Cyborg

Cyborg is really Victor Stone and a member of the Teen Titans at DC Comics. He was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez in 1980 and first appeared in DC Comics Presents #26. At this writing he is occasionally played on the TV series Smallville by Lee Thompson Young who also was the star of the TV show The Famous Jett Jackson.
The characters history is that he was the son of two scientists. In the process of one of their experiments they accidentally brought a monster to Earth. The monster maimed Victor. While trying to save their sons life they turned him into Cyborg. He was now half-man and half-machine. It has given him super strength and advanced weapons and sensors. His relationship with his family has been troubled since then but he found a new family in the Titans. Cyborg was badly damaged in a plane crash. While his body was able to be repaired his mind wasn’t. However, a race of aliens was able to help his mind and in return he stayed with them for awhile to teach them about humanity.
When he came back he became the leader of the Titans. He has helped others in the Infinite Crisis adventure and in the mini-series 52. During those adventures he had to leave the leadership of the Titans in the hands of Beast Boy. While he did returned to them he was not their leader. He has since been offered membership in the Justice League.

Black Lightning

Ok I can't ignore the elephant in the room anymore. I have been holding back on this one but no more. To me the best black urban superhero is Black Lightning. The character was created by writer Tony Isabella and the first person to draw the characters adventures was artist Trevor Von Eden. What ever happened to Mr. Von Eden anyway? Black Lightning was first published in his own self-titled book in 1977. The first 10 issues were written by Tony then it was given to Denny O’Neil. After that the book was canceled and was part of what was infamously called the DC Implosion. Issue 12 and other books that were not published that year did see a limited run in the in office only of DC Comics in the Cancelled Comic Cavalcade.
DC kept Black Lightning around by having him make guest appearances in other books and giving him membership in the Justice League and the Outsiders. In 1995 he was given his own title again with Tony Isabella as the writer. Around the 8th issue Mr. Isabella left the series and another writer took over. After that the second series only last 5 more issues.
Black Lightning is really high school teacher Jefferson Pierce. He is a former Olympic athlete who is returning to the slums of Metropolis to give back to the community he was raised in. However, he sees that things have gotten worse since the criminal gang the 100 have moved in. With the help of a family friend, local tailor Peter Gambi, Jefferson was able to design a suit with an electrical power belt and he became Black Lightning. The belt originally gave him the power to control electricity and throw lightning bolts from his hands. After the belt was destroyed he found that the power from the belt had become injected into him and he no longer needed the belt. At one point he lost his powers but kept fighting crime without them. He got them back when he found out that it was a mental block that caused him to not use them for fear he would hurt innocent bystanders. In 2000 President Luthor appointed Jefferson to Secretary of Education. He had to resign when it was told that he was Black Lightning and as BL he had killed a CEO of a corporation who was up to criminal interest. Pete Ross later became President and pardoned Jefferson Pierce.
Black Lightning has had many adventures over the years on his own or with others and is an asset to the superhero and comic book community. I have never seen him on any animated series but I have heard he was in Static Shock and an episode of Justice League Unlimited. He was almost part of the SuperFriends. A contract dispute stopped this and a new character was created for the team named Black Vulcan who had similar electrical powers. However, Black Vulcan could fly and Black Lightning could not.
More may be in store for BL as I have heard rumors that a new mini-series is on the way and he has renewed his membership in the JLA.

This Day in Music History: Kay Starr and Rock and Roll Waltz

Kay Starr had been a popular singer since 1948 when she had a #1 hit with Rock and Roll Waltz on this day in music history February 18, 1956. Kay had just switched labels from Capitol to RCA when the asked her to record Rock and Roll Waltz. She usually sang loud, boisterous songs that when they gave her this, as she calls it, nursery rhyme song she thought it was a joke. When she found out they were serious she recorded it but felt it was an insult to her intelligence. While it is her best selling song as it was her only #1 hit, it is her least requested song when she performed live when it was #1. She said no one asked her to sing it on TV or anywhere when it was selling millions. They always asked her to sing one of her older hits called Wheel of Fortune.
Over time Kay has come to love the song and people do ask for her to sing it now. She said, “I see the response. When I see people reaching over and touching-if you can get people to touch and communicate I believe you’ve done your job.”

