In response to overwhelming fan demand (hi, Kirk!), here are the questions for the 2013 Pro/Fan Trivia Challenge as presented at the Chicago Comics & Entertainment Exposition (aka C2E2).
The answers follow in the first response, because you’re on the honor system, and the quiz is more of a journey than a destination. It’s designed to shake up your long-dead comics trivial neurons. But no peeking!
A few of these questions may look familiar to those of you who are fans of the Commander’s Deck Log blog. That’s because I shamelessly stole them from his past quizzes, because I liked them. The Commander also backed up my assertion (via email) of which Legionnaire was the first to resign, because that kind of Legion lore is way too complicated for merely one brain (or, at least, mine). So thanks, Commander, for both your direct and indirect help!
Mark Waid, as always, won handily, and the Fans’ efforts to catch up in the Lightning Round didn’t work well, as Mark took six of them (the Fans got three; nobody got #9).
I’ll be glad to talk about any of the questions and how the panel went in the comments once people take the quiz. For instance, I can remember a number of questions Waid missed--which he now won't miss again if you see him and plan to ask them to him.
If, for some reason, you’re interested in hearing the entire blow-by-blow, it was recorded and uploaded by fan Jamie Coville: http://www.thecomicbooks.com/Audio/03-04-26-SilverAgeTrivia.mp3. It’s about 45 minutes and recorded from a large stage in the dealer’s room, so there’s lots of ambient noise). But it’ll give you an idea of how the questions below actually sound when you have to answer them.
The photo above (by Jamie Coville) shows the stage with us all arrayed (including our intrepid scorekeeper, Christina Blanch at far right.) The participants from the bigger photo at left (by Christina) are (l-r): Mike Sangiacomo, Doug Tonks, Mark Waid, Mr. Silver Age, Mike Chary, Jason Fliegel and Jim Caldwell.
But no more stalling! Take the quiz and see how well you’d do. And remember the Mr. Silver Age battle cry: They’re All Easy If You Know Them!
1. Famous Firsts
T. Who’s playing chess with Despero on the cover of JLA #1?
1. Who was the first super-villain Daredevil battled?
2. Who was the first masked hero (ie, not Hulk or Sub-Mariner) to guest-star in Fantastic Four?
3. Who was the first DC character during the Silver Age to debut in his own title?
2. I am Iron Man!
T. What was the name of Tony Stark’s cousin (in TOS #68)?
1. What is the real name of Madame Masque?
2. Who was the first super-hero to guest-star in Iron Man’s stories in TOS?
3. Which of Iron Man’s villains reformed and went to work for Stark Industries?
3. Krazy Kinds of Kryptonite
T. Who created x-kryptonite?
1. By what better name do we know Kryptonite Six?
2. What was the first effect of red kryptonite that didn’t just weaken Superboy?
3. Who was the first casualty of blue kryptonite?
4. The Mighty Thor
T. In what country did Don Blake find his cane?
1. Who is Sif’s brother?
2. Who made Thor’s hammer Mjolnir?
3. Name either of the two other doctors (besides Don Blake) that Jane Foster worked for?
5. Silver Age Legalities
T. What did Superman have to write on the blackboard when he was called into court during his celebration of the Kryptonian Day of Truth (Val-Lor)?
1. Who represented the Justice League when they became the Super-Exiles of Earth in JLA #19?
2. Who was Nelson & Murdock’s first client?
3. What crime was Lois Lane accused of when Superman prosecuted her and Batman defended her in Lois Lane #100?
6. Amazing Advertisements
T. Who made the Superman plastic model?
1. Superman shilled for what amusement park?
2. How many Civil War soldiers did the Josely Company send you for a mere $1.49?
3. What two heroes were featured on the sweat-shirts (not T-shirts) sold by Marvel in 1968?
7. Villainous First Words
These are the first words spoken by which evil villain?
T. Ha-Haa! I always boasted I would be the greatest criminal in all Earth history! And there’s no doubt that I shall attain my towering ambition! For who can stop me now that I possess the most precious gift a human being could ask for—the power of super-swift motion!
