#tex thomas

Created by Mort Weisinger and Hal Sharp, TNT and his young partner Dyna-Mite brought atomic energy to the Golden Age hero scene. Tex Thomas, a high school chemistry and PE teacher, was working late with his star pupil, Danny Dunbar, when an accident with radioactive salts left Tex with a positive atomic charge and Danny with a negative one. When they touched, the charges reacted, granting them superhuman strength, speed, and energy powers—Tex generating heat, Danny electricity.

Tex built “Dyna-Rings” to keep their powers dormant until needed, activating them by touching the rings together. As TNT and Dyna-Mite, they fought crime, joined the All-Star Squadron and the Seven Soldiers of Victory, and battled Nazi saboteurs—until Tex was killed in action in 1942, earning the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously. Danny carried on as Dyna-Mite, later joining the Young All-Stars and, in recent times, Old Justice.

TNT was briefly succeeded by a hero named TNTeena, who was killed by Copperhead, while Dyna-Mite’s mantle was briefly taken up by Dyno-Mite Dan, who was slain by Neb-Buh-Loh’s minions.

Most recently, Danny’s youth was mysteriously restored after rescuing time-lost sidekicks from the villain Childminder, leading him to form the Young Justice Society.

Group Affiliations: All-Star Squadron, Young All-Stars, Seven Soldiers of Victory, Old Justice, Young Justice Society

Speculation: TNT and Dyna-Mite’s connection to both Golden Age and modern-era sidekick teams makes them prime candidates for a multigenerational legacy story. Their powers also lend themselves to visually dynamic action sequences.

First Appearance: Star-Spangled Comics (1941) #7

Recommended Reading:

Star-Spangled Comics (1941) #7–23 – Golden Age debut.

All-Star Squadron (1981) – WWII adventures.

Young All-Stars (1987) – Danny’s solo era.

Young Justice (1998) #16 – Debut of Old Justice

Sins of Youth (2000) – Old Justice vs. Young Justice.

Stargirl: The Lost Children (2022) – Return to heroics.

dc.fandom.com/wiki/Thomas_N._Thomas_(New_Earth)

Creator(s): Mort Weisinger

Alias(es): Thomas N “Tex” Thomas

1st Issue w/Uniform: Star-Spangled Comics #22

Year/Month of Publication: 1943/07

Stargirl: The Lost Children #1

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artist: Todd Nauck

To be fair, there’s hardly anything written about any of them anywhere. It’s like they were erased.

dc.fandom.com/wiki/Thomas_N._Thomas_(New_Earth)

Creator(s): Mort Weisinger

Alias(es): Thomas N “Tex” Thomas

1st Issue w/Uniform: Star-Spangled Comics #16

Year/Month of Publication: 1943/01

dc.fandom.com/wiki/Thomas_N._Thomas_(New_Earth)

Creator(s): Mort Weisinger

Alias(es): Thomas N “Tex” Thomas

1st Issue w/Uniform: Star-Spangled Comics #21

Year/Month of Publication: 1943/06

dc.fandom.com/wiki/Thomas_N._Thomas_(New_Earth)

Creator(s): Mort Weisinger

Alias(es): Thomas N “Tex” Thomas

1st Issue w/Uniform: Star-Spangled Comics #17

Year/Month of Publication: 1943/02