Vixen

Vixen first appeared in Action Comics #521 she was co-created by writer Gerry Conway and going from what I have seen on the internet at this writing her other co-creator is either Bob Oskmer or Curt Swan. Being a Curt Swan fan I am rooting for him. Mari Jiwe McCabe is from Africa and she inherited the Tantu totem when her father was murdered. The Tantu totem was passed down to each generation in her family and was able to give the powers of the animal kingdom to anyone who would protect the innocent.
She moved to America and became a famous fashion model by day and a superhero by night. She was dating the Bronze Tiger but that relationship failed. Currently she has been known to date John “Green Lantern” Stewart. The money she earns as a model she uses to fund her fight on crime. In her superhero career she has been affiliated with groups such as the Justice League, Suicide Squad, Checkmate, Birds of Prey and the Ultramarine Corps.
Vixen was at Firestorms side during the Identity Crisis adventure. Shadow Thief killed Firestorm. However, when Firestorm exploded it only killed Ronnie Raymond. When Martin Stein was found still alive in space he joined with Jason Rusch to create a new Firestorm.

White Tiger

Over the years Marvel has had many claim the name the White Tiger. The third one was an African-American police officer named Kevin Kasper Cole. Cole first appeared in Black Panther #50 in 2002. He found the Black Panther costume and tried to take T’Challa’s place. It was Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, who told him it took more then being just a man in a panther costume to achieve his goals. He heard that there was an herb that if eaten he would have the powers of the Black Panther. He tried to get permission to eat it but had no luck. He took advantage of an offer from the evil Erik Killmonger who gave him a synthetic herb that gave him the powers and he became the White Tiger of the panther cult. He used his powers to track down a boy that Killmonger wanted found and it helped to lessen the debt he owed him. Currently the 4th White Tiger is Hectors niece Angela Del Toro. Kasper Coles whereabouts are not currently known. I would not be surprised if he was fighting Marvel’s Civil War. If the photo of this White Tiger is too blury I am sorry but it is the best picture I have of him.

Battlestar

Battlestar was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary. He first appeared in 1986 in Captain America #323 under his real name of Lemar Hoskins. He met a man called the Power Broker who gave him super strength and enhanced reflexes. It is through the Power Broker that he also met John Walker. John Walker was the Super-Patriot. He was traveling the country and hiring men like Lemar calling themselves the Buckies acting like they were fans of Captain America. They would attack Super-Patriot and he would win. Then he would announce that only the people of America should vote on who deserves the role of Captain America. When the Government stepped in demanding that Steve Rogers do what they wanted, as it was a Federal program that created Captain America, Rogers quit and took over a new identity known as the Captain. The Government hired John “Super-Patriot” Walker to be the new Captain America and Lemar Hoskins was to be the new Bucky.
In a short time Lemar changed to a new identity. He felt being called Bucky was demeaning. In reality it was African-American readers who wrote in to Mark Gruenwald and told him African-Americans find the name Bucky demeaning. Mr. Grunwald didn't know that but took action to fix the situation. In the end this wound up strengthening the character and the storyline. Battlestar took on a new costume and a shield designed to look like the shield that Captain America originally had. He called himself Battlestar. He had many adventures with the new Captain America but eventually they split up. Later Steve Rogers became Captain America and John Walker became the U.S. Agent. Battlestar had adventures on his own and for awhile joined with Silver Sable and the Wild Pack. More recently he has teamed up with Steve “Captain America” Rogers taking a stand against the Superhuman Registration Act in the Civil War mini-series.

A love impossible to escape.

