caiusbackup: (Hal/Ollie HUG)
caiusbackup ([personal profile] caiusbackup) wrote2004-12-21 11:18 pm

The Joys of Who's Who and Golden Age Hero/Sidekick Relationships

The Who's Who entry for Golden Age heroes T.N.T. and Dan the Dyna-Mite made me giggle uncontrollably. Some excerpts:

One evening while [Thomas H., aka Tex, aka T.N.T.] Thomas and [Daniel, aka Dan the Dyna-Mite] Dunbar were working on an experiment, Thomas' hand accidentally touched Dunbar's, and both teacher and student suddenly found themselves feeling much stronger....By touching each other, Thomas and Dunbar became charged with atomic energy and briefly possessed super-powers. They decided not to reveal their discovery publicly for fear it would be misused.

....T.N.T. and Dyna-Mite began to lose control of their powers and emit deadly radiation uncontrollably. Their powers grew so that if T.N.T and Dyna-Mite touched each other, a devastating explosion would result. T.N.T. went to the "bottle city" of Kandor for help, while Dyna-Mite went to live in a special chamber in Atlantis. It is unclear what happened to T.N.T. and Dyna-Mite after 1943 now that history has been changed in the "crisis on infinite earths."


from Who's Who #24, February 1987

They gain their superpowers by touching each other. Later, their touching triggers devastating explosions! The sheer subtext!

ETA: Linked to scan of full page.

[identity profile] caiusmajor.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
Heh. Actually, you should totally 'ship them; Tex was a high school science teacher, while Danny was his star pupil...:)
ext_3482: Saturn Girl (i'd rather be the pope)

[identity profile] unlovablehands.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
WOW. I DO SHIP THEM. CRAP. <3

[identity profile] caiusmajor.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
And I'm trolling through DC++ for comics featuring them. :)
ext_3482: Saturn Girl (ooh baby. *wink* (fire))

[identity profile] unlovablehands.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
Send them my way. Shit, I don't ship enough obscure teacher/student relationships yet!

[identity profile] caiusmajor.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
You can always use a new obscure teacher/student relationship to ship. :)

Though, man, this is even worse than Dan Garrett. They were in, like, seventeen golden age backup features, almost none of which I can find...Also, a few appearences late in All-Star Squadron, and (post-Crisis) Danny was in Young All-Stars.
ext_3482: Saturn Girl (express yourself don't repress yourself.)

[identity profile] unlovablehands.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
I love obscure and inappropriate, man.

[identity profile] caiusmajor.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
...but for a start, here's the full Who's Who entry (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/caia_comica/WhosWho024-04.jpg). Dan Dunbar is a redhead, too. :)
ext_3482: Saturn Girl (maxima - better than you.)

[identity profile] unlovablehands.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:58 am (UTC)(link)
*adds him to the collection*

[identity profile] violin-road.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
Shit. That is the gayest thing I've ever heard.

[identity profile] caiusmajor.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
GAYEST HERO/SIDEKICK SETUP EVER!!!!

...so far, at least. :)

[identity profile] violin-road.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
It really is. Shit.

[identity profile] greenygal.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
*looks innocent* Would this be the time to mention that after Tex died (yes, it was established post-Crisis that he died) Dan got really attached to an older boy whose idea of a superhero costume was tight jeans and T-shirt?

[identity profile] caiusmajor.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
*g* Yes, this would be the time. :) This was in Young All-Stars? My only exposure to Dan before this was in the Golden Age mini...

[identity profile] greenygal.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, that's YOUNG ALL-STARS; Dan and his crush role model Arn Munro were members of the team for all its brief existence. This (http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=fullsize&issue=99405113678%2012) will give you some idea what Arn looked like...

[identity profile] greenygal.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
I could also mention--and will, at the slightest provocation--that Arn is a canonical slut who got an STD in the course of YAS. No, I swear. Not Making This Up.

(This is still probably not going to get him interested in Danny, who was fourteen at the time, but is there plenty of room to speculate about Danny's feelings? Oh yeah.)

[identity profile] greenygal.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 01:08 pm (UTC)(link)
And I haven't even told you that Tex and Danny control their powers with matching rings.
ext_108: Jules from Psych saying "You guys are thinking about cupcakes, aren't you?" (harley: somebody's fetish)

[identity profile] liviapenn.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 01:44 pm (UTC)(link)

*HAHAHAHA* No. You are SO MAKING THAT UP.

....... You're really not, are you.

[identity profile] greenygal.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 02:45 pm (UTC)(link)
*cackles evilly* Oh yes. Matching golden rings. Check the scanned entry if you doubt me; it's under POWERS AND WEAPONS. I never make these things up--because really, in comics fandom, who needs to make anything up?

(For example, I would also not be making it up if I told you that YOUNG ALL-STARS also featured a fur-clad Native American called the Flying Fox who was meant as a thematic replacement for the Golden Age Batman...)

[identity profile] navigatorsghost.livejournal.com 2004-12-22 09:04 am (UTC)(link)
Can I just say, OH MY GAWDS? *falls over and dies* That's totally wonderful. All of it.

[identity profile] caiusmajor.livejournal.com 2004-12-29 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
Golden Age writers were INSANE. And the Who's Who entry? SO emphasizes the utter GAYness. Glad you appreciate. :)

[identity profile] darkladyz.livejournal.com 2004-12-23 08:41 am (UTC)(link)
So... of Thomas is the 'positive' rod - does that mean he tops?

*ducks*

Just asking.

[identity profile] caiusmajor.livejournal.com 2004-12-29 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
*snicker* I fear I'm not 'up' enough on my 40s lingo to tell for sure, but I would imagine so.