Each day in June you'll get an entry showing you the first appearance of seemingly minor characters, phrases, objects or events that later became notable parts of comic book lore. Not major stuff like "the first appearance of Superman," but rather, "the first time someone said, 'Avengers Assemble!'" or "the first appearance of Batman's giant penny" or "the first appearance of Alfred Pennyworth" or "the first time Spider-Man's face was shown half-Spidey/half-Peter." Stuff like that. Here is an archive of what I've featured so far.

Enjoy!

It's an all-Oracle edition of When We First Met! Reader Third Man asked about a couple of Oracle firsts, so I figured let us just do one big Oracle edition!

First Appearance of Oracle

Oracle first appeared in 1989's Suicide Squad #23, as she contacted Flo, the computer technician for the Suicide Squad (who had a huge crush on the Bronze Tiger and also happened to be the niece of Amanda Waller).

In #24, Oracle explains what she is all about (well, at this point we don't know who she is)...

For the next year, Oracle supplied the Squad with information, as well as supplied info to people in the pages of Manhunter (also written by Suicide Squad writer John Ostrander and his wife Kim Yale, who was the inspiration for Barbara Gordon becoming Oracle). She also developed a friendship with Flo.

In 1990's #38, writers John Ostrander and Robert Greenberger reveal Oracle's identity in a brilliant fashion. You see, in a famous Squad storyline from #33-37, the Squad goes to Apokolips, where Flo is killed.

So in #38, Oracle learns of Flo's death as we, in turn, discover who Oracle really is...

Oracle became a mainstay in the pages of Suicide Squad until the book's cancelation in 1992.

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First time Oracle began Batman's source of information

Later in 1992, Denny O'Neil brought Oracle over to the Bat-books with her appearance in Sword of the Azrael #1...

I don't mind the purple prose, but it really does not read well as DIALGOUE. Could that possibly be a mistake? Seems like an odd way for Batman to discuss Oracle.

It would not be for awhile (and writer Chuck Dixon) that Oracle became a minstay in the Bat-books.

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First interaction Barbara Gordon had with Dick Grayson as Oracle.

Amusingly enough, in 1993, in Black Canary #10, Huntress uses Oracle to contact Nightwing (Black Canary, Huntress and Oracle all in one comic! Who could believe such a thing?)...

Nightwing meets up with Huntress, but he really doesn't interact with Oracle.

His first real interaction with her was 1995's Nightwing #2 (the mini-series), written by O'Neil (hair by Greg Land)...

And his next interaction wouldn't be until 1997's Nightwing #7 (the ongoing series) by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel...

I guess Dixon liked their interaction, as he started to have them interact more until they developed a romantic relationship.

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Thanks to Third Man for his suggestions (he wanted to know when she showed up in the Bat-books and when she first interacted with Nightwing)!

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Feel free to send in ideas for future debuts I should feature here to bcronin@comicbookresources.com!