodies and shapeshifting abilities, and all of them are List of Batman family enemies ...

I, II, III and IV. This issue gave background information for a story arc that appeared in ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...

'' #604-607 entitled ''The Mud Pack''. * #45 (October 1989): Blackhawk; El Diablo. * #46 (December 1989): The headquarters of the Silver Age Justice League of America (story by Grant Morrison), the New Titans'

Titans Tower The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

, and the 'rocketship clubhouse' of the Legion of Super Heroes. Arm Fall Off Boy makes his first appearance. * #47 (February 1990): Ferro Lad, Karate Kid, and Chemical King. * #48 (April 1990):

Ambush Bug Ambush Bug is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. His real name is supposedly Irwin Schwab, but he has mental problems that prevent him from truly understanding reality around him, so even his true identity migh ...

, Stanley and His Monster,

Rex the Wonder Dog Rex the Wonder Dog is a fictional superhero dog in the DC Comics universe. Created in 1952 by Robert Kanigher of Wonder Woman fame and artist Alex Toth, Rex has sometimes been compared to Superman's dog Krypto, who was created three years later. W ...

, and the Trigger Twins. * #49 (June 1990):

Bouncing Boy Bouncing Boy (Charles Foster "Chuck" Taine) is a superhero appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, usually as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Born on Earth, Bouncing Boy has the power to inflate like a giant ball and bounce around ...

, the Newsboy Legion, and the Silent Knight. * #50 (August 1990): a 96-page last issue. This consisted of a

prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...

retelling of

's first encounter with Batman by

Dennis O'Neil Dennis "Denny" Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until h ...

and

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (c ...

; the first meeting of the Golden and Silver Age Flashes story by Grant Morrison; how Johnny Thunder (the western hero) came to be; the definitive history of

Black Canary Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As one of the earliest female superheroes in the DC Comics universe, the character has made numerous appearances in prominent team-up titles, ...

; and the stories behind the

Dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

and the Space Museum.

''Annual''s and ''Special''s

* ''Annual'' #1 (1987): the

Doom Patrol Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appear ...

art by John Byrne;

Captain Comet Captain Comet (Adam Blake) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, created by editor Julius Schwartz, writer John Broome (writer), John Broome, and artist Carmine Infantino. Once a minor character in the DC Comics ...

. * ''Annual'' #2 (1988): The second and third Flashes (

Barry Allen Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character known as the Flash, following Flash (Jay Garrick), Jay Garrick. The character first appeared in ''Showcase (comic ...

and

Wally West Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. T ...

). * ''Annual'' #3 (1989): the

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

. This was an anniversary tribute with contributions from

Tom Grummett Thomas Grummett (born 1959) is a Canadian comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work as penciller on titles such as '' The New Titans'', '' The Adventures of Superman'', ''Superboy'', '' Power Company'', '' Robin'', '' New Th ...

Irv Novick Irving Novick (; April 11, 1916 – October 15, 2004) was an American comics artist who worked almost continuously from 1939 until the 1990s. Career A graduate of the National Academy of Design, Irv Novick got his start in the workshop of Harr ...

Dave Cockrum David Emmett Cockrum (; November 11, 1943 – November 26, 2006) was an American comics artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler (character), Nightcrawler, Storm (Marvel Comics), Storm, Colossus (character), Colos ...

, Kevin Maguire, and

Colleen Doran Colleen Doran (born July 24, 1964) is an American comic book creator, writer-artist and cartoonist. She illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, including the autobiographical graphic novel of Marvel Comics editor and ...

. It also included five pages of ''

Who's Who A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...

'' entries on

Flamebird Flamebird is the name used by six different fictional comic book characters who have appeared in books published by DC Comics, specifically from the ''Superman'' and ''Batman'' mythos. The primary character to use the Flamebird name is Bette Kane ...

, the

Golden Eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

Bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...

Herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen ...

, the Antithesis and the

Gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...

. * ''Special'' #1 (1989): the

Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

by Alan Grant and

Sam Kieth Sam Kieth (born January 11, 1963) is an American comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of ''The Maxx'' and '' Zero Girl''. Career Comics Kieth's first published work was "a story in the back of a Comico comic" when he was "about ...

, the

Riddler The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #140 in O ...

by Neil Gaiman,

Matt Wagner Matt Wagner (born October 9, 1961) is an American comics artist and writer who is best known as the creator of the series ''Mage (comics), Mage'' and ''Grendel (comics), Grendel''. Early life, family and education Matt Wagner's childhood was spe ...

and Bernie Mireault, and

Two-Face Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bob Kane, and first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #66 (August 1942). He has become one of the superhero Batman's most enduring e ...

Mark Verheiden Mark Verheiden (born March 26, 1956) is an American television, movie, and comic-book writer. He was a co-executive producer for the television series '' Falling Skies'' for DreamWorks Television and the TNT network. Career Comics and comic- ...

and

Pat Broderick Pat Broderick (born November 26, 1953) is an American comics artist, known for his work on the '' Micronauts'' and '' Alpha Flight'' for Marvel Comics, and ''Legion of Super-Heroes'', '' Captain Atom'' and '' Green Lantern'' for DC Comics. Brode ...

. Additionally, there was a belated ''Secret Origins 80-Page Giant'' issued in 1998 (), that focused on the members of Young Justice.

''Secret Origins'' collected edition

Some issues of the second series were collected in a trade paperback along with other material and some original work in 1989 called ''Secret Origins'', but the official title, as stated in the book's indicia, is given as ''Secret Origins of The World's Greatest Super-Heroes'' (). The focus was on DC's major characters: the origins of the Justice League of America (from #32), the Flash (Barry Allen, from ''Secret Origins Annual'' #2); Green Lantern (Hal Jordan, from #36); J'onn J'onnz, the Martian Manhunter (from #35); and Superman (from ''The Man of Steel'' #6). There was also an all-new retelling of Batman's origins, '' Batman: The Man Who Falls'', by Dennis O'Neil and

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Ear ...

; this story later served as a cited inspiration for the 2005 film ''

Batman Begins ''Batman Begins'' is a 2005 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne (Dark Knight trilogy), Bruce Wayne / B ...

''. * ''Showcase Presents: Blue Beetle'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #2 (''Blue Beetle: Echoes Of Future Past!''). 590 pages. January 2015. * ''Batman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 2'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #6 (''The Secret Origin Of Batman''). 208 pages. February 2007. * ''Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight - Marshall Rogers'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #6 (''The Secret Origin Of Batman''). 484 pages. November 2011. * ''Last Days Of The Justice Society Of America'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #7 (''The Secret Origin Of The Golden Age Sandman''), #9 (''The Secret Origin Of The Star-Spangled Kid And Stripesy & The Secret Origin Of The Golden Age Flash''), #11 (''The Secret Origin Of The Golden Age Hawkman''), #13 (''The Secret Origin Of Johnny Thunder''), #15 (''The Secret Origin Of The Spectre''), #16 (''The Secret Origin Of The Golden Age Hourman''), #18 (''The Secret Origin Of The Golden Age Green Lantern''), #20 (''The Secret Origin Of Dr. Mid-Nite''), #24 (''The Secret Origin Of Dr. Fate''), #25 (''The Secret Origin Of The Golden Age Atom'') and #31 (''The Secret Origin Of The Justice Society Of America''). 336 pages. May 2017. * ''The Phantom Stranger Omnibus'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #10 (''The Secret Origin Of The Phantom Stranger''). 1248 pages. August 2023. * ''DC Universe by Alan Moore'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #10 (''Footsteps''). 464 pages. April 2013. * ''Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #13 (''The Secret Origin Of Nightwing''). 156 pages. August 2013. * ''Suicide Squad: Trial By Fire'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #14 (''The Secret Origin Of The Suicide Squad''). 229 pages. February 2011. * ''Deadman Omnibus'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #15 (''Death Like A Crown''). 944 pages. December 2020. * ''Doom Patrol: The Bronze Age Omnibus'' includes ''Secret Origins Annual'' #1 (''The Secret Origin Of The Doom Patrol''). 1056 pages. November 2019. * ''The Flash: A Celebration Of 75 Years'' includes ''Secret Origins Annual'' #2 (''The Unforgiving Minute''). 480 pages. April 2015. * ''Justice League International Omnibus Vol. 3'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #33, 34 and 35. 1448 pages. May 2024. * ''DC Universe by Neil Gaiman'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #36 (''Pavane'') and ''Secret Origins Special''. 224 pages. October 2016. * ''Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters Saga Omnibus Vol. 1'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #38 (''Sometimes A Fool Notion''). 1527 pages. September 2020. * ''Animal Man: Origin Of The Species'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #39 (''The Myth Of The Creation''). 224 pages. July 2002. * ''JLA by Grant Morrison Omnibus'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #46 (''Ghosts Of Stone''). 1486 pages. November 2020. * ''Showcase Presents: Ambush Bug'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #48 (''The Secret Origin Of Ambush Bug''). 488 pages. March 2009. * ''Tales Of The Batman: Alam Brennert'' includes ''Secret Origins'' #50 (''Unfinished Business''). 187 pages. July 2016.

Characters featured in the 2014–15 series

* #1 (June 2014):

, Robin (

* #2 (July 2014):

, Starfire * #3 (August 2014):

(

), Batwoman (Kate Kane), Red Robin ( Tim Drake) * #4 (September 2014):

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

Damian Wayne Damian Thomas Wayne is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. He was created by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert. Damian Wayne is the biological son of Bruce Wayne/Batman. His mo ...

* #5 (October 2014):

Cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.Red Hood Ra's al Ghul Nyssa Raatko Rag Doll Rag Doll is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic book, American comic books published by DC Comics. The first, Peter Merkel, is a villain of the Flash (Jay Garrick), original Flash, ...

(

Jason Todd Jason Peter Todd is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #357 in March 1983, he was created to succeed Dick Grayson as Robin (character), Robin, Batman's partner ...

), Mera * #6 (December 2014):

Sinestro Thaal Sinestro () (or simply Sinestro) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, particularly those featuring Green Lantern. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro is a former Green Lantern Corps member w ...

* #7 (January 2015): Flash, Huntress,

Superboy Superboy is an identity used by several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series ...

* #8 (February 2015): Dick Grayson, Animal Man,

Katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

* #9 (March 2015): Swamp Thing, Power Girl,

( John Stewart) * #10 (April 2015):

* #11 (May 2015):

, Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), John Constantine

Collected editions 2014–15 series

* ''Secret Origins Volume 1'' - collects ''Secret Origins'' (vol. 3) #1-4 (Feb. 2015) * ''Secret Origins Volume 2'' - collects ''Secret Origins'' (vol. 3) #5-11 (Aug. 2015)

''Secret Origins of Super-Heroes''

During '' 52'', Weeks 12 through 51 featured two-page origins of various superheroes, written by

. The origins featured were: * Week 12:

* Week 13: Elongated Man * Week 14:

* Week 15:

Steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

* Week 16: Black Adam * Week 17: Lobo * Week 18:

Question A question is an utterance which serves as a request for information. Questions are sometimes distinguished from interrogatives, which are the grammar, grammatical forms, typically used to express them. Rhetorical questions, for instance, are i ...

* Week 19: Animal Man * Week 20:

* Week 22:

* Week 23:

Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

* Week 24: Booster Gold * Week 25:

* Week 26:

and

Hawkgirl Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' ...

* Week 27:

* Week 28: Catman * Week 30:

Metal Men The Metal Men are a group of robot superheroes that appear in DC Comics. The characters first appeared in '' Showcase'' #37 (March–April 1962) and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru. Debuting in the Silver Age of C ...

* Week 31: Robin * Week 32: Blue Beetle * Week 33:

* Week 34:

* Week 36: Power Girl * Week 37:

* Week 38: Red Tornado * Week 39: Mr. Terrific * Week 41: Starfire * Week 42:

* Week 43:

* Week 46:

* Week 47:

* Week 48:

Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

* Week 49:

* Week 51:

''Secret Origins of Super-Villains''

Beginning with #37, each issue of '' Countdown'' featured the origins of a supervillain, written by Scott Beatty. The origins are: * #37:

* #36:

Deathstroke Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...

* #35:

Parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different sightline, lines of sight and is measured by the angle or half-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to perspective (graphica ...

* #34:

Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...

* #33:

* #32: Eclipso * #31: Joker * #30:

General Zod General Zod is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an List of Superman enemies, adversary of the superhero Superman. The character, who first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), was ...

* #29:

* #28:

and the Pied Piper * #27:

* #25: Killer Frost * #24:

DeSaad DeSaad (also spelled Desaad) is a supervillain, appearing in books published by DC Comics. He is one of the followers of Darkseid from the planet Apokolips in Fourth World (comics), Jack Kirby's Fourth World meta-series. As DeSaad serves as Darks ...

* #23: Mister Mxyzptlk * #22:

Deadshot Deadshot is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer David Vern Reed and artist Lew Sayre Schwartz based on a concept from Bob Kane, the character first appeared in ''Batman (comic book), Batman ...

* #21: Granny Goodness * #20: Mister Mind * #19: Scarecrow (DC Comics), Scarecrow * #18: Doctor Light (Arthur Light), Dr. Light * #17: The Monarch (comics), Monarch * #16:

* #15: Doomsday (DC Comics), Doomsday * #14: Gorilla Grodd * #13: The Hank Henshaw, Cyborg Superman * #12: Circe (character), Circe * #11: Solomon Grundy (character), Solomon Grundy * #10:

* #9: Black Manta * #8: Bizarro * #7: Bane (DC Comics), Bane * #6: Felix Faust * #5: Mr. Freeze * #4: Ra's al Ghul * #3: Amazo * #2: Darkseid

References

External links

* * * *
''Secret Origins''''Secret Origins'' vol. 2
an
''Secret Origins'' vol. 3
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics {{The New 52, state=collapsed 1973 comics debuts 1974 comics endings 1986 comics debuts 1990 comics endings 2014 comics debuts 2015 comics endings Comics anthologies Comics by Alan Moore Comics by Dennis O'Neil Comics by Gerry Conway Comics by J. M. DeMatteis Comics by Len Wein Comics by Mark Waid Comics by Marv Wolfman Comics by Michael Fleisher Comics by Neil Gaiman Comics by Paul Kupperberg Comics by Paul Levitz Comics by Roy Thomas Comics by Steve Englehart DC Comics one-shots DC Comics titles Defunct American comics

Publication history

Characters featured in the 1986–1990 series

''Annual''s and ''Special''s

''Secret Origins'' collected edition

Characters featured in the 2014–15 series

Collected editions 2014–15 series

''Secret Origins of Super-Heroes''

''Secret Origins of Super-Villains''

See also

References

External links