Roy Raymond is a
fictional
character that appears 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 of ...
s published by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
. He was introduced in "Impossible... But True!", a back-up strip in ''
Detective Comics'', beginning with issue #153 (Nov. 1949).
In 1997, a new character appeared, Roy Raymond, Jr., the grandson of the original Roy Raymond.
Fictional character biography
Roy Raymond is the host of a television show called ''Impossible... But True!'', which bears a strong resemblance to ''
Ripley's Believe It Or Not
''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' fea ...
''. The stories involve Raymond and his assistant, Karen Duncan, investigating claims and exposing hoaxes, ensuring all the stories on the show are true. In the first adventure, Roy investigated a village in the
Amazon Jungle
The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
where it's rumored that travelers suddenly grow old.
The strip was later retitled "Roy Raymond: TV Detective".
In the
Silver Age,
Aquaman
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in '' More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially a ...
took over the back-up slot in ''Detective Comics''. Raymond subsequently appeared in the ''
Superman'' titles, where it was revealed he had been kidnapped by a
supervillain and brainwashed into committing crimes. After being rescued by Superman, he resumed his television career at
Metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big ci ...
' Galaxy Broadcasting, which at the time was also the employer of Clark Kent.
Trapped in a limo
Roy Raymond also appeared during Rick Veitch's tenure on ''
Swamp Thing
The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations in v ...
'' (issues #67-68, 74, 81, and ''Annual'' #3
988. He is portrayed as an avaricious media figure; surgery has made him appear much younger, and he wants to use Swamp Thing to further his career. He and his assistant, Lipschitz, are trapped for days in a limo being driven by a monstrous and insane failed earth elemental called "The Wild Thing". He spends the latter part of the ordeal, before being discovered by cops, hallucinating a business deal with
Morgan Edge
Morgan Edge is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Originally a supporting character, he is a media mogul who acquires '' The Daily Planet'' and employs Clark Kent as a television journalist for his WGBS ...
, the head of the broadcasting company WGBS. Roy's hallucinatory conversation is over the concept of Swamp Thing.
Lipschitz died after having spent his last hours face down in filth at the bottom of the limo, injured and unable to move, pleading with Raymond to summon help. Raymond also ended up with severe facial damage, his plastic surgery having come undone during the trip. Raymond rebounds in issue #81 with a repaired and older face, recommitted to being an honest investigative reporter who will reveal society's corruptions.
Roy Raymond, Jr.
''
Robin'' #38 (March 1997) introduced Roy Raymond, Jr., the grandson of the original, who presented a
tabloid television
Tabloid television, also known as teletabloid, is a form of tabloid journalism. Tabloid television news broadcasting usually incorporate flashy graphics and sensationalized stories. Often, there is a heavy emphasis on crime and celebrity news.
G ...
series in
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 ...
called ''Roy Raymond: Manstalker''.
There is mention of Raymond in ''Detective Comics'' #818 (June 2006), where
Batman describes Raymond as one of the few detectives he admires, but who "chooses to waste his talents on daytime television" and so is apparently still hosting his TV show.
In ''Superman'' #669, a flashback shows that Raymond did indeed have a show under WGBS years ago, during Superman's early years. It was advertised on a billboard Superman was passing.
Raymond, Jr., appeared in ''
The Flash'', working for a news station in
Keystone City
This page list the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics.
Sites
* the Arrowcave – The former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy.
* Avernus Cemetery – A burial ground located in Central City for ...
that was launching a smear campaign against the
Flash
Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional aliases
* Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed:
** Flash (Barry Allen)
** Flash (Jay Garrick)
** Wally West, the first Kid F ...
(based on an ill-thought remark by West, Raymond gives the hero the "Most Awful Human in the Universe" award). Unknown to him, his boss was the malformed supervillain Spin, who uses media manipulation to control reality.
Following the death of Bruce Wayne,
Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman.
Pennyworth is depicted as Bruce Wayne's loyal and tire ...
approached Raymond in ''Outsiders Special'' #1 (Feb. 2009) to join the
Outsiders. He accepted the offer and became Owlman, with equipment left for that purpose by Batman.
As seen in the first issue of ''
Blackest Night
"Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Ni ...
'', Raymond has written a book on the murder of
Sue Dibny.
[''Blackest Night'' #1 (June 2009)]
Other versions
Roy Raymond appeared in the 1997
Tangent Comics
Tangent Comics is a DC Comics imprint created in 1997, developed from ideas by Dan Jurgens. The line, formed from various one-shots, focused on creating all-new characters using established DC names, such as the Joker, Superman, and the Flash. ...
one shot ''
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
'' alongside the Tangent version of
King Faraday in a story revolving around King Faraday's final mystery and the death of Ralph Digby. Raymond is the current owner of "The House Of Mystery" as he purchased the company's stock after the murder of Digby, who in turn had recently purchased the company from
Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman.
Pennyworth is depicted as Bruce Wayne's loyal and tire ...
.
Raymond appeared in Darwyn Cooke's 2004 ''
DC: The New Frontier'' as a Hollywood celebrity who bravely refused to comply with McCarthy's Congressional Committee on Un-American Activities investigation into supposed communists in the entertainment and superhero worlds. He was blacklisted as a communist sympathizer for refusing to name communist celebrities or his own political position, thus presumably losing his TV and radio shows as well as his newspaper column.
References
External links
Unofficial Bio of Roy Raymond at DCU GuideUnofficial Bio of Roy Raymond, Jr., at DCU Guideat
Don Markstein's ToonopediaArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2012.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raymond, Roy
Comics characters introduced in 1949
Comics characters introduced in 1997
Crime comics
DC Comics American superheroes
DC Comics male superheroes
Fictional male detectives
Golden Age adventure heroes
Vigilante characters in comics