The Spectre
JSA #75 (September 2005), cover art by Alex Ross. Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American Comic book painter, Illustrator and
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	More Fun Comics #52 (February 1940)
Created by	Jerry Siegel Bernard Baily
In story information
Alter ego	Jim Corrigan Hal Jordan Crispus Allen Aztar
Team affiliations	Justice Society of America All-Star Squadron Archangels
Notable aliases	The Spirit of Vengeance, Spirit of Redemption, Avenging Wrath of God, The Man of Darkness, Raguel
Abilities	Divine mystical enhancements granting virtual omnipotence, although the true scope ranges from the dictates of the Presence Knowledge of events before the Crisis on Infinite Earths

The Spectre is a fictional cosmic entity and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company In Comic books and other stories with a long history first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a Fictional character. More Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun The Big Comic Magazine a Jerome "Jerry" Siegel (October 17 1914 – January 28 1996 who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, Siegel was a fan of movies Bernard Baily ( April 5, 1916 — January 19, 1996) was an American Comic book artist best known as co-creator of the Jim Corrigan is the name of three Fictional characters that have appeared in numerous Comic books published by DC Comics. Harold "Hal" Jordan is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero. Crispus Allen is a Fictional character in the DC Comics universe. The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics Superhero group the first team of superheroes in Comic book history The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics fictional Superhero team that debuted in Justice League of America #193 (August 1981 Omnipotence ( Omni Potens: "all Power " is unlimited power The Presence is a Fictional Comic book representation of the Abrahamic God. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a twelve-issue American comic book Limited series (identified as a "12-part maxi-series" and crossover A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a Fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 (January 1940) and received his first story the next month, #52 (February 1940), and was created by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily, although several sources^[1][2][3] attribute creator credit solely to Siegel, limiting Baily to being merely the artist assigned to the feature. More Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun The Big Comic Magazine a Jerome "Jerry" Siegel (October 17 1914 – January 28 1996 who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, Siegel was a fan of movies Bernard Baily ( April 5, 1916 — January 19, 1996) was an American Comic book artist best known as co-creator of the

Fictional character biography

Origins/Golden Age version

Main article: Jim Corrigan

More Fun Comics #52 (Feb. The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books generally thought as lasting from the 1930s until late 1940s during which Comic books Jim Corrigan is the name of three Fictional characters that have appeared in numerous Comic books published by DC Comics. 1940). Cover art by Bernard Baily. Bernard Baily ( April 5, 1916 — January 19, 1996) was an American Comic book artist best known as co-creator of the

The Spectre's career began in the late 1930s (More Fun Comics #52, February 1940), when hard-boiled cop Jim Corrigan was murdered. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. More Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun The Big Comic Magazine a Jim Corrigan is the name of three Fictional characters that have appeared in numerous Comic books published by DC Comics. His spirit was refused entry into the afterlife, however, and, in the guise of a grey-skinned humanoid being in green cloak, gloves, trunks and boots (the skin became chalk-white six stories into the run, while blue garments appeared in #51's aforementioned house ad as well as the cover and symbolic splash panel of #52, with all reprints of this early material "corrected" to match the official version; Corrigan did not adopt the Spectre persona until late in #53, so the blue costume was never seen in-story), it was assigned by an entity referred to only as "The Voice" (generally conceded to be God) to eliminate all evil from the world.

The Spectre began by seeking bloody vengeance against Corrigan's murderers in a grim, supernatural fashion. In years to come, the character would gain a reputation among editors and writers as being too powerful to get a dramatic handle on, but creator Siegel apparently felt otherwise, because in More Fun #60 (October 1940), only the eighth Spectre story, he gave the Dead Detective an almost literal deus ex machina, the Ring of Life, which would appear on the ghost's finger when he faced a menace beyond his powers (in six stories reprinted in recent years). More Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun The Big Comic Magazine a The Spectre proved quite popular, and was awarded charter membership in the first ever super-hero team, the Justice Society of America in All-Star Comics. The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics Superhero group the first team of superheroes in Comic book history All Star Comics is a 1940s Comic book series from All-American Publications, one of the early companies that merged with National Periodical Publications Another reward was the resurrection of the body of Jim Corrigan (accomplished with the aforementioned Ring of Life), from which the Spectre's ghostly form could emerge and function independently (seen in More Fun #75, Jan. More Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun The Big Comic Magazine a 1942).