1. People of Happy Harbor—You are under my mental control! When I give the order, you will go to—WAIT! One among you is not under my influence! He must be destroyed!
2. Aha, my duckies, the goodies have arrived! Now let us see what my New York branch has cleverly, cunningly concealed in the gear threads of my merely magnificent creations! Put it in the fluoroscope!
3. What! They dare disturb me? They dare come to my castle without invitation? I’ll erase them from the face of the Earth for that insolence! I’ll—NO! First I’ll hear their blabbling news—THEN I will act accordingly!
8. This is Just Wrong!
Don’t bother remembering these fact; these events will never be referred to again.
T. Who was said to have given the Flash his super-powers in The Flash #167?
1. By what other super-hero name did Doctor Octopus call Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #3?
2. Whose claim to have destroyed Krypton in Superman #205 was never refuted?
3. Who flew to the Phantom Zone world to release criminals in Adventure Comics #400 (which, technically, is one month after the end of the Silver Age)?
9. The Vanishing Marvel Word Balloons
After November 1963 cover-dated issues, Stan Lee decided he didn’t like word balloons on covers, so he stopped using them. What do you remember about those silent covers?
T. After the first two issues issue, who is the next person to speak on the cover of The Avengers?
1. Which title went the longest between issues with someone speaking on the cover?
2. Who was the only villain to ever speak on the cover of The X-Men?
3. Who is the first person to ever speak on a Daredevil cover?
10. Villainous Origins
T. What gave The Lizard his powers?
1. What group does Star Sapphire lead?
2. Which Flash villain was created by a toy company?
3. How did the Grey Gargoyle get his power?
11. Is This Stirring Tale of Super-Lois Real? Or Is It a Hoax, a Dream or an Imaginary Story?
T. Lois becomes Supermaid, champion of Krypton, in Superman #159.
1. Lois and Lana both gain super-powers after going for a swim in a magic lake in “The Battle Between Super-Lois and Super-Lana!” in Lois Lane #21.
2. Lois becomes the red-headed Power Girl via a transfusion of Superman’s blood in Superman #125.
3. Superman gives Lois super-powers for her birthday, so she can become Superwoman and patrol Metropolis for him while he’s off on a space mission in Lois Lane #8.
12. Legion Lost
T. Who was the first to be rejected for Legion membership who ultimately joined (Superboy doesn’t count)?
1. Who was the first Legionnaire to die?
2. Who was the first hero to decline membership?
3. Who was the first member to resign and still be off the team at story’s end?
13. Famous First Words
T. I’m going so fast gravity has no effect on me!
1. Don’t worry, Superman! I’m alive without a scratch!
2. I’ve found it! The legendary Inca city of Caramanga!
3. Pardon my stunts, Superboy! To “lure” you here quickly, I used my super-strength for the horseshoes, my super-cooling breath to freeze water, and my infra-red vision to bake clay letters!
14. TV Shows
T. What TV personality appeared on the cover of Action #345?
1. Who portrayed Clark Kent when he had to meet Superman on the first episode of the new TV show, “Our American Heroes” in Action #309?
2. Who was the weathergirl at Jack Ryder’s TV station, WHAM?
3. What TV show did Lana Lang host (in both Lois Lane #55 and #60)?
15. First Villains
Who was the first villain this hero faced?
T. The Avengers
1. Hawkman
2. The Silver Surfer (in his own comic, issue #2)
3. The Wasp
16. Is This Stirring Tale of Jor-El and Lara Real? Or Is It a Hoax, a Dream or an Imaginary Story?
T. Lois Lane winds up on Krypton and romances Jor-El prior to his marriage to Lara in Lois Lane #59.
1. Jor-El and Lara are found in a coma floating in spaceship near where Krypton exploded in Superboy #158
2. Ma and Pa Kent, dressed as Jor-El and Lara, try to convince Clark that they must leave the planet before it explodes in Superboy #100.
3. Jor-El and Lara come to Earth to save Superboy from Kryptonite poisoning in “The Return of Jor-El and Lara” in Superboy #75
17. Phony Villains’ Three Identities
These people weren’t really the villain they appeared to be—they were two other people! By what two other names were they better known?
