Misplaced Pages

#350649

148-520: Deadshot ( Floyd Lawton ) is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . Created by David Vern Reed and Lew Schwartz , based on a concept from Batman co-creator Bob Kane , the character made his first appearance in Batman #59 (June 1950). The introduction story features Deadshot using standard firearms while wearing a tuxedo, top hat, and simple domino mask. The character

296-487: A naturalistic style of superheroes with human failings, fears, and inner demons - heroes who squabbled and worried about the likes of paying the rent. In contrast to the super-heroic do-gooder archetypes of established superheroes at the time, this ushered in a revolution. With dynamic artwork by Kirby, Steve Ditko , Don Heck , and others, complementing Lee's colorful, catchy prose, the new style became very popular among teenagers and college students who could identify with

444-507: A supervillain , he is also sometimes depicted as an antihero as a member of the Suicide Squad where he fights more dangerous villains and threats, his need to protect those he regards as family, and his occasional efforts to hold himself accountable to a personal code of ethics. The character has been substantially adapted from the comics into various forms of media, including television series, feature films and video games. Deadshot

592-498: A tabloid -sized, 10-by-15-inch (250 mm × 380 mm), 36-page magazine with a card-stock, non-glossy cover. An anthology , it mixed humor features such as the funny animal comic "Pelion and Ossa" and the college-set "Jigger and Ginger" with such dramatic fare as the Western strip "Jack Woods" and the " yellow-peril " adventure "Barry O'Neill", featuring a Fu Manchu -styled villain, Fang Gow. Issue #6 (Oct. 1935) brought

740-568: A "champion" to enter the League of Lazarus tournament and bond with the Lazarus Demon. Connor accepted the offer, intending to stop their plan to awaken the demon. The Shadows sent Hawke as their champion of the League of Lazarus tournament and monitored him vigilantly. Other members of the League of Assassins include: In Superman & Batman: Generations , Batman 'inherits' control of the League of Assassins after Bruce Wayne tracks down

888-541: A Lazarus Pit by Shiva, in order that the two could face each other in a final battle. Batgirl won leaving Shiva on a meat hook suspended over the Lazarus Pit. Although most of its members had died or defected, the League survived the " Infinite Crisis ", and was seen to play an important role in the Society 's worldwide prison break. Throughout the period of aftermath it remained under the control of Nyssa, until she

1036-498: A Siegel/Shuster creation from the slush pile and used it as the cover feature (but only as a backup story) in Action Comics #1 (June 1938). The duo's alien hero, Superman , was dressed in a cape and colorful tights. The costume, influenced by Flash Gordon 's attire from 1934, evoked circus aerial performers and circus strongmen, and Superman became the archetype of the " superheroes " that would follow. In early 1939,

1184-429: A block of ice, thanks to some grenades made with technology he stole from Mr. Freeze. Next, Cheshire appears next to him thanks to her teleportation abilities and steals the hat off of his head. However, he spots the teleportation device implanted in her wrist and uses an electrical shock to short it out. That causes the device to malfunction and she disappears completely. During the fight, Red Hood states that he would lead

1332-460: A broken system—a system that can only be fixed by taking the next step, and culling the weak and wicked from the world. He and the others have chosen Jason to be their leader in taking the action that the world's super-heroes have been too afraid to take. Red Hood admits that he abandoned his friends because he did not want to be a killer. In response, Bronze Tiger begs the opportunity to show Red Hood how to do real lasting good. The assassins give Jason

1480-633: A charity ball, Floyd witnesses Gotham City's hero Batman apprehend a group of thieves. Seeing Batman as a rival, Floyd decides to reduce the hero's influence on Gotham before fully embarking on a criminal career. Donning a tuxedo, top hat, gun belt, and domino mask, Lawton operates publicly in Gotham City as a vigilante called Deadshot and uses his marksmanship abilities to disarm criminals without killing them. Batman becomes suspicious of Deadshot and eventually learns his true motives and identity. Later, Deadshot reveals himself and attempts to kill Batman but

1628-467: A child, since Cain's methods had driven him murderously insane, and Ra's had ordered the child be killed. Nyssa, however, knew that the servant ordered to carry out this execution had instead released him into the wild, explaining how it was possible to recruit him. The Mad Dog was successful in killing Batgirl (who gave her life to protect the burqa -clad assassin Tigris). She was quickly restored to life in

SECTION 10

#1732790542351

1776-513: A close personal friend of Batman's post-crisis). Eventually Turner's earlier training at the hands of O-Sensei (not to be confused with the leader of the League) proved too strong for the League to fully break, and when he refused to kill Batman he was forced to flee the League. Not long afterwards, the insane Sensei—no longer motivated by anything but a desire to raise assassination to an art—attempted to cause an artificial earthquake in order to kill

1924-735: A collection of English-language newspaper inserts originally published in Europe as the 1837 book Histoire de Mr. Vieux Bois by Rodolphe Töpffer . The G. W. Dillingham Company published the first known proto-comic-book magazine in the US, The Yellow Kid in McFadden's Flats , in 1897. A hardcover book, it reprinted material—primarily the October 18, 1896, to January 10, 1897, sequence titled "McFadden's Row of Flats"—from cartoonist Richard F. Outcault 's newspaper comic strip Hogan's Alley , starring

2072-479: A dramatic battle (it is also suggested this is why he initially decorates his second costume with a target on his chest). During his time with the team, Deadshot frequently clashes with teammate Captain Boomerang and field leader Rick Flag (for whom Floyd develops a grudging respect). Soon after Deadshot joins the Suicide Squad, Batman learns of the team's existence and confronts them, threatening to expose that

2220-599: A gradual decline, due to a shift away from print media in the wake of television and the impact of the Comics Code Authority . The late 1950s and the 1960s saw a superhero revival and superheroes remained the dominant character archetype throughout the late 20th century into the 21st century. Some fans collect comic books, helping drive up their value. Some have sold for more than US$ 1 million. Comic shops cater to fans, selling comic books, plastic sleeves ("bags") and cardboard backing ("boards") to protect

2368-654: A killer who never misses. At some point, Floyd Lawton marries a woman named Susan and they have a child together, a boy named Edward after Floyd's deceased brother. Floyd later divorces Susan and removes himself from her and Edward's life. He later claims he did this because Susan saw him not as who he is but who she thought he could be, and that his presence endangered the lives of happiness of her and Edward. Eventually, Floyd takes residence in Gotham City and hires an assistant and trusted valet named Steven. He decides to become an influential figure and crime lord, similar to how his parents operated in his home town. While attending

2516-482: A letter from Michelle Torres , a woman who claims Floyd Lawton is the father of her daughter Zoe Torres . Deadshot visits Michelle Torres in the Triangle, a neighborhood of Star City . Realizing Zoe is indeed his daughter, he recognizes Michelle as a sex worker he spent time with years before. Haunted by the memory of abandoning his son Eddie and later finding him dead, Floyd decides to take up temporary residence in

2664-483: A member of the League, and eyewitness testimony from former League member Onyx indicates that she kept in contact with the League, although she apparently did not see her daughter. Although most of her appearances over the years show her working independently, she apparently had some degree of League membership, and was called upon by Ra's to "rescue" Talia during the Hush storyline. In keeping with Ra's and Cain's plans,

