The Council (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Council is a name used by several fictional criminal organizations in DC Comics
.
's 1970s Manhunter backup series in Detective Comics
. This Council is a secret organization bent on world domination, similar to those in the James Bond
series. Their leader is a scientist named Dr. Anatol Mykros. The Council resurrects and enhances the wounded 1940s superhero
Manhunter (Paul Kirk) and clones
him to create an army. When Kirk learns of their true intentions, he rebels and dedicates himself to their downfall. He is aided by Interpol
agent Christine St. Clair and martial artist Asano Nitobe, a former agent of the Council. Kirk eventually gives his life destroying the Council's headquarters.
The Council resurfaces years later in the JSA
series, having apparently rebuilt their operation. They are now using the supervillain Sportsmaster
as the template for their clones. In the JSA Annual #1 (Oct. 2000), the Council's new foe is revealed to be Dr. Mykros' daughter Soseh who assumes the identity of Nemesis. The JSA help Soseh battle her father's empire and even recruit her as a member of the JSA Reserves. Dr. Mykros is finally slain by Black Adam
who uses his death as motivation to recruit Nemesis to his own offshoot super-team. The Council has not returned since.
" backup (the Tom Tresser version, not to be confused with the above mentioned Soseh Mykros) in The Brave and the Bold
#166–192, starting in 1980. Tom Tresser was an applicant to an unnamed government agency whose brother Craig was an undercover agent infiltrating a criminal syndicate called "the Council". Craig was brainwashed into killing their family friend Ben Williams and was subsequently killed in self-defense by fellow agents. Tom thus became "Nemesis", preferring to use an alias instead of his dishonored family name. With the assistance of Batman, he cleared his brother's name and saw men responsible for his brother's death. Nemesis was apparently killed in the helicopter crash that killed the Council's leader, though Tresser was later revealed to have survived.
The Council seems to return in the miniseries
Nemesis: The Imposters in 2010.
s. The Council maintains a hidden headquarters in Chicago
from which they are able to fight the business world. The Director (a mysterious hooded figure), Matrix-Prime (a robot), and some super-powered humans known as the Gang are members of the Council. Supergirl
finds their underwater complex hidden in Lake Michigan
. They appeared a few times in Supergirl comics.
While this version of Supergirl is no longer part of current DC continuity, some of the Council's agents such as Matrix-Prime and the Gang have appeared in current canon, in titles like Grant Morrison
's JLA
and Phil Jimenez
' Wonder Woman
, so it seems that some of their history is still intact.
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...
.
Original Council
First appearing in Archie GoodwinArchie Goodwin (comics)
Archie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work...
's 1970s Manhunter backup series in Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
. This Council is a secret organization bent on world domination, similar to those in the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
series. Their leader is a scientist named Dr. Anatol Mykros. The Council resurrects and enhances the wounded 1940s superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
Manhunter (Paul Kirk) and clones
Molecular cloning
Molecular cloning refers to a set of experimental methods in molecular biology that are used to assemble recombinant DNA molecules and to direct their replication within host organisms...
him to create an army. When Kirk learns of their true intentions, he rebels and dedicates himself to their downfall. He is aided by Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
agent Christine St. Clair and martial artist Asano Nitobe, a former agent of the Council. Kirk eventually gives his life destroying the Council's headquarters.
The Council resurfaces years later in the JSA
Justice Society of America
The 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 ....
series, having apparently rebuilt their operation. They are now using the supervillain Sportsmaster
Sportsmaster
The Sportsmaster is the name used by two DC Comics villains who used their sports skills for criminal purposes. The original Sportsmaster first appeared in All-American Comics #85 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Irwin Hasen....
as the template for their clones. In the JSA Annual #1 (Oct. 2000), the Council's new foe is revealed to be Dr. Mykros' daughter Soseh who assumes the identity of Nemesis. The JSA help Soseh battle her father's empire and even recruit her as a member of the JSA Reserves. Dr. Mykros is finally slain by Black Adam
Black Adam
Black Adam is a fictional comic book character, created in 1945 by Otto Binder & C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. Originally created as a one-shot villain for Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family team of superheroes, Black Adam was revived as a recurring supervillain after DC Comics began publishing Captain...
who uses his death as motivation to recruit Nemesis to his own offshoot super-team. The Council has not returned since.
Second Council
A second Council appears in the "NemesisNemesis (DC Comics)
Nemesis is the name of two fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. Thomas Andrew Tresser first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #166, , and was created by Cary Burkett and Dan Spiegle. Soseh Myrkos first appeared in JSA Annual #1, , and was created by David S...
" backup (the Tom Tresser version, not to be confused with the above mentioned Soseh Mykros) in 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...
#166–192, starting in 1980. Tom Tresser was an applicant to an unnamed government agency whose brother Craig was an undercover agent infiltrating a criminal syndicate called "the Council". Craig was brainwashed into killing their family friend Ben Williams and was subsequently killed in self-defense by fellow agents. Tom thus became "Nemesis", preferring to use an alias instead of his dishonored family name. With the assistance of Batman, he cleared his brother's name and saw men responsible for his brother's death. Nemesis was apparently killed in the helicopter crash that killed the Council's leader, though Tresser was later revealed to have survived.
The Council seems to return in the miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Nemesis: The Imposters in 2010.
Third Council
Still another criminal organization called The Council debuts in Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #3 (1983), as a group of supervillainSupervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
s. The Council maintains a hidden headquarters in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
from which they are able to fight the business world. The Director (a mysterious hooded figure), Matrix-Prime (a robot), and some super-powered humans known as the Gang are members of the Council. Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
finds their underwater complex hidden in Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. They appeared a few times in Supergirl comics.
While this version of Supergirl is no longer part of current DC continuity, some of the Council's agents such as Matrix-Prime and the Gang have appeared in current canon, in titles like Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
's JLA
JLA (comic book)
JLA was a monthly comic book published by DC Comics from January 1997 to April 2006 featuring the Justice League.-Publication history:The low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books by the mid-1990s prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team on a single title...
and Phil Jimenez
Phil Jimenez
Phil Jimenez is an American comic book writer, artist and penciller, known for his work as writer/artist on Wonder Woman from 2000 to 2003, as one of the five pencilers of the 2005-2006 miniseries Infinite Crisis, and his collaborations with writer Grant Morrison on New X-Men and The...
' Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
, so it seems that some of their history is still intact.