Super Friends #12

Jun 1978 · DC · 0.35 USD

📊 ~5,393 copies sold its debut month

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“The Atomic Twosome!”

★ 1st appearance — Doctor Mist

About this Issue

Super Friends #12 (cover-dated July 1978) earns its place in DC history primarily as the debut of Doctor Mist — alias Nommo, the immortal wizard-king of the ancient African empire of Kor — one of the medium's earliest Black African superheroes with roots in genuinely researched mythology and literary tradition. That single closing-panel cameo planted the seed for the entire Global Guardians concept, an international superhero team that would eventually migrate into mainstream DC continuity and reshape how the publisher thought about heroes beyond North America. The issue simultaneously gives readers the first appearance and origin of the Earth-1A versions of the Golden Age duo TNT and Dan the Dyna-Mite, tying World War II–era atomic experimentation to the larger Super Friends universe in a story that loops in Kandor, Atlantis, and the Fortress of Solitude. Though the Super Friends comic occupied its own corner of the DC multiverse rather than standard Earth-One continuity, this issue's creative contributions — above all Doctor Mist — refused to stay quarantined there, ultimately influencing DC storytelling for decades.

In "The Atomic Twosome!", the Super Friends race to uncover the mystery behind the sudden disappearance of TNT and Dyna-Mite—former heroes imprisoned for decades in radiation-proof bunkers to prevent their dangerous powers from harming others. Written by E. Nelson Bridwell and brought to life with dynamic art by Ramona Fradon and Bob Smith, this 1978 adventure blends sci-fi intrigue with the team’s signature heroism. The cover by Fradon and Smith captures the high-stakes tension of a world on the brink.

writer E. Nelson Bridwell · artist Ramona Fradon · inker Bob Smith · colorist Gene D'Angelo · letterer Jean Simek · cover Ramona Fradon, Bob Smith

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $6

CGC 9.4 · 4 in census $134

CGC 9.2 none in existence

CGC 9.0 · 1 in census $77*

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CGC 7.0 none in existence

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CGC 5.5 · 1 in census $20*

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Raw — FN $14.98 1 listing Raw — VG+ $4.6 1 listing Raw — VG $4.2 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $8–$23.39 6 listings

Raw / ungraded $8 Raw / ungraded $8.5 Raw / ungraded $10 Raw / ungraded $14 Raw / ungraded $21.93 Raw / ungraded $23.39

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FN $14.4 The Super Friends Issue 12 DC Comic Book 1978 $10.55 CLEO DC SUPER FRIENDS Decorative Ribbons Bows Wrap Vintage $12 A Little Golden Book Batman DC Super Friends $22.49 DC Super Friends Activity Kit w/12 FIGURINES-Harley/Catwoman/Batman/Batgirl+ NEW $29.99 Super Friends Legion Of Doom Painting Print 16x12 $35

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History

Writer E. Nelson Bridwell and penciller Ramona Fradon — the series' primary creative team throughout its 1976–1981 run — produced 'The Atomic Twosome' with inking by Bob Smith, editing by Larry Hama, and managing-editor oversight from Joe Orlando; the Grand Comics Database records the on-sale date as March 21, 1978, with a cover date of July 1978. Bridwell, a tireless continuity architect, designed Doctor Mist with deliberate cultural depth: per a later letters column in issue #16, the character drew on H. Rider Haggard's *Wisdom's Daughter* (specifically its Guardian of the Gate and King Noot), while the name Nommo references Dogon ancestral mythology of Mali. Bridwell also wrote a parallel Earth-One story in *Superman Family* #190 (July 1978) that dovetailed thematically with this issue's TNT/Dyna-Mite plotline, suggesting a coordinated editorial effort to stitch the *Super Friends* universe more tightly to regular DC continuity at that moment.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance (cameo) of Doctor Mist, real name Nommo — immortal wizard-king of the fictional ancient African empire of Kor — who contacts the Super Friends via the Hall of Justice's Troubalert monitor in the issue's closing pages.
First appearance and origin of the Earth-1A versions of Golden Age heroes TNT (Thomas N. Thomas) and Dan the Dyna-Mite (Daniel Dunbar), whose atomic powers were rendered unstable by Manhattan Project experiments, requiring them to be isolated from each other for decades.
Story title: 'The Atomic Twosome.' Written by E. Nelson Bridwell; pencilled by Ramona Fradon; inked by Bob Smith; edited by Larry Hama; managing editor Joe Orlando. On-sale date: March 21, 1978; cover date: July 1978.
Superman brings TNT to the bottled city of Kandor for treatment, where Van-Zee (Superman's Kryptonian relative) and Ak-Var — who operate in Kandor as Nightwing and Flamebird — appear as supporting characters.
Dan the Dyna-Mite is taken to the Atlantean city of Poseidonis by Aquaman for isolation and treatment; his story was directly continued in *Superman Family* #190 (July 1978), also written by Bridwell.
Doctor Mist was conceptually rooted in H. Rider Haggard's literary characters and Dogon mythology, making him one of the more research-grounded character creations of the Bronze Age; DC's own letters column in *Super Friends* #16 confirmed the Haggard connection.
TNT and Dan the Dyna-Mite had previous Golden Age appearances in *Star Spangled Comics* #7–23 (1942–1943) and *World's Finest Comics* #5; this issue gave them their first Silver/Bronze Age revival and their first origin story.
The issue has been reprinted in the DC trade paperback *Super Friends!: Truth, Justice and Peace* (2003), which collected *Super Friends* #10, 12, 13, 25, 28, 31, and 37, and also appears in *Showcase Presents: Super Friends Vol. 1* and *The Super Friends: Saturday Morning Comics Vol. 1*.