Sunday, 30 July 2017
he'l origins
H'El on Earth
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| "H'El on Earth" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics | |
| Publication date | October 2012 – February 2013 | |
| Genre | ||
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| Main character(s) | Superman, Superboy, Supergirl | |
| Creative team | ||
| Writer(s) | Scott Lobdell, Tom DeFalco, Mike Johnson | |
| Artist(s) | Kenneth Rocafort, RB Silva, Rob Lean, Mahmud A. Asrar | |
Contents
Overview
The plot of "H'El on Earth" follows H'El's plan to restore Krypton and the Superman family's attempts to stop him.Synopsis
The story begins after Superman's encounter with alien conqueror Helspont.[2] He engages in a training regime organized by Dr. Shay Veritas, Superman's scientific consultant, so that he can increase his power in case Helspont returns. After a few weeks of exercise in the Block, Dr. Veritas's scientific complex, Superman returns to Metropolis so that he can resume his life as Clark Kent. Realizing that Morgan Edge is manipulating the articles in order to increase his power and influence over Metropolis' media output, Clark quits the Daily Planet. Later, Superman discovers a mysterious alien dragon attacking Metropolis. After a lengthy brawl that leads to Ireland, Superman kills the dragon in an explosion. But in that moment, Kara appears to Superman, telling him that the creature he killed was a Kryptonian animal. She says that if a Kryptonian animal is on Earth, then that means Krypton must still be alive. Unknown to Superman and Supergirl, the Kryptonian H'El watches them from a distance.[3]Meanwhile, Superboy readjusts to his life at New York City after spending sometime with the Ravagers. As he spends some time with his fellow Teen Titan Bunker, who tries to convince Kon-El to live amongst the other Titans, Superboy is attacked by H'El. As clones were outlawed by Kryptonian authorities, H'El believes Superboy to be an abomination. As Superboy and H'El clash, Bunker calls Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Solstice for assistance. H'El clearly outmatches Superboy in power, countering Superboy's telekinesis with his own. Effortlessly defeating the Titans, H'El teleports away with an unconscious Superboy. H'El believes that Superboy's nature as a Kryptonian-human hybrid might be useful in his plan.[4]
Superman and Supergirl take the body of the Kryptonian animal, identified as a Tripodal Curosiananium, to Dr. Veritas. She later returns to her Kryptonian base, the Sanctuary, created by her father to serve as her refuge, much like the Fortress of Solitude. Falling asleep for a while, she awakens at the surface of the Sun, with H'El standing beside her. As they return to Earth, H'El explains that he was sent to Earth by her uncle, Jor-El, before the destruction of Krypton. He offers her the chance to bring Krypton back to life, and as a token of sincerity, he shows her the unconscious body of Superboy, giving Supergirl the chance to decide his fate. Needing some time to think, Supergirl wants to speak with her cousin first, so H'El gives her the ability to understand human language and transports her to Metropolis. However, she walks in on a conversation between Clark and Lois Lane.[5]
Lois visits Clark at his apartment, where they talk about Clark's recent departure from the Daily Planet and Lois' moving in with Jonathan Carroll. In that moment, Clark receives a visit from Supergirl. To avoid an awkward moment, Clark gets Lois out of the apartment. Later, Superman and Supergirl go to the Metropolis Centennial Park. Supergirl reveals she has found another Kryptonian, H'El, who introduces himself to Superman. H'El expresses his plan to save Krypton and shows Superman the unconscious body of his clone, Superboy. H'El tries to kill Superboy, but Superman stops him, and the two engage in a fight. Superboy and Supergirl attempt to intervene, but H'El brutally knocks them out. H'El even uses mental illusions to make Supergirl believe her cousin attacked her. After defeating Superman, H'El leaves Metropolis, but not before stating that he will save Krypton with Kara's help, no matter what price Earth has to pay.[6]
Superman brings the wounded Superboy to the Fortress of Solitude in order to help him recover from his injuries. With the help of Cyborg and Dr. Veritas, Superman devises a way to cure Superboy. Detaching his Kryptonian armor, Superman places it on Superboy. Both realize that the armor is the only thing keeping Superboy alive, as H’El caused serious damage to Superboy’s cellular structure. Suddenly, H’El appears and kicks Superman and Superboy out of the Fortress.[7]
