Dr. Terrance Thirteen (sometimes Terrence), known simply as Doctor Thirteen, Dr. 13 and The Ghost-Breaker, is a
fictional character in
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are oft ...
s set in the
DC Universe. The character's first published appearance is in ''
Star Spangled Comics'' #122 (November 1951).
Publication history
Dr. Thirteen, also known as Dr. Thirteen the Ghost Breaker, debuted in his own feature in ''
Star Spangled Comics'', from issue #122–130 (Nov. 1951 – July 1952).
The feature then moved to ''
House of Mystery'' and was canceled after issue #7. The character was created by an unknown writer with artist
Leonard Starr.
[Doctor Thirteen]
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archived
from the original on April 4, 2016.
The character next appeared in ''
Showcase
Showcase or vitrine may refer to:
*Cabinet (furniture)
*Display case
Music
* ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964
* ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961
* ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964
* ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...
'' #80 in 1969 as a supporting character in the
Phantom Stranger story and then as a regular character in the ''Phantom Stranger'' series that began later that year. Early issues featured a few new pages of story and art that framed reprints of the two characters' old stories. The feature was temporarily replaced by ''The Spawn of Frankenstein'' in ''Phantom Stranger'' #23–30, in which Dr. Thirteen appeared, blaming
Frankenstein's monster for putting his wife, Maria, in a coma. He made one further appearance in issue #36, replacing the ''
Black Orchid'' serial that had replaced ''The Spawn of Frankenstein''. He also had a serial in ''
Ghosts
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
'' #95–99 and #101-102. In three of these issues, he confronted the
Spectre
Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to:
Religion and spirituality
* Vision (spirituality)
* Apparitional experience
* Ghost
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and wri ...
. He also appeared in ''
House of Secrets'' #150 alongside his longtime rival, the Phantom Stranger.
Dr. Thirteen also appeared in ''
Batman'' #341–342 (November–December 1981) to research a mystery in the abandoned
Wayne Manor involving the
Man-Bat
Man-Bat (Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langstrom) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in ''Detective Comics'' #400 (June 1970) as an enemy of the superhero Batman, the character belongs to t ...
. He reappeared in Gotham City in ''
Batman'' #354 (December 1982) to reluctantly aid
Rupert Thorne
Rupert Thorne is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character is a crime boss and enemy of Batman.
Publication history
Created by Steve Englehart and Walter Simonson, the character first appeared in ''Detect ...
, who believed that he was being haunted by the ghost of
Hugo Strange
Hugo Strange is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an List of Batman family enemies, adversary of the superhero Batman. The character is one of Batman's first recurring villains and is also one of the firs ...
.
Fictional character biography
Pre-''Crisis''
Dr. Thirteen is a
parapsychologist who investigates reports of possible supernatural activity with the goal of proving them to be hoaxes. Dr. Thirteen's stories are set in the DC Universe, where many stories involving the supernatural also are set. He was usually accompanied by his wife, Maria, sometimes called Marie.
In his origin story, as presented in ''Showcase'' #80, Terrence's
ic—the spelling varied, but it was spelled with an e in the first storyfather tries to hide his ancestry from him, but eventually went into a locked room, showing his son the history of his ancestors, many of whom were executed for practicing magic, such as Daniel, who was killed by the ancient Romans for diagramming the solar system, and Rebecca, who was executed during the
Salem witch trials
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...
, when she was actually developing
anesthesia
Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), a ...
. Terry and his unnamed father enter into a pact to prove that the supernatural is false by determining things that Mr. Thirteen will say to Terry by the
grandfather clock
A grandfather clock (also a longcase clock, tall-case clock, grandfather's clock, or floor clock) is a tall, freestanding, weight-driven pendulum clock with the pendulum held inside the tower or waist of the case. Clocks of this style are common ...
on the one-year anniversary of his death. Mr. Thirteen is then killed in a road accident three months later. On the first anniversary of his father's death, Terry asks the questions and gets no response, then remembers that he was supposed to set the clock before asking the questions. At this point, he hears the correct responses to the questions. He discovers that these responses are on a
gramophone record that was planted by his fiancée, Marie, who also had a pact with Mr. Thirteen to show Terry that anything that appears to be supernatural has a rational explanation.
