Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis

[williamtheday]

Were they (and all other tv/movie licensed comics) part of Earth One continuity before COIE, or another world in the Multiverse?

[Jim Kelly]

Were they (and all other tv/movie licensed comics) part of Earth One continuity before COIE, or another world in the Multiverse?

Yes and no. Jerry had crossovers with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the Flash (all of Earth-One). Super-Hip (from BOB HOPE) was a guest at the wedding of Rita Farr and Steve Dayton (Elasti-Girl and Mento), rubbing shoulders with the Justice League and the Teen Titans.

However, most of their stories had nothing to do with the Earth-One characters. And since they were licensed properties, they could only be used as long as the publisher had license to do so--which they had lost by the time of the Crisis.

[JThree]

I want trade paperback collections of them both. Enough with this super hero stuff.

-jthree

[Jim Kelly]

I want trade paperback collections of them both. Enough with this super hero stuff.

-jthree

When they explored the possibility of reprinting those comics in the past, the amount of money that the estates of Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis wanted for the licensing rights would have made any publication unprofitable. Maybe now that so much time has passed, the estates wouldn't ask for so much money. But then Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis aren't the big names they were twenty years ago and might not generate enough sales to justify such projects.

[superduperman]

I think they actually got their own Earth designation. Not sure where I saw it though.

[Chcknman69]

https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Jerry_Lewis_(Earth-Twelve)
Jerry Lewis is a licensed character who is not owned by DC Comics. Nevertheless, his 1952-1971 comic book stories were placed in DC's Earth-Twelve continuity, so he is included in the DC Comics Database.

https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Bob_Hope_(New_Earth)
Bob Hope is a licensed character who is not owned by DC Comics. Nevertheless, his 1950-1968 comic book stories were placed in DC's Earth-Twelve continuity, so he is included in the DC Comics Database.

[Jim Kelly]

I'd be more likely to say that there are infinite Earths and many of these Earths are virtually the same as each other except for subtle differences.

On our Earth-Prime (the original version of it), Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis existed. On another Earth, Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin existed, and neither of them were married (or they were in open marriages) so they could date as many models as they wanted without worry. Possibly on the same Earth as the former, Bob Hope existed and enjoyed a similar unattached status so he could also date lots of models. On another Earth, Jerry and Bob were involved in horror parody adventures (similar to THE MUNSTERS and THE ADDAMS FAMILY). On this Earth, they also interacted with super-heroes that were remarkably similar to the Earth-One super-heroes (the original version of Earth-One).

There have to be other Earths also for other licensed characters, where the publisher has lost the rights. There's an Earth virtually the same as the original Earth-One where Batman interacted with the Shadow.

There are multiple Earths for the Phantom, Doc Savage, the Avenger (Richard Benson), Mr. District Attorney, Gangbusters, Tarzan, Fauntleroy Fox and Crawford Crow, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Judy Foster, Steve Wilson, Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton, Pat Boone, Sgt. Bilko and Pvt. Doberman, Alan Ladd, Dale Evans, Jimmy Wakely, Gabe Kotter and the Sweat Hogs, the Mighty Isis, Dobey Gillis, Hopalong Cassidy, Mutt and Jeff.

As well as creator owned characters--Angel Love, Young Heroes in Love, 'Mazing Man, Peter Cannon, etc.

Sugar and Spike must have their own Earth, and also Stanley and his Monsters, Peter Panda. The Inferior Five exist on multlple Earths--one of those might be Earth-One (the original) but there must be at least one other, where parodies of characters from other publishers also exist.

[superduperman]

https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Jerry_Lewis_(Earth-Twelve)
Jerry Lewis is a licensed character who is not owned by DC Comics. Nevertheless, his 1952-1971 comic book stories were placed in DC's Earth-Twelve continuity, so he is included in the DC Comics Database.

https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Bob_Hope_(New_Earth)
Bob Hope is a licensed character who is not owned by DC Comics. Nevertheless, his 1950-1968 comic book stories were placed in DC's Earth-Twelve continuity, so he is included in the DC Comics Database.

There you go. That's what I thought.

[Gero4568]

Stanley and His Monster, 'Mazing Man, and Sugar & Spike have always been considered to be in the realms of mainstream continuity. However, there was Earth-Twelve (Pre-Crisis), where Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, and most of the other humor characters resided, including the Inferior Five.

[Jim Kelly]

Stanley and His Monster, 'Mazing Man, and Sugar & Spike have always been considered to be in the realms of mainstream continuity. However, there was Earth-Twelve (Pre-Crisis), where Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, and most of the other humor characters resided, including the Inferior Five.

I see there being at least two Stanleys and his Monsters, since the post-Crisis one in GREEN ARROW was nothing like the pre-Crisis one in THE FOX AND THE CROW. 'Mazing Man has to be on another Earth because he was dreaming about THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. The Inferior Five crossed over in another book, but their own book doesn't fit into continuity with other Earths--so there has to be at least two versions.

[superduperman]

Stanley and His Monster, 'Mazing Man, and Sugar & Spike have always been considered to be in the realms of mainstream continuity. However, there was Earth-Twelve (Pre-Crisis), where Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, and most of the other humor characters resided, including the Inferior Five.

Wasn't 'Mazing Man's best friend an actual dog man?

[Jim Kelly]

Wasn't 'Mazing Man's best friend an actual dog man?

In the comic, Denton is described as a dog-faced boy. So he's just someone who has the face of a dog. His half-sister, K.P., doesn't have this condition.

[williamtheday]

I never heard of Earth 12 before now! Thanks for the info!

[Jim Kelly]

But wouldn't "Earth 12" be a post-post-post-post-Crisis designation--and not "part of Earth One continuity before COIE" as williamtheday asked about?

John Wells, a.k.a. "Mikishawm," once graciously shared online some info on Elongated Man with me, many years ago, and his fact files had Earth designations for hundreds of different Earths. I think that's more in the spirit of pre Crisis on Infinite Earths comic book reality. Trying to contain the Multiverse to just 52 Earths doesn't really allow for all the variety.

[superduperman]

But wouldn't "Earth 12" be a post-post-post-post-Crisis designation--and not "part of Earth One continuity before COIE" as williamtheday asked about?

John Wells, a.k.a. "Mikishawm," once graciously shared online some info on Elongated Man with me, many years ago, and his fact files had Earth designations for hundreds of different Earths. I think that's more in the spirit of pre Crisis on Infinite Earths comic book reality. Trying to contain the Multiverse to just 52 Earths doesn't really allow for all the variety.

They did a lot of post-Crisis derivatives around the time of IC. Earth 85, for instance, was supposed to be the post-Crisis, pre-Hawkworld Earth. This was to explain the appearances of things like Hawkman and Hawkwoman appearing in things like Superman books or the late eighties, pre-Ordway, Shazam! title. I think even the crossover Earths between Marvel and DC in the late seventies and early eighties got an Earth designation.