# Ask the comic guy 2 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 7, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700 "2003-07-07T03:39:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/61 "2003-07-16T21:33:50Z")
Silly question time… Have there been any superheroes, or supervillains who’ve served in the French Foreign Legion? ---
**Author:** ![DK2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aca169/32.png) [@DK2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DK2)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/62 "2003-07-17T00:06:52Z")
Knowed Out, A new Dr. Strange series written by JMS (Amazing Spider Man, creator of Babylon 5) should come out in early 2004. As for collected volumes of Dr. Strange stories their is an Essential Dr. Strange volume reprinting the early issues of his title by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. DocCathode, Good call on Nightmares and Fairytales. Have you read Fables from DC/Veritgo comics? If not I highly recommend this series. It’s when fairytale characters come into the real world, it’s pretty good and is one of my favorite titles. Ranchoth, LOL. I can’t name any from the top of my head but I’m sure their are people here who know. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/63 "2003-07-17T00:27:22Z")
…And a less-silly question, to boot: How many “Elseworlds” comics have been published, so far? Is there a list of them available? ---
**Author:** ![DK2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aca169/32.png) [@DK2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DK2)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/64 "2003-07-17T03:53:33Z")
Ranchoth, Their have been tons of Elseworlds over the years. The first one that started it all was the critically acclaimed “The Dark Knight Returns”(even if it wasn’t the first official Elseworlds). It’s funny though when I compiled this list I thought that more Elseworlds existed. This list should be accurate but if anyone notices that I missed any Elseworlds please let me know. Batman: The Blue, the Grey and the Bat Maggin/Weiss/Garcia-Lopez Batman: Brotherhood of the Bat Moench/Misc. Batman: Castle of the Bat Harris/B. Hampton Batman: Dark Allegiances Chaykin/Chaykin Batman: The Devil’s Workshop Chaykin & Moore/Chiarello Batman: Gotham by Gaslight Augustyn/Mignola/Russell (first official Elseworlds) Batman: Holy Terror Brennart/Breyfogle Batman: In Darkest Night Barr/Bingham Batman: Man Bat Jamie Delano/Bolton Batman: Master of the Future Augustyn/Barreto Batman: Scar of the Bat Collins/Barreto The Golden Age Robinson/Paul Smith JLA: League of Justice Hannigan/Hannigan/Giordano Kamandi: At Earths End T. Veitch/Reyes/Barreiro Robin 3000 Preiss/Russell Superman: At Earth’s End T. Veich/Gomez Superman: Kal Gibbons/Garcia-Lopez Superman: Speeding Bullets DeMatteis/Barretto Superman: Red Sun Millar/DJohnson JLA: The Nail Alan Davis/Mark Farmer Graphic Novels Batman/Dracula: Bloodstorm Moench/K. Jones/J. Beatty Batman: Dark Joker the Wild Moench/Jones/J. Beatty) Batman/Dracula: Red Rain Moench/K. Jones/ M. Jones III ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/65 "2003-07-17T04:46:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Superheroes and supervillains are often mocked for their fondness for spandex costumes. That leaves me to wonder, are there any “super” characters who don’t wear some kind of uniform? In short, are there any “Supers” in “civies”? One who I think wasn’t mentioned was Wonderman. He was a member of the Avengers back in the eighties and basically wore a safari jacket and slacks. It stood out because his teammates were all wearing typical superhero outfits. My two questions: I’ve heard there was a DC superhero story set in an alternate history where the nazis won WWII. Does anyone know the name of this book? I read the Top 10 series about a police precinct in a world were everyone has superpowers. Has the writer ever explained the background of this world? ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/66 "2003-07-17T06:51:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by shy guy \* > \*\*I read a _Phantom_ one shot published by… whoever the heck publishes the Phantom these days and it wasn’t too bad, so the concept is still out there in some form. > > He’s wound up kind of like the Shadow or Doc Savage, though. No one really wants to do anything with him. \*\* I find it interesting that the Shadow and Doc Savage keep resurfacing. While they aren’t successful for long, they have had more lives than a cat. Am I the only one who loved the 1994 movie of the Shadow? ---
