Trivia Quiz #43: Marvel

1. If you wanted to travel from Asgard to Earth, in what direction do you need to go?

2. What non-mutant villain had his powers from childhood?

3. Excluding Uncle Ben, who were the first two non-villains to die in Amazing Spiderman?

4. Who was the Invincible Man?

5. What villain was responsible for the death of Mike Murdock?

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Trivia Quiz #42: Answers

1. Who caused the crack in the Liberty Bell?

Superboy himself caused the crack in the Liberty Bell:

It's part of one of the nuttiest Superboy stories ever, from Adventure #296. Superboy goes back in time and helps Paul Revere, John Hancock and Ben Franklin complete their most famous actions.

2. I was a teenage hoodlum on Krypton before reforming and becoming a member of the Counter Intelligence Corps in the 30th Century. Who am I?
Dev-Em, who came to Earth in a modified bomb shelter and bedeviled Superboy before going to the future and turning over a new leaf.

3. What civic function did Pa Kent perform?

Pa Kent was a member of the parole board at the state reformatory.

4. Who saved Superboy from certain death at the hands of the Kryptonite Kid?
In an oddball twist, Master Mxyzptlk saved Superboy on that occasion, explaining that he did so because he didn't want to lose his favorite opponent.

5. To stop girls from mooning over him, who did Superboy claim was his ideal girlfriend?
In Adventure #291 (and in Adventure #183), Superboy confessed to having a crush on Cleopatra:


Of course, it is never explained how this doesn't qualify as lying, something that we are assured Superboy would never do.

Michael Rebain was the first to get #2. Anonymous got that question right and was the first to answer #3. And don't try to stump Commander Benson, as he got all five questions right, including being the first to answer #s 1, 4 and 5. Great job! Update: Kate also got #2 right.

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Trivia Quiz #41: Answers

What do they have in common?

1. Stone Boy, the Blob and Metamorpho?
All turned down the opportunity to join one of the superhero teams. Respectively, they passed on the Legion, the X-Men and the Justice League.

2. Batman, Aquaman and Green Arrow?
As usual, my readers came up with one that I hadn't thought of: All were backup features in World's Finest at one point. The intended answer was that all three had caves that they used as their headquarters.

3. Tommy Tomorrow, Congo Bill and the Legion of Super-Heroes?
Ditto with this one. Yes, they were all backups in Action Comics. But they were also bumped to make room for Supergirl. Tommy Tomorrow was bumped with Action #252's introduction of the Lass of Steel, while Congo Bill got the heave-ho in order to expand her feature effective with Action #262. The Legion left Adventure Comics to the Maid of Might in #381.

4. Jimmy Olsen, Robin and Alfred?
They all knew Batman was actually Bruce Wayne. I talked about the big reveal to Jimmy Olsen here.

5. The Joker, the Blue Bowman and the Clock?
All of them had fought Batman originally in different identities. The Joker was the Man in the Red Mask, the Blue Bowman was the Signalman, and the Clock was an ordinary criminal named Kyle.

Jim came, he saw and he conquered all five questions. Michael Rebain got the first four right. Ed got #2 and #3 correct.

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Trivia Quiz #41: What Do They Have In Common?

1. Stone Boy, the Blob and Metamorpho?

2. Batman, Aquaman and Green Arrow?

3. Tommy Tomorrow, Congo Bill and the Legion of Super-Heroes?

4. Jimmy Olsen, Robin and Alfred?

5. The Joker, the Blue Bowman and the Clock?

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Trivia Quiz #40: Answers

1. Who taught Roy Harper how to use a bow and arrow?
Brave Bow, an Indian chief, taught Roy Harper how to be an archer:


2. Name the three major differences between the Silver Age Mr Mxyzptlk and his Golden Age counterpart.
There are more than three major differences: the spelling of his name (the GA version was named Mxyztplk), the costume, the GA version had a different look and hairstyle, the GA version only vanished for a month when forced to pronounce or spell his name backwards, while the Silver Age vanished for ninety days, and the GA version had a job as a court jester.

3. What souvenir did Batman bring back with him from the planet Zur-En-Arrh?

Batman brought back the Bat-radia:


4. Who was Barry Allen's childhood sweetheart?
Daphne Dean, as I discussed last year.

5. What famous actor was Hal Jordan's appearance patterned after?
Hal Jordan was intended to look like Paul Newman, as Julius Schwartz revealed in the letters page of Green Lantern #3.

