Chapter 2 The Silver Age (1956-1970) Featuring Earth-One

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Earth-One was the home of happy and safe Silver Age heroes who operated under the watchful eye of the CCA. In 1956 no-one thought of it as "Earth-One". It was just a reboot or a fresh start. However, over time there were many problems with the continuity that kept cropping up. - beginning with the very first Silver Age Hero, Flash. 

1956 Barry Allen (Flash II) makes his first appearance in Showcase #4

Silver-Age Barry Allen (Flash II). Golden Age Jay Garrick (Flash I). –Showcase vol. 1 #4 

Showcase #4 introduced Barry Allen, (Flash II), and it also referred to Jay Garrick (Flash I) as being just a comic book character within the comic. The new Flash issued in the Silver Age, and triggered the re-imagining of many Super Heroes. Referencing the Golden Age Flash I as a comic book character inplied that all Golden Age heroes also existed in the comics.

Aug 1956 Wonder Woman vs Robot Woman -Wonder Woman vol. 1 #84

1956 Katherine Kane (Batwoman) –Detective Comics vol. 1 #233

1957 Lois Lane has super powers temporarily “The Forbidden Box from Krypton” -Showcase vol. 1 #10

1958 Lana Lang gets powers and becomes “Power Girl” temporarily.

1958-1994 The pre-Zero Hour Original “Legion of Super-Heroes” was from the 31^st Century, and they were inspired by watching Superboy. Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Lightning Boy + later (1959) adding Chameleon Boy, Invisible Kid, Colossal Boy, Star Boy, Brainiac 5, Triplicate Girl, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, Bouncing Boy, Phantom Girl, and Ultra Boy plus Supergirl. Keep your thumb here, Superboy and the Legion will eventually spawn many  paradoxes and continuity nightmares.

First appearance: -Adventure Comics vol. 1 #247

1958-1986 Silver Age Earth-One Princess Diana of Paradise Island/Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) –Wonder Woman vol. 1 #98

1958 Jimmy Olsen makes a wish and magically “Super-Girl” appears to keep Kal-El/Clark Kent (Superman) company for one issue. (She is not Kara) –Superman vol. 1 #123

1958 Lois Lane (Power Woman) –Superman vol. 1 #125

1959-1985 Kara Zor-El/Linda Lee Danvers (Supergirl) 1st appearance: Kara Zor-El travels from Krypton to Earth and becomes the Pre-Crisis Original Supergirl. -Action Comics vol. 1 #252

 

1959 Earth-One Carol Ferris (Star Sapphire) –Showcase vol. 1 #22

1959 Earth-One Diana of Paradise Island had several adventures as (Wonder Girl I) before she became Wonder Woman –Wonder Woman vol. 1 #105

1959 Earth-One Lisa Morel (Aquagirl I) –Adventure Comics vol. 1 #266

Also Introduced in 1950’s: Captain Comet, Phantom Stranger, Martian Manhunter, Adam Strange, Lady Blackhawk, Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Kid Flash

1960 The Justice League of America first appeared as a team to battle a giant starfish-shaped alien creature –Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #28

1960 The Justice League of America gets their first self-titled book –Justice League of America vol. 1 #1-260 (1987)

1960 First appearance of Silver Age Hal Jordan (Green Lantern II) -Showcase vol. 1 #22

November1960 Super-Lois and Super-Lana do battle –Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #21

1961 Flash of two worlds – Jay and Barry meet

Earth-Two is affirmed in “Flash of two worlds”  as the home of Golden Age Jay Garrick (Flash I). –Flash vol. 1 #123

Flash of Two Worlds returned the Golden Age Flash I to the DC Universe by teaming him up with Flash II. It was explained that Flash I lived on Earth-Two and Flash II lived on Earth-One. This also triggered the return of other Golden Age Justice Society heroes. (See 1963 JLA #21 shown below)

1961-1985 Mary Elizabeth “Bette” Kane (BatGirl I) –Batman vol. 1 #139

1961 on "Earth 124.1" Diana of Paradise Island (Wonder Woman) and Donna Troy (Wonder Girl II) -Wait, I thought Wonder Girl was just a young Wonder Woman before she grew up! Now they are two different people.–Wonder Woman vol. 1 #124

