DC Comics is publishing company founded in 1935.
From the beginning, Super Comics has had a relationship with DC, though the two have always been independent of each other.
Starting with its first issue, Super Comics has published golden age Superman tales as one of its features. In the early 80s, Super Comics had guest appearances from Dial "H" for Hero and Batman, and Powerkid # 3 featured an appearance from Superman, that was in the Earth-1 canon.
In 1985, the Super Comics line of title participated in DC's 12 issue crossover series titled Crisis on Infinite Earths, even spawning it's own series, the Crisis Within.
Following that series, and DC's reboot, the Super Comics titles were now considered to be part of the DC Universe, though the two companies stayed separate logistically. However, in 1993, Super Comics decided to remove all elements of the DC Universe from its own continuity, without retroactively removing it, by revealing that the Super Universe was a Hypertimeline.
In 1994, Super Comics launched Super Comics DCU, in which new versions of classic Super Comics characters were featured in titles taking place directly in the DCU, but the titles all ended after just six months.
In 2000, several Super Comics characters actually moved to the DCU, and lived there for a year.
From 2003 to 2007, Powerman's adventures had him travelling through time, space, and alternate realities, meeting many famous characters from other properties, including DC characters from current and older continuities. It was always left ambiguous which reality he was in when meeting these characters. For example, when he met the golden age Superman, he may have been in the Super Comics Universe, the Wold Newton Universe, or Earth-2.
With the 2008 Super Explosion, references have been made acknowledging the DC characters having counterparts in the Super Universe.
Showing posts with label Powerkid I. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Powerkid I. Show all posts
Friday, January 6, 2012
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Karate Spears
Karate Spears
Created by Chuck Spears
Real Name: Karate Spears
Alias: Interstellar Ninja
Current Occupation: Mercenary
Parents: Unnamed
Siblings: Charles Spearing Senior, Brian Spearing
Spouse: None
Children: None
Group Affiliation: Powerkid Haters, Bad Guys
Place of Birth: Earth-K
Current Place of Residence: Orange City
First Appearance: Powerkid # 1, September 1982
Biography:
In an alternate reality, life on Earth had evolved differently, in a warrior culture where only the mightiest warriors ruled. In the late 20th century, Karate Spears was that warrior ruler. However, Spears grew bored with no challenges to his rule, and sought to find one elsewhere.
Despite being a very uncivilized world, they were much more technologically advanced, and Karate Spears used a device that allowed him to view alternate Earths to find a challenge. He came across the universe of Powerkid, and found Powerkid to be a worthy opponent.
To that end, he came to Orange City and found Powerkid, and began attacking him. Powerkid and Karate Spears at first seemed evenly matched, but it turned out that Powerkid began weakening because Spears was using a power draining device called Apple Crisp on the hero.
Mustering the last of his energy, Powerkid fled. Karate Spears had given Powerkid the clue on who to seek out for aid. When Spears revealed he was from another Earth, this let Powerkid know that he multiverse was real, just like in his comics. He had previously used the Forbidden Forest as a portal to travel through time and to other weird dimensions, so likely he could do so to travel to alternate Earths, and he did just that.
In the meantime, Spears gloated over his victory, and threatened to keep destroying the city until Powerkid returned to face his demise. But Spears didn't have to wait too long when both a red and a blue streak came towards him, and Spears found himself toppled over by both Powerkid and Superman!!! (Even though there was two Supermen in the Wronskiverse at this time, they operated in secret and Powerkid was not aware of their existence, thus he traveled to another reality to get their Superman.)
The two defeated the villain, who teleported back to his own world.
Humiliated, Spears had to redeem himself (especially since on his world, weakness was surely a sign that he was unfit to rule and easy to kill.) Over the next few years, Spears constantly tried to kill Powerkid and failed each time. Eventually, he became a constant foe of Zap and the Powerkid Police as well. Karate Spears eventually found it in his best interest to form a lasting alliance with Doctor Deadly, the evil ageless ruler of Death Planet. He also joined a team of Powerkid's greatest foes called the Powerkid Haters.
During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, everything changed. The wave of antimattter and the environmental damage were combining to tear Karate Spears' Earth apart, and only with the aid of Powerkid was it saved, when Powerkid actually moved the planet out of that doomed reality and into an orbit between Death Planet and Booer. Overcome by the generosity of a hero who he's tried to kill dozens of times, Spears redefined in his mind what makes a warrior, and vowed that his world, renamed Kearth, would never do harm to Powerkid or Earth ever again.
That would be Spears' undoing. One of Spears' top aids, General Leers, was able to convince the public that their leader's newfound outlook was weakness, and toppled the government and assumed control. Leers did not slay Spears, however, as Spears still had a large following, and instead locked him away in a dungeon.
Eventually Leers himself was killed and replaced by Spearon, and a decade passed with Spears locked away, until he eventually escaped and fled to Earth, where he began operating as a super-hero called the Interstellar Ninja. A few years later, a mutant named Adam took over the Earth, and aliens were all deported, including Spears. Spears recently returned to Earth, and joined a team of mercenaries that consisted of reformed super villains called the Bad Guys. He currently works this this team going around the world helping people in need.