Post-''Crisis''
In the
limited series Limited series may refer to:
*Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series
*Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered
*Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
''
The Books of Magic'',
John Constantine
John Constantine () is a fictional character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Constantine first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985), and was created by Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, Rick Veitch, and John To ...
explains to
Timothy Hunter
Timothy Hunter is a fictional character, a comic book sorcerer published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''The Books of Magic'' #1 (January 1990), and was created by Neil Gaiman and John Bolton.
Publication history
Tim Hunter was created by ...
that because Dr. Thirteen does not believe,
magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrel ...
and the supernatural truly do not work for him.
''Vertigo Visions''
In the
Vertigo Comics one-shot ''Vertigo Visions: Doctor 13 – Do AIs Dream of Electric Sheep?'', Dr. Terrence Thirteen and his wife Marie go to marriage counseling, as Marie is becoming increasingly alienated from Terrence due to his overbearing behavior and the fact that he refuses to take payment for his services and therefore lives off her bank account. Dr. Thirteen becomes trapped in a virtual reality and embroiled in a conflict between benign and malicious artificial intelligences with the ability to manipulate media and sensory perceptions on a global scale. At the conclusion of the comic, Dr. Thirteen is seen in a mental institution, having apparently suffered a mental breakdown during the visit to the marriage counselor and hallucinated everything, although the AIs are also seen to be real.
''Seven Soldiers of Victory''
In the first issue of Grant Morrison's ''
Seven Soldiers
''Seven Soldiers'' is a 2005–2006 comic book metaseries written by Grant Morrison and published by DC Comics. It was published as seven interrelated mini-series and two bookend issues. The series features a new version of the Seven Soldiers of Vi ...
:
Zatanna
Zatanna Zatara () is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman (comic book), Hawkman'' #4 (November 1964). Zatanna is a st ...
'' miniseries, Dr. Thirteen is said to have been dating the title character, believing her to be just a very talented stage magician. After she attends his book signing, he agrees to go with her to obtain proof that magic is real. Joined by
Ibis the Invincible
Ibis the Invincible is a fictional character originally published by Fawcett Comics in the 1940s and then by DC Comics beginning in the 1970s. Like many magician superheroes introduced in the Golden Age of Comics, Ibis owes much to the popular co ...
, his wife Taia, and ''
Swamp Thing'' supporting character Timothy Ravenwind, the group journey to many mystical realms. The purpose is to hunt for an approaching magical threat. Thirteen and the other three mystics are skeletonized by an entity called Gwdion. Zatanna blames her lack of preparation for the mystical journey, along with her addiction to using magic for selfish purposes.
''Tales of the Unexpected''
In the eight-issue miniseries ''
Tales of the Unexpected'' published in 2006, Dr. Thirteen unites with other characters from cancelled series, including
Genius Jones,
Andrew Bennett,
Anthro
Anthro may refer to:
* Anthropo-, a prefix meaning human, humanoid, human-like
* Anthro, short for:
**Anthroposophy
**Anthropology
**Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human ...
, the
Primate Patrol,
Infectious Lass
Legion of Substitute Heroes is a group of fictional characters in the future of the DC Comics universe. The "Subs", as they are often called, are a group of rejected applicants to the Legion of Super-Heroes who band together, hoping to prove to t ...
from the
Legion of Substitute-Heroes, Captain Fear from a 1970s feature within the pages of ''
Adventure Comics
''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), m ...
'', and the
Haunted Tank
The Haunted Tank is a comic book feature that appeared in the DC Comics anthology war title '' G.I. Combat'' from 1961 through 1987.
Publication history
The Haunted Tank was created by writer and editor Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath in ...
, in a story that repeatedly breaks the
fourth wall
The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...
and comments on the then-current state of
DC Comics and its
continuity. Dr. Thirteen's group fights the Architects, the four writers who were heavily involved in the direction of the DC Universe titles at the time —
Geoff Johns
Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim.
He serve ...