During the mid-1940s, the popularity of superhero comics began to decline, and the Spectre suffered as a result. He was reduced to playing the role of "guardian angel" to a bumbling character called "Percival Popp, the Super Cop. " Eventually, Jim Corrigan enlisted in the military to serve in World War II, and on his departure, the Spectre became "permanently" invisible, becoming a secondary player in his own series. The feature's final installment was in #101 (January--February 1945), and the Spectre made his last JSA appearance at the same time, in All-Star Comics #23 (Winter [1944--]1945).

The Spectre
If this infobox is not supposed to have an image, please add "|noimage=yes".
Publisher	DC Comics
Schedule	vol. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company 1: Bi-monthly vol. 2-4: Monthly
Format	All: Standard U. S. , 4 color. While being published, ongoing.
Publication date	vol. 1: November/December 1967 - May/June 1969 vol. 2: April 1987 - November 1989 1988 (Annual) vol. 3: December 1992 - February 1998 1995 (Annual) vol. 4: March 2001 - May 2003
Number of issues	vol. 1: 10 vol. 2: 31, +1 (Annual) vol. 3: 64 (numbered 1 - 63, includes a #0), +1 (Annual) vol. 4: 27
Main character(s)	All:The Spectre vol. 1-3: Jim Corrigan vol. Jim Corrigan is the name of three Fictional characters that have appeared in numerous Comic books published by DC Comics. 4: Hal Jordan
Creative team
Creator(s)	Jerry Siegel Bernard Baily

Silver Age version

When the Silver Age of comic books arrived in the 1960s, editor Julius Schwartz had the Spectre re-written and returned to the role of an avenging undead spirit, beginning in Showcase #60, January-February 1966. Harold "Hal" Jordan is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero. Jerome "Jerry" Siegel (October 17 1914 – January 28 1996 who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, Siegel was a fan of movies Bernard Baily ( April 5, 1916 — January 19, 1996) was an American Comic book artist best known as co-creator of the The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books predominantly those featuring the Superhero The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Julius "Julie" Schwartz ( June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a Jewish Comic book and Pulp magazine Showcase has been the title of several Anthology series published by DC Comics. Under the authorship of Gardner Fox and as drawn by Murphy Anderson, his power was vastly increased, and at times he approached the level of omnipotence (in a retrospective look at the character, Amazing Heroes said this revival had been initially "announced" as a team-up with Doctor Mid-Nite, similar to the recent Doctor Fate/Hourman and Starman/Black Canary features by the same creative talent^[4]). Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (Speed Saunders was initially credited to "E Murphy Anderson (b 1926 in Asheville North Carolina) is an American Comic book Penciller and Inker who has worked for companies Amazing Heroes is a discontinued Magazine about the Comic book medium which was published by Fantagraphics Books from 1981 to Doctor Mid-Nite is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero. Doctor Fate (also known by the Diminutive, Fate) is the name of a succession of fictional sorcerers who appear within DC Comics ' universe Hourman (spelled Hour-Man in his earliest appearances is the name of three different fictional DC Comics Superheroes the first of whom was Starman ( Ted Knight) is a fictional Comic book Superhero in the DC Comics universe, and a member of the Justice Society Black Canary is a Fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine. After a three-issue try-out in Showcase, he appeared in Justice League of America #s 46 (September) & 47 (October 1966) in that year's team-up of the titular group and their 1940s predecessors, the Justice Society (also written by Fox). The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team. A few months later, he co-starred with the Silver Age Flash in an issue of The Brave and the Bold, #72 (June-July 1967). For the Tortoise and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy album see The Brave and the Bold (album. With a cover date of November-December 1967, the Spectre was given his own title, while almost simultaneously (December 1967-January 1968), he made a second appearance in B&B (#75), this time teamed up with the current version of Batman. Cover date refers to the date displayed on the covers of Periodical publications such as Magazines and Comic books However this is not necessarily the true Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created In the Spectre's own series, the creative credits varied widely over the ten issues published, perhaps the most notable participant being a then newcomer to comics, Neal Adams, who drew #s 2-5 and also wrote his last two. Neal Adams (born June 6, 1941, Governors Island, Manhattan, New York City) is an American Comic book and For its final pair, the comic became in effect a horror anthology, with the title character being little more than a host/narrator in several very short stories. The capper to this era came in JLA #83, August 1970, when, at the climax of another JLA/JSA crossover, the Ghostly Guardian appeared to be destroyed (his generic cameo at a JSA meeting in the previous issue seems to have been an artist's error, although it has spawned plenty of fan speculation about how he got from there to being imprisoned in a crypt as found and freed by Doctor Fate in #83^[5]). Doctor Fate (also known by the Diminutive, Fate) is the name of a succession of fictional sorcerers who appear within DC Comics ' universe

