Opal City
Encyclopedia
Opal City is a fictional city set in the DC Universe
. Created by James Robinson
and Tony Harris
, Opal City first appeared in Starman vol. 2 #0 (October 1994). "The Opal" has been established as the home of several DC Comics
characters, most notably several super-heroes who have operated under the name of Starman
. Other, non-Starman related heroes who have come to call Opal City their home are the second Black Condor and the Phantom Lady, as mentioned in Teen Titans vol. 3 #20, as well as the Elongated Man
. The city itself is first mentioned in Action Comics #251
, April 1959 as the name of a ship, the S.S. Opal City which Superman
rescues from a modern-day pirate crew. It can be inferred that Robinson named the city due to his vast knowledge of obscure comics continuity from both the Golden Age
and the Silver Age.
, per Robinson's longstanding opinions on the subject in various interviews with fans.
settler in the early 18th century. In 1884, the town elected Brian "Scalphunter" Savage
as sheriff. About the same time the morally ambiguous Shade
made Opal City his home.
The modern Opal City had its greatest expansion in the 1910s to 1930s, as evidenced by its many Art Deco
buildings. An interesting detail is that the city, from its foundations, was heavily tainted with dark magic, first due to the activities of an unholy cult calling themselves the Tuesday Club, which was composed of Opal's most influential and powerful citizens, from its beginnings as Port O'Souls in the Elizabethan era until Savage killed almost the entire cult the final night of 1899. Savage was killed by the last surviving member, but this man was killed seconds later by Savage's assistant, Carny O'Dare. Little after the foundation of Port O'Souls came the curse of the Black Pirate, binding all souls that ever died in Opal to the earthly plane. The pinnacle of this was Hawksmoor St. John, the architect who planned Opal's great expansion, also a fervent Satanist, who christened several buildings in blood so the lines drawn between them formed a perfect five-pointed star. In the WWII years, a group of Nazi occultists planned to drown Opal into a void dimension, but the ritual was partly stopped by Etrigan and the then Starman Theodore Knight. However, the aftermath of all of this was an atmosphere tremendously saturated in magical power, which the villain Simon Culp sought to use in conjunction with his own augmented power to create an impenetrable dome of shadow matter over the city, blocking all outer interference. He wished to allow the Nazi ritual to be completed, to destroy what his archenemy Richard Swift, the Shade, loved most. However, Culp was defeated and the souls liberated from the Pirate's curse.
It was in 1939 that the first Starman Ted Knight
began his career as a superhero. Opal itself at one point in its history suffered very heavy damage, first by explosions leveling several large stores, courtesy of the Infernal Doctor Pip, and later, due to the same man, demolition bombs designed to destroy much larger sections of the city during Culp's attempted destruction of Opal. Additionally, the Post Office/Government building was torn out of its foundations and taken into space by Ted Knight, to protect the city from a nuclear bomb planted deep within it by the Mist. The bomb safely exploded in outer space, and the reconstruction of Opal started.
DC 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...
. Created by James Robinson
James Dale Robinson
James Dale Robinson is a British writer of comic books and screenplays who is also known for his interest in vintage collectibles and memorabilia. His style is described as smart and energetic, built upon his vast knowledge of obscure continuity from the period known to fans and historians as the...
and Tony Harris
Tony Harris (cartoonist)
Tony Harris is an American comic book artist, known for his work as series such as Starman, Iron Man, and Ex Machina. He has been nominated for five Eisner Awards for his work.-Career:...
, Opal City first appeared in Starman vol. 2 #0 (October 1994). "The Opal" has been established as the home of several 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...
characters, most notably several super-heroes who have operated under the name of Starman
Starman (comics)
Starman is a name used by several different fictional DC Comics superheroes, most prominently Ted Knight and his sons David and Jack.Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Jack Burnley, the original Starman, Ted Knight, first appeared in Adventure Comics #61...
. Other, non-Starman related heroes who have come to call Opal City their home are the second Black Condor and the Phantom Lady, as mentioned in Teen Titans vol. 3 #20, as well as the Elongated Man
Elongated Man
The 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...