**Author:** ![Bulla\_Felix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b38774/32.png) [@Bulla\_Felix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bulla_Felix)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/67 "2003-07-17T07:21:46Z")
I gots a coupla questions: Why did Valiant Comics tank? Was it the Deathmate crossover? Was it Bloodshot? Should they have severed ties with Jim Shooter when they did? Did anyone else love BWS’s Archer and Armstrong, Bob Hall’s Shadowman and Don Perlin’s Solar as much as I did? Man, I miss those old Valiant books. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/68 "2003-07-17T07:54:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DK2 \* > \*\*Ranchoth, Their have been tons of Elseworlds over the years. The first one that started it all was the critically acclaimed “The Dark Knight Returns”(even if it wasn’t the first official Elseworlds). It’s funny though when I compiled this list I thought that more Elseworlds existed. > \*\* Not a bad start, but there are more listed [here](http://www.eskimo.com/~tegan/aqua/else/). Looks like he keeps it fairly up to date. ---
**Author:** ![DK2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aca169/32.png) [@DK2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DK2)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/69 "2003-07-18T04:38:57Z")
Little Nemo, I’m pretty sure you’re talking about the “River Run” storyline in Swamp Thing a couple years back. It’s when Swamp Thing kept traveling to alternate realities and he entered a reality where the Nazis won World War II. It was issues #151-#159 and I highly recommend it. Just remember that it only dealt with the World War II thing in one issue (which issue number I don’t recall at the moment) but the whole storyline is still good though. I think you may also be talking about JSA: The Liberty File Elseworlds mini-series but I’m not sure if the Nazis won in that series. As for your other question I don’t read Top 10 but I’m sure there are people here who do that can answer your question. Same thing for Bulla’s questions I never read Valiant but again I’m sure someone else can chime in with an answer. Mockingbird, I didn’t like The Shadow movie at all, it just wasn’t for me. But I heavily recommend Andy Helfer’s run on the Shadow in the 1980s if you haven’t already read it. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/70 "2003-07-18T05:18:08Z")
Question: does X-Force/X-Statix (the stuff done by Milligan and Allred) occur within mainstream Marvel continuity or not? The book itself (which I’m reading in collections) refers to characters and events from the regular Marvel Universe, but the events in X-Statix don’t sound like they crop up in the rest of the lineup. Examples: the extensive fan club/media frenzy surrounding X-Statix, and stuff like feeder teams for potential team members. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/71 "2003-07-18T05:30:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Little Nemo \* > \*\*I read the Top 10 series about a police precinct in a world were everyone has superpowers. Has the writer ever explained the background of this world? \*\* Some of the background of Neopolis can be gleaned from the text pages at the end of issue no. #1. Basically Neopolis exists as a city designed by Nazi-super scientists after WWII that is principally populated by various superhuman beings. These, we may be sure, are the same comic book Nazis that were building giant Hitler robots, cellular replicants, death ray guns and other uber-weapons in various comics over the years. Later in the series we discover that Neopolis is one of a series of parallel worlds, and its precinct, Top Ten, is just one of many different police parallels – and a _smaller_ one at that. When King Peacock visits the Roman parallel, one of the officers accompanying him makes the comment that “When we ran out of room for our separate sagas, we moved here.” Inferred from the dialogue, it seems that other parallel worlds have at least one ‘super-city’, too. Recently --in either TOM STRONG or PROMETHEA – the city of Neopolis is revealed to be in Florida (!) The police procedural aspect of the plotting is based on American police ensemble dramas – principally HILL STREET BLUES, which Alan Moore was definitely a fan in the 80s, and others like HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREETS and LAW & ORDER. **Mockingbird** , I echo **DK2’s** endorsement of Andrew Helfer’s SHADOW run. I have every issue and I pull them out to read every once in a while. As for the Phantom, it really depends on who’s doing the writing. I will note that many of that character’s aspects were borrowed by Priest’s _very_ early issues of **Black Panther** before Everett Ross started taking up too much screen-time and the series turned quasi-political. ---
