Jab’s Builds! (Lawnmower Man! Samus Aran! Metroids!)

[Ken]

Heh, and Jab posted up Will while I was getting my ramble on.

*EDIT* And he actually mentioned me and my self-admitted Red Guardian love for the guy.

Yeah, he's pretty good about posting different versions of characters... unless you're the Mal Duncan version of the Guardian.

[Ares]

Heh, and Jab posted up Will while I was getting my ramble on.

*EDIT* And he actually mentioned me and my self-admitted Red Guardian love for the guy.

Yeah, he's pretty good about posting different versions of characters... unless you're the Mal Duncan version of the Guardian.

I think Mal got included in the Titans write-ups, so Jab isn't reposting him here.

[Ares]

Also, I might be the only person that kind of prefers the purple and gold costume for Will, albeit it could use a little re-design. I'd say make the boots and gloves symmetrical, but apart from that I kind of prefer the brighter colors and the open neck, since he has to wear the costume under his clothes.

[Davies]

Also, I might be the only person that kind of prefers the purple and gold costume for Will,

Nope.

[Ken]

Also, I might be the only person that kind of prefers the purple and gold costume for Will, albeit it could use a little re-design. I'd say make the boots and gloves symmetrical, but apart from that I kind of prefer the brighter colors and the open neck, since he has to wear the costume under his clothes.

I disagree. The asymmetry is part of what made the costume work. He didn't look like anyone else. The second costume... they just made him look like he stole one of Simon Williams' costumes and slapped a star logo on it.

[EternalPhoenix]

Also, I might be the only person that kind of prefers the purple and gold costume for Will

Nope 2.

[Ken]

For those of you who dislike the yellow and purple colour scheme, but recognise the awesomeness of the original asymmetrical design:


Personally, I prefer the yellow and purple.

You're an alien prince, and a hero to your people... you sacrifice your life saving your people from an anti-matter cloud from beyond. Months later, you wake up on an unknown world. Perhaps the planet "Earth" that the Kryptonian "Superman" lives on (assuming that issue of DCCP is in continuity somehow). You have powers, so a few weeks into having this new life, you fly to San Antonio, Texas for a job interview and you do the most natural thing in the world for an extra-terrestrial on an unfamiliar world to do: you sing an old Monkees song.

[Jabroniville]

STARMAN VI (David Knight)
Created By: Roger Stern
First Appearance: Starman #26 (Sept. 1990)
Role: Failed Hero
Group Affiliations: None
PL 8 (119)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Deception 2 (+3)
Expertise (History) 5 (+5)
Insight 1 (+2)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Cosmic Rod" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [18]
Flight 8 (500 mph) (Flaws: Platform) (8)
"Stellar Energy" Blast 10 (Feats: Improved Critical) (21) -- (24)

• AE: Dazzle Visuals 8 (16)
• AE: "Levitation" Move Object 8 (16)
• AE: Environment 1 (Heat 2) (4)

-- (32 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Cosmic Blast +6 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Relationship (Father & Brother)- David worships his father Ted, and wants to honor him as the new Starman. He is less close with his disrespectful, sardonic brother Jack.

Total: Abilities: 30 / Skills: 8--4 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 18 / Defenses: 10 (66)

-David Knight was actually not created by James Robinson- the eldest son of The Golden Age Starman debuted in 1990 as a fairly-flat character in the Will Payton Starman book (he wanted to be the new Starman and carry on his father's legacy, resulting in a fight with Payton, the current one), and was killed in the debut issue of Robinson's Starman series, executed by the Mist's son via a sniper rifle (this is actually a thing that would probably be more realistic, but not that dramatic, if superheroes were "real"- if you can spot them just standing around on rooftops, just shoot them from afar, right?). His brother Jack, a more sarcastic, snide guy who hated superheroics and found David to be quite annoying, avenged him- "I might not have LIKED David, but damn you- I LOVED HIM!", frying the villain inside-out with the Cosmic Rod.

