Johnny Thunder

Johnny Thunder is the name of two characters in the DC Universe

The first Johnny Thunder appeared in the first issue of Flash Comics in 1939. Born at 7 AM on the seventh day of the seventh month in 1917, Johnny had a unique destiny. Kidnapped by cultist from the imaginary country of Badhnisia, Johnny was give possion of the genie-like "Thunderbolt" during a mystic ritual on his 7th birthday. The genie would appear whenever Johnny said the word "cei-u" ("say you"), though it was a while before Johnny figured out that. He went on to have many comic adventures and, later, joined the Justice Society of America.

Following the JSA's 1990s sojourn in the Ragnarok Dimension, Johnny was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. He lost track of the pen the Thunderbolt was contained in. Eventually, the genie was passed on to a young African-American kid named Jakeem Thunder. Johnny is now merged with the Thunderbolt.

The second Johnny Thunder first appeared in All-American Comics in 1948. His name was John Tane and he lived in the Old West. The son of a sheriff and a schoolteacher, his mother made him promise never to use guns and to follow in her footsteps. Of course, Johnny soon found himself in a situation where violence was called for. In order to keep his vow, Johnny creates the identity of Johnny Thunder, by changing clothes and using coal dust to change his hair black. The stories he appeared in wore surprisingly ahead of their time, in that they dealt with the position of African-Americans and Native Americans in the Old West.