Amazing-Man (DC Comics)

Not to be confused with 'Mazing Man.

Amazing-Man is the name used by four fictional characters published by DC Comics. The first three are African-American superheroes and are members of the same family. The first Amazing-Man debuted in All-Star Squadron #23 (July 1983), and was created by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway. The second Amazing-Man debuted in Justice League America #86 (March 1994), and was created by Dan Vado and Marc Campos. The third Amazing-Man debuted in Justice Society of America vol. 3 #12 (March 2008), and was created by Geoff Johns and Dale Eaglesham. The fourth Amazing Man debuted in OMAC vol. 3 #2 (December 2011), and was created by Dan DiDio and Keith Giffen.

Amazing-Man
Will Everett from All-Star Squadron #23, artist Jerry Ordway.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	(1940s) All-Star Squadron (later appeared in "The Flash vs Arrow" #23 (July 1983)) (1990s) Justice League America #86 (March 1994) (2000s) Justice Society of America vol. 3 #12 (March 2008) (2010s) OMAC #2 vol. 3 (December 2011)
Created by	(1940s) Roy Thomas (writer) Jerry Ordway (artist) (1990s) Dan Vado (writer) Marc Campos (artist) (2000s) Geoff Johns (writer) Dale Eaglesham (artist) (2010s) Dan DiDio (writer) Keith Giffen (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	(1940s) William Blake "Will" Everett (1990s) William Blake "Will" Everett III (2000s) Markus Clay (2010s) Rocker Bonn
Species	Metahuman
Team affiliations	(1940s) All-Star Squadron (1990s) Justice League America Extreme Justice Justice League (2000s) Justice Society of America (2010s) Checkmate
Abilities	(All) Ability to duplicate the properties of matter and energy via physical contact (Will Everett) Magnetic powers (Will Everett III) Energy absorption and duplication

Publication history

Although a 1980s creation of writer Roy Thomas, the Amazing-Man published by DC Comics was placed in the 1940s and made a contemporary of various Golden Age superheroes. The character was created by Roy Thomas as a tribute to Bill Everett's Amazing-Man, a character he created for Centaur Publications during the so-called Golden Age of Comic Books.^[1]

Fictional character biography

Will Everett

Will Everett is a promising young African-American Olympian who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Following this, he becomes a janitor at a laboratory owned by Terry Curtis. After an accident where his equipment explodes, Everett develops the ability to mimic whatever properties he touched.^[2]

The Ultra-Humanite initially employs Everett as a henchman along with Curtis (as Cyclotron) and Deathbolt.^[3] He later reforms and joins the All-Star Squadron.^[4][5]

During Crisis on Infinite Earths, Amazing-Man is among the heroes chosen by the Monitor to stop the Anti-Monitor.^[6][7] He loses his original abilities and gains the ability to manipulate magnetism.

In the 1950s, J. Edgar Hoover reveals Everett's secret identity to the public, which endangers his family. He becomes involved in the Civil Rights Movement after his nephew is murdered before dying from cancer.^[8][9]

Will Everett III

Will Everett III and Maxima, artist Tom Morgan.

Will Everett III is Will Everett's grandson and his successor.^[10][11] As a member of the Justice League, he is instrumental in defeating the Overmaster alongside the other members of the League and reformed members of the Cadre.^[12] Soon after this, Will joins a splinter group of the JLA nicknamed Extreme Justice.^{[13][14][15][16]}

Later, Will joins the Crimson Fox's unofficial re-grouping of Justice League Europe, during which he is killed by Mist.^[17][18]

Markus Clay

The third Amazing-Man is Markus Clay, Will Everett III's cousin and a member of the Justice Society of America.^[8][19][20]

Rocker Bonn

A fourth incarnation of Amazing-Man, Rocker Bonn, is introduced following The New 52 continuity reboot. He is a former Checkmate agent who was given metahuman abilities by Project Cadmus.^[21][22]

Powers and abilities

All versions of Amazing-Man can mimic other materials via touch. The Will Everett Sr. incarnation later developed the ability to manipulate magnetism.

In other media

The Will Everett incarnation of Amazing-Man appears in Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, voiced by Ike Amadi.^[23]

References

1. The All-Star Companion, p. 76, at Google Books
2. Jimenez, Phil (2008). "Amazing Man I". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1.
3. All-Star Squadron, no. 23 (July 1983). DC Comics.
4. All-Star Squadron, no. 25 (September 1983). DC Comics.
5. All-Star Squadron, no. 38 (October 1984). DC Comics.
6. All-Star Squadron, no. 53 (January 1986). DC Comics.
7. Crisis on Infinite Earths, no. 5 (August 1985). DC Comics.
8. Justice Society of America vol. 3 #12 (March 2008)
9. Justice League America, no. 86-87 (March - April 1994). DC Comics., DC Comics Encyclopedia
10. Jimenez, Phil (2008). "Amazing Man II". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1.
11. Justice League America, no. 86 (March 1994). DC Comics.
12. Justice League International, vol. 2, no. 66 (July 1994). DC Comics.
13. Extreme Justice, no. 0 (January 1995). DC Comics.
14. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
15. Extreme Justice, no. 0 (July 1996). DC Comics.
16. Beatty, Scott (2008). "Extreme Justice". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
17. Starman, vol. 2, no. 38 (January 1998). DC Comics.
18. Newsarama.com: DC COMICS SOLICITATIONS FOR JANUARY 2008 Archived 2007-10-27 at the Wayback Machine
19. Justice Society of America vol. 3 #23
20. JSA: All-Stars #7
21. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
22. OMAC #2
23. Harvey, James (2023-12-05). ""Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part One" Release Date". The World's Finest. Retrieved 2023-12-05.

External links

• World of Black Heroes: Amazing man 1 Biography
• World of Black Heroes: Amazing Man 2 Biography
• World of Black Heroes: Amazing Man 3 Biography
• DCU Guide: Amazing-Man
• DCU Guide: Amazing-Man
• Who's Who in the DC Universe: Amazing-Man (Archived 2009-10-25)