-David would reappear annually as a ghost, talking to his younger brother Jack in Starman issues. Also it turns out that David got sent back in time to 1951, where he took over as Starman from Charles McNider after some training- he dissipated at the completion of a mission with Jack, who was of course ALSO time-travelling at the time (ah, superheroes...). This gives the brothers some much-needed bonding time they never had in life. So he's like... the sixth Starman AND the third? Which I guess would push everyone ELSE back, but I'm putting them chronologically in terms of appearance in comics. So he's just the sixth. Not that numbers really matter that much (in-universe nobody uses them).

-It's considered a plot point that poor David was never meant to be a superhero- even Ted recognized this, as he'd given JACK the "hero's name". He's shot by a sniper rifle in the opening of Starman, which is one of those things you'd think would be a lot more common. Of course, it's horribly un-dramatic for superheroes to be sniped down like that. He's also wielding a lesser, more-simplistic version of the Cosmic Rod.

[Jabroniville]

STARMAN VII (Jack Knight)
Created By: James Robinson & Tony Harris
First Appearance: Zero Hour #1 (Sept. 1994)
Role: Postmodern Hero, Fan Insert Character
Group Affiliations: The Justice Society of America
PL 10 (138)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Deception 5 (+7)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 11 (+13)
Expertise (History) 4 (+6)
Insight 2 (+4)
Investigation 3 (+5)
Perception 3 (+5)
Persuasion 4 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Cosmic Rod) 4 (+10)
Stealth 1 (+5)
Technology 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Daze (Deception), Equipment 1 (Leather Jacket, Goggles, Other '90s Hero Stuff), Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Luck, Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"The Cosmic Rod" (Feats: Summonable- Can Make Its Way To Him) (Flaws: Easily Removable) [34]
Flight 8 (500 mph) (16)
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) (2)
Immunity 1 (Atmospheric Effects) (1)
"Stellar Energy" Blast 10 (Feats: Improved Critical) (Extras: Penetrating 8) (29) -- (35)

• AE: "Staff Strike" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Reach 2) (4)
• AE: Dazzle Visuals 10 (20)
• AE: "Energy Objects" Create 5 (Extras: Movable) (15)
• AE: Force Field 6 (6)
• AE: "Levitation" Move Object 8 (16)
• AE: Environment 1 (Heat 2, Light 2) (8)

-- (54 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Cosmic Blast +10 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4 (+10 Force Field), Fortitude +5, Will +7

Complications:
Relationship (Father & Brother)- David worships his father Ted, and wants to honor him as the new Starman. He is less close with his disrespectful, sardonic brother Jack.
Relationship (Sadie Payton)- Jack falls for the sister of Will Payton, the fifth Starman.

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 46--23 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 34 / Defenses: 12 (138)

Starman- Pretentious Superheroing At It's Finest:
-Starman, by James Robinson, is one of those comics that was SERIOUSLY highly-touted when I first got back into comics around 1999 or so. It seemed like EVERYBODY in comics was talking about James Robinson's Magnum Opus as if it was the greatest thing in history- it was smart, savvy and seemed to "get" its audience. I never got into it- the book struck me as the kind of thing that appealed to pretentious people- the sorts to put on airs about this little hobby of ours. Like, it's so artsy-fartsy and "wannabe Neil Gaiman" in its poetic descriptions and the OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH so artsy Opal City Robinson created and stuff.

-Perhaps a bit unfair, sure- I eventually bought the first Omnibus collection of the series and... it's alright. I mean, people SERIOUSLY overrated it. But it's okay- there's some good character bits. Opal City looks a bit interesting (Robinson made it his mission to "build" a fictional city the way other DC creators had). The art is different without being overly-stylized or "too '90s". But HOLY GOD is it still pretentious- everyone talking pseudo-philosophically in first-person narratives all over the place, all this Goth stuff, The Shade being all "oh I remember Oscar Wilde and all of this fancy high culture" stuff. I mean, Robinson seems REALLY proud of whatever his pedigree as a writer is for whatever reason, and seems to be showing off. CLASSIC artsy-fartsy stuff.