...for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting iniquity of the father upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20:5 and 6 KJV

The Israelites had just escaped from slavery in Egypt when God gave them the Ten Commandments. He promised to "lavish" his love on them, if they would obey these laws. Exodus 20:6 is an astounding promise of God's love and faithfulness to his people.
It is all too easy for us to feel separated from God, all alone, and unloved, but Romans 8:35-39 assures us that is it impossible to escape God's love, even if we don't feel his love.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death. [Even the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep."] No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The picture is clear. God's love never fails, and you can experience it now. Rest secure in the knowledge that nothing can separate you from God's love.

Hardware

Hardware is really Curt Metcalf. He is a superhero who was created by Dwayne McDuffie and first appeared in Hardware #1 in 1993. It was published by Milestone Comics through DC Comics. It was the first title the company published and was its flagship title.
Curt was a gifted child and when it was discovered he was enrolled in a special prep school. He showed he was much smarter then the other children. Even though he was about 13 when he enrolled he was 14 when he graduated and was 15 when he got his first college degree. His backer Edwin Alva Sr. paid for his education in exchange for employment. Years later after Edwin had made a lot of money from Curt’s inventions he asked for a point or two of the royalties. Edwin refused telling him he never thought of Curtis as family but as just a cog in the machine of his company. Curtis thought of quitting but a clause in his contract prevented him from doing so. Every where he turned to leave the company or try to get money from his inventions was blocked by Edwin Alva Sr. and his connections to organized crime. So Curtis created Hardware to stop Alva’s criminal operations. In a way since Alva funded his education and Curtis uses his equipment to build his crime fighting gear he actually helped Curtis create Hardware. Every night Curtis put on a high tech suit that he uses to help track down Alva’s illegal businesses.

Happy Birthday Peter Tork

Happy Birthday to Peter Tork of the Monkees who turns 65 today.

WKRP in Cincinnati Cover Art

Here is the cover art for WKRP in Cincinnati on DVD. You can go here to pre-order season one of WKRP in Cincinnati on DVD. This was one of the best comedies to come out of the 70's. If you ever want to see any show on what it was like to work in radio back then you need to see this TV show. It's also the show that proved a turkey can't fly.

Tyroc

Tyroc is really Troy Stewart. He is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes and he was created by Cary Bates and Mike Grell. Tyroc was the resident hero on the island of Marzal. It was an island that only appeared on Earth for a few years at a time. Then it would go into another dimension till it would reappear again 200 years later. It was located off the coast of Africa. Tyroc first appeared in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #216 in 1976. Tyroc only had one superpower and that was his scream. With it he could create dimensional portals, force fields, transmute objects, freeze objects, burn objects or simply destroy them.
The people who settled on the island were surprised to find that it was like the fabled Brigadoon that it would disappear for 200 years at a time. As a result they became isolationist and outsiders were not welcome. The Legion of Super-Heroes first met Tyroc when there was an emergency on the island. They came to help but Tyroc tried to keep them away. Finally he decided to let them help and he worked with them to resolve the problem. They offered him membership but he refused. After helping them from time to time they offered him membership again. This time he accepted.
During war time the island of Marzal was destroyed. After the war Jacques “Invisible Kid” Foccart was elected President and Troy “Tyroc” Stewart was elected as Vice-President.

Luke Cage, Power Man Hero for Hire

Luke Cage, Power Man was created in 1971 by Archie Goodwin and John Romita Sr. He first appeared in Hero for Hire #1. In prison for a crime he did not commit he volunteered for an experiment that would give him an early release from prison. When the Dr. was gone a guard, who held a grudge against Luke, misused the experiment controls on purpose to try and kill him. The results were that he lived but now had bullet proof skin and super strength. Luke was not given early release but he used his powers to escape the prison. He made his way back to New York City and became a hero for hire so he could fight crime. Eventually he cleared his name of the crime he was in prison for. He also entered into a business partnership with the martial arts hero Iron Fist. Through out his career he has earned the respect of other superheroes. He has been a member of groups like the Defenders, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.
Power Mans book started out strong but his sales started to slow down. Iron Fist also had slow sales and both books were looking a cancellation. Marvel comics decided on making them an unlikely crime fighting team and the book Power Man and Iron Fist continued for a few more years with improved sales. Eventually the book was canceled but Marvel has tried in recent years to bring back both in separate mini-series. Neither series led to an ongoing book. The character of Luke Cage has since married and has a daughter. Luke has become involved in the Civil War mini-series as a member of Captain America’s Secret Avengers.

