DC Special Series #19 is an issue of the series DC Special Series (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1979. It was published on July 5, 1979.
Synopsis for "The Secret Origin of Wonder Woman!"
Appearing in "The Secret Origin of Wonder Woman!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- Bracelets of Submission
- Golden Girdle of Gaea
- Lasso of Truth
- Purple Healing Ray
- Wonder Woman's Tiara
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Origin of the Superman–Batman Team!"
This story is reprinted from World's Finest #94.
When Luthor escapes from prison again, Batman and Robin are reminded of their earliest case together with Superman. They rush to Metropolis in the event that Luthor intends to use kryptonite against Superman again.
When Batman and Robin summon Superman to work out their collaborative attack to stop Luthor, they are surprised to see Superman arrive with Powerman. Superman unexpectedly claims that Powerman is his new partner and that Batman and Robin are no longer needed.
Powerman
The surprise move does not deter Batman and Robin from continuing their investigation against Luthor, though not directly with Superman. Batman and Robin devise an effective defence against Luthor's latest invention - a destructive ray that cannot penetrate silicon. With their shields the subdue Luthor and confiscate the kryptonite he intended to use in a ploy against Superman. With the threat of Luthor removed, Superman revealed to his friends that Powerman was a remote-controlled robot he designed to safeguard them from harm, and deal with Luthor is he attempted to use kryptonite to eliminate Superman.
Appearing in "The Origin of the Superman–Batman Team!"
Featured Characters:
- Superman (Flashback and main story)
- Batman (Flashback and main story)
- Robin (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Powerman (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Flash: "The Mystery of the Elongated Man!"
This story is reprinted from The Flash #112.
The Flash is at risk of losing the Central City Man of the Year award by the arrival of a new costumed hero named the The Elongated Man. The Elongated Man is really Ralph Dibny, who as a young boy was interested in the abilities of Indian Rubber Men as a child, and learned the secret to their stretching abilities: A rare tropical fruit extract which is found in Gingold Soda Water. Extracting some of this fruit extract, Ralph gained amazing stretching powers and took on the costumed identity.
When a series of thefts occur in the city, the Flash gets involved in their search, pitting him in a fight against the Elongated Man when the Flash believes him to be the crook. However, after the fight, Elongated Man takes Flash to the hideout of the real crooks, clearing his name. The two become fast friends, and at the end of their first adventure together they are both named Man of the Year.
Appearing in Flash: "The Mystery of the Elongated Man!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Perry Veto (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- The Elongated Man (First appearance) (Origin)
Locations:
- Earth-One
- Sinorient Importing Company
Items:
- Gingold
- Ming Vases
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "How Aquaman Got His Powers!"
This story is reprinted from Adventure Comics #260.
One day a US Military submarine is testing a new type of atomic warhead, Aquaman summons various sea life to help him disarm the warheads. Boarding the ship, Aquaman meets the captain and asks him not to test the weapons. Asking for an explanation, Aquaman leads the captain away from the crew and tells him the story of how he got his powers.
Aquaman explains that some years ago an ex-sailor who now lived the life of a lighthouse keeper saw a woman on a raft caught in a raging hurricane. Coming to her rescue, he learned the woman's name was Atlanna. The two fell in love, and a year later Atlanna gave birth to a young boy. As the boy grew up, his father was shocked to find that the boy could swim, breathe under water and communicate with sea life. Sometime later, Atlanna became ill and on her death bed explained to her son and husband that she was really from the lost city of Atlantis, a city whose people could live under the sea, and that she was forced into exile by her people. In her dying breath, she tells her son that he would one day be ruler of the oceans.
Thus the widowed lighthouse keeper trained the boy to control his powers, and sent him to school on the surface to get an education. Eventually the lighthouse keeper died and was buried at sea and the boy became the hero known as Aquaman. With his story finished the submarine captain asks Aquaman why he shouldn't test his warheads in this location, and Aquaman tells him in secret that it is the location of the lost city of Atlantis. As the submarine relocates, Aquaman swims past Atlantis, hoping to someday introduce himself to the people that live there.
Appearing in "How Aquaman Got His Powers!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Other Characters:
- Commander Haskel (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Atlantic Ocean
- Curry Lighthouse (First appearance) (Flashback only)
Synopsis for Legion of Super-Heroes: "Brotherly Hate!"
This story is reprinted from Superboy #172.
After the Interplanetary Bank is robbed, Lightning Lad finds himself in a showdown with his evil brother, Lightning Lord.
Appearing in Legion of Super-Heroes: "Brotherly Hate!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Cosmic Boy (Flashback only)
- Saturn Girl (Flashback only)
- R.J. Brande (Flashback only)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Hawkman: "The Masked Marauders of Earth!"
This story is reprinted from The Brave and the Bold #43.
The Earth is being attacked by the Manhawks, giant alien birds that wear special human faced masks that shoot eye beams that displace matter. These are of a same species of Manhawks who once plagued planet Thanagar years ago. Getting a distress call from Commissioner Emmett in Midway City on Earth, Hawkman and Hawkgirl leave planet Thanagar to help their adopted planet.
