FAQ: Stikins ® Labels Investigates Alliterative Aliases & Superhero Pseudonyms
You might not know it but the 17th August is the birthday of Lois Lane, a character from the Superman comic books (and films!). This got us thinking about all of the alliterative names used in comic books. So here in the Stikins ® name labels office, we decided to investigate this titular trend and see how it fares amongst our customers…
Stikins ® Name Labels Presents…Fascinating Facts About Superhero Pseudonyms And Alliterative Aliases.
Take a look at the world of comic book characters and you’ll soon run into a whole bunch of alliterative names.
- Alliterative names appeared very early on the history of comic books. Examples from the 1930s and 40s include: Lois Lane, Clark Kent (Superman), Lex Luthor, Billy Batson (Captain Marvel/Shazam), Wonder Woman, Shiera Sanders (Hawkgirl), the Caped Crusader (Batman), and the Scarlet Speedster (Flash).
- Most alliterative names, however, come from one creator – Stan Lee. During the “Silver Age” of comics, Stan Lee created a huge number of titles for Marvel Comics, including the Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, X-Men, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and Black Panther.
- Each title needed to be populated with heroes, villains, family, friends, colleagues, and other characters. In an effort to remember all of their names, Stan Lee decided to use alliteration. If he knew one half of a name (and that the other half started with the same letter or sound), he could - usually - remember all of the names he'd given to his creations.
- Lee famously forgot the names of Peter Parker (Spiderman) and Bruce Banner (the Hulk) – resulting in a number of storylines that referred to Peter Palmer and Bob Banner.
- The trend has been honoured by comic writers ever since. More recent additions to the list of alliterative names include: Wade Winston Wilson (Deadpool), Jessica Jones, Miles Morales (Spiderman), Robbie Reyes (Ghost Rider), and Kamala Khan (Ms Marvel).
- Superman has a LOT of alliterative names – especially “LL” names. At least 24 characters have double Ls as their initials, mostly from the Luthor, Lane, and Lang families. While the first few names were accidental, the writers went with the trend and have even made reference to it in a number of storylines. In one, Superman receives a message that a loved one is in danger and the only clue to their identity is the letters LL – which Superman himself acknowledges isn’t exactly helpful...
- Technically speaking, one of the most famous LLs – Lex Luthor – isn’t really a double L at all. His full name is actually Alexander Joseph Luthor.
- Lois Lane has plenty of alliterative connections. Not only does she have a sister named Lucy Lane, she was also named after an actress called Lola Lane, and has been portrayed by a number of actresses with alliterative names – including Amy Adams, Dana Delany, Pauley Perrette, Grey Griffin, Rebecca Romijn, Noel Neill, and Monica Murray!
- While most characters only have one alliterative name, some have the (rather dubious) honour of having alliterative superhero/supervillain names and alter egos. These include the Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz, who also uses the aliases John Jones and Hank Henshaw), Miss Martian (M'gann M'orzz who also uses the alias Megan Morse), Doctor Doom (Victor Von Doom), and one of the characters who operated under the Star Sapphire title (Deborah Darnell).
So just how popular are alliterative names out in the “real world”? We reviewed all of the names ordered from us last year and just under 4.6% of our customers used double initials. Whether they were inspired by the world of comic books or not, we’re love all of the names that share this distinctly heroic trend.
FAQs – What Name(s) Can I Request On My Name Labels?
We often get questions from customers who aren’t sure what to include on their name labels. So here are our answers to your FAQs about the names on your name labels.
Should I Include Just A Name?
It’s completely up to you. The majority of our customers do request just a name on their name labels. You can also enter a name on one line and one piece of information on the other line. This could be a school name, class/year group, contact phone number, medical/allergy condition, or a friendly message (“This Belongs To” / “Please Return To” etc).
Can I Include A Full Name/Nickname?
Of course! Most people will enter a first name on the top line and the surname on the bottom line. You can also add in middle names, nicknames, or use an initial if you prefer. If you have double barrelled surnames or first names (or both!) or quite a few middle names to enter, you should still be able to fit the full name on neatly. We recommend a maximum of 15-20 characters per line.
If you’re still not sure, you can contact our Customer Service Team for advice. You can also use the Preview on our website to check how well (or not) your text will fit.
Can I Include More Than One Name In A Pack?
Yes BUT all of those names will be printed onto all of the name labels in that pack. In other words, we can't split packs so half are printed with one name and half with a second name. If you’re more than happy to share name labels, you can enter two or more names as you wish.
If you want to cut your name labels in half, we recommend entering one name on the top line and one on the bottom line.
Can I Include Accented Characters?
Yes, we can print most standard accented characters; visit our Name Labels FAQs to view all of the accented characters that we are able to print.
Can I Include Images / Icons / Emoticons / Emoji?
Unfortunately, no. Our system can only print letters, numbers, and basic punctuation.
If you’re particularly creative, you can use punctuation marks to create a friendly picture ;)
Order Stikins ® Name Labels Today!
You can order online or by phone. Order online at any time by visiting www.stikins.co.uk. Give us a call during office hours (9am-5pm, Monday to Friday) to order over the phone.
You can find more information about Stikins ® name labels on our (appropriately but non-alliteratively named) About Our Name Labels page. For more answers to FAQs, visit the Stikins ® Name Labels FAQs page.