Wanted TPB: Amazo's Greatest Hits!

Writer: Various Artist: Various
Publisher: DC Comics (1960-1999)
Printing Order: The Brave and the Bold #30, Justice League of America #112, Action Comics #480-483, Justice League of America #191,  Superman Special #3, Justice League of America #241-243, and JLA #27

Amazo is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #30 (June 1960) and was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, the character has appeared in comic books and other DC Comics-related products, including animated television series, trading cards and video games.

Writer Mike Conroy noted, "Amazo was a persistent thorn in the JLA's side... although his programming and own sentience have displayed no ambition towards world conquest... His very existence is a hazard to all of humanity."

Publication History: Amazo first appeared in a one-off story in The Brave and the Bold #30 (June 1960) and returned as a regular opponent of the Justice League of America in Justice League of America #112 (Aug. 1974). Other significant issues included an encounter with a depowered Superman in Action Comics #480-483 (Feb. – May 1978), and in Justice League of America #191 (June 1981) and #241-243 (Aug. – Oct. 1985). An advanced version debuted in a one-off story in JLA #27 (March 1999).

Biography: The android Amazo was created by scientist Professor Ivo, who became obsessed with immortality. The original Justice League of America (Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and the Martian Manhunter) discover their powers have been drained and appear to be used in the theft of certain long-lived creatures. Attempting to guard the remainder of the creatures and discover the perpetrator, the League is defeated by Amazo. Ivo reveals he has created a means of extending his life span courtesy of the data obtained from studying the creatures, and almost succeeds in removing the League's memories of their having ever been heroes before being stopped by Green Lantern. The League defeat the android, and store it in their trophy room.

The android is re-activated twice to assist the League in regaining lost abilities and later by accident when red sun radiation reaches Earth, although after an extensive battle involving time-travel Superman defeats the android, preventing his attempted murder of Ivo and the League. Villain the Key re-activates the android in a failed bid to restore his own shrunken stature, although, after the League defeat the android, member Zatanna restores the Key to his former state.

Ivo reactivates Amazo for use against a weaker version of the League, with the android defeating all the new members until finally stopped by the Martian Manhunter and Aquaman.

Another version, with the ability to absorb the abilities of the League on a conceptual level, overpowers over two dozen heroes, until Atom advises Superman to announce the team is disbanded. The premise that the League no longer exists deprives the android of purpose and it shuts down. Batman and Nightwing discover a partial Amazo (lacking several abilities) in a weapons shipment, and manage to destroy the android by neutralizing its individual abilities before finally destroying it.

Powers: The character in its various incarnations as an advanced android is capable of duplicating the powers of metahumans, including members of the Justice League (such as the strength of Superman or the speed of the Flash). The androids apparently retain the abilities of the original Justice League of America (Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and the Martian Manhunter) and were later written as being capable of simulating other characters' weapons, such as the power ring of Green Lantern and the Nth metal mace of Hawkgirl.

Other versions: Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew #14-15 featured the parallel Earth of "Earth-C-Minus", a world populated by funny animal superheroes that paralleled the mainstream DC Universe. On Earth-C-Minus a counterpart of the character Amazo existed called "Amazoo": a robotic composite of a dozen different animal body parts and abilities.