Mister Mxyzptlk

Fictional History
Golden Age
Mister Mxyzptlk was introduced as a "fifth dimension" imp, unbounded by 3-dimensional laws. So, he was able to do seemingly magical things. He used his powers to cause chaos and pull pranks. He explained to Superman he was a jester in the fifth dimension, hench his pranks. He originally plotted to conquer the Earth, but settled on annoying the Man of Steel. His only weakness is if he says "Kltpzyxm" (his name backwards) he'll go back to his home and stay there for 90 days. He tried to counter this weakness, but failed to do so. He originally appeared as a bald, small man with a purple suit and derby hat and a green bow tie.
Silver Age
In the Silver Age of Comics, it was explained that the reason Mxyzptlk could affect Superman was because he was vulnerable to magic. Mister Mxyzptlk was changed for the Silver Age. Althought the hat stayed, his costume was now orange with purple trims and white hair on the side. In Action Comic # 208, his name is spelt differently: Mxyztplk (not Mxyzptlk). It's unknown if this was a mistake or intentional (as he got revamped in this issue). In a notable adventure, Superman ruined Mxyzptlk's campaign as mayor.
Multiverse
It's revealed that the Golden Age Mxyzptlk is from Earth-Two and the Silver Age is from a parallel reality, Earth-One. In the Superboy stories, the Earth-One Mxyzptlk appears as Master Mxyzptlk. The Legion of Super-Heroes (in Adventure Comics #310) were attacked by Mister Mxyzptlk's descendant (also name Mxyzptlk).
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
A more malevolent Mister Mxyzptlk appears as the main villain in Alan Moore's non-cannon Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?. He also revealed his "human" form was not his true form, which is a dark purple, giant, roughly humanoid-shaped ceature.
Modern
Mister Mxyzptlk appeared in the modern continuity and was so determined to be a thorn in the Man of Steel's side, he gave Lex Luthor red kryptonite for when he was too busy to annoy Superman. In the Emperor Joker storyline, the Joker got 99% of Mxyzptlk's power and turned the Earth into a nightmarish place, but it turned out the Joker couldn't effect Batman (who defined him), which lead to his downfall. The re-powered Mister Mxyzptlk saved some of the Joker's creation such as the new Bizarro. Various other alternate forms of Mister Mxyzptlk appeared, but it's unclear if they're even related to the character. The real Mister Mxyzptlk (now weakened) saved Superman from Ruin's krytonite-weapon, but seemly died.
One Year Later
Action Comic Annul # 10 said Mxyzptlk hasn't been seen in 190 days and his name is pronounced "Mix-Yez-Pittle-Ick".
Countdown
Mister Mxyzptlk was captured and imprison in the Source Wall by Superboy-Prime, who had been torturing him. Annataz Arataz (Earth-3 Zatanna) freed the imp. When in the fifth dimension, he (fearfully) told his girlfriend, Gsptlsnz, he cannot go back to the third-diemension and that their dimension must be sealed.
Powers and Abilites
Mister Mxyzptlk, as a fifth dimensional being, has reality warping abilites that are so powerful, they seem like magic to us. The only known limits to Mister Mxyzptlk's power is his willpower and if he says his last name backwards, he'll be sent back to the fifth dimension and be force to stay there for 90 days.
Pronunciation
Due to the odd spelling of his last name, it has been pronounced various ways. In the 1967 CBS Filmation Superman animated series, his name was pronounced "mix-yez-PITTLE-ik", the offical pronunciation of the time. However, in the 1980's Super Friends (loosely based on the Justice League), his name was pronounced "Mix-Ill-Plick". "Miks-yez-pit-lik" is how the name is usually pronounced. To complicate things even more, his name has also been pronounced "mix-yez-PIT-lek", "mix-yez-PIT-ul-ick" and "mix-yez-pittle-ik". But in the 1990 Superman: The Animated Series, it's pronounced the same as saying "mix, yes, spit, lick". In the Superman Returns video game, he pronounces his name "Mix-yiz-SPIT-Lik". The pronunciation "Miks-il-piti-lik" (with lighty pronounced i's) was used in Smallville television series. Recently, Action Comics Annual #10 stated his name is pronounced "mix-yez-pittle-ik".
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Mxyzptlk
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3e/Mxyzptlk.PNG

Bizarro Justice League

Silver Age
Bizarro stole Lex Luthor's imperfect Duplicator Ray that created Bizarro clones. Bizarro created a cube-shaped version of Earth with natives that were warped clones of the natives of Earth. Among these were the Bizarro Justice League. This version of the team had the powers of their "normal" counterparts, but had backward logic. Despite popular belief, the team does say what they mean (not the opposite), but with bad gammar. Members were:

• Bizarro Aquaman
• Bizarro Batman- World's worst detective and died to save Batman
• Bizarro Flash- His costume had the reverse colors of Flash (similar to the Reverse Flash), but had a gravel logo (because the Flash was holding one at the time of cloning).
• Bizzaro Green Lantern (a.k.a. Yellow Lantern)- He was given a yellow power ring by mistake and couldn't use his Green Lantern battery to refuel it (this verison of the ring couldn't affect anything green), leaving him powerless. He was the most scared being in the entire universe (as oppose to the fearless Green Lantern).
• Bizzaro Hawkman
• Bizzaro No. 1- Impefect clone of Superman and the leader
• Bizzaro Wonder Woman

Crisis on Infinite Earths
The Bizarro World (and everyone living there) was destroyed.
Modern
As a result of the Emperor Joker story arch, a new Bizarro, Bizarro III (Bizarro II had no connections to the League hence not being mentioned), was created. Under a blue sun, he got a power called “Bizarro Vision”, which had a similar effect as the Duplicator Ray mentioned above. He recreated the Bizarro World, but plotted to destroy it and kill everyone, but himself (as Superman would never do that). So, Bizarro Lex Luthor led a revolt and freed the Bizarro-Doomsday to stop him. So, Bizarro recreated the Bizarro JLA to stop it. They defeated the monster, only to let Bizarro destroy the Bizarro World! Member were:

• Bizarro Aquaman- Can't swim
• Bizarro Batman- World's Worst detective
• Bizarro Flash- Fat
• Bizarro Green Arrow- Sets his arrow backward
• Bizarro Green Lantern- A Sinestro Corp member. His ring actually works.
• Bizzaro Hawkgirl- She has the intelligence of a hawk.
• Bizzaro Wonder Woman- Thinks men are superior

Other Versions
In the DC Super Friends # 18, team called the Bizarro Super Friends (loosely based on the Bizarro League) appeared.
References:
DC Encyclopedia

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Bizarro_Justice_League_(Earth-One)
http://www.comicvine.com/bizarro-jla/65-47966/
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Bizarro_Justice_League_(Earth-One)http://www.comicvine.com/bizarro-jla/65-47966/http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Duplicator_Ray
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Bizarro_Doomsday_(New_Earth)
http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/40/216488-64487-bizarro-jla_large.jpg
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Bizarro_Hawkgirl
http://www.comicvine.com/bizarro-aquaman/29-47973/
http://www.comicvine.com/bizarro-green-arrow/29-47974/
http://www.comicvine.com/bizarra/29-62046/
http://www.comicvine.com/dc-super-friends-this-am-not-the-title/37-167962/
http://www.aquamanshrine.com/2009/08/dc-super-friends-18-oct-2009.html
http://www.hyperborea.org/flash/bizarroflash.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batzarro
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Bizarro_Justice_League_(New_Earth)
http://www.comicvine.com/yellow-lantern/29-47971/

Bi-Beast

Two heads are better than one... unless you're battling this guy!

Fictional History

The bird-like Avian race built a double-headed android (one on top of the other): the top head had knowledge of warfare, where as the bottom one had knowledge of culture. For unknown reasons, the Avian race died out, leaving the Bi-Beast the only survivor. Many years later, the Bi-Beast saw the Harpy (mutated bird-version of Betty Ross, Bruce Banner's girlfriend), who reminds the beast of the Avian race, with Bruce Banner. Bi-Beast captured both of them and told Bruce to fix the decaying machines in the Avian city. Bruce, in reality, made a cure for Harpy and turned her back to Betty. But, the Bi-Beast figured out that Bruce tricked him and battled him as the Hulk. However, A.I.M. (a branch of terrorist Hydra) tried to storm the city. The beast destroyed the city, rather than have A.I.M. take it over. Unknown to everyone, a cylinder was ejected and it had a second Bi-Beast! It rested on the sea floor, until it was taken to the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. The second Bi-Beast (with the memories of the first) decided to use the helicarrier to attack major world cities (thinking that humans caused the end of the Avian race). General Thunderbolt Ross became aware of this and forced the Hulk into the helicarrier, where the Hulk battled the Bi-Beast. They fell down an opening and the Bi-Beast disappears,assume o have drown. The first Bi-Beast reappears and enslaved naval ship crews, while slowly he rebuilt the Avian city. However, Donald Blake (who was one of the ships) became Thor and freed the crew. But, the Bi-Beast was freed by his ally, Man-Beast and the duo battled Iron Man and Thor. After being defeated, the Stranger captures the Bi-Beast to be studied. But with the other captives, he escaped and attacked the Stranger, however, Power Princess defeated him. Returning to Earth, the Bi-Beast battle the Hulk and She-Hulk, but he becomes less affective, when one the heads gets a crush on She-Hulk. The Bi-Beast was seen fighting Squirrel Girl and Thing and in the series, Beyond!.