2812-603: A million copies a month each; comics provided very popular cheap entertainment during World War II especially among soldiers, but with erratic quality in stories, art, and printing. In the early 1940s, over 90 percent of girls and boys from seven to seventeen read comic books. In 1941, H. G. Peter and William Moulton Marston , created the female superhero character Wonder Woman , who debuted in All Star Comics #8 (December 1941) and Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman in 1942. MLJ 's Pep Comics debuted as

2960-543: A number of diplomats gathered for peace talks. Batman traced Ben Turner to a hospital, foiling a League attempt to assassinate the man. Turner could not fully remember the actions of his alternate personality (although years later, as a member of the Suicide Squad , he would reveal that the League had used him to kill a number of people), but he was able to aid Batman in uncovering the Sensei's latest plot. Although Batman

3108-403: A person resulted in hopelessly psychotic children, Cain decided that he needed a genetically suited child and began searching for a possible mother. To this end he assassinated Carolyn Woosan/Wu-San, one of two astonishingly talented martial artist sisters he had seen fighting in an exhibition. Carolyn's sister, Sandra, swore revenge and tracked Cain down, only to be subdued by the combined might of

SECTION 20

#1732790542351

3256-465: A planned visit with his daughter, his first since his arrest, is withheld from him. Deadshot ultimately sacrifices his life to kill the evil cult member Regulas. Deadshot is later resurrected, possibly through genetic material taken from Resurrection Man during an earlier mission. During the 2013–2014 " Forever Evil " story line, the Justice League teams are seemingly killed. To ensure Earth

3404-510: A profound impact upon the American comic-book industry. Their popularity, along with mainstream media attention and critical acclaim, combined with changing social tastes, led to a considerably darker tone in comic books during the 1990s nicknamed by fans as the "grim-and-gritty" era. The growing popularity of antiheroes such as Wolverine and the Punisher exemplified this change, as did

3552-442: A promotional item to consumers who mailed in coupons clipped from Procter & Gamble soap and toiletries products. The company printed 10,000 copies. The promotion proved a success, and Eastern Color that year produced similar periodicals for Canada Dry soft drinks , Kinney Shoes , Wheatena cereal and others, with print runs of from 100,000 to 250,000. Also in 1933, Gaines and Wildenberg collaborated with Dell to publish

3700-520: A superhero, science-fiction and adventure anthology, but after the title introduced the teen-humor feature "Archie" in 1942, the feature's popularity would soon eclipse all other MLJ properties, leading the publisher to rename itself Archie Comics . Following the end of World War II, the popularity of superheroes greatly diminished, while the comic-book industry itself expanded. A few well-established characters such as Superman , Batman and Wonder Woman continued to sell, but DC canceled series starring

3848-542: A swarm of Man-Bats warning that the League of Assassins is death incarnate. When the Untitled have been cast back into the Well of Sins by the League of Assassins, Drakar plans to take Red Hood with him only for Bronze Tiger to snap Drakar's neck. Following Drakar's death, Red Hood admits that killing Drakar was necessary—a key realization for a member of the League of Assassins. Lady Shiva comments that tonight, they will see all

3996-494: A ten-cent pricetag [ sic ] on the comic books". When Delacorte declined to continue with Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics , Eastern Color on its own published Famous Funnies #1 (cover-dated July 1934), a 68-page giant selling for 10¢. Distributed to newsstands by the mammoth American News Company , it proved a hit with readers during the cash-strapped Great Depression , selling 90 percent of its 200,000 print, although putting Eastern Color more than $ 4,000 in

4144-402: A third of all North American sales in the early 1950s. Its 90 titles averaged a circulation of 800,000 copies per title for every issue, with Walt Disney's Comics and Stories peaking at a circulation of three million a month in 1953. Eleven of the top 25 bestselling comic books at the time were Dell titles. Out of 40 publishers active in 1954, Dell, Atlas (i.e. Marvel), DC, and Archie were

4292-550: A tour of the Death Market, where tools of death and murder can be bought, to fill any need provided that the need in question is killing a lot of people. After reuniting with December Graystone, Cheshire, Lady Shiva, and Rictus, Bronze Tiger calls a meeting of the council to which Red Hood is invited. Meanwhile, they are concerned about the security of the city, given the coming war. Rictus assures them that it would take approximately four hundred terawatts of power to break through

4440-508: A true comic book. But it did offer all original material and was sold on newsstands ". The Funnies ran for 36 issues, published Saturdays through October 16, 1930. In 1933, salesperson Maxwell Gaines , sales manager Harry I. Wildenberg , and owner George Janosik of the Waterbury, Connecticut , company Eastern Color Printing —which printed, among other things, Sunday-paper comic-strip sections – produced Funnies on Parade as

4588-466: A variety of cleverly concealed weapons and poisons. Although the League apparently had an inner circle of elite fighters as well as a large number of warriors trained in the martial arts, the League during Darrk's tenure as leader reflected his personal methodology. Following a "falling out" with Ra's (the exact details of which were never made clear) Darrk kidnapped Ra's daughter, Talia al Ghul . Batman became involved in this matter while attempting to bring

Deadshot - Misplaced Pages Continue

4736-467: A voice from within that explains that his destiny is coming to fruition, and shows him how to make the mystical All-Blades manifest in his hands. Though he does not remember what all this means, he hopes it will help, as the Untitled arrive in the sacred city. Outside the sacred city of 'Eth Alth'eban, December Graystone discovers someone he was not expecting to see waiting outside and curses himself for not realizing that this person had something to do with

4884-777: A way to keep their presses running. Like The Funnies , but only eight pages, this appeared as a newsprint magazine. Rather than using original material, however, it reprinted in color several comic strips licensed from the McNaught Syndicate , the Ledger Syndicate , and the Bell-McClure Syndicate . These included such popular strips as cartoonist Al Smith 's Mutt and Jeff , Ham Fisher 's Joe Palooka , and Percy Crosby 's Skippy . Eastern Color neither sold this periodical nor made it available on newsstands , but rather sent it out free as

5032-461: A year. In 1929, Dell Publishing (founded by George T. Delacorte, Jr. ) published The Funnies , described by the Library of Congress as "a short-lived newspaper tabloid insert" and not to be confused with Dell's 1936 comic-book series of the same name. Historian Ron Goulart describes the 16-page, four-color periodical as "more a Sunday comic section without the rest of the newspaper than

5180-427: Is a schism of the League of Assassins created to counter Batman's "Batman Incorporated". Batman and Aquaman head to an island where the League of Assassins are, after Ra's al Ghul had the bodies of Damian Wayne and Talia al Ghul exhumed. Batman and Aquaman storm the beach, breaking through the island's defences of Man-Bats, only to find that the source of the whales' screaming was on the island. Ra's al Ghul had ordered

5328-465: Is allegedly bilingual , and learned to speak Russian as a youth. Deadshot has proven to be a formidable hand-to-hand combatant when needed due to his excellent physical condition and training as an assassin. He has gone toe-to-toe against Batman on several occasions and has also fought Deathstroke to a standstill. He is adept in Karate , Jiu-Jitsu , Judo , Boxing , Krav Maga and Muay Thai . He

