Hollis T. Mason Hollis T. Mason was the first Nite Owl. At the age of 12, his father left the family farm in
Montana and moved to
New York City, working at Moe Vernon's Auto Repairs. Starting out as a
New York City policeman in 1938, he was inspired by
Action Comics'
Superman and the real life exploits of
Hooded Justice to take up the life of a vigilante. He was nicknamed "Nite Owl" for spending his evenings working out in the Police Gymnasiums as much as possible and going to bed at 9:00pm to rise for a 5:00am workout before donning his badge and uniform. His costume was designed to free his arms and legs while protecting his
chest,
abdomen and head with a tough leather
tunic. With the tunic hiding his hair, a domino mask concealed his identity. He became a member of the
Minutemen (a "
masked adventurer" league) in mid-1939. Mason was an "old school" crimefighter, a real "
Boy Scout" in the eyes of
Captain Metropolis. He stopped colorful criminals like the Screaming Skull and went on to fight supposed Axis operatives including Captain Axis during World War II. He retired in May, 1962 to open an auto business and write his memoir of his crime-fighting exploits,
Under the Hood. By reading
Under the Hood,
Silk Spectre II later learned of the
Comedian's attempted rape of her mother
Silk Spectre I. Soon after Hollis retired, Daniel Dreiberg sought him out and asked if he could use the name and persona of Nite Owl to fight crime. Mason acceded and Dreiberg became the second Nite Owl. After Nite Owl II and
Silk Spectre II broke
Rorschach out of prison on Halloween night, the Knot-Tops street gang became angered by what they perceived to be vigilantism. Under the influence of the drug KT-28, the Knot-Tops believed Mason to be the same Nite Owl who participated in the prison break and decided to attack him. Mason mistook their pounding on his door for trick or treaters and opened the door to their attack. Mason put up a good fight, but the gang leader killed Mason by hitting him with the very statue of himself that was given to him by the city as an acknowledgment and reward for his service as a costumed adventurer. Dreiberg learned about Hollis's murder and vowed revenge on the gang. As Nite Owl, he beat up one of the Knot-Tops and threatened to kill him and the whole gang before Rorschach drew him away to continue the more important mission they were on. The entire gang eventually died at the hands of Ozymandias' monster. After being forced to change their identities to avoid government persecution, Dan and Laurie changed their names to Sam and Sandra; they used the married surname "Hollis" in tribute to Hollis Mason.
Daniel M. Dreiberg '' #1 (June 2012). Art by
Andy Kubert and
Joe Kubert. Born on September 18, 1940,
Daniel M. "Dan" Dreiberg, a
Blue Beetle-like figure, relied on both technical wizardry and tools as well as his skills as a fighter, which set him apart from his fellow costumed adventurers. All of his gadgets and costumes are based on an
owl theme. He uses an owl-shaped flying vehicle nicknamed the "Owlship" or "Archie" (short for
Archimedes, after
Merlin's pet owl in
T.H. White's novel
The Once and Future King), equipped with a variety of
offensive and
defensive devices, such as flamethrowers and "screechers"—devices capable of producing a sharp screech-like sound. Dreiberg (as Nite Owl) met fellow costumed adventurer
Rorschach, who suggested they partner to take on organized crime. The two became, not only a team, but also best friends. He supported the idea of costumed vigilantes forming a group to fight crime strategically, but Rorschach and the Comedian rejected the idea. Having already come to understand that his expensive activities were too limited in scope to make any real difference, Dreiberg retired after the passing of the Keene Act on August 3, 1977. In 1985 (when the story takes place) he seemed to regret his decision to give up crime fighting, having no sense of personal fulfillment without it. Rorschach said regarding his retirement, "
No staying power". Following the Keene Act, Dreiberg contributed scholarly articles to ornithological journals.
Events of Watchmen Dreiberg became romantically entangled with the second
Silk Spectre, Laurie Juspeczyk, after she left Doctor Manhattan. He returned to
vigilantism along with her following the murder of the Comedian. Their first foray was the successful rescue of the occupants of a burning building. The excitement of aiding the residents awakened Dreiberg's sexual feelings for Laurie and the two made passionate love following the rescue. They later broke Rorschach out of prison in an attempt to stop
Ozymandias' scheme to "
save the world from itself." Unfortunately, the freeing of Rorschach indirectly resulted in the brutal murder of Hollis Mason, which Dan learned of only when he and Rorschach interrogated suspects. Upon learning of Mason's death, Dreiberg became violent, attacking the informer and loudly swearing vengeance against Mason's killers with such ferocity that
Rorschach had to restrain him. In the end, Hollis' killers (the Knot-Tops) were killed along with half of New York City by Ozymandias' plot. Dan and Rorschach traveled to Ozymandias' Antarctic fortress. They battled with and were swiftly defeated by Ozymandias, who revealed his plan to unleash a telepathic monstrosity on New York City that will release massive psychic waves that will kill half the city. Nite Owl expressed the desire to stop him and was told that it already happened. Millions were dead, and the world's nations agreed to work together to combat this new "extraterrestrial threat". Reluctantly, Dan and the recently arrived Dr. Manhattan and Laurie Juspeczyk agreed to keep this secret for the sake of world peace. The morally absolute Rorschach left, attempting to take Dan's vehicle back to civilization to tell the world. Unseen by the others, Doctor Manhattan killed Rorschach to stop him. Dan and Laurie were offered hospitality by Ozymandias, which they accepted. Before leaving for another galaxy, Manhattan seemed satisfied and happy at the sight of Laurie now in a relationship with Dan. In the conclusion of the story, having been assumed to be dead in the attack, they were seen in their new identities of Sam and Sandra Hollis (in homage to the late Mason), with dyed blonde hair. They traveled to California and made a brief visit to Laurie's mother Sally Jupiter, the former Silk Spectre, in which Laurie reconciles with her mother over the discovery that the Comedian was her father. They promised to visit again soon and left with the intent of continuing their adventures in crime-fighting.
Events of Doomsday Clock It is revealed that seven years after the events of
Watchmen, "Sam and Sandra Hollis" have a daughter together. They also adopt Clark, the son of two costumed villains, Mime and Marionette. After jailing the pair following an aborted bank robbery, Dr. Manhattan noted that Marionette was pregnant. He sensed that the child had a bright future ahead of him. To preserve that future, he took the boy as an infant following his birth in a prison hospital. Dr. Manhattan named him Clark, raised him nearly to his teen years and after bequeathing Clark his powers and infusing his life force into the planet, brought Clark to the Hollises to raise. ==Other versions==