The Secret Origin of... PETER CANNON - THUNDERBOLT

Though there were other comics series with similar names before and after, the longest-running Secret Origins comic book was published by DC Comics from April 1986 to August 1990.  It included 50 regular issues, three annuals, and one special edition.  This series of blog posts focuses on the stories that would have been, should have been, or otherwise follow the spirit of that series.

The Secret Origin of... PETER CANNON - THUNDERBOLT      

Charlton Comics published the comic book adventures of a number of "Action Heroes," including Captain Atom, the Blue Beetle, the Peacemaker, Judomaster, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt.  Charlton ceased publication before I started reading comics, but many of the Charlton Action Heroes were acquired by DC Comics in the early 1980s.  They were introduced into the DC Universe in the 12-issue maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths.  They were also featured in the encyclopedic Who's Who, the Definitive Directory of the DC Universe.  And, their origins were told, or retold in Secret Origins.  Blue Beetle appeared in issue 2.  Nightshade (another former Charlton character) appeared in issue 28.  Captain Atom's origin was told in issue 34.  And Peter Cannon was slated to appear sometime... but that never happened.  

Mark Waid, who was editing Secret Origins tells the story this way: "In 1988, I was an editor at DC working under [Dick] Giordano, my friend and mentor.  Dick liked [Peter Cannon creator Pete] Morisi a lot.  And he loved Thunderbolt.  He asked me to develop a new series with writer Robert Loren Fleming, a move Morisi blessed--if he were allowed to be involved creatively somehow.  At age 60, he couldn't handle full art on a monthly series, so Dick suggested Pete do a special "reintroduction" story for my Secret Origins anthology series."    

Morisi completed a 19-page origin story, but it never saw print in Secret Origins before the series ended.  In Dynamite Comics' Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt #1 (2012), Morisi's origin story was finally published.  Shown here is variant cover "F," which showcases Morisi's bold artwork.