Backwards Man

Gallery

Real Name

John Able

Current Alias

Backwards Man

Base Of Operations

Gotham City

Status

Alignment

Bad

Characteristics

Gender

Male

Hair

Brown

Origin

Universe

Earth-Two

Created by

Paul Reinman

First appearance

Last appearance

All-American Comics #69
(November, 1945)

All-American Comics #69
(November, 1945)

HistoryEdit

The Backwards Man fought Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and Doiby Dickles once in 1945. Thus far, not much has been revealed regarding Able's early life. At some point in his adulthood, he was arrested, convicted and jailed for a crime he claims he didn't commit. This experience apparently embittered him so much that upon his release, he became a criminal in earnest, and…feeling that the law had worked in reverse by imprisoning him before he'd committed a crime…he became the Backwards Man, the criminal who commits crimes in reverse.

Hiring a gang, Able devised a clever scheme. By using frozen volatile chemicals, and molding them into the shapes of valuable items, Able was ready to deposit these in such places as banks, museums and jewelry stores amidst a raucous invasion…an invasion that looked like a robbery, but which, at that time, was not. Later, when the "valuables" Able and his gang left behind had thawed out, they exploded, and Able's men would return at that time to loot the place for real. Thus, the crime had been committed in a backwards fashion. Additionally, Able communicated with his gang via radio, speaking the words of his commands backwards to confuse people.

Ultimately, Able and his men were confronted and captured by Green Lantern Alan Scott. Able was once more sent to prison.

NotesEdit

• Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-Two era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985-86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.

Related

• 1 Appearances of John Able (Earth-Two)
• 1 Images featuring John Able (Earth-Two)
• Quotations by or about John Able (Earth-Two)
• Character Gallery: John Able (Earth-Two)

LinksEdit

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Footnotes

Green Lantern Villain(s) This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Green Lantern of Earth, or the Green Lantern Corps as a whole. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Green Lantern Villains."