5476-560: Is also an expert in many different styles of knife fighting . Lawton also possesses advanced knowledge of the human anatomy and knows all the weak spots and pressure points of the human body. Two incarnations of Deadshot appear in the Batman: Arkham franchise. American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States , on average 32 pages, containing comics . While

5624-555: Is free of his chains almost instantly. His training with Lady Shiva sees him making short work of the League's Man-Bats. He uses that same training to best Lady Shiva herself, only to be attacked by Bronze Tiger next. In the meantime though, Cheshire (whose loyalty to the League of Assassin's returned master is waning) attempts to rescue Roy and Kori. Before long, the pair are free to aid Red Hood in his fight. Smirking, he welcomes them back, apologizing for his having deceived them. They are confused, unaware that his decision to erase his memory

5772-401: Is further explained by therapist Dr. Marnie Herrs. As a child, Floyd Lawton and his older brother Edward "Eddie" Robert Lawton are raised in a wealthy family that has great influence over their community. Their father George Lawton owns interests in much of the local real estate and hold sway over the local police, while their mother Genevieve Pitt Lawton, a prize-winning sharp shooter, controls

5920-429: Is hired to retrieve Tarantula from Alcatraz Island , and find a card which she stole from Junior, a mysterious villain who supposedly runs the entire West Coast mob. Junior has practically the entire villain community at her beck and call, as many fear her methods and formidability. The Six later learn that the card in question was made by the demon lord Neron and serves a special function: "Get Out Of Hell Free." Soon,

6068-420: Is nearly surprised to see Batman pounding on the cockpit's windshield. From outside, Batman screams for Ra's al Ghul to give back his son, but Ra's al Ghul responds that he is blood of Damian's blood and the boy is in good hands. He orders the plane to tilt its angle, causing the wind shear to rip Batman from his purchase and drop down into the sea. Luckily, Aquaman is there to catch him. Arthur explains that all of

Deadshot - Misplaced Pages Continue

6216-474: Is protected, Amanda Waller pays Deadshot to reunite the Suicide Squad. Deadshot's first visit is to Harley Quinn. Following the events of DC Rebirth in 2016, Deadshot's pre-New 52 history is restored. When a character mentions having heard that Deadshot grew up in poverty, Lawton now remarks that this was a lie he told. In the story "The War of Jokes and Riddles," it is retroactively revealed that soon after his first defeat at Batman's hands, Deadshot sided with

6364-449: Is shocked when each of his shots miss. Batman taunts that Deadshot has no nerve to properly face and kill an opponent. In truth, Batman had gotten to Deadshot's weapons ahead of time and altered their sights to throw off his aim, hoping to shake the villain psychologically. Publicly exposed, Deadshot is taken to trial and imprisoned. After some time, he becomes resentful that he is considered a forgotten enemy of Batman's while others such as

6512-464: Is taken symbolically as the beginning of a new era, although his success was not immediate. It took two years for the Flash to receive his own title, and Showcase itself was only a bimonthly book, though one which was to introduce a large number of enduring characters. By 1959, the slowly building superhero revival had become clear to DC's competitors. Archie jumped on board that year, and Charlton joined

6660-667: The Flash and Green Lantern and converted All-American Comics and All Star Comics to Western titles, and Star Spangled Comics to a war title. The publisher also launched such science-fiction titles as Strange Adventures and Mystery in Space . Martin Goodman 's Timely Comics , also known as Atlas, canceled its three formerly high-selling superhero titles starring Captain America (created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby ),

6808-613: The Human Torch , and the Sub-Mariner , briefly reviving the characters in 1954 only to cancel them again shortly thereafter to focus on horror, science fiction, teen humor, romance and Western genres. Romance comics became strongly established, with Prize Comics ' Young Romance and with Young Love , the latter written and drawn by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby; those two titles' popularity led to an explosion of romance comics from many publishers. Dell 's comic books accounted for

6956-526: The Mad Hatter , simply so they would be killed. Tarantula sacrifices herself and Junior, seemingly destroying the card as well in the process. It is later revealed that Scandal is now in possession of the card. While on a mission to Gotham City to kill several of Batman's allies, the Six are ambushed by a group of superheroes who have come to assist Batman. Deadshot is rendered unconscious by Green Lantern and

7104-685: The Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency held hearings on comic book indecency from April to June 1954. In the wake of these troubles, a group of comics publishers, led by National and Archie, founded the Comics Code Authority in 1954 and drafted the Comics Code, intended as "the most stringent code in existence for any communications media". A Comic Code Seal of Approval soon appeared on virtually every comic book carried on newsstands. EC, after experimenting with less controversial comic books, dropped its comics line to focus on

7252-485: The Suicide Squad . Deadshot is an expert in firearms and an excellent sniper who regularly boasts of never missing a shot. He is often considered one of the deadliest assassins in the DC Universe . Lawton is eventually brought to justice by the superhero Batman , who becomes Lawton's most recurring enemy over the years (though he also occasionally comes into conflict with other heroes). While typically portrayed as

7400-663: The Yellow Kid . The 196-page, square-bound, black-and-white publication, which also includes introductory text by E. W. Townsend , measured 5 by 7 inches (130 mm × 180 mm) and sold for 50 cents. The neologism "comic book" appears on the back cover. Despite the publication of a series of related Hearst comics soon afterward, the first monthly proto-comic book, Embee Distributing Company's Comic Monthly , did not appear until 1922. Produced in an 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 -by-9-inch (220 mm × 230 mm) format, it reprinted black-and-white newspaper comic strips and lasted

7548-535: The 1960s, DC, and then Marvel, began to include writer and artist credits on the comics that they published. Other notable companies publishing comics during the Silver Age included the American Comics Group (ACG), Charlton , Dell , Gold Key , Harvey Comics , and Tower . Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll were featured, as the anti-authoritarian underground comix made waves in 1968, following

SECTION 50

#1732790542351

7696-457: The 1970s coincided with the appearance of comic-book specialty stores across North America. These specialty stores were a haven for more distinct voices and stories, but they also marginalized comics in the public eye. Serialized comic stories became longer and more complex, requiring readers to buy more issues to finish a story. In the mid-to-late 1980s, two series published by DC Comics , Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen , had

7844-542: The 1990s changing the format and distribution of their comic books to more closely resemble non-comics publishing. The " minicomics " form, an extremely informal version of self-publishing , arose in the 1980s and became increasingly popular among artists in the 1990s, despite reaching an even more limited audience than the small presses. The development of the modern American comic book happened in stages. Publishers had collected comic strips in hardcover book form as early as 1842, with The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck ,

7992-520: The 36-page Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics , which historians consider the first true American comic book; Goulart, for example, calls it "the cornerstone for one of the most lucrative branches of magazine publishing". Distribution took place through the Woolworth's department-store chain, though it remains unclear whether it was sold or given away; the cover displays no price, but Goulart refers, either metaphorically or literally, to "sticking