**Author:** ![DK2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aca169/32.png) [@DK2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DK2)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/72 "2003-07-18T05:54:09Z")
Interrobang!?, X-Statix is indeed in mainstream Marvel continuity I’am 100% positive on this. On the account of the Wolverine appearances and the upcoming appearance from Spider-Man (in the next storyline after this one). On a sidenote I consider X-Statix to be one of the best comics being published currently. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/73 "2003-07-18T06:41:10Z")
Coupla **Gotham City** questions, this time… 1. In a few comics (Like _Kingdom Come_), I’ve noticed a large, Statue of Liberty-lookalike statue built on an island near Gotham. What is this statue, exactly? Are there any pictures of it online? 2. Über-geek time; does anyone know Gotham’s supposed Latitude and Longitude? ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/74 "2003-07-18T06:43:30Z")
Early on, Gotham was NYC as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/75 "2003-07-18T10:10:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > \*\*Coupla **Gotham City** questions, this time… > > 1. In a few comics (Like _Kingdom Come_), I’ve noticed a large, Statue of Liberty-lookalike statue built on an island near Gotham. What is this statue, exactly? Are there any pictures of it online? > > 2. Über-geek time; does anyone know Gotham’s supposed Latitude and Longitude? \*\* 1. I think that is the Statue of Freedom in Gotham’s harbor. You can probably find it somewhere online, but it may take some looking. 2. Well, not the exact location, but it is supposed to be in Delaware, so that should narrow down the possibilities. 😃 Lok ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/76 "2003-07-18T11:18:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DK2 \* > \*\*Little Nemo, I’m pretty sure you’re talking about the “River Run” storyline in Swamp Thing a couple years back. It’s when Swamp Thing kept traveling to alternate realities and he entered a reality where the Nazis won World War II. It was issues #151-#159 and I highly recommend it. Just remember that it only dealt with the World War II thing in one issue (which issue number I don’t recall at the moment) but the whole storyline is still good though. I think you may also be talking about JSA: The Liberty File Elseworlds mini-series but I’m not sure if the Nazis won in that series. \*\* Just as an aside, the whole River Run storyline (which, IMO, was the only Swampy run worth reading after Veitch left) was an homage to the pre-Crisis universe. The “Nazis won” issue was the wink-wink-nudge-nudge homage to “Earth X” (the Pre-Crisis world where the Nazis won and the Freedom Fighters hung out). IIRC (and it’s been _years_ ) there was one with a retired hero and his daughter that was Earth-2, one where the formula of “dead guy+fire+swamp” did NOT equal “Swamp Creature” but instead equaled “Soggy, burned corpse” which was “Earth Prime”. The one where magic worked was (for reasons far to involved to go into) “Earth S” (where the Shazam! characters hung out) and so on. Great series and I think it’s about time to reread em. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/77 "2003-07-18T11:25:02Z")
And some people wonder why Fenris is my boy toy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/78 "2003-07-18T11:26:25Z")
Um… that was a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/79 "2003-07-18T16:57:23Z")
Boy, that sure killed the conversation… ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/80 "2003-07-18T20:22:56Z")
Got a question: In the most recent Gotham Knights, Bats and friends flush out the cave to decontaminate it of a disease that nerly killed Alfred. At the end, there’s a frame showing a weird bat-like creature, and a caption something like: “And all the residents of the batcave were safe, even the ones that usually go unnoticed.” (going from memory here, so forgive me). What the hell is it? Is this BatMite? I’ve heard of him, but don’t know anything about him. If not, what is he? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700.md?page=5)