Rex the Wonder Dog
Rex the Wonder Dog is an animal superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Rex
Rex the Wonder Dog was encountered serving as a highly trained military canine during the events of World War II alongside his human handler, Lieutenant Dennis Bowen. Rex the Wonder Dog participated in an international deployment behind enemy lines, where his unit was tasked with neutralising a fortified enemy bunker complex. When Lieutenant Dennis Bowen was pinned down by heavy machine-gun fire and severely wounded by shrapnel, Rex the Wonder Dog initiated a solo rescue operation. Rex the Wonder Dog navigated the live battlefield, leapt over barbed-wire hazards, and physically dragged his unconscious handler out of the line of fire to a secure medical extraction zone. Following the successful conclusion of the war, Rex the Wonder Dog transitioned into a civilian role, accompanying the recovering Dennis Bowen back to the United States to serve as a specialized operational asset for local forest rangers and search-and-rescue teams. (Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog v1 #1)
Rex served during World War II, acting during the Italian campaign and earning an unspecified medal for saving his handler Lieutenant Dennis from a German patrol. (Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog v1 #4)
Rex continued to tour with Danny Dennis, but his age was showing, and at a charity circus event Rex botched the tightrope act and felt awful. Rex’s number one fan Bobo the Detective Chimp was in the audience, and met him backstage, and Rex gave Bobo a souvenir from one of his cases. Crooks robbed the circus, and Rex left in pursuit, with Bobo right behind him. They boarded a ship the crooks took off in, and arrived on Bimini Island. Rex fended off local crocodiles, and was gravely injured. Bobo found a nearby stream and brought him water, which they both drank. The water was actually from the legendary Fountain of Youth that Ponce de Leon failed to find, and both animals found themselves restored to their prime. They took down the crooks, and alerted the coast guard. (DC Comics Presents v1 #35)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Rex
Rex continued to tour with Danny Dennis, but his age was showing, and at a charity circus event Rex botched the tightrope act and felt awful. Rex’s number one fan Bobo the Detective Chimp was in the audience, and met him backstage, and Rex gave Bobo a souvenir from one of his cases. Crooks robbed the circus, and Rex left in pursuit, with Bobo right behind him. They boarded a ship the crooks took off in, and arrived on Bimini Island. Rex fended off local crocodiles, and was gravely injured. Bobo found a nearby stream and brought him water, which they both drank. The water was actually from the legendary Fountain of Youth that Ponce de Leon failed to find, and both animals found themselves restored to their prime. They took down the crooks, and alerted the coast guard. (Secret Origins v2 #48)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Rex the Wonder Dog was a medium-sized, quadrupedal mammalian creature that possessed the structural biological physical traits of a purebred German Shepherd dog. Rex the Wonder Dog possessed a thick, immaculate coat of short fur that exhibited a pristine, bright white coloration across the entirety of his body. His facial anatomy featured an elongated, intelligent canine snout, a wet black nose, a pair of dark, highly expressive eyes, and upright, triangular ears that reacted sharply to localized sounds. His torso was lean, athletic, and heavily muscled, supported by four powerful limbs that terminated in padded paws equipped with short claws for digging and traction. A thick, straight fur tail extended from his lower back. Rex the Wonder Dog did not wear any garments, superhero uniforms, or mechanical armor, remaining entirely in a natural biological state, though he occasionally featured a standard leather military collar or service harness around the base of his neck during tactical field operations. (Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog v1 #1)
His brother, Billy, affectionately known as 'Pooch', became the mascot of Gunner and Sarge of 'Losers' during World War II. His adventures were documented in 'Our Fighting Forces' and several series of 'The Losers' for DC Comics and the Vertigo imprint. Without Rex's powers, Pooch followed Gunner and Sarge through thick and thin, was wounded multiple times and received the honorary rank of Sergeant. He perished alongside Gunner, Sarge, and The Losers near the end of World War II. (Losers Special v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