Jack Knight- Too Good to Be a Superhero:
-Funnily enough, I didn't realize Jack was supposed to sorta represent 1990s comic book fans at first. When someone suggested it, I was like "Wuh? But he's a smart-assed, self-righteous snob obsessed with the minutae of Pop Culture and openly sees guys in tights as this passe thiOOHHHHHHHH I SEE IT NOW!" Jack is your classic Pop Culture Snob (a collector of random old things, to be exact- and there's more of a market out there for that than you'd think- it turns out all the local Antique Shops where I live mostly carry '80s crap!), and he openly mocks the idea of super-heroics. He derides his father Ted's legacy as the Golden Age Starman, he thinks tights are lame (he's one of the most-notable '90s heroes to wear a big leather jacket and regular clothes as a crimefighter), and he finds it all incredibly pointless. He's kind of an ass. But when his brother is murdered by the son of The Mist (an old foe of his dad's), Jack has to defend himself, and kills David Knight's murderer in battle.

-Jack & his dad make a promise to each other- Jack will become Opal's new defender, and Ted will use his scientific genius for the good of humanity, not just building new Cosmo-Weapons for fighting super-villains. Ted had always meant for Jack to follow in his footsteps- he'd realized that David lacked the strength of will for it, right down to naming his other boy "Jack- that's a HERO'S name". Jack goes on a number of adventures- he gets drugged & raped by The Mist's obsessive daughter Nash, he befriends a less-evil Solomon Grundy, he proves Bulletman's innocence from charges that he was a Nazi collaborator in the War, goes back in time to team up with his brother David (also time-travelling, but kind of as a ghost), etc. We see what's happened to all of the prior Starmen (including some weird Retconning involving the '90s Will Payton Starman, involving the '80s Prince Gavyn Starman). Jack gets to know Opal's Police Department, and an old Golden Age villain named The Shade gets a ton of focus as a Victorian-Era smarmy-assed guy with crazy amounts of power.

Jack Grows Up:
-Jack even joins the modern incarnation of the JSA, which Robinson co-writes for the first bit. Ted gets a glorious send-off, sacrificing his life to stop the Mist's suicide attack- hero and villain die together. Jack formally retires from super-heroics, bequeathing the Cosmic Rod to Courtney Whitmore (who becomes Stargirl), and decides to raise his son Kyle (Nash's rape-baby) with his new wife. Robinson even got something I can't think of too many creators ever getting- the deal that DC can never use his characters without his permission. Given that comics is a profession of numerous creators working on (and often altering) characters, maybe that's for the best for Jack. I can think of a lot of new-ish characters who were wrecked because new creators took over and got the wrong impression of them (like basing them off their original characterization, even though the original creator had them develop past that). Buuuuuuuuut it's also incredibly selfish and kind of bizarre- like Robinson's so up his own ass that his characters are TOO GOOD to be used by pedestrian other writers. Like the kid creates a special toy that he just adores, but when he leaves the sandbox, he takes it with him so no other kid can play with it.

-Unfortunately for Robinson however, while his series still appears to be a critical darling (though many comic fans have since complained about the portrayals of certain other characters in the series- oddly prescient of why Robinson himself would ban other writers from working on his own guys), his own legacy as a writer has been permanently tarnished- he wrote that AWFUL Justice League: Cry For Justice storyline (where Arsenal's daughter was killed), as well as a much-maligned run on JLA itself, throwing Congorilla and other weirdos onto the team, and stumbling badly all the while. Even his JSA: Blackest Night special was awful, featuring dialogue that doesn't fit the characters (Cyclone saying "I'll send you back to Hell!"), a boring central plotline with Random Superhero Technobabble saving the day, and most notably, JAKEEM THUNDER IS CALLED JAMAL (though I'd blame that more on the Editor who should have been on the ball a little- writers can easily F-up stuff like that). Though whatever you wanna say about the guy, without him, DC probably wouldn't have brought back the JSA in such a strong manner, so we owe one of DC's best series to him. It's still funny, though- the guy who didn't want anyone else playing with his shit ended up messing up OTHER people's stuff.