Comments:
Karate Spears has the distinction of being the first Powerkid foe, and replaced the Lightning Kid as Powerkid's primary foe. The character was created by my then neighbor Chuck Spears. He was creatively involved in almost all Karate Spears stories from 1982 - 1985.
Ironically, as my friendship with Chuck was ending, I did the reverse for the characters. Karate Spears' final appearance was in 1985's The Crisis Within, until I brought him back in 1994 in the Powerman series. Karate Spears appeared a few times as the Interstellar Ninja between 1994 - 1995, then again stopped appearing until 2008 when he was brought back in Crisis, and is now a team member of the Bad Guys, which is published monthly.
Created by Chuck Spears
Real Name: Karate Spears
Alias: Interstellar Ninja
Current Occupation: Mercenary
Parents: Unnamed
Siblings: Charles Spearing Senior, Brian Spearing
Spouse: None
Children: None
Group Affiliation: Powerkid Haters, Bad Guys
Place of Birth: Earth-K
Current Place of Residence: Orange City
First Appearance: Powerkid # 1, September 1982
Biography:
In an alternate reality, life on Earth had evolved differently, in a warrior culture where only the mightiest warriors ruled. In the late 20th century, Karate Spears was that warrior ruler. However, Spears grew bored with no challenges to his rule, and sought to find one elsewhere.
Despite being a very uncivilized world, they were much more technologically advanced, and Karate Spears used a device that allowed him to view alternate Earths to find a challenge. He came across the universe of Powerkid, and found Powerkid to be a worthy opponent.
To that end, he came to Orange City and found Powerkid, and began attacking him. Powerkid and Karate Spears at first seemed evenly matched, but it turned out that Powerkid began weakening because Spears was using a power draining device called Apple Crisp on the hero.
Mustering the last of his energy, Powerkid fled. Karate Spears had given Powerkid the clue on who to seek out for aid. When Spears revealed he was from another Earth, this let Powerkid know that he multiverse was real, just like in his comics. He had previously used the Forbidden Forest as a portal to travel through time and to other weird dimensions, so likely he could do so to travel to alternate Earths, and he did just that.
In the meantime, Spears gloated over his victory, and threatened to keep destroying the city until Powerkid returned to face his demise. But Spears didn't have to wait too long when both a red and a blue streak came towards him, and Spears found himself toppled over by both Powerkid and Superman!!! (Even though there was two Supermen in the Wronskiverse at this time, they operated in secret and Powerkid was not aware of their existence, thus he traveled to another reality to get their Superman.)
The two defeated the villain, who teleported back to his own world.
Humiliated, Spears had to redeem himself (especially since on his world, weakness was surely a sign that he was unfit to rule and easy to kill.) Over the next few years, Spears constantly tried to kill Powerkid and failed each time. Eventually, he became a constant foe of Zap and the Powerkid Police as well. Karate Spears eventually found it in his best interest to form a lasting alliance with Doctor Deadly, the evil ageless ruler of Death Planet. He also joined a team of Powerkid's greatest foes called the Powerkid Haters.
During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, everything changed. The wave of antimattter and the environmental damage were combining to tear Karate Spears' Earth apart, and only with the aid of Powerkid was it saved, when Powerkid actually moved the planet out of that doomed reality and into an orbit between Death Planet and Booer. Overcome by the generosity of a hero who he's tried to kill dozens of times, Spears redefined in his mind what makes a warrior, and vowed that his world, renamed Kearth, would never do harm to Powerkid or Earth ever again.
That would be Spears' undoing. One of Spears' top aids, General Leers, was able to convince the public that their leader's newfound outlook was weakness, and toppled the government and assumed control. Leers did not slay Spears, however, as Spears still had a large following, and instead locked him away in a dungeon.
Eventually Leers himself was killed and replaced by Spearon, and a decade passed with Spears locked away, until he eventually escaped and fled to Earth, where he began operating as a super-hero called the Interstellar Ninja. A few years later, a mutant named Adam took over the Earth, and aliens were all deported, including Spears. Spears recently returned to Earth, and joined a team of mercenaries that consisted of reformed super villains called the Bad Guys. He currently works this this team going around the world helping people in need.
Comments:
Karate Spears has the distinction of being the first Powerkid foe, and replaced the Lightning Kid as Powerkid's primary foe. The character was created by my then neighbor Chuck Spears. He was creatively involved in almost all Karate Spears stories from 1982 - 1985.
Ironically, as my friendship with Chuck was ending, I did the reverse for the characters. Karate Spears' final appearance was in 1985's The Crisis Within, until I brought him back in 1994 in the Powerman series. Karate Spears appeared a few times as the Interstellar Ninja between 1994 - 1995, then again stopped appearing until 2008 when he was brought back in Crisis, and is now a team member of the Bad Guys, which is published monthly.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Krusher I
Krusher I
Created by Robert E. Wronski, Jr, Phil Sheridan, and Ken Maxwell
Real Name: Ken Madison
Alias: Mad Dog Madison (his high school nick name)
Current Occupation: Mercenary
Parents: Unnamed
Siblings: None
Spouse: None
Children: Olive Madison
Group Affiliation: Powerkid Haters, Seven Deadly Sins, Bad Guys
Place of Birth: Orange City
Current Place of Residence: Orange City
First Appearance: Powerkid # 25, September 1984
Biography:
Ken Madison enlisted into the Marines in 1984 at the age of 18 immediately after graduation. After Boot Camp, he ended up being assigned to an installation in Greenfield, where he had the misfortune of walking in on Colonel Peterson murdering a man. Peterson arranged for Private Madison to be framed for the murder, but then offered his charges to be erased if he took part in an experiment. The experiment was part of Project: Franklin, which was a super-soldier program.
