I have to admit, there was one main reason I really dug Hyperion as a kid - he had red hair, like me! Usually when I would see a redhead in the comics, they would be a villain, sidekick or comical character, but this particular ginger was the Superman of his world. I didn't have his physique, but it was a start!
These two clashed with their respective teams in STF #1682...
A fondly-remembered scene from one issue of the 1980s series 'Wally Wood's THUNDER Agents':
ReplyDeleteLen 'Dynamo' Brown went to a fancy dress party as Superman, saw his colleague 'Weed' there dressed as Hyperion, and thought to himself [something along the lines of] "I see that we've come as the same person".
^_^
Two Superman substitutes. What a great pair!
ReplyDeleteI never thought about it before, but I guess you're right; there aren't a lot of red-haired superheroes (males, anyway). Aside from Hyperion, I can only come up with Wally West.
ReplyDeleteDaredevil and Elongated Man are the two other notables.
ReplyDeleteH'rmmm...
ReplyDelete... and Sun Boy, in the LSH, in at least one continuity, I think. Oh, and Nuklon/Atom-Smasher...
And a few more comic-book heroes who aren't so much "super" heroes... Chuck (Quality => DC, in the Blackhawks), the Trigger Twins (DC, Western), Firehair (DC, Western), Bulldozer (DC, WW2 in Easy Company; stayed in the army, and was a general by the time of 'Invasion'l), Dum-Dum Dugan (Marvel, in the Howling Commandos & then SHIELD)...
... Viking Commando? The original Firebrand (Rod Reilly)?
I love the irony of Ultraman's statement here.
ReplyDeleteThis is also, just in general, yet another particularly well-done cover, Ross.
Thanks, Silver Fox and Bob!
ReplyDeleteGingers: Let's not forget "Red" Ryan of the of the original Challengers of the Unknown (DC).
ReplyDeleteCool matchup. Was not sure if you'd do villain v villain. I had a thought a few days back about a matchup featuring seer adaptors and/or absorbing man vs. The parasite. Just a feverish thought.
ReplyDelete...and didn't Hank Pym used to be a red-head but has since retroactively become a brunette of some sort...
ReplyDelete...as another Ginger I understand why you would do/did this...
...my fave president was Jefferson for this same reason...
I wouldn't call Lilith Clay a sidekick. Telepathically, she's more of a butt-kicker!
ReplyDeleteP.S.---speaking of Titans, I know that--on the surface--Hyperion was named for the Titan of Greco-Roman mythology. But, has anyone else (besides me) ever realized that his moniker is also a pun on "hyper-ion?"
ReplyDeleteAs in: "Great Scott! Is my hyper-ionic vision deceiving me?"
I always loved Hyperion's costume. A standard template, but given sharp colors and some great tweaks.
ReplyDelete@Cary: Nope! I noticed it, too.
ReplyDelete@Simreeve: I wish Ross would allow Spidey to meet The Agents of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Considering one of their arch-enemies was the subversive organization called S.P.I.D.E.R., it would only be natural for them to think him an agent of the latter group!
ReplyDeleteResult? A good old-fashioned mistaken identity slugfest. :-)
How does Ultraman feel about expensive imitations?
ReplyDelete"Sure, you're expensive--but I'm worth it!"
Add in Sentry, Supreme, Samariton and Shazam to create a Superman Knock off Squad.
ReplyDeleteDoes Firestorm count as a redhead?
ReplyDeleteJay Johnson said...
ReplyDelete"Gingers: Let's not forget "Red" Ryan of the of the original Challengers of the Unknown (DC)."
Knew that I was forgetting somebody... ansd we all forgot Stripesey, too!
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Anonymous Anonymous said...
"@Simreeve: I wish Ross would allow Spidey to meet The Agents of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Considering one of their arch-enemies was the subversive organization called S.P.I.D.E.R., it would only be natural for them to think him an agent of the latter group!
Result? A good old-fashioned mistaken identity slugfest. :-)"
Nice one! DC's I, Spider would be a natural for that scene -- or just for a simpler crossover with Spidey, of course -- too.
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Anonymous said...
"Does Firestorm count as a redhead?"
I deliberately omitted characters with "fire" rather than real hair from my list. If we do include them then there's also 'Fire Boy', from the Subs...
@Kerry Yates: I think Ross already did that line-up...@ STF #359.
ReplyDeleteNothing to say except I just wanted to say I LOL'd at this cover.
ReplyDeleteLets not forget that for one brief, shining, redeeming moment in the 1st issue of Crisis On Infinite Earths, Ultraman became a "good" hero!
ReplyDeleteI pushed the "Surprise Me" Button...
ReplyDeleteand, well, I was surprised!!!
Hmm... not one Redheaded superhero listed in the above comments have ever had a freckle on their face. Strange AND unusual, but very typical of comics...
Truth is it's not only in comics where the redhead comes up short, though. The strong male leads in movies and TV are in very short supply of ginger. The Riverdale series, for instance, has Archie played by an actor using red dye for his hair.
As a kid, I never understood the plethora of redheaded teens and young adults who played the goof in humor comics, such as Archie, and yet have gorgeous women line up to date them. Where did this trope come from? The dynamics make no sense of what is close to reality in a female's erotic vision of what is aesthetically pleasing to the consensus. Ask women who they prefer at the top of their date list and the male redhead is last in every survey poll. I've done the research and I cannot see where it is articulated any other way. Certainly there are exceptions, but in my experience the exceptions are not the rule.
Actually, I believe this trend of the redheaded goof started with the funny books of the 40's and onward. And most redheads, again, have freckles, yet artist will mark three dots on each cheek, if at all. Artistic License??? George Perez is the only artist I believe who ever added a lot of freckles to Jimmy Olsen's face. I think the book was Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds.
Honestly, I would love to see a cover where a young Flash Thompson steals Betty and Veronica away from Archie. It's ironic how Archie's popularity is not a reflection of the real world at large. Just my opinion. :P