Along the way, Katar reflects on the Manhawk's crime spree on Thanagar: He recalls when they first appeared one day while he and his father, Paran Katar, were testing out new wings that he had designed so that they may study the various bird species on planet Thanagar. Back then, the Manhawk's masks only were capable of giving off blinding flashes of light. Katar would go out and capture one of the masks and take it back to his father to be examined so that they may learn a suitable defense. Creating a helmet shaped like a hawks head, Katar and other Thanagarians would defeat and imprison the Manhawks who invaded Thanagar. This event would lead to the formation of the Thanagar police force as it is today.
Arriving on Earth, Hawkman and Hawkgirl try their new offensive against the Manhawks, however, they find that the weapons that were developed to stop them on Thanagar have no effect on these ones on Earth. Further, the Manhawks manage to escape when they use their powers to make Hawkgirl's wings disappear.
Coming up with a solution to stop the Manhawks, Hawkman and Hawkgirl track them to a hidden base in northern Canada. Using make-shift Thermite Bombs and dumping coal dust into rainclouds is enough to not only force the Manhawks out of hiding, but obscure the blasters built into the eye slits of their masks. Hawkman and Hawkgirl then easily defeat them and turn them over to Commissioner Emmett, whom they are pleased to tell that they've been allowed to stay on Earth and learn it's policing methods.
Appearing in Hawkman: "The Masked Marauders of Earth!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Manhawks (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
Other Characters:
- Paran Katar (First appearance) (Flashback only)
- Jim (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Batman: "The Origin of Robin!"
This story is reprinted from Batman #213.
When the owner of a traveling circus, named Mr. Haly, is confronted by thugs, they ask Mr. Haly to pay a "fine", but He refuses to pay and as a result, his bestselling attraction, the Flying Graysons, are killed "accidentally" while performing that night. The Graysons' young son, Dick, overhears an incriminating conversation between the killer and his employer Boss Zucco. Dick plans to call the police, but Batman takes in Dick Grayson, instead of immediately pursuing the thugs. Batman trains Dick, already an excellent acrobat, on how to become a crime-fighter. When a period of training is over, Dick is given a red, green, and yellow costume and adopts the identity of Robin, the Boy Wonder, which was the same garb that Batman used in his chilhood while working with Harvey Harris.
Dick debuts as Batman's sidekick, and the dynamic duo hunt down the extortion gang, and their leader, Boss Zucco. Zucco's new plan is to demolish a skyscraper construction site (the Canin Building), but Robin and Batman defeat the gang in a dangerous battle on the high girders, during which Robin uses a sling to knock one thug off a steel beam and kicks a second gunman off another girder. Zucco is recorded by Robin in the act of pushing his own henchman to his death and this evidence is given to the police, leading to Zucco's conviction for murder. In the end, Robin vows to be Batman's partner against crime.
Appearing in Batman: "The Origin of Robin!"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- "Boss" Zucco
- Blade
Other Characters:
- Flying Graysons
- John Grayson (Dies)
- Mary Grayson (Dies)
- Mr. Haly
- Harvey Harris (Flashback only)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Newtown
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Supergirl from Krypton!"
This story is reprinted from Action Comics #252.
Supergirl Arrives
Clark Kent is working alone in his office one afternoon when he catches something out of the corner of his eye. Using his x-ray vision, he witnesses a purple colored rocket ship crash landing several miles away. Switching into his Superman costume, he flies off to investigate. When he arrives, he is shocked to discover that the rocket's sole occupant is another Kryptonian – a young blonde-haired girl named Kara.
Kara tells Superman that her home town, Argo City was blasted free of Krypton's destruction in a bubble of compressed air. The island soared through space as free-floating planetoid. Her father was a scientist named Zor-El who created a force field bubble around the city to contain the atmosphere and also coated the ground with sheets of lead to prevent traces of Kryptonite in the ground from poisoning the populace. Years later, when Kara was a teenager, a meteor shower in space penetrated the air bubble and tore through the lead shielding. In order to save his daughter from Kryptonite poisoning, Zor-El designed a space ship to rocket her away from the city. His wife learned of the existence of Earth, and its Kryptonian hero, Superman. They chose to send Kara to Earth so that she can be with one of her own.
Superman realizes that Kara's father, Zor-El, was the brother of his own father, making the two of them cousins. He is elated to find another Kryptonian but remorseful for the fact that like him, Kara is now an orphan.
Supergirl's Alter-Ego
Superman cannot take charge of Kara because he needs to protect his own secret identity. However, he flies her to the nearby town of Midvale and registers her at the Midvale Orphanage. He provides her with a brown pig-tailed wig, and Kara chooses the name Linda Lee as her new Earth name. Superman promises to train Kara in her new super-powers, stating that this Supergirl will become his new secret weapon against fighting crime.
After Superman leaves, Kara settles in at the orphanage. She begins testing her new powers by cleaning her room with super-breath and fixing a bent iron bed leg with super-strength. She cannot wait for her first official adventure as Supergirl.
Appearing in "The Supergirl from Krypton!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Superman
- Zor-El (Flashback only) (First appearance)
- Allura In-Ze (Flashback only) (First appearance)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Miss Hart (First appearance)(headmistress at orphanage)
- Mister Dixon (First appearance) (headmaster at the orphanage)
Locations:
Items:
- Anti-Kryptonite (First appearance; unnamed)(Flashback only)
- Space Telescope
Vehicles:
Notes
- "The Secret Origin of Wonder Woman!" is the only original story in this issue. The others are reprints.
See Also
Links and References
Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.