Price: 10.95 USD
Pages: 248
On-sale Date: 1976-05-13
Editing: Denny O'Neil (editor); Thomas Nozkowski (design)
Cover Thumbnail for Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes (Crown Publishers, 1976 series) Edit Cover
Cover Gallery 

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents)

Secret Origins / cover / 1 page

Pencils:
Neal Adams (signed)
Inks:
Neal Adams (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:

Issue Data

Series Data

  • Color: color
  • Dimensions: 8.75" x 11.25"
  • Binding: hardcover with dust jacket
  • Publishing Format: collected edition
  • Publication Type: book

Indexer Notes

On sale date from the 1979 Library of Congress copyright records (cocatalog.loc.gov). Registered on September 21, 1979 (registration number TX320901).

The indicia states: "Copyright (c) 1976 by National Periodical Publications, Inc."

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 75-43467

There are no ISBN numbers printed on this book. This book has been assigned an ISBN 10 of 0-517-52489-9 and an ISBN 13 of 978-0-517-52489-3.

There is also a softcover edition by Warner Books.

[Title Pages]
(Table of Contents: 1)

credits, title page / 10 pages

Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Initial pages, including blank pages, title pages, dedication (to Sheldon Mayer), and acknowledgments.

Contents
(Table of Contents: 2)

table of contents / 3 pages

Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Illustrated table of contents, showing the hero's image (taken from the story) and the page number. The third page is blank.

Introduction
(Table of Contents: 3)

foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 2 pages

Script:
Pencils:
?
Inks:
?
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Introduction to these stories, by the Publisher of DC at this time. The second page is blank.

Superman...He's the Key, the Granddaddy of them All
(Table of Contents: 4)

text article / 4 pages

Script:
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Background and history of Superman.

[One Page Origin of Superman]
(Table of Contents: 5)

Superman / comic story / 1 page

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
Editing:
Vin Sullivan (original editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Reprints (1)

The Origin of Superman!
(Table of Contents: 6)

Superman / comic story / 15 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Curt Swan (pencils)
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
Editing:
Julius Schwartz (original editorial advisor)
E. Nelson Bridwell (original assistant editor)
Sol Harrison (original editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Reprints (1)

Batman...He Was Unable Not to Fight Criminals
(Table of Contents: 7)

text article / 3 pages

Script:
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Background and history of Batman.

The Legend of the Batman--Who He Is and How He Came to Be!
(Table of Contents: 8)

Batman / comic story / 2 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Bob Kane (signed)
Inks:
Bob Kane (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman (origin); Thomas Wayne; Martha Wayne
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

This book says that this story was reprinted from Detective Comics #33, but this really is the version from Batman #1, which itself reprints first two pages from Detective Comics #33 but substituted the splash from Detective Comics #34.

The Origin of the Batman!
(Table of Contents: 9)

Batman and Robin / comic story / 13 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
Editing:
Whitney Ellsworth (original editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman [Bruce Wayne] (origin retold in detail); Robin [Dick Grayson]; Commissioner James Gordon; Thomas Wayne (flashback, death); Martha Wayne (flashback, death); Joe Chill (villain, name revealed in this story, Thomas and Martha Wayne's murderer, death); Feets Borgam (killer, death); Monty Julep (illegal gambler, death)
Synopsis:
While investigating criminal activity at a transport company, Batman recognizes the owner, Joe Chill, as the man who killed Thomas and Martha Wayne years before. Batman tries to find evidence of Chill's illegal operations, but when he fails, he decides to reveal his identity to Chill and tells him that will be watching him and will catch him eventually. In a panic, Chill flees to his gang, but when they find out Chill is responsible for Batman's existence they shoot him, and only after do they realize that they should have asked Chill for Batman's real name.
Reprints (1)

Wonder Woman...The Female Sex Is Assuming Day by Day a More Dominant Role in World Affairs
(Table of Contents: 10)

text article / 3 pages

Script:
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Background and history of Wonder Woman.

[The Origin of Wonder Woman]
(Table of Contents: 11)

Wonder Woman / comic story / 13 pages

Script:
William Marston (under house name Charles Moulton)
Pencils:
Harry Peter (signed)
Inks:
Harry Peter (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
Editing:
Sheldon Mayer (original editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Ares [Mars]; Aphrodite; Hercules (introduction); Amazons; Mala
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

Origin: Wonder Woman (in detail; cf. Sensation Comics #1).

