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Iron Fist

Iron Fist

:For the Motörhead album see Iron Fist (album). For the novel by Michael A. Stackpole, see Iron Fist (novel). Iron Fist (the alter ego of Daniel Rand or Daniel Thomas Rand-K'ai) is a superhero in Marvel Comics. He is an expert in "kung fu" (used at the time to refer to multiple martial arts), and he could focus his chi (life force) into his fist, making it glow with energy and become "like unto a thing of iron" and able to impact with superhuman force. Iron Fist was one of the characters created by Marvel Comics to cash on the sudden popularity of martial arts in the early 1970s. When the kung fu craze declined, the struggling title was merged with another comic that had been designed to cash in on popular culture, that of the African American hero Power Man. The merged book proved more popular than the solo comics that birthed it.

Character history

Origins

Daniel Rand was the son of wealthy American businessman Wendell Rand, an entrepreneur who had appeared out of nowhere with a large sum of money and over the course of ten years built up Rand-Meachum Incorporated with his business partner Harold Meachum. His mother Heather Duncan Rand had been a New York society belle before she met and married Daniel's father. Wendell was obsessed with finding the mystical city of K'un L'un, high on the mountain of the same name which according to legend was the dwelling place of the immortals of China and the basis of other legendary and immortal cities like Shangri-La. When Daniel was 9, Wendell organized an expedition to seek K'un L'un, taking Heather and their son, with Harold Meachum also following. Shangri-La.]] During the journey up the mountain, Daniel slipped off the path, his tie-rope taking his mother and father with him. While Daniel and Heather landed safely on a ledge below, Wendell hung precariously over a gorge. It was at this point that Meachum showed his true intentions, and eliminated his business partner by causing Wendell to lose his grip and plunge to his death. Meachum, who also loved Heather, offered to rescue her and Daniel, but she rejected his help, preferring to make it on their own or die. While Meachum made his own way back to civlization, Heather and Daniel stumbled on a makeshift bridge that appeared, impossibly, in the middle of nowhere. Before they could cross it, however, a pack of wolves attacked them. To give Daniel enough time to reach the other side, Heather threw herself on the wolves. As Daniel watched, the wolves killed Heather, just as arrows flew from the other side of the bridge too late to save the woman. The Bridge of Dreams did indeed lead to K'un L'un, which only appeared in this dimension once every ten years. The archers sent from the city took the grieving Daniel to see Yü-Ti, the hooded August Personage of Jade who ruled K'un L'un. When Daniel expressed his desire for vengeance, Yü-Ti apprenticed him to Lei Kung, the Thunderer, who taught him the martial arts. Daniel proved to be the most gifted of Lei Kung's students, attaining the Crown of Fu-Hsi, the King of Vipers at age 16, overcoming the Challenge of the Many and even defeated Shu-Hu the Lightning, the mechanical warrior of K'un L'un. Rand conditioned his fists, toughening them by plunging them into buckets of sand, then gravel and rock to toughen them. At 19, Daniel was given the chance to attain the power of the Iron Fist by fighting and defeating the dragon known as Shou-Lao the Undying, which guarded the molten heart that had been torn from its body. During the battle, Daniel threw himself against the scar of Shou-Lao, which burned a dragon tattoo into his chest. Having killed Shou-Lao, he entered its cave and plunged his fists into a brazier which contained the creature's molten heart, emerging with the power of the Iron Fist. 10 years having passed, K'un L'un was about to connect with the outside world once more. Yü-Ti offered Daniel the fruit of the Tree of Immortality and asked him to dwell with them forever, but Daniel's need for revenge against Meachum was too great. He decided to leave K'un L'un and find his father's killer. Before he left, however, Yü-Ti made a startling revelation: he was Wendell Rand's brother, and Daniel's uncle. Wendell Rand had really been Wendell Rand-K'ai, the eldest son of the previous Yü-Ti, Lord Tuan. It was revealed later that Yü-Ti wanted the throne that was Wendell's birthright as the eldest son, and so drove Wendell from K'un L'un, claiming to the Lung Wang, the Dragon Kings of K'un L'un, that Wendell's return would signal death for the city. He was also jealous of Wendell, who was his rival for and had won the affections of a woman named Shakirah. Wendell fathered a daughter with Shakirah, Miranda Rand-K'ai, and left them both behind when he left the city. Yü-Ti also knew that Wendell would try to return on that fateful day, but held off on his archers, allowing Heather Rand to die on the Bridge of Dreams. When he lived in the city, Daniel had grown up with Miranda, but did not know she was his half-sister until her apparent death at the hands of the H'ylthri, a hostile species of sentient plant life that lived outside the city. Returning to New York, Daniel Rand, dressed in the ceremonial garb of the Iron Fist, sought out Harold Meachum, now head of Meachum Industries. Meachum, who had lost both his legs from frostbite on the journey back from the mountain, had been waiting for Rand, having learned of his adoption by K'un L'un from a passing traveller. Before Iron Fist could decide whether to kill him, however, Meachum was murdered by a mysterious ninja and Iron Fist was blamed for the death. Eventually, Iron Fist cleared his name and began a career as a superhero, aided by his friends Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, the latter with whom he fell in love. Notable adversaries in his early career included one of the first appearances of the villain Sabretooth (who was not yet known to be affiliated with Wolverine), the mysterious Master Khan (who the ninja that killed Meachum once served) and the Steel Serpent, the exiled son of Lei Kung, who coveted the Iron Fist power.

Heroes for hire

Wolverine.]] Iron Fist Vol. 1 only lasted 15 issues before cancellation, and the Steel Serpent storyline was wrapped up in two issues of Marvel Team-Up. Just before Rand's battle with Steel Serpent, Misty Knight had been working undercover, infiltrating the organization of the crime lord John Bushmaster. When Bushmaster discovered Knight's treachery, he kidnapped Claire Temple and Noah Burstein, the closest associates of Luke Cage, better known as Power Man, holding them hostage to force Cage to eliminate Knight. Iron Fist was on hand to stop him, however, and after a battle, the truth came out. Rand then helped Cage rescue Temple and Burstein as well as obtain evidence that proved Cage's innocence on prior drug charges. The two decided to become partners, forming Heroes for Hire, Inc. The two characters' comics merged, with Power Man renamed Power Man and Iron Fist with #50. Although they supposedly were only heroes for money, the running plot device of the series (which lasted for over sixty issues after the merger) was that they were always doing the right thing, which usually left them with less money rather than more. Iron Fist, in his secret identity of Daniel Rand, had reassumed control of his parents' fortune as half of Rand-Meachum, and was actually quite wealthy. This caused a lot of tension between him and Cage, who was raised poor in the ghetto. In the final issues of Power Man and Iron Fist, Rand was exposed to radiation and contracted cancer. He returned to K'un L'un to seek Lei Kung's help to focus his healing powers and cure himself, but discovered that the city had been destroyed as revenge by Chiantang the Black Dragon, the brother of Shou-Lao. Feeling responsible, Rand wore red instead of green for a time to reflect this dishonor. Meanwhile, the Heroes for Hire became involved with a dying young boy, Bobby Wright, who could transform into the super-powered Captain Hero. Cage had tried to trick Rand into believing he had atoned for his sins, and the two had a public falling out when Rand discovered the ruse. However, they put their differences aside to stay by Bobby's hospital bed, where Rand tried to use the Iron Fist to heal him, no matter how exhausting this process was. In the middle of the night, the boy awoke in excruciating pain to find Rand unconscious. Unable to wake him, Bobby turned into Captain Hero, but in his fevered state misjudged his strength and beat Rand to death trying to wake him. Bobby's powers then caused him to disintegrate. With Bobby Wright missing and Daniel Rand dead, Luke Cage became the prime suspect because of his recent falling out with Rand, and became a fugitive from the law as the series ended.

