Comic Book Legends Revealed
Summary
Comic Book Legends Revealed explores comic book history to share unbelievable true stories about comic book characters and creators, as well as believable false stories that CBLR then debunks. The feature debuted in 2005 and has been appearing regularly at CBR since 2006. Penguin Random House published a collection of Comic Book Legends Revealed in 2009 titled Was Superman a Spy?: And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed. Some of the most notable legends over the years have included: * Was Wolverine originally intended to be an actual wolverine mutated into a human instead of a mutant? * How did a DC editor keep the Joker from being killed off in the first comic book issue that he appeared in? * Was the Human Torch really pulled from appearing in a Fantastic Four cartoon because the network was afraid that little kids would set themselves on fire? Did that same fear also lead to the creation of Firestar for Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends? * What famous Star Trek actor used to make official appearances for Marvel dressed as Captain America? * How did a Spider-Man comic strip inadvertently lead to the invention of the ankle monitoring bracelets that people under house arrest wear? * What role did the Playboy Club, of all things, play in the creation of the 1960s Batman TV series? * Did a Marvel fan get paid $300 for coming up with the idea of Spider-Man gaining a black costume, an idea that eventually evolved into the introduction of Venom? * Was Wonder Woman chained up so often in her early comic book appearances that an editor had to write an actual memo insisting that her time being chained up was reduced by 50-75%? * Did DC Comics once produce a special issue of Superman written and drawn by Superman's then-regular writers and artists for the Bar Mitzvah of a wealthy man's son?
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How an Unused Story Starring an Irish Marvel Hero Ended Up in a Doctor Strange Issue
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, learn how an unpublished story starring Shamrock was cannibalized into an issue of Doctor Strange
Did DC Make Jack Kirby Go Back to Marvel by Forcing the King Out?
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, find out whether Jack Kirby was forced to return to Marvel in the mid-1970s because DC pushed him out
DC's Quickest Shut Down of an Infringement of Its Super-Intellectual Property
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, discover the odd story of the Superwoman comic strip DC got shut down after just a single strip ran
The Strange Origins of the First Batman Character Known as Talon
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, learn the strange origins of the first Batman character known as Talon
Were Spider-Man's Alternate Identities Always Meant to Become the Slingers?
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, find out whether Spider-Man's "Identity Crisis" was always intended to result in the Slingers
Is School Spirits Based on an Unpublished Graphic Novel?
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, learn the surprising comic book origins of the hit Netflix series, School Spirits
Which Obscure 1990s Comic Book Series Surprisingly Had Its Own Newspaper Comic Strip?
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, learn how a short-lived 1990s Mike Danger comic book series actually had its own newspaper comic strip!
Was There Really Once a Dallas Newspaper Comic Strip?
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, learn whether there was seriously a Dallas newspaper comic strip
Was the Latest Doonesbury Comic Strip 'Banned' by Gannett-Owned Newspapers?
In a brand-new Comic Book Legends Revealed, discover whether the latest Doonesbury comic strip was "banned" by Gannett-owned newspapers
Which Sitcom Star Was Black Panther's Everett K. Ross Really Based On?
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, find out which sitcom star Christopher Priest was inspired by to create Black Panther's Everett K. Ross
How a Thor Creative Team Mocked Their Former Spider-Man Editor
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, see how a former Spider-Man creative team poked fun at their former editor in their later run on Thor.
The Silver Surfer Storyline That Mocked Marvel's Then Editor-in-Chief
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, discover how a major Silver Surfer storyline was designed to mock Marvel's then Editor-in-Chief
The Unusual Inspiration Behind Spider-Man's Sequel to Kraven's Last Hunt
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, learn how a specific criticism of Kraven's Last Hunt led to a sequel to the classic Spider-Man story arc
The Surprising Origin of a Classic Thor Creative Team
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, discover the surprising origins of the Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz Thor run
Did Storm and Black Panther Nearly Have a Child During the X-Men's Krakoan Age?
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, see how close we came to Storm and Black Panther having a child in the X-Men Krakoan Age
How Did a Coloring Mistake Mess With a Classic Captain America Battle?
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, learn how a coloring mistake made it impossible to tell Captain America apart from his evil doppelgänger
Did Spider-Girl Make Her Debut in What If...? as a 'Backdoor Pilot'?
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, find out whether Spider-Girl's debut in the pages of Marvel's What If...? was intended as a backdoor pilot
The Hidden Secret Behind Spider-Man's Iconic 'Half-Mask'
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, discover the surprising reason behind the introduction of Spider-Man's iconic "half-mask" in the comics
How the End of the Superman TV Show Forever Changed the Superman World of Comics
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, discover how the end of the 1950s Superman TV series changed the world of the Superman comic books forever
The Wolverine Artist Who Decided the Hero Didn't Need Clothes
In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, see how a Wolverine artist decided that the hero didn't need to wear any clothes in a story