Kudos to Scott Nesmith, who aced the test and to Ed, who got #1, #2 and #5 and was on the right track with #3.

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Trivia Quiz #40: Grab Bag

1. Who taught Roy Harper how to use a bow and arrow?

2. Name the three major differences between the Silver Age Mr Mxyzptlk and his Golden Age counterpart.

3. What souvenir did Batman bring back with him from the planet Zur-En-Arrh?

4. Who was Barry Allen's childhood sweetheart?

5. What famous actor was Hal Jordan's appearance patterned after?

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Trivia Quiz #39: Batman's Companions

1. What did Dick Grayson and Kathy Kane have in common? (No, not that!)

2. Who was Bat-Boy?

3. Who was Batman Jones?

4. Who was Mr. Marvel?

5. Who was the Eagle?

6. What did Commissioner Gordon like to have every evening? (Golden Age reference).

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Trivia Quiz #39: The Joker. Tee Shirt Prize!

The kind folks at Nerdy Shirts have offered to give the winner of this trivia quiz a tee shirt featuring the Costumed Crime Clown. Because of the prize, this post will not allow comments; send me your answers via email. The contest will end at 11:59 PM on Tuesday. Note: Some of these questions involve the Golden Age Joker as well as the Silver Age version.

#1. What color was the Joker's suit?

#2. Who was the son of the Joker?

#3. What crime boss willed his fortune to the Joker?

#4. It is well-known that the Joker appeared in a story in the Golden Age which also featured the Catwoman, and another story where he teamed up with the Penguin. Who was the next super-villain to team-up with the Joker?

5. Who was Gotham City's police commissioner in the 21st century?

6. How did the Joker get his distinctive appearance?

7. Was there a Bizarro Joker?

8. Who was the Joker's diminutive sidekick in the Silver Age?

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Trivia Quiz #38: Answers

1. Which of Jor-El's official duties did he hate?

Jor-El hated being Krypton's official executioner. Of course, by "execution" what they meant was putting the prisoner into suspended animation and shooting him into space. It was his distaste for this duty that led to him inventing the Phantom Zone projector (aka Punishment Ray).

2. When the young Jor-El was cramming for his exams, what trick did he use to maximize his study time?

Jor-El used the Time-Stretch Globe.

3. What invention of Jor-El's led to him being elected to the Science Council?

The Phantom Zone projector (aka Punishment Ray) resulted in Jor-El's election to the Science Council.

4. Jor-El was stuck in the Phantom Zone twice when the projector failed to bring him back. What two people repaired the projector on those separate occasions?

The first time, Lara repaired the machine, from which baby Kal had removed a necessary part:

The second time, Lex Luthor (temporarily reformed by a ray that Jor-El had invented) saved him:


5. When Jor-El first got married, where did he work?

Jor-El worked at a missile base.

David got part of #4 correct. Blaze contributed the other part of #4 plus #2 and #5. Michael Rebain gets #3 plus part of #4. I stumped my readers with #1, although Michael Rebain was close.

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Trivia Quiz #38: Jor-El

These should be fairly tough:

1. Which of Jor-El's official duties did he hate?

2. When the young Jor-El was cramming for his exams, what trick did he use to maximize his study time?

3. What invention of Jor-El's led to him being elected to the Science Council?

4. Jor-El was stuck in the Phantom Zone twice when the projector failed to bring him back. What two people repaired the projector on those separate occasions?

5. When Jor-El first got married, where did he work?

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Trivia Quiz #39: Superman

1. Who came from the planet Wexr II?
2. Who came from the planet Staryl?
3. What was the name of the hover-car that Jor-El invented?
4. Who lived on the planet Htrae?
5. Why was Jax-Ur sentenced to the Phantom Zone?

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Trivia Quiz #38: Questions

This one was done Jeopardy-style with me giving the answers and the respondents supposed to come up with the questions.

1. The Hulk, Captain America and Captain Marvel.

What three characters had Rick Jones as a sidekick in the 1960s?

2. Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman.

The trick to this one is remembering that there was only one Captain Marvel during the Silver Age, and he was the "man of the Kree", not the Big Red Cheese. The question is, "What two superheroes of the Silver Age wore bracelets?