Madison was irradiated with some mysterious energy (which may have been of alien origin). The result was that Madison gained the ability to absorb power and energy, making him stronger and invulnerable. In some cases, he could even absorb super-powers, draining the super-powered being and being able to temporarily use those powers himself. Unfortunately, the more power Madison contained, the more his mind degraded to a savage state of being.
Madison broke free and began rampaging through Greenfield on his way back to Orange City. It was in Orange City where it took the combination of Powerkid, Zap, and Speed Demon to stop Krusher, as Madison was calling himself.
However, the Super-Trio didn't use their physical powers to stop him, as that was impossible. Any powers they used were just absorbed and used against them. Powerkid, Zap, and Speed Demon had to combine their mental powers to give Madison amnesia. The government, wishing to not be linked to this, left the amnesiac alone, and Madison got a job working as a janitor at Mahar High School, where Powerkid could keep an eye on him.
A few months later, however, Ken's memories were restored by Doctor Deadly, who was putting a team together of Powerkid's greatest foes, in a plot to destroy Powerkid. The team was defeated, and Madison's mental blocks were put back in place.
In 1991, the blocks wore off, and Powerman (formerly Powerkid), Zap, and Volt-Man attempted to stop Krusher again, now rampaging in the Nevada desert. The three knew that their power wasn't effective, and even hypnotism wouldn't work any longer. Scientific genius John Barstaman devised the only solution, by creating a portal to some unknown other dimension, in which the three heroes lured the crazed villain and trapped him in.
What the heroes didn't know was this unknown dimension was actually the dark dimension of Doctor Deadly. Deadly once again recruited Krusher for a new team to capture Powerman for him.
A year later, it appeared that Krusher had been killed by Powerman, after he and his former teammates completely destroyed Orange City, killing the millions of inhabitants. However, in 2001, it was revealed the Krusher had indeed survived, due to his power, and even though in 1998 Allorin Vonski had taken away his powers and memories, they came back over time.
But in 2001, Madison had somehow managed to control his power, and his sanity, and retired. A few years later, he had a daughter, whose mother died shortly after a very slow and painful death.
In 2009, Krusher was recruited by Michael Bossman to join a team of reformed villains called the Bad Guys to perform missions around the globe where governments are unable to.
Even though Bossman himself turned out to be less than reformed, the team continued on without him.
In the year 2019, Ken's daughter Olive Madison will have inherited her father's powers to become Krusher II, a founding member of the Power Police.
Comments:
Krusher was a character co-created by myself, Phil Sheridan, and Ken Madison (who is also the inspiration) in 1984 on the playground of Butterfield School.
Despite the fact that he was considered one of Powerkid's greatest foes, he only appeared in two story arcs in 1984 then only appeared briefly in cameo in scenes at Mahar where he was an amnesiac janitor. Occasionally Chris Kowalski would worry about what would happen if Madison's memories were restored.
And indeed in 1991 when I made a major revision of the Super Universe, one of the first things I did was see what would happen if his memories returned. But again he only appeared in three major story arcs from 1991 - 1992.
He resurfaced for one story arc in 2001 which was about Chris' class reunion, bringing back many characters from the high school era including Krusher, and showing that Orange City was being rebuilt.
Since 2009, Krusher has appeared monthly as a member of the Bad Guys.
His daughter Olive Madison was first introduced in 1991 in Justice League 2019 and again in Power Police 2020 the next year.
And Kenny has been very upset that I turned his villain into a good guy. All I can say is to be patient. The future isn't what it used to be. I have plans in the works. There are alternate realities and not all of them turned out the same way. Somewhere out there, there's a really, really, really scary version of Krusher whose story has yet to be told, but is coming soon.
Created by Robert E. Wronski, Jr, Phil Sheridan, and Ken Maxwell
Real Name: Ken Madison
Alias: Mad Dog Madison (his high school nick name)
Current Occupation: Mercenary
Parents: Unnamed
Siblings: None
Spouse: None
Children: Olive Madison
Group Affiliation: Powerkid Haters, Seven Deadly Sins, Bad Guys
Place of Birth: Orange City
Current Place of Residence: Orange City
First Appearance: Powerkid # 25, September 1984
Biography:
Ken Madison enlisted into the Marines in 1984 at the age of 18 immediately after graduation. After Boot Camp, he ended up being assigned to an installation in Greenfield, where he had the misfortune of walking in on Colonel Peterson murdering a man. Peterson arranged for Private Madison to be framed for the murder, but then offered his charges to be erased if he took part in an experiment. The experiment was part of Project: Franklin, which was a super-soldier program.
Madison was irradiated with some mysterious energy (which may have been of alien origin). The result was that Madison gained the ability to absorb power and energy, making him stronger and invulnerable. In some cases, he could even absorb super-powers, draining the super-powered being and being able to temporarily use those powers himself. Unfortunately, the more power Madison contained, the more his mind degraded to a savage state of being.
