The Brave and the Bold #57
The Brave and the Bold #57 marks the debut of Metamorpho (Rex Mason), one of DC's most genuinely original Silver Age creations — a reluctant hero who cannot be cured of his own powers and whose grotesque, multicolored elemental body deliberately broke from every convention of the handsome, cape-wearing superhero archetype. The issue introduced an entire ensemble at once: Rex Mason, Sapphire Stagg, Simon Stagg, and Java all appear here for the first time, arriving fully formed as a dysfunctional family unit whose interpersonal tensions would drive the character for decades. The Brave and the Bold had already served as DC's proving ground for the Justice League of America and the Teen Titans, and #57 continued that tradition by launching a character popular enough to earn his own solo series within months. Ramona Fradon's involvement also gave the issue a lasting distinction: Metamorpho became the first DC superhero to headline a series with a female co-creator.
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The concept originated with DC editor George Kashdan, who — drawing on a science background — envisioned a character composed of four chemical elements who could transform into any compound; he then brought in writers Jack Schiff and Murray Boltinoff for early input before handing the core idea to writer Bob Haney, who fleshed out the 'deliciously overdrawn' supporting cast. Kashdan specifically recruited Ramona Fradon — then stepping away from comics to raise her family — because her exaggerated, expressive drafting style was uniquely suited to a hero who was never going to wear a mask or a cape. Fradon designed Metamorpho's distinctive four-toned, texture-varied body herself, concluding that conventional superhero attire would be absurd for a man in constant physical flux; inker Charles Paris completed the look on the page. The two-issue try-out run in B&B (#57 and #58) was considered successful enough that DC launched Metamorpho's own title by the summer of 1965, with Haney and Fradon both describing the collaboration as among the most creatively satisfying of their careers.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance and complete origin of Metamorpho (Rex Mason), cover-dated December 1964–January 1965 and on sale December 10, 1964.
- Also the first appearances of Sapphire Stagg, Simon Stagg, and Java — the full supporting cast introduced in a single issue.
- Written by Bob Haney; penciled and cover-drawn by Ramona Fradon; inked by Charles Paris; edited by George Kashdan, who originated the elemental-hero concept.
- Professor Eureka appears in short humor filler strips within the issue, written and drawn by Henry Boltinoff — a standard DC anthology feature of the era.
- The Brave and the Bold served as DC's official try-out title; both the Justice League of America and the Teen Titans had previously debuted in its pages before receiving their own series.
- A successful two-issue tryout (B&B #57–58) led directly to Metamorpho's self-titled ongoing series, which launched in July–August 1965 and ran 17 issues through March–April 1968.
- The issue has been reprinted multiple times: in Super DC Giant #S-16 (1970), Showcase Presents: Metamorpho Vol. 1 (2005, in black and white), and as a full facsimile edition by DC in July 2025.
- Metamorpho would later become the first DC superhero to formally decline Justice League membership (in Justice League of America #42, 1966) and a founding member of Batman's Outsiders team in 1983.
Cast · 12 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Rex Mason agrees to do one last trip for Simon Stagg which will net him enough money to marry Sapphire. Simon send Java with Rex with orders to strand him in Egypt. Java accidentally traps Rex in a pyramid where Rex is given strange powers over the chemical elements.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).