1961 The very first appearance of Silver Age Ray Palmer (The Atom) -Showcase vol. 1 #34

1961 Silver Age Kator Hol (Hawkman) and Shayera Hol (Hawkwoman I) are revived from the Comic Book "Interregnum" as alien police from the planet Thanganar.  They came to Earth-One. Hawkman joined the Justice League (JLA) -Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #34

1962 Luma Lunaii – Action Comics vol. 1 #289

1962 The first of many regular appearances of the Legion of Super-Heroes in Adventure Comics - which had primarily featured Super Boy since 1946. - Adventure Comics vol. 1 #300

1963 Earth-One Selena (Aquagirl II)'s single appearance –World’s Finest vol. 1 #133

1963 Batman and Robin on an alien world - and Robin dies? -Batman vol. 1 #156

1963 Earth-One JSA/Earth-Two JLA crossover in the story "Crisis on Earth-One". -Justice League of America vol. 1 #21

Question: If Superman and Batman were founding members of the JSA, which was later ret-conned to have taken place on the Golden Age Earth-2, how could they also be members of the JLA, which took place on Silver Age Earth-1? Answer: There were two Superman's and two Batman's!

1964 Batman's "New Look" with his yellow logo and a more fit appearance debut in Detective Comics vol. 1 #327 (Shown here on the cover of Detective Comics vol. 1 #329)

1965-1969 Earth-One Donna Troy (Wonder Girl II) –Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 and various “Wonder Woman Family” issues

  

1965 Mera “Trap of the Sinister Sea Nymphs!”–Aquaman vol. 1 #22

1966 Silver Age Earth-One Selena Kyle (Catwoman) with a new costume. This time it is green with pants. –Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane vol. 1 #70

1966 Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy) –Batman vol. 1 #181

1967 Tula (Aquagirl III) is an Atlantean and a Teen Titan –Aquaman vol. 1 #33

1967 Batman and Hawkman in pitched battle right on the cover -The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #70

1967 Barbara Gordon (Batgirl II) first appeared in –Detective Comics vol. 1 #359

1967 Kara Zor-El/Linda Lee Danvers (Supergirl) and Barbara Gordon (Batgirl II) team up for the first time. –World’s Finest #169

1967 Selena Kyle (Catwoman) gets green sequins, just like real-life Julie Newmar (Catwoman) in the 1966 Batman TV show. –Batman vol. 1 #197

1968 Leonid Konstantinovich Kovar (Starfire I) is a villain in -Teen Titans vol. 1 #18

1968 Wonder Woman loses her super powers and goes Mod -Wonder Woman vol. 1 #178

1969 Selena Kyle (Catwoman) gets a blue Go-Go outfit -Batman vol. 1 #210

  

1969 Donna Troy (Wonder Girl II) in her new costume –Teen Titans vol. 1 #23

1969 All Golden Age Heroes are retconned to Earth-Two

1969, We had some parallel Earth cross-over before with Flash and some other minor characters. But now it affects Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman too. Golden Age Kal-L/Clark Kent (Superman) is explained to have always existed on Earth-Two as a member of JSA while Silver Age Kal-El/Clark Kent (Superman) lived on Earth-One  and was a member of JLA. -Justice League of America vol. 1 #73-74

1969 Diana Laurel Lance (Black Canary II) youthfully appears in -Justice League of America vol. 1 #75

Reading JLA #75 seems to make it obvious that the Black Canary who moved from Earth-Two to Earth-One was Dinah Drake Lance (Black Canary I). But in JLA #219 we learn that she is actually Dinah Drake and Larry Lance's daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance (Black Canary II) - and that she has simply been given her mother's memories. This retcon was needed to explain the Black Canary's youthful appearance. (Remember, Earth-Two heroes were older and mainly retired when they teamed up with Earth-One heroes in all the crossovers.) Eventually (in Crisis of Infinite Earths) we are told that Black Canary II had been a JLA member since its founding, taking the place of a de-powered Wonder Woman.

1970 Jack Kirby moved from Marvel to DC.

October 1970 is Jack Kirby’s first issue at DC during this era. Often cited as marking the end of the Silver Age. -Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #133

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