Epoch (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
Epoch, also known as The Lord of Time, is a comic book
fictional character
published by DC Comics
. He first appeared in Justice League of America #10 (March 1962) and was created by writer Gardner Fox
and artist Mike Sekowsky
.
An immensely powerful being from the year 3786, the Lord of Time attacked the Justice League of America
, using his miraculous chrono-cube to peel back the fourth-dimensional veil of time
. Since his initial defeat by the JLA, this sinister fugitive from the future has learned to move laterally and diagonally through history, accessing armies and armaments spanning millions of years. He desires nothing less than to conquer space and time.
To make sure his bid to rule all reality is successful he is quite capable of ensuring that the JLA have no power to stop him by eliminating their ancestors, erasing them from existence. At some point, the Lord of Time created a frozen moment in history called Timepoint, and he will eventually evolve into a being known as Epoch who desires to master the timestream, changing events to grant him power.
Epoch seemingly died in the JLA/WildC.A.T.s crossover. However, he recently returned, once again as the Lord of Time, in the The Brave and the Bold
series. Epoch also made an appearance in the Justice League of America 80-Page Giant
#1 comic (November 2009), where he battled the JLA and tossed all the superheroes back in time.
, Zero Hour
and Infinite Crisis
is up to conjecture.
. Epoch creates the timepoint in order to stop others from creating time fluctuations, in order to rule all of time. It is a frozen moment in time of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
. The android Hourman
, Snapper Carr
and ex-wife Bethany were trapped here once. The android Hourman used this place to save the life of Rick Tyler
until he can find a way to cure him from an unidentified alien disease. Later on, the android also plucked Rex Tyler from the moment of death during Zero Hour
and placed him here to act as counsel for Rick for an hour's worth of time.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. He first appeared in Justice League of America #10 (March 1962) and was created by writer Gardner Fox
Gardner Fox
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic-book historians estimate that he wrote over 4,000 comics stories....
and artist Mike Sekowsky
Mike Sekowsky
Michael Sekowsky was a Jewish American comic book artist best known as the exclusive penciler for DC Comics' Justice League of America during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on Wonder Woman during the late 1960s and early 1970s.-Early life and career:Mike Sekowsky began...
.
An immensely powerful being from the year 3786, the Lord of Time attacked the Justice League of America
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
, using his miraculous chrono-cube to peel back the fourth-dimensional veil of time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
. Since his initial defeat by the JLA, this sinister fugitive from the future has learned to move laterally and diagonally through history, accessing armies and armaments spanning millions of years. He desires nothing less than to conquer space and time.
To make sure his bid to rule all reality is successful he is quite capable of ensuring that the JLA have no power to stop him by eliminating their ancestors, erasing them from existence. At some point, the Lord of Time created a frozen moment in history called Timepoint, and he will eventually evolve into a being known as Epoch who desires to master the timestream, changing events to grant him power.
Epoch seemingly died in the JLA/WildC.A.T.s crossover. However, he recently returned, once again as the Lord of Time, in the The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
series. Epoch also made an appearance in the Justice League of America 80-Page Giant
80-Page Giant
80-Page Giant was the name used for a series of comic books published by DC Comics beginning in 1964. The series was named for its unusually high page count. . The cover price was typically 25 cents, while other comics of the day were rarely above 12 cents...
#1 comic (November 2009), where he battled the JLA and tossed all the superheroes back in time.
Chronology of events
Lists down the appearances of The Lord of Time by order of publication. Whether some of these events have occurred or have been erased due to the time fluctuations experienced in CrisisCrisis
A crisis is any event that is, or expected to lead to, an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community or whole society...
, Zero Hour
Zero Hour (comics)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...
and Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
is up to conjecture.
- Arrives in the year 1962 with an army of warriors from past and future eras and battles the JLA for the first time. The battle is short-lived due to the mechanizations of Felix FaustFelix FaustFelix Faust is a fictional character and supervillain who appears in stories published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in 1962 as an adversary of the Justice League of America...
and the Demons ThreeDemons ThreeAbnegazar, Rath and Ghast are three fictional characters in the DC Universe who are collectively known as the Demons Three. They first appeared in Justice League of America #10 , and were created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky....