T. The Mr. Memory who bowled the “Atom Bomb” in JLA #14?
1. The Master Planner
2. Satan Girl
3. The Batgirl who teamed with “Supergirl” to battle Superman and Batman in “The Supergirl-Batgirl Plot!” in World’s Finest #169.
18. Cover Scenes
T. Who did Spider-Man battle in four panels on the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #4?
1. Who is chasing down the fugitive Superman using Krypto to follow his trail on the cover of Action Comics #287?
2. Who attacked the Fantastic Four inside the Baxter Building on the cover of FF #36?
3. Who did Dr. Strange face on his first solo Strange Tales cover, #164?
19. The Lightning Round
1. Who did the Doom Patrol team up with in Brave & Bold?
2. What title had the first appearance of Ka-Zar?
3. What future hero did Supergirl meet when she traveled all the way to the 21st Century in Action #255?
4. Who scripted the first issue of Doctor Strange’s own title?
5. What was the letters page in World’s Finest?
6. Where does Mavis Trent work?
7. After Jack Kirby, who was the first person to pencil The Avengers?
8. Who and what gave Jimmy Olsen his Elastic Lad powers?
9. Batgirl occasionally teamed up with what amateur detective?
10. What was the special ability exhibited by Willie Lumpkin?
That's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed it.
-- MSA
Replies
And here, in case you need it, is the Answer Key:
1. Famous Firsts
T. The Flash
1. Electro
2. Ant-Man (yes, a helmet is a mask)
3. Captain Storm
2. I am Iron Man!
T. Morgan Stark
2. Whitney Frost
3. The Angel (TOS #49)
4. The Crimson Dynamo (aka Prof. Vanko)
3. Krazy Kinds of Kryponite
T. Supergirl
1. Jewel Kryptonite
2. Splitting in two
3. Bizarro Supergirl
4. The Mighty Thor
T. Norway
1. Heimdall
2. Dwarves
3. Dr. Bruce Andrews (JIM #97), Dr. Keith Kincaid (Thor #136)
5. Silver Age Law
T. His real identity
1. Jean Loring
2. The Owl
3. Killing Lana Lang (she was innocent)
6. Amazing Advertisements!
T. Aurora
1. Palisades Amusement Park, N.J.
2. 150
3. Hulk and Thing
7. Villainous First Words
T. Professor Zoom (Flash #139)
1. Starro (B&B 28)
2. The Mad Mod (TT 7)
3. The Mandarin (TOS 50)
8. This is Just Wrong
T. Mopee
1. Superman
2. Black Zero
3. Black Flame
9. Marvel Word Balloons
T. Captain America (Avengers #16)
1. Amazing Spider-Man (80 issues from #7 to #86); FF was 78 (#20-98)
2. The Vanisher
3. Foggy Nelson (DD #34)
10. Villainous Origins
T. Lizard DNA
1. The Zamarons
2. Captain Boomerang
3. A science experiment gone wrong (is there any other kind?)
11. Is This Stirring Tale of Super-Lois Real? Or Is It a Hoax, a Dream or an Imaginary Story?
T. Imaginary
1. Real
2. Dream
3. Real (but a trick by Superman to make her reveal her identity)
12. Legion Lost
T. Supergirl (Action #276)
1. Lightning Lad (Adventure #304)
2. Stone Boy (Adventure #315)
3. Dream Girl (Adventure #317)
13. Famous First Words
T. The Flash (Showcase #4)
1. Supergirl (Action #252)
2. Adam Strange (Showcase #17)
3. Star Boy (Adventure #282)
14. TV Shows
T. Alan Funt
1. President Kennedy
2. Very Sweet
3. “I Remember Superboy”
