The Crock family is one of DC Comics’ most dysfunctional dynasties.
The Crock family is one of the most well-known villain dynasties in DC Comics. From Lawrence “Crusher” Crock to his daughter Artemis, no piece of media the family is ever dull. They are certainly individuals we wouldn’t want to cross in a dark alley.
In this post, we’re going to do a deep dive into the Crock family by including media projects they’ve appeared in over the years. Moreover, this will be bucket loads of fun because we love them in Stargirl and Young Justice and thought we’d share what we know. We’ll also be breaking down what makes them tick.
From The Pages Of DC Comics
Lawrence “Crusher” Crock
The Crock family debuted during the Golden Age with Lawrence “Crusher” Crock in issue #85 of All-American comics in May 1945. He was created by John Broome and Irwin Hasen.
At first glance, Crusher looks like a lame villain who gives off Casey Jones-like vibes. However, he is a villain that has seen his fair share of battles alongside his wife, Paula Brooks as a member of the Injustice Society of America.
The most well-known version of Crusher is the Earth-Two iteration, which is an enemy of the original Green Lantern, and Wildcat. He served on the Injustice Society of American alongside fellow GL enemy, Joar Mahkent, the first Icicle.
With Paula Brooks, Crusher becomes the father of a daughter, Artemis. Later, he becomes the maternal grandfather of her daughter with Cameron Mahkent, Isabelle Rose Mahkent.
Paula Brooks
Paula Brooks has gone through two codename changes along with a change of ethnicity. She has gone from Caucasian to Asian since her debut in Sensation Comics issue 68 in August 1947. Her moniker starts out as Huntress when she was created by Mort Meskin.
As the years progress, she is written as the wife of fellow Injustice Society member Lawrence “Crusher” Crock.
She is later rewritten to have been a hero known as Tigress (created by Roy Thomas and debuted in Young All-Stars #6 in November 1987) before she became the villain, Huntress.
Paula and Crusher become parents of next-generation Injustice Society member, Artemis Lian Crock. Upon the birth of Artemis and Cameron Mahkent’s daughter, Isabelle, Paula becomes a grandmother.
Artemis Crock
Born Artemis Lian Crock, Artemis is the daughter of Injustice Society of America members, Lawrence “Crusher” Crock and Paula Brooks, making her debut in Infinity Inc #34 in January 1987 almost forty years after the introduction of her father. She was created by Roy Thomas and Todd MacFarlane.
As an adult, Artemis takes her mother’s mantle as Tigress and joins a new lineup of the Injustice Society of America. It’s here that she meets her future husband, Cameron Mahkent, the son of the original Icicle. With him, she has a daughter, Isabelle Rose Mahkent.
Other Relatives
- Cameron Mahkent/Icicle Jr/Icicle II – Artemis’ husband, son-in-law of Crusher and Paula, and father of Isabelle.
- Isabelle Rose Mahkent – Artemis and Cameron’s daughter and granddaughter of Paula, Crusher, and Joar.
- Joar Mahkent/Icicle – father of Cameron, father-in-law of Artemis and paternal grandfather of Isabelle.
- Jade Nguyen/Cheshire (Young Justice ONLY) – older sister of Artemis, eldest daughter of Paula and Crusher, mother of Lian, (estranged) wife of Will Harper.
- Roy/Will Harper (Young Justice ONLY) – son-in-law of Paula and Crusher, brother-in-law of Artemis, (estranged) husband of Jade and father of Lian.
- Lian Nguyen-Harper (Young Justice ONLY) – granddaughter of Paula and Crusher, daughter of Will and Jade, niece of Artemis.
- Wally West/Kid Flash (Young Justice ONLY) – partner of Artemis.
Young Justice
The animated series Young Justice depicts the Crock family as being somewhat of a mystery, at least during Season 1. Artemis joins the young sidekicks under the allusion she’s Green Arrow’s niece, a fact that Red Arrow becomes suspicious of and begins investigating.
Unbeknownst to her teammates, Artemis is hiding that she is the daughter of Sportsmaster and Huntress. When she goes up against her sister, Cheshire and their father multiple times, she is forced to reveal her lineage. She later becomes romantically involved with Wally West, whom she later grieves when he dies in action.
Paula’s ethnicity is changed in the series to make her Vietnamese and she was known as Huntress rather than Tigress. Her surname is not Brooks by Nguyen to reflect her new background as well as being wheelchair bound.
Paula’s ethnicity is changed to make her Vietnamese, and she was known as Huntress rather than Tigress. Her surname is not Brooks but Nguyen to reflect her new background. She is also wheelchair-bound. She and Crusher are married but are estranged.
At the beginning of the series, she is the sole guardian of teenage Artemis and is convinced by Green Arrow to allow him to train Artemis.
Paula and Crusher also have an older daughter Jade who is also a criminal known as Cheshire. She proves to be an adversary to her younger sister.
As time passes, the family gains two new members. Jade marries the clone of Roy Harper, who changes his name to Will, and they have a daughter, Lian.
Stargirl
However, her civilian name is Paula Brooks, while she is Tigress rather than Huntress. She is married to Lawrence “Crusher” Crock, who is also known as Larry. Artemis is their daughter, who is a star athlete at Blue Valley High.
Crusher and Paula are both athletic, a trait they passed to their daughter. They also applaud her violent outbursts. According to Charles McNider’s AI, Sportsmaster and Tigress are known for being Icicle’s attack dogs. The pair also has a rivalry with Anaya Bowin, the second Fiddler.
Courtney mentions to Yolanda that she considered asking Artemis to join the JSA. However, she decided against it because of the teenager’s competitiveness.
Unlike her Young Justice counterpart, Artemis has no idea that her parents are villains. Though, it’s a fact they struggle to keep from her.
Stargirl Future
It’s unclear what’s next for the Crock family. In the season finale, both Larry and Paula were knocked out during a fight with the new Justice Society. It has been confirmed, fortunately, that they’re alive and will return in Season 2. However, Artemis’ place in the story is still up in the air.
Stella Smith, who plays Artemis, is back filming. But to what extent the character plays going forward is unclear. Will she go after those responsible for knocking out her parents? Could she join the JSA as a nod to her YJ portrayal? Will the story have her romantically involved with Cameron like in the comics? We’re not sure.
Crusher And Paula: Loving Parents?
While we haven’t read the comics, we don’t know what kind of relationship Crusher and Paula have with their daughter. However, in Young Justice, it’s clear Paula and Crusher have different parenting styles.
Paula loves Artemis, but it’s unclear what her relationship is like with Jade. Crusher uses his daughters to get what he wants. At least, this is what the dynamic is in Young Justice.
In Stargirl, everything Paula and Crusher do is for Artemis. Their involvement in Project: New America is the same motivation as Jordan’s; to give their children a safer country. This also leads us to wonder how far someone has to be pushed to become evil and what issues they will present to the Whitmore-Dugans.