Jack Knight's Powers:
-Jack ends up being a fairly competent superhero, though he's still a bit of an ass sometimes. He can haggle with the best of them, and NOBODY in DC knows more about inane pop culture, but he's a lot more practical and pragmatic than many superheroes (though notably, fighting in JEANS AND A LEATHER JACKET are not actually practical for a martial artist- people frequently forget that skin-tight clothing is actually a BENEFIT in these situations). The Cosmic Rod is a pretty good weapon, but as its Easily Removable (DCA makes it not so for whatever reason, even though there's no way you couldn't just snatch it out of his hands if you wanted to) it has limits. Also, I'm pretty sure the Force Field is inside the Array of abilities the Rod has- he never really uses two attacks at the same time. And why is the DCA version PL 11, anyways? Jack always seemed barely-capable as a superhero, and definitely no powerhouse. Curiously, the Rod seems to lose variations on it once its in the hands of Courtney Whitmore- she hasn't been seen using half of the attributes.

[Ares]

Honestly, I'd swap the PLs for Jack and Will. If you think Will never beat anyone notable, that goes double for Jack. Jack did technically have a "fight" with Captain Marvel, but it mostly of Cap trying to talk Jack down while Jack threw everything against him, and ended the second Cap wanted it to. Though Robinson portrayed Cap as a simpleton, and seemed to only respect the power Cap had. IMO, Will would demolish Jack in a fight, and I can't see Jack being a higher PL than Ted.

[Ken]

Starman vol 1. #26, David's first appearance has this great cover. David is looking for all the world like his father (who was still in Ragnarok at the time), and Will in his brand new costume that had only been seen in one panel the prior issue. So at first glance it looks like Ted is headlining a "Starman" title for the first time, until realizes the black and red eye-sore showing up on all the screens is Will.

[Ken]

Honestly, I'd swap the PLs for Jack and Will. If you think Will never beat anyone notable, that goes double for Jack. Jack did technically have a "fight" with Captain Marvel, but it mostly of Cap trying to talk Jack down while Jack threw everything against him, and ended the second Cap wanted it to. Though Robinson portrayed Cap as a simpleton, and seemed to only respect the power Cap had. IMO, Will would demolish Jack in a fight, and I can't see Jack being a higher PL than Ted.

Will actually improved with time; so I could see his PL going up, particularly after his sparring session with Superman.

Jack was a solid PL 8.

[Ken]

Jack Knight was as unlikable as Will Payton was likable. Jack, like the book was pretentious as hell. I read the series, but mostly I was doing it for the Ted Knight stories and the JSA flashbacks. And the "Talking with David" episodes, I suppose, which often overlapped with the JSA stuff.

I never understood that "cosmic rod as battle staff" thing. I understood the redesign it so it looks less like a sex toy mentality; but making a scientific device into a bludgeoning tool never worked for me.

I did like when Ted finally called Jack out for under utilizing the rod. He told him it could do so much more than fly, shoot blasts, and make force fields. It felt like some editor made Robinson read some silver/bronze age Starman stories, and Robinson channeled that into the story.

The whole "The Shade really isn't a bad guy; and the Spider really is" thing didn't sit right with me.

And as I said, Robinson crapping all over Will is what got me to stop reading the book.

[Jabroniville]

Yeah I don't know squat about any of the Starmen- Jack seemed to be offensively powerful, but defensively weak (note he can use the Force Field OR the Blast; not both at once). And he's 4 PLs below my Captain Marvel build, which would certainly justify how easily Marvel got a handle on him once he got serious.

Will, to me, indicated "Hero learning the ropes", albeit for a pretty long run (45 issues). What are his feats and accomplishments in terms of actual power and skill?

[Jabroniville]

PS, here's my updated Golden Age Characters list, now including Timely! Which... totally clogs the ranks, as they seemingly had a policy of just "heap garbage onto the industry in hopes that something else might stick" with a ton of one-off or short-lived characters. I'll have to add Fox & MLJ as well.