Back to life

cancer.]] The storyline would not be resolved until years later, in the 1990s in Namor. Rand apparently returned from the dead, but was revealed instead to be the Super-Skrull, who admitted that he had been Captain Hero, and that the plot to destroy Rand and Cage's lives had been masterminded by Master Khan. It was also discovered that the "Iron Fist" that had died was actually a doppelgänger created by the H'ylthri. Rand had, in fact, been kidnapped and repleaced by the H'ylthri just after he had left K'un L'un for the last time. While in stasis with the H'ylthri, Rand had managed to focus his chi and cure the cancer. After the Onslaught incident, Rand and Cage decided to reform Heroes for Hire, Inc. with an expanded team, working for Namor's Oracle Corporation. This was chroncled in a new Heroes For Hire series, but the title was eventually cancelled due to low sales, ending with Namor dissolving Oracle as well as Heroes for Hire, Inc. In the Iron Fist miniseries, Miranda R'and-Kai also returned from the dead. The H'ylthri had revived her and promised to restore her to full life if she retrieved the extradimensional artifact known was the Zodiac Key for them. To this end, she took the identity of Death Sting, and this brought her into conflict with Iron Fist as well as the national security agency S.H.I.E.L.D.. When the H'ylthri tried to kill Iron Fist, Miranda turned the power of the Zodiac Key on them, apparently killing herself in the process. However, exposure to chemicals from the H'ylthri pods had been enough to restore her completely. In New Warriors, a ninja named Junzo Muto stole the Iron Fist powers and subsequently appeared in the Iron Fist and Wolverine miniseries. Later, in Black Panther, Chiantang the Black Dragon returned, mentally controlled Daniel Rand and restored his Iron Fist powers to use him against the Black Panther. Chiantang was eventually defeated by both heroes.

Powers and abilities

Plunging his fists into the molten heart of Shou-Lao the Undying gave Rand the power of the Iron Fist, allowing him to focus his chi and enhance his natural abilities to extraordinary levels. His strength, speed, reflexes and senses can all be intensified, making his already formidable martial arts skills even more so. The ultimate expression of this focus is the ability to concentrate his body's natural energies into his hand, manifesting as a supernatural glow around his clenched fist. So concentrated, this "iron fist" can smash into its target with superhuman hardness and impact. However, the feat of summoning the power required leaves Rand physically and mentally drained, unable to repeat the act for a time. Other applications of the Iron Fist power include the ability to focus the energy inward to heal himself or outward to heal others of injury, as well as being able to telepathically meld with another person's mind. Even without the Iron Fist, Rand is an accomplished martial artist, and is easily one of the most skilled practitioners of unarmed combat in the Marvel Universe, almost as skilled as Shang-Chi.

Appearances in other media

A proposed Iron Fist movie has been in development for some time, with Ray Park in talks to star, but so far the film has failed to materialize.

Bibliography


- Marvel Premiere (1972 series) #15-25 (May 1974) - October 1975)
- Iron Fist (1975 series) #1-15 (November 1975 - September 1977)
- Marvel Team-Up (1972 series) #63-64 (October - November 1977)
- Power Man & Iron Fist (1978 series) #50-125 (April 1978 - September 1986)
- Namor, The Sub-Mariner (1990 series) #22-28 (January - July 1992), #31-33 (October - December 1992)
- Secret Defenders (1993 series) #18-19 (August - September 1994)
- Iron Fist (1996 series) #1-3 (September - November 1996)
- Marvel Fanfare v2 (1997 series) #6 (February 1997)
- Heroes for Hire (1997 series) #1-19 (July 1997 - January 1999)
- Heroes for Hire/Quicksilver 1998 Annual
- Iron Fist (1998 series) #1-3 (July - September 1998)
- Black Panther (1998 series) #16-17 (March - April 2000), #38-39 (January - February 2002)
- Iron Fist/Wolverine (2000 series) #1-4 (November 2000 - February 2001)
- Iron Fist (2004 series) #1-6 (May - October 2004)

External links


- [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/randkaiwendellif.htm A profile of his father Wendell Rand'Kai]
- [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/silvdrag.htm A profile of his mother Heather Duncan Rand, Silver Dragon] Category:Defenders members

Motörhead

Motörhead is an iconic British heavy metal band. The name was derived from a slang term for an amphetamine user. Founded by ex-Hawkwind bassist Lemmy Kilmister in 1975, the band specialises in songs that are extremely loud to the unaccustomed listener. The title of one of its live albums, Everything Louder Than Everyone Else, reflects this assertion. While the band is typically classified as heavy metal or speed metal, Lemmy has refused such labels, preferring to describe Motörhead's style as "rock and roll". Their sound tends to be "half metal, half punk, and half rock n' roll" — purposefully adding up to three halves of a band. Motörhead's lyrics cover topics such as war, good versus evil, abuse of power, promiscuous sex, substance abuse, and "life on the road" - the latter for which they wrote songs like "We Are the Road Crew", "Iron Horse", and "Keep Us on the Road."

History

Road Crew After being sacked from Hawkwind in 1975, supposedly for "doing the wrong drugs," Lemmy decided to form a new band, originally to be called Bastard. Realising that this would preclude them from commercial acceptance, he eventually settled on Motörhead, after a song he had written for Hawkwind. Lemmy's stated aim was for the outfit to be "the dirtiest rock n' roll band in the world." The first line-up of the band featured Larry Wallis (ex-Pink Fairies) on guitar and Lucas Fox on drums. Their first gig was at The Roundhouse, London, on July 20, 1975. They recorded sessions at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, during which Fox left to be replaced by drum virtuoso Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. The sessions did not see the light of day until they were opportunistically released in 1979 once the band was becoming popular. Deciding that two guitarists were required, the band recruited "Fast" Eddie Clarke, but Wallis left during the auditions and so the idea was shelved. The trio of Lemmy, Clarke, and Taylor is today regarded as the "classic" Motörhead line-up, although initial reactions were unfavourable: they memorably won a poll for "Worst Band in the World" in one music magazine. The band's first official album release was the self-titled Motörhead, released in 1977. By this time the standard of their performances had improved considerably, and the uncompromising nature of their music was beginning to garner a following from enthusiasts of both metal and punk. Follow-up albums Overkill and Bomber cemented their reputation as one of Britain's foremost heavy metal groups. In the early 1980s they experienced UK Top 40 chart hits with singles and EPs such as "Ace of Spades," "Motörhead (live)," "Iron Fist," The Golden Years and the St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP - their collaboration with 'apprentices' Girlschool. Many fans regard "Ace of Spades" as the definitive Motörhead anthem. They also consider the albums Ace of Spades and the live No Sleep 'til Hammersmith to be among the best works of their era as well as the band's most commercially successful releases. In 1982, Motörhead recorded and released Stand By Your Man, a cover version of the Tammy Wynette classic, with Wendy O. Williams of the Plasmatics. Clarke felt that this compromised the band's principles and resigned to be replaced by Brian Robertson, formerly with Thin Lizzy. Robertson only lasted for one album (1983's Another Perfect Day) having caused friction in the band due to his refusal to play their most popular tunes. The group then returned to the concept of dual guitars by hiring Wurzel and Phil Campbell (ex-Persian Risk). In 1984 a rare line-up of Lemmy, Campbell, Wurzel and Taylor played "Ace of Spades" in Bambi, an episode of the British sitcom The Young Ones. Mainstream success has dwindled since then, but the band still have a large and loyal fanbase and continues to record and tour extensively. Many modern hard rock, heavy metal and punk rock groups cite Motörhead as an important influence. In 1992, Phil Taylor was fired after recording "I Ain't No Nice Guy" because he didn't learn the drum tracks, and Mikkey Dee became his permanent replacement after the short and disappointing engagement of Tommy Aldridge on the album March or Die. When Wurzel left in 1995, Motörhead returned as a three-man line-up and celebrated Lemmy's 50th Birthday with Metallica. Motörhead is well-known in the professional wrestling community for performing popular wrestler Triple H's entrance music, "The Game," beginning in 2000. In addition to the track being heard live nearly every Monday on WWE RAW and at numerous other wrestling shows, they have performed the song live at two WrestleMania events, WrestleMania X-Seven and WrestleMania 21. They also provided the entrance music for Triple H's now defunct Faction, Evolution. The Game was released on the Hammered album and the Evolution theme song, titled Line in the Sand, was released with a WWE Theme Addict album. In 2005, Motörhead picked up their first Grammy Award in the "Best Metal Performance" category for their cover of Metallica's "Whiplash". On December 10th 2005 in Perth, Western Australia, Motörhead and Mötley Crüe played an encore together onstage of "Anarchy in the UK", a worldwide first. The umlaut over the ö in their name is a record-cover art conceit, possibly derived from the similar "Heavy metal umlaut" in the name of the Blue Öyster Cult. However, the band's name is not pronounced as the German usage; instead, Lemmy pronounces it (IPA) //. Lemmy is also quoted to have "put the umlaut on the middle-O in order to make the name more 'German-looking,' meaner!" Motörhead has influenced a wide variety of punk, metal, and rock and roll bands over the years.