15. First Villains
T. Loki
1. Byth, Creature of 1,000 Shapes
2. The Badoon Brotherhood
3. The Creature from Kosmos
16. Is This Stirring Tale of Jor-El and Lara Real? Or Is It a Hoax, a Dream or an Imaginary Story?
T. Real
1. Sadly Real
2. Hoax (by Phantom Zoners Dr. Xadu and Erndine)
3. Dream (caused by Kryptonite Fever from a flame-throwing Kryptonian dragon)
17. Phony Villains’ Three Identities
T. Batman / Bruce Wayne
1. Dr. Octopus / Otto Octavios
2. Supergirl / Kara Zor-El / Linda Lee Danvers
3. Catwoman / Bat-Mite
18. Cover Scenes
T. Sandman
1. Perry White
2. The Frightful Four (Wizard, Medusa, Trapster, Sandman)
3. Nightmare
19. Lightning Round
1. The Flash (#65)
2. X-Men (#10)
3. Tommy Tomorrow
4. Roy Thomas
5. Cape & Cowl Comments
6. Midway City Museum
7. Don Heck (#9)
8. Professor Potter’s Serum (SPJO #37)
9. Jason Bard
10. Wiggling his ears
I swear on the Legion Flag that I got 62.5 right!
Among my goofs:
I said Silver Kryptonite instead of Jewel K for Kryptonite Six.
I thought Lois "murdered" Clark, not Lana.
I got destroyed on the Word Ballon section.
I completely forgot about Stone Boy. I said Dev-Em.
I got eight right in the Lightning Round....including #9! Yay me!
Now for my "protest", are you sure that Sugergirl was admitted to the Legion before Sun Boy who was also rejected in Action #276? I'm going to double check the dates, if you don't mind. And with all due respect!
Edited: Never mind! Brain Freeze!
Still, were Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy or Invisible Kid rejected (or two of the three) along with Supergirl in Action #267 and possibly were admitted before her? Early Legion chronology is so confusing!!
If that's 62.5 out of 82, that's really good. Of course, the Ts and the Lightning Round you'd have to get really fast, in some cases before the question was finished being read.
Early Legion chronology is so confusing!!
That's for sure. That's why I tend to stay away from those "first" type questions. But those are the most fun and fans like Legion questions, so I risk it on occasion. But if the stories get out too far, it's easy to miss a panel somewhere. I usually make sure to annotate those answers, because they can are the most likely to be challenged. That's why I called in the Commander on my "first to resign" answer, because there were many stories before it where something could've been missed.
For instance, the answer to which Legionnaire resigned needed the "and still was out" part, because they were continuously leaving in different ways as part of a story before returning at story's end. And then Sun Boy, for instance, lost his powers, so he said he'd have to resign, but when they showed it, Cosmic Boy says he's being expelled. So how do we count THAT?
Still, were Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy or Invisible Kid rejected (or two of the three) along with Supergirl in Action #267 and possibly were admitted before her?
I'm not sure what scenario you're thinking of; I don't remember any of those guys being rejected--they were members when Supergirl arrived to join. But then red kryptonite turned her into an adult, so she couldn't join. D-oh! I think her induction alongside Brainiac were the first we actually saw for new members.
And Dev-Em was the second to decline. I had that ready in case he was suggested. But nobody on the panels got it right, so you made points there.
So, where did you get the 1/2 point? I don't believe we give out half points. Waid knew one of the two identities of "Bat-Girl" but not the other, so he didn't guess it, for fear he'd give it away to the Fans when they answered. He sometimes plays defense.
I don't mind people questioning my questions, and a few fans always do (I get emails). I've been wrong, but not as often as people seem to expect. We're never done in by the stuff we don't know; we're done in by the stuff we think we know but don't.
-- MSA
Well, I got 23 correct, 18 dead wrong, and didn't have any answer for the rest. If I had to buzz in, I probably would have been scoreless.
I count my score as 45. Thanks for posting the quiz and answers.
I think there are two errors in section 9. (Potential answer spoilers.) The Wasp spoke on the cover of Avengers #2; I take it the question should read "after the second issue". Also, in addition to the Vanisher (who I didn't get), Larry Trask spoke on the cover of X-Men #57 (but I didn't grant myself a point for him as I couldn't remember his first name).
You're right, it should have said the first *two* issues of Avengers, since #2 was the November issue and was the final one with word balloons. That was a typo, as I hadn't missed all her chatty exposition there. I changed it above, the advantage of being able to change the opening message at any time.
I hadn't realized that those were word balloons on X-Men #57, but I should've looked closer. Too bad they pointed those at Trask; if they'd pointed to anyone else, and they could have, I'd still be okay.