Madison broke free and began rampaging through Greenfield on his way back to Orange City. It was in Orange City where it took the combination of Powerkid, Zap, and Speed Demon to stop Krusher, as Madison was calling himself.
However, the Super-Trio didn't use their physical powers to stop him, as that was impossible. Any powers they used were just absorbed and used against them. Powerkid, Zap, and Speed Demon had to combine their mental powers to give Madison amnesia. The government, wishing to not be linked to this, left the amnesiac alone, and Madison got a job working as a janitor at Mahar High School, where Powerkid could keep an eye on him.
A few months later, however, Ken's memories were restored by Doctor Deadly, who was putting a team together of Powerkid's greatest foes, in a plot to destroy Powerkid. The team was defeated, and Madison's mental blocks were put back in place.
In 1991, the blocks wore off, and Powerman (formerly Powerkid), Zap, and Volt-Man attempted to stop Krusher again, now rampaging in the Nevada desert. The three knew that their power wasn't effective, and even hypnotism wouldn't work any longer. Scientific genius John Barstaman devised the only solution, by creating a portal to some unknown other dimension, in which the three heroes lured the crazed villain and trapped him in.
What the heroes didn't know was this unknown dimension was actually the dark dimension of Doctor Deadly. Deadly once again recruited Krusher for a new team to capture Powerman for him.
A year later, it appeared that Krusher had been killed by Powerman, after he and his former teammates completely destroyed Orange City, killing the millions of inhabitants. However, in 2001, it was revealed the Krusher had indeed survived, due to his power, and even though in 1998 Allorin Vonski had taken away his powers and memories, they came back over time.
But in 2001, Madison had somehow managed to control his power, and his sanity, and retired. A few years later, he had a daughter, whose mother died shortly after a very slow and painful death.
In 2009, Krusher was recruited by Michael Bossman to join a team of reformed villains called the Bad Guys to perform missions around the globe where governments are unable to.
Even though Bossman himself turned out to be less than reformed, the team continued on without him.
In the year 2019, Ken's daughter Olive Madison will have inherited her father's powers to become Krusher II, a founding member of the Power Police.
Comments:
Krusher was a character co-created by myself, Phil Sheridan, and Ken Madison (who is also the inspiration) in 1984 on the playground of Butterfield School.
Despite the fact that he was considered one of Powerkid's greatest foes, he only appeared in two story arcs in 1984 then only appeared briefly in cameo in scenes at Mahar where he was an amnesiac janitor. Occasionally Chris Kowalski would worry about what would happen if Madison's memories were restored.
And indeed in 1991 when I made a major revision of the Super Universe, one of the first things I did was see what would happen if his memories returned. But again he only appeared in three major story arcs from 1991 - 1992.
He resurfaced for one story arc in 2001 which was about Chris' class reunion, bringing back many characters from the high school era including Krusher, and showing that Orange City was being rebuilt.
Since 2009, Krusher has appeared monthly as a member of the Bad Guys.
His daughter Olive Madison was first introduced in 1991 in Justice League 2019 and again in Power Police 2020 the next year.
And Kenny has been very upset that I turned his villain into a good guy. All I can say is to be patient. The future isn't what it used to be. I have plans in the works. There are alternate realities and not all of them turned out the same way. Somewhere out there, there's a really, really, really scary version of Krusher whose story has yet to be told, but is coming soon.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Powerkid Police
Powerkid Police
Created by Robert E. Wronski, Jr. and Phil Sheridan
First Appearance: Powerkid Police # 1, September 1982
Members:
Powerkid
Zap, Master of Power
Speedy/Speedster/Speed Demon
Vic-20
Unknown
Man-Killer
Space Hero
Waterman
Avenger
Toy/Shrinker
Birdboy/Birdman
Birdgirl/Birdwoman
Screamer
Tornado Man
Stretch
Witch Woman
Fire Man
Kitten Girl
Powergirl
Chris "the Whale" Whaler
Biography:
In 1982, there was an explosion in the number of people who developed super-powers on the planet, mostly in the United States, particularly in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. The reason for this was related to the plans of three cosmic beings, and the location of the Universal Transponder, a device whose mystery is only exceeded by its power, which was in the Forbidden Forest just outside Orange City. Many of these people who gained powers donned costumes, and became crime fighters.
In late 1982, a cosmic entity called Morgoth came to Earth to claim it as his and reshape it in his image, but was defeated by three of these new heroes: Powerkid, Zap, and Speedy. After the success of their collaboration, they decided that a team of heroes is needed to protect Earth from situations like this.
So they put an ad in the newspaper looking for new members of this team, that would be called the Powerkid Police, since Powerkid was the first of the many heroes to appear, and thus was an inspiration to the others.
And heroes did join. the majority of the members of this team all joined in the initial recruitment, with only Kitten Girl, Powerkid, and Chris Whaler becoming members later in 1984.
The team's tenure is considered the golden age of heroes by most historians, and it was short lived. In 1985, there was a cosmic crisis that threatened to destroy the multiverse. During this crisis, Powergirl was killed (or so it seemed). This seemed to end an age of innocence. Shortly after, a wave of anti-super-hero hysteria swept the nation as the crisis was blamed on Earth's super-beings, who were largely unaware of the true cause nor cared.
The team decided to disband and retire.
