Who's This? A guy who ADDS to his abilities.
The facts: Starting life in a series of back-ups that culminate in a full Batman adventure from Detective Comics #463 (1976) to #468 (1977), the Calculator wasn't taken all that seriously after his bout with the Bat. An appearance in Blue Beetle in the 80s was fine, but then Hero Hotline?! Total mort. He was revamped in Identity Crisis as a villainous version of Oracle, and that finally put him on the map. He was a major player in Villains United and soon led the Secret Society of Super-Villains (in particular clashing with the Birds of Prey). In Teen Titans, he is revealed to be the father of Wendy (of Super-Friends fame). Before the New52 reboot, he'd logged more than a hundred appearances, which based on his Who's Who entry, you wouldn't think could happen.
How you could have heard of him: Rebirth reestablished him as a major concern for the Birds of Prey and also the Metal Men in the Legends of Tomorrow title. The Arrowverse has a Calculator (played by Tom Amandes), is is Felicity's dad (she has also used the code-name).
Example story: Detective Comics #463 (September 1976) by Bob Rozakis, Mike Grell and Terry Austin
So professional Clark Kent impersonator, boring lecturer and seismologist Rick Bagley gets interrupted in the middle of his 3-hour lecture on earthquakes by the Calculator, who means to steal his "quake-breaker" prototype. This is Ivy University, so Ray Palmer, the Atom, in in attendance. While he dwarf stars to fighting size, we find out what the villain's hat is for:
Dis text? Or actually predicting the future? The Who's Who entry doesn't really mention that, but says he can solidify dust in the air into shapes, like some kind of allergenic Green Lantern. But it seems it can also do this:
It may or may not be able to do anything, but the Calculator's weakness is that he has to punch in the right code on his chest computer. One such combination produces a Hal Jordan Special.
Goofy or not, the Calculator is a smart guy (it's what later portrayals lean into). He calculated there was a good chance the Atom would show up, AND he figured out how the mighty mite effected his size and weight changing powers. He also calculated that there's be an earthquake that day, and has led Rick Bagley to the exact spot where a fissure would open then somehow close... a way to make Bagley's life's work act as accomplice in his murder.
What a bizarre crime. I think maybe we should collectively decide that the Calculator caused the earthquake. It was acting very strangely AND happened in New England... DURING a seismologist's lecture only meters away. Either way, the Atom's had enough.
If the crime seemed random, it's because it was merely a means to another end. Note how the fight ends with the "Computer of Crimes" pressing the star button on his chest. That's supposed to make it impossible for him to ever be beaten by the Atom ever again. I guess the suit will compensate on his next engagement. And he's planning to go through a bunch of heroes over the course of the next 5 issues of Detective until he just can't be beat. It's certainly amusing to see him (triumphantly!) land in jail at the end of every story, though I do have questions about how long this plan takes. Didn't he just commit MURDER?! Or does he get a wrongful death or simple assault charge seeing as the earthquake really did it? Did he escape? Probably, but it isn't mentioned. Where's the Answerman when we need him? (Writing a comic with more questions than answers, apparently.)
One last question: If the Atom (and then Black Canary, Elongated Man, Green Arrow, and Hawkman) can no longer touch him, why doesn't he just return to their cities (Ivy Town, Star City, Central City, Midway City) for some easy crime sprees? Instead, he goes after Batman (collect them all!). The heroes from the previous stories show up for some JLA team work, and yes, they are totally countered (mostly, their powers and weapons bounce back at them). Perhaps the JLA would have just called in more and more members until he was once again captured. What they really need to do is find a way to stop his lawyer from getting him out of jail so soon.
Let's just say the story doesn't end on the most satisfactory note, so as the villains' Oracle, he's a much more useful concept, and a much better revamp from Brad Meltzer than what he did to Dr. Light.
Who's Next? A villain of the month.
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