Rex the Wonder Dog was born a member of the canine race with him being a German Shepherd species before being subjected to a specialized military science program. On a basic feats level, Rex the Wonder Dog's physiology was augmented by a top-secret government super-soldier serum, which granted him exceptional physical and cognitive attributes that significantly surpassed baseline modern animals. Rex the Wonder Dog possessed an extraordinary tier of super-canine intelligence, logical reasoning, and memory, allowing him to drive standard human motor vehicles, operate mechanical switches, and perfectly comprehend complex verbal commands in spoken English. His physical dexterity and super-equilibrium allowed him to climb up the interior walls of chimneys, leap immense heights, and scale near-vertical obstacles. Additionally, his senses were elevated to an elite tier, granting him advanced tracking capabilities, heightened auditory perception, and reflex actions fast enough to actively anticipate physical hazards and shield human targets from immediate danger. (Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog v1 #1)
Originally Army trained, Rex has augmented abilities far beyond those of normal dogs, with the ability to communicate to humans and all animals, together with exceptional strength, speed, stamina, and intelligence and an understanding of the world around him that is at least comparable to most humans. Rex has revitalized health and longevity stemming from a drink from the Fountain of Youth. He has also exhibited unspecified other enhanced powers as a result of this, and is acknowledged as a member of DC's magical and mystical community.
Notes
- Rex the Wonder Dog was created by Robert Kanigher and Alex Toth where he made his first appearance in Rex the Wonder Dog v1 #1 (January/February, 1952).
- The character was based on the character Streak the Wonder Dog who became Green Lantern's dog sidekick in 1941 and eventually replaced the superhero as the cover star of his own magazine.
- He shared his name with a canine film actor "Rex the Wonder Dog", from numerous silent films of the 1920s.
- Dr. Anabolus and his formula were all created for Rex's origin in Secret Origins #48, in a humorous retcon written by Gerard Jones which parodied the origin of Marvel Comics character Captain America. Despite the parody tone of the tale, the story has not been written out of Rex's history since.
- Rex the Wonder Dog first starred in his own bi-monthly series, The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #1 – 46 (January/February 1952 – September/October 1959), titled Rex the Wonder Dog for issues #1 and #2.
- The series was written by Robert Kanigher, and was illustrated for the first three issues by Alex Toth and Sy Barry.
- From issue #2 (March/April 1952) almost every issue had one Rex story written by Kanigher and one written by John Broome. From issue #4, the stories were drawn by Gil Kane and mostly inked by Bernard Sachs, although from issue #29 (September/October 1956) a few issues had scripts by Bob Haney instead of Kanigher. Gil Kane and Sy Barry also drew all of the distinctive covers. The title was cancelled after issue #46 (November–December 1959).
- After the cancellation, Rex did not appear again for another 18 years, until he was re-introduced by writer Steve Englehart in Justice League of America #144 (July 1977), a flashback issue to 1960 which featured a number of minor 1950s DC Comics characters that had once had their own series. After this there were only sporadic appearances: a 'Whatever happened to ...' tale in DC Comics Presents #35 (July 1981) written by Mike Tiefenbacher with art by Gil Kane,[5] Secret Origins #48 (April 1990), The Flash (vol. 2) #46 – 47 (January – February 1991), Green Lantern (vol. 3) #30 – 31 (October 1992) and the linked The Flash (vol. 2) #70 (November 1992), and Guy Gardner: Warrior #29 (March 1995). Rex then had a supporting role in Superboy and the Ravers (September 1996 – March 1998), and later Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special #1 (March 2006), which led directly into Rex making a number of appearances in Shadowpact (July 2006 – July 2008).
Alternate Versions
- In Scooby-Doo! Team-Up v1 #18 (2016), Rex the Wonder Dog appeared in the setting of the crossover comic. He was shown to had been a member of the Canine Commandos that were the first superhero dog team that inspired future teams.
In other media
Television
- In Young Justice, a large canine named Wolf appeared in the setting of the animated television series. The character was seemingly modelled on Rex the Wonder Dog.
Appearances
- Rex the Wonder Dog v1: (1952)
External Links
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