Bronze Age version

Adventure Comics #432 (March/April 1974), cover art by Jim Aparo.

In the 1970s, the Spectre was revived in the pages of Adventure Comics (#431, January-February 1974 through #440, July-August 1975). Adventure Comics is a Comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 This series, written by Michael Fleisher and drawn by Jim Aparo, was notorious for its gruesome depictions of the Spectre's poetic retributions against criminals: they were melted like wax, turned to wood and run through sawmills, transformed into glass then allowed to fall over and shatter into many pieces. Michael "Mike" Fleisher (born November 1 is an American Comic book writer James N "Jim" Aparo ( 1932 - July 19, 2005) was an American Comic book artist best known for his 1960's and 1970's work on various In the letter column, some fans indicated uneasiness with this depiction, and in #435, September-October 1974, Fleisher, perhaps in response or perhaps his plan anyway, introduced a character that shared their concerns, a reporter named Earl Crawford. Crawford's interactions with Jim Corrigan present an interesting possible continuity problem. In the character's first story (specifically on page 7), Corrigan disparagingly refers to Crawford as "Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter", owing to Crawford's vaguely similar appearance (tall, dark hair and spectacles), leading one, presumably dim-witted, uniformed officer to ask him (on p. Clark Joseph Kent (middle name is also Jerome according to some versions is a Fictional character created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. 8), "Gee, are you really Superman?" Clark Kent/Superman being merely a comic book character leads to questions as to where in the DC Multiverse these stories are taking place. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon The DC Multiverse is a Fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by Comic book company DC Comics. However, though some have accordingly speculated that this run of the Spectre took place on Earth Prime (an Earth nearly identical to the real one, first postulated in The Flash #179, May 1968)^[6], America vs. the Justice Society #2, February 1985 (a miniseries written by Roy Thomas just before the Crisis on Infinite Earths as the final word on Earth 2) states that the Spectre had bonded with the counterparts of Jim Corrigan on alternate Earths, and the Justice League of America Index #3 entry for JLA #83 further supports this reasoning. Earth Prime (or Earth-Prime) is a term sometimes used in works of Speculative fiction involving parallel universes or a multiverse, and refers America vs The Justice Society is a four-issue Comic book mini-series starring the Justice Society of America which was first published by Roy Thomas (born November 22 1940, Missouri, United States) is a Comic book Writer and editor, and Crisis on Infinite Earths is a twelve-issue American comic book Limited series (identified as a "12-part maxi-series" and crossover stating that the Spectre went to Earth-1 after the events of that story (the character's first non-reprint appearance after that being the Adventure run). Furthermore, the "Are you really Superman?" reference can be taken as a wry remark about the number of times Clark Kent has been "mistakenly" suspected of being Superman, a situation that was even the subject of jokes on Earth-1's late night talk shows, as seen in Action Comics #474, published in 1977; Corrigan's related use of the famous tag line "mild mannered reporter" makes that unlikely, however. Action Comics is an American Comic book series which introduced Superman, the first major Superhero character as the term So does Justice League of America #220, November 1983 (the conclusion of that year's JLA-JSA crossover, and co-written by the aforementioned Roy Thomas). The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team. This comic depicts both the JSA-member Spectre and a "Jim Corrigan body. . . purely of Earth One. His Spectre persona is trapped within," categorically stating that there was not only more than one Corrigan, but multiple Spectres as well. In any event, a version of Earl Crawford later appeared in the "Doctor Thirteen" series in Ghosts (see below). Dr Terrence Thirteen, known simply as Doctor Thirteen or Dr 13, is a Fictional character is Comic books set in the DC Universe Ghosts is a Comic book series published by DC Comics from September-October 1971 to May 1982 for 112 issues