War of the Wonder Women!
(Table of Contents: 12)

Wonder Woman / comic story / 23 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
Editing:
Robert Kanigher (original editor)
Allan Asherman (original editorial assistant)
  • Genre:superhero
  • Job Number:R-203
Characters:
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

Writer miscredited as "Gary" Bates as in the original.

The Flash...You Can Do Almost Anything With Him...
(Table of Contents: 13)

text article / 3 pages

Script:
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Background and history of both Flashes (Jay Garrick and Barry Allen).

[Origin of the Flash]
(Table of Contents: 14)

Flash / comic story / 15 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
Harry Lampert (masthead)
Editing:
M. C. Gaines (original managing editor)
Sheldon Mayer (original assistant editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Major Williams; Sieur Satan; Serge Orloff; Duriel; the Faultless Four; Professor Hughes
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

First line is 'But before he became known and feared as "the fastest thing on Earth", Jay Garrick was an unknown student at Midwestern University...'

Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!
(Table of Contents: 15)

The Flash / comic story / 12 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
Editing:
Julius Schwartz (original editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Flash [Jay Garrick] (on a comic book cover); The Turtle Man (villain; later The Turtle)
Reprints (1)

Green Lantern...No Evil Shall Escape My Sight
(Table of Contents: 16)

text article / 3 pages

Script:
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Background and history of both Green Lanterns (Alan Scott and Hal Jordan).

[The Origin of Green Lantern]
(Table of Contents: 17)

Green Lantern / comic story / 8 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
Editing:
M. C. Gaines (original managing editor)
Sheldon Mayer (original assistant editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Jimmy (death); Chang the Lamp Maker (flashback); Billings (flashback); Dekker (villain, death)
Reprints (1)

SOS - Green Lantern!
(Table of Contents: 18)

Green Lantern / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
Editing:
Julius Schwartz (original editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Reprints (1)

Hawkman...The Weirdness Seems to Be Part of Hawkman's Appeal
(Table of Contents: 19)

text article / 2 pages

Script:
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Background and history of both Hawkmans (Carter Hall and Kartar Hol).

[The Origin of Hawkman]
(Table of Contents: 20)

Hawkman / comic story / 12 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
Editing:
M. C. Gaines (original managing editor)
Sheldon Mayer (original assistant editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Kolar; Doctor Hastor
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

The title here was given in Golden Age Hawkman Archives vol. 1 where this story was also reprinted. First line is "In the weapon-lined library of Carter Hall, wealthy collector of weapons and research scientist -".

Creature of a Thousand Shapes!
(Table of Contents: 21)

Hawkman / comic story / 24.67 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
Editing:
Julius Schwartz (original editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

Story is really 24.67 pages, with a vignette of Hawkman and Hawkgirl from page 8 filling the extra 0.33 page on the last page.

Green Arrow...A Streamlined Robin Hood
(Table of Contents: 22)

text article / 2 pages

Script:
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Background and history of both Golden Age and Silver Age Green Arrows.

The Birth of the Battling Bowmen
(Table of Contents: 23)

Green Arrow / comic story / 13 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Cliff Young (signed)
Inks:
Steve Brodie (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
Editing:
Jack Schiff (original editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Mr. Harper [Roy's father] (flashback, death); Quoag [Mr. Harper's Indian servant] (death); Dippy Parker; Curator Morgan; Lefty; Louie
Synopsis:
Archaeologist Oliver Queen is visiting Lost Mesa where he meets Roy Harper, a young boy marooned on Lost Mesa and raised by Quoag, his father's Indian servant. There they are beset upon by thugs searching for a gold mine. After Quoag dies from gun shots, only Oliver and Roy's skills with archery and knowledge of Indian lore save them.
Reprints (1)

The Green Arrow's First Case
(Table of Contents: 24)

Green Arrow / comic story / 6.67 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Rosalind Kirby (backgrounds)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
Editing:
Jack Schiff (original managing editor)
Mort Weisinger (original story editor)
George Kashdan (original story editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

Story is really 6.67 pages, with a vignette of a bow and a quiver of arrows filling the extra 0.33 page on the last page.

The Atom...Not One Person out of Ten Knew What an Atom Was
(Table of Contents: 25)

text article / 2 pages

Script:
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Background and history of both Atoms (Al Pratt and Ray Palmer).

