Comic Title: Secret Origins #28
Publisher: DC
Cover Date: July 1988
On Sale Date: March 22, 1988 Shipping Date March 22, 1988
Source: Direct Currents, #2

Shipping Date March 22, 1988
Source: Amazing Heroes, #137

Newsstand Date April 14, 1988
Source: Amazing Heroes, #137

Copyright Date March 22, 1988
Source: Library of Congress, Copyright Office 1988

Cover Price: $1.50
Page Count: 48
Editor: Mark Waid

Title: "The Secret Origin of Midnight"
Pages: 19

Feature(s):
Midnight (Post-Crisis)

Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gil Kane
Letterer: Jean Simek (Izzo)
Colorist: Thomas J. Ziuko

Feature Character(s)

• Midnight (Dave Clark; origin and first post-Crisis appearance; next appearance in Ms. Tree Quarterly #1)

Villain(s)

• Morris Carleton (a construction company owner; no further appearances)
• Carleton's men (Rocco and Eddie named; no further appearances)

Guest Appearance(s)

• Firebrand (as Rod Reilly; first post-Crisis appearance; no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Several radio program producers and actors (Effie and Freddy named; no further appearances)

Cameo Appearance(s)

• Doc Wackey and Gabby (in a pin-up)

Comments:
This story takes place in the 1940s and is an adaptation of the tenth story of Smash Comics #18.

Synopsis:
Voice actor Dave Clark leaves the radio station after a double shift. On the way home, he spots a collapsing building. Dave and other workers help rescue people trapped inside as the building comes down around them. After the excitement is over, Dave takes a piece of the building to a friend to have it analyzed. He learns that the building was made with shoddy material to save on cost.

Dave then dons a mask and drops into a party held by Morris Carleton, the head of the construction company that cut costs. As Midnight, Dave robs the wealthy party guests and delivers the money to the victims in the hospital. Carleton's men find Midnight and capture him after he drops off the money. They tie him up at the Tri-State Dam and leave him to drown.

Midnight escapes before dying. He notices that the dam is made of the same faulty construction materials as the building and will soon give way. He runs to the radio station to deliver an evacuation warning. The dam breaks, but lives are saved.

Carleton decides to leave town before the authorities come after him. Midnight reaches him first and using an intercom gets the crooked businessman to confess over a loudspeaker. Midnight ties up Carleton and leaves him for authorities. He will go on to have many more adventures.