, who draw the JLA away after they defeat part of his armies and Navy, while Batman and the Flash get into his base, and are transported away before they get him. - The JLA returns to defeat the Lord of Time's various armies and he escapes to the year 3786 to recoup his forces and take other weapons, telling the JLA via a projected image that they will be unable to find him and he will return to their era and take over. But the JLA follows and apprehends him after Superman realises he had seen the year he is travelling to on a watch-like device he is wearing and uses his photographic memory to realise it. Superman uses a time bubble to travel with the other JLA to that time era, where he finds the Lord of Time using his telescopic vision, and destroys the Lord of Time's new weapon, before Green LanternGreen LanternThe Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
handcuffs him. On their way back to their rightful era, they are once again faced by the Demons ThreeDemons ThreeAbnegazar, Rath and Ghast are three fictional characters in the DC Universe who are collectively known as the Demons Three. They first appeared in Justice League of America #10 , and were created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky....
in the year 2062, after they have trouble getting through the time stream, but they defeat them and return to their own era, where the Lord of Time is imprisoned. - In the year 1966, the Time Lord once again tries to conquer the 20th century after escaping his cell to the Future and taking control of a Soldier's mind. He plans to make him steal items which will enable the Lord of Time to regain control of his weapons, as the JLA made sure he would not be able to and uses a device on him that will make attacks reverse. Batman and Robin battle him in Gotham and alert the rest of the JLA, who are at first unable to fight the mind-controlled soldier. But the Lord of Time is defeated by the JLA once again just after getting into their era, and the Soldier is freed from his control.
- Recruits the villains Major DisasterMajor DisasterMajor Disaster is a former DC Comics supervillain and reluctant amoral superhero. He debuted in Green Lantern # 43.-Fictional character biography:Paul Booker was nothing more than a cheap crook...
and Diamondeth to torment a time travelling Karate KidKarate Kid (comics)Karate Kid is a fictional character, a superhero in the future of the DC Comics universe, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. He is a master of every form of martial arts to have been developed by the 31st century...
of the Legion of Super-HeroesLegion of Super-HeroesThe Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
, which even spills into the apocalyptic future world of KamandiKamandiKamandi is an American comic book character, created by artist Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics. The bulk of Kamandi's appearances occurred in the comic series Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, which ran from 1972 to 1978....
. - Using the super-advanced computer the Eternity Brain to control the flow of time for his next bid of conquest, though he realises this will stop time and thus destroy the Universe as it cannot be halted, and he cannot revoke orders he has given, the Time Lord orders the Eternity Brain to pluck Jonah HexJonah HexJonah Woodson Hex is a Western comic book antihero created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga and published by DC Comics. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is horribly scarred on the right side. Despite his poor reputation and personality, Hex is bound by a personal...
, Miss LibertyMiss LibertyMiss Liberty is a musical with a book by Robert E. Sherwood and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. It is based on the sculpting of the Statue of Liberty in 1886...
, the Black PirateBlack PirateThe Black Pirate is a fictional character from DC Comics, created by Sheldon Moldoff. He first appeared in Action Comics #23...
, Enemy AceEnemy AceEnemy Ace is DC Comics property about the adventures of a skilled but troubled German anti-hero and flying ace in World War I and World War II, Hans von Hammer, known to the world as "The Hammer of Hell."-Overview:...
and the Viking PrinceViking PrinceViking Prince is a DC Comics title which featured in the comic book The Brave and the Bold. It was a historic adventure story about a Viking named Jon...
from their respective eras and giving them power enhancements to battle the JLA and the JSAJustice Society of AmericaThe Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
during their annual meeting, hoping they can stop the device by being lured to his castle. The two teams are beaten in the first battle by the empowered heroes, who are then transported to the Lord of Time's base, a castle in a different dimensional space around the year 3786. A group of them track the trace to the Lord of Time's castle using the Cosmic TreadmillCosmic treadmillThe cosmic treadmill is a fictional time travel device in the DC Comics universe. The treadmill first appears in The Flash #125 written by John Broome.-Origins:The treadmill was first seen in The Flash #125 written by John Broome...
after detecting a trace that leads to the Lord of Time's year. The other heroes had already been defeated and imprisoned. The Brain uses its defences to summon beings from different times to battle them. With seconds to spare the Elongated Man, who was abe to contort himself enough to get through the laser grid protecting the castle, destroys the Eternity Brain. - The Lord of Time sends Green LanternGreen LanternThe Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
, ZatannaZatannaZatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...
, Elongated ManElongated ManThe Elongated Man is a fictional comic book superhero in the DC universe. He is a reserve member of the Justice League. His first appearance was in The Flash vol. 1, #112...
and Flash to Arizona in the year 1878 to prevent a devastation to be caused by a cluster of anti-matter energy. He intends that energy to be preserved so he may use it for his own ends and will make sure the JLA will achieve that goal. - In the year 1,000,000,000 A.D. at the end of the world, the Lord of Time seeks refuge in this era now tired from his quest to rule time and space. Using his own genetic material, he creates a family to ease his loneliness. He spawns six sons of his own image and a daughter named Olanda whom he loves above all. His boys later inherits their father's thirst for power and rebel against him by stealing his chrono-cube. Calling themselves The Six, they gather weapons from different eras to wage war on him for fear that he will soon punish them. Months into the war, the JLA's SteelSteel (comics)Steel, in comics, may refer to one of several DC Comics characters:* Commander Steel, a World War II hero and his grandsons, also known as simply "Steel" and "Citizen Steel"....