Line-ups

Lemmy is the only member of Motörhead who has been in all of the line-ups, although Phil Taylor has played with all of the guitarists (Larry Wallis, "Fast" Eddie Clarke, Brian Robertson, Phil Campbell and Wurzel). 1975 (On Parole) - initial line-up
- Lemmy Kilmister - bass, vocals
- Larry Wallis - guitar, vocals
- Lucas Fox, Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor - drums (Fox only on "Lost Johnny") 1976 (temporary line-up, no recorded material)
- Lemmy Kilmister - bass, vocals
- Larry Wallis - guitar
- "Fast" Eddie Clarke - guitar
- Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor - drums 1976-1982 (Motörhead, Overkill, Bomber, Ace of Spades, No Sleep 'til Hammersmith, Iron Fist)
- Lemmy Kilmister - bass, vocals
- "Fast" Eddie Clarke - guitar, vocals
- Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor - drums 1982-1983 (Another Perfect Day)
- Lemmy Kilmister - bass, vocals
- Brian Robertson - guitar
- Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor - drums 1984-1987 (No Remorse, Orgasmatron)
- Lemmy Kilmister - bass, vocals
- Phil Campbell - guitar
- Wurzel - guitar
- Pete Gill - drums 1987-1992 (Rock 'n' Roll, No Sleep At All, 1916, March or Die)
- Lemmy Kilmister - bass, vocals
- Phil Campbell - guitar
- Wurzel - guitar
- Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor - drums 1992 (March or Die)
- Lemmy Kilmister - bass, vocals
- Phil Campbell - guitar
- Wurzel - guitar
- Tommy Aldridge - drums 1992-1995 (March or Die, Bastards, Sacrifice)
- Lemmy Kilmister - bass, vocals
- Phil Campbell - guitar
- Wurzel - guitar
- Mikkey Dee - drums 1995-present (Overnight Sensation, Snake Bite Love, Everything Louder Than Everyone Else, We Are Motörhead, Hammered, Live At Brixton Academy The Complete Concert, Inferno)
- Lemmy Kilmister - bass, vocals
- Phil Campbell - guitar
- Mikkey Dee - drums

Discography

Albums

(In order of UK release date)
- Motörhead (1977)
- Overkill (1979; reached No.24 in UK album charts) 1979
- Bomber (1979; reached No.12 in UK album charts)
- On Parole (1979; unofficial release from sessions recorded in 1975)
- Ace of Spades (1980; reached No.4 in UK album charts)
- No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (1981; live; reached No.1 in UK album charts)
- Iron Fist (1982; reached No.6 in UK album charts)
- Another Perfect Day (1983; reached No.20 in UK album charts)
- No Remorse (1984; compilation; reached No.14 in UK album charts)
- Orgasmatron (1986; reached No.21 in UK album charts)
- Rock 'n' Roll (1987; reached No.34 in UK album charts)
- No Sleep At All (1988; live) 1988
- 1916 (1991; reached No.24 in UK album charts)
- March or Die (1992)
- Bastards (1993)
- Sacrifice (1995)
- Overnight Sensation (1996)
- Snake Bite Love (1998)
- Everything Louder Than Everyone Else (1999; live)
- We Are Motörhead (2000)
- The Best Of (2000; compilation)
- Hammered (2002)
- Live at Brixton Academy (2003; live)
- Inferno (June 22, 2004)

Singles


- "Leaving Here" (1977)
- "Motörhead" (1977)
- "Louie Louie" (1978)
- "Overkill" (1979; reached No.39 in UK single charts)
- "No Class" (1979)
- "Bomber" (1979; reached No.34 in UK single charts) 1979
- "Ace of Spades" (1980; reached No.15 in UK single charts and No.23 as a re-entry in 1993)
- "Motörhead (live)" (1981; live; reached No.6 in UK single charts)
- "Iron Fist" (1982; reached No.29 in UK single charts)
- "I Got Mine" (1983)
- "Shine" (1983)
- "Killed By Death" (1984)
- "Deaf Forever" (1986)
- "Eat The Rich" (1987)
- "Ace of Spades (live)" (1988; live)
- "The One To Sing The Blues" (1991)
- "Hellraiser" (1992)
- "Don't Let Daddy Kiss Me" (1993)
- "Born To Raise Hell" (1994)
- "God Save the Queen" (2000)

EPs


- The Golden Years (1980; live)
- Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers (1980)
- St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP (1981)
- Stand By Your Man EP (1982)
- The '92 Tour EP (1992)

Videography

VHS

1992
- 1982 Live in Toronto
- 1984 Another Perfect Day EP
- 1985 Birthday Party
- 1986 Deaf Not Blind
- 1988 EP
- 1991 Everything Louder than Everything Else

DVD


- 2001 25 & Alive Boneshaker
- 2002 Motörhead EP
- 2002 The Best of Motörhead
- 2003 The Special Edition EP
- 2004 Everything Louder than Everything Else
- 2005 Stage Fright

Snaggletooth

2005 Snaggletooth (full name Snaggletooth B. Motörhead) is the name of the fanged face that serves as a symbol of Motörhead. Artist Joe Petagno created it in 1977 for the cover of the band's first released album. It has remained a symbol of Motörhead throughout the years, with Petagno creating many variations of Snaggletooth for the covers of ensuing albums (e.g., Overkill, Another Perfect Day, and Orgasmatron).

