This Day In Comics: SKULL DC Comics Debuts
Welcome back, Comic Book Addicts! Today, April 8th, marks a notable date in DC history. On this day in 1976, the criminal organization known simply as SKULL made its first appearance. They debuted in the pages of Superman #301. So, who exactly is the sinister group known as SKULL DC Comics? Let’s dive into the history of these persistent, tech-savvy villains who frequently clashed with the Man of Steel and other heroes.
Initially, SKULL emerged as a force in Metropolis. They aimed to carve out territory and influence, directly competing with established crime groups like The 100. Furthermore, they targeted underworld bosses previously associated with Intergang, attempting to fill the power vacuum left after Superman and Clark Kent disrupted that organization. Consequently, Superman encountered SKULL agents early on. He thwarted their attempt to assassinate a former Intergang leader named Samuel Simeon. In another scheme, SKULL tried fixing wrestling matches, but the intrepid Lois Lane exposed their racket. These early moves established SKULL as a rising threat in Metropolis’s underworld.
However, SKULL quickly evolved beyond common street crime. Their access to advanced technology rapidly increased. This was primarily thanks to their connection with Dr. Albert Michaels. Michaels held the important position of Chief Administrator at the Metropolis branch of S.T.A.R. Labs. Unbeknownst to his colleagues, Michaels suffered from a severe seizure disorder. This condition was progressively worsening and could eventually prove fatal. Only scientists secretly employed by SKULL DC Comics possessed an experimental potential cure. This cure involved a risky radium-powered brain implant. SKULL offered Michaels their help, but only in exchange for his secret support and access to S.T.A.R. Labs resources. This alliance significantly boosted SKULL’s technological capabilities.
Major Schemes of SKULL DC Comics
Empowered by Michaels’s reluctant cooperation, SKULL DC Comics launched increasingly ambitious plots. At one point, they daringly raided an excavation site controlled by the rival Kobra Cult. Their target? An alien matter-transporter ray Kobra had discovered. To keep the device secure for future use, SKULL entrusted it to Michaels. He hid it within S.T.A.R. Labs under the guise of a classified research project. This device would play a critical role in later events.
Subsequently, SKULL recruited Roger Corben. Roger was the brother of John Corben, the infamous Kryptonite-powered cyborg Metallo. Roger primarily sought revenge against Superman for his brother’s fate. However, SKULL’s leadership had other plans. They learned from Michaels that combining certain synthetic elements stored at S.T.A.R. Labs could create artificial Kryptonite. During a SKULL raid on S.T.A.R. Labs designed to acquire these elements, SKULL agents deliberately caused an “accident”. A laser blast seemingly crushed Roger Corben under falling debris.
SKULL then rebuilt Roger into a new Metallo. This version drew power from their freshly synthesized artificial Kryptonite. To lure Superman into a confrontation, they kidnapped sports reporter Steve Lombard. The resulting fight took place in a packed sports arena. Although Superman faced a dangerous foe powered by his greatest weakness, he managed to defeat this second Metallo. Metallo then activated a suicide switch, seemingly deactivating his cybernetic body.
Meanwhile, SKULL pursued other avenues. They established a phony meditation center. This served as a front for a brainwashing operation targeting Metropolis’s political and business leaders. Lois Lane accidentally stumbled upon this plot while investigating a different angle for the Daily Planet. She quickly connected the SKULL operation to the recent assassination of the city’s District Attorney. Unfortunately, SKULL captured Lois and brainwashed her. They programmed her to assassinate Clark Kent. Cleverly, Clark switched between his identities at super-speed. This confused Lois’s mental programming at a subliminal level, eventually breaking SKULL’s control over her.
Undeterred by these setbacks, SKULL learned that new, natural Kryptonite samples were arriving on Earth from space. They launched a major operation codenamed the “Kryptonite Pipeline” to recover these dangerous fragments. Superman discovered the Pipeline’s existence near a ski resort where he had previously found Kryptonite embedded underground. This discovery alerted him that not all Kryptonite had been destroyed years prior. The SKULL DC Comics organization now posed an even greater threat by seeking Superman’s ultimate vulnerability.
SKULL’s plans faced another major disruption when Roger Corben, the second Metallo, revealed he wasn’t destroyed. He had figured out SKULL engineered the “accident” that forced him into the Metallo body. Seeking revenge, Metallo stole SKULL’s alien matter-transporter ray from S.T.A.R. Labs. This forced Albert Michaels into hiding. Metallo then used the ray horrifically. He remotely swapped the hearts of numerous SKULL agents with glowing, fake Kryptonite rocks, killing them instantly. Following a tip from Lois Lane, Superman located SKULL’s headquarters. He staged a police raid just as Metallo arrived to eliminate the group’s leadership. Both Metallo and the SKULL leaders were arrested. However, Michaels managed to escape using the matter-transporter ray during the chaos.
Finally, Michaels underwent the procedure for the radium brain implant. Unfortunately, the device malfunctioned. Instead of controlling his seizures, it accelerated them, causing intense pain. Yet, this pain unlocked immense power. Michaels discovered he could channel his brain’s bio-electrical energy into powerful energy blasts. Rechristening himself the Atomic Skull, he violently overthrew the remaining SKULL leadership. He became the new, undisputed head of the organization. Blaming Superman for the capture of the scientists who might have fixed his implant, the Atomic Skull devised a devastating revenge plot. He planned to use Kryptonite from the Pipeline to power a nuclear warhead. This warhead would contaminate Earth’s ionosphere, theoretically stripping Superman of his powers forever. Ultimately, Superman outsmarted the Atomic Skull, dealing a seemingly fatal blow to the original SKULL DC Comics organization.
Although the main group was shattered, a splinter cell called Skeleton later surfaced, using leftover SKULL technology. Superman and Lois Lane tricked and captured them. The Atomic Skull himself also later attempted to re-establish SKULL, but Superman and Man-Bat thwarted these efforts early on. Despite its eventual defeat, SKULL remains a memorable part of DC lore – a testament to technologically advanced villainy constantly challenging the Man of Steel.
