Interlac
Encyclopedia
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, Interlac is the designated communication language of the 30th century United Planets.
In its basic form it is a simple one-to-one substitution cipher
Substitution cipher
In cryptography, a substitution cipher is a method of encryption by which units of plaintext are replaced with ciphertext according to a regular system; the "units" may be single letters , pairs of letters, triplets of letters, mixtures of the above, and so forth...
. The Interlac alphabet corresponds perfectly to the twenty-six letters of the Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
and the numbering system corresponds to Earth Base-Ten
Decimal
The decimal numeral system has ten as its base. It is the numerical base most widely used by modern civilizations....
form. Although nominally protected by differences in font spacing, the numbering system itself suffers from a minor stylistic flaw due to the potential for confusion of 6 and 7 with 41 and 42, respectively. Anyone writing it by hand could certainly introduce an error when read by another, and this could create problems with handwriting recognition, as well.
The first reference to Interlac as the "intergalactic universal language of the 30th century" was in Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
#379 published March, 1969. It was also frequently referred to in the Super Friends comic book series (in which all of the Super Friends, including Wendy and Marvin, speak it) as a token explanation of how the Super Friends could understand the language of visiting and/or invading extraterrestrials. The Interlac alphabet was codified years later by writer Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he has worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles...
and artist Keith Giffen
Keith Giffen
Keith Ian Giffen is an American comic book illustrator and writer.-Biography:Giffen was born in Queens, New York City....
in Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
(vol. 2) #312 (June 1984).
After the DC Comics reboot, the new Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes that appear in American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939.-Publication history:...
title points out that a planet that is under attack by The Reach is speaking in Interlac. This planet is in Space Sector 2, and these events take place an undefined time ago, though described as "Long, long ago." and images of Earth show a Mayan
Mayan
The adjective Mayan is sometimes used to refer to the indigenous peoples of southeastern Mexico and parts of Central America, such as Guatemala; their culture, language, and history...
tribe. Contradictory to the statement that the aliens seen are speaking Interlac is the text that can be seen on the signs in the background of the panels. These symbols do not match up to the Interlac alphabet. This may be due to the text being in their native language or a different written dialect as some symbols are similar.
In the Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
universe, Interlac is also referred to as a universal language most often used in first contact situations because it is easily translated. It is easily translated because it is a language based on pure mathematics. In this context, it is normally used only in first contact situations until such a time as a more common understanding between two new species becomes available. Unlike the DC Comics version of the language, the common trade language in the Babylon 5 universe is English.
Recent usage
In the "Lightning Saga" crossover in Justice League of AmericaJustice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
(vol. 2) and Justice Society of America
Justice 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 ....
(vol. 2) Interlac is spoken by the character Starman and others as a trigger. They say "Lightning Lad" in Interlac, freeing other Legion members from the mental blocks that have been put in place.
The individual chapter titles are also printed in Interlac:
- Chapter 1 "Lightning Lad"
- Chapter 2 "Dreams and Fire"
- Chapter 3 "Suicide"
- Chapter 4 "Three Worlds"
- Chapter 5 "The Villain Is The Hero In His Own Story"
Interlac is also shown to be the language in which the Guardians of the Universe
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...
write the Book of Oa.
Shown to have been used thousands of years ago in Space Sector 2, according to Blue Beetle issue 1, of the New DC Universe.