Here's a villain profile bound to make you dizzy...Roscoe Dillon, The Top. John Broome and Carmine Infantino populated The Flash's Rogues Gallery with some of most innovative, and downright fun bad guys in comic history. But, in the Flash #122 (Aug, 1961) they turned in a turkey. The Top had a very drab green costume, and decided to take on the Scarlet Speedster with, well tops. In addition, he could spin around very fast, but nowhere near the Flash's velocity. About his biggest accomplishment was teaching Lisa Snart aka Golden Glider (Captain Cold's sister) how to twirl better on her ice-skates. Somehow, all his spinning eventually granted him mental powers. But, when he tried them out on the Flash...he wound up dying!
But, to butcher Fox News star Bill O'Reilly's favorite catchphrase, the spin didn't stop there. In a grand twist, the Top became far more interesting, and powerful, after he passed away. Though his body had died, his mental energy (spirit) could inhabit the recently dead. When Barry Allen's father Henry was in a car accident, for a brief time he stopped breathing. Although he was quickly revived by paramedics, he was dead long enough for the Top to possess him. Now, Barry was forced into battling his own dad. The Flash, tricked Dillon into leaving Henry's body, but he quickly jumped into another victim.
What sets the Flash's Rogues apart, is that despite some rather outlandish gimmicks, writers have always endeavored to make them fully dimensional. As a result, these villains grow, and some have even gone good (the original Trickster and Heat Wave for example). Scribe Geoff Johns, introduced a new wrinkle into the Rogues' efforts at redemption. He revealed that Barry had taken Dillon (in his new body), to Zatanna. She used her magic to brainwash Roscoe into becoming a hero, and in turn, the Top used his telepathy to alter the personalities of his fellow bad guys- turning them into forces of good, against their will.
The Top would return to a life of crime, and body hop again in the pages of the revived Hawk and Dove series. There he convinced Hawk (Hank Hall) that he was the spirit of his late brother Dove (Don Hall), and that he needed help to return to life. With the help of the new Dove (Dawn Granger), not to mention Uncle Sam, the Top was defeated. Recently, Captain Cold, having learned about Dillon's manipulation of the Rogues' minds, froze and shattered his most recent body.
Tomorrow, we salute a LOSER...
But, to butcher Fox News star Bill O'Reilly's favorite catchphrase, the spin didn't stop there. In a grand twist, the Top became far more interesting, and powerful, after he passed away. Though his body had died, his mental energy (spirit) could inhabit the recently dead. When Barry Allen's father Henry was in a car accident, for a brief time he stopped breathing. Although he was quickly revived by paramedics, he was dead long enough for the Top to possess him. Now, Barry was forced into battling his own dad. The Flash, tricked Dillon into leaving Henry's body, but he quickly jumped into another victim.
What sets the Flash's Rogues apart, is that despite some rather outlandish gimmicks, writers have always endeavored to make them fully dimensional. As a result, these villains grow, and some have even gone good (the original Trickster and Heat Wave for example). Scribe Geoff Johns, introduced a new wrinkle into the Rogues' efforts at redemption. He revealed that Barry had taken Dillon (in his new body), to Zatanna. She used her magic to brainwash Roscoe into becoming a hero, and in turn, the Top used his telepathy to alter the personalities of his fellow bad guys- turning them into forces of good, against their will.
The Top would return to a life of crime, and body hop again in the pages of the revived Hawk and Dove series. There he convinced Hawk (Hank Hall) that he was the spirit of his late brother Dove (Don Hall), and that he needed help to return to life. With the help of the new Dove (Dawn Granger), not to mention Uncle Sam, the Top was defeated. Recently, Captain Cold, having learned about Dillon's manipulation of the Rogues' minds, froze and shattered his most recent body.
Tomorrow, we salute a LOSER...
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