Professor Carter Nichols
Encyclopedia
Professor Carter Nichols is a fictional character
, a comic book
scientist
published by DC Comics
. He first appeared in Batman
#24 (August 1944), and was created by Joe Samachson and Dick Sprang
.
, based around his particular specialty referred to as "time travel hypnosis", a process that simulated time travel; the stories themselves are less than clear on this respect. At some point he develops a "Time-Ray Machine" which he used to both displace and track objects through time.
Professor Nichols was a useful character to lend some sci-fi "color" to Batman stories from the late 1940s to the 1960s where he made numerous appearances in the pages of both Batman
and World's Finest
, when more conventional superhero
tales were out of favor and most remaining books of the genre drifted into sci-fi and related genres.
In the mid-1970s the character was reintroduced in the comic book Superfriends continuity as a mentor for the Wonder Twins
, who lived with him in their civil identities of John and Joanna Flemming.
He was depicted as an older man still assisting Bruce Wayne with his "time travel hypnosis" in The Brave and the Bold
#171 (vol. I, feb. 1981), featuring Batman and Scalphunter
in a team-up story written by Gerry Conway
and illustrated by José Luis García-López
.
In 2010, the character reappeared in Batman #700 and in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
#5, where the Black Glove- lead by the mysterious Doctor Simon Hurt
- attempted to convince Carter to help aid them in a sacrifice to the bat-god Barbatos in exchange for funding for his time-travel experiments, only for Nichols to reject the offer when he refused to participate in the sacrifice.
Fictional character
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...
, a comic book
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...
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
published 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...
. He first appeared in Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
#24 (August 1944), and was created by Joe Samachson and Dick Sprang
Dick Sprang
Richard W. "Dick" Sprang was an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on the superhero Batman during the period fans and historians call Golden Age of Comic Books. Sprang was responsible for the 1948 redesign of the Batmobile and the original design of the Riddler, who...
.
Fictional character biography
His appearances nearly always involved some form of time travelTime travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
, based around his particular specialty referred to as "time travel hypnosis", a process that simulated time travel; the stories themselves are less than clear on this respect. At some point he develops a "Time-Ray Machine" which he used to both displace and track objects through time.
Professor Nichols was a useful character to lend some sci-fi "color" to Batman stories from the late 1940s to the 1960s where he made numerous appearances in the pages of both Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and World's Finest
World's Finest
World's Finest may refer to:*A number of DC Comics related media, typically involving the teaming up of iconic superheroes Superman and Batman** World's Finest Comics** World's Finest Team** World's Finest Trinity...
, when more conventional superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
tales were out of favor and most remaining books of the genre drifted into sci-fi and related genres.
In the mid-1970s the character was reintroduced in the comic book Superfriends continuity as a mentor for the Wonder Twins
Wonder Twins
The Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, are fictional extraterrestrial comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Their first comic book appearance was in Super Friends #7 , by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon...
, who lived with him in their civil identities of John and Joanna Flemming.
He was depicted as an older man still assisting Bruce Wayne with his "time travel hypnosis" in The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
#171 (vol. I, feb. 1981), featuring Batman and Scalphunter
Scalphunter (DC Comics)
Scalphunter is a fictional character, a Wild West hero in the DC Comics Universe. Scalphunter first appeared in Weird Western Tales #39 and was created by Sergio Aragones and Joe Orlando.-Fictional character biography:...
in a team-up story written by Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
and illustrated by José Luis García-López
José Luis García-López
José Luis García-López is a Spanish comic book artist who works in the United States of America, mostly for DC Comics. He has most recently penciled an arc in Batman Confidential, the Metal Men storyline in the 2009 Wednesday Comics weekly anthology, and, in 2011, one of the stories in The Spirit...
.
In 2010, the character reappeared in Batman #700 and in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne is a 6-issue American comic book limited series published by DC Comics beginning in May 2010 to November 2010, written by Grant Morrison and featuring a team of rotating artists starting with Chris Sprouse and Frazer Irving.The series picks up from Batman and Robin...
#5, where the Black Glove- lead by the mysterious Doctor Simon Hurt
Simon Hurt
Dr. Simon Hurt, commonly known simply as Doctor Hurt, is a fictional character from the DC Comics universe. Hurt was created by writer Grant Morrison and first appeared in Batman #673 ....
- attempted to convince Carter to help aid them in a sacrifice to the bat-god Barbatos in exchange for funding for his time-travel experiments, only for Nichols to reject the offer when he refused to participate in the sacrifice.
Television
- Professor Nichols appears in the Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode "Last Bat on Earth!" voiced by Richard McGonagleRichard McGonagleRichard Francis McGonagle is an American actor and voice actor.McGonagle was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Hildagard Virginia and William Francis McGonagle....
. Gorilla GroddGorilla GroddGorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. He debuted in Flash v.1 #106 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino....
forces him to transport him to KamandiKamandiKamandi is an American comic book character, created by artist Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics. The bulk of Kamandi's appearances occurred in the comic series Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, which ran from 1972 to 1978....
's time using a time ray, and later uses it to transport Batman there, in order to stop him.
See also
- Professor Alpheus V. Hyatt, an Atom supporting character who fulfills a similar role by means of his Time Pool.
- Rip HunterRip HunterRip Hunter is a DC Comics character who first appeared in Showcase #20 . Following three more appearances in Showcase , Rip Hunter was given his own series, which ran for 29 issues . He later starred in the six-issue Time Masters series , written by Bob Wayne and Lewis Shiner...
, a time traveling adventurer currently associated with Booster GoldBooster GoldBooster Gold is a fictional DC Comics superhero. Created by Dan Jurgens, he first appeared in Booster Gold #1 and has been a member of the Justice League, DC Comics' all-star team of heroes. The character is initially depicted as a glory-seeking showboat from the future, using knowledge of...
. - Cosmic TreadmillCosmic treadmillThe cosmic treadmill is a fictional time travel device in the DC Comics universe. The treadmill first appears in The Flash #125 written by John Broome.-Origins:The treadmill was first seen in The Flash #125 written by John Broome...
, a device that the Flash used in similar stories