Friday Quiz: Sidekicks!

Just like Fridays back in school, it's time for another pop quiz!

Beginning with Robin in Detective Comics #38 (1940), comics have had a long tradition of kid sidekicks palling around with adult superheroes. Despite the obvious "child endangerment" issues, publishers of that earlier era believed that young readers would identify with the boy (or sometimes girl) heroes who faced the same dangers as their grown-up mentors...thereby increasing sales.

Looking back over that wonderfully bizarre era of juvenile superheroes, I've put together a 10-question quiz (with an assist from the ProProfs website), which you can take by clicking on the "Start Quiz" button below. Oh, and disregard that "name" box...you don't need to enter your name in order to take the quiz.

Comic Book Sidekicks » Quiz Question Maker

Comments

[googum]

I love these! 90% today!

[Pat Curley]

On the child endangerment issue I think you'll notice that the adults with kid supporters were never the parents of the youngster in question, although in some cases (Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen) they were the adult guardian.

I believe this originated in the radio dramas of the 1930s; while kids seldom went on adventures with their parents in those shows, they often did with an uncle, probably because the writers could see the argument: "My dad would never let me do that!"

[suedenim]

100%, but what this quiz did most is make me want to see that Rex the Wonder Dog pairing!

[Mark Engblom]

Good job, guys! Looks like this quiz is a bit harder than some of my other ones, though, judging by how some of the other "students" are doing. I guess I wanted something more challenging than "Who's Batman's sidekick?" level stuff.

Question #10 seems to be tripping up the most people so far. Hint: The word "original" is the key in identifying who I'm talking about.

Obviously, YOU knew that, suedenim...hence the A grade! Congrats!

[ShadowWing Tronix]

In my defense, I've never even heard of TNT and Dyna-Mite (although I'm thinking the latter should slap whomever gave him that name--and twice if he named himself). I'm just glad Hourman's "kid brigade" wasn't called the Tick-Tock Kids, because there should also be some slapping the upside of heads for that one. (Not sure how much better "Minutemen" was, though.)

[zubzwank]

Technically, couldn't the silver age Human Torch, who was around 15-16 when he helped hijack a spacecraft, be considered a teenage sidekick?

[Chris Mullen]

I think that that last question is the only one I got right without guessing. It would slip most people up, because Betty Kane's time as Batgirl has sort of been retconned out, and the "original" comment would make people think that it's referring to Barbara Gordon, a much more familiar character.

[suedenim]

Zubzwank,
Actually, your point makes me think Johnny Storm might have been something more interesting than that - the first teenage *non* sidekick? He is, indeed, a teenager then (same age as Spider-Man), but always treated as an equal member of the team.

[Geoff]

80%. Missed the last two. Had fun taking the quiz though, as always.
Good job, Mark.

[WesC]

60% my worst so far.

I'm hoping to make it up on the semester final though.

ShadowWing: Even though I missed it (I answered the Tick Tock kids) the "Minutemen" is a good name for a group, given the proud history that America associates with it.

Now back to the studying