Two new teams emerged not that long later. One was the Heroes of Earth, whose members would include Powerkid, Zap, the Speed Demon, Space Hero, and Fire Man. This team would operate until 1992, then return from 1995 to 1998, then re-emerge in 2008 where it continues today.
The other team to emerge after the PKP's disbanding was the Mystery Men. This team including former PKP members Unknown, Shrinker, and Stretch. Sadly this team was killed by robot Time Lords in 1988.
In 2019, a new team will be gathered calling itself the Power Police in tribute to the original "golden age" team.
Comments:
First, I'll discuss the team's name. In 1982, when Phil Sheridan and I were in 4th grade and trying to create a club, I wanted it to be a super-hero club, as in Powerkid, Zap, ect. He wanted it to be a military club (as in G.I. Joe, MASH, and military police.) He suggested we combine them, particularly Powerkid + military police = Powerkid Police. Thus Phil gets co-creator credits for coming up with this name of our club that I would then apply to my stories.
If you see the roster, you can see the membership of the Powerkid Police greatly resembles the line-up of the Justice League of America of that era. That is definitely intentional, and meant to be an homage. The actual stories didn't resemble the JLA's adventures as much. The PKP operated in an underground headquarters that was created by a super-villain but seized by Powerkid. Their access to the headquarters was through an entrance in a treehouse in Powerkid's backyard.
The team mostly fought the big threats that were too big for Powerkid alone. They fought Doctor Deadly a lot, and the Powerkid Haters. They also fought alien invaders like the Booers.
The team's demise was part of my growing up process I think, as the replacement team, the Heroes of Earth, had a much more original team make-up and storylines.
The original roster of the PKP were restored in 2008 to both life and power to fight the New Power. They are now all back to active duty, but the team has not reformed (nor will it, based on my future projections for stories at this time.) However, they will always be remembered in the Wronskiverse as the models of heroism in a simpler time. Powerman himself often acts embarrassed by the name of the team, but still thinks fondly of those days before he lost his innocence.
Created by Robert E. Wronski, Jr. and Phil Sheridan
First Appearance: Powerkid Police # 1, September 1982
Members:
Powerkid
Zap, Master of Power
Speedy/Speedster/Speed Demon
Vic-20
Unknown
Man-Killer
Space Hero
Waterman
Avenger
Toy/Shrinker
Birdboy/Birdman
Birdgirl/Birdwoman
Screamer
Tornado Man
Stretch
Witch Woman
Fire Man
Kitten Girl
Powergirl
Chris "the Whale" Whaler
Biography:
In 1982, there was an explosion in the number of people who developed super-powers on the planet, mostly in the United States, particularly in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. The reason for this was related to the plans of three cosmic beings, and the location of the Universal Transponder, a device whose mystery is only exceeded by its power, which was in the Forbidden Forest just outside Orange City. Many of these people who gained powers donned costumes, and became crime fighters.
In late 1982, a cosmic entity called Morgoth came to Earth to claim it as his and reshape it in his image, but was defeated by three of these new heroes: Powerkid, Zap, and Speedy. After the success of their collaboration, they decided that a team of heroes is needed to protect Earth from situations like this.
So they put an ad in the newspaper looking for new members of this team, that would be called the Powerkid Police, since Powerkid was the first of the many heroes to appear, and thus was an inspiration to the others.
And heroes did join. the majority of the members of this team all joined in the initial recruitment, with only Kitten Girl, Powerkid, and Chris Whaler becoming members later in 1984.
The team's tenure is considered the golden age of heroes by most historians, and it was short lived. In 1985, there was a cosmic crisis that threatened to destroy the multiverse. During this crisis, Powergirl was killed (or so it seemed). This seemed to end an age of innocence. Shortly after, a wave of anti-super-hero hysteria swept the nation as the crisis was blamed on Earth's super-beings, who were largely unaware of the true cause nor cared.
The team decided to disband and retire.
Two new teams emerged not that long later. One was the Heroes of Earth, whose members would include Powerkid, Zap, the Speed Demon, Space Hero, and Fire Man. This team would operate until 1992, then return from 1995 to 1998, then re-emerge in 2008 where it continues today.
The other team to emerge after the PKP's disbanding was the Mystery Men. This team including former PKP members Unknown, Shrinker, and Stretch. Sadly this team was killed by robot Time Lords in 1988.
In 2019, a new team will be gathered calling itself the Power Police in tribute to the original "golden age" team.
Comments:
First, I'll discuss the team's name. In 1982, when Phil Sheridan and I were in 4th grade and trying to create a club, I wanted it to be a super-hero club, as in Powerkid, Zap, ect. He wanted it to be a military club (as in G.I. Joe, MASH, and military police.) He suggested we combine them, particularly Powerkid + military police = Powerkid Police. Thus Phil gets co-creator credits for coming up with this name of our club that I would then apply to my stories.
If you see the roster, you can see the membership of the Powerkid Police greatly resembles the line-up of the Justice League of America of that era. That is definitely intentional, and meant to be an homage. The actual stories didn't resemble the JLA's adventures as much. The PKP operated in an underground headquarters that was created by a super-villain but seized by Powerkid. Their access to the headquarters was through an entrance in a treehouse in Powerkid's backyard.
