World War II over, hearts and minds turned to home and rebuilding.
Comics were still around, but the creative explosion of the early 40s had largely abated in the comic book world. Settling down all over, it would seem.
But there were still stories to be told, so villains and the occasional hero were still getting created.
My favourite of the last part of the decade is a spitfire named Black Canary. The Dinah Drake version of Black Canary will come to the Public Domain Super Heroes universe on January 1, 2043. Assuming I survive in this crazy venture that long, she'll be a wonderful addition.
House of Justice? Absolutely. Cannot bloody wait to unleash her here!
House of Crom? No.
House of Entropy? That's an interesting notion.
House of Dread? Oh, that scream. Sadly, the 'Canary Cry' is a later addition to the character. Still, a man can dream and she can still scream, no?
Speaking of dangerous women, Star Sapphire, one of the early female villains, a true nemesis for Green Lantern, though more for his Silver Age version.
House of Justice? Yep.
House of Crom? No.
House of Entropy? Hmm. That's interesting.
House of Dread? Oh, I should say.
The Fiddler. One of the more obscure villains of the DC universe. No real plans, but then, that's never stopped me before. What do you do with a villain who uses a violin as his shtick?
House of Justice? Sure.
House of Crom? Why not?
House of Entropy? I could see that.
House of Dread? Sure.
Rose and Thorn. While Two-Face has a slight jump on her, having a dual personality, but Rose and Thorn is one of the very earliest characters in comics with a true mental health issue baked into her character. Rose Canton is not the same person as the Thorn personality that emerges, thanks to a mysterious jungle root sap.
House of Justice? Yep.
House of Crom? I can definitely see using her in an unconventional way here.
House of Entropy? Unlikely.
House of Dread? Absolutely.
Icicle. Finally a cold based villain! Mr. Freeze and most of the other ice villains don't get created until the Silver Age, so I'm looking forward to adding him to the rogue's gallery in 2043.
House of Justice? Brrr.
House of Crom? That could happen.
House of Entropy? I can see it.
House of Dread? All villains welcome.
The Gentleman Ghost. A superb villain, the ghost of a 19th Century criminal, still committing crimes in the modern day. How good is that?
House of Justice? Yep.
House of Crom? Yep.
House of Entropy? Unlikely.
House of Dread? He's an actual ghost.
Wizard. A stage magician villain by the unlikely name of William Asmodeus Zard. An anti Mandrake/Zatarra/Wizard (MLJ) type. They could form a club.
House of Justice? Alakazam!
House of Crom? Unlikely.
House of Entropy? Sure.
House of Dread? Somehow, some way, for sure.
Not everything in 1947 was about DC.
Timely Comics gave us a love interest for Namor, by the creative moniker of Namora. I mean, five more minutes, guys. The idea just needs a little more time to finish cooking. No? Okay. Namora it is.
House of Justice? Sure.
House of Crom? I see Namor here more than in Justice, so probably.
House of Entropy? Oh, I have ideas.
House of Dread? Scary stuff in the water. Sharks, octopus, men in speedos.
Finally, 1947 has a single entry for a character who slipped into the public domain thanks to lapsed renewals.
Tawky Tawny, the original talking tiger. A seriously weird addition to the Marvel Family. I have remade him into a her, Toni of Toni's Talkies, the DVD rental store in Fawcett Bluff. If you're paying attention, you might see more similarities than just the name...
House of Justice? She is a supporting character in Say the Magic Word!
House of Crom? No.
House of Entropy? Again, there are clues, people.
House of Dread? Oh, yes please.
1948. Only a couple of entries, but both have menaced Batman ever since.
The Riddler. The weirdly obsessed villain, giving clues to his crimes and then being all "oh no" when Batman inevitably catches him. He's well known, but one of the most difficult villains to get right.
House of Justice? Yes.
House of Crom? No.
House of Entropy? No.
House of Dread? A really, truly frightening version of Edward Nygma might be the only way to go.
The Mad Hatter. Speaking of weird villains. In that time, everyone wore hats, so I guess it made sense... to somebody. No serious plans here. He's been done well on occasion, but what a tough nut to crack!
House of Justice? Yes.
House of Crom? No.
House of Entropy? No.
House of Dread? One of the few characters I just can't see ever being scary.
The last year of the 40s? Not much going on in terms of comic book character creation.
The one GREAT character that has NEVER been used outside the comics. The Rival. The first 'reverse' villain in DC history, so far as I'm aware. They'd go to that well again and again, but a reverse version of Jay Garrick's Flash was first.
House of Justice? Yes!
House of Crom? No.
House of Entropy? Yes!
House of Dread? Why not!
Finally, the last of the decade. The final character creation that fits the Public Domain Super Heroes universe from the 1940s.
Moose. Archie Comics big, slow, lovable lunkhead. Marmaduke "Moose" Mason.
House of Justice? He could handle himself.
House of Crom? He could handle himself.
House of Entropy? He could handle himself, but he wouldn't be able to handle the gadgets.
House of Dread? I envision the Archie gang as my Scooby gang. Light horror fits them like a glove. I guess that makes Moose Scooby.
One more article to go, folks! The years from 1950 to 1955 are not amazingly fertile for new characters, but the trajectory that pop culture takes in the 1950s brings some very interesting possibilities to Public Domain Super Heroes.
It's going to end with a bang!
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