. The city itself is first mentioned in Action Comics #251
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
, April 1959 as the name of a ship, the S.S. Opal City which Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
rescues from a modern-day pirate crew. It can be inferred that Robinson named the city due to his vast knowledge of obscure comics continuity from both the Golden Age
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
and the Silver Age.
Silver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
Location
Depictions of Opal in the Starman series showed it as a generally Eastern-US city with a port (though not necessarily a seacoast) and being surrounded by generally flat terrain. Recent issues of the current JLA series, specifically the "Crisis of Conscience" arc, have explicitly established Opal City as being located in MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, per Robinson's longstanding opinions on the subject in various interviews with fans.
History and visual depictions
Opal is particularly notable for several aspects of its depiction in the second Starman series. The original settlement, "Port o' Souls", was established by PuritanPuritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
settler in the early 18th century. In 1884, the town elected Brian "Scalphunter" Savage
Scalphunter (DC Comics)
Scalphunter is a fictional character, a Wild West hero in the DC Comics Universe. Scalphunter first appeared in Weird Western Tales #39 and was created by Sergio Aragones and Joe Orlando.-Fictional character biography:...
as sheriff. About the same time the morally ambiguous Shade
Shade (comics)
The Shade is a comic book character developed in the 1940's for National Comics. Debuting as a villain, the Shade was best known for fighting against two generations of superheroes, most notably the Golden Age and Silver Age versions of the Flash...
made Opal City his home.
The modern Opal City had its greatest expansion in the 1910s to 1930s, as evidenced by its many Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
buildings. An interesting detail is that the city, from its foundations, was heavily tainted with dark magic, first due to the activities of an unholy cult calling themselves the Tuesday Club, which was composed of Opal's most influential and powerful citizens, from its beginnings as Port O'Souls in the Elizabethan era until Savage killed almost the entire cult the final night of 1899. Savage was killed by the last surviving member, but this man was killed seconds later by Savage's assistant, Carny O'Dare. Little after the foundation of Port O'Souls came the curse of the Black Pirate, binding all souls that ever died in Opal to the earthly plane. The pinnacle of this was Hawksmoor St. John, the architect who planned Opal's great expansion, also a fervent Satanist, who christened several buildings in blood so the lines drawn between them formed a perfect five-pointed star. In the WWII years, a group of Nazi occultists planned to drown Opal into a void dimension, but the ritual was partly stopped by Etrigan and the then Starman Theodore Knight. However, the aftermath of all of this was an atmosphere tremendously saturated in magical power, which the villain Simon Culp sought to use in conjunction with his own augmented power to create an impenetrable dome of shadow matter over the city, blocking all outer interference. He wished to allow the Nazi ritual to be completed, to destroy what his archenemy Richard Swift, the Shade, loved most. However, Culp was defeated and the souls liberated from the Pirate's curse.
It was in 1939 that the first Starman Ted Knight
Starman (Ted Knight)
Starman is a fictional comic book superhero in the , and a member of the Justice Society of America. Created by artist Jack Burnley and editors Whit Ellsworth, Murray Boltinoff, Jack Schiff, Mort Weisinger, and Bernie Breslauer, he first appeared in Adventure Comics #61 .-Fictional character...
began his career as a superhero. Opal itself at one point in its history suffered very heavy damage, first by explosions leveling several large stores, courtesy of the Infernal Doctor Pip, and later, due to the same man, demolition bombs designed to destroy much larger sections of the city during Culp's attempted destruction of Opal. Additionally, the Post Office/Government building was torn out of its foundations and taken into space by Ted Knight, to protect the city from a nuclear bomb planted deep within it by the Mist. The bomb safely exploded in outer space, and the reconstruction of Opal started.
Street Names
Robinson used the names of several famous persons as places names in Opal City, including:- Jack BurnleyJack BurnleyJack Burnley was the pen name of Hardin Burnley, an American comic book artist and illustrator. Burnley was the first artist, after co-creator Joe Shuster, to draw Superman.-Early career:...
- the first artist of the original Starman feature in Adventure Comics (Starman Secret Files and Origins # 1) - Eero SaarinenEero SaarinenEero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
- noted Finnish-American architect (Starman Secret Files and Origins # 1)