Midway City is a metropolitan community in the state of Michigan in the United States. It is located on the North Channel, east of Sault Ste. Marie in Northern Michigan across from the southern tip of the Canadian province of Ontario.[1][2]
History
In 1618, the French explorer, Etienne Brulè established a small trading post for fur trappers along the North Channel coastline. As the community began to develop, they expanded further south and by 1620, the territory became known as Brulè's Landing. By the 19th century, Brulè's Landing benefited from the commerce of the Industrial Revolution and developed into a thriving boomtown. Towards the end of the century, the regional governments officially changed the town's name to Midway City.
Midway City is famous for being the home of two distinctive sets of super-heroes. The Doom Patrol operated out of a two-story brownstone located in the heart of the downtown district. Very near to them was the Midway City Museum, which operated as a front for the super-heroes known as Hawkman and Hawkwoman. Oddly enough, even though the heroes worked within the same city for many years, they have never met one another.
For many years, city officials grew uncomfortable with the thought of having such unorthodox crime fighters operating in their districts. However, Midway City police Commissioner George Emmett, adopted a positive attitude towards costumed heroes and allowed them a great deal of latitude in regards to their actions in Midway City. Eventually the Doom Patrol's activities became too costly for the city to afford and the Mayor's office asked them to relocate. After that, Hawkman and Hawkwoman remained as the city's sole representatives of the super-hero community, until they were killed in Zero Hour.
Midway City was wrecked during the Final Crisis, when it was depopulated and possibly irradiated by the forces of evil. Clean-up crews are working to fix the city, but they are not moving very fast.
Points of Interest
- Bi-State Tunnel
- The Bi-State Tunnel was once known as the world's largest underwater tunnel, brining in some twenty million dollars in revenue a year. The tunnel bridges the North Channel separating the mainland from Canada. The tunnel was once the target of the Thanagarian criminal Byth Rok. Using a Changeling Pill, Byth took the form of a Thanagarian Brontadon and sought to steal the entire tunnel (as well as some 20 million dollars in revenue). Hawkman and Hawkwoman battled Byth and eventually defeated him. Note: The Bi-State Tunnel is based largely on the Lincoln Tunnel connecting New York to New Jersey.[3][4]
- Graphic, The
- The Graphic was the name of a large newspaper distribution center located in Midway City. Roy Jamison was the publisher with Tim Logan as his editor-in-chief.
- Grinder's Bluff
- Grinder's Bluff is located on the Eastern coast of Lake Michigan. It is noted for its scarred, pock-marked face - the result of countless meteor showers that have taken place over the years. The caves inside Grinder's Bluff were once used as a secret sanctuary for the Thanagarian Shadow War.
- Hawk Valley
- Hawk Valley is an immense gorge located on the outskirts of Midway City. Hawkman frequently goes here for solitude. It is also the territory of Hawkman's avian ally Big Red.
- Mount Tobar Observatory
- Mt. Tobar Observatory is an astronomical research center located in Midway City.
Others
- Channelview
- Doom Patrol Headquarters
- Downtown Business District
- The Graphic
- Hyathis Corporation
- Industrial District
- Midway City Museum
- Police Headquarters
- Slumville
Residents
Heroes
- Doom Patrol
- Golden Eagle (Charley Parker)
- Hawkgirl (Shiera Sanders Hall) (Post-Crisis)
- Hawkman (Carter Hall) (Post-Crisis)
- Hawkman (Fel Andar) (Post-Zero Hour)
- Hawkman (Katar Hol) (Pre-Hawkworld)
- Hawkwoman (Sharon Parker Hall) (Post-Zero Hour)
- Hawkwoman (Shayera Hol) (Pre-Hawkworld)
Villains
- Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man
- Byth
- Coral Shilak
- Darkwing
- Doctor Death
- Fadeaway Man
- General Immortus
- Gentleman Ghost
- Lion-Mane
- Mister 103
- Henry "Mousy" Mason
- Rab Mekir
- Shadow Thief
Other Residents
- George Emmett (police commissioner)
- Gerald Trent (newspaper mogul)
- Joe Tracy (press agent)
- Mavis Trent (art patron)
- Stewart Frazier (police captain)
- Whitney Nichols
Midway City sports teams
- Midway City Chiefs (Baseball, National League, eastern division)
- Midway Cardinals (Football, National Conference, eastern division)
- Midway Sprints (Basketball, Eastern Conference, central division)
- Midway Wolverines (Hockey, Campbell Conference, Norris division)
See Also
- Appearances of Midway City
- Location Gallery: Midway City
- Catalogued images related to Midway City
Links and References
- Midway City (DC Comics) at Wikipedia.org
- Kupperberg, Paul, Atlas of the DC Universe; Mayfair Games, Inc; 1990
- The Official Doom Patrol Index #1