Pandora Pann
Encyclopedia
Pandora Pann is a fictional comic book
character
owned by DC Comics
. Pandora debuted in The Comic Reader #197, (December 1981), and was created by Len Wein
and Ross Andru
. Pandora Pann is based on the Greek myth
of Pandora
the first woman, as related by the poet Hesiod
in his epic poem, the Theogony
(700 BCE).
and Ross Andru
’s Pandora Pann was described in The Comic Reader #197 (December 1981) as “the assistant of an archaeologist who unwittingly opens Pandora's box
and spends the rest of her time trying to retrieve the evil she has unleashed by doing so.”
Pandora Pann was originally scheduled to debut as a backup preview
in The Saga of the Swamp Thing
#5 (September 1982). Promotional art from the preview debuted in The Comic Reader #201 (April 1982). According to an interview in the The Comic Reader #202 (May 1982) the series was instead put on indefinite hiatus “due to Len Wein's inability to find the time to write it.” Launched instead was Arion, Lord of Atlantis
, which had run for several months as a backup feature in Warlord
.
When Bob Rozakis
asked him about the character, Len Wein
responded with:
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
owned by DC Comics
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...
. Pandora debuted in The Comic Reader #197, (December 1981), and was created by Len Wein
Len Wein
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
and Ross Andru
Ross Andru
Ross Andru was an American comic book artist and editor. He is best known for his work on Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Flash and Metal Men....
. Pandora Pann is based on the Greek myth
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
of Pandora
Pandora
In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman. As Hesiod related it, each god helped create her by giving her unique gifts...
the first woman, as related by the poet Hesiod
Hesiod
Hesiod was a Greek oral poet generally thought by scholars to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. His is the first European poetry in which the poet regards himself as a topic, an individual with a distinctive role to play. Ancient authors credited him and...
in his epic poem, the Theogony
Theogony
The Theogony is a poem by Hesiod describing the origins and genealogies of the gods of the ancient Greeks, composed circa 700 BC...
(700 BCE).
Publication history
Originally slated for a September 1982 publication date by DC Comics. Len WeinLen Wein
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
and Ross Andru
Ross Andru
Ross Andru was an American comic book artist and editor. He is best known for his work on Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Flash and Metal Men....
’s Pandora Pann was described in The Comic Reader #197 (December 1981) as “the assistant of an archaeologist who unwittingly opens Pandora's box
Pandora's box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology, taken from the myth of Pandora's creation around line 60 of Hesiod's Works and Days. The "box" was actually a large jar given to Pandora , which contained all the evils of the world. When Pandora opened the jar, all its contents except for one item...
and spends the rest of her time trying to retrieve the evil she has unleashed by doing so.”
Pandora Pann was originally scheduled to debut as a backup preview
DC Comics insert previews
DC Comics insert previews were 16-page comic book stories inserted into issues of existing DC Comics series to promote new series usually debuting the next month. Running from 1980 to 1985, they consisted of a front cover, 14 pages of story, and a back cover that depicted the cover of the actual...
in The Saga of the Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
#5 (September 1982). Promotional art from the preview debuted in The Comic Reader #201 (April 1982). According to an interview in the The Comic Reader #202 (May 1982) the series was instead put on indefinite hiatus “due to Len Wein's inability to find the time to write it.” Launched instead was Arion, Lord of Atlantis
Arion (comics)
Arion is a fictional sword and sorcery hero published by DC Comics. He debuted in Warlord #55 , and was created by Paul Kupperberg and Jan Duursema.-Publication history:...
, which had run for several months as a backup feature in Warlord
Warlord (comics)
The Warlord is a sword and sorcery comic book published by DC Comics. The series and titular character debuted in 1st Issue Special #8 , and was created by Mike Grell.-Publication history:...
.
When Bob Rozakis
Bob Rozakis
Robert "Bob" Rozakis is a comic book writer and editor known mainly for his work in the 1970s and 1980s at DC Comics, as the writer of Mazing Man and in his capacity as DC's "Answer Man".-Biography:...
asked him about the character, Len Wein
Len Wein
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
responded with:
Even I had forgotten about Pandora Pann. The answer is that Ross Andru penciled most of a terrific-looking 15 page insert to be included in Swamp Thing, before going off into her own book. But for reasons sadly lost to history (meaning, for the life of me, I can no longer remember why), we never went ahead with the series. A shame too, since it would have preceded things like Tomb Raider and Relic Hunter by decades. And there you have another Secret Behind the Comics.
--Len Wein