ELEMENTAL MAN

Real Name: John Dolan

Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Lab assistant, professional criminal

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Gotham City

First Appearance: Detective Comics I #294 (August, 1961)

Powers: Elemental Man could transform his body into any element, and wore a control belt to determine which element he became and the length of time of each transformation.

History: (Detective Comics I #294) - Batman and Robin dropped by Professor Higgins to see his latest invention when they heard a commotion, and saw his lab assistant John Dolan run from the house. Higgins told the heroes that he'd invented a element-convertor, but after Dolan was accidentally exposed to it he gained the power to transform into any element. The change had turned him criminally insane, and when Higgins tried to cure him he struck him and fled. Dolan, now calling himself Elemental Man, assembled a gang, and robbed a beauty contest at a luxury pool. Batman tried to apprehend him, but Elemental Man turned to lead and easily overpowered him. Higgins invented a machine to draw off Elemental Man's power, and lured him to the science museum with an planted story about a radium exhibit. The machine conked out, failing to drain off his power, but turning Batman into an elemental man. Batman and Commissioner Gordon came up with a scheme to get close to Elemental Man; after Gordon arrested Batman, saying he feared him going criminally insane, he escaped, and convinced Elemental Man he'd make a great partner in crime. Batman lead him to a jewelry store, and while they were both lead grasped his hand. Higgins was waiting with his rebuilt machine that used the circuit formed to cure both elemental Man and Batman. Dolan, no longer criminally insane, helped Batman round up his gang.

Comments: Created by Bill Finger & Sheldon Moldoff.

Elemental Man's appearance in Detective Comics I #294 was reprinted in Batman I #182.