I was given a new T-shirt as a gift, but it isn’t the right size so I’ve never worn it and have decided to put it on eBay. It’s a super heavy weight cotton, extra large black Hefty brand, short sleeve T shirt with a group of assorted comic book characters and a “DC Comics 1998” trademark at the bottom. Before I can list it I would like to identify the characters pictured in the listing. Some are well known like The Spectre, Hawkman and Wonder Woman, but others I’m not familar with. Also, is this just a random group or were these characters involved in a group or league of some sort?
That’s the Justice Society of America.
At the top - Hawkman
Next row down - Dr. Fate and Starman
Then the Spectre in the middle
Dr. Mid-Night, Johnny Thunder (without his magic Thunderbolt) Wonder Woman and the Sandman
At the bottom the Atom
The Watchmen were originally the heroes published by Carlton comics. DC had just purchased the rights to Captain Atom, the Blue Beetle, the Question, etc. and Moore wanted to do something interesting with them.
After seeing his ideas, they gave him the okay but realized that there was no way in Holy Hell that the characters could be used again after he was done. So Moore files off the serial numbers and made variations…
OK, I recognise most - Hawkman, Dr Fate, Dr Mid-Nite, Starman, Spectre and Wonder Woman. I’m having a hard time with the other 3. The one in the bowtie, I’m guessing from the link Mr Blue Sky gave, is Johnny Thunder. (Who doesn’t look to be the brightest crayon in the box…) The other two costumed ones have me stumped. I guess the one to her left might be the Atom. The colours are right, anyway, but other details are wrong. The one at the bottom I can’t even guess at.
Atom is the gent on the bottom with the leather truss. The other Mystery man is the Sandman, in his WWII uniform, the one without a gas mask. I believe Simon and Kirby came up with that one.