H'El brings Supergirl to the Fortress and asks her to help him in his plan to save Krypton. To do that, first they need to retrieve a crystal from the bottled city of Kandor. Since H'El cannot enter Kandor, he asks Supergirl to do so. He uses his powers to transport Supergirl to Kandor. After she retrieves the crystal, Supergirl returns to the Fortress. Beginning to sympathize with H'El's motivations, she kisses him.[8]
Seeking for a way to stop H'El, Superman and Superboy travel to the prison holding Lex Luthor. Luthor, who is mildly disfigured from a previous attack by Superman, reveals that H'El wants to travel back in time to prevent Krypton's destruction. To do so, he plans to absorb the sun's energy, collapsing the entire solar system. Luthor taunts Superman with the fact that the only way to stop H'El is by killing him, which is something he will never do. As Superman and Superboy leave the prison, Superman calls in the Justice League to help take back the Fortress.[9]
The Justice League attacks the Fortress and Superman informs that they can stop H'El by using a shard of Kryptonite stored in the Fortress. H'El sends security robots against the League while Superboy and Batman arrive to the hangar bay, where the shard is located. However, H'El already stole the shard. H'El activates an alien prison that uses teleportation beams to trap its target into perpetual parallel dimensions. One of the beams hits Superman and Superboy enters one of the beams to rescue him.[10] Superboy locates Superman and the two are able to return home, just a few minutes after they left. Unfortunately, H'El has already completed his machine.[11]
Flash attempts to convince Supergirl that H'El is only manipulating her, but she attacks him. As they fight across the Fortress, Flash gains the upper hand but H'El teleports Flash back into the Justice League Watchtower.[12]
Superman and Superboy reach H'El and Supergirl. Superman attempts to reason with Supergirl, but H'El moves the Fortress away from the Justice League and activates his machine.[9]
Superman, Superboy and Wonder Woman fight H'El as the machine begins draining the sun's energy. H'El takes the armor from Superboy and places it on Superman again, saying that Superman should die with minor dignity. As Superman engages H'El, Wonder Woman goes to help Superboy, who is heavily injured without the armor. As Supergirl attacks him, Superboy attempts to reason with her but she does not listen. Wonder Woman attacks Supergirl while Superboy goes to H'El's machine, intending to destroy it.[13]
Wonder Woman continues fighting Supergirl, restraining her with her lasso and forcing her to see that H'El's plan will destroy Earth. H'El does not care for Earth and forces Supergirl to choose between returning to Krypton and helping the Justice League.[14]
After taking a hit from H'El, Superman is launched to Earth's orbit. There, he meets a cosmic entity known as the Oracle, who gives him a vision of H'El's plan succeeding. As the Oracle disappears, Superman returns to Earth and continues fighting H'El. Superboy manages to destroy H'El's machine, while Supergirl stabs H'El with the Kryptonite shard in order to make up for helping him in the first place. As H'El disappears in the time portal he created, Supergirl falls ill from the Kryptonite poisoning and Superman takes her to the Fortress to heal her injuries. In the epilogue, a few years before Krypton's destruction, a young Jor-El finds an injured H'El in a cave.[15]
Titles
"Krypton Returns"
| "Krypton Returns" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics | |
| Publication date | October – November 2013 | |
| Genre | ||
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| Main character(s) | Superman, Superboy, Supergirl | |
| Creative team | ||
| Writer(s) | Scott Lobdell, Justin Jordan, Michael Alan Nelson | |
| Artist(s) | Kenneth Rocafort, Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, Robson Rocha, Paulo Siqueira | |
After the events of H'El on Earth, H'El has been sent to the time period of Krypton's destruction and plans to change history, so Superman and his allies travel to the past in order to stop him. Krypton Returns will also link into Lobdell's run in Teen Titans and Superman #23.3, which featured H'El in the Forever Evil event.[16]
Backstory