8140-598: The American comic book has been adapted periodically outside the United States, especially in Canada and the United Kingdom . While comics can be the work of a single creator, the labor of creating them is frequently divided between a number of specialists. There may be a separate writer and artist , or there may be separate artists for the characters and backgrounds. Particularly in superhero comic books,

8288-678: The CCA) stopped publishing crime and horror titles, which was their entire business, and were forced out of the market altogether, turning to magazine publishing instead. By 1960, output had stabilized at about 1,500 releases per year (representing a greater than fifty percent decline since 1952). The dominant comic book genres of the post-CCA 1950s were funny animals, humor, romance , television properties, and Westerns . Detective, fantasy , teen, and war comics were also popular, but adventure, superheroes, and comic strip reprints were in decline, with Famous Funnies seeing its last issue in 1955. In

8436-491: The DC universe. The League of Assassins reside in the sacred city of 'Eth Alth'eban. Lady Shiva, Rictus, Cheshire, December Graystone, and Bronze Tiger target Red Hood. They end up capturing Jason Todd and bring him to 'Eth Alth'eban so that he can help lead the League of Assassins. Red Hood has been led to 'Eth Alth'eban, where the League of Assassins resides. Bronze Tiger explains that costumed heroes have been fighting to maintain

8584-548: The Dark Knight. Government operative Amanda Waller gets permission to revive Task Force X, a special operations group that in the past was also known as the Suicide Squad. Under Waller's leadership, Task Force X is no longer a group of government and military operatives but now is primarily made up of incarcerated super-villains who are considered expendable if lost on dangerous missions and are promised reduced prison time in exchange for their services. After being defeated by

8732-479: The Flash, Floyd Lawton is imprisoned again and transferred to Belle Reve, a prison in Louisiana that also serves as the secret hub for the new Suicide Squad. There, Deadshot is recruited by Amanda Waller. It is later said Deadshot is selected not only due to his skills but also because mandated therapy sessions have revealed he sometimes is prone to a "death-wish", internally hoping a proper enemy will end his life in

8880-463: The Heretics are alive, having been taken down by a whale to Atlantis for safe keeping. In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called DC Rebirth , which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". The League of Assassins and League of Shadows are two separate organizations. The League of Assassins consists of Ra's Al Ghul's standard followers, while

9028-422: The Heretics were born of a whale's womb, Arthur might be able to telepathically link up with them. He leads them out into the ocean, where an unharmed whale breaches, and swallows them whole. Batman, meanwhile, fights his way to Ra's escape aircraft. He sees Talia and Damian's bodies stored within it, and clings to the fuselage from outside as the plane takes off. Though Ra's al Ghul plans to go to Paradise Island, he

SECTION 60

#1732790542351

9176-735: The Joker in a gang war against the Riddler and other criminals. During this time, he sustained head trauma and was hospitalized after a battle with Batman. Deadshot returns to service with the Suicide Squad. After several more missions, he is seemingly killed by Black Mask . Deadshot has no superhuman powers but is the top marksman in the DC Universe. He possesses superhuman-like accuracy, and regularly boasts that he "never misses" his target. Deadshot once shot an apple off of Captain Boomerang 's head with his eyes closed. He also intentionally grazed

9324-494: The Lawton's own on the outskirts of town. After high school, Floyd Lawton leaves his family home to travel. Despite his later claims that he felt nothing on seeing his brother die, he often shows anger when recalling the incident and Eddie's death inspires him to swear that in the future when he fires a gun, he will "never miss." The next several years of Floyd Lawton's life before his arrival in Gotham City are not fully explained in

9472-531: The League attempted to train Cassandra Cain from birth to be the ultimate assassin, unknowingly giving her the skills she would use as the hero Batgirl . After the death of Ra's al Ghul, his first-born daughter Nyssa Raatko formed a new League. Lady Shiva was recruited to serve as the sensei to this incarnation of the League, with the intent that Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) would lead the warriors themselves. Reflecting Shiva's emphasis for martial arts,

9620-480: The League of Assassins follow a strict regimen, carrying distinct black emblems and supplies up to their mountain lairs. These new recruits are called Ghuls , because they emerge after proclaiming their final prayers in their own prefabricated graves before initiating in various, assigned operations. Unlike the ancient Order of the Assassins, whose main objective was to halt sectarian conflicts and wars within

9768-436: The League of Assassins in exchange that Arsenal and Starfire are unharmed. Starfire reminds Jason that she would rather die than be put in chains again. She warns him that with the last Lazarus Pit uncovered, it can strip away the Untitled's powers, which is why they have come to destroy it. They must not succeed. As she and Arsenal are escorted away, she warns Jason not to die today. As he prepares himself, Red Hood begins to hear

9916-429: The League of Shadows is the more mysterious of the two and is often considered a myth, but are said to have people everywhere and to have a plan to "bring the entire nation to the ground". At a later point in time, Connor Hawke , the estranged son of Green Arrow, washed up on the shores of an unknown island, where he was rescued by the League of Shadows. They offered him an invitation to join their ranks, as they needed

10064-409: The League to justice for a number of recent killings. Although he had connected the League to several assassinations over the years, all previous attempts to investigate had met dead-ends. Batman rescued Talia (the first time the two would meet, laying the foundation for all their future interaction) and Darrk died while trying to kill them. Under the direction of the organization's second known leader,

10212-542: The League. Both intoxicated and frightened by the levels of skill she was attaining now that she was no longer holding back for her sister's sake, Sandra agreed to be the mother of Cain's child. In return, the League spared Sandra's life, and assisted her in further training. By the time Sandra gave birth she had surpassed the entire League in skill. She left immediately following the birth of her daughter, Cassandra Cain , rechristening herself Lady Shiva . Other stories would suggest that at some points afterwards Shiva worked as

10360-609: The Modern Horror age. But as of 2009 historians and fans use " Bronze Age " to describe the period of American mainstream comics history that began with the period of concentrated changes to comic books in 1970. Unlike the Golden/Silver Age transition, the Silver/Bronze transition involves many continuing books, making the transition less sharp. The development of the " direct market " distribution system in

10508-505: The Penguin and Riddler gain greater renown. At his first opportunity, he escapes imprisonment and decides to prove himself in combat against Batman with new, wrist-mounted guns, customized body armor, and a mask that helps his already impressive aim. Despite his efforts, Deadshot is once again defeated by Gotham City's hero. After escaping authorities again, Deadshot once again becomes an assassin for hire rather than focusing on revenge against

10656-525: The Pitt banking businesses. The Lawton parents are seen as a power couple in their society circles, but in private they grow to hate each other. By various accounts, Floyd is repeatedly judged by his parents for not matching the achievements of his brother in academics and sports, leading the younger Lawton child to act out in various ways. When Eddie is in his mid-teens and Floyd is around 12 years old, Genevieve tells her sons about her husband's infidelities and

10804-666: The Secret Six disbands, Deadshot is said to have returned to Amanda Waller's new Suicide Squad. While part of the Suicide Squad, Deadshot is sent against the villains Pied Piper and Trickster and then seemingly kills Trickster. These events occur during the year-long series Countdown . Like many events depicted in that series, Trickster's death is later contradicted by other stories. Amanda Waller decides to exile all criminals with superhuman abilities to another planet, without trial. The Suicide Squad works on rounding up as many villains as possible, sending them to another planet via