See also


- New Wave of British Heavy Metal
- Power trio

External links


- [http://www.imotorhead.com/ Motörhead official website]
- [http://www.imotorhead.com/forum/ Motörhead official forum]
- [http://www.motorhead.ru/2bandhistory.htm Band history]
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2005/11/18/music_review_motorhead_review_20051118_feature.shtml BBC Gig Review] Category:British musical groups Category:Heavy metal musical groups Category:British heavy metal musical groups ja:モーターヘッド

Michael A. Stackpole

Michael Stackpole (born 1957) is, among other things, a science-fiction author best known for his Star Wars and Battletech books. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, but raised in Vermont. He has a BA in history from the University of Vermont. From 1977 on, he worked as a designer of role-playing games for various gaming companies, and wrote dozens of magazine articles for the industry. During this time, in response to the accusations of Patricia Pulling and a few others who felt that the "occult" elements of Dungeons & Dragons were driving people to Satanism, murder and suicide, perhaps even as part of a vast Satanic ritual abuse conspiracy, Stackpole did a research study on all American legal cases where injury or death had been attributed to gaming, and found that not only were the links to gaming very weak, but that even if all of the reports had been valid, they showed that gamers were violent or suicidal far less often than the general public (see External links below). In the 1980s, Stackpole began designing computer games for Coleco and then Interplay Productions. The best known was Bard's Tale III. In 1986 Stackpole wrote his first novel, the fantasy story of Talion: Revenant. However, the manuscript would not be published until 1997 by Bantam Books. At the time, the 175,000 word book was seen as too long for an unknown author by his editors. The story remained unpublished for the next 11 years and then only minor changes were effected by Stackpole's editor, Anne Lesley Groell. Stackpole clarifies these issues himself in the afterword of the published version of Talion. In 1987 he began writing novels set in the BattleTech universe for FASA, and became one of the most popular authors in that genre. Some of his Battletech books were used as the source for a televised animated series. Based on that popularity, he was selected to write several novels in the Star Wars universe for Bantam Books. In addition, he has written several highly praised novels and short stories based in settings of his own creation. His most recent complete series is called the DragonCrown War Cycle. Like many of his works, these books break many fantasy conventions: among other things, the stories feature the advent of firearms in a fantasy setting. The first of his next series (The Age of Discovery Trilogy) came out in March of 2005, and is set in yet another all-new fantasy world, with an unconventional approach to magic and mastery in any given field. The second in this new trilogy is due to be released February 28, 2006. His web page is http://www.stormwolf.com

Novels

Age of Discovery

Published by Bantam Books.
- 2005 A Secret Atlas
- 2006 Cartomancy (Feb. 28)

DragonCrown War

Published by Bantam Books.
- 2000 The Dark Glory War
- 2001 Fortress Draconis
- 2002 When Dragons Rage
- 2003 The Grand Crusade

BattleTech

Published by Fasa Corporation.

Warrior


- 1988 Warrior: En Garde
- 1988 Warrior: Riposte
- 1989 Warrior: Coupé

Blood of Kerensky


- 1989 Lethal Heritage (FASA)
- 1990 Blood Legacy (FASA)
- 1991 Lost Destiny (FASA)

Other BattleTech


- 1992 Natural Selection (FASA/ROC)
- 1993 Assumption of Risk (ROC/FASA)
- 1994 Bred For War (ROC/FASA)
- 1996 Malicious Intent (ROC/FASA)
- 1997 Grave Covenant (ROC/FASA)
- 1998 Prince of Havoc (ROC/FASA)
- 2002 Ghost War (ROC/WizKids)

Star Wars


- 1996 Rogue Squadron (Bantam Books)
- 1996 Wedge's Gamble (Bantam Books)
- 1996 The Krytos Trap (Bantam Books)
- 1997 The Bacta War (Bantam Books)
- 1998 I, Jedi (Bantam Books)
- 1999 Isard's Revenge (Bantam Books)
- 2000 Onslaught (Del Rey Books)
- 2000 Ruin (Del Rey Books)

Dark Conspiracy

Published by GDW.
- 1991 A Gathering Evil
- 1991 Evil Ascending
- 1992 Evil Triumphant

Others


- 1994 Once a Hero (Bantam Books)
- 1994 Dementia (Roc/Target)
- 1997 Talion: Revenant (Bantam Books)
- 1997 A Hero Born (HarperPrism)
- 1998 An Enemy Reborn (HarperPrism)
- 1998 Wolf and Raven (Roc/FASA)
- 1998 Eyes of Silver (Bantam Books)

Other Publications


- 1989 Game Hysteria and the Truth
- 1990 [http://www.rpgstudies.net/stackpole/pulling_report.html The Pulling Report]
- 1994 GAMA News, Model Retailer, March, 98-99

External links


- [http://www.stormwolf.com Personal Website]
- [http://scifan.com/writers/ss/StackpoleMichael.asp Bibliography] on SciFan
- [http://members.tripod.com/~limsk/pulling.htm The Pulling Report]: the result of Stackpole's research (see above)
- [http://warstcg.fanhq.com/Articles/Article.aspx?ID=438 Wars CCG Short Story collection online]
- [http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/539/539635p1.html Interview with Mike Stackpole by GameSpy]
- [http://boards.theforce.net/Authors_&_Artists/b10347/5816846/?307 Michael Stackpole discussion at theforce.net Message Boards] Stackpole, Michael Stackpole, Michael Stackpole, Michael Stackpole, Michael

Superhero

, two of the most recognizable and influential superheroes. Art by Alex Ross.]] A superhero is a fictional character who is noted for feats of courage and nobility, who usually has a colorful name and costume and abilities beyond those of normal human beings. Since the definitive superhero, Superman, debuted in 1938, the stories of superheroes - ranging from episodic adventures to decades-long sagas - have become an entire genre of fiction that has dominated American comic books and crossed over into several other media.

