Slightly Misplaced Comic Book Heroes Case File #57: Icon

Not everyone call pull off green and red combos when it isn’t Christmas.

In 1993, DC Comics tried an experiment.  They created a line of comics dedicated to giving minority writers and artists a chance to create their own superheroes.  Dubbed “Milestone,” the initial comics had some success, the most noteworthy being Static, a teenage boy with electro-magnetic powers that managed to gain his own animated TV series and has been popping up around the DC Universe ever since.

A little less well known was a guy called Icon.

J’onn J’onzz, Redheaded Stepchild Of The Justice League

As first appearances go, this may be one the most long-lasting weird looks in comics.

Justice League fans of a certain age (namely mine) often believe that J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter, is the heart and soul of the Justice League.  A hero who’s been involved in every incarnation of the League, J’onn is the wise father-figure, the mentor, the strategist, and the backbone that holds the Justice League together.

Sadly, it’s not quite true.  While he was one of the original founders of the team, he was also the first to leave the team to do other things for a while.  Whether it was due to redundant powers next to Superman or just the fact that he’s generally been one of the few major Leaguers to not hold down a solo series for very long, J’onn has been removed from the League more than once, and may be just shy of iconic for many fans were it not for his appearance as one of the founders on the Bruce Timm-produced Justice League animated series.

Slightly Misplaced Comics Heroes Case File #1: Captain Carrot

There are many superheroes.  There are many talking rabbits.  In the giant venn diagram of both such creations, there isn’t much overlap.

Into that realm steps the mighty Captain Carrot.