10952-473: The Sensei, who recently reappeared in the "Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul" storyline. " One Year Later ", Talia al Ghul forced Kirk Langstrom to give her the Man-Bat formula which she used to turn some of its members into Man-Bats. Currently, the League of Assassins and its Man-Bat Commandos are used by Talia as her personal army and bodyguards, carrying her orders and taking retribution over her enemies. In

11100-416: The Sensei. Talia, who would naturally assume control of her father's empire by default following Nyssa's death, has recently been seen in the Batman and Son storyline, leading ninja members of the League of Assassins, against Batman. At the same time, several members felt neither Talia nor Cassandra were up to the role, and, after failing to recruit Black Canary's adopted daughter Sin, gave the leadership to

11248-456: The Six are attacked by a small army of super-villains, all wanting to recover the card and collect the reward of $ 20 million for each of the Six. It is later revealed that Junior is in fact Rag Doll's sister, as well as the daughter of the first Rag Doll. The Six escape and head for Gotham City , only to be attacked by Junior and the Super villains. It is revealed that they were initially hired by

11396-610: The Suicide Squad operations are temporarily halted and Deadshot returns to his own life and agenda. At one point, he becomes a host body for the demon lord Neron and nearly kills a kindergarten class. To Lawton's relief, he is stopped and then relieved of his demonic possession by the Justice League . Later on, Deadshot accepts a contract to kill the Pope, but is thwarted by Wonder Woman . After both of his parents die, Deadshot inherits some of their documents and belongings. He find

11544-461: The Suicide Squad. Lawton's uniform is stolen by a man who then uses the Deadshot name and equipment to commit crimes and murders. After Lawton kills the impostor while the man is still dressed in the Deadshot uniform and mask. Later, Floyd is haunted by the experience of having shot down his own "image" and for some time does not fix the fatal bullet hole that now occupies his uniform. Eventually,

11692-415: The Triangle and look after Zoe and Michelle. He learns more about Michelle as a person, such as that she is proud of her Cuban and Italian heritage, and he comes to understand the different criminal gangs and slum lords that threaten the Triangle. Announcing his presence, Deadshot begins systematically fighting the corruption in the Triangle, hoping to make it a safer place for Zoe and Michelle. This results in

11840-519: The US government is employing super-villains for covert and possibly illegal missions. Amanda Waller counters that public exposure of Task Force X will force her to reveal Batman's true identity. Before Batman leaves, Deadshot threatens him but the Dark Knight remarks that Lawton always "pulls" his shots when they are in battle with each other. Therapist Dr. Marnie Herrs later agrees with this conclusion, remarking that Deadshot sometimes sabotages his own efforts as if inviting his opponents to take advantage of

11988-489: The Well of Sins. Jason stands in his way, demanding to know who this man is. The man responds that he is the one who gave the Untitled the location of the Acres of All knowing that they would kill Ducra and return to this place. He knew they would fall here, and imbue the Well of Sins with a greater power than he had ever tasted—a power that he would now take for himself, having planned this moment for three centuries. Emerging from

12136-407: The angsty and irreverent nature of characters like Spider-Man , Hulk , X-Men and Fantastic Four . This was a time of social upheaval, giving birth to a new generation of hip and more counter-cultural youngsters, who found a voice in these books. Because Marvel's books were distributed by its rival, National, from 1957 until 1968 Marvel were restricted to publishing only eight titles a month. This

12284-492: The area and convincing Green Arrow to patrol it more regularly. During the 2005–2006 Infinite Crisis storyline, Deadshot briefly operates with a short-lived incarnation of the Secret Six , joining other villains who are recruited by the mysterious Mockingbird (a temporary alias used by Lex Luthor ). For accepting membership, Deadshot is offered the reward of ruling North America ; if he declines, his punishment will be

12432-408: The art may be divided between: The process begins with the writer (often in collaboration with one or more others, who may include the editor and/or the penciller) coming up with a story idea or concept, then working it up into a plot and storyline , finalizing it with a script . After the art is prepared, the dialogue and captions are lettered onto the page from the script, and an editor may have

12580-478: The bandwagon in 1960. In 1961, at the demand of publisher Martin Goodman (who was reacting to a surge in sales of National's newest superhero title The Justice League of America ), writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby created the Fantastic Four for Atlas, which now re-named itself Marvel Comics . With an innovation that changed the comic-book industry, Fantastic Four #1 initiated

12728-424: The battle currently underway in the subterranean city. Red Hood is currently leading the League of Assassins in a charge against the evil Untitled, who had the gall to use Jason's friend Arsenal against him to get into the city. Jason is confused when his swords tell him that by taking bronze shards from the great fountain at the centre of the city, they will be able to drive off the Untitled, but he hopefully passes on

12876-689: The boy struggled against an assault, which resulted in Wes becoming enraged and killing him. Deadshot takes revenge by delivering several non-lethal gunshots to Wes before finally killing him. Having learned that Eddie's kidnapping was part of a complicated plot by Genevieve Lawton to inspire Floyd to finally kill his father, Deadshot returns to his home town. Confronting his mother in her home, Deadshot first intends to kill her but then reconsiders when his therapist Marnie Herrs points out that Genevieve also has her own desire for death and hopes to be killed as she does not wish to harm herself. Rather than possibly give her

13024-533: The city's walls. At their meeting, Red Hood wonders what it is about him that makes them think he can lead them to victory against the Untitled. Bronze Tiger admits amid jeers from his companions that he was told by Talia al Ghul that Red Hood would be the only one who could stop the Untitled if they ever attacked. This comes as a surprise to Red Hood, given that he cannot even remember what the Untitled look like. Bronze Tiger reminds that if Jason wants to do good with his life, he cannot do much better than to fight against

13172-501: The comic books. An American comic book is also known as a floppy comic . It is typically thin and stapled, unlike traditional books . American comic books are one of the three major comic book industries globally, along with Japanese manga and the Franco-Belgian comic books . The typical size and page count of comics have varied over the decades, generally tending toward smaller formats and fewer pages. Historically,

13320-534: The comic-book debut of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster , the future creators of Superman . The two began their careers with the musketeer swashbuckler "Henri Duval", doing the first two installments before turning it over to others and, under the pseudonyms "Leger and Reuths", they created the supernatural -crimefighter adventure Doctor Occult . In 1938, after Wheeler-Nicholson's partner Harry Donenfeld had ousted him, National Allied editor Vin Sullivan pulled

13468-622: The comics, though it is eventually revealed that as a young man he did meet David Cain, a highly skilled assassin who years earlier had been one of the teachers of Batman during the hero's many years of preparation for crime-fighting. As a member of the League of Assassins , who sometimes take private contracts but are also available as operatives of the terrorist Ra's al Ghul , David Cain is an expert in marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat techniques, martial arts, and military tactics, and he trains Floyd Lawton in all these areas. Floyd later remarks that Cain

