Fastback

When rays from space started making people act like apes, Superman flew to investigate, only to discover a barrier trapping him in the Earth’s atmosphere. Spotting a meteor passing through unhindered, he grabbed it, hurled it back outward, and hung on for the ride. When he hit the barrier, the meteor exploded, and Superman was transported to an alternate universe, Earth C, populated by anthropomorphic “funny animals.”

Six meteor fragments, charged by Superman’s powers, fell to earth across the United Species of America, from Los Antelope to Gnu York, where similar rays from space were de-evolving their citizens. The six struck by meteorite fragments gained super-powers, and together followed Superman to the planet Pluto, where they found that Starro the Conquerer had come to their universe and was planning to take over their devolved world.

One of the new heroes was a turtle from the Okey-Dokey swamp named Timmy Joe Terrapin. Timmy meant well, but was always too slow to hold down a job. Trying to catch a bus somewhere in the state of Kornsas, he was hit by the meteorite and gained super-speed, becoming Fastback, the Reptilian Rocket!

The Terrific Whatzit

While Fastback is unaware of it, his uncle McSnurtle was the Weird War II-era hero, the Terrific Whatzit. The Terrific Whatzit had super speed, super strength, and could fly. He earned his name from the fact that he removed his shell when in costume, so no one could tell what he was—which made it extremely easy to keep his identity secret. The Terrific Whatzit is retired now, but his nephew carries on the fight against crime.

The Crash

The Crash—again a turtle—comes from a similar “funny animals” world which mirrors the pre-Crisis Earth 1 (usually referred to as Earth C-), and was a member of the JLA—the Just’a Lotta Animals. Interestingly, the Just’a Lotta Animals are well-known comic book characters on Earth C, and their series is presently written and drawn by Roger Rodney Rabbit, also known as... Captain Carrot.

• Art Credits
• Profiles in Print
• Appearances
• Further Notes

Art

• Fastback: Speed Force #1 (November 1997) - Phil Jimenez
• The Terrific Whatzit: Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew #9 (November 1982) - Scott Shaw and Al Gordon
• The Crash: Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew #14 (April 1983) - Scott Shaw and Al Gordon

Profiles

• Who’s Who in the DC Universe #7 - Fastback (September 1985)

Significant Appearances

• Fastback:
  • Regular in Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew (1982–1984)
  • The Oz-Wonderland War (3-issue miniseries, 1986), E. Nelson Bridwell, Joey Cavalieri & Carol Lay
  • Speed Force #1 (November 1997): Pin-up by Phil Jimenez
  • Captain Carrot and the Final Ark (3-issue miniseries, 2007), Bill Morrison, Scott Shaw! & Al Gordon
• The Terrific Whatzit:
  • Regular in Funny Stuff (1944–1946)
  • Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew #9 (November 1982): “Time Varmints,” Scott Shaw and Roy Thomas
• The Crash:
  • Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew #14–15 (April–May 1983): “Crisis on Earth C” and “Crisis on Earth C-Minus,” Scott Shaw and E. Nelson Bridwell
  • Captain Carrot and the Final Ark #3 (2008): “The Surreal Life,” Bill Morrison, Scott Shaw! & Al Gordon

Notes

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