Know it all

An ongoing question about who was faster — Superman or The Flash — was solved in the 1970 DC Comic Book No. 198. In that issue, Superman and The Flash raced around the universe. Flash won.

***

The Silver Surfer absorbs life-maintaining cosmic energy directly through his silver skin. He does not need to eat, breathe or sleep.

***

Bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno (born 1952) stands 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 300 pounds when he starred as the Hulk on the television show “The Incredible Hulk” (1978-1982).

***

Aquaman was abandoned as a baby. He was born with blonde hair, which was believed to signify the Curse of Kordax. The baby was rescued and raised by a lighthouse keeper.

***

When radio reporter Billy Batson shouted “SHAZAM!,” he became Captain Marvel, a superhero with the powers of several Roman gods.

***

The Green Hornet debuted in a 1936 radio series on WXYZ radio in Detroit. The radio program ran until 1952.

***

The Atom, also known as the Mighty Mite, can shrink himself and his clothing to microscopic size.

***

Psychologist William Moulton Marston (1893-1947) created Wonder Woman. He also invented an early form of the lie detector polygraph test.

***

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. (1883-1939) starred as the swashbuckling hero in the 1920 silent film “The Mark of Zorro.” The same year, he married Hollywood sweetheart Mary Pickford (1892-1979). The famous couple was regarded as “Hollywood Royalty.”

***

Filmmaker George Lucas (born 1944) wanted to remake the Flash Gordon movie serials from the 1930s into a feature length movie. The rights to the comic book character were not available, so he went on to make “Star Wars” (1977) which had many influences from Flash Gordon.

***

The original Doom Patrol was made up of Robotman (a human brain in a robotic body), Negative Man (he had a radioactive body) and Elasti-Girl (she could grow and shrink). They were led by The Chief, a genius paraplegic that protected the innocent with his team of crime fighters.

***

The Doom Patrol series ended very dramatically. The team was killed off in a 1968 comic book.

***

Captain America was a patriotic superhero during World War II. His usual enemies were Nazis and Japanese troops.

***

The Ant-Man’s girlfriend was The Wasp.

***

Answer: Clark Kent, Superman’s alter-ego, works as a reporter at the Daily Planet. Peter Parker works as a photographer for the Daily Bugle and sells pictures of himself as Spiderman to the paper. Britt Reid is the newspaper publisher of the Daily Sentinel by day and crime fighter Green Hornet at night.

Know It All is by Kerry McArdle. It runs in the weekend edition of the Daily Journal. Questions? Comments? Email knowitall(at)smdailyjournal.com or call 344-5200 ext. 128.