Amazing Grace!

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound—
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
Amazing Grace , John Newton (1725-1807)

The gift of forgiveness is often best appreciated by those who need it the most. The Reverend John Newton experienced this truth firsthand. His tombstone tells the story: "John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and Libertine, a servant of slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had so long labored to destroy." These words were written by Newton himself, a testimony to God's transforming power. After years as a hardened slave trader, that "wretch" met Jesus Christ and abruptly turned to defend the gospel he had so long despised.

Throughout Newton's years of ministry, God's amazing grace remained central to Newton's thinking. When it was suggested he retire (at age eighty-two!) due to poor health and a failing memory, he responded, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior!"

Static

Static is a superhero created by Dwayne McDuffie and Robert L. Washington III. He first appeared in Static #1 in 1993 and was published by Milestone comics a sister company of DC Comics. His real name is Virgil Hawkins. He doused in an experimental chemical when he was caught in the middle of a gang war. The chemicals gave the high school student electrical based powers.
Milestone was a comic book company that specialized in minority heroes. Static was one of its staple characters and was published from 1993 to 1997 when Milestone went out of business. Being one of Milestones more commercial characters it came as no surprise when the WB network chose him to star in his own animated series, Static Shock. It was one of the more successful shows for the WB. It ran from 2000 to 2004 and spawned a mini-series in the comic books called Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool. Later in the Justice League animated series Static is seen as an adult and a full fledged member of the League fighting side by side Batman and John (Green Lantern) Stewart.

If you want to buy Static #1 you can click on the title above to go to the site where you can purchase it.

Night Thrasher

Night Thrasher was created by Ron Frenz and Tom DeFalco in Thor #411. In many ways Night Thrasher was an answer to what Marvel Comics had been searching for years for. There answer to DC Comics Batman. Night Thrasher is Dwayne Michael Taylor a wealthy man who is good at inventing things. His parents were both murdered in front of him and as a result he became a crime fighter. He inherited his wealth from them and now runs the Taylor Foundation.
Night Thrasher started a new superhero group called the New Warriors. Members of the group were Nova, Speedball and Namora. The book was quite popular for a few years and got Night Thrasher his own series for a while. It even got Nova his own series again as he was the most popular member.
Earlier in the New Warriors series we saw that Night Thrasher had two guardians. Andrew Chord and Tai. Both were friends of his Fathers from when he fought in Vietnam. Later Night Thrasher was told by a team of criminals called Folding Circle that Tai had captured his Dad and his entire unit when in Nam. Tai was a guardian of a Temple and he used his mystic powers to influence the unit to have children with the women of the temple so he could sacrifice the children to his god for more power. NT’s Dad and Chord tried to stop her but didn’t. Now Chord was magically made to kill Taylors parents. Folding Circle was made up of Tai’s prophecy. The New Warriors tracked the Circle to the temple. The joined them in a battle against Tai where she was killed by the energy she tried to master.
Eventually Night Thrasher left the team to dedicate himself to running his foundation as he thought the real battles for justice were better fought in the boardrooms. In the process he disbanded the New Warriors.
The New Warriors got back together without Night Thrasher. Since they were still using equipment from the Taylor Foundation he monitored what the team was doing. At one point he rejoined them when they went to battle against the agents of the Hand.
The Taylor Foundation suffered some set backs and Night Thrasher made an agreement to have the New Warriors star in a reality show to avoid bankruptcy. The team traveled from town to town across the country to be the heroes for the common man. However, ratings were not good and bankruptcy loomed so to boost ratings they tried to arrest a quartet of villains in Connecticut. It was there that the villain Nitro caused a massive explosion that killed everyone in the area.