13616-499: The conflict between their loyalty to Shiva and Nyssa and their near-worship of Batgirl as "The One Who is All", the League split at that point, with Ox, White Willow, and Tigris pledging themselves to Cassandra. Several more members of the League (including all the defectors except Tigris) died when the insane "Mad Dog" went on a killing spree. "The Mad Dog", it was revealed, had been one of David Cain's early attempts to create Ra's' perfect warrior. The Mad Dog had been considered useless as

13764-432: The countercultural era. Legal issues and paper shortages led to a decline in underground comix output from its 1972 peak. In 1974 the passage of anti-paraphernalia laws in the US led to the closing of most head shops, which throttled underground comix distribution. Its readership also dried up as the hippie movement itself petered out in the mid-1970s. Wizard originally used the phrase "Bronze Age", in 1995, to denote

13912-464: The country. Some cities passed laws banning comic books entirely. In 1954, psychiatrist Fredric Wertham published his book Seduction of the Innocent , where he discussed what he perceived as sadistic and homosexual undertones in horror comics and superhero comics respectively, and singled out EC Comics due to its success as a publisher of these genres. In response to growing public anxiety,

14060-476: The darker tone of some independent publishers such as First Comics , Dark Horse Comics , and (founded in the 1990s) Image Comics . This tendency towards darkness and nihilism was manifested in DC's production of heavily promoted comic book stories such as " A Death in the Family " in the Batman series (in which The Joker brutally murdered Batman's sidekick Robin ), while at Marvel the continuing popularity of

14208-462: The deaths of Damian or Talia within the city he swore to protect. As his parting gift, he has left Batman the Heretics to keep him entertained. Batman reels as he sees all of the grotesque and mutated failed clones of failed Damians. As they fight for their lives, Batman warns Aquaman not to kill any of these monstrosities. They are too developmentally malformed to comprehend what they had done to those whales in being born. Suddenly, Bruce realizes that if

14356-494: The destruction of the Triangle in Star City, where Michelle and Zoe still live. At the conclusion of their main objective, Deadshot is rewarded with significant money that he then sends to Michelle. Despite no longer being employed by Lex Luthor, the Secret Six remain active for a time and Deadshot stays on as a member. He develops a grudging friendship with teammate Catman , another former enemy of Batman's. When this version of

14504-410: The dimensional space-bridge known as a boom tube (a product of New Gods technology). After helping the effort, Deadshot is betrayed and exile to the planet as well, as he is still a supervillain as far as Amanda Waller and Rick Flag are concerned. Eventually, the exiled villains escape back to Earth. Deadshot, along with Scandal Savage , Bane , Rag Doll and Catman reunite the Secret Six. The team

14652-471: The early days of comic books, this practice had all but vanished during the 1940s and 1950s. Comic books were produced by comic book companies rather than by individual creators (EC being a notable exception, a company that not only credited its creative teams but also featured creators' biographies). Even comic books by revered and collectible artists like Carl Barks were not known by their creator's name— Disney comics by Barks were signed " Walt Disney ". In

14800-444: The final say (but, once ready for printing, it is difficult and expensive to make any major changes), before the comic is sent to the printer. The creative team, the writer and artist(s), may work for a comic book publisher who handles the marketing, advertising, and other logistics. A wholesale distributor, such as Diamond Comic Distributors , the largest in the US, distributes the printed product to retailers. Another aspect of

14948-449: The form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of Action Comics , which included the debut of the superhero Superman . This was followed by a superhero boom that lasted until the end of World War II . After the war, while superheroes were marginalized, the comic book industry rapidly expanded and genres such as horror, crime, science fiction and romance became popular. The 1950s saw

15096-418: The house library to shoot their father, Floyd fires his rifle, hoping to disarm his brother. But the tree branch Floyd is on suddenly gives way and throws off his aim, causing him to shoot Eddie dead just as the elder brother shoots at their father. Eddie's aim is also thrown off, leading his bullet to strike and shatter George Lawton's spine rather than killing him. Refusing to have his family name tarnished by

15244-416: The hunt of whales, creating genetically altered super-humans in the wombs of sperm whales. This being just one of a probable many plans to rebuild the League of Assassins. Aquaman swears vengeance on the whales' behalves. Inside the compound, they find that Ra's is wiping the hard drives clean, preventing data recovery, even as a message from Ra's plays over the intercom, chastising Batman for failing to prevent

15392-403: The information to his companions. Red Hood finds himself locked in combat with Drakar and the man discovers that what was done to Red Hood's mind was more than a simple mind-wipe. He senses Ducra somewhere within his mind. Red Hood uses Drakar's confusion to steer him toward the fountain, which hides the Well of Sins (the pool that filled the Untitled with evil). Drakar struggles, but collapses into

15540-483: The introduction of the Comics Code Authority in the wake of Senate hearings on juvenile delinquency , which, ignoring the social problems caused by the wars of 1939–45 and 1950–52, sought to blame those problems solely on comics. While there was only a 9% drop in the number of releases between 1952 and 1953, circulation plummeted by an estimated 30–40%. The cause of the decrease is not entirely clear. Television had begun to provide competition with comic books, but there

15688-419: The known members of Nyssa's League were all skilled in this area, and included the warriors Shrike , Kitty Kumbata, Wam-Wam, Joey N'Bobo, Tigris, Momotado, Krunk, White Willow, the twin warriors Los Gemelos, Ox, Mad Dog , Alpha , and Cristos. The new League was present when Mr. Freeze 's wife Nora Fries was brought back to life as the monstrous Lazara, and several members died in the resulting chaos. Due to

15836-628: The late 1940s and early 1950s horror and true-crime comics flourished, many containing graphic violence and gore. Due to such content, moral crusaders became concerned with the impact of comics on the youth, and were blaming comic books for everything from poor grades to juvenile delinquency to drug abuse. This perceived indecency resulted in the collection and public burning of comic books in Spencer, West Virginia and Binghamton, New York in 1948, which received national attention and triggered other public burnings by schools and parent groups across

15984-584: The live-action Batman film series The Dark Knight Trilogy , as well as the CW TV show Arrow , and the Fox TV show Gotham . Yasser split from the ancient Order of Assassins in a successor movement. Their followers claim to have annulled and deposed centers of civilizations such as Baghdad , Moscow , and Rome , throughout past generations in their lineage. As a part of The Demon, it's sometimes called "The Demon's Fang" or "Demonfang". The recruits of

16132-493: The local population advocating to protect Deadshot from vigilantes such as local hero Green Arrow , and also leads to a new romance between Michelle and Floyd. As supervillains with a grudge against Deadshot begin appearing in the Triangle, Lawton decides to put distance between himself and Michelle and Zoe. After setting up a school scholarship for Zoe, Deadshot kills several supervillains targeting him and then fakes his own death in an explosion. He decides to act more covertly for

16280-433: The major players in volume of sales. By this point, former big-time players Fawcett and Fiction House had ceased publishing. Circulation peaked in 1952 when 3,161 issues of various comics were published with a total circulation of about one billion copies. After 1952, the number of individual releases dropped every year for the rest of the decade, with the biggest falls occurring in 1955–56. The rapid decline followed

16428-402: The many abuses she suffers under him, then asks the boys to kill George. Floyd attempts to warn George, but Eddie locks his younger brother in the nearby boathouse and then locks the doors of the family home so no one can enter or intrude on the killing. Floyd escapes, grabs a hunting rifle, and climbs a nearby tree to get a better view through all the windows of the family home. Seeing Eddie enter

