Dark Bilious Vapors

1) This character got started in National Comics #5 (cover date: November, 1940), published by Quality Comics, and in this incarnation shared a name with a much more recent character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Both the Quality/DC and Marvel characters share the same super power (they are super-speedsters). DC Comics acquired the rights to Quality's characters in 1956, and in the early 1990's DC revived this character under a different name and made him a supporting character to DC's own super-speedster character, The Flash (i.e., the Wally West incarnation). Who is this "zen master of speed" (both names)?
The original Quicksilver, who became Max Mercury in his 1990s second incarnation.

2) What is Superman's birth name, and the names of his birth parents?
Kal-El, last son of Krypton, is the son of Jor-El and Lara.

3) Stan Lee and Jack Kirby brought Norse mythology into the modern world when they introduced their hero, The Mighty Thor, into the Marvel Universe. In what comic book (title and issue number, with a cover date of August, 1962) was Thor introduced, and who/what was the first enemy he faced?
Thor was introduced in Journey Into Mystery, #83, where he defeated the menace of The Stone Men from Saturn. [Apropos of an answer that was given this week, I'll note that Loki, the God of Mischief and Thor's recurring nemesis, made his first appearance in Journey Into Mystery #85 (October, 1962).]

4) What do the following individuals have in common: Arthur Curry (aka Orin), James Norcross, T'challa, Prince Namor, Victor Von Doom, and Ronald Reagan?
In their respective comic books or animated series, each was a head of state who somehow managed to find the time to be active as a superhero as well. Arthur Curry/Orin was the ruler of Atlantis (in the DC Universe) as well as being the hero Aquaman; James Norcross was the President of the United States and also given super powers from a cosmic storm in the 1967 animated series Super President; T'challa was King of Wakanda (a small, technologically advanced African nation in the Marvel Universe) as well as being The Black Panther, a member of The Avengers and friend of Captain America; Prince Namor was the Sub-Mariner as well as being Prince of Atlantis (in the Marvel Universe); Victor Von Doom was also Doctor Doom, ruler of Latveria (while Doctor Doom is an antagonist of The Fantastic Four, in Latveria Doctor Doom is considered a benevolent ruler, and can therefore be considered Latveria's superhero); and Ronald Reagan was featured as the leader of a technologically enhanced super-team (consisting of a number of his Cabinet members) in Solson Publications' 1987 three issue series Reagan's Raiders.

5) Who were the Original Teen Titans (the three charter members, and the two members added shortly after the team was founded)? And who are they now (i.e., under what identities are they now fighting crime, if they are)?
The original three Teen Titans were Robin I (i.e., Dick Grayson, Batman's sidekick), Kid Flash I (Wally West, Flash II's occasional sidekick) and Aqualad (Garth, Aquaman's sidekick). Shortly after the team was founded they added Speedy (Roy Harper, Green Arrow's sidekick) and Wonder Girl I (Donna Troy, Wonder Woman's occasional sidekick).

As they grew up, most of the Titans asserted their independence from their elder partners by assuming new heroic identities: Robin began his solo career as the crimefighter Nightwing, Aqualad became the Atlantean sorcerer Tempest, Speedy took a new identity as Arsenal, and Wonder Girl assumed the identity of Troia (who was presumably slain while battling a rampaging Superman robot, though in the comics few characters remain dead for long).

Kid Flash, who had given up the superhero business for a while (according to the story arc, using his powers was gradually killing him), came back to active duty as Kid Flash and assisted Flash I (Jay Garrick) in DC's first massive crossover series, Crisis on Infinite Earths. After learning of the death of Flash II battling the Anti-Monitor during the Crisis (and also learning that, in the reconstitution of the universe/consolidation of the multiverses which ended the Crisis, his body chemistry had changed so that use of his super-speed powers was no longer killing him), Kid Flash assumed the uniform and identity of The Flash (becoming the third hero known by that name).

Len on 03.08.05 @ 09:24 PM CST