If you want to buy the issue seen above then click on the title and you will go to the site where you can buy it.

The Falcon

The Falcon first appeared in Captain America #117. His real name is Sam Wilson. He was a crook from New York who was on his way to Rio when his plane crashed on an island. It was on this island that he was found by the Red Skull and his cosmic cube. Through the cosmic cube the Red Skull created a mental link between Falcon and his bird Redwing. He met with Captain America and they teamed up to defeat the Red Skull and in the process Captain America had found a new partner. With the help of Black Panther the Falcon was given a harness that enabled him to fly. He proved his worth over the years and became an upstanding member of the Avengers and Shield. He and Cap have remained friends but they now operate separately and know they can count on each others help if needed. Falcon has been able to extend his mental link to other birds and can see things through their eyes. He has recently joined Cap in the anti-registration Secret Avengers team in the Civil War mini-series.

Jack-in-the-Box

Jack in the Box is a superhero created by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson and Alex Ross in the Astro City comic book series. He was introduced in Astro City #3 in 1995. There have been three men who have been Jack in the Box. The original was named Jack Johnson. He was an inventive genius who was the first African-American to break into the toy manufacturing industry. However, he found out that the company he worked for, Whamco, was using his inventions for criminal purposes. In order to keep him quiet Whamco kidnapped his Father. Jack used his inventions to become Jack in the Box. He rescued his Father and others that Whamco had kidnapped and brought their criminal plans to light.
Jack Johnson decided to stay a superhero. His outlandish outfit combined with his sense of responsibility and his acrobatics made him seem like a cross between the Creeper and Spider-man. In time he married and had a son he and his wife named Zachary. He was able to keep his identity secret even from his family. Then one day he fell into a trap set by the Underlord. It seemed to the public that both had died in an explosion. It was after he died that Zachary found out that his Dad was Jack in the Box. He also found out that the Underlord was still alive and what his real name was. Zachary became the new Jack in the Box and brought his Fathers killer to justice. He led the public to believe that he was really the original Jack in the Box.
Recently Zachary found that his wife was going to have their baby. He didn’t want his child to grow up without a Father like he did. So he gave up the superhero business and groomed the current Jack in the Box, Roscoe James, to take his place.

Amazing Man

Amazing Man was created in the 1980’s by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway but he was placed in the 1940’s were he fought side by side with the heroes of the Golden Age of comics. His name is William Everett an Olympic athlete who had a hard time finding work after the 1936 Olympics. He finally found work as a janitor. During an accident he developed the powers to take on the properties of anything that he touched.
However, he turned his abilities to evil when he was used as a henchman to the Ultra-Humanite. He soon changed sides when he became friends with members of the All Star Squadron. He eventually became a member of the Squadron. On another adventure with the team his powers changed and instead of mimicking properties he gained magnetic powers. Over time he retired and died of cancer. His Grandson inherited his mimic powers and took over the role of Amazing Man for a new generation. The first Amazing Man appeared in All Star Squadron #23.

James Rhodes Iron Man/War Machine

When Tony Stark was battling his alcoholism his friend James Rhodes took over as Iron Man. While he did a good job he started to get headaches and have attacks of erratic and violent behavior. It was reveled that the reason was because the armor was tuned for Tony Stark’s brainwaves only. Tony was still recovering and not able to wear the armor but he did what he could to help Jim maintain his sanity. However, he grew more paranoid and Tony had to put on prototype armor to stop him. Tony eventually took over the armor again and designed a suit of armor for Jim Rhodes that he wore and called himself War Machine. He fought side by side with Iron Man till Tony Stark had to fake his own death. When Jim Rhodes found out he was alive it ended their friendship and Iron Man and War Machine went their separate ways.
During a solo adventure War Machine got some alien armor. When it seemed that Stark had died for real Jim Rhodes went back to Stark Enterprises. He used his armor to erase any trace of the Iron Man armor from the computers memory to keep it out of enemy hands. After this Jim Rhodes gave up his superhero career.
Later, when it turned out Tony Stark had not died, Jim and Tony became friends again and fought together against a villain who was calling himself War Machine. Currently Jim Rhodes is head of Sentinel Squad O*N*E. He wears armor that they made from Sentinel technology.

