Ultra-Man (Gary Concord) is the name of two fictional

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 ...

superheroes, father and son, that first appeared during the 1940s, the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books. Both were characters of

All-American Publications All-American PublicationsThe name is spelled with a hyphen per its logo (pictured) and sources includinat Don Markstein's ToonopediaArchivedfrom the original on April 15, 2012. was one of two American comic book companies that merged to form t ...

, which merged, in 1946, with

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 ...

-predecessor

National Periodical Publications National Comics Publications, Inc. (also known as NCP or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company, and the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics. History The corporation was originally two companies: National Allied P ...

. They are separate from the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...

character

Ultraman ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one ...

Publication history

Created by writer-artist Jon L. Blummer under the pseudonym Don Shelby, Gary Concord the Ultra-Man debuted in All-American's flagship title, ''

All-American Comics ''All-American Comics'' was a comics anthology and the flagship title of comic book publisher All-American Publications, one of the forerunners of DC Comics. It ran for 102 issues from 1939 to 1948. Characters created for the title, including Green ...

'' #8 (Nov. 1939), in the first part of a two-part story. In ''All-American Comics'' #9 (Dec. 1939), the story continues with Gary Concord, Jr., who would appear until issue #19 in 1940. In summer 1940, Ultra-Man was included in the first issue of ''

All Star Comics ''All Star Comics'' is an American comic book series from All-American Publications, one of three companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. While the series' cover-logo trademark reads ''All ...

'', however he made no further appearances in that title. Ultra-Man had a cameo as a potentially sentient billboard in "Ultra Comics" (2015). A Superman analogue character named Ultra-Man made a flashback appearance in "The Last Earth-Prime Story", in '' Superman'' #411 (Sept. 1985) but is not connected to the Gary Concord characters.

Fictional character biographies

Gary Concord Sr., a 20th-century scientist, had devoted his life to finding the means to end war. In 1950, an accident put him into

suspended animation Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...

. He awoke as a chemically altered superhuman in the year 2174. His son, Gary Concord Jr., is born in 2214 to the lifespan-lengthened Gary Sr. and wife Leandra – daughter of the tyrant Rebborizon, whom Gary Sr. defeated. Rebborizon eventually returned to kill his own daughter, however, prompting Gary Sr. to kill Rebborizon in return. After Gary Sr. dies of natural causes in 2239, Gary Jr. succeeds him as both Ultra-Man and as High Moderator of the United States of North America, the country's chief executive. He battles the warlord Tor and other menaces, and is later put into suspended animation until the 100th century. An encounter with the superheroine XS (Jenni Ognats) of the Legion of Super-Heroes inspires Ultra-Man to form his own such team with fellow heroes Avatar, Behemoth, and Metallica on the planet Almeer-5. Years later, Gary Jr. would appear in

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, humanist philosophy and countercultural leanings. Morrison has written extensively for th ...

's '' Multiversity'' series. He is seen to currently inhabit an unnamed version of Earth, alongside other characters with variants of the word "ultra" in their names, including

Ultra the Multi-Alien Ultra the Multi-Alien is a science fiction superhero featured in comics published by DC Comics. He first appeared in '' Mystery in Space'' #103 (1965), pushing out Adam Strange and Space Ranger from that title. He was created by writer Dave Wood a ...

and Ultraa.

References

External links

Gary Concord, The Ultra-Man
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archived
November 3, 2011
The Grand Comics Database

Fanzing: "Paroled From Limbo", by Douglas Ethington

The Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe: Ultraman III — Gary Concord Sr.
an
IV — Gary Concord Jr.
{{GoldenAge Articles about multiple fictional characters Comics characters introduced in 1939 DC Comics characters with superhuman strength Golden Age superheroes All-American Publications characters DC Comics superheroes DC Comics male superheroes Fictional scientists Fictional people from the 20th-century Fictional people from the 22nd-century Fictional people from the 23rd-century