Powers and Abilities

Both Bi-Beast had super strength, endurance and stamina. The original Bi-Beast had strong knoweldge of warfare and culture (possibly to superhuman levels) and, despite lost in size and weight, still had his "normal" level of strength.

References:

The Hulk: Ultimate Guide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi-Beast

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b1/H-169.jpg

Annoying Imps

Golden Age of Imps

Thanks to Jerry Siegel, the Silver Age of Comics started a new fad for super heroes: annoying imps. It all started in 1944 (in the Golden Age), when in Superman # 30, we met a fifth-dimensional imp called Mr. Mxyztplk, whose one goal in life was to annoy the Man of Steel . Following him in Detective Comics # 267 (in the Silver Age), Batman got his own annoying imp: Bat-Mite, who tried (and failed) to help his hero. In Aquaman # 1, the wet hero got a "water sprite" called Quisp (later Qwsp). Even, Martian Manhunter got a Munchkin pal, Zook, in Detective Comics # 311.

Alan Moore Goes Excessive and More...

After the Silver Age, Alan Moore (who wrote Watchmen) worked on a comic called Supreme, a homage to Superman. So, he created a Mr. Mxyztplk parody/tribute called Szazs. But, he decided to go excessive and take annoying imps to all new level with Impolympics. You see, Alan Moore created a homage to the Justice League and decided to give some of their members imps. The imps included Nite-Mite and Qyrk (based on Bat-Mite and Quisp) and new ones including Mighty Man (based on DC's Captain Marvel), female Supreme and Adam Strange imps. Poor Hawkman didn't get even get a pixie. In recent news, Qwsp (formally known as Quisp) turned evil and tried to manipulate Johnny Thunder's "genie".

References:

http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/2/

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0nUvTn2IN3RkDK00g0qHo866yR60GDNASl6lLYJku23sctBjSfOvlPLnnsRnRpcXa0O5WrRisSoKVBzE6IBWsMeDVTvrS1SjbSyi3AogfebMnz1Y17bRaK1zYFBVE2mOTmpfI4sDX7M/s400/WFSM.jpg

Nightcrawler

Pre-Marvel

Despite being one of Marvel Comics' most popular characters, Nightcrawler was originally intended for DC comics! First, Dave Cockrum (his creator) intended him to be the vicious sidekick of the Intruder. In this version, he was a real demon. But, that idea didn't work out too well. So, he created a nicer-version of Nightcrawler, who was an alien named Balshazaar for a Legion of Super Hero-spin off. But, his editor rejected the character saying he was "too funny looking". When he went Marvel Comics, they approved the idea and Nightcrawler appeared in the Giant-Size X-Men # 1.
Fictional History

Early Years

Nightcrawler was the son of Mystique (a blue-skin shape-shifter) and later revealed Azazel (mutant with demon-like appearance). Mystique threw her son into a river to save herself from a mob (that learned they were mutants). Nightcrawler was found and raise by circus people (that named him "Kurt"). He became a trapzee artist. However, one day he accidentally broke the neck of the insane Stefan. The villagers near by mistook him for a demon and tried to kill him . Xavier saved him at the last minute.