After the events of "H'El on Earth", H'El had been returned to Krypton's past and fallen into a coma. After finding H'El, Jor-El had been running experiments on him so that he could prove Krypton was about to be destroyed. H'El's mind manifests through the astral plane and he sees Jor-El talking with his friend, a young soldier named Zod, about his plans to evacuate Krypton's population to a planet where its sun's radiation could give them special powers. To do that, Jor-El wants to send an unmanned spacecraft named "House of El", equipped with genetic material collected from all of Krypton's history. H'El realizes he was in fact created from the genetic material in the ship and wakes up from his coma, killing Jor-El and Zod. After launching the ship and ensuring his own creation, H'El decides to take over Krypton.[17]Summary
Superman, Superboy and Supergirl meet up in space and discover Krypton has mysteriously returned to life. The Oracle and his servant Faora explain to them that H'El has taken over Krypton and enslaved the population. He has also been travelling across time in order to save Krypton from destruction, but his travels have caused damage to the timeline. If they do not stop him, the temporal distortions he caused will destroy the universe. They each travel to different points in Krypton's history to systematically stop H'El. Superboy travels to Argo City a week before Krypton's destruction to make sure Supergirl escapes Krypton. Supergirl travels to the age of the Great War to stop the clone rebellion from causing damage to Krypton. Superman travels to Kryptonopolis months before Krypton's explosion to stop H'El at the very moment of his success.[18]After getting to Argo City, Superboy meets Kara but they are attacked by the Eradicator, who wants to make sure every Kryptonian dies while Krypton explodes. After a small fight, Superboy defeats the Eradicator. As Supergirl arrives at the Great War, she attacked by clones. She defeats them but is left seriously weakened, and then, H'El encounters her, with the Kryptonite shard she impaled him with. Superman is attacked by Lara, his mother, who only stops when she sees the symbol of El in his armor.[19]
Supergirl fights H'El in the Great War while Superboy continues protecting Kara in Argo City. As Superman watches Jor-El and Lara on Kryptonopolis, he encounters a mysterious person who knows about his travel in time. Superboy is attacked by the Eradicator again, but Superboy uses a portal opened by the Oracle to send the Eradicator to Smallville in the present. H'El also attacks Superboy on Argo City, but Superboy and Supergirl realize if H'El is injured in a timeline, he will take damage in another. The clones that attacked Supergirl earlier acknowledge her as their leader and help her in the battle.[20]
Superboy's confrontation with H'El does not last long, as H'El disappears. As Superboy realizes Krypton is about to explode, he tells Kara about his mission. Meanwhile, Supergirl and the clones had defeated H'El, who commits suicide. Supergirl returns to the present while Superboy uses his powers to save Argo City just when Krypton explodes, sacrificing his life. Superman has met his father Jor-El, who comes from an alternate future where he discovered he was the one who created H'El in the first place. He has also travelled to the past to ensure H'El does not conquer Krypton. Superman and Jor-El travel to Krypton's core and fight H'El. At first, Jor-El wants to kill H'El but Superman instead uses H'El own chronal powers against him and freezes him with his super-breath, locking H'El in a state of eternal limbo. As Superman and Supergirl are reunited in the present, the Oracle informs them of Superboy's sacrifice. Superman and Supergirl return to Earth but in a small instant, Krypton is brought back to life in the present, right before it disappears.[21]
Titles
- Action Comics Annual #2
- Superman #25
- Superboy #25
- Supergirl #25
bor origins
or was among the gods that created the universe. He and his wife, Bestla, had a son and called him Odin.
Bor taught his son to fight, think, rule and serve, but most
importantly, Bor taught Odin how to defend the dreams of his father.
What Bor should have educated Odin in is what it meant to have dreams of
his own, for when Odin did dream, he dreamt about Earth.
He wanted to make a legacy for himself there, so Odin created man. Bor
was not pleased with his son's decision, and he unleashed every
punishment upon the mortal plane within his power to bring.