The team mostly fought the big threats that were too big for Powerkid alone. They fought Doctor Deadly a lot, and the Powerkid Haters. They also fought alien invaders like the Booers.
The team's demise was part of my growing up process I think, as the replacement team, the Heroes of Earth, had a much more original team make-up and storylines.
The original roster of the PKP were restored in 2008 to both life and power to fight the New Power. They are now all back to active duty, but the team has not reformed (nor will it, based on my future projections for stories at this time.) However, they will always be remembered in the Wronskiverse as the models of heroism in a simpler time. Powerman himself often acts embarrassed by the name of the team, but still thinks fondly of those days before he lost his innocence.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Heroes of Earth
Heroes of Earth
Created by Robert E. Wronski, Jr.
Members:
Allorin Vonski
Doctor Deadly
Unknown
Peter Lebane
Danny "Blacky" Falkner
Doctor Mystery
Wonder Dog
Powerkid/Powerman
Angela, Princess of Another World
Zap, Master of Power II
Luke Devlin
Speed Demon
John Barstaman
Justice I
Space Hero
Phil Kowalski
Kristen Sherman
Captain Hero
Shon Crest
Volt Man
Powerwoman
Starfire
Lady Shiva
Captain Zippy
Barbara Van Helsing
Powerkid II
Zap, Master of Power III
War Child
Icicle
Green Flame
Super Guy
Hell Child
Devil's Daughter
Mouse
Marvel
Justice III
First Appearance: Powerkid Police # 25, September 1984
Biography:
The team that has gone by the name Heroes of Earth has gone under a few different incarnations.
The first team actually began on an alternate world called Earth-5 by some. Allorin Vonski (one of the cosmic ones of Earth-B, the main Wronskiverse) knew of an upcoming Crisis that would threaten all of existence throughout the multliverse. He realized this other Earth needed it's own team of champions, much like Earth-B's Powerkid Police. Unlike Earth B, Earth-5 is a world without super-beings, but in their place are magical beings and nonpowered heroes.
The team Vonski chose consisted of Doctor Deadly, a hero whose mystical powers he used to protect the galaxy; the Unknown, a vigilante who operates in Worcester and was inspired by Vonki's brother the Great Unknown; Peter Lebane, a private investigator whose cases pit him against super criminals; Blacky Falkner, former sidekick of the Unknown and later parter of Lebane; Doctor Mystery, a very mysterious international adventurer; and Wonder Dog, a robotic dog who was a gift to Doctor Mystery from another vigilante who operated in a big city in the 1970s.
This team traveled to Earth-B to seek out the Powerkid Police, so they could join forces in the upcoming Crisis. The Heroes of Earth were part of the events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. While they were on Earth-B with the Powerkid Police their world was destroyed by anti-matter. (Actually, that's not really true, but it was what they believed.)
They were present on the Monitor's satellite, and battled the Anti-Monitor on the moon of Qward.
And they then joined with Earth-B's heroes to stop Doctor Deadly (the bad one) from destroying all reality.
In the aftermath, the Heroes of Earth found themselves without a home, stranded on a world where they did not exist. In order to help their transition, he maxed his powers by altering reality so that these heroes had always existed on Earth-B.
Following this, the Heroes of Earth, who had only joined forces for the Crisis, disbanded.
Doctor Deadly retired, after having seen a world where his name is used for evil.
The Unknown had the hardest time adapting. Unlike the other heroes, the Unknown existed on both worlds. Thus, Earth-5's Unknown was a duplicate. He had no place. He later joined a team called the Mystery Men and tragically died on a mission.
Peter Lebane also had a duplicate, but Vonski's spell had actually merged the two together since their lives had been so close to being the same (whereas the two Unknowns had a lot of different adventures). Following this, Peter rejoined the police force.
Blacky also merged with his other universe version. When he reached adulthood, he would join the police force.
Doctor Mystery and Wonder Dog had no counterparts, so their lives and history were fully integrated, though Doctor Mystery and his partner seemed to disappear for many years, not returning until the rise of Adam.
Just over a year after the Crisis, a new version of the team would form, which would be the most well remembered.
In the fall of 1986, Doctor Deadly (the bad one) was at it again, with another attempt to conquer Earth. Several heroes gathered together to defeat him. Since the Powerkid Police had recently disbanded, Allorin Vonski proposed the forming of a new Heroes of Earth to fill the void. Not all heroes involved in that adventure joined, but those who did were Luke Devil, Angela (Princess of Booer), Powerkid, Zap, and Speed Demon. Shortly after, scientist John Barstaman was recruited, and then the new vigilante called Justice. Three Space Heroes from the late 21st century came back in time to join the team as well. The final addition to this version of the team was a new hero called Captain Hero.
The team moved into an underground section of the corporate headquarters of Allen Industries, owned by Matthew Allen, an alter ego of Allorin Vonski. It was based in Hadenville, OH, which Vonski claimed was a mystical nexus.
In late 1988, the team went through some major changes. Powerkid retired from heroing after hurting emotionally from the betrayal of society during the time when super heroes were banned in America. Zap had lost his powers for unknown reasons (which were later revealed to be due to the death of his father, Zeus.) Justice took a leave to focus on finding the headquarters of the New Power Organization. And the Space Heroes had to return to their own time to deal with a threat from some evil (fake robot) Time Lords.