Fortunately, in both cases, the discrepancy didn't come up, as I got the answers I was expecting. Waid got the Avengers, and the Fans got the X-Men.
-- MSA
Again, my apologies, Mister Silver Age! Rereading Action #267, it clearly states that Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy and Invisible Kid are already members of the Legion when Supergirl gets her first invite. Thinking about it, it was the Secrets of the Legion mini that said it was Chameleon Boy that was accepted after Superwomangirl was rejected, unfairly I thought. Still they said that they had selected someone else over the Maid of Steel. Flipping through my Legion Archives, that "someone" had to be Star Boy when he had his original powers. That makes it a bit more palatable.
I was thinking about Sun Boy originally because the Good Commander and I debated a bit over if he had been rejected and why he was rejected.
Believe it or not, it was the "Batgirl" question where I gave myself the half-point. I wrote down Bat-Mite and Speed Boy, which may still be wrong. I haven't checked yet.
Needless to say, it was a great quiz!
I would have answered X-men #10 for the first appearance of Ka-zar, but then i recalled something I read recently, that indicated that Ka-Zar had been a character (name) that had been used much much earlier, and recycled into the Silver Age...in the first appearance in X-men #10. I don't know where Ka-zar appeared first, but I thought it was in the Golden Age as everyone attempted to imitate Tarzan.
Can anyone help clarify?
And, just for clarity, what dd Foggy say on the cover of DD #34 that was the first word balloon on a DD cover?
Also, I would have declared Strange Tales #146 to be the first full Dr. Strange cover that he didn't share with anyone else...making the opponent "Eternity"...in The End at Last... the final Ditko story. However an argument can also be made for the even earlier Strange Tales # 139, because of the framing device of Dr. Strange reading Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD on the cover.
The Golden Age Ka-Zar was a Tarzan imitation with a lion pal. He first appeared in prose stories in three issues of a pulp magazine named after him that Martin Goodman published before he started publishing comics, and later as a comics hero in the first 27 issues of Marvel Comics/Marvel Mystery Comics. More information can be found here.
Incidentally, when the Silver Age Ka-Zar debuted the idea of putting a Tarzan-type into a prehistoric environment was not new. The previous examples I can think of are the heroes of ME's Thun'da (in his first issue only; it was drawn by Frank Frazetta, by the way) and Dell's Kona (who debuted in 1961 in Four Color #1256). But those guys didn't have a sabre-toothed pal.
For that matter, Dell's Tarzan series (which ended in 1962) often made use of Pal-ul-don from Burroughs's novel Tarzan the Terrible, which was a land in Africa where dinosaurs still existed. In Burroughs's work Tarzan also encountered dinosaurs when he visited Pellucidar in Tarzan At the Earth's Core.
Believe it or not, it was the "Batgirl" question where I gave myself the half-point. I wrote down Bat-Mite and Speed Boy, which may still be wrong. I haven't checked yet.
I figured that had to be it, as Waid would've gotten a half-point there too, I think. It's easier than you're making out, though, I think, as Bat-Mite disguised himself as a famous female Bat-foe, who then allegedly disguised herself as Batgirl. The Supergirl side of it was tougher, as the female foe wasn't anywhere near as well known, but it was the same idea. And who is this Speed Boy of whom you speak?
And, just for clarity, what dd Foggy say on the cover of DD #34 that was the first word balloon on a DD cover?
I don't understand your question. Don't you think that's Foggy speaking?
I would have declared Strange Tales #146 to be the first full Dr. Strange cover
D-oh! You're right, I must have dyslexically written down 164 rather than 146! That's the only explanation I can think of there. What a maroon.
I don't know where Ka-zar appeared first, but I thought it was in the Golden Age as everyone attempted to imitate Tarzan.
That's as may be, but it doesn't affect our Silver Age quiz. The first place the Flash appeared was Showcase #4; if I ask about Nightwing, it has nothing to do with Robin. If you find yourself giving an answer that didn't appear between 1956 and1970, it'll be wrong. So earlier Ka-Zars need not apply..
-- MSA
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