3. Superman, Thor and the Vision.

What three heroes could survive in outer space without a helmet or spacesuit?

4. Quicksilver, Johnny Quick and Dr Fate (among others).

What three heroes could fly? This was a significant difference between Quicksilver and the Flash, as Pietro discovered that by kicking his feet back and forth rapidly, he was capable of flight.

5. 25 trillion miles.

What is the distance from Earth to Rann?


Michael Sensei got #1 right. Lito S also answered #1. Jim Houston got #1, #2 and #5. Michael Rebain also picked up #5, as did Jim. Aaron Bias got #1 right. Blaze answered #1 and #5.

I'm tempted to congratulate myself for stumping you folks on #3 and #4, but looking back I think those two answers were a little too vague.

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Trivia Quiz #38: Grab Bag

This one's Jeopardy! Style; I'll give the answers and you must come up with the question:

1. The Hulk, Captain America and Captain Marvel.

2. Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman.

3. Superman, Thor and the Vision.

4. Quicksilver, Johnny Quick and Dr Fate (among others).

5. 25 trillion miles.

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Trivia Quiz #37: Answers

1. Why is this happening?

c. It's actually a Bizarro Supergirl.

2. Why is this happening?

b. It's an effect caused by a comet

3. Why is this happening?

b. It's a plot to increase the Daily Planet's circulation
d. It's an effort to save Superman's secret identity

Yep, this is a trick question. Lois had printed up a gag copy of the Daily Planet with the news that Clark was Superman, but through an accident the entire press run got printed that way. Clark decided this would be a good way to scotch the rumors that he was Superman and convinced Perry this was an opportunity to increase circulation.

4. Why is this happening?

c. It's an effect of Red Kryptonite
d. It's a scheme by a saboteur

Another trick question. The Red K was planted by a saboteur, who knew that Superman would become susceptible to suggestions under its influence, and so he had Supes pretend to dance uncontrollably, so he could enter a naval installation to destroy a new ship.

5. Why is this happening?

c. It's a plot to fool some crooks

Jim got #1 and #3 correct, and was the only one to realize that some questions had more than one answer. Tom O got #1, #2 and #5 correct and gets half credit for #3. Daniel scores with #5 and gets half a point for #4. Ed O'Toole gets full marks for #5, and half credit for #3 and #4. Great job, everybody!

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Trivia Quiz #37: Solve the Puzzle Cover

I've talked a bit in the past about Mort Weisinger's fondness for what I call puzzle covers. These covers show something bizarre and unexpected, which he hoped would compel the kid to at least take the magazine off the rack and flip through it to find out why the event depicted on the front was taking place. Here's your opportunity to match wits with Mort:

1. Why is this happening?

a. It's a plot to fool some aliens
b. It's the result of Red Kryptonite
c. It's actually a Bizarro Supergirl
d. It's a plot to fool some crooks

2. Why is this happening?

a. It's a plot to fool some aliens
b. It's an effect caused by a comet
c. It's an effect of Red Kryptonite
d. It's actually Bizarro Superman

3. Why is this happening?

a. It's a plot to fool some aliens
b. It's a plot to increase the Daily Planet's circulation
c. It's a plot to fool some crooks
d. It's an effort to save Superman's secret identity

4. Why is this happening?

a. It's a plot by Mr Mxyzptlk
b. Superman really likes Jimmy's guitar licks
c. It's an effect of Red Kryptonite
d. It's a scheme by a saboteur

5. Why is this happening?

a. It's a plot by Mr Mxyzptlk
b. Jimmy really has a secret super-punch
c. It's a plot to fool some crooks
d. It's an effect of Red Kryptonite

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Trivia Quiz #35: Answers

1. Who thought Americans were all gum-chewing gangsters?

Hansi's girlfriend, in Hansi, the Girl Who Loved the Swastika.

2. What Daredevil villain does the Batman villain the Masquerader resemble? Update: Resemble is the wrong word here; what I'm looking for is the DD villain that the Masquerader has the most in common with.

Both the Masquerader and the Gladiator started out as costume makers/tailors.

3. Whose favorite dish was Korala Stew?



Hawkgirl, aka Shayera Hol, loved her some Korala Stew.