And then betrayal. Captain Hero turned out to be an agent of Doctor Deadly, meant to infiltrate the team to steal the Universal Transponder, a device old as time that has the power to create or destroy. Captain Hero did steal the transponder, but not before attacking Barstaman, where he ripped out his tongue and pulled off his arms and legs, which where all later replaced with robotics.
While most of the team left to Death Planet to retrieve the device, Speed Demon remained behind to help Vonski, who was distracted by something he couldn't reveal (which was actually a matter involving the near destruction of his race.) That was when, Shon Crest the Speed Demon found himself face to face with Shon Crest the Speed Demon.
It turned out that the person who had been on team, was not Shon Crest, but really his clone, who had also been called Jamie Crest. Shon, who had been thought dead, was so outraged at the identity theft he killed his clone brother, who then just dematerialized, since he was a magical clone created by Vonski.
Crest then replaced his clone on the team.
In 1991, Powerman, Zap, and Volt Man were temporarily on the team, until Powerman "died" (he got better) and Zap and Volt Man lost their powers. Then with the break up of Justice League International, Vonski saw a void to fill, and got international UN status for his team, and the Heroes of Earth then gained bases all over the world, with their main headquarters in Canberra, Australia. They also gained a very large membership, as every hero on Earth was made a member of the team, so that any one can be called to service when needed.
But they still had a core team, which now had consisted of Allorin Vonski, Luke Devlin, Angela, and Barstaman. Crest had left to take on his personal mission against the evil Master.
But their core membership was added to by Starfire, former member of the Teen Titans, and the martial artist Lady Shiva. They were also joined by a new hero called Captain Zippy, who was a heroic vampire. Barstaman even helped him overcome his aversion to sunlight. Also joining the team was Barbara Van Helsing, a vampire hunter who was watching Zippy closely to see if he was truly reformed. And Powerwoman was a member of the Boor race who joined under the recommendation of Powerman.
In the summer of 1991, Maureen Wrigley went crazy and blew up the Canberra headquarters, and this led the UN to revoke the Heroes' international status. The team was forced to move into a new headquarters...the home of John Barstaman's parents and five siblings (which included his sister Rachel aka Marvel). It was crowded and chaotic to say the least.
Sadly, this new team was killed by the Powerkid Haters at the end of 1992.
Three years later, the mutant Adam rose to power and took over the world. He reinstituted the Heroes of Earth as his personal honor guard. The new team was the former members of the Champions, led by the new Powerkid and the new Zap. The team served the evil Adam against their will due to his powerful mind control. However, when Powerman returned from a self imposed exile, he was able to free the Heroes from Adam's control, and Adam was defeated. The team was disbanded.
Two years ago, the classic team was reformed. During the Crisis of the year before, the Cosmic Ones had to resurrect all deceased super-heroes. Thus, Vonski, Luke Devlin, Angela, Marvel, Captain Zippy, Barbara Van Helsing, and the new Justice (Michelle Wrigley, formerly Powerkid II) joined together with headquarters back in Allen Industries in Hadenville. Though Michelle has retired from heroics, the remainder of the team is still active today.
Comments:
When I first created the Heroes of Earth, this was my first ever two part story. (I had done stories that later had sequels and stories that hinted at things to come, but never one story in two parts.) Their first appearance in the Powerkid Police was an homage to the JLA/JSA crossovers. I had no idea of course that the Crisis on Infinite Earths was coming and that this would unintentionally serve as a prelude.
Earth-5, the world they came from, was made different from my super-hero world by being the world of non powered vigilantes, detectives, and magic users.
The next incarnation was inspired by Keith Giffen's Justice League, which came out of Legends. This heroes of earth came out of a four month crossover event called Heroes, which took place in Doctor Deadly Vs., Powerkid, Vonski Presents, Star Patrol, Super Spotlight, and Heroes. At the end, Heroes continued on as Heroes of Earth (after one issue in between titled Heroes of the People.)
This series lasted from 1986 to 1992. They went international in 1991, as a tribute to the JLI that was going through it's "Breakdowns" storyline, and an homage to the All-Star Squadron, in that I allowed every hero on Earth to be a member. It truly was the heroes of earth.
The destruction of their headquarters was actually part of a storyline going on at the time in Powerman, but for the Heroes, it had comical repercussions as a normal family had to share their home with a super-hero team. (Perhaps funnier to me, since the Barstamans were based on a very real family that I was very close to.)
In December 1992, the team was killed as part of an event called Death of the Super Universe, which had a huge death count, but it's comics, so almost everyone has returned.
The four issue mini-series Timeline in 1998 was the next use of the name, but the team was very different.
And recently, I took advantage of the aftermath of Crisis to revive the Heroes of Earth as part of the Super Explosion. And it's been a lot of fun to have the old gang back together again.
Created by Robert E. Wronski, Jr.
