Category: Odd Powers

  • Try Not To Think About This

    Tommy Troy is The Fly. Gifted a magic amulet by an inter-dimensional fly-man (yes, really), he was originally a child who could turn into an adult, then later an adult who became super-powered. His abilities? Vague insect powers. What kind of powers?   That’s not how honey is made. For those who know how honey…

  • Oh NO!

    So now that the Robot has the Metal Men, what does it do to them?

  • A Forgotten Golden Age Gem.

    Regular readers have all followed how the Tex Thomson strip has evolved over the Golden Age. First an adventure strip, Tex gained an extra (racist) comic sidekick, a short-lived almost-relationship with a justice-seeking femme fatale, faked his own death, and came back as a super-hero. The one constant in the strip till now has been…

  • Two Unique Origins From One Comic

    Sensation Comics is just awesome, featuring the weird and wonderful Wonder Woman’s origin. However, that’s not the best bit.

  • The Atom is Often Looked Down Upon.

    I should have mentioned that All Star Comics #3 is the first appearance of the JSA. It’s not an actual team adventure, really. The JSA is portrayed as more of a “social club for heroes”, with them all sitting about, telling stories. What’s interesting are the below two introductions:

  • I Did Not Know This.

    The Human Bomb is a classic Golden Age character, with the power of explosive fists. What I did not know is that he had a sidekick…

  • This Is Always A Cool Visual

    This is not the first comic to feature this sort of antagonist, but I confess a weak spot for them:

  • Gilding The Lilly

    Most bad guys just set traps for Batman. Not these guys:

  • Because Telepathy Would Be Too Simple

    In a JLA story that begins with Hal being knocked out (yet again), the League must learn the contents of a map. J’onn has an idea!

  • Take A Shot

    Most people have memories. Not J’onn

  • The Bouncer

    I give you a character with an origin so messed-up, it melds that fine line between lame and awesome. Behold, the Bouncer – with super expository powers! In today’s super-decompressed stories, that one panel would be a whole issue, with the last sentence ending in a cliffhanger. I need more Bouncer comics.

  • Wait, What?

    Here’s a fun fact: Invulnerability is apparently not a super-power.

  • Bat-Baby!

    This is one of my favorite issues. If only for the cover. Fear his Bat-Short-Pants of Justice! Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot. Also, they hate kids.

  • Does Telescopic Vision Reflect or Refract?

    Help me figure this one out, science-guys: Could someone standing in Happy Harbor see the Sahara Desert with a telescope? Forgetting the buildings in the way (X-ray vision and stuff, of course), doesn’t the Earth like, curve and stuff?

  • Telescopic Vision Squared.

    Superman’s got quite an impressive array of vision powers. So many that he can’t be bothered to come up with names for them all. As seen here, in example # 329 of “Superman and Batman trick the bad guy by swapping costumes”. Superman can “telescopically” see into other dimensions (by, one assumes, vibrating his eyes…

  • The Return of the Martian Manhunter Drinking Game

    I love you, Silver Age Justice League of America, but my liver hates you. New power: Martian Molecular Transmutation. Gosh, that would sure come in handy any of the 3,000 other times he can’t get to a bad guy because of fire (like here). Just change the oxygen content of the air. Bonus points because…

  • The Who With The What Now?

    Someone doesn’t know much about the “Eastern Lands” The I Ching? Black Magic? Really? Now I want to see a bad guy take out Zatanah by throwing yarrow stalks at her.

  • Batman’s Fists of Death

    In this issue, Batman once again develops odd powers (should have made a drinking game for him I guess). In this case, it’s a punch so powerful that a simple love-tap would take off a criminal’s head. Due to this, he uses work-arounds to take out bad guys. … Yes, because having large chunks of…

  • The Horror, The Horror!

    Batman has undergone another strange transformation! Run, run from the high-contrast menace that he has become! One wonders if this was some sort of “subtle” racial commentary? I doubt it. Doesn’t stop it from being silly though.

  • Physics Takes A Holiday

    In Detective #268, Batman develops strange powers, including super strength. This is not the first or last time he’ll get super powers. Still, it’s notable for the below. Ah, Gotham architecture! Despite being on fire and having no apparent foundation (and note the lack of any sort of utility connections), the building can be flung…

  • We’re All Naked Under Our Clothes.

    The “Iron Spider” costume was an… interesting idea. First they amp up his powers with “The Other”, then they give him a supped-up costume. Aside from the delicious “Tony as Sugar Daddy” angle, there’s the whole question of just how much sense it makes. I mean? he’s supposed to be strong, lighting fast, and can…

  • Ew!

    This is the most unladylike power ever. Although you have to love how Mal’s archfoe is actually his girlfriend. Karen creates a costumed identity t give Mal a hard time as “payback” for his spending so much time with the Titans. Don’t you hate getting crap from your significant other for being out with the…

  • Poor Mal.

    Mal Duncan eventually got an inferiority complex about his lack of powers (he shouldn’t have. He was more useful than Aqualad). Fortunately, a handy angel dropped by with a magic weapon. Just because. The shofar was a real “deus ex machina”, doing different things as the story called for it (sort of a proto-Tyroc). I…

  • I Fear Kraven.

    Kraven scares me. Always has. Not because he’s the world’s greatest hunter. Not because he’s obsessed with capturing and killing Spider-Man. Not even because he smells like lion pee. All that pales before the terror of? ?HIS NEFARIOUS NIPPLE RAYS! Noooooo!