I’ve always had a fondness for some of the stranger, more obscure DC Comics characters, the ones I missed growing up due to a combination of a lack of spending money and a laser like focus on superheroes. Like the ones who appeared in DC’s science fiction/fantasy anthology titles. At pretty much the first sign of a superhero resurgence Marvel converted their science fiction/ fantasy titles into superhero ones early on. But seeing as how they were still profitable (and the publisher had better newsstand distribution) DC let theirs continue until 66-67.

The main strength of these comics were their wonderfully weird covers and oddball story premises but they did have the occasional reoccurring

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characters, Mystery In Space had Adam Strange and The Atomic Knights, House of Secrets Mark Merlin, Prince Ra-Man and Eclipse, Strange Adventures had Captain Comet and Animal Man and House of Secrets had Space Ranger and The Green Glob. With the exception of Eclipso these characters were heroes except for The Green Glob which was, well, this glob. Although an insanely powerful one from outer space who screwed with the heads of human beings for no discernable reason. Proving that no character is too obscure to be forgotten forever thanks to the Internet I just discovered that at some point when my back was turned The Green Glob was placed into official DC Universe continuity. Being green it’s only “reasonable” that it turns out The Green Glob was yet another ill-conceived attempt to do-good by The Guardians of the Universe.

Most of you are by this point undoubtedly aware that I love me robots something fierce which is why I’ve saved Automan the automatic man for last. He who was not so much a hero as a robot for hire and during his brief career in Tales of the Unexpected his odd jobs got pretty odd. And while certainly not the oddest this is the only issue where he was cover featured, not to mention the closest Automan ever got to a standard superhero bust up. And dude, what a cover! Robot vs.Caveman! Go-Go Checks! They don’t make ‘em like that anymore.

Seeing as how his adventures didn’t take place in the future but the “now” of 1960′s DC Universe, it’s a little starting that he never ran to into The Doom Patrol’s Robotman for whom he was almost a dead ringer It’s also a little startled that no one in the DC editorial department noticed that the characters looked almost identical.

Automan actually exists in the DC Universe (if it can happen to The Green Globe it can happen to anyone) and has made a couple of appearances over the years. Most recently (and least likely) in Enginehead, a nearly inexplicable 2004 six-issue mini-series by Joe Kelly and Ted McKeever.