4. What do the Blue Bowman and the Trapster have in common?

Both villains started out with different names. The Blue Bowman was originally the Signalman of Crime, while the Trapster was initially dubbed Paste-Pot Pete.

5. What happened during the Great Evolution?

This one goes back to one of the very first posts on the blog, about the Martian Manhunter's arrival on Earth in Detective #225:



As you can see, during the Great Evolution, all crime was supposedly wiped out on Mars. However, subsequent Martian Manhunter adventures cast doubt on that historical fact, as several of his stories featured criminals from Mars.

Jim got #1 right, while Kyle correctly answered #4, as did Blaze, who chipped in the answer to #2.

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Tough Silver Age Trivia Quiz #35

This is really, really tough, so I make no apologies:

1. Who thought Americans were all gum-chewing gangsters?

2. What Daredevil villain does the Batman villain the Masquerader resemble? Update: Resemble is the wrong word here; what I'm looking for is the DD villain that the Masquerader has the most in common with.

3. Whose favorite dish was Korala Stew?

4. What do the Blue Bowman and the Trapster have in common?

5. What happened during the Great Evolution?

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Comics Trivia #34: Answers

What do they have in common?

1. The Silver Age Green Lantern and the Golden Age Flash?

Both battled Star Sapphire.

2. The JSA and the Frightful Four?

Both included a member named the Sandman.

3. The Doom Patrol and the X-Men? (not that they were led by men in wheelchairs)

Both fought the Brotherhood of Evil (actually the X-Men faced the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants).

4. Sea Devils and the Fantastic Four?

Both had the same core team: Smart man, strong man, woman, teenager.

5. Whitey Ford and Frank Sinatra? (Yeah, it's off-topic, but it's one of my favorite trivia bits.

Both were called "Chairman of the Board."

Jim was on the mark with #4, then later added #2 and #3. Lito S. was the first to get #1, and also got #2. Ed O'Toole definitely got #4 and gave some good alternative answers to #3, but I really wanted the Brotherhood bit. Mark popped in with the correct answer to #5, so once again I fail to stump the gallery. Great job all!

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Trivia Quiz #34: What Do They Have In Common?

1. The Silver Age Green Lantern and the Golden Age Flash?
2. The JSA and the Frightful Four?
3. The Doom Patrol and the X-Men? (not that they were led by men in wheelchairs)
4. Sea Devils and the Fantastic Four?
5. Whitey Ford and Frank Sinatra? (Yeah, it's off-topic, but it's one of my favorite trivia bits.

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Trivia Quiz #32

1. Who failed in his first effort to join the Mystery Analysts of Gotham City?

Private Detective Hugh Rankin was blackballed by Batman in his first attempt to join the Mystery Analysts, although he was later inducted.

2. Who was the first person to graduate at the top of Gotham City Police Academy in all four categories of training: Academic, Physical, Firearms and Overall?

Patrolwoman Patricia Powell was the police academy's finest graduate ever, startling Batman:

In an oddball pair of stories from the very early New Look, Patricia was introduced as a new love interest for Bruce Wayne. She confided in Batman shortly after the awards ceremony, puzzling the Caped Crusader, who could not remember meeting her, but it turned out that they had encountered each other several times, but were always wearing masks at the time: a diving mask and a domino mask at a costume party. But like all of Batman's love interests, she eventually just faded out of the picture.

3. Who did not first re-appear in the Silver Age after a long absence during the New Look period: the Riddler, the Penguin, the Scarecrow or the Catwoman?

I worded this poorly, what I meant to say was that three of those villains returned for the first time in the Silver Age during the New Look period, and one did not. The answer is the Penguin, who first returned in Batman #155, a year before the New Look debuted.

4. According to the Riddler, why do inmates refer to the state penitentiary as "Fiddler's Hotel"?

Because it's a "vile inn" (violin).

5. It is not uncommon for crooks to "die" at the end of a story, but what Batman villain was declared dead three times in the same story?

Deathman died three times in Batman #180; the first two were hoaxes, but the last one was for real as he was electrocuted by a lightning bolt while trying to shoot Batman and Robin.

Michael Rebain got #1, #2, #3 and #5. Ed O'Toole got #2, #3 and #5. And Darkmark90 correctly answered #4. Great job, all!

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