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All comics are generational – say Spider-Man artist to a kid today, they’ll say Humberto Ramos, whereas I’d say Todd McFarlane, and someone else would say John Romita. Similarly, say Michael Holt to someone my age or so, and you’ll get some terrific (pun intended) memories of his role in the JSA resurgence, but say it to someone who was first introduced to the New 52 version of the character, and they’ll probably shrug him off as an inconsequential, failed character. This is a shame; but before we lament Holt’s character in “Futures End,” let’s look back on the character from the beginning.
In the Beginning
Holt was first introduced in John Ostrander’s “The Spectre” as a man contemplating suicide after his wife was killed in a car accident. Holt’s background was very briefly alluded to, but more than anything his first appearance was a re-telling of the life and story of the original Mister Terrific, Terry Sloane. The Spectre challenges Holt to re-dedicate his life to helping others, and Holt’s life is forever changed by that encounter.
Eventually, his backstory is expanded, to show that not only is he a brilliant scientist and an Olympic athlete, but he is actually the third smartest man on the planet Earth (smartest and second smartest have never been established, but many believe Lex Luthor is #1). His focus moved off street crime and reforming young lives, and shifted to a more scientific approach to superheroics.
However, no matter how his character changed, his commitment to Sloane’s adopted slogan, “Fair Play,” never wavered. Emblazoned on his jacket was this phrase, and his commitment to helping others and keeping everything level and equal was always a part of his character.
A controversial decision was to give him one superpower – the ability to be “invisible” to all technology. It has been debated whether or not this is an actual power, or if it is a technological advancement he imbued himself with – regardless, it became a part of the character that was very important later on. He was an integral part of “Final Crisis,” due in part to his intelligence, and partly due to this ability.
His main “weapon” became T-spheres, voice and thought controlled aides that helped him fly, shot off electrical charges, and could be used to communicate with, and manipulate, other technology.
Role in the JSA
The best work done with Holt was when he was a member of the Justice Society of America. The JSA revival in the late 90s/early 00s remains one of my favorite eras of comics, and Holt is a huge reason why. The mix of characters, classic, new, legacy, and truly unexpected, led to a book that had a feel and lineup unlike any other. Black Adam, Damage, Wildcat, Judomaster, Alan Scott, the android Hourman, and Magog were just some of the characters to pass through the team’s ranks, and from relatively early on in the revival, Holt was one of the cornerstones of the team, even acting as chairman.
While part of the JSA, he became an indispensable member of the DCU, acting as confidant and adviser to many of the heroes, including Batman, with whom he had a bit of a friendly rivalry. He also has an MD, so he was often called upon in medical roles, such as performing Sue Dibny’s autopsy in Identity Crisis, and is one of the few heroes in the DCU with medical training.
The word trusted is the one that keeps coming back to me with Holt, pre-New 52. He was one of the most trusted heroes around, working as a consultant to just about every heroic organization in the DCU, from Checkmate to the Justice League.
Continued belowNew 52 Series and Beyond
As Johns himself has said, the JSA characters work best with history, and the New 52 zapped all the history out of their universe. No one, however, has suffered more because of this than Holt.
“Mister Terrific” was one of the original New 52 series, and was something I was very, very excited for – although my excitement quickly turned to disgust when I read the first issue. Gone was any nuance from the character, replaced with someone that bore almost no similarity, personality wise, to Holt pre-flashpoint. Under the pen of Eric Wallace, his “fair play” message was downplayed to make the character sexy and edgy. Instead, the book became weirdly obsessed with race, and womanizing, and gave Holt an attitude that seemed totally out of place. It was, in my opinion, the worst series for the New 52.
Luckily, Wallace was only able to drag the character through the mud for 8 issues before being cancelled. Since then, he has popped up in “Earth 2,” in a minor role. He has been brainwashed for most of his time there, so it is hard to tell exactly how the character has changed away from Wallace’s pen.
His most prominent role since his series ended has been being part of “New 52: Futures End.” However, the character, again, appears to be cast in the role of a cocky jerk. What makes this especially infuriating is that there are no shortage of rich playboys in the DCU, however there are a shortage of universally respected, brilliant team players. And, DC has a diversity issue on its hands – having a black character be mostly unlikable isn’t a great way to commit yourselves to presenting heroes of all shapes, sizes and colors.
In “Futures End,” he comes off as a smug and rude genius, hated by his fellow heroes and incapable of feeling empathy for those around him. This is a 180 from the classic incarnation of the character, and one that sadly doesn’t highlight his many strengths.
The best potential outcome for him in “Futures End” is to see Batman Beyond stop him, and perhaps cause the character to reform his ways and become something closer to his pre-Flashpoint character than the sad shell of a character he has been for the past three years.
Recommended Reading
Justice League: The Lightning Saga – This crossover between “Justice League of America” and “Justice Society of America” is, perhaps, the most clear realization of the character’s potential to be a cornerstone of the DCU. His interactions with both his JSA teammates and the JLA show an absolutely essential hero, brilliant enough to teach strategy to Black Canary and Green Lantern, founding JLA members, and consulted and respected by his sometimes rival Batman.
Final Crisis – This is a perfect example of Holt’s status in the larger pre-Flashpoint universe. Beloved, brilliant, respected, and integral to the DCU.
JSA Omnibus Volume 1 – Holt’s early adventures with the team are found here, and you begin to see his character grow from minor supporting player to co-lead of the series. The announced, but not yet published, Volume 2 is even more of a spotlight for Holt.
