Elongated Man

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Ralph Dibny a.k.a. Elongated Man was created in The Sixties to be a Captain Ersatz of Plastic Man because the people at DC Comics didn't realize that they technically already owned Plastic Man. In a way, this makes him the first Silver Age Legacy Character not to share a name with the character he was inspired by. He first appeared in "The Flash" #112 (April, 1960). His wife and partner Susan "Sue" Dearborn was introduced in #119 (March, 1961). Notably, he was the first Superhero to drop his Secret Identity and marry his Love Interest (in her first appearance, too!).

A close friend of the (second) Flash in whose series he appeared often. He got his own series in the backpages of Detective Comics, lasting from issue #327 to #383 (May, 1964-January, 1969) with several new stories appearing in the same magazine during the 1970s, though at irregular intervals. The series formula was to have Ralph and Sue traveling the globe, investigating crimes along the way. Don Markstein, a comic book historian, described them as a superhero version of Nick and Nora Charles.

Ralph also joined the Justice League in 1970s. Along with Sue he was an important part of the League's more comedic period. Sadly, he's remembered today more for the fact that his wife was both raped and murdered in Identity Crisis. He died shortly afterwards in 52 while trying to find a way to resurrect her (at least he brought down an evil sorcerer and a major demon in the process). Sadly, the demon escaped later, despite the trap seemingly being absolutely inescapable. He has reappeared as a ghost since.

Currently[when?] appearing in Batman: The Brave And The Bold, where he spends his time lamenting Plastic Man's fame.

Tropes used in Elongated Man include:

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