Members:
Allorin Vonski
Doctor Deadly
Unknown
Peter Lebane
Danny "Blacky" Falkner
Doctor Mystery
Wonder Dog
Powerkid/Powerman
Angela, Princess of Another World
Zap, Master of Power II
Luke Devlin
Speed Demon
John Barstaman
Justice I
Space Hero
Phil Kowalski
Kristen Sherman
Captain Hero
Shon Crest
Volt Man
Powerwoman
Starfire
Lady Shiva
| Animal Man Aquaman Atom Black Canary Black Lightning Blue Beetle Blue Devil Booster Gold Captain Atom Captain Marvel Elongated Man Doctor Fate (Eric Strauss) Firestorm Flash (Wally West) Green Arrow Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) Guy Gardner Hawkman (Hawkworld) John Stewart Martian Manhunter Metamorpho Plastic Man Power Girl Vixen Wonder Woman Zatanna
|
Captain Zippy
Barbara Van Helsing
Powerkid II
Zap, Master of Power III
War Child
Icicle
Green Flame
Super Guy
Hell Child
Devil's Daughter
Mouse
Marvel
Justice III
First Appearance: Powerkid Police # 25, September 1984
Biography:
The team that has gone by the name Heroes of Earth has gone under a few different incarnations.
The first team actually began on an alternate world called Earth-5 by some. Allorin Vonski (one of the cosmic ones of Earth-B, the main Wronskiverse) knew of an upcoming Crisis that would threaten all of existence throughout the multliverse. He realized this other Earth needed it's own team of champions, much like Earth-B's Powerkid Police. Unlike Earth B, Earth-5 is a world without super-beings, but in their place are magical beings and nonpowered heroes.
The team Vonski chose consisted of Doctor Deadly, a hero whose mystical powers he used to protect the galaxy; the Unknown, a vigilante who operates in Worcester and was inspired by Vonki's brother the Great Unknown; Peter Lebane, a private investigator whose cases pit him against super criminals; Blacky Falkner, former sidekick of the Unknown and later parter of Lebane; Doctor Mystery, a very mysterious international adventurer; and Wonder Dog, a robotic dog who was a gift to Doctor Mystery from another vigilante who operated in a big city in the 1970s.
This team traveled to Earth-B to seek out the Powerkid Police, so they could join forces in the upcoming Crisis. The Heroes of Earth were part of the events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. While they were on Earth-B with the Powerkid Police their world was destroyed by anti-matter. (Actually, that's not really true, but it was what they believed.)
They were present on the Monitor's satellite, and battled the Anti-Monitor on the moon of Qward.
And they then joined with Earth-B's heroes to stop Doctor Deadly (the bad one) from destroying all reality.
In the aftermath, the Heroes of Earth found themselves without a home, stranded on a world where they did not exist. In order to help their transition, he maxed his powers by altering reality so that these heroes had always existed on Earth-B.
Following this, the Heroes of Earth, who had only joined forces for the Crisis, disbanded.
Doctor Deadly retired, after having seen a world where his name is used for evil.
The Unknown had the hardest time adapting. Unlike the other heroes, the Unknown existed on both worlds. Thus, Earth-5's Unknown was a duplicate. He had no place. He later joined a team called the Mystery Men and tragically died on a mission.
Peter Lebane also had a duplicate, but Vonski's spell had actually merged the two together since their lives had been so close to being the same (whereas the two Unknowns had a lot of different adventures). Following this, Peter rejoined the police force.
Blacky also merged with his other universe version. When he reached adulthood, he would join the police force.
Doctor Mystery and Wonder Dog had no counterparts, so their lives and history were fully integrated, though Doctor Mystery and his partner seemed to disappear for many years, not returning until the rise of Adam.
Just over a year after the Crisis, a new version of the team would form, which would be the most well remembered.
In the fall of 1986, Doctor Deadly (the bad one) was at it again, with another attempt to conquer Earth. Several heroes gathered together to defeat him. Since the Powerkid Police had recently disbanded, Allorin Vonski proposed the forming of a new Heroes of Earth to fill the void. Not all heroes involved in that adventure joined, but those who did were Luke Devil, Angela (Princess of Booer), Powerkid, Zap, and Speed Demon. Shortly after, scientist John Barstaman was recruited, and then the new vigilante called Justice. Three Space Heroes from the late 21st century came back in time to join the team as well. The final addition to this version of the team was a new hero called Captain Hero.
The team moved into an underground section of the corporate headquarters of Allen Industries, owned by Matthew Allen, an alter ego of Allorin Vonski. It was based in Hadenville, OH, which Vonski claimed was a mystical nexus.
In late 1988, the team went through some major changes. Powerkid retired from heroing after hurting emotionally from the betrayal of society during the time when super heroes were banned in America. Zap had lost his powers for unknown reasons (which were later revealed to be due to the death of his father, Zeus.) Justice took a leave to focus on finding the headquarters of the New Power Organization. And the Space Heroes had to return to their own time to deal with a threat from some evil (fake robot) Time Lords.
And then betrayal. Captain Hero turned out to be an agent of Doctor Deadly, meant to infiltrate the team to steal the Universal Transponder, a device old as time that has the power to create or destroy. Captain Hero did steal the transponder, but not before attacking Barstaman, where he ripped out his tongue and pulled off his arms and legs, which where all later replaced with robotics.
While most of the team left to Death Planet to retrieve the device, Speed Demon remained behind to help Vonski, who was distracted by something he couldn't reveal (which was actually a matter involving the near destruction of his race.) That was when, Shon Crest the Speed Demon found himself face to face with Shon Crest the Speed Demon.
It turned out that the person who had been on team, was not Shon Crest, but really his clone, who had also been called Jamie