One fateful day, during a great war between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants, Odin would have his chance to continue his plans for mankind. Bor was among those fighting but left the main battle to pursue a fleeing giant. Bor stumbled into a trap set for him by a powerful sorcerer who turned Bor into snow. Odin came upon his father as the wind was pulling Bor's form apart, but before he was completely gone, Bor asked his son to find a sorcerer strong enough to restore him. He told Odin his spirit would rest in the snow until he was recalled. Odin told the other Asgardians his father had perished and was proclaimed king the same day. Each winter, Odin could swear he would hear the voice of his father calling to him, but more and more Odin would ignore the voice until he could no longer hear it.
Much later, it was revealed an adult Loki was the powerful sorcerer who set the trap for Bor. He, aided by the death goddess, Hela, traveled into the past and instigated the battle between the age-old enemies merely so he could be rid of Bor and ensure his place among the royal family of Asgard. Upon his return to the wintry present, Loki used his magic to restore Bor from the snow. However, he also placed a spell on Bor to alter his perception of the world around him. Humans looked like demons. Vehicles appeared to be giant monsters. Confused by his surroundings and distraught by the realization his son was no more, Bor wasted no time in demolishing everything around him he contributed to Odin's death. Jane Foster sent out a call to Donald Blake informing him of the seriousness of the situation, and soon Thor arrived to quell the disaster.
Bor had never met his grandson, but it wouldn't have mattered for Loki's enchantment extended to Thor's appearance as well. Bor could sense Odin's power within the form of the demon before him, and he assumed this was the monster responsible for killing his son. Bor would soon have his revenge. Striking with a fury only Bor could possess, Thor would have been killed if not for the Odinforce within his body. Thor tried to reason with Bor, but Loki made sure the two could not communicate verbally either. Thor sensed something was wrong and did not want to kill a fellow Asgardian, so he called for help from the Avengers. Unfortunately for him, it was the new team of Avengers led by the Iron Patriot who answered the call. The Patriot ordered his team to take both combatants down, but none could withstand the combined might of Bor and Thor. Bor didn't want to be overwhelmed by superior numbers so he called upon forces potent enough to tear the very world apart. Thor knew if he was to avert this tragedy, he would have to kill his foe. Bor and Thor squared off one final time and charged each other – each one out for blood. The winner was Thor, but a high price was to be paid.
Balder wanted to get to Thor to tell him who he was fighting and to end the battle, but he showed up too late to stop Thor from killing the first King of Asgard. Even as Bor lay dying in the arms of his grandson, he went to Valhalla thinking his body was still in the hands of the enemy. Loki reminded Balder to kill a member of the royal family was punishable by banishment from Asgard forever. Balder had no choice but to uphold the rules of his people, and Thor was cast out. Thor said nothing in his defense except to imply he knew who was behind the fiendish plot, and on the day he would have words with this person – "thunder and fire and darkness shall follow after."
One fateful day, during a great war between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants, Odin would have his chance to continue his plans for mankind. Bor was among those fighting but left the main battle to pursue a fleeing giant. Bor stumbled into a trap set for him by a powerful sorcerer who turned Bor into snow. Odin came upon his father as the wind was pulling Bor's form apart, but before he was completely gone, Bor asked his son to find a sorcerer strong enough to restore him. He told Odin his spirit would rest in the snow until he was recalled. Odin told the other Asgardians his father had perished and was proclaimed king the same day. Each winter, Odin could swear he would hear the voice of his father calling to him, but more and more Odin would ignore the voice until he could no longer hear it.
Much later, it was revealed an adult Loki was the powerful sorcerer who set the trap for Bor. He, aided by the death goddess, Hela, traveled into the past and instigated the battle between the age-old enemies merely so he could be rid of Bor and ensure his place among the royal family of Asgard. Upon his return to the wintry present, Loki used his magic to restore Bor from the snow. However, he also placed a spell on Bor to alter his perception of the world around him. Humans looked like demons. Vehicles appeared to be giant monsters. Confused by his surroundings and distraught by the realization his son was no more, Bor wasted no time in demolishing everything around him he contributed to Odin's death. Jane Foster sent out a call to Donald Blake informing him of the seriousness of the situation, and soon Thor arrived to quell the disaster.