THE 1930s:
* Here we see the dawn of the comic book superhero, as masked men and superhumans take over an industry then ruled by hard-boiled detectives and generic adventurers (Tex Thomson eventually goes from "Adventurer" to "Mr. America"). Very few cancellations, save for Dr. Occult (whose creators made Superman and were thus busy).

1935: Dr. Occult

1936: The Clock

1937: Speed Saunders

1938: Superman, Zatara, Tex Thomson- Mr. America, The Crimson Avenger, Wing
Cancelled: Dr. Occult

1939:
DC: Batman, The Sandman, Ma Hunkel- Red Tornado
Quality: Doll Man, Doll Girl, The Invisible Hood
Timely: Namor the Sub-Mariner, The Human Torch, The Angel, Ka-Zar, American Ace
---
Cancellations: American Ace

THE 1940s:
* The one-two punch of Superman & Batman blow up the world, and the first two years of the decade see an unprecedented surge of creativity, with everyone and their brother trying to make another lawman hit big. Batman gains a sidekick, the first speedster debuts, and about half the JSA show up.

1940:
DC: The Flash, Green Lantern, Robin, Hawkman, Hawkgirl (as Shiera Sanders), The Atom, Dr. Fate, Hourman, Johnny Thunder, The Spectre, Quicksilver, The Whip, Alias- The Spider, The King, Merlin the Magician
Quality: Uncle Sam, Black Condor, The Ray, The Red Bee, Magno- The Magnetic Man, Neon the Unknown, The Red Torpedo, "Pug" Brady
Timely: Toro, The Vision, The Black Widow, Electro, Marvel Boy, Terry Vance- Boy Detective, Red Raven, The Human Top, Dynamic Man, Dynaman, Master Mind Excello, The Laughing Mask, The Blue Blaze, The Falcon, Flexo the Rubber Man, Breeze Barton, Trojak the Tigerman, The Fiery Mask, The Phantom Bullet, Mister E, The Thin Man, The Phantom Reporter, Dakor the Magician, Monako- Prince of Magic, Mantor the Magician, Magar the Mystic, Merzah the Mystic, The Phantom of the Underworld, Bob Roland, Taxi Taylor, Zara of the Jungle, Zephyr Jones
---
Cancellations: Red Raven, The Human Top, Dynamic Man, Dynaman, Master Mind Excello, The Laughing Mask, The Blue Blaze, The Falcon, Flexo the Rubber Man, Breeze Barton, Trojak the Tigerman, The Fiery Mask, The Phantom Bullet, Mister E, The Thin Man, The Phantom Reporter, Dakor the Magician, Monako- Prince of Magic, Mantor the Magician, Magar the Mystic, Merzah the Mystic, The Phantom of the Underworld, Bob Roland, Taxi Taylor, Zara of the Jungle, Zephyr Jones

* Half the JSA shows up right here, and form the inaugural team. Every sort of origin and power-set is tried. Plus a whole bunch of horrible acts debut, mostly from Quality. Timely takes a gigantic turd all over the comic book industry by creating more than TWENTY one-offs and guys who don't make more than a couple of issues before disappearing forever. Shockingly, some of these would have effects on their continuity many years later.

1941:
DC: Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Speedy, Dr. Mid-Nite, Starman, The Star-Spangled Kid, Stripesy, Vigilante, Johnny Quick, Sandy the Golden Boy, Paul Kirk- Manhunter, Sargon the Sorcerer, The Seven Soldiers of Victory, The Shining Knight, The Tarantula
Quality: The Blackhawks, The Phantom Lady, Firebrand, The Jester, The Human Bomb, Miss America, Midnight, Butch, Tor the Magic Master
Timely: Captain America, Bucky, The Destroyer, The Patriot, Miss Patriot, The Whizzer, The Young Allies, The Blazing Skull, Black Marvel, The Fin, The Thunderer, The Defender, Rusty, Mercury, The Blue Diamond, The Challenger, Captain Terror, Father Time, The Terror, Jack Frost, Vagabond, Rockman, Mr. Liberty, The Silver Scorpion, The Witness, Davey Drew, Super-Slave, Moon-Man, The Young Avenger
---
Cancelled: Speed Saunders, Magno- The Magnetic Man, Neon the Unknown, "Pug" Brady, The Black Widow, Electro, The Blazing Skull, Super-Slave, Moon-Man, The Young Avenger