(Hank Heywood III) comes to this era having been warped forward in time by the villain WarpWarp (comics)Warp is a fictional supervillain in the DC Universe. He first appeared in New Teen Titans vol. 1, #14 .-Fictional character biography:...
during the CrisisCrisis on Infinite EarthsCrisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
. A very old and weary Lord of Time and Olanda asks for his help to get him to the chrono-cube so he can go back in time and prevent the creation of his children. He succeeds in wiping The Six from existence and Steel spends time with Olanda for an indeterminate amount of time before he is returned to his own era. - He encounters the Time Foes just as the whole universe is experiencing the beginnings of Zero HourZero Hour (comics)Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...
. - Sporting a futuristic battlesuit and now calling himself Epoch, he travels through the past to wipe out the members of the JLA when they are still children but the current JLA using his chrono-cube chase after him to prevent his plan. A fail safe in the chrono-cube's computers hurls them to the Wildstorm Universe where they encounter the WildC.A.T.s. This team joins the JLA in returning to their universe to stop Epoch, who has now conquered the Earth during the JLA's absence. The WildC.A.T.s defeat Epoch and he is transported to the beginning of time where he is caught in the explosion of The Big Bang.
- Epoch encounters the android HourmanHourmanHourman is the name of three different fictional DC Comics superheroes, the first of whom was created by Ken Fitch and Bernard Baily in Adventure Comics #48 , during the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Rex Tyler:Scientist Rex Tyler, raised in upstate...
and traps him within the Timepoint. - The Lord of Time battles both the BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and the new Blue BeetleBlue BeetleBlue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes that appear in American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939.-Publication history:...
(Jaime Reyes). - Epoch battles the JLA once again and sends its members into different eras in time. They are brought back thanks to Snapper CarrSnapper CarrLucas "Snapper" Carr is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, most famous as a supporting character to the superhero team the Justice League of America . He has often been referred to as the team's mascot...
with the help of the Time CommanderTime CommanderThe Time Commander is the name of two DC Comics supervillains. The first appeared in Brave and the Bold #59 . He was created by Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon...
. - Epoch battles the DC One MillionDC One Million"DC One Million" was a crossover storyline that ran through a self titled, weekly limited series and through special issues of almost all "DCU" titles published by DC Comics in November 1998...
incarnations of Superman and Batman. He escapes backward in time and faces the original Superman, Batman and Robin, at around the time Dick GraysonDick GraysonDick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
was at Hudson University. After his defeat he escapes into the timestream; however the damage to his hourglass means he is repeatedly deposited in front of different Superman/Batman teams, including Superman Secondus and Damian WayneDamian WayneDamian Wayne is a fictional character in the . Damian is the child of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, and thus the grandson of Batman villain Ra's al Ghul....
of the near future; Kent ShakespeareKent ShakespeareRichard Kent Shakespeare, occasionally codenamed Impulse, is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He became a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th century, during the "Five Years Later" era...
and Brane Taylor of the 31st century; and the Unknown Superman and Batsman of the 45th century, before finding himself back in the 853rd century.
Timepoint
The "Timepoint" is a prison for time traveling superheroes in the DC UniverseDC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. Epoch creates the timepoint in order to stop others from creating time fluctuations, in order to rule all of time. It is a frozen moment in time of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. The android Hourman
Hourman
Hourman is the name of three different fictional DC Comics superheroes, the first of whom was created by Ken Fitch and Bernard Baily in Adventure Comics #48 , during the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Rex Tyler:Scientist Rex Tyler, raised in upstate...
, Snapper Carr
Snapper Carr
Lucas "Snapper" Carr is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, most famous as a supporting character to the superhero team the Justice League of America . He has often been referred to as the team's mascot...
and ex-wife Bethany were trapped here once. The android Hourman used this place to save the life of Rick Tyler
Rick Tyler
Hourman is a fictional character, a superhero who was created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas and Todd McFarlane and first appeared in Infinity Inc. #20 as Rick Tyler, son of the original Hourman, who quickly joined Infinity Inc. as the second Hourman in #21 of that book.-Childhood:Rick Tyler was born...
until he can find a way to cure him from an unidentified alien disease. Later on, the android also plucked Rex Tyler from the moment of death during Zero Hour
Zero Hour (comics)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...
and placed him here to act as counsel for Rick for an hour's worth of time.