| Whistle | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero (Sep. 2021) |
| Created by | E. Lockhart |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength and hearing |
Whistle is a superheroine introduced by DC Comics in 2021, with an eponymous graphic novel written by E. Lockhart and illustrated by Manuel Preitano. [1] [2] Whistle is the alias of Willow Zimmerman, a Jewish 16-year-old activist, student and volunteer living in Gotham City. She struggles to balance adolescence, fighting for social causes, and caring for her sick mother prior to gaining new superpowers. Willow Zimmerman / Whistle is notable as one of the first new superhero characters to originate as explicitly Jewish in decades. [1] [3]
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2021) |
E. Lockhart, writer of Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero, states that she drew inspiration for the novel from her own Jewish upbringing, and modeled Down River after the Lower East Side of New York City. She was also inspired by Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel from Marvel Comics, as that character is the first Muslim superhero to headline a comic book series. [3]
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2021) |
Willow Zimmerman lives in the run-down, predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Down River in Gotham City. After encountering Killer Croc and gaining super powers as a result, Whistle and Willow lead the double life to support her family and fight crime and evil. [4] [5] Whistle is accompanied by her Great Dane, Lebowitz, [6] who shares her superpowers and accompanies her in efforts to save Down River. [7] Whistle also draws upon her Jewish heritage for inspiration. [3]
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2021) |
Caitlin Chappell of CBR.com praised Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero for introducing a relatable character from the 21st Century into the DC Universe, noting that Willow Zimmerman / Whistle is a complex character who is deeply rooted in her community. However, Chappell also notes that the novel "doesn't feel like a superhero comic until a little after the halfway point." [8]
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses superpowers, abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their powers to help the world become a better place, or dedicating themselves to protecting the public and fighting crime. Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters, especially, since the 1930s, in American comic books, as well as in Japanese media.
Harley Quinn is a character appearing in American comic books produced by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for Batman: The Animated Series as a henchwoman for the supervillain Joker, debuting in its 22nd episode, "Joker's Favor", on September 11, 1992. While intended to appear in one episode, Quinn became a recurring character within the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) as the Joker's sidekick and love interest, and was adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic book canon seven years later, beginning with the one-shot Batman: Harley Quinn #1. Quinn's origin story features her as a former psychologist at Gotham City's Arkham Asylum named Dr. Harleen Quinzel who has fallen in love with the Joker, her patient, eventually becoming his accomplice and lover. The character's alias is a play on the stock character Harlequin from the 16th-century Italian theater commedia dell'arte.
The Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics: Dinah Drake and her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance. The original version was created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, the character debuted in Flash Comics #86.
Dial H for Hero is a comic book feature published by DC Comics about a magical dial that enables an ordinary person to become a superhero for a short time, such as an hour, by selecting the letters H-E-R-O in order. Each time it is used, the dial causes its possessor to become a superhero with a different name, costume, and powers. These superheroes are usually new, but on one occasion the dial caused its user to become a duplicate of Plastic Man. Some versions of the dial, like the original, contain additional letters, allowing other kinds of transformations. The title of the series is a play on the title of the 1954 American crime mystery film directed by Alfred Hitchcock titled Dial M for Murder.
Batgirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. Although the character Betty Kane was introduced into publication in 1961 by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff as Bat-Girl, she was replaced by Barbara Gordon in 1967, who later came to be identified as the iconic Batgirl. The character debuted in Detective Comics #359 by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino, introduced as the niece/adoptive daughter of police commissioner James Gordon.
Barbara Gordon is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. The character was created by television producer William Dozier, editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardner Fox, and artist Carmine Infantino. Dozier, the producer of the 1960s Batman television series, requested Schwartz to call for a new female counterpart to the superhero Batman that could be introduced into publication and the third season of the show simultaneously. The character subsequently made her first comic-book appearance as Batgirl in Detective Comics #359, titled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" in January 1967, by Fox and Infantino, allowing her to be introduced into the television series, portrayed by actress Yvonne Craig, in the season 3 premiere "Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin", in September that same year.
Miss America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Gabriele, the character first appeared in Marvel Mystery Comics #49 in the Golden Age of Comic Books. Madeline Joyce is the first incarnation of Miss America. The character has also been a member of the Invaders, Liberty Legion, and All-Winners Squad at various points in her history.