Common traits

American comic books American comic books There is a range of attributes that are commonly part of a superhero's make up, although they are by no means definitive (see Divergent character examples). Most superheroes have a few of the following features:
- Extraordinary powers and abilities, mastery of relevant skills and/or advanced equipment. Although superhero powers vary widely, superhuman strength, the ability to fly, enhancements of the senses and the ability to project energy of some kind are all common. Some superheroes, such as Batman and Green Hornet, possess no superpowers but have mastered skills such as martial arts and forensic sciences. Others have special equipment, such as Iron Man’s powered armor and Green Lantern’s power ring.
- A strong moral code, including a willingness to risk one's own safety in the service of good without expectation of reward.
- A special motivation, such as a sense of responsibility (e.g. Spider-Man), a strong sense of justice (e.g. Captain America) a formal calling (e.g., Captain Marvel) or a personal vendetta against criminals (e.g., The Punisher)
- A secret identity that protects the superhero’s friends and family from becoming targets of his or her enemies. Most superheroes use a descriptive or metaphoric codename for their public deeds.
- A flamboyant and distinctive costume (see Common costume features).
- An underlining motif or theme that affects the hero’s name, costume, personal effects and other aspects of his character (e.g., Batman resembles a large bat, calls his headquarters the "Batcave" and his specialized automobile, which also looks bat-like, the "Batmobile")
- A trademark weapon (e.g., Wonder Woman’s "Lasso of Truth," Captain America’s shield)
- A supporting cast of recurring characters including the hero's friends, co-workers and/or love interests, who may or may not know of the superhero's secret identity. Often the hero's personal relationships are complicated by his/her dual life.
- An archenemy or a number of enemies that s/he fights repeatedly. Often a nemesis is a superhero’s opposite or foil (e.g., Sabretooth embraces his savage instincts while Wolverine battles his)
- Has either independent wealth (e.g., Batman or the X-Men's benefactor Professor X) or an occupation that allows for minimal supervision (e.g., Superman's civilian job as a reporter).
- A secret headquarters or base of operations (e.g., Superman's Fortress of Solitude).
- An "origin story" that explains the circumstances by which the character acquired his/her abilities as well as his/her motivation for fighting evil. Many back stories involve tragic elements and/or freak accidents that result in the development of the hero's abilities. "origin story" Most superheroes work independently. However, there are also many superhero teams. Some, such as The Fantastic Four and X-Men, have common origins and usually operate as a group. Others, such as DC Comics’s Justice League and Marvel’s Avengers are "all-star" groups consisting of heroes of separate origins who also operate individually. Many superheroes, especially those introduced in the 1940s, work with a child or teenaged sidekick (e.g., Batman and Robin, Captain America and Bucky). This has become less common since more sophisticated writing and older audiences have lessened the need for characters that specifically appeal to young readers and made such obvious child endangerment seem implausible. Superheroes most often appear in comic books, and superhero stories are the dominant genre of American comic books, to the point that the terms "superhero" and "comic book character" are often used synonymously. Superheroes have also been featured in radio serials, prose novels, TV series, movies, and other media. Most of the superheroes that appear in other media are adapted from comics, but there are exceptions. Marvel Comics Group and DC Comics, Inc., share ownership of the United States trademark for the phrase "Super Heroes" as it applies to comics, and these two companies own a majority of the world’s most famous superheroes. However, throughout comic book history, there have been significant heroes owned by others, such as Captain Marvel, owned by Fawcett Comics (but later acquired by DC) and Spawn, owned by creator Todd McFarlane. Todd McFarlane Todd McFarlane Superheroes are largely an American creation but there have been successful superheroes in other countries, most of which share conventions of the American model. Japan is the only country whose entertainment industry nears that of the United States in output of superheroes. Ultraman and Kamen Rider have become popular in Japanese tokusatsu live-action shows and Science Ninja Team Gatchaman and Sailor Moon are staples of Japanese anime and manga. Examples from other countries include Cybersix from Argentina, Captain Canuck from Canada, Marvelman (known as Miracleman in North America) from the United Kingdom, Nagraj from India and the heroes of AK Comics from Egypt. Although superhero fiction is considered a subgenre of fantasy/science-fiction, it crosses into many other genres. Many superhero franchises resemble crime fiction (Batman, Daredevil), others horror fiction (Spawn, Hellboy), while others contain aspects of more standard science fiction (Green Lantern, X-Men). Many of the earliest superheroes, such as The Sandman and The Clock, were rooted in the pulp fiction of their predecessors. But because the fantastic nature of the superhero milieu allows almost anything to happen, some superhero series cross over into a variety of vastly different genres. In the 1980s series, The New Teen Titans, the Titans battled a supernatural satanic cult leader in one story, went off to another galaxy to participate in a space war in the following story, and then returned to Earth and became involved in a gritty urban drama involving young runaways. The content of each of these stories is quite different, yet the same principal characters are involved.

Common costume features

cult A superhero’s costume helps make him or her recognizable to the general public (both in and outside of fiction). Costumes frequently incorporate the superhero's name and theme. For example Daredevil resembles a red devil, the design of Captain America's costume echoes that of the American flag and Spider-Man’s costume features a web pattern. Many features of superhero costumes recur frequently, including:
- Superheroes who maintain a secret identity often wear a mask, ranging from the small bands of Green Lantern and Ms. Marvel to the full facemasks of Spider-Man and Black Panther. Most common, however, are masks covering the upper face, leaving the more indistinguishable jaw and neck areas exposed which represents a compromise of a believable disguise while allowing for the character to still show facial expression. These include the masks of Captain America, Batman and The Flash.
- Form-fitting clothing, often referred to as tights or spandex, although the exact material is usually not identified. Such material displays a character’s muscular build.
- A symbol, such as a stylized letter or visual icon, usually on the chest. Examples include Superman’s "S" and Green Lantern's lantern symbol.
- While a vast majority of superheroes do not wear capes, the garment is still closely associated with them, likely due to the fact that two of the most widely-recognized superheroes, Batman and Superman, wear capes.
- When thematically appropriate, some superheroes dress like people from certain professions or subcultures. Zatanna, who possesses wizard-like powers, dresses like a magician and Ghost Rider, who rides a super powered motorcycle, dresses in the garb of a biker.
- While most superhero costumes merely hide the hero’s identity and/or present a recognizable image, parts of some costumes have functional uses. Batman’s utility belt and Spawn’s "necroplasmic armor" have both been of great assistance to the heroes. Iron Man, in particular, wears a variety of powered armor that protects him and provides technological advantages.
- Several heroes of the 1990s, including Cable and many Image Comics characters, rejected the traditional superhero outfit for costumes that appeared more practical and militaristic. Shoulder pads, kevlar-like vests, metal plated armor, knee and elbow pads, and heavy duty belts were all common features.

Character subtypes

Image Comics] In superhero role-playing games (particularly Champions), superheroes are informally organized into categories based on their skills and abilities. Since comic book and role-playing fandom overlap, these labels have carried over into discussions of superheroes outside the context of games:
- "Martial Artist": A hero whose physical abilities are mostly human rather than superhuman but whose combat skills are phenomenal. Some of these characters are actually superhuman (Daredevil, Iron Fist) while others are normal human beings who are extremely skilled and athletic (Batman and related characters, Black Widow, and Elektra)
- "Brick/Tanker": A character with a superhuman degree of strength and endurance and usually an oversized, muscular body, e.g., The Thing, The Hulk, Colossus, Savage Dragon
- "Blaster": A hero whose main power is a distance attack, e.g., Cyclops, Starfire, Static
  - "Archer": A subvariant of this type who uses bow and arrow-like weapons that have a variety of specialized functions like explosives, glue, nets, rotary drill, etc., e.g., Green Arrow, Hawkeye
  - "Mage": A subvariant of this type that is trained in the use of magic, which partially or wholly involves ranged attacks., e.g., Doctor Strange, Doctor Fate
- "Gadgeteer": A hero who invents special equipment that often imitates superpowers, e.g., Forge, Nite Owl
  - "Armored Hero": A gadgeteer whose powers are derived from a suit of powered armor, e.g., Iron Man, Steel
  - Dominus (Latin, "master"): A hero that uses a giant robot to combat villains, e.g., Big Guy, Roger Smith of Big O and members of the team Super Sentai; common in Japanese superhero series
- "Speedster": A hero possessing superhuman speed and reflexes, e.g., The Flash, Quicksilver.
- "Mentalist": A hero who possesses psionic abilities, such as telekinesis, telepathy and extra-sensory perception, e.g., Professor X, Jean Grey, Saturn Girl.
- "Shapeshifter": A hero who can manipulate his/her own body to suit his/her needs, such as stretching (Mister Fantastic, Plastic Man) or disguise (Changeling, Chameleon)
  - "Sizechanger": A shapeshifter who can alter his/her size, e.g., the Atom (shrinking only), Colossal Boy (growth only), Hank Pym (both). These categories often overlap. For instance, Batman is a martial artist and a gadgeteer, and Superman is extremely strong and damage resistant and also has ranged attacks (heat vision, superbreath) like an energy blaster and can move quickly like a speedster. The Martian Manhunter excels in every category except martial arts and gadgetry. the ninja X-Man Psylocke is both a Mentalist and a Martial Artist.