Introducing the Mighty Atom
(Table of Contents: 26)

The Atom / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
Editing:
Sheldon Mayer (original editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Atom [Al Pratt] (intro, origin); Mary James (intro); Joe Morgan (intro)
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

Inker credit verified by Craig Delich & Jerry Bails (Nov. 2005).

Birth of the Atom!
(Table of Contents: 27)

The Atom / comic story / 9.67 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
Editing:
Julius Schwartz (original editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

Story is really 9.67 pages, with a vignette of an atom filling the extra 0.33 page on the last page.

Shazam!...In One Thing a Sense of Fun and the Whole Sense of Adventure
(Table of Contents: 28)

text article / 3 pages

Script:
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Background and history of Captain Marvel.

[Introducing Captain Marvel]
(Table of Contents: 29)

Captain Marvel / Shazam! / comic story / 13 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
Letters:
?
Editing:
Bill Parker (original editor)
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Sterling Morris (introduction); radio station WHIZ (introduction); Seven Deadly Enemies of Man (introduction), Ebenezer Batson (introduction, flashback); Phantom Companion
Reprints (1)

Plastic Man...One of the Wildest Imaginations...
(Table of Contents: 30)

text article / 2 pages

Script:
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Background and history of Plastic Man.

[The Origin of Plastic Man]
(Table of Contents: 31)

Plastic Man / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Jack Cole (signed)
Pencils:
Jack Cole (signed)
Inks:
Jack Cole (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
Editing:
Ed Cronin (original editor)
  • Genre:humor; superhero
  • Job Number:N-396
Characters:
Rest-Haven monk; Skizzle Shanks
Synopsis:
Gangster Eel O'Brian's dip in a vat of acid turns him into the superhero Plastic Man and against the mobsters he used to work with.
Reprints (1)

The Author
(Table of Contents: 32)

text article / 4 pages

Script:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • Genre:biography

Indexer Notes

Final pages, including a one-sentence biography of Dennis O'Neil and 3 blank pages.

[Back Cover]
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 33)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

my.comics.org
Tracked in 12 collections.
Issue at www.comics.org
View Change History
Table of Contents ToC
    Table of Contents
  1. [no title indexed]
    Secret Origins
  2. [Title Pages]
  3. Contents
  4. Introduction
  5. Superman...He's the Key, the Granddaddy of them All
  6. [One Page Origin of Superman]
    Superman
  7. The Origin of Superman!
    Superman
  8. Batman...He Was Unable Not to Fight Criminals
  9. The Legend of the Batman--Who He Is and How He Came to Be!
    Batman
  10. The Origin of the Batman!
    Batman and Robin
  11. Wonder Woman...The Female Sex Is Assuming Day by Day a More Dominant Role in World Affairs
  12. [The Origin of Wonder Woman]
    Wonder Woman
  13. War of the Wonder Women!
    Wonder Woman
  14. The Flash...You Can Do Almost Anything With Him...
  15. [Origin of the Flash]
    Flash
  16. Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!
    The Flash
  17. Green Lantern...No Evil Shall Escape My Sight
  18. [The Origin of Green Lantern]
    Green Lantern
  19. SOS - Green Lantern!
    Green Lantern
  20. Hawkman...The Weirdness Seems to Be Part of Hawkman's Appeal
  21. [The Origin of Hawkman]
    Hawkman
  22. Creature of a Thousand Shapes!
    Hawkman
  23. Green Arrow...A Streamlined Robin Hood
  24. The Birth of the Battling Bowmen
    Green Arrow
  25. The Green Arrow's First Case
    Green Arrow
  26. The Atom...Not One Person out of Ten Knew What an Atom Was
  27. Introducing the Mighty Atom
    The Atom
  28. Birth of the Atom!
    The Atom
  29. Shazam!...In One Thing a Sense of Fun and the Whole Sense of Adventure
  30. [Introducing Captain Marvel]
    Captain Marvel / Shazam!
  31. Plastic Man...One of the Wildest Imaginations...
  32. [The Origin of Plastic Man]
    Plastic Man
  33. The Author
  34. [Back Cover]
Related Links
Issue was modified by, among others
  • Katie
  • John Censullo
  • Peter Croome
  • Mark Gordon
  • Donald Dale Milne
  • John Monagle
  • Keith Alan Morgan
  • Mike Nielsen
  • Martin Olsen
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Allen Ross
  • Ramon Schenk
  • Douglas Sederberg
  • Jim Stangas
  • Jim Van Dore
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