* Wonder Woman, Aquaman & Green Arrow shore up DC and become central acts for the next century. Plus, a handful of supporting acts and Mort Weisinger's guys (Johnny Quick, Vigilante) show up. Timely debuts their most popular act, Captain America, which quickly puts them on the map. Interestingly, the first failures pop up around here. Adventurers like Speed Saunders faded away, and some early failed superheroes (Quality's Magno & Neon) are quickly cancelled.

1942:
DC: Wildcat, The Guardian, The Newsboy Legion, The Boy Commandos, Robotman, Mr. Terrific, Dan Richards- Manhunter, Air Wave, Liberty Belle, Stuff- The Chinatown Kid, TNT, Dan the Dyna-Mite
Timely: Miss Fury (Timely), Sgt. Jeff Dix, The Blue Blade, Captain Daring, Citizen V, American Avenger, Roko the Amazing, Jimmy Jupiter, The Secret Stamp
Cancelled: Billy Gunn, The Invisible Hood, The Red Bee, Miss America, Merlin the Magician, Ka-Zar, Black Marvel, The Fin, The Thunderer, The Defender, Rusty, Mercury, The Blue Diamond, The Challenger, Captain Terror, Father Time, The Terror, Jack Frost, Vagabond, Rockman, Mr. Liberty, The Silver Scorpion, The Witness, Davey Drew, The Blue Blade, Captain Daring, Citizen V, American Avenger, Roko the Amazing

* 1942 sees other popular Golden Age acts debut- Wildcat, Guardian, the Boy Commandos & Robotman in particular are long-runners. We've seen the remainder of the JSA debut, along with a few more sidekicks. This is actually the end of the peak of creativity for the genre- everyone after this is pretty forgettable. A lot of the creators end up getting drafted, which might be part of it. Cancellations include a bunch of Quality's lamest acts. And of course the mandatory 20+ short-lived Timely characters (most of whom debuted the year prior).

1943: Captain Triumph, Miss America (Marvel), Tommy Tyme, Captain Wonder, Tim Mulrooney
Cancelled: Alias- The Spider, The King, The Tarantula, Black Condor, The Ray, Tor the Magic Master, The Vision, Marvel Boy, Jimmy Jupiter, The Secret Stamp, Captain Wonder, Tim Mulrooney

* Quality axes a handful of their lower-performing guys, as does DC. Oddly, only Captain Triumph debuts here.

1944: xxxxxxx
Cancelled: Hourman, Dr. Fate, Red Tornado, The Crimson Avenger, Wing, Paul Kirk- Manhunter, The Whip, Mr. America, Uncle Sam, The Clock, Butch, Terry Vance- Boy Detective, Sgt. Jeff Dix

* The end of the war kicks the comic book industry right in the dick. Only Sargon debuts, and DC wipes out 5-6 of their former lawman acts, including 3 JSAers (Hourman, Dr. Fate & Red Tornado) and the long-running Tex Thomson. Quality axes Uncle Sam, who is no longer needed after the War effort dies down. Longtime hero The Clock ends as well.

1945: xxxxx
Cancelled: The Spectre, Miss Fury, The Seven Soldiers of Victory

1946: The Blonde Phantom
Cancelled: The Sandman, Sandy the Golden Boy, Starman, The Guardian, The Destroyer, The Angel, The Patriot, Miss Patriot, The Whizzer, The Young Allies, Tommy Tyme

* A quiet year, but DC eliminates THREE of their acts- Sandman, Starman & Guardian give up the ghost. The Newsboy Legion last another issue or two into the next year. Marvel's 4th, 5th and 6th, biggest characters, The Destroyer, the Angel and the Patriot, fade away, along with a huge chunk of the rest of their line- they give up all but their top heroes after this point.

1947: Namora
Cancelled: Mr. Terrific, Liberty Belle, The Newsboy Legion, The Human Bomb

* More cancellations- oddly, Mr. Terrific outlasts many of his predecessors.

1948: Merry- Girl of 1000 Gimmicks, Sun Girl
Cancelled: Johnny Thunder, The Star-Spangled Kid, Stripesy, Air Wave, Sargon the Sorcerer, Miss America

* DC dumps even more acts, adding only Merry, who doesn't last long. The Star-Spangled Kid had long-since lost his covers to Robin, and now was replaced by his adopted sister.

1949: xxxxx
Cancelled: Hawkgirl, Wildcat, The Boy Commandos, Merry- Girl of 1000 Gimmicks, Captain Triumph, The Jester, Midnight, Namor, Namora, The Human Torch, Toro, Sun Girl, The Blonde Phantom

* Timely fades away as a superhero line, cancelling Namor and the Human Torch, along with their side characters and the Blonde Phantom. Hawkgirl stops showing up, and Wildcat no longer shores up Wonder Woman's book. Some oddly long-lasting Quality guys also get cancelled as their line dies down entirely.

THE 1950s:
* Almost all of the superheroes are now gone- all that's left is the major characters, plus some of the guys Mort Weisinger created and stuck in the "Superman Family" books, keeping them alive.

1950: xxxxxx
Cancelled: Dan Richards- Manhunter, Zatara, Captain America, Bucky
* Cap struggles for much of the Post-War period, but actually lasts a good while after it. His book becomes a horror book in 1950.

1951: Captain Comet
Cancelled: The Flash, Hawkman, The Atom, Dr. Mid-Nite, The Shining Knight

* The last vestigtes of the Justice Society fade away, leaving only the top acts. The Flash, Hawkman AND Green Lantern, plus Atom & Mid-Nite. Oddly the Shining Knight stuck it out for a while.

1953:
Timely/Atlas: Captain America (again), Bucky (again), Namor (again), Namora (again), Human Torch (again), Toro (again)
Cancelled: Robotman, Doll Man, Doll Girl

* Marvel tries again with Captain America (it quickly fails). Quality drops their last popular act save the Blackhawks. Robotman had stuck it out in the "Superman" books but was now gone, his act long since taken over by a Robot Dog sidekick.

1954: xxxxxx
Cancelled: Johnny Quick, Vigilante, Stuff- The Chinatown Kid, Captain Comet, The Phantom Lady, Captain America, Bucky, The Human Torch, Toro

* Mort's boys are finally gone, save Aquaman- Johnny Quick & Vigilante give up the ghost at last, and people stop reprinting Phantom Lady stories. Timely's Cap revival is cancelled the year after it starts- Namor will last one year longer.

1955: xxxxxx
Cancelled: Namor, Namora


HERO LONGEVITY:
Unbroken Runs: Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Arrow, The Blackhawks
14 years: Doll Man (1939-1953), Doll Girl (1939-1953)
13 years: Johnny Quick (1941-1954), Vigilante (1941-1954), The Phantom Lady (1941-1954- off & on run)
12 years: Zatara (1938-1950), Stuff- The Chinatown Kid (1942-1954)
11 years: The Flash (1940-1951), Green Lantern (1940-1951), Hawkman (1940-1951), The Atom (1940-1951), Robotman (1942-1953), Namor the Sub-Mariner (1939-1949, 1953-54), The Human Torch (1939-1949, 1953-54)
10 years: Dr. Mid-Nite (1941-51), The Shining Knight (1941-1951), Captain America (1941-1950, 1953-54), Bucky (1941-1950, 1953-54), Toro (1940-49, 1953-54)
9 years: Hawkgirl (1940-49)
8 years: Johnny Thunder (1940-48), Dan Richards- Manhunter (1942-1950), The Jester (1941-49), Midnight (1941-49), The Clock (1936-1944)
7 years: Wildcat (1942-49), Sandman (1939-1946), The Star-Spangled Kid (1941-48), Stripesy (1941-48), Sargon the Sorcerer (1941-48), The Boy Commandos (1942-49), The Angel (1939-1946)
6 years: The Crimson Avenger (1938-1944), Wing (1938-1944), Air Wave (1942-48), Tex Thomson- Mr. America (1938-1944), Captain Triumph (1943-49), The Human Bomb (1941-47)
5 years: Mr. Terrific (1942-47), Starman (1941-46), The Spectre (1940-45), Sandy the Golden Boy (1941-46), Liberty Belle (1942-47), Ma Hunkel- Red Tornado (1939-1944), The Destroyer (1941-46), The Patriot (1941-46), Miss Patriot (1941-46), The Young Allies (1941-46), The Whizzer (1941-46), Miss America (1943-48)
4 years: Dr. Fate (1940-44), Hourman (1940-44), The Guardian (1942-46), The Newsboy Legion (1942-46), The Seven Soldiers of Victory (1941-45), Quicksilver/Max Mercury (1940-44), Speed Saunders (1937-1941), The Whip (1940-44), Uncle Sam (1940-44), Namora (1947-49, 1953-55), Terry Vance- Boy Detective (1940-44)
3 years: Dr. Occult (1935-38), Paul Kirk- Manhunter (1941-44), Alias- The Spider (1940-43), The King (1940-43), Captain Comet (1951-54), Black Condor (1940-43), The Ray (1940-43), The Invisible Hood (1939-1942), Butch (1941-44), The Vision (1940-43), Ka-Zar (1939-1942), Tommy Tyme (1943-46), Miss Fury (1942-45)
2 years: The Tarantula (1941-43), The Red Bee (1940-42), The Red Torpedo (1940-42), TNT (1942-44), Dan the Dyna-Mite (1942-44), Merlin the Magician (1940-42). Tor the Magic Master (1941-43), Sgt. Jeff Dix (1942-44), Marvel Boy (1940, 1943)
1 year: Merry- The Girl of 1000 Gimmicks (1948-49), Billy Gunn (1941-42), Firebrand (1941-42), Miss America (1941-42), Magno- The Magnetic Man (1940-41), Neon the Unknown (1940-41), "Pug" Brady (1940-41), Sun Girl (1948-49), The Black Widow (1940-41), Electro (1940-41), Black Marvel (1941-42), The Fin (1941-42), The Thunderer (1941-42), The Defender (1941-42), Rusty (1941-42), Mercury (1941-42), The Blue Diamond (1941-42), The Challenger (1941-42), Captain Terror (1941-42), Father Time (1941-42), The Terror (1941-42), Jack Frost (1941-42), Vagabond (1941-42), Rockman (1941-42), Mr. Liberty (1941-42), The Silver Scorpion (1941-42), The Witness (1941-42), Davey Drew (1941-42), Jimmy Jupiter (1942-43), The Secret Stamp (1942-43)
-1 Year: American Ace (1939), Red Raven, The Human Top, Dynamic Man, Dynaman, Master Mind Excello, The Laughing Mask, The Blue Blaze, The Falcon, Flexo the Rubber Man, Breeze Barton, Trojak the Tigerman, The Fiery Mask, The Phantom Bullet, Mister E, The Thin Man, The Phantom Reporter, Dakor the Magician, Monako- Prince of Magic, Mantor the Magician, Magar the Mystic, Merzah the Mystic, The Phantom of the Underworld, Bob Roland, Taxi Taylor, Zara of the Jungle, Zephyr Jones (1940), The Blazing Skull, Super-Slave, Moon-Man, The Young Avenger (1941), The Blue Blade, Captain Daring, Citizen V, American Avenger, Roko the Amazing (1942), Captain Wonder, Tim Mulrooney (1943)