Divergent character examples

While the typical superhero is described above, many break the mold: Psylocke Psylocke
- Spider-Man has been portrayed as an everyman hero, showing poor judgment and being overwhelmed by the combined responsibilities of his personal life and mission as a superhero.
- The Incredible Hulk is usually defined as a superhero, but he has little self-control and his actions have often either inadvertently or deliberately caused great destruction. As a result, he has been hunted by the military and other superheroes.
- Wolverine of the X-Men has shown a willingness to kill and behave anti-socially. Wolverine belongs to an entire underclass of anti-heroes who are grittier and more violent than classic superheroes, often putting the two groups at odds. Others include Rorschach, Daredevil, Green Arrow, Black Canary, The Punisher and, in some incarnations, Batman.
- Some superheroes have been created and employed by national governments to serve their interests and defend the nation. Examples include Captain America, who was outfitted by and worked for the United States Army during World War II, and Alpha Flight, a superhero team formed by the Canadian government.
- Many superheroes have never had a secret identity, such as Wonder Woman (in her current version) and the members of The Fantastic Four. Others that once had a secret identity, like Captain America and Steel, have later made their identities public.
- Some superhero identities have been used by more than one person. A character takes on another's name and mission after the original dies, retires or takes on a new identity. Several characters have taken-up the mantles of Green Lantern, The Flash, Captain Canuck and Robin.
- Superman, Silver Surfer, Martian Manhunter and Captain Marvel (the Marvel Comics character) are extraterrestrials who have, either permanently or provisionally, taken it upon themselves to protect the planet Earth.
- Alternatively, Adam Strange is a human being who protects the planet Rann.
- Thor and Hercules are mythological gods reinterpretted as superheroes. Wonder Woman, while not a goddess, is a member of the Amazon tribe of Greek mythology.
- Alternatively, Spawn, The Demon and Ghost Rider are actual demons, who find themselves manipulated by circumstance to be allies for the forces of good. Hellboy, on the other hand, is a demon who is heroic on his own accord.
- The Gargoyles are ancient, almost mythological creatures who, despite their monstrous appearance, are a benign, intelligent species dedicated to protecting their territories.
- Characters who have treaded the line between superhero and villain include Magneto, Juggernaut, Emma Frost, Catwoman, Elektra, and Venom.
- Because the superhero is such an outlandish and recognizable character type, several comedic heroes have been introduced, including Super Dupont, The Tick, The Flaming Carrot, The Ambiguously Gay Duo and The Simpsons’ Radioactive Man. Especially notable are the characters of Silent Comics, who, in the same universe, can be either comedic or serious superheroes.

History of superheroes in comic books

Predecessors

The origins of superheroes can be found in several prior forms of fiction. Many share traits with protagonists of later Victorian literature, such as The Scarlet Pimpernel and Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock HolmesOne notable fore-runner of the modern superhero was Spring Heeled Jack, who first emerged as an urban legend in England during the 1830s. Reports of a mysterious figure, apparently capable of superhuman feats of agility and sometimes said to bear unusual weapons including a gas or flame projector and clawed gauntlets, continued for most of the next hundred years. However, it was is the penny dreadfuls, Victorian fore-runners of the comic book format, that Spring Heeled Jack underwent his transformation into a prototypical superhero, complete with a mask and elaborate costume, secret identity as an altruistic, wealthy bachelor, technology-based super powers, concealed base of operations (in a crypt), etc. In many respects Jack was a Victorian-era Batman, emerging decades before his time. Another early superhero was the Reverend Dr. Christopher Syn, the protagonist of a series of novels by Russell Thorndike. Dr. Syn adopted the masked and costumed identity of the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh to defend his parishioners against the King's press-gangs and tax agents. Set during the 1700s, Thordike's first novel featuring Dr. Syn/the Scarecrow was published in 1915, pre-dating the dual-identity superheroics of Superman, Batman and others by more than twenty years. The dime novel stories of Zorro and Tarzan also influenced superheroes. Pulp magazine crime fighters, such as Doc Savage, The Shadow and The Spider, and comic strip characters, such as Dick Tracy and The Phantom, were probably the most direct influences. By modern standards, characters like Doc Savage and The Phantom — normal human beings at or near peak abilities — could be considered superheroes in their own right, but the first appearance of Superman is widely considered the point at which the superhero genre truly began. Philip Wylie's 1930 novel Gladiator has recently gained attention as a prototype not only of the "classic" superhero, but also of its deconstruction. [http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue372/classic.html] deconstruction.]]

Golden Age

In 1938, writer Jerry Siegel and illustrator Joe Shuster, who had previously worked in pulp science fiction magazines, introduced Superman. The character possessed many of the traits that have come to define the superhero, including a secret identity, superhuman powers and a colorful costume including a symbol and cape. His name is also the source of the term "superhero." secret identity.]] DC Comics (which published under the names National and All-American at the time) received an overwhelming response to Superman and, in the months that followed, introduced such superheroes as Batman and his sidekick Robin, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkman, Aquaman and Green Arrow. The first team of superheroes was DC's Justice Society of America, featuring most of the aforementioned characters. Although DC dominated the superhero market at this time, companies large and small created hundreds of superheroes. Marvel Comics’ Human Torch and Sub-Mariner, Quality Comics’ Plastic Man and Phantom Lady, and Will Eisner's The Spirit (featured in a newspaper insert) were also hits. The era's most popular superhero, however, was Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel, who outsold Superman during the 1940s. 1940s.]] During World War II, superheroes grew in popularity, surviving paper rationing and the loss of many writers and illustrators to service in the armed forces. The need for simple tales of good triumphing over evil may explain the wartime popularity of superheroes. Publishers responded with stories in which superheroes battled the Axis Powers and the introduction of patriotically themed superheroes, most notably Marvel's Captain America. After the war, superheroes lost popularity. This led to the rise of other genres, especially horror and crime. The lurid nature of these genres sparked a moral crusade in which comics were blamed for juvenile delinquency. The movement was spearheaded by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, who argued, among other things, that "deviant" sexual undertones ran rampant in superhero comics. [http://art-bin.com/art/awertham.html] In response, the comic book industry adopted the stringent Comics Code. By the mid-1950s, only Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman retained a sliver of their prior popularity, although an effort towards complete inoffensiveness that made their stories ridiculous by modern standards. This ended what historians have called the Golden Age of comic books. Golden Age of comic books

Silver Age

In the 1950s, DC Comics, under the editorship of Julius Schwartz, recreated many popular 1940s heroes, launching an era later deemed the Silver Age of comic books. The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and several others were revived with new origin stories. While past superheroes resembled mythological heroes in their origins and abilities, these heroes were inspired by contemporary science fiction. In 1960, DC banded its most popular heroes together in the Justice League of America, which became a sales phenomenon. Empowered by the return of the superhero at DC, Marvel Comics editor/writer Stan Lee and the artists/co-writers Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko launched a new line of superhero comic books, beginning with The Fantastic Four in 1961. These comics continued DC’s emphasis on science fiction concepts (radiation was a common source of superpowers) but placed greater emphasis on personal conflict and character development. This led to many superheroes that differed greatly from their predecessors with more dramatic potential. Some examples: radiation
- The Thing, a member of The Fantastic Four, was a super strong, but monstrous creature with rock-like skin, whose appearance filled him with self-pity.
- Spider-Man was a teenager who struggled to earn money and maintain his social life in addition to his costumed exploits.
- The Incredible Hulk shared a Jekyll/Hyde-like relationship with his alter ego and was driven by rage.
- The X-Men were "mutants" who gained their powers through genetic mutation and who were hated and feared by the society they sought to protect. By the early 1970s, the return of the superhero genre, the rise of television as the top medium for light entertainment and the Comics Code Authority’s effect on grittier genres obliterated genres such as westerns, romance, horror, war and crime while the superhero genre underwent a revival. In the coming decades, non-superhero comic book series would occasionally rise to popularity but superheroes and comic books would be forever intertwined in the eyes of the American public.

