Hey, Comic Book Fans!
Today is National Comic Book Day! Love comic books? Then you ought to love today’s Blog post! In celebration of a time LONG before there was a Marvel Cinematic Universe and before superheroes ever hit the big screen at all, today’s Blog post goes into the nitty-gritty of origin tales involving our favorite characters whether they prescribe to good or villainy.
I went digging into the deep past to see how these guys got their start, looking to uncover some things you might not have known. Appropriately, we’ll start with the guy who began it all, Superman:
Superman was Bald
A telepathic individual, obsessed with his own powers and bent on world domination, Superman underwent a six-year process from his first designs to his first publication. By the time the comic came to print, the drafts had been so heavily altered which resulted in the role of ‘Superman’ being a handsome hero with a full head of hair and left the role of the bald-headed man to the main villain, Lex Luthor.
Don’t make me Grey; You wouldn’t like me when I’m Grey
Did you know that in The Hulk’s very first appearance in 1962, he was grey? It wasn’t a coloring mistake either. Stan Lee intended it to be this way. It wasn’t long before the consistency of grey printing left the creator frustrated and dissatisfied. One of the most consistent printing colors in the early 60’s was green, so green it was for The Hulk (though he’s returned in grey a few different times, not to mention it was brainstormed that he maybe appear red in the cinematic world!).
Wolverine was almost ‘The Badger’
Created to oppose The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine made his debut in 1974. Early conception art depicted the claws, the yellow and blue getup, as well as the pointy-eared mask that we all know and love. But creator Len Wein was undecided on the name. Trying to popularize the character in Canada, Wein wanted to base him off a Canadian animal: a wolverine or a badger. Luckily, his editor steered him away from ‘The Badger’.
The Joker Dodges Death
Plotted to die in the same issue as his introduction, Bob Kane, creator of Batman, had most of the Dark Knight’s early villains meet their demise by means of some fatal accident. The Joker was no different. In an attempt to stab that darn ol’ Batsy, Mr. J proves to be no match and accidentally stabs himself. Once again, it was the editor who saw too much potential in this villain and forced Kane to include an additional panel that revealed the evil jester was still alive.
Happy Comic Book Day to all you Comic Book lovers out there! I hope you found today’s Blog post interesting and educational for the stories on how some of those classic Comic Book figures got there beginning. And, as always, thanks for reading!
- John