The series was cancelled with scripts written but not yet drawn. Several years later, these remaining chapters were penciled by Aparo, lettered and inked by others, and published in the final issue of Wrath of the Spectre, a 4-issue miniseries in 1988 which reprinted the ten original Fleisher/Aparo stories in its first three issues (Two Aparo-drawn horror shorts of similar vintage were used as page-count fillers; all thirteen Spectre stories were subsequently collected in a trade paperback book of the same title in 2005). However, while three "new" stories were presented here, a 1980 interview--this is a full transcript, not a textual article littered with direct quotes--with Fleisher in The Comics Journal flatly stated that two scripts were left undrawn^[7]. The Comics Journal, often abbreviated TCJ, is a US magazine of news and criticism pertaining to Comic books and strips (The writer also indicated here his preferred habit of staying well ahead of deadline in his comics work, explaining the leftover scripts; the existence of these had led to an incorrect belief that the series was cancelled quite abruptly^[8]. ) Given that the thirteenth story does not follow certain formulae that all twelve previous installments did, the claim that it was written by Fleisher in 1975 is called into question. However, it can be alternatively argued that the interview is the unauthentic work here.

The Spectre also made a guest appearance in the "Doctor Thirteen" series in the DC comic Ghosts. Dr Terrence Thirteen, known simply as Doctor Thirteen or Dr 13, is a Fictional character is Comic books set in the DC Universe Ghosts is a Comic book series published by DC Comics from September-October 1971 to May 1982 for 112 issues This three-part story (#97, February through #99, April, 1981) was a direct sequel to the Fleisher/Aparo run, including the Earl Crawford character (albeit visually redesigned as the Aparo original looked too much like Terrence Thirteen) and the same formatting of story titles (one of the ways that the thirteenth story credited to Fleisher varied from the other twelve; even the inside-covers text pieces in the reprint mini followed this particular formula), but was clearly produced with no consideration for Fleisher's then-undrawn leftovers. Here, supernatural debunker Terrence Thirteen became caught in a dangerous situation with deadly, terrorist-style criminals. The Spectre appeared and, as Thirteen watched in shock, killed the offenders. Thirteen was convinced that the Spectre was not a ghost, but a man, until in the final installment, the Spectre took Thirteen to the realm of Judgement, where Thirteen met with the spirit of his dead father. The Spectre would make periodic guest appearances in other DC titles as well, such as The Brave and the Bold, DC Comics Presents and All-Star Squadron. For the Tortoise and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy album see The Brave and the Bold (album. DC Comics Presents is a Comic book published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 (97 issues plus 4 annuals) featuring team-ups The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics fictional Superhero team that debuted in Justice League of America #193 (August 1981