16576-522: The most powerful force for evil on the planet. Just then, sensors reveal that something is on the perimeter of the city. It is Arsenal and he is heavily armed. Arsenal is using all of his unique inventions to hold back the defensive attacks of the Man-Bat Commandos of the League of Assassins. The first assassin Arsenal encounters is December Graystone and he soon entraps the magician within

16724-503: The murky fluid. Having fallen into the Well of Sins, Drakar begs to be removed from it as he can feel the arcane power reaching back inside him, and taking the evil energy within him away. The pool strips Drakar of his power and life-force, spitting him back out as a withered old man. Turning to the remaining Untitled, Red Hood warns that they will all suffer the same fate if they do not surrender. The Untitled respond that he cannot hope to defeat them alone, but Lady Shiva responds by unleashing

16872-700: The operative known as the Hook was assigned to murder Boston Brand (who became Deadman after his death). Additionally, Professor Ojo successfully brainwashed Ben Turner (best friend and partner of Richard Dragon ), creating an alternate personality dubbed the Bronze Tiger , and turning the master martial artist into a League operative. As the Bronze Tiger, Turner defeated Batman in personal combat while another League operative murdered Kathy Kane (the secret identity of Batwoman in pre-Crisis continuity, and

17020-464: The organization and accepts a deal where he and Ra's enter the same Lazarus Pit at once; Ra's has determined that if two souls enter the pit, one will perish while the other will become immortal without needing to keep using the Pit, Bruce accepts the offer and Ra's al Ghul is destroyed. With Ra's al Ghul gone, Batman uses Ra's' criminal empire to set up an anti-crime and humanitarian network by subtly changing

17168-439: The outcome she desires, Deadshot chooses not to kill his mother and instead shoots her with a precision shot to the spine, causing her to be a paraplegic. Deadshot remarks that this is fitting since her efforts to kill George Lawton only resulted in his own paralysis, and now they are a "matched set." Later on, a US senator threatens to expose the Suicide Squad to the world. Task Force X field leader Rick Flag decides to assassinate

17316-423: The pit, the man introduces himself as Ra's al Ghul. Jason is under attack by Ra's al Ghul who demands to know just what his daughter Talia al Ghul saw in the boy. Having just emerged from the Well of Sins, Ra's al Ghul is consumed by the evil that once corrupted the Untitled centuries ago. Now he feels compelled to rid himself of the machinations of his daughter and Ducra by killing Jason. At Ra's al Ghul's command,

17464-479: The previous timeline, Edward and Zoe, are not mentioned. Before joining the Suicide Squad, Lawton is described as a Batman villain and a rival of Mad Dog, a bounty hunter. He also is bitter enemies with Captain Boomerang . In the New 52 stories, he no longer sports his trademark mustache except at one point to grow one to cover a scar. A mercenary protégé of Lawton named Will Evans tried to usurp his role as Deadshot but

17612-491: The prisoners are brought to him, and he promises to use his newfound power to see them dead. Red Hood, however, determines that he cannot allow it to happen. As Ra's al Ghul gathers his power, Red Hood tells himself again and again that he wants to remember what he chose to forget. At last, the images rush through his mind, and begin to reform as memories. Unfortunately, the revelation occurs earlier than Ducra had planned. Having regained all of his training with Batman as well, Jason

17760-559: The process involved in successful comics is the interaction between the readers/fans and the creator(s). Fan art and letters to the editor were commonly printed in the back of the book, until, in the early 21st century, various Internet forums started to replace this tradition. The growth of comic specialty stores helped permit several waves of independently-produced comics, beginning in the mid-1970s. Some early examples of these – generally referred to as "independent" or "alternative" comics – such as Big Apple Comix , continued somewhat in

17908-505: The publication of Robert Crumb 's irregularly published Zap Comix . Frank Stack had published The Adventures of Jesus as far back as 1962, and there had been a trickle of such publications until Crumb's success. What had started as a self-publishing scene soon grew into a minor industry, with Print Mint , Kitchen Sink , Last Gasp and Apex Novelties among the more well-known publishers. These comix were often extremely graphic, and largely distributed in head shops that flourished in

18056-650: The red. That quickly changed, with the book turning a $ 30,000 profit each issue starting with #12. Famous Funnies would eventually run 218 issues, inspire imitators, and largely launch a new mass medium . When the supply of available existing comic strips began to dwindle, early comic books began to include a small amount of new, original material in comic-strip format. Inevitably, a comic book of all-original material, with no comic-strip reprints, debuted. Fledgling publisher Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications, which would evolve into DC Comics , to release New Fun #1 (Feb. 1935). This came out as

18204-411: The remaining Untitled dead as well, but Jason responds that they cannot simply kill without his say-so if he is to be the League's leader. Suddenly, a cloaked figure appears, noting that he expected more after coming all this way, just to find a leader of assassins who orders his warriors to sheathe their blades. The man warns that the game is over, and Jason's part in it is done, as he makes his way toward

18352-473: The rest of the Six are similarly defeated soon after. In The New 52 (a 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe), a new timeline is presented which features a Deadshot with a significantly different past. Rather than a child of wealth, he is a child born to poverty who then joins the military before becoming an assassin for hire. He has a daughter named Suchin Lawton who has Japanese heritage. His children from

18500-629: The satirical Mad —a former comic book which was now converted to a magazine format in order to circumvent the Code. DC started a revival in superhero comics in 1956 with the October 1956 revival of its former golden age top-seller The Flash in Showcase #4. Many comics historians peg this as the beginning of the Silver Age of American comic books, although Marvel (at this point still known variously as both Timely and Atlas ) had started reviving some of its old superheroes as early as 1954. The new Flash

18648-449: The scandal that would occur, George Lawton arranges with the police to cover up details of the crime. The official report concludes that an unknown sniper opened fire twice on George Lawton and that his son Eddie heroically died while diving into the path of the second bullet. As punishment for her efforts, George Lawton refuses to divorce Genevieve and instead forces her to live on a limited allowance and in isolation in another, smaller house

18796-468: The senator and Deadshot is ordered to stop Flag. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Deadshot publicly kills the senator himself, justifying that this is in compliance with his literal orders: "Stop Flag from killing the senator. Exact words." DC police then gun down Deadshot where he stands, but he survives his wounds and after a hospital stay and physical therapy he returns to active duty with

18944-429: The series Green Arrow / Black Canary #11, a metahuman faction of the League of Assassins was introduced. They were involved in the abduction of an injured Connor Hawke . This group's members included Bear, Tolliver, Ruck, Spike, Mazone, and their leader Targa. However, although they thought they were being commanded by Ra's al Ghul, they were apparently duped by an imposter Shado . In 2011, The New 52 rebooted

19092-443: The situation and end his life. Deadshot's son Edward, now about eight years old, is kidnapped by a gang of criminals hoping to manipulate Floyd. One of the gang members, Wes Anselm, is a pedophile with documented incidents of assaults against children. When Deadshot hunts down the gang, Wes grabs young Eddie and knocks him out, then flees with the boy in a car. Later, Deadshot finds Wes in his apartment and Eddie lying dead. Wes implies