Bor had never met his grandson, but it wouldn't have mattered for Loki's enchantment extended to Thor's appearance as well. Bor could sense Odin's power within the form of the demon before him, and he assumed this was the monster responsible for killing his son. Bor would soon have his revenge. Striking with a fury only Bor could possess, Thor would have been killed if not for the Odinforce within his body. Thor tried to reason with Bor, but Loki made sure the two could not communicate verbally either. Thor sensed something was wrong and did not want to kill a fellow Asgardian, so he called for help from the Avengers. Unfortunately for him, it was the new team of Avengers led by the Iron Patriot who answered the call. The Patriot ordered his team to take both combatants down, but none could withstand the combined might of Bor and Thor. Bor didn't want to be overwhelmed by superior numbers so he called upon forces potent enough to tear the very world apart. Thor knew if he was to avert this tragedy, he would have to kill his foe. Bor and Thor squared off one final time and charged each other – each one out for blood. The winner was Thor, but a high price was to be paid.
Balder wanted to get to Thor to tell him who he was fighting and to end the battle, but he showed up too late to stop Thor from killing the first King of Asgard. Even as Bor lay dying in the arms of his grandson, he went to Valhalla thinking his body was still in the hands of the enemy. Loki reminded Balder to kill a member of the royal family was punishable by banishment from Asgard forever. Balder had no choice but to uphold the rules of his people, and Thor was cast out. Thor said nothing in his defense except to imply he knew who was behind the fiendish plot, and on the day he would have words with this person – "thunder and fire and darkness shall follow after."
icon origins
Icon (comics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Contents
Publication history
An original character from Milestone Comics, he was created by Dwayne McDuffie and M. D. Bright and first appeared in Icon #1 (May 1993). Although published and distributed by DC Comics, the Milestone titles took place in a different continuity. In addition to guest appearances in other titles, the character appeared monthly in his own series, until the Milestone imprint was discontinued in 1997. In 1994, the character was involved in Worlds Collide, a month-long crossover between Milestone and DC Comics' Superman titles.At the 2008 Comic-Con, DC Comics executive editor Dan DiDio announced that the Milestone Universe and characters would be revived and merged into the DC Universe, as part of an agreement between DC Comics and Milestone Media. The merger treated the characters as new to the universe, ignoring the previous crossover. Icon, along with Shadow Cabinet, appeared in Justice League of America (vol. 2) #27, written by Dwayne McDuffie.
Fictional character biography
In 1839, an alien starliner malfunctioned and exploded, jettisoning a life-pod in the middle of a cotton field in the American South.[1][2] The pod automatically altered the appearance of its passenger, named Arnus, to mimic the first sentient life-form who discovered him. That life-form was an enslaved black woman named Miriam, who saw the pod crash land and adopted Arnus as her son.[1]In the present, Arnus is still alive. He did not age visibly beyond adulthood; to disguise this fact, he periodically assumes the identity of his own son.[2] By the late 20th century, he is posing as Augustus Freeman IV, the great-grandson of his original human identity. Still marooned, Arnus/Freeman waits for Earth's technology to catch up to his lifepod's.[2] Secretly possessing superpowers that belie his human appearance, he has always performed quiet acts of charity.[2][3]
However, when Freeman's house is broken into, he uses his powers for the first time in decades, an action witnessed by one of the intruders, Raquel Ervin,[4] an idealistic teenage girl who was born in Paris Island, the poorest, most gang-ridden neighborhood in Dakota City. Her prospects seemed fairly bleak until this encounter with Freeman. After seeing Freeman use his powers, Raquel persuades him to become a superhero named Icon, with herself as his sidekick, Rocket.[5]
Personality
Icon is portrayed as a very intelligent, somewhat stiff kind of person. Due to his upper-class job as a corporate lawyer and "proper" way of speaking, he is often criticized as being a "sell out" or "white washed". Icon usually prefers to do everything by the book instead of acting on instinct.[4] During the majority of his series, he mostly fought plain street criminals and those who gained powers from Dakota's Big Bang.DC Universe
Following the death of Darkseid (as chronicled in Final Crisis), the space-time continuum was torn asunder, threatening the existence of both the Dakotaverse and the mainstream DC universe. The being known as Dharma was able to use energies that he harnessed from Rift (upon that being's defeat in Worlds Collide) to merge the two universes, creating an entirely new continuity. Only Dharma, Icon and Superman are aware that Dakota and its inhabitants ever existed in a parallel universe.[6]In the revised continuity, Icon and the other Milestone characters have apparently always existed in the DC Universe. Augustus appears to have an existing friendship with Superman and to be a member of the Shadow Cabinet. Icon also claims that, due to his status as a citizen of the Cooperative (an alien civilization in the Hoag's Object galaxy), he is exempt from prosecution at the hands of the Green Lantern Corps.[7] Icon later plays a crucial role in the JLA's battle with the star-eating villain Starbreaker.