Among the many changes made to DC Comics' characters during the later half of the 1980s (following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, where the Spectre fought the Anti-Monitor), the Spectre was largely de-powered. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a twelve-issue American comic book Limited series (identified as a "12-part maxi-series" and crossover First, and actually prior to the Crisis, The Spectre is revealed to be guarding an entrance to Hell in a Swamp Thing Annual story by Alan Moore. The Swamp Thing is a Fictional character created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson for DC Comics and featured in a long-running horror-fantasy Alan Moore (born November 18 1953 in Northampton) is an English Writer most famous for his influential work in Comics, including the acclaimed Then, in the conclusion to Moore's later serial in the regular Swamp Thing comic, "American Gothic", the Spectre is defeated by evil incarnate (the Great Evil Beast) as it advances to destroy Heaven. The Great Evil Beast is a powerful cosmic entity that appeared in the DC Comics Swamp Thing storyline "American Gothic Next, in the Last Days of the Justice Society of America special, he fails to resolve a situation and is punished by God for his failure. In his fourth solo series and second self-titled comic, the Spectre, under the authorship of Doug Moench, became merely a generic mystical entity, with Corrigan the central figure in this story of an occult-oriented private detective agency. Douglas "Doug" Moench (b 1948 is an American Comic book writer probably best known for his Batman work The Spectre's powers were significantly reduced here, with even the act of emerging from Corrigan's physical body being painful to both. This run was cancelled with the November 1989 issue, #31. A few months after this, the Spectre has a cameo in The Books of Magic, a four issue miniseries/whirlwind tour of the DC Universe's occult characters, written by Neil Gaiman. The Books of Magic is the title of a four-issue English-language Comic book mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, and later an ongoing series Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and This implies him to be Raguel, an archangel who metes out punishments for God as the Spirit of Vengeance. Raguel (Raguil Rasuil Rufael Suryan Akrasiel is one of the 7 Archangels mainly of the Judaic and Islamic traditions

Modern Age version

Three years after the cancellation of the Doug Moench version, the Spectre was again given his own series, this time written by former theologian John Ostrander, who chose to re-examine the Spectre in his aspects both as the embodied Avenging Wrath of the Murdered Dead and as a brutal 1930s policeman. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective John Ostrander (born April 20, 1949) is an American Writer of Comic books Originally an actor in a Chicago Theatre

Ostrander placed the Spectre in complex, ambiguous situations — what vengeance should be wrought upon a woman who killed her abusive husband in his sleep, for instance. Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or spousal abuse) occurs when a family member partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate Other notable dilemmas included, among others:

• The tiny (fictional) nation of Vlatava, the history of which was an endless cycle of civil war, ethnic cleansing, retribution, and blood feuds that had endured for centuries. Ethnic cleansing is a Euphemism referring to the persecution through imprisonment expulsion or killing of members of an ethnic minority by a majority to achieve ethnic homogeneity The Spectre responded by judging the whole nation guilty, razing the land and killing the entire population except for two opposing politicians.
• The pending execution of a wrongfully convicted man. His death sentence was commuted to life in prison after the Spectre threatened to kill the entire population of the state of New York in retribution (since, if the execution was carried out, the "people of the state of New York" would become guilty of murder). New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous
• A 90-year-old woman who had spent her entire life trying to atone for the single murder she had secretly committed in the 1920s. The atonement is a doctrine found within both Christianity and Judaism. The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada The Spectre found her on her deathbed.

Ostrander also retconned several new concepts into the Spectre's history: he revealed that the Spectre was meant to exist as the embodiment of the Wrath of God, and Jim Corrigan was but the latest human spirit assigned to guide him while he existed on Earth. Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction This eliminated the resurrection of Jim Corrigan's body depicted in More Fun Comics #75 (January 1942), and made the Spectre's 1945-1965 disappearance as explained in Showcase #60 (January-February 1966), which had a few problems on its own terms, virtually impossible, yet Ostrander expressly retained that. More Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun The Big Comic Magazine a It was also shown that the Spectre was a fallen angel named Aztar who had participated in Lucifer's rebellion, but then repented, and that serving as the embodiment of God's anger was its penance. In most Christian traditions a fallen angel is an Angel that has been Exiled or banished from Heaven. Lucifer is a DC Comics character that starred in an eponymous Comic book published under the Vertigo Imprint.

