Born in Vinci, Florence, Italy in 1452, Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was the illegitimate son of a local notary and a peasant girl. He showed an early talent for art, and at the age of 14 he was apprenticed to the renowned Florentine painter Verrocchio. In 1472, at the age of 20, Leonardo…
Kara Zor-El was born and raised in Argo City on the planet Krypton. The entire city survived the planet’s destruction, separating itself and floating to safety, but most of the inhabitants were soon felled by their homeworld’s remnants, now transformed into deadly Kryptonite. Kara’s father Zor-El sent her to Earth for her own protection, hoping…
John Sargent became fascinated with magic at an early age—and also gained fearsome powers. This was thanks to his discovery that his mother’s old ruby pendant actually contained the ancient artifact called the Ruby of Life, which let him control anything he touched. As he grew older, Sargent focused his attention on stage magic in…
The Bruce Wayne of Earth-Two was born on April 7, 1915. A crook named Joe Chill robbed and killed Bruce’s parents in 1924, when Bruce was only eight years old. Bruce dedicated his life to avenging his parents’ deaths and protecting others from criminals and their evil deeds. After many years of training, Bruce donned…
An imp from the 5th dimension, Mr. Mxyztplk is an inveterate troublemaker and jester. Because he’s from another dimension, Mxyzptlk is not bound by our universe’s laws and can produce a variety of magical effects with a single thought. Shortly after arriving on our world, Mxyzptlk encountered Superman, and the the imp has delighted in…
Katar Hol was born on the planet Thanagar, the child of a wealthy family. Katar joined the Wingman police force but rebelled against his world’s ruthless conquest. He became addicted to drugs and was then manipulated into publicly killing his own father. As a result, Katar was exiled to the Isle of Chance, where he…
Giovanni Giuseppe was a con artist and circus acrobat before he decided to turn to a life of crime. He changed his name to James Jesse and created several clever but dangerous gag devices and a pair of shoes that let him walk on air. Calling himself the Trickster, James embarked upon his new career,…
Giovanni Giuseppe was a con artist and circus acrobat before he decided to turn to a life of crime. He changed his name to James Jesse and created several clever but dangerous gag devices and a pair of shoes that let him walk on air. Calling himself the Trickster, James embarked upon his new career,…
The Amazons of Paradise Island lived in peace for hundreds of years, safe from men and their cruelty. But their queen Hippolyta was not completely happy. She longed for a child of her own. Shaping clay from the island into the statue of a little girl, Hippolyta begged the gods to grant her request and…
Born on March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama, Waid entered the comics industry in the mid-1980s as an editor and writer for Fantagraphics Books’ fan magazine, Amazing Heroes. He soon moved to DC as an editor on Secret Origins and Legion of Super-Heroes. In 1990, he shifted from full-time editorial to freelance writing, and in…
On March 18, 3952 B.C., the world was created, according to the Venerable Bede. Bede was a Benedictine monk of Jarrow, a biblical scholar, and the first English historian. He lived from 673 to 735 and is best known for His Ecclesiastical History of the English People (H.E.), which he finished four years before his…
Born on March 15, 1937, in Midkiff, West Virginia, Dan Adkins grew up in rural areas where he could indulge his love of wandering and exploring. When he was 11, however, rheumatic fever left him paralyzed from the waist down for six months. He passed the time by reading comics books and became fascinated with…
