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Comet (DC Comics)

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Not to be confused with Captain Comet.
Comet the Super-Horse
Comet as depicted in Action Comics #292 (September 1962). Art by Jim Mooney.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAdventure Comics #293 (February 1962)
Created byJerry Siegel
Curt Swan
In-story information
Alter egoBiron
SpeciesSentient horse (former centaur)
Team affiliationsLegion of Super-Pets
Notable aliases"Bronco" Bill Starr
Abilities
  • Flight
  • Super strength
  • Super speed
  • Telepathy

Comet is the name of two fictional comic book characters owned by DC Comics whose adventures have been published by that same company. The first character is Biron, a sapient horse with magical powers who was once a centaur in ancient Greece. The second character is a shapeshifter with three forms (male, female, and winged centaur). Both characters are connected to the Superman family of titles.

Comet first appeared in the story "The Legion of Super-Traitors!", published in Adventure Comics #293 (February 1962) during the period known as the Silver Age of Comics. This story introduced the Legion of Super-Pets, bringing together several previously established super animals. Krypto the Super-Dog came from Superman's past, Streaky the Supercat and Beppo the Super-Monkey from Superman's present—and Comet was presented as a super-pet who came from the future.[1] The horse was properly introduced seven months later, when Comet met Supergirl in Action Comics #293 (September 1962).[1]

Following Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985), which destroyed the universe and rebooted DC's continuity, the original Comet was no longer considered canon. However, Comet returned to continuity in the limited series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (2021–2022), where he sacrificed himself to save Supergirl.[2]

Pre-Crisis Comet

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Comet the Super-Horse is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Comet was introduced in the Superboy story in Adventure Comics #293 in February 1962, then appeared regularly with Supergirl beginning in Action Comics #292 in September 1962.[3]

Comet was one of a series of super-powered animals, including Streaky the Supercat and Beppo the Supermonkey, that were popular in DC's comics of the 1960s. Comet was Supergirl's pet horse and, while in his human form as Bill Starr, her brief boyfriend. Comet also had a brief romance with Lois Lane in her comic book.[4]

As he described to her telepathically, he was originally a centaur in ancient Greece named Biron.[5] The witch Circe gave him a potion to turn him fully human after he prevented an evil sorcerer from poisoning her water, but accidentally fully transformed him into a horse. Unable to reverse the spell, she instead gave him superpowers, including immortality. The Sorcerer asked his teacher to help him against Biron and they were able to imprison him on an asteroid in the constellation of Sagittarius, which he had been born under. However, when Supergirl's rocket passed, it broke the force field, enabling him to escape. Later, after meeting Supergirl, the two travel to the planet Zerox, where Comet gains the ability to transform into a human when a specific comet is close to Earth. As a human, he adopts the identity of "Bronco" Bill Starr, a rodeo trick-rider.[2][6][7][8][9][10]

Comet made sporadic appearances in comic stories through the 1960s and joins the Legion of Super-Pets, a group consisting of the aforementioned super-powered animals.[11]

Post-Crisis, Comet did not appear for many years until Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1, where he appeared on display in a museum that Superboy-Prime visits. Comet fully returned to continuity in the miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

Powers and abilities

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Comet possesses similar powers to those of a Kryptonian, as well as telepathy. Due to not being a Kryptonian, he is unaffected by Kryptonite and red sun radiation.

Post-Crisis Comet

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Comet
Comet as depicted in Supergirl #50 (November 2000). Art by Leonard Kirk (penciler), Robin Riggs (inker), and Gene D'Angelo (colorist).
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceSupergirl #14 (October 1997)
Created byPeter David
Leonard Kirk
In-story information
Alter egoAndrew Jones/Andrea Martinez
Team affiliationsThe Stable
Notable aliasesAndy Jones, Earth-Born Angel of Love
AbilitiesSuper-speed, flight, ice wings, ice vision, psionic love manipulation

A very different Comet was introduced in Supergirl #14 (October 1997). This version is an Angel of Love who was created after Andrea Martinez and Andrew Jones were buried in an avalanche and fused to survive.[8][9][12] They are female by default but can transform into a male winged centaur form with cryokinesis and a psionic love-inducing aura.[12][13]

Other versions

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  • The pre-Crisis Comet appears in Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade.
  • An alternate universe variant of Comet appears in Superman: True Brit as a normal horse owned by Jonathan and Martha Kent.
  • An alternate universe variant of Comet from the Dark Multiverse appears in Sideways Annual #1.[14] This version is a bat-like centaur who escaped the destruction of his universe and came to serve Perrus.

Reception

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Asked in a 2006 interview if Superman's extended cast of characters in the Silver Age weakened Superman's uniqueness, Action Comics writer Gail Simone answered: "Completely disagree. While cutting away the allegedly 'silly' aspects of Superman's mythology, we quite forgot that there's likely a large potential readership that might really enjoy a story about a superbaby or a flying horse. We all thought that stuff was cornball junk that needed to go, but I'll tell you right now, a lot of young girls would like Supergirl more if she had a flying horse".[15]

In other media

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Eury, Michael (2006). The Krypton Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 34. ISBN 9781893905610.
  2. ^ a b Mills, Taylor (August 6, 2024). "59 Years Later, Supergirl's Most Bizarre 'Boyfriend' Returns To Comics". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  3. ^ Fleisher, Michael L. (2007). The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume Three: Superman. DC Comics. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-4012-1389-3.
  4. ^ Wells, John (2015). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 97–98. ISBN 978-1605490458.
  5. ^ Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 57–58. ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
  6. ^ Mullicane, Evan D. (August 6, 2020). "Supergirl Once Dated Her Kryptonian Horse (Seriously)". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  7. ^ Dahl, Angie (January 16, 2018). "Supergirl: 15 Dark Facts Even The Most Die-Hard Fans Don't Know". CBR. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Stone, Sam (September 20, 2020). "Death Metal Reimagines a Classic DC Hero as an Amazon Super-Weapon". CBR. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Batt, Jason (February 18, 2022). "The Weird, Wild Life and Death of Supergirl's First Love". CBR. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  10. ^ Dorfman, Leo (w), Mooney, Jim (p). "The Secret Identity of Super-Horse!" Action Comics, no. 301 (June, 1962). DC Comics.
  11. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. pp. 53-54. ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  12. ^ a b Greenberger, Robert (2008). "Comet". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
  13. ^ Supergirl (vol. 4) #60 (September 2001)
  14. ^ Sideways Annual #1
  15. ^ Eury, Michael (2006). The Krypton Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 211–212. ISBN 9781893905610.
  16. ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  17. ^ "Krypto the Superdog #6 - Houndin' the Mail Carrier (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
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