Composite Superman
| Composite Superman | |
|---|---|
|
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | World's Finest Comics #142 (1964) |
| Created by |
Edmond Hamilton (writer) Curt Swan (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego |
First - Joseph Meach Second - Xan |
| Notable aliases | Xan - Amalgamax |
| Abilities | Possesses the combined powers of Superman and many members of the Legion of Super-Heroes. |
The Composite Superman is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Superman and Batman.
The Joseph Meach version of Composite Superman first appeared in World's Finest Comics #142 and was created by Edmond Hamilton and Curt Swan.
Joseph Meach was a diver who had fallen on hard times. In an attempt to draw publicity to himself, Meach set up a water tank on a sidewalk in Metropolis and dove off a building. Unbeknownst to Meach, the tank was leaking and Meach would have died if not for the intervention of Superman. Upon learning of Meach's misfortunes, Superman obtained a job for him at the Superman Museum where Meach was employed as a janitor. Meach's bitterness did not subside and being surrounded by mementos of Superman's career directed his anger towards Superman. One night as Meach was sweeping in front of a series of statuettes depicting the Legion of Super-Heroes, a bolt of lightning struck the display. The statuettes (which were actually miniature lifeless duplicates of the Legionnaires) unleashed an energy blast that struck Meach, endowing him with the combined powers of the Legion members. Determined to defeat Superman, Batman, and Robin, Meach used his shape-shifting power to turn his skin green and form a costume that was half Superman's costume, half Batman's costume. Calling himself the Composite Superman, Meach left a message in both heroes' bases to meet him on a mountain. There, he told the heroes that if he was not allowed to join their team, he would expose their secret identities, which he learned via telepathy. The Composite Superman then created situations for Superman or Batman to handle, but which he intentionally sabotaged to humiliate the heroes, then sorted them out himself. Superman and Batman's attempt to expose him by using robot duplicates failed due to Composite Superman's ability to read their minds. Just before Meach could reveal the heroes' secret identities, the powers he gained from the statues faded away. Meach tried to write down the secret of his powers in the Superman Museum, but his memory faded before he could finish (though he managed to write down about the lightning striking the statues, but nothing more).
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Wikipedia