After the events of New Krypton lead to Kryptonians being banned from Earth, it is shown that the General Sam Lane is keeping tabs on Icon. It is unclear whether Lane believes Icon is a Kryptonian, or if he is merely watching him due to his friendship with Superman.[8]
As of 2012, Icon has yet to be seen in DC's The New 52 universe, outside of a brief cameo in Static Shock #8.
Supporting characters
- Raquel Ervin/Rocket – Saw Augustus Freeman IV use his powers when his home was being robbed, and convinced him to become a super hero, as well as take her on as sidekick. All of Rocket's superhuman powers derive from her inertia belt, based on tech from Icon's ship.
- Darnice/Rocket II – Raquel's best friend. Darnice took on the role of Rocket while Racquel was on maternity leave (one insisted upon by both Icon and her close friends).
- Amistad Augustus Ervin – Raquel's infant son, named for the Spanish slave ship and for her partner, Icon.
Buck Wild Mercenary Man, artist M.D. Bright
- Rufus T. Wild/"Buck Wild, Mercenary Man" – First appeared in Icon #13 "It's Always Christmas" (May 1994); Buck Wild possessed "belief defyin' strength" and "tungsten hard skin", but spoke as if he came from a blaxploitation film. He was a hero to the local folks, but he also took money for his work. It was revealed in his first appearance that when he received his powers in 1972, his brain had been frozen, which explains his outdated speaking patterns. Wild was clearly a parody of Marvel's Luke Cage, complete with afro, gold headband and yellow shirt unbuttoned to the navel. In his next appearance, he is recruited to take Icon's place—costume included—when Icon returned to his home planet. Rocket (Darnice) used her Inertia Belt to carry him, making him appear to fly. Buck's time as Icon II was short-lived, as he gave his life in order to stop Oblivion, a mass murdering alien foe of Icon. In an issue devoted to his funeral, it is revealed in a series of eulogies from his enemies (although it is unclear how trustworthy these eulogies are) that he had taken several other costumed identities, all of them parodies of other famous black superheroes. According to these eulogies, Buck once used an experimental growth serum which turned him into the gigantic "Buck Goliath" (a pastiche of Black Goliath). While working with a Captain America-type known as Patriot, he called himself "Jim Crow" and wore a winged costume allowing him to fly (as with Falcon). As "Buck Lightning" (Black Lightning), Buck wore a wrist apparatus that generated lightning bolts. At the funeral, Kingfish (a take on Kingpin) used the legendary Ruby Begonia gemstone to bring him back to life, now able to generate green smoke, the sound of drums tolling doom, and a ghost-like double which could possess others and make them do his bidding (Brother Voodoo). Darnice, however, tells him that his time on earth is over, at which Buck removes the Begonia stone and allows himself to die. Icon recounts that Buck serves as an example to all of us of how we can be heroes wherever we are.
Powers and abilities
Powers
Icon's lifepod altered his DNA so he would resemble a normal human being, thus enabling him to blend among Earth's natives. A side effect of this process was the maximization of his now human/alien genetic structure. Thus, Icon possesses a variety of superhuman abilities that are unusual even for a Terminan.[3]- Superhuman Strength: Icon possesses superhuman strength that is nearly on par with Superman's.
- Superhuman Speed and Reflexes: Icon possesses the ability to think, move, and react at superhuman speeds.[1]
- Superhuman Stamina: Icon has limitless stamina in all physical activities.