X-Men
Nightcrawler along with Storm, Cyclops, Banshee, Sunfire, Thunderbird and Colossus saved the original members of the X-Men (except Cyclops, who escaped) from a sentient, telepathic island. After being saved, the original members of the X-Men (expect Cyclops) quit the team. On Kurt's 21st birthday, Jimaine Szardos sent Kurt's soul to a simulacrum of hell. It turned out Jimaine had been masquerading as Kurt's girlfriend, Amanda Sefton. He confronted Margali Szardos, his foster mother, who held him responsible for Stefan's death. But, Kurt convinced her otherwise. He met Mystique (who he had no memory of) and was shocked by their similarities in appearance. Mystique told Kurt to ask his foster mother, Margali, about it, leaving him confused. Kurt became leader of the X-Men when Storm lost her powers. But when Cyclops and Storm (both were former leaders of the X-Men) return, he stepped down and let them decide who was in charge. Nightcrawler was injured by Nimrod and was put in a coma by the Marauders. He was sent to Muir Island to recover. When he woke, Shadowcat told them about the apparent deaths of the X-Men.
Enter: Excalibur
Nightcrawler and Shadowcat help founded the British superhero team Excalibur. Kurt finally learned that Mystique was his mother. Kurt became the leader of Excalibur and he moved Excalibur to Muir Island. He met up with Amanda Sefton, now calling herself Day Tripper. Colossus joined the team. After the team disbanded, Kurt and Shadowcat returned to America and rejoined the X-Men.
Later...
Kurt had some absences from the team, one to morn for Colossus and one to become a priest (which he gave up on). Azazel claimed he was Kurt's father and tried to use him to free himself from another dimension he was trapped in. Kurt joined Storm's X-Men squad and, when not on missions, he taught Drama to the reopened Xavier Institute's students. He left the team, because he felt unneeded (Pixie was better at teleporting than him). He went to a his home town, because they invited him to come back (supposedly to see a Nightcrawler museum), but they actually needed him to stop the monstrous Vielfras. He discovered Vielfras was actually a 16-year old that a gypsy turned into a monster. Nightcrawler sympathized Vielfras and tried to stop the townspeople from harming him, but got injured. Vielfras killed all the attackers. Nightcrawler went back to America. He was seemly killed by Bastion. However, Xavier once seemly died, but it was proven to be a hoax, so Kurt may still be alive.

Powers

• Teleportion- Kurt's main ability. He unknowingly travels through the "Brimstone Dimension" when using this ability. He has to see where he is going when teleporting for safety reasons. He can now teleport 3 miles.
• Wall Climbing
  Flexible Bone Structure- This allows him to be very flexible.
• Camouflage- Kurt can blend into shadows, because of his indigo fur and light-bending attributes from the dimension he teleports to.
• Prehensile Tail
• Infrared Vision- His glowing eyes gives him a degree of night vision.
• Superhuman Agility
• Superhuman Reflexes

References:
X-Men: Ultimate Guide

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/88/Nightcrawler.PNG/250px-Nightcrawler.PNG
http://www.nightscrawlers.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=944 http://marvel.wikia.com/Kurt_Wagner_(Earth-616)

Bat-Mite

This guy is Batman's most annoying fan.

Character Overview

Bat-Mite is a big Batman fan from the "Mite-Dimension" (later stories claimed he was from the fifth dimension, home of Mr. Mxyzptlk). He wears an "ill-fitting costume" and appears to be a "small childlike man". He has near-god-level reality warping via science too advanced for 3-dimensional people (like us) to understand. He idolizes the Dark Knight and sets up odd events to see his hero in action. He can, however, tell when he gets his hero mad, hence causing him to leave. He is not a super villain, but more of a super nuisance similar to Mister Mxyzptlk.

History

Pre-Crisis

Bat-Mite appeared regularly for five years in Detective Comics, Batman and World's Finest Comics (which focuses on Batman and Superman) . In World's Finest Comics, he teamed up with Superman's foe, Mister Mxyzptlk, a fifth dimensional "imp" with similar powers, four times. When the Batman comic was revamped in 1964, Bat-Mite had 3 appearances before vanishing. Later, Bat-Mite got a one-page story in The Brave and The Bold # 200.

Post-Crisis

Bat-Mite was almost completely removed from the DC Comic canon, but he did make some appearances. He got his own one-shot Mitefall (parody of Knightfall). He appeared in World's Funnest, where he and Mister Mxyzptlk destroy the pre-crisis Multiverse. Aside from World's Funnest, he had no direct connection to Mxyzptlk. In the anthology comic Bizarro Comics, in the Mxyzptlk's home dimension, the fifth dimension, there are beings similar Johnny Thunder's "lightning bolt" and Bat-Mite. In a letter column, it says Bat-Mite is from the Fifth Dimension. In Superman / Batman # 25, the Joker had fifth dimensional power (from the Emperor Joker storyline), but Bizarro removed it and it took the form of Bat-Mite. "Might" appears in Batman # 672, but this might have been a delusion. In Batman R.I.P., he appears and tries to counsel the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, a "delusional" personality of Batman, created by Bruce in case of a mind wipe or being driven mad. In Batman # 680, he reveals to Batman he really is just a product of his imagination, but he claims imagination is the fifth dimension. In Superman / Batman # 52, Bat-Mite is seen making a bet with Mr. Mxyzptlk, similar to the one in World's Funnest.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat-Mite

