Flash (1959) 245

March 12 again and it’s time to start thinking about spring. It’s also National Plant a Flower Day.

Last year Poison Ivy was our green mascot. This year it’s a lesser known villain, the Floronic Man.

His first appearance as the self-titled Floronic Man was in Flash 245, but his alter ego, Jason Woodrue, debuted in the first issue of The Atom (1962).

Woodrue hails from an interdimensional world known as Flora. His fellow dryads exiled him to Earth where he has made numerous attempts to conquer his adopted world by exploiting and manipulating plants.

Flash (1959) 245

It wasn’t until Flash 245 that Woodrue became the plant/human hybrid courtesy of a new formula. The cocktail turned him more plantlike than man with hair of leaves and skin of bark.

He was later retconned as a professor of botany in Neil Gaiman’s 1988 Black Orchid mini. After, he knocked around the DCU pining after Poison Ivy. From her DNA he “conceived” a child.

Woodrue continued to blossom from time-to-time during DC’s various crises until he became Seeder during the New 52 revolution.

Though a lesser known of DC’s rogue’s gallery, Woodrue has made several appearances beyond the comic book page. A villain known as The Plant Master appeared on The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure. He was mentioned many times during the 1990s television version of Swamp Thing. Most recently he was featured on the DC Universe Swamp Thing television series.

On the big screen he shared time and shame in Batman & Robin.

Now, as for today, start thinking about what the garden is gonna look like this year. Start with a potted plant that can be transplanted later. Look at what grew best last year and what you want to plant when the weather does break and stays broke.