Furthermore, the Spectre was not the first embodiment of God's anger, but was the replacement for the previously minor DC character Eclipso; Ostrander chose to portray this as a distinction between the Spectre's pursuit of vengeance and Eclipso's pursuit of revenge. Eclipso is a Fictional character, a Supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. In a historical context, Eclipso was responsible for the biblical Flood, while the Spectre was the Angel of Death who slew the firstborn Egyptian children. Noah's Ark, according to the Book of Genesis (chapters 6-9 is the story of a large vessel built at God 's command to save Noah, his family The Plagues of Egypt ( the Biblical Plagues or the Ten Plagues ( are the ten calamities imposed upon Egypt by God in the Bible

The Spectre has also played a pivotal role in the Crisis on Infinite Earths and Zero Hour storylines. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a twelve-issue American comic book Limited series (identified as a "12-part maxi-series" and crossover Zero Hour Crisis in Time is a five-issue Comic book Limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994 In both cases, in the final struggle against the main villain — the Anti-Monitor and Parallax respectively — the Spectre was the only hero capable of standing against the villains directly, allowing the other heroes time to put a plan into action that would destroy the villains once and for all. The Anti-Monitor is a Fictional character, a Comic book Supervillain and the Antagonist of the 1985 DC Comics Miniseries Parallax is a Fictional character, a Comic book Supervillain in the DC Comics universe.

After the DC vs. Marvel crossover series was created, some readers saw the Spectre as the DC equivalent of the Living Tribunal, although consensus among readers is that he is not as powerful as the Tribunal. Publication History DC vs Marvel Comics or Marvel Comics vs DC is a 4-issue Limited series published by DC Comics The Living Tribunal is a Cosmic entity that appears in the Fictional Marvel Universe.

The 2001 Green Arrow story Quiver (written by Kevin Smith) and the final Supergirl story arc, Many Happy Returns (by Peter David) revealed that the Spectre (as the Hal Jordan incarnation) is aware of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. For the LNER Steam locomotive, see LNER Class V2 4771 Green Arrow Green Arrow ( Oliver Jones "Ollie" Queen Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2 1970 is an American Screenwriter, Writer, Film director, Actor and Comic book writer Supergirl is a fictional Comic book superheroine that is depicted as a female counterpart to the DC Comics iconic Superhero Superman For the Grenadian politician see Peter David (politician. Peter Allen David (often abbreviated PAD) (born September 23 Harold "Hal" Jordan is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero. He is one of the few DC Universe characters with this knowledge.

Hal Jordan

Promotional art for Green Lantern: Rebirth #1 (December 2004) cover, art by Ethan Van Sciver. Ethan Van Sciver (b 1974 is an American Comic book Artist, best known for illustrating a number of DC Comics titles including Green

Main article: Hal Jordan

Eventually, Corrigan's soul found peace. Harold "Hal" Jordan is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero. He relinquished the Spectre, and went on to the afterlife. The role of the Spectre was later assumed by Hal Jordan, the spirit of the former Green Lantern, during the Day of Judgement storyline; the Spectre chose Hal as his new host because Hal sought to atone for his actions as Parallax. Day of Judgment was a DC Comics mini-series and crossover storyline during the autumn of 1999. Parallax is a Fictional character, a Comic book Supervillain in the DC Comics universe. In a series written by J. M. DeMatteis, Hal Jordan was able to bend the Spectre's mission from one of vengeance into one of redemption, also making other appearances through some of DC's other storylines, such as advising Superman during the Emperor Joker storyline (Where the Joker stole the reality-warping power of Mister Mxyzptlk) and also helped Linda Danvers save a time lost pre-Crisis Kara Zor-El and erasing all public knowledge of Wally West's identity as the Flash after his terrible first battle with Zoom. John Marc DeMatteis (born December 15 1953) is an American Writer of Comic books. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon The Joker is a fictional character appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics. Mr Mxyzptlk ( pronounced mɪksˈjɛzpɪtˌlɪk or mɪksˈjɛzˌpɪtɫɪk) sometimes called Mxy, is a Fictional Supervillain who appears in Wally West is a Fictional character, a Comic book Superhero in the DC Comics Universe, the first Kid Flash and the Zoom (real name Hunter Zolomon) is a fictional Comic book Supervillain from the DC Comics universe. After this series was cancelled, Jordan was forced to return, temporarily, to the Spectre's mission of vengeance, following a confrontation between the new Justice Society and the Spirit King, who had managed to 'resurrect' the ghosts of all those the Spectre had damned to Hell. The Spirit King is a character in the DC Universe; he was initially an adversary of the original Mister Terrific, but later expanded to be a threat to the entire After the Spectre was able to purge the Parallax from Jordan, he departed in order to move onto the next recipient of the Spirit. Jordan says that the knowledge he gained from being the Spectre's host has faded. If he has any greater knowledge of the Universe, he has not revealed it to anyone else.

Day of Vengeance

Promotional art for Day of Vengeance #3 (August 2005) featuring the Spectre fighting Captain Marvel. Art by Walt Simonson. Walter "Walt" Simonson (born September 2 1946) is an American Comic book writer and artist

As covered in one of the lead-ins to Infinite Crisis, Day of Vengeance, Jean Loring was transformed into the new Eclipso. Infinite Crisis is a seven-issue Limited series of Comic books written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Day of Vengeance is a six-issue Comic book Limited series written by Bill Willingham, with art by Justiniano and Walden Wong Jean Loring is a Fictional character in Comic books published by DC Comics, primarily associated with Superhero the Atom for whom Eclipso is a Fictional character, a Supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. She went after the Spectre, who was on a vengeance rampage. Not only was he killing murderers, he was also killing people for minor crimes, such as petty theft. She seduced the Spectre, who was unstable due to the loss of his host, into removing all magic in the DC Universe. Eclipso explained to the Spectre that all things that follow the rules of the physical universe follow God's law. Anything that breaks those rules, breaks God's law and is therefore evil. Consequently, as magic breaks the rules of the physical universe, it is an originating source of tremendous evil (this line of logic made sense to the unstable Spectre).

Therefore, the Spectre went on a rampage, destroying magical constructs, institutions that taught magic, and magical dimensions. In one such dimension, his acts included the mass murder of over 700 battle hardened magicians. His actions caused havoc to some of the more powerful magic-based characters:

• Phantom Stranger, whom he turned into a mouse;
• Black Adam, who fought the Spectre when the spirit invaded his kingdom of Khandaq and caused plagues of destruction;
• Doctor Fate, who was imprisoned in a dimension inside his helmet;
• Madame Xanadu, whose eyes were destroyed (and made incapable of restoration through magic) by the Spectre to prevent her from reading her magical tarot cards;
• Raven who can no longer properly control her powers; and
• The wizard Shazam, who, despite the intervention of his champion Captain Marvel, was killed by the Spectre. The Phantom Stranger is a Fictional character of unspecified Paranormal origins who battles mysterious and Occult forces in various titles published Black Adam is a fictional Comic book character created in 1945 by Otto Binder & C Hector Hall was a Superhero who appeared in DC Comics 's Infinity Inc Madame Xanadu is a Fictional character, a mystic in the DC Comics universe. The tarot (also known as tarocchi, tarock or similar names is typically a set of seventy-eight cards comprised of twenty-one trump cards, one Raven is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. Shazam is a Comic book character created by Bill Parker and C Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics.

The Spectre also destroyed the magic-fueled kingdom of Atlantis, the home of Aquaman, during his rampage. Atlantis is a fictional location in the DC Comics Universe The city first appeared in Adventure Comics vol 1 #260 (May 1959 and was created by

In the Day Of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special, the Spectre killed Nabu, the last of the Great Lords of the Ninth Age and the Presence's attention was finally drawn to him. The Spectre was once again forced into a human host, finally stopping his mad rampage. Nabu revealed, before dying, that originally he and the other Lords had been working towards forming the perfect host for the Spectre, but those plans were cut short.

The text of the story is a little unclear on exactly who the Great Lords were. Nabu, introduced in 1942 as the powerful entity responsible for Kent Nelson becoming Doctor Fate, was one of the Lords of Order. Doctor Fate (also known by the Diminutive, Fate) is the name of a succession of fictional sorcerers who appear within DC Comics ' universe The Lords of Chaos and Lords of Order are complementary groups of Supernatural entities with godlike powers that appear in DC Comics. The Spectre had apparently killed the others, along with their counterparts the Lords of Chaos, with the exception of Nabu and Amethyst, whom he battled on Gemworld. Amethyst Princess of Gemworld is the name of three Comic book series published by DC Comics in the 1980s Amethyst was among those gathered by the Phantom Stranger to aid in rebuilding the Rock of Eternity, and survived into the Tenth Age.

Alexander Luthor also revealed that he was indirectly responsible for the Spectre's actions in Day of Vengeance. Alexander Luthor Jr is a DC Comics character who turned from a hero to a villain The Psycho-Pirate, under Luthor's orders, gave Eclipso's diamond to Jean Loring, making her manipulate the Spectre so that magic could be undone and used as fuel for Luthor's Multiverse tower. The Psycho-Pirate is the name of two DC Comics Supervillains dating back to the Golden Age of Comics.

Crispus Allen

Main article: Crispus Allen

In Gotham Central #38, Crispus Allen was killed by a policeman coincidentally named Jim Corrigan (not the same Corrigan formerly associated with The Spectre). Crispus Allen is a Fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Gotham Central is a Police procedural Comic book While Allen's body was in the morgue, the Spectre was forced against his will to enter Crispus Allen, taking Allen as his new host.

Kingdom Come

In the four issue Elseworlds miniseries Kingdom Come, The Spectre (with Jim Corrigan still acting as host) takes a preacher named Norman McCay through the events of a possible future of the DC Universe. Elseworlds is the publication Imprint for a group of Comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon Here, Spectre is to determine who is responsible for an impending apocalyptic event. However, here his "faculties are not what they once were" (Kingdom Come #1), and he is said to need a human perspective to properly judge the events they witness.

A conversation between McCay and the character Deadman said that Spectre had become further and further removed from humanity as time went on (Kingdom Come #3). At the end of the story, he is convinced by McCay to try to see things through the perspective of his human host, and as Jim Corrigan, he can be seen in the congregation of McCay's church (Kingdom Come #4), as well as at the end of the epilogue in the Planet Krypton restaurant (seen in the Kingdom Come collected editions).

Awards

The character won the 1961 Alley Award as the Hero/Heroine Most Worthy of Revival and the 1964 Alley Award for Strip Most Desired for Revival.

Other versions

• Spectre appeared in Justice League Unlimited #37, and was out of control due to Tala's spirit. Tala is a fictional Supervillainess in the DC Comics universe.
• In the Tangent Comics print, the Spectre is a technologically-powered superhero, named Taylor Pike, and is a member of the Secret Six. Tangent Comics was a DC Comics Imprint created in 1997-1998 developed from ideas created by Dan Jurgens. The Secret Six is the name of three distinct Fictional Comic book teams in the DC Comics universe, plus an alternate universe's fourth

References

See also

• Jim Corrigan
• Hal Jordan
• Crispus Allen
• El Diablo
• Crimson Avenger
• The Word

External links

• DC Guide Entry for The Spectre - Unofficial Guide of DC Universe
• Comic Book Awards Almanac
• An index of Spectre's appearances
• Toonopedia
• The Grand Comics Database Project - Index for The Spectre (character)
• The Grand Comics Database Project - Index for The Spectre vol. Jim Corrigan is the name of three Fictional characters that have appeared in numerous Comic books published by DC Comics. Harold "Hal" Jordan is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero. Crispus Allen is a Fictional character in the DC Comics universe. El Diablo is a name shared by several Fictional characters published by DC Comics. The Crimson Avenger is the name of three separate Fictional characters Superheroes who exist in the DC Comics universe. The Word is a fictional cosmic entity in DC Comics. It first appeared in Swamp Thing #147 (October 1994 and was created by Mark Millar and 1.
• The Grand Comics Database Project - Index for The Spectre vol. 2.
• The Grand Comics Database Project - Index for The Spectre vol. 3.
• The Grand Comics Database Project - Index for The Spectre vol. 4.
• The Grand Comics Database Project - Index for The Spectre Annual vol. 1.
• The Grand Comics Database Project - Index for The Spectre Annual vol. 2.
• Classic Comic Books: The Spectre