,
Grant Morrison,
Greg Rucka
Gregory Rucka (born November 29, 1969) is an American writer known for the series of novels starring his character Atticus Kodiak, the creator-owned comic book series '' Whiteout'', '' Queen & Country'', '' Stumptown'' and '' Lazarus'', as well ...
and
Mark Waid — to convince them to include them in the new Universe. The story ends with Dr. Thirteen warning his companions and the readers of a new danger.
Post-''
Infinite Crisis'', Dr. Thirteen lives with his daughter
Traci Thirteen
Traci Thirteen (also known as Girl 13 and Traci 13) is a superhero featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Superman'' vol. 2 #189 (February 2003), and was created by writer Joe Kelly and artist D ...
in Doomsbury Mansion,
still working as a paranormal investigator. Traci is a
sorceress, a fact that he finds ''most'' upsetting.
''Flashpoint''
In the alternate timeline of the ''
Flashpoint'' event, Dr. Thirteen was rescued from
Paris before its destruction by his daughter, and is a member of the
H.I.V.E., who vote on using nuclear weapons to end the Atlantean/Amazonian threat in Western Europe. When Traci tries to stop this, he injects her with a drug and proceeds to start the countdown. Traci teleports away to find help. When she returns to face her father without the desired help, she discovers that he had learnt the art of black magic, which he uses to attack her. During the battle, Traci teleports herself to Paris, showing her father that, if the nuclear weapons are used, then she will die, along with 118 million people. She becomes badly injured from an Amazon spear. This snaps Dr. Thirteen out of his rampage. The two reconcile and Dr. Thirteen uses his remaining magic to stop the satellite, less than two minutes before it attacks. Traci then saves him, and it is revealed they have both used up all of their magic.
''The New 52''
Following the events of ''Flashpoint'', Dr. Thirteen appeared in a two-part backup story in ''
All-Star Western
''All-Star Western'' was the name of three American comic book series published by DC Comics, each a Western fiction omnibus featuring both continuing characters and anthological stories. The first ran from 1951 to 1961, the second from 1970 to ...
'' #11-12. In this rebooted version, he lives in 1880s
Gotham City
Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List of Batman supporting characters#Bat-Family, allies and List of Batman fa ...
, where he is enlisted by the police to hunt down a paranormal
highwayman
A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to foot ...
. Dr. Thirteen's descendant (also named Dr. Terrance Thirteen) later appears in ''The Phantom Stranger'' (vol. 4) #2, enlisting the aid of the Phantom Stranger to repel the Haunted Highwayman in the present time. Dr. Terrance is killed by Nimraa's minion, Zalkoat, while hunting down the Phantom Stranger. While battling Phantom Stranger, Zalkoat states that Terrance's soul is trapped in its sword. Phantom Stranger revives Terrance by stabbing the latter's body with Zalkoat's sword.
[''Trinity of Sin'' #6 (May 2015)]
Other versions
Grant Morrison, in ''
Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appe ...
'' (vol. 2) #54 substituted him in
Danny the Street's dreams with
Doctor Occult
Doctor Occult (sometimes dubbed the Ghost Detective, one time referred to as Doctor Mystic) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (known commonly as the creators ...
in a superhero version of
The Trenchcoat Brigade
''The Trenchcoat Brigade'' is a four-issue comic book limited series that was published in 1999 as a part of DC Comics' Vertigo imprint, featuring several mystic DC Universe characters.
The title references an offhand joke used by John Constan ...
in which Constantine uses "Hellblazer" as a superhero name. That version of the character was "the Multiple Man" rather than the Ghost-Breaker, of which his Dr. 8 identity was second most important to the story.
References
External links
*
*
Doctor Thirteenat the DCU Guide
{{Justice League Dark, state=collapsed
Comics characters introduced in 1951
DC Comics fantasy characters
DC Comics male superheroes
DC Comics scientists
DC Comics superheroes
DC Comics titles
Fictional characters with anti-magic or power negation abilities
Fictional male detectives
Fictional occult and psychic detectives
Fictional parapsychologists
de:Phantom Stranger#Doctor Thirteen