Ray (DC Comics)

"The Ray" redirects here. For the painting, see The Ray (Chardin). For other uses, see Ray (disambiguation).
The Ray
The original Ray on the cover of Smash Comics #25 (Aug 1941), art by Gill Fox.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearance(Happy)
Smash Comics #14
(September 1940)
(Raymond)
The Ray #1
(February 1992)
(Silver)
DCU Brave New World
(July 2006)
(Gates)
The Ray #1
(December 2011)
Created by(Happy)
Lou Fine
(Raymond)
Jack C. Harris
Joe Quesada
(Silver)
Justin Gray
Jimmy Palmiotti
Daniel Acuña
(Gates)
Justin Gray
Jimmy Palmiotti
Jamal Igle
In-story information
Alter egoLangford "Happy" Terrill
Raymond Terrill
Stan Silver
Lucien Gates
Team affiliations(All)
Freedom Fighters
Justice League
(Happy)
All-Star Squadron
(Silver)
S.H.A.D.E.
Abilities
  • Light manipulation
  • Magnetism and electricity manipulation
  • Generation of light and solid light constructs
  • Conversion to energy form
  • Invisibility and illusion casting
  • Telepathic communication
  • Flight

The Ray is the name of four superheroes in the DC Comics Universe. All versions of the character have the superpower of manipulating visible light in some manner.

The first Ray was Langford "Happy" Terrill, a Quality Comics character.[1] When DC Comics later purchased Quality Comics, Happy Terrill was retconned as a member of the Freedom Fighters on Earth-X.[2] The character, created by artist Lou Fine, first appeared in Smash Comics #14 (Sept 1940) and continued in the book until issue #40 (Feb 1943).[3]

Following DC altering much of its continuity and history in the storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths, Happy Terrill was now an inhabitant of the mainstream DC Comics universe and his son Ray Terrill became the second Ray. Later, the character Stan Silver briefly operated as the third hero called the Ray.

In 2011's New 52 relaunch of DC Comics, where fictional history was again restructured, a new character called Lucien Gates was introduced as the Ray.[4] Although historically he is the fourth superhero character to use this name, in The Ray #1 (2012), set in a rebooted continuity, he refers to the origin of Happy Terrill as a story he had heard as a child.

  1. ^ Koolman, Mike; Amash, Jim (2011). The Quality Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 174–178. ISBN 978-1605490373.
  2. ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008). "Freedom Fighters". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
  3. ^ Thomas, Roy (2006). The All-Star Companion: Vol 2. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 94. ISBN 978-1893905375.
  4. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 245. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.