Jonny Double
Created by Len Wein and Marv Wolfman

One seemingly obscure classic comic book P.I. of the last few decades who's demonstrated surprisng staying power was idealistic but poor private eye JONNY DOUBLE, created by DC writer Len Wein and Marv Wolfman. Jonny made his first appearance in DC Showcase #78, way back in 1968. Jack Sparling did the art for that one.

He then made occasional appearances in other DC titles, including an arc in the Kobra mini-series where, while working a case, he stumbles across a plot to destroy San Francisco. And he even had a little thing with Wonder Woman at one point. But definitely a relatively minor character in the DC universe.

But someone must have remembered him, because in 1998, DC Comics, under their Vertigo imprint, brought back Johnny, thirty years older, in a rock-solid four-issue mini-series, with the still down-on-his-luck, but older and hopefully wiser, private eye after a group of hackers and punks who are after Al Capone's money. After all, Capone's long gone, and he doesn't need it anymore, right?.

Len Wein, who's probably best known in the comics world for creating Swamp Thing, is also responsible for Christopher Chance,The Human Target, a bodyguard who masquerades as the potential victim to draw fire. Evidently, that was the original plan for Jonny, which explains the last name.

Marv Wolfman, meanwhile, is often cited as having created more characters, from the New Teen Titans to Blade, the Vampire Hunter, that have been adapted into movies, TV and animation than any other comics writer with the exception of Stan Lee.

FURTHERMORE...

• "I just found out that Jonny Double appeared in a short lived comic called Kobra. He was in issue #5...but no one ever seems to know about it. Oh well...
  (Mr. Lamb Frys)

COMICS

• SHOWCASE
  (1968, DC Comics)
  First appearance in issue #78
  Written by Marv Wolfman, Len Wein, Paul Kupperberg, Paul Levitz
  Art by Jack Sparling, Joe Staton

• "Meet Jonny Double" (November 1968, #78)
• "There Shall Come a Gathering" (May 1978, #100)

• CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN
  (DC Comics)
  Writer:  Denny O'Neil
  Artists:  George Tuska, Neal Adams

• "To Call a Deadman" (June-July 1970, #74).

• ADVENTURE COMICS
  (DC Comics)
  Writer: Len Wein
  Art: Jose Delbo, Bob Oskner

• "The Face of the Dragon" (April 1972, #418)
  

• WONDER WOMAN
  (DC Comics)
  Writer: Denny O'Neil
  Art: Don Heck, Dick Giordano

• "Tribunal of Fear" (March-April 1972, #199)
• "The Beauty Hater" (May-June 1972, #200)
• "Fangs of Fire" (September-October 1972, #202)
• "The Grandee Caper" (November-December 1972, #203):
  

• KOBRA
  (1976, DC Comics)
  Writers: Marty Pasko
  Artists: Rich Buckler, Frank McLaughlin, Mike Nasser , Joe Rubinstein .

• "The Eye of the Serpent" (November-December 1976, #5)
• "The Crack In the World Conspiracy" (January-February 1977, #6)
• "The Lazarus Conspiracy" (March-April 1977, #7)..

• CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS
  (DC COMICS)

• "Aftershock"(February 1986, #11)

• JONNY DOUBLE: TWO FINGER DISCOUNT
  (1998, DC Comics/Vertigo)
  4-issue mini-series
  Written and drawn by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso
  Covers by Mark Chiarello.

• "Two Finger Discout, Part 1" (September 1998, #1)
• "Two Finger Discout, Part 2" (October 1998, #2)
• "Two Finger Discout, Part 3" (November 1998, #3)
• "Two Finger Discout, Part 4" (December 1998, #4)

RELATED LINKS

• The Thrilling Detective Web Site: Detective Comics
  A listing of all the private eyes who have shown up in DC Comics.

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.