Deconstruction of the superhero

In the 1970, DC Comics paired Green Arrow and Green Lantern together in a ground-breaking socially-conscious series. Writer Dennis O'Neil portrayed Green Arrow as an angry, street-smart populist and Green Lantern as good-natured but short-sighted authority figure. This is the first instance in which superheroes were classified into two distinct groups, the "classic" superhero and the more brazen anti-hero and the first to suggest that the former had become outdated. anti-hero In the 1970s, DC returned Batman to his roots as a dubious vigilante and Marvel introduced several popular anti-heroes, including The Punisher, Wolverine and writer/artist Frank Miller's darker version of Daredevil. These characters were deeply troubled from within. Batman, The Punisher and Daredevil were driven by the crime-related deaths of family members and were continually exposed to slum life. The X-Men’s Wolverine, on the other hand, was a mysterious character who was at odds with his own savage nature. The trend was taken to a new extreme in the 1986 mini-series Watchmen by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, which was published by DC but took place outside the "DC Universe", with new characters. The superheroes of Watchmen were emotionally unsatisfied, psychologically withdrawn and even sociopathic. DC Universe Another story, The Dark Knight Returns (1985-1986) continued Batman’s renovation. This mini-series, written and illustrated by Frank Miller, featured a future Batman returning from retirement. The series portrayed the hero as a madman on a brutal quest to mold society to his will and concluded with a symbolic slugfest against Superman. Some critics believe that this trend is tied to the cynicism of the 1980s, when the idea of a person selflessly using his extraordinary abilities on a quest for good was no longer believable, but a person with a deep psychological impulse to destroy criminals was. Regardless, both Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns were acclaimed for their artistic ambitiousness and psychological depth and became watermark series, leading to numerous imitations. 1980s]

Struggles of the 1990s

By the early 1990s, anti-heroes had become the rule rather than the exception, as The Punisher, Wolverine and the grimmer Batman became very popular and marketable characters. Anti-heroes such as the X-Men’s Gambit and Bishop, X-Force's Cable and the Spider-Man adversary Venom became some of the most popular new characters of the early 1990s. This was financial boom time for the industry when a new character could become well-known quickly and, according to many fans, stylistic flair eclipsed character development. boom time] In 1992, Marvel illustrators Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld — all of whom helped popularize anti-heroes in the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises — left Marvel to found Image Comics. Image changed the comic book industry as a haven for creator-owned characters and the first challenger to Marvel and DC in 30 years. Image superhero teams, such as Lee’s WildC.A.Ts and Gen 13, Leifeld’s Youngblood, were instant hits but were criticized as over-muscled, over-sexualized, excessively violent and lacking in unique personality. McFarland’s occult hero Spawn faired somewhat better in critical respect and long-term sales and his vast popularity lead many young creators to gravitate towards the trend of gritty anti-heroes. To keep ahead of new competitors and continue to the financial boom, Marvel and DC launched headline-grabbing, large-scale storylines that made drastic changes to iconic characters. The "Death of Superman" found the hero killed and resurrected, Batman was physically crippled in the "KnightSaga" storyline, and a clone of Spider-Man vied with the original for the title. While these stories drummed up publicity, fans complained that the essential elements of the franchises had been diluted and they ultimately lost interest. clone of Spider-Man Throughout the 1990s, several creators deviated from the trends of violent anti-heroes and sensational, large-scale storylines. Painter Alex Ross, writer Kurt Busiek and Alan Moore himself tried to "reconstruct" the superhero genre with acclaimed titles such as Busiek's and Ross' Astro City and Moore's Tom Strong, which combined artistic sophistication and idealism into a superheroic version of retro-futurism. Ross also painted two widely acclaimed mini-series, Marvels (written by Busiek) for Marvel Comics and Kingdom Come for DC, which examined the classic superhero in a more literary context. Kingdom Come also satirized the anti-heroes; Magog, one of the series' antagonists, was a parody of Cable. By the beginning of the 2000s, most classic superheroes had returned to their roots. However, the comic book industry’s most acclaimed writers could make drastic changes and gain general fan approval, as was the case with Grant Morrison's New X-Men series and Brian Michael Bendis's "Avengers Disassembled" story arc. As of 2005, a decline in the comic book industry has cut the surplus of anti-heroes, but a revival of superhero films and a rise in the sale of trade paperbacks have kept the superhero genre healthy.

Growth in diversity

From their birth until the early 1960s, superheroes largely conformed to the model of lead characters in American popular fiction in the first half of the 20th century. Hence, the typical superhero was a white, middle to upper class, heterosexual, professional, young-to-middle-aged man. A majority of superheroes still fit this description but, in subsequent decades, many minority characters have broken the mold. 20th century

Female characters

The first significant female superhero was DC Comics’s Wonder Woman, created by psychologist William Moulton Marston in 1941 as a role model for young women. She was the only widely popular female superhero for two decades and is arguably still the most famous. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, DC debuted female versions of prominent male superheroes, such as Supergirl, Batgirl and Hawkgirl, as well as female supporting characters that were successful professionals, such as Superman’s love interest Lois Lane, who starred in a spin-off series aimed at young female readers. Meanwhile, Marvel Comics introduced The Fantastic Four's Invisible Girl and the X-Men's Marvel Girl, but these characters were physically weak and were portrayed primarily as romantic interests of their teammates. The 1970s saw these heroes become more confident and assertive and the launch of several series starring female superheroes, including Spider-Woman and Ms. Marvel. Initially, some characters were preachy feminist stereotypes, like Ms. Marvel and DC's Power Girl, until writers grew more accustomed with society's changing attitudes. In subsequent decades, Elektra, Catwoman, Witchblade and Spider-Girl became stars of popular series and the X-Men, one of the few superhero teams to feature as many female characters as male, became the industry's most successful franchise. Storm (pictured below), Rogue and Psylocke were some of the most popular "X-Women." Psylocke

Non-Caucasian characters

In the late 1960s, superheroes of other racial groups began to appear in Marvel Comics. In 1966, the company introduced the Black Panther, the first serious black superhero. In 1972, Luke Cage, an African-American "hero-for-hire," became the first black superhero to star in his own series. In 1971, Marvel introduced Red Wolf, the first Native American hero [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/redwf2.htm]. Shortly after, he starred in a short-lived eponymous series. In 1974, Shang Chi, a martial arts hero, became the first Asian hero to star in an American comic book series (The last Asian title character, the 1950s’ Yellow Claw, was a villain, although his main opponent was also Asian. [http://www.toonopedia.com/yeloclaw.htm]). Comic book companies were in the early stages of cultural expansion and many of these characters played to specific stereotypes; Cage often employed lingo similar to that of blaxploitation films, Native Americans were often associated with wild animals and Asians were often portrayed as martial artists. Subsequent minority heroes, such as the X-Men’s Storm (the first black, female superhero) and The Teen Titans’ Cyborg would avoid the patronizing nature of the earlier characters as the comics industry became more mature and diverse. In 1993, Milestone Comics, an African-American-owned imprint of DC, introduced a line of series that included characters of many ethnic minorities, including several black headliners. The imprint lasted four years, during which it introduced Static, a character adapted into the WB Network series Static Shock. Static Shock

Gay characters

In 1992, Marvel revealed that Northstar, a member of Alpha Flight, was homosexual, after years of implication. Although some secondary characters in Watchmen were gay, Northstar was the first gay superhero to have a permanent presence in a continuing series. Since then, a few other semi-prominent gay superheroes have emerged, such as Gen13's Rainmaker, The New Mutants’ Karma and The Authority's gay couple Apollo and Midnighter. The Flash adversary Pied Piper came out of the closet after quitting his criminal activity and becoming a supporting hero.

Diversified teams

In 1975, Marvel revived the X-Men, introducing a new team with members culled from several different nations, including the German Nightcrawler, the Russian Colossus, the Canadian Wolverine and the Kenyan Storm. The X-Men, which became comic books’ most successful franchise in the coming decade, continued to have a radically diverse roster and an underlining message of tolerance and unity. Ethnic diversity would be an important part of subsequent X-Men-related groups, as well as series that attempted to mimic the X-Men’s success, such as DC’s Legion of Superheroes and Teen Titans.

Treatment in other media

Teen Titans

Film

: Superhero films began as Saturday movie serials aimed at children during the 1940s. The decline of these serials meant the death of superhero films until the release of 1978‘s Superman. Several sequels followed in the 1980s. A popular Batman series lasted from 1989 until 1997. These franchises were initially successful but later sequels in both series faired poorly stunting the growth of superhero films for a time. In the early 2000s, blockbusters such as 2000’s X-Men, 2002’s Spider-Man and 2005's Batman Begins have lead to dozens of superhero films. The improvements in special effects technology and more sophisticated writing that emulates the spirit of the comic books has drawn in mainstream audiences and caused critics to take superhero films more seriously.

Live-action television series

: Several popular but, by modern standards, campy live action superhero programs aired from the early 1950s until the late 1970s. These included The Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves, the psychedelic-colored Batman series of the 1960s starring Adam West and Burt Ward and CBS’s Wonder Woman series of the 1970s starring Lynda Carter. In the 1990s, networks attempted several unconventional uses of the superhero genre in live action shows, including the exceptionally popular Smallville, which reinvents Superman’s origins as teen drama. Other examples include Lois and Clark, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alias. Since the 1960s, Japanese, “tokusatsu” action/science fiction/superhero shows, including Ultraman, Spectreman and Kamen Rider, have displayed another culture’s distinct take on the superhero genre. Kamen Rider

Animation

: In the 1940s, Fleischer/Famous Studios produced a number of groundbreaking Superman cartoons which became the first examples of superheroes in animation. Since the 1960s, superhero cartoons have been a staple of children’s television, particularly in the USA and Japan. However, by the early 1980s, US broadcasting restrictions on violence in children’s entertainment lead to series that were extremely tame, a trend exemplified by the series Super Friends. In the 1990s, Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men lead the way for series that displayed advanced animation, mature writing and respect for the comic books on which they were based. This trend continues with Cartoon Network’s successful adaptations of DC's Justice League and Teen Titans.

Radio

In the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s, Superman was one of the most

Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics, (AKA Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Characters, Inc., and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) sometimes called by the nickname The House of Ideas, is an American comic book company. Its best-known comics include The Fantastic Four, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and X-Men. Since the 1960s, it has been one of the two largest American comics companies, along with DC Comics. rightrightright

History

Origins

right), the first comic from Marvel precursor Timely Comics. Art by Frank R. Paul]] Marvel Comics was founded by established pulp magazine publisher Martin Goodman in 1939 as an eventual group of subsidiary companies under the umbrella name Timely Comics. Its first publication was Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), featuring the first appearance of Carl Burgos' android superhero, the Human Torch, and the first generally available appearance of Bill Everett's mutant anti-hero Namor the Sub-Mariner. The contents of that sales blockbuster were supplied by an outside packager, Funnies, Inc., but by the following year Timely had a staff in place. The company's first editor, the writer-artist Joe Simon, teamed with soon-to-be industry legend Jack Kirby to create one of the first patriotically themed superheroes, Captain America, in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941). It, too, proved a major sales hit. While no other Timely character would be as successful as these "big three", some notable heroes — many continuing to appear in modern-day retcon appearances and flashbacks — include the Whizzer, Miss America, The Destroyer, the original Vision, and Paul Gustavson's The Angel. Timely also published one of humor cartoonist Basil Wolverton's best-known features, Powerhouse Pepper. Sales of all comic books declined drastically in the post-war era, and the superheroic übermensch archetype popular during the Depression and the war years went out of fashion. Like other comics companies, Timely — generally known as Atlas Comics in the 1950s — followed pop-cultural trends with a variety of genres, including funny animals, Western, horror, war, crime, humor, romance, spy fiction and even medieval adventure, all with varying degrees of success. An attempted superhero revival in 1953-54 with the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner and Captain America failed. In 1957, Atlas nearly closed its doors due to the bankruptcy of its distributor, American News Service. This summer of 1957 debacle is infamously known as the "Atlas Implosion". The final comic to bear the famous Atlas Globe on its cover was Dippy Duck #1, the only "Atlas" comic with an October 1957 cover date. The Atlas "one-shots" of 1957 reveal that Martin Goodman was attempting to open a new range of "kiddies" titles just as the ax fell. Goodman switched to the distributor Independent News on constrained terms that allowed him only a limited number of titles per month. The surviving sixteen titles are sometimes referred to as the "sweet sixteen" (published bi-monthly, eight titles per month), the first of which to bear the new "Ind." label was Patsy Walker #73, ironically (like Dippy Duck) bearing an October 1957 cover date. The sixteen survivors of the summer of 1957 (the two fantasy and two war titles clearly were simply using up left over "inventory") reveal that the best selling titles were westerns (Kid Colt Outlaw starring in two titles) and girl humor (led primarily by Millie the Model along with Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe). The two fantasy titles (Strange Tales and World of Fantasy) clung on printing "inventory" (stories stored away in summer 1957) from late 1957 until late 1958. At the end of 1958 Martin Goodman attempted a new direction (after recently reviving Journey into Mystery) by launching a short-lived space fantasy sci-fi range of stories in six titles :Strange Worlds #1, World of Fantasy #15 , Strange Tales #67, Journey into Mystery #50, Tales of Suspense #1 and Tales to Astonish #1. The space fantasy tales were unsuccessful and faded out after less than a year, but by the end of 1959 most of these titles (Strange Worlds and World of Fantasy were both cancelled) were now sporting covers featuring great hulking monsters and featuring a line-up of Jack Kirby-drawn stories (often inked by Dick Ayers) followed by Steve Ditko's wonderful mysterious "ooky" tales and Don Heck's very atmospheric rendering of jungle/prison escapes and weird adventures. The Kirby/Ayers monster stories were riding on the coattails of popular movie trends of the time with a science fiction bent. Ind-Marvel also expanded its line of girls humor titles in 1959-61 with Kathy the Teen-Age Tornado (Oct 1959) and Linda Carter, Student Nurse (Sept 1961). This fact along with the fanstasy title expansion of late 1958 (and the addition of Amazing Adventures, cover dated June 1961 -- a title which eventually became the Lee & Ditko showpiece Amazing Adult Fantasy before becoming Amazing Fantasy #15 which in turn led to Amazing Spider-Man #1) clearly reveal that Martin Goodman and Stan Lee were looking for ways to expand their comics line.

1960s

Stan Lee), the cornerstone of Marvel and the introduction of a new style of superhero. Art by Jack Kirby.]] In the wake of DC Comics' success reviving superheroes in the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly with The Justice League of America, Marvel decided to follow suit. Editor/writer Stan Lee and freelance artist Jack Kirb