- Flight: Icon flies by manipulation of gravitons, manipulation of magnetic fields, and utilizing his superhuman speed. Icon can fly far beyond supersonic speeds.[1]
- Superhuman Senses: Icon possesses superhuman sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing.[9]
- Enhanced Mental Perception: Icon possesses the ability to comprehend things on levels far above human capability.
- Invulnerability: Icon seems to be invulnerable & extremely durable, able to withstand bullets,[10] temperature and pressure extremes,[11] and powerful energy blasts without injury.[12] He can even survive in the vacuum of space.[7] Icon's invulnerability has not been portrayed consistently. If he is not expecting an attack, he can be easily injured. For example, in Icon #2, he sustains a bloody nose from getting hit in the face with the butt of a rifle that surprised him. After being injured by Payback,[9] Icon began wearing alien body armor to grant him further protection.[13]
- Regenerative Healing Factor: Despite his almost invulnerability, it is possible to injure Icon. If hurt, his body is capable of quickly repairing damaged tissue.[9]
- Energy Generation: Icon has the ability to generate and control a radiant energy based on positrons.[14] He can manipulate this energy for various effects.
-
- Concussive Force Bolts: Icon can release positron energy from his hands as bolts of concussive force.[14]
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- Stun Bolts: Icon can project low-energy bolts that render human beings unconscious by disrupting the electrical impulses in their nervous systems.[15] Icon can also use these bolts like an electromagnetic pulse to overload electronic devices.[16]
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- Energy Enhanced Punches: Icon can focus positron energy into his fists, which he can then use to shatter virtually any substance.[16]
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- Energy Pulse: Icon can release all of his body's positron energy as a massive omnidirectional pulse of devastating power.[17]
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- Positron Field: Icon can detect the presence of Bang Babies within his vicinity by flooding an area with a field of positrons.[18] The field interacts with the invisible quantum well surrounding a Bang Baby, who then glows as he or she gives off mild gamma particles. Hence, Icon can use these fields to distinguish Bang Babies from other metahumans as well as normal humans
- According to Icon, he possesses powers that all humans will possess once they evolve past their limitations.[3]
Skills
Icon is among the Cooperative’s most celebrated mediators. He has extensive knowledge of the Cooperative legal system as well as decades of experience in his chosen field. Icon is an equally adept corporate lawyer due to his mediator background and a century’s worth of experience in American law.[2][3]Icon is also a formidable combatant, whose fighting skills are close to those of Superman.[3][20] Icon is well trained in unarmed and armed combat, having fought in major conflicts ranging from the Civil War to World War II.[2][3] Some opponents underestimate Icon’s abilities since he tries to peacefully settle disputes before pummeling his foes.
Icon is fluent in English and Galactic Standard, the native language of the Cooperative.[14][16]
Equipment
Costume
Icon wears a costume composed of alien materials that grant him further protection from projectile weaponry, energy beams, and intense heat or cold.[13] On his command, the Info Tool aboard his starship can instantly construct his costume over his civilian clothing.[21] When no longer needed, the costume is disassembled, converted back to energy, and stored in the structural files of the Info Tool.Transportation
For interstellar journeys, Icon employs his personal starship that is a gift from the Cooperative.[17] Like all Cooperative vessels, Icon's starship has a faster-than-light drive that allows it to shift into the realm called hyperspace. Within hyperspace, the speed of light is not a limiting factor and thus cannot prevent the starship from quickly traversing intergalactic distances. Gravity compensators provide artificial gravity that can be adjusted to the comfort level of the ship's passengers.[17]Icon's starship contains a range of highly advanced Cooperative technology. Two notable items are the Information Tool and the Maker.[22] Icon's starship is equipped with a local access system that links directly with the Information Tool or "Info Tool." The Info Tool is a computerized database of virtually everything anyone within the Cooperative knows. It even contains very detailed files on the cultures, languages, history and technology of Sol III (Earth) thanks to Icon's firsthand accounts of his life on the planet. The Info Tool acquires new information from written documents, verbal accounts, and visual data inputs. The database can even scan an item (organic or inorganic) and store its molecular structure within files called "software." Apart from storing and retrieving data, the local access to the Info Tool can also link to and control any computer-operated device or system. This includes Cooperative technology like the starship's Maker to terrestrial technology like phone lines or lights.[23]
Because of all the data it has accumulated over the millennia, the Info Tool is truly self-aware and even has a personality of sorts. The Info Tool relies on verbal inputs to receive commands to perform certain functions.[22] In terms of information retrieval, the Tool can respond either verbally or by displaying its findings via holographic imagers aboard the starship. The Info Tool remains in contact with Icon via a communicator hidden in his costume.[21] The communicator's maximum range is unknown.
