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Black Dragon Society (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Black Dragon Society are currently a group of fictional DC Comics
ecoterrorists originally introduced in 1942's All Star Comics
issue #12 (August 1942) as Japanese saboteurs. They were created by Gardner Fox
and Jack Burnley
.
(DC Comics), Fawcett Comics
and Quality Comics
.
Interesting enough DC Comics came to own the other two companies so all the different incarnations of the Black Dragon Society now belong to them. The Fawcett Comics version debuted in Master Comics
#21 (December 1941), it had Minute-Man
fighting against the Society, and was created by Bill Woolfolk and Charles Sultan. The DC Comics version debuted in All Star Comics
#12 (August 1942) and was created by Gardner Fox
and Jack Burnley
, it had the "The Black Dragon Menace" in which a Japanese spy ring called the Black Dragon Society of Japan steals eight American inventions and kidnaps their inventors. And the Quality Comics version debuted in Military Comics #24 (November 1943), and was created by Ted Udall and Vernon Henkel.
are given orders to retrieve eight stolen military weapons, and subdue the agents of the Black Dragon Society who had orchestrated the thefts. Starman took on a huge dirigible which acted as a flying aircraft carrier
and the planes it housed. The Society, loyal to Imperial Japan, was to use the planes to attack an American city but Starman prevented this. Because of Johnny Thunder's bumbling the whole Battalion was transported to the American HQ of the Black Dragon Society and, after a quick fight and a call to the US Army, the threat posed by the Black Dragons was over.
was a Japanese national and scientific genius who struck off from the Society early on. He broke away and setup his own splinter faction. It was the Dragon King using a combination of the Occult
and Super-Science
who created the forcefield that protected the Axis
countries from the superhuman operatives of the Allies
. He somehow was able to combine the energies of the Spear of Destiny with those of the Holy Grail
to accomplish this. At some point after the war he develops an immortality serum that transforms him into a reptilian humanoid.
#1. This version appears to be made up of fanatical, east Asian Eco-terrorists
with the stated intention to put and end to the exploitation of Pacific oil fields by the west. They take the executive board of Petroil hostage, and kill all their security and support staff. A superteam known as the Power Company shows up and shuts down the Black Dragons before they can kill their hostages.
However, at the end of the story, it is reavealed that this was only a TV commercial for the Power Company. The Black Dragon Society in the set consists of dressed-up actors. Whether the commercial was based on a real incident, and if the Power Company ever battled the real Black Dragons, is not known.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
ecoterrorists originally introduced in 1942's All Star Comics
All Star Comics
All Star Comics is a 1940s comic book series from All-American Publications, one of the early companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. With the exception of the first two issues, All Star Comics primarily told stories about the adventures of the...
issue #12 (August 1942) as Japanese saboteurs. They were created by Gardner Fox
Gardner Fox
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic-book historians estimate that he wrote over 4,000 comics stories....
and Jack Burnley
Jack Burnley
Jack Burnley was the pen name of Hardin Burnley, an American comic book artist and illustrator. Burnley was the first artist, after co-creator Joe Shuster, to draw Superman.-Early career:...
.
Publication history
The Black Dragon Society is based on a real world WW II organization of the same name; however, this society wasn't nearly as sinister as its comic book counterparts. Three different comics companies used the Black Dragon Society as villains in the 1940's, they were National ComicsNational Comics
National Comics may refer to:* National Comics: An early name for the comic book publisher known later as DC Comics.* National Comics : a 1940's comic book series published by Quality Comics....
(DC Comics), Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
and Quality Comics
Quality Comics
Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
.
Interesting enough DC Comics came to own the other two companies so all the different incarnations of the Black Dragon Society now belong to them. The Fawcett Comics version debuted in Master Comics
Master Comics
Master Comics was a monthly ongoing comic book anthology series that began its 133-issue run during the 1930s and 1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books...
#21 (December 1941), it had Minute-Man
Minute-Man
Minute-Man is a fictional comic book superhero.-Publication history:Named after the minutemen of the American Revolution and sporting an American flag-inspired costume, he was originally published by Fawcett Comics...
fighting against the Society, and was created by Bill Woolfolk and Charles Sultan. The DC Comics version debuted in All Star Comics
All Star Comics
All Star Comics is a 1940s comic book series from All-American Publications, one of the early companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. With the exception of the first two issues, All Star Comics primarily told stories about the adventures of the...
#12 (August 1942) and was created by Gardner Fox
Gardner Fox
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic-book historians estimate that he wrote over 4,000 comics stories....
and Jack Burnley
Jack Burnley
Jack Burnley was the pen name of Hardin Burnley, an American comic book artist and illustrator. Burnley was the first artist, after co-creator Joe Shuster, to draw Superman.-Early career:...
, it had the "The Black Dragon Menace" in which a Japanese spy ring called the Black Dragon Society of Japan steals eight American inventions and kidnaps their inventors. And the Quality Comics version debuted in Military Comics #24 (November 1943), and was created by Ted Udall and Vernon Henkel.
Justice Battalion
The Justice BattalionJustice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
are given orders to retrieve eight stolen military weapons, and subdue the agents of the Black Dragon Society who had orchestrated the thefts. Starman took on a huge dirigible which acted as a flying aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
and the planes it housed. The Society, loyal to Imperial Japan, was to use the planes to attack an American city but Starman prevented this. Because of Johnny Thunder's bumbling the whole Battalion was transported to the American HQ of the Black Dragon Society and, after a quick fight and a call to the US Army, the threat posed by the Black Dragons was over.
Other Battles
The Black Dragon Society as an anti-U.S. organization also fought Minute-Man in the pages of Master Comics # 21, the Black Condor in Crack Comics # 28, the Sniper in Military Comics # 24, and Johnny Everyman in the pages of Comic Cavalcade # 10 during World War Two.Dragon King
The Dragon KingDragon King (DC Comics)
Dragon King is a fictional character from DC Comics. He was created by Roy Thomas and Rich Buckler, and first appeared in All-Star Squadron #4, in December 1981.-Fictional character biography:...
was a Japanese national and scientific genius who struck off from the Society early on. He broke away and setup his own splinter faction. It was the Dragon King using a combination of the Occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
and Super-Science
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
who created the forcefield that protected the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
countries from the superhuman operatives of the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
. He somehow was able to combine the energies of the Spear of Destiny with those of the Holy Grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
to accomplish this. At some point after the war he develops an immortality serum that transforms him into a reptilian humanoid.
Modern Dragons
The modern versions of the Black Dragon Society show up in the pages of Power CompanyPower Company
The Power Company was a team of professional superheroes-for-hire in the DC Comics universe. The team, created by Kurt Busiek and Tom Grummett, first appeared in JLA 61,...
#1. This version appears to be made up of fanatical, east Asian Eco-terrorists
Eco-terrorism
Eco-terrorism usually refers to acts of violence or sabotage committed in support of ecological, environmental, or animal rights causes against persons or their property....
with the stated intention to put and end to the exploitation of Pacific oil fields by the west. They take the executive board of Petroil hostage, and kill all their security and support staff. A superteam known as the Power Company shows up and shuts down the Black Dragons before they can kill their hostages.
However, at the end of the story, it is reavealed that this was only a TV commercial for the Power Company. The Black Dragon Society in the set consists of dressed-up actors. Whether the commercial was based on a real incident, and if the Power Company ever battled the real Black Dragons, is not known.