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/09/Batmite2.png

Groo the Wanderer

Character Overview
Groo is a parody of "brutal sword and sorcery heroes" (like Conan) that were popular at the time of his creation in the 70s. Groo is a buffoon, whose ignorance and stupidity causes him to misunderstand what's going on around him. The only task that he is actually good at is using his swords and he loves to use them. He has been seen battling whole armies (and always wins) with nothing more than his blades. However, he, otherwise, is actually very peaceful, making money by doing odd jobs. Due to his extreme bad luck and tendency to jump into a battle before even deciding which side he's fighting on or learning what the fight is about, he causes mass destruction. His bad luck has been so widely known, news that he's coming is enough to cause mass destruction, when people react to the pending disaster.
Other Recurring Characters

• Captain Ahax- A captain, all too aware of Groo's effects on ships, not that it helps his sanity.
• Arba and Dakarba- Two witches that try to take advantage of Groo with terrible results. They repeatedly lose their powers because of Groo.
• Arcadio- A handsome warrior that takes credit for quests that he tricks Groo into doing for him.
• Chakaal- She is a skilled female warrior. Groo is madly in love with her, but, despite her respect for him as swordsman, the feeling is not mutual.
• Granny Groo- Groo's grandma, who tries to use Groo in her get-rich-quick-schemes that usually end badly and with her spanking Groo.
• Grativo the Wizard- Punishes Arba and Dakarba for their failures.
• Grooella- Groo's queen sister. She bears a resembles to Groo. She despises her brother, but sometimes helps him (usually leading to disaster). Her hair was turned black due to an accident in one of Groo's "games".
• The Minstrel- A jester that speaks in rhyme couplets. He sings about Groo's deeds, but usually gets Groo mad. He rarely appeared in later issues due to the complexity of writing his dialogue.
• Pal and Drumm- Two con men. Pal looks to make "easy money", but Drumm isn't too bright. Dealings with Groo have caused the people the duo is conning to get mad at them. Their names are a pun off of palindrome.
• Pipil Khan- A conqueror that has a short-temper and an Elmer Fudd-like speech pattern. He knows about Groo causing the end of many of his conquests. Not having met Groo in person, he imagined Groo as having a more imposing appearance. When he met the man that has been haunting him so long, he died of shock.
• Rufferto- Groo's dog. He was owned by a rich family, but left for adventure and became Groo's dog. He thinks Groo is a tactical genius and a hero. Groo thinks he is a potenial meal, but never ate him. When with Groo, Groo can safely get on a ship (a ship would normally sink because of his bad luck).
• The Sage- A wise man that is the only person to think of Groo as a friend. He gives Groo advise that Groo misinterprets leading to even worst diasters. He is rarely seen without Mulch, his dog.
• Taranto- A corrupt general that wants to kill Groo. Groo can never remember if Taranto is a friend or foe.
• Weaver and Scribe- A successful writer and his right-hand man. They look suspiciously like Mark Evanier and Stan Sakai, who work on the Groo the Wanderer comic.
• The Witch of Kaan- An eccentric hag that is always prepared with a potion for her next vistor.

Running Gags

• Mendicant- Groo becomes mad when refered to as the latter, despite not knowing what it means.
• Early Groo stories began with a poem and all of them ended with a moral.
• The Minstrel's mandolin's head changes in every panel.
• Cheese Dip- It's Groo's favorite food and when he gets money it's the first thing that comes to his head.
• Mulch- An agricultural process often metioned in casual conversations.
• "Did I eer?"- An understatement Groo says when he looks at the destruction he caused.
• As mentioned before, Groo can't remember if Taranto is a friend or foe. So, Taranto takes advantage of this.
• "I am Prince of Chichester"- Groo says this when he can't think of anything to say. His granny made him memorize this for one of her schemes. The in-joke is the editor at the time was named Daniel Chichester.
• "What do you mean 'slow of mind'?"- Groo is called "slow of mind" and he usually responds to this later (MUCH later) in the story.
• "What pirates?"- Pal tried to raise an reward for Rufferto by saying pirates kidnapped him (there were really none) and Drumm asked (in front of Rufferto's former owners, a king and queen) "What pirates?". He askes this from time to time, even after the con fell apart.
• Hidden Message- In Mavrel / Epic Comic's Groo series, each issue had a secret message in the art or dialogue. The message, usually, was "This is the hidden message."
• Creators- In every issue, four of the creators are hidden in a frame among people (soldiers, travellers, etc.)
• Issue # 1- Due to Groo's unusual publication history, at least three Groo comic issues (all created by the original creator, Sergio Aragonés) have been numbered # 1 (partly to boost sales), so Aragonés says every issue he wrote is number 1.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groo_the_Wanderer
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d5/Groo_cover_issue1.jpg