The Maker is a molecular factory that can construct any physical item, molecule by molecule, from structural data files stored within the Info Tool. These data files are called "software" while the objects created by the Maker are known as "hardware".[22] The Maker operates by tapping the vast energies of the reactor for Icon's starship and converting them into matter used for the construction of hardware. The Maker can create any item, terrestrial or extraterrestrial, in a matter of seconds as long as its structure is on file within the Info Tool. These include medicines, machinery (e.g., vehicles), clothing, and even food.[22] The Maker can repair or modify constructed hardware by altering its molecular structure according to the whims of its user.
The Maker can also rearrange the molecular structure of items it did not create in order to change their appearance or function.[23] To do so, the Info Tool must first scan the structure of the object to be modified. For example, Icon employed the Maker to build the starship garage beneath his mansion's swimming pool.
Icon's starship has numerous projectors through which the Maker can construct hardware within the vessel.[22] To build an item outside the vessel, the Maker relies on a special probe mounted on the underside of the starship.[23] It is the probe that facilitates the Maker repairing or remodeling Icon's possessions over great distances. Icon has often employed this feature to repair any damage to his costume.[24]
Icon's starship is also equipped with cloaking technology that can render the vessel invisible to both the human eye and all forms of Earthly electronic surveillance.[23] Though not typical for a civilian vessel, the cloak was installed in Icon's ship so he could use it on Earth without attracting attention.
When not in use, Icon stores his starship in his "garage," a hangar located beneath his mansion’s swimming pool.[23] The pool slides out of the way to provide easy entry or exit for the ship.
Collected Editions
Trade paperbacks
| Icon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Icon and Rocket from Icon #41
Art by Wilfred Santiago. |
||||
| Publication information | ||||
| Publisher | DC Comics | |||
| Format | Ongoing series | |||
| Publication date | 1993–1997 | |||
| No. of issues | 42 | |||
| Creative team | ||||
| Written by | Dwayne McDuffie | |||
| Penciller(s) | M. D. Bright | |||
| Inker(s) | Mike Gustovich | |||
| Letterer(s) | Steve Dutro | |||
| Icon | ||||
| Publication information | ||||
| Publisher | Milestone Media | |||
| First appearance | Icon #1 (May 1993) | |||
| Created by | Dwayne McDuffie (writer) M. D. Bright (artist) |
|||
| In-story information | ||||
| Alter ego | Arnus | |||
| Species | Terminan/Human | |||
| Place of origin | Terminus, The Cooperative | |||
| Team affiliations | Underground Railroad Union Army United States Armed Forces Shadow Cabinet |
|||
| Partnerships | Rocket | |||
| Notable aliases | Augustus Freeman IV | |||
| Abilities | Formidable hand to hand combatant Well trained armed/unarmed combatant Vast superhuman strength Superhuman speed, reflexes, stamina and senses Flight Nigh-invulnerability and durability Enhanced mental perception Regenerative healing factor Extraordinary longevity Ability to generate and project positron energy blasts |
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![[icon]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} |
This section needs expansion with: more info on the Milestone (pre-DC) years. You can help by adding to it. (January 2010) | |||
| # | Title | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
| 1 | Icon: A Hero's Welcome | ISBN 1-56389-339-8
ISBN 1-4012-2549-7 |
1996
(Reprint: October 6, 2009) |
Icon #1–8 |
| 2 | Icon: The Mothership Connection | ISBN 1-4012-2711-2 | June 8, 2010 | Icon #13, 19-22, 24-27, and 30 |
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