FLASHBACK: The Spectre Force
When we last saw the Wrath of God (aka the Spectre Force), formerly known as Aztar, the Presence had cast it into limbo…
The Wrath of God swept over the Earth in full fury, until the archangel Michael confronted it:
The first true “Spectre” was a man from India named Chakara. When he and his family were slain by a witch (Lady Beltrane), Michael appeared to him as the goddess Kali and offered him a chance for vengeance. His soul merged with the Wrath of God and he became a killing ghost that sought justice.
When Chakara was seduced by a demon, he was stripped of the Spectre Force and bound to the demon. He became Azmodus and swore revenge on all future versions of the Spectre.
Since then, there have been many vengeance-seeking people who have joined with the Spectre force; however, none gained recognition. Until…
Jim Corrigan
When we last saw Jim Corrigan, he had joined the New York City police force, seeking to clean up the world.
In February of 1940, on the east coast of the still-neutral United States, Corrigan prepared to unleash the news of his engagement to Clarice Winston upon an unsuspecting world.
However, the two were abducted by criminal “Gat” Benson, and Corrigan was sealed in a barrel filled with cement and dropped into the river. His spirit rose filled with anger and he was greeted with a mysterious voice that offered him a chance to seek vengeance.
Corrigan returned to Earth and appeared in the warehouse where Benson held Winston. He killed the mobster, but Winston had been shot. In a bargain to save her life, he was bound with the Spectre Force and destined to roam on a mission to destroy crime and uphold justice.
More Fun Comics #52
Feb 1940 (Jan. 2, 1940)
$0.10
(The Spectre: Intrduction)
10 pages
Writer: Jerry Siegel
Artist: Bernard Baily
Editor: Frederic Whitney Ellsworth
Secret Origins #15
June 1987 (March 12, 1987)
$1.25
“The Secret Origin of the Spectre”
23 pages
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Michael T. Gilbert
Editor: Robert Greenberger
The Spectre (vol. 3) #0
Oct. 1984 (Aug. 16, 1994)
$1.95
“The Temptation of the Spectre”
25 pages
Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Thomas Mandrake
Editor: Dan Raspler
The Spectre (vol. 3) #60
Dec. 1987 (Oct. 29, 1997)
$2.50
“Within”
22 pages
Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Thomas Mandrake
Editor: Dan Raspler
In February of 1940, More Fun Comics #52 began a 2-part story introducing New York City cop, Jim Corrigan, and his supernatural “companion”, the Spectre. The story concluded in More Fun Comics #53, but the character, created by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily, continued to appear in every issue through #101.
On February 12, 1940, The Adventures of Superman radio serial debuted as a syndicated show on New York City’s station, WOR. On various stations and at various times, the show aired through March, 1951, never once broadcasting a repeat.
It was the radio show, not the subsequent TV show, that introduced the opening:
Up in the sky! Look!
It’s a bird!
It’s a plane!
It’s Superman!
Yes, it’s Superman—strange visitor from the planet Krypton who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman, who can leap tall buildings in a single bound, race a speeding bullet to its target, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great Metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice.
It was later shortened to:
Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Look! Up in the sky!
It’s a bird!
It’s a plane!
It’s Superman!
Bud Collyer voiced Clark Kent/Superman during the show’s first 10 years, followed by Michael Fitzmaurice during the last year.
CODEX OMNIVERSA 