Barney Ling

Barney Ling is a government operative who recruits martial artist Richard Dragon to work as an agent, serving as his handler and the bureaucratic link between Dragon's street-level skills and official intelligence missions.

Barney Ling stepped onto the Bronze Age comics scene in 1975, debuting in the very first issue of Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter — a series that brought a grittier, martial-arts-flavored energy to DC's expanding universe. Created by Jim Dennis and Leopoldo Durañona, Ling carved out a place in a corner of DC populated by some genuinely compelling company: Richard Dragon himself, the enigmatic O-Sensei, Benjamin Turner, Lady Shiva, and even Robin have all shared pages with him. With two key-issue appearances to his name and a profile notable enough to earn an entry in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, Ling may not be the loudest name in the room, but for collectors who love the Bronze Age's martial arts boom and the rich mythology it built at DC, he's a rewarding figure to track down.