19240-408: The size was derived from folding one sheet of Quarter Imperial paper (15 in × 11 in or 380 mm × 280 mm), to print 4 pages which were each 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 by 11 inches (190 mm × 280 mm). This also meant that the page count had to be some multiple of 4. In recent decades, standard comics have been trimmed at about 6.625 x 10.25 inches. The format of

19388-487: The skull of Enchantress while she was flying, since he was asked to take her down non-lethally. He is so skilled that he can make his shots ricochet from structures and kill multiple targets at the same time. He can even shoot around corners. Deadshot is also a tactical genius and master strategist and is also a highly skilled demolitions expert. Deadshot has access to a vast array of weaponry, most notably, his sniper rifle and twin machine guns mounted on each arm. Deadshot

19536-754: The success of Superman in Action Comics prompted editors at National Comics Publications (the future DC Comics) to request more superheroes for its titles. In response, Bob Kane and Bill Finger created Batman , who debuted in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). The period from the late 1930s through roughly the end of the 1940s is referred to by comic book experts as the Golden Age of comic books . It featured extremely large print-runs, with Action Comics and Captain Marvel selling over half

19684-459: The time being. His efforts in the Triangle also inspire Green Arrow to take more interest in the area, ensuring the Zoe and Michelle's neighborhood remains protected. Lawton decides to do right by his daughter, and embarks on a lethal war on the local gangs that plague the area. The series ends with Deadshot faking his death, having realized a normal life is not for him, but also having mostly cleared up

19832-417: The tradition of the earlier underground comics , while others, such as Star Reach , resembled the output of mainstream publishers in format and genre but were published by smaller artist-owned ventures or by a single artist. This so-called " small press " scene (a term derived from the limited quantity of comics printed in each press-run) continued to grow and diversify, with a number of small publishers in

19980-570: The various X-Men books led to storylines involving the genocide of superpowered "mutants" in allegorical stories about religious and ethnic persecution. In addition, published formats like the graphic novel and the related trade paperback enabled the comic book to gain some respectability as literature. As a result, these formats are now common in book retail and the collections of US public libraries . League of Assassins The League of Assassins has been adapted into other media several times, predominantly in animated Batman productions,

20128-415: The villainous Sensei , the League became more brutal, and it rebelled against Ra's' rule. Although the Sensei's methods closely resembled Darrk's, and the majority of the League's operatives showed little to no real skill in personal combat, the Sensei did show slightly more reliance on skilled martial artists. This version of the League is best known for two assassinations. As part of an initiation process,

20276-450: The world including Lady Shiva , David Cain , and Merlyn . For much of its current history, any member who failed in an assassination was in turn targeted by the League. Indeed, one of its best-known members, the master-archer Merlyn, was eventually forced to flee from the League, fearing for his life, having failed to assassinate Batman . In more recent years, this policy has apparently relaxed somewhat. Ebeneezer Darcel, aka Doctor Darrk,

20424-408: The world; the League of Assassins acts as an organization that is a catalyst to the reformation of decadent civilizations around the globe. The League of Assassins was founded by Ra's al Ghul (at 1013 A.D.) to be "the fang that protects the head" ( Batgirl #67, 2005). Members of the League demonstrated willingness to die at a word from Ra's. They have included some of the most dangerous assassins in

20572-408: Was a cloud with a silver lining, and proved the making of Marvel, allowing the company to concentrate its brightest and best talent on a small number of titles, at a time when its rivals were spreading their creative talents very thin across a huge number of monthly titles. The quality of Marvel's product soared in consequence, and sales soared with it. While the creators of comics were given credit in

20720-464: Was also a rise in conservative values with the election in 1952 of Dwight Eisenhower . The Comics Code Authority, a self-censoring body founded to curb the juvenile delinquency alleged to be due to the crime and horror comics, has often been targeted as the culprit, but sales had begun to drop the year before it was founded. The major publishers were not seriously harmed by the drop in sales, but smaller publishers were killed off: EC (the prime target of

20868-493: Was apparently killed in a car explosion. Cassandra Cain has apparently taken over the League as its new leader, although she abandoned the League at some point prior to the Teen Titans storyline Titans East , where it is revealed that she was being drugged by Deathstroke. Furthermore, it appears that Cassandra was battling for complete control of the League of Assassins with Ra's al Ghul's youngest daughter Talia, as well as

21016-555: Was his "best teacher." While the canon comic books do not give much further detail regarding if Floyd Lawton had other training under other teachers, media such as the Arkham Asylum video games propose he served for a time in the US Army where he received sniper training. Lawton becomes a hired assassin in Europe and South America, staying largely unknown to authorities but gaining a reputation among certain gangs and cartels as

21164-407: Was killed by Lawton. Deadshot is arrested for a failed assassination of a U.S. Senator by Batman and is sentenced to life in prison. Later, he is recruited to be part of the Suicide Squad in exchange for early release. Deadshot is made team leader due to his skill under pressure. He develops a casual relationship with new teammate Harley Quinn . Deadshot later grows disillusioned with the group after

21312-510: Was not seen again until twenty-nine years later when writer Steve Englehart along with artists Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin retooled him in Detective Comics (vol.1) #474 (1979), now presenting him with customized wrist-mounted guns and a unique mask featuring a multi-use lens over his right eye. Since then, he has been a recurring character in Batman comics. Since 1986, Deadshot has also been frequently portrayed in comics books featuring

21460-519: Was part of a grander plan. Red Hood engages Ra's al Ghul as Essence joins the battle. She insists that he will allow Jason and his friends to leave his realm, or he will be forced to die a mortal death just as he always feared he would. Despite having destroyed the All-Caste, Ra's' actions have led to their eventual rebirth. Defeated, he swears that he will visit great agony upon Red Hood if he sees him ever again. Talia's own organization, Leviathan ,

21608-612: Was portrayed by Bradley Stryker in the final season of Smallville , by Michael Rowe in the live-action Arrowverse franchise, and by Will Smith in the DC Extended Universe film Suicide Squad (2016). In his debut story, Floyd Lawton is shown to be an independently wealthy man with a trusted staff member and valet named Stevens. Gotham's wealthier citizens, such as businessman Bruce Wayne , refer to Lawton as someone "new" to Gotham City . Following his recruitment to Task Force X (the "Suicide Squad"), Lawton's past

21756-429: Was the first known individual assigned to head the League of Assassins by Ra's al Ghul. Darrk himself was seconded by the Sensei , a martial arts master from Hong Kong . Although many of the League's leaders over the years have been accomplished martial artists, Darrk himself did not depend on physical prowess, and as an assassin he instead relied upon careful planning and manipulation, ambushes and death traps, as well as

21904-423: Was unable to prevent the earthquake, ultimately it was only the Sensei himself that died in the disaster, and control of the League returned to Ra's. It was more recently revealed that, prior to the betrayals of Doctor Darrk and the Sensei, Ra's had grown tired of the fickle loyalties of his warriors. Ra's assigned David Cain to create a perfect bodyguard (" The One Who Is All "). After early attempts to raise such

#350649