You can go to the site to get the comic book above if you click on the title.

1974 and the Punisher

1974 was a year that changed how action was handled in comic books. Mainly it was because of the creation of two characters. Those characters were the Punisher and Wolverine and both were from Marvel comics. Both first appeared in 1974 and at that time it seemed that they would only be guest stars in the Marvel books. I don’t believe that their creators had any conscious intentions to make comic books more violent but in many ways that was the end result. Mostly I will talk about the Punisher as this month is the anniversary of his first being published in Amazing Spider-Man #128. The Punisher was created by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru. John Romita Sr. was Marvel’s art director and helped Gerry Conway create the design of the Punishers costume. All comic book fans know that Frank Castle was an ex-Marine who was out on a picnic with his family when they witnessed a murder and those crooks shot them to keep them quiet. Frank lived and became the Punisher to stop all criminals to have revenge for the murder of his family. While this feeling is understandable and can make for a great action/adventure book Frank, by killing his enemies does them and perhaps his world a great injustice. He takes away any chance for the criminals to change. They can no longer pay any debt to society that they owe and become good citizens. Also, what if one time it turned out he was wrong about a person and he killed someone who was innocent? His whole publication history is filled with violence, revenge and at times insanity. In many ways he is Batman gone one step too far. Bruce Wayne has only been known to kill to save his life or someone else’s life. For a time they tried to make readers believe that the Punisher was only knocking them out with what he called mercy bullets. A young and naïve child like myself at the time believed that. It really is to their credit that they did this but after awhile that was gone. When I was younger if Punisher or Wolverine would say they took care of the guard I thought they had just knocked them out and tied them up. After awhile they started to indicate that it meant that they killed the guard.
In his first appearance Frank Castle is hired by the villain the Jackal to kill Spider-Man. Believing the editorials of J. Jonah Jameson in the Daily Bugle that Spider-Man is a menace he takes it not knowing the Jackal is really the bad guy. Once he sees the truth he lets Spider-Man go but warns him if Spidey does change sides that the Punisher will come after him.
The Punisher was a hit and made many guest appearance in the Spider-Man family of books. In the 1980’s he was finally given his shot in a mini-series. Marvel did it reluctantly as he was really a cold blooded serial killer. But Mike Zeck and Steve Grant pleaded their case and won. The series was a hit and soon he had his own ongoing series. It ran for 104 issues before being canceled in 1995. It also spawned two other series The Punisher War Journal ran from 1988-1995 and The Punisher War Zone ran from 1992-1995. He even had a couple of black and white magazines that were for more adult readers. They were The Punisher magazine and The Punisher Armory. Since the cancellation of all of his books he has been a guest in books like Daredevil, Captain America, the Nam and the hard to believe cross over with Frank Castle meeting Archie Andrews. He has had his own mini-series again and was a staple of the Marvel Knights family of characters. Recently he has been in the Civil War series as a reluctant solider following Captain America’s orders.
None of this is to say that violence in comic books stared with the Punisher. When comic books started many of the heroes were pretty violent. Batman even carried a gun for awhile. However, most of the heroes had to have a good reason to use violence. Most of the violence was acceptable since many of the heroes were helping to fight World War II. Since the 1950’s and the creation of the Comics Code Authority most violence was kept in check until the 1970’s. It is just my humble opinion that you could point to 1974 as the year when unnecessary violence started to make its comeback with the creation of the Punisher and later Wolverine. Don’t get me wrong I was like a lot of people. I bought many of the Punisher books and some of the copy cats that later appeared. Many of my family and friends thought it was odd that a non-violent person that I was would enjoy these books. Like I said before it was pretty good fiction for adults. I just hope a younger more impressionable reader didn’t think this was the way justice or law and order should be handled in real life.