fuckyeahdc-comics:

The Elongated Man

Ralph Dibny

5/12/1960-8/31/2011

Ralph Dibny was a guy who seemed to peak overnight. One moment, no one really cared about him all that much. One day later, he was the most tragic figure in DCU. I blame the single panel of his face melting, unable to hold himself together after the death of Sue (Which, can I point out that in both Marvel and DC, the guy with stretching powers marries a woman named Sue? Is that just a thing?) 

Initially, he debuted as a sidekick of sorts to The Flash, but was widely popular. Eventually, he would gain back up featured in Detective Comics, which ran through the early 70s. He and Sue would travel America searching for strange mysteries. In 1973, he joined the Justice League, where he would stay a member through to 1995. 

Readers liked him because he challenged them. Elongated Man stories weren’t superhero stories, they were mysteries in a comic book. As he unraveled the case, the reader was asked to do the same, much like in an Agatha Christie story (Note: I am in no way comparing any EM mystery to any Christie mystery). 

In 52, Ralph dies in order to trap Faust and Neron in Fate’s Tower, which failed. His remains would stay there for some time, though his spirit would join Sue’s to resume their detecting.

His ability for deductive reasoning is comparable only to Batman, though their thought processes tend to work differently.

So here’s to you Ralph. One big glass of Gingold.