#automan

New History of the DC Universe #1 (2025)

But of them, I’ve only ever heard of Comet and Congorilla, though I think Tiger Man might have been part of Guy Gardner’s hangers on for a time?

Can you tell us anything about them?

The Justice Alliance, like the Justice Experience after them was the proof of a truism in my profession. Once the superheroic cat was let out of the bag, it was impossible to put it back in. Superhuman adventurers and do gooders have existed since the beginning of human records and most likely before they've just gone by the names and categories of humanities Gods and Monsters for millennia up until the 1940s brought them into the limelight of a world that not only required them the most but also made them impossible to fully disbelieve with the advent of worldwide communication and photographic evidence mixed with the general fading of magical thinking in exchange for the growth of science.

Despite the HUAC's best attempts, and even with the passing of the Keene Act, the things that went bump in the night whether they be human crime, occult incursion or invasion from beyond the stars were never going to slink quietly back into the background and evil always summons heroes to challenge it wherever it hides. Even when superheroes were being officially suppressed in the United States, superhuman incidents didn't slow down and eventually when facing a case that was too large for any of the five of them to overcome alone the team known as the Justice Alliance formed. Like you said its first two members are easy. Captain Comet was in reality Adam Blake, mutated by a comet that passed over the place of his birth his mental and physical abilities outstripped those of mortal men. Congorilla was and is African adventurer Bill Glenmorgan part of a profession that doesn't really exist anymore, he had been given a magical ring that at the time allowed him to switch his consciousness between his human self and that of a large, golden haired gorilla.

Prince Ra Man (far left, in green) is a being from the extradimensional Ra-Realm which holds either the Egyptian Gods of myth or beings that greatly resemble them. Swapping places with supernatural detective Mark Merlin, Ra Man was the original nemesis of the villainous Eclipso

Automan (Bronze, robot) was invented by Professor Miller Sterling as one of the earliest public experiments in computer cognition. Working beyond his wildest dreams the robot became self aware, setting itself up as a "Robot for Hire".

Tiger Man (you know which one) is in reality Desmond Farr, when traveling in Bombay (now Mumbai) Desmond and his brother Dean were cursed with the ability to transform into half human tigers with the obvious benefits of the transformation as well as the drawbacks of being a 7 foot bipedal tiger. Their breakup was down to a single large external factor that exacerbated various internal factors among the members.

The Keene Act was still in effect, and importantly, being strictly enforced. Whenever the heroes appeared, even in the aftermath of battle with a known criminal they were assaulted by the police and this hounding by law enforcement only became more pronounced as the team's short career went on. Multiple attempts to establish permanent methods of communication or headquarters for the team were disrupted by police raids and investigations were underway attempting to uncover the heroes' identities where applicable for the sake of prosecuting the "accomplices" among their friends and family.

This ended up encouraging what would be, for the most part, very short careers. Captain Comet, feeling that his advanced abilities pushed him beyond the bounds of earth, left for Space where he became a well beloved hero in many sectors of the galaxy by the time other human heroes would make their way to the stars.

Congorilla would find his home in Central Africa where he had spent most of his adult life, only returning to the larger superhero community in fits and starts until very recently

Prince Ra Man would eventually be called back to his home dimension to take over the throne when that responsibility passed to him.

Automan would, seeing the bigotry and unkindness of modern humanity place himself in stasis until such a time as he judged our species might have grown beyond our cold war hatreds. He is not meant to wake up for nearly 7 decades and his body is in storage at an undisclosed location until then.

At one time my father used to confuse Tron with the early 80's TV show, Automan starring Desi Arnaz Jr. and Chuck Wagner.

But I always used to try to differentiate them for him by telling him about the distinction that Tron was about humans (users) going INTO the computer and Automan was about coming OUT of the computer.. with a program coming out to be a hero in the real world..

But I really love what Mark tried to bring to the first one. First, it had an intuitive structure and actually used full access to the universe's Legacy. For example, returning his daughter to a still-young Jay and trying to make him the fastest-reaching first hero suits him well and gives him great uniqueness. I like that they remembered the Demon Knights, but used the story of Arthur's original (New Earth) setting, as it created more complex family ties, making this period akin to Game of Thrones.

Secondly, the approach made individual in-universe things more precise. We've learned to call the green guys, which will later include the Swamp Thing, a separate race. Perhaps the term itself is not the most accurate, but as a fan, I can say that it makes sense. Everything within The Green, if we draw parallels, is analogous to the angels from Paradise. And they truly stand out as a separate race. However, we're here for the future, right? Well, we need Justice Alliance!

You know, it came from the old school Earth, D. The characters themselves were chosen randomly and do not seem to have a consistent pattern. But only at first glance. They're all outsiders. But not like the Doom Patrol, for example. It's not about social or family issues. It's not about ugliness or morals. This is the type of thinking.

They see themselves as loners who are conducting a great exploration. They are heading to places that most readers may not find attractive or even worth defending. They find their perfection in private conversations and fading stars. I see their role in preserving the concept of the superhero. Because traditionally, we have a "against" line. Super villain, for the antipode for the right things. Anti, if we want to show that a character breaks the established canons of the script.

Because true, most frequent, heroism is everyday. It is the continuation of doing what you love through finding new sources of inspiration. It is the ability to engage in dialogue in an unknown society. It is the preservation of knowledge for future generations. Yes, like most superhero stories, the Alliance's members show this through battles against cunning criminals.

But that's why DC should update them in the future. Not only should they add a popular source of inspiration in the form of the JSA, but they should also explore the aspects of personal growth. I believe we will get it someday...