Jessica Campbell-Jones-Cage, professionally known as Jessica Jones, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appeared in Alias #1, as part of Marvel's Max, an imprint for more mature content, and was later retroactively established to have first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #4 in the Silver Age of Comic Books as an originally unnamed classmate of Peter Parker, created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. Within the context of Marvel's shared universe, Jones is a former superhero who becomes the owner of Alias Private Investigations. Bendis envisioned the series as centered on Jessica Drew and only decided to create Jones once he realized that the main character he was writing had a distinct-enough voice and background to differentiate her from Drew, though deciding to still name the character after her on the basis of how "two [people] can have the same first name".
Betsy Ross is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1. Betsy Ross is Captain America's early love interest and supporting character in American comic books published by Marvel Comics during the 1930-1940s period known to historians and collectors as the Golden Age of Comic Books. She then debuted as the superheroine Golden Girl in Captain America Comics #66.
Shamrock is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Mark Gruenwald, Bill Mantlo, Steven Grant, and John Romita Jr., the character first appeared in the comic book Marvel Super-Heroes: Contest of Champions #1.
Batwoman is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writers Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, and artist Alex Ross, Kane is a wealthy heiress who becomes inspired by the superhero Batman and chooses, like him, to put her wealth and resources toward a campaign to fight crime as a masked vigilante in her home of Gotham City as Batwoman.
Kamala Khan is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson, and artists Adrian Alphona and Jamie McKelvie, Kamala is Marvel's first Muslim protagonist character and Pakistani personality with her own comic book. In the Marvel Universe, Kamala is a teenage Pakistani-American from Jersey City, New Jersey with body-morphing abilities who discovers that she has Inhuman genes in the aftermath of the "Inhumanity" storyline. She assumes the mantle of Ms. Marvel from her idol, Carol Danvers, after Danvers becomes Captain Marvel.
America Chavez is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Joe Casey and artist Nick Dragotta, the character first appeared in Vengeance #1. America Chavez is the second incarnation of Miss America. The character has also been a member of the A-Force, the Ultimates, and the Young Avengers at various points in her history.
Jon Kent is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the son of Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane, he first appeared in Convergence: Superman #2. Jon is the newest character in the DC Universe to assume the superhero persona of Superboy, and later Superman. As Superboy and Robin, Jon and Damian Wayne appeared in several Super Sons comic book series featuring their shared adventures. Jon later takes on the Superman mantle and stars in the comic series Superman: Son of Kal-El. The character was revealed to be bisexual in 2021 by DC Comics and is considered to be one of the most high profile LGBT characters in comics.
Mother Panic, also known as Violet Paige, is a fictional vigilante appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and its imprint Young Animal, focused on mature readers. The character was created by writers Jody Houser and Gerard Way and illustrator Tommy Lee Edwards, first appearing in an insert preview of her own series in DC's Young Animal Ashcan Edition (2016).
DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults, formerly known as DC Ink, is an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics consisting of original one-shots, graphic novels and reprints of books previously published under other imprints. The imprint intends to present traditional DC Universe characters for young adult readers. The first title of the DC Ink imprint, Mera: Tidebreaker, was published on February 2, 2019 and Batman: Nightwalker was the last title to be published under DC Ink. Wonder Woman: Warbringer, the first title of DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults, was published on January 10, 2020.
Marc Tyler Nobleman is an American author and speaker. His book Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman is the first published biography of Bill Finger, the initially anonymous co-creator and original writer of Batman. It is the basis of the Hulu documentary Batman & Bill, which chronicles Nobleman’s nine-year campaign to get Finger’s name added to the official Batman credit line.
DC Graphic Novels for Kids, formerly known as DC Zoom, is an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics consisting of original one-shots and reprints of books previously published under other imprints. The imprint intends to present traditional DC Universe characters for middle-grade readers. The first title of the DC Zoom imprint, DC Super Hero Girls: Search for Atlantis was published on September 26, 2018. Black Canary: Ignite and Super Sons Book Two: The Foxglove Mission were the last titles to be published under DC Ink. Diana: Princess of the Amazons, the first title of DC Graphic Novels for Kids, was published on January 7, 2020. The first reprint, DC Super Hero Girls: Weird Science was published on July 14, 2020.
Henchgirl is a comic by Kristen Gudsnuk about a henchperson working for a supervillain. Originally a webcomic, it was published in issues then as a trade paperback. In 2020, a television adaptation was announced to be in development.
Naomi McDuffie, also known as Powerhouse, is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by the writer Brian Michael Bendis for his Wonder Comics imprint, along with writer David F. Walker, and artist Jamal Campbell. The character's name is, in part, a tribute to comic book writer and creator Dwayne McDuffie.
 | This DC Comics–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |