August 1987: The Secret Origin of Captain Comet
In 1951, when he debuted in Strange Adventures 9, Captain Comet was DC Comics’ new Jet Age version of the Depression-era Superman.
But 36 years later, by the time writer Roy Thomas retold his origin story in the first Secret Origins Annual, Comet seemed fairly old hat.
However, an obstacle can sometimes be flipped over into an asset.
That very distance in time provided a perspective that Thomas used to advantage, positioning the story in overarching histories both real and fictional.
So in addition to references to Reds, Rosenbergs and the Korean War, we’re entertained by this mutant Man of Tomorrow’s reflections on the recent fate of the Justice Society of America. Recalling how they were hounded into hiding by a McCarthy-era congressional committee, he grimly considers what that might mean to his own nascent career as a superhero in the gray flannel 1950s.
“I was thrilled to see ‘Captain Comet’ appear so soon after All-Star Comics folded,” Thomas said, recalling his experiences as a 10-year-old in Missouri. “It made me think, at least for a little while, that perhaps super-heroes would make a comeback... something that, as it happened, I was about to give up on by the mid-1950s, with the failure of that feature and all the other heroes briefly revived or created to try to glom onto some of the success caused by the ‘Superman’ TV show.”
Although the theme of alienation was present in Adam Blake’s original origin, the more nuanced comic book zeitgeist of the 1980s gave Thomas, penciller Ron Harris and inker Bruce Patterson greater latitude to explore it.
“I tried to bring a little historical perspective to Captain Comet's origin, not that anyone cared much,” Thomas said.
Vincent Mariani wrote:
ReplyDeleteRoy Thomas tried to hold DC continuity to some kind rigor and plausibility, but to no avail. Every move would always be eclipsed by both the passage of time and subsequent writers and editors "doing their own thing".
Jeff Fields wrote:
ReplyDeleteCaptain Comet has always been one of my favorite DC characters. But it stems more from the uniqueness when he was introduced than for any real stories involving him. I did love his inclusion in Secret Society of Super-Villains.
Vincent Mariani wrote:
ReplyDeleteCaptain Comet was one of those superheroes created in the almost barren 1950s. J'onn J'onzz, Fighting American, and Captain Flash followed CC by a few years, and then The Flash led the revival. All of these characters displayed new wrinkles on the superhero concept.
During the '50s, there were so many genres being published that the superheroes were just part of a much more diverse business. The idea that superhero comics would ultimately completely dominate mainstream comics publishing was not imaginable to baby boomers who were unfamiliar with the Golden Age.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Carroll wrote:
Looking back, it seems to me that many aspects of Captain Comet were incorporated into J'on J'onzz. It's often said that the birth of the Silver Age under Julius Schwartz placed greater emphasis on science fiction. Captain Comet and Martian Manhunter are often overlooked as forerunners of that trend.
Clayton McEachern wrote:
ReplyDeleteCaptain Comet was a character I really enjoyed in the various appearances he had since Secret Society of Super-Villains, which was my first exposure to him. He has had three small runs in various books in the 70's, 90's and 2000's but never really seems to manage to stick around longer than a few years before fading into the background again unfortunately. Good power set and think it's time to dust him off again in my opinion.
Burns Duncan wrote:
ReplyDeleteInteresting! Captain Comet is usually described as a forerunner to Adam Strange.
Don Christian:
ReplyDeleteAnother “winner." Thanks.
Foster H. Coker III:
ReplyDeleteAnother great post, dan! I fell in love with the Captain Comet character when I first encountered him in SSOSV #2. A few years later, I developed an interest in the McCarthy era 1950s because of an assignment in college. So I was delighted that the Thomas story incorporated these two aspects.
Dylan Crossman:
ReplyDeleteSomething Robinson recognized as well and made good use of in the Golden Age. It’s a shame Comet has pretty much been confined as the “space guy” post SSoSV. I don’t think he’s ever even met the JSA in “real” continuity.
Michael Fraley:
ReplyDeleteThe giant top in this story would be a tip of the hat to another grand old science fiction hero -- Brick Bradford and his time top. That's right, America's version of Dr Who in the 1930s was a brawny redhead who traveled around with a scientist and his daughter.
Ricky Lowe:
ReplyDeleteRoy doing what he does best!
Tom Nugent:
ReplyDeleteDan, thanks for this informative post. It is rare when one can pinpoint a specific date in comic books and it remains the same over countless retcons and writers through the years.
Jake Etches:
ReplyDeleteCaptain Comet is a character that should work and has been given several chances in the spotlight but never seems to catch on.
My ideal role for Captain Comet would be for him to be the Superman of Space, similar to what Captain Marvel is implied to be in the MCU.
He debuts right as the JSA is forced into retirement in the 50s, and seeing that Earth seemingly has no use for powered heroes any longer, takes to the stars, liberating planets in far off galaxies, almost acting as a freelance scout for the Green Lantern Corps for planets they've yet to establish first contact with.
Then about 12.5 years ago (in universe)/in the 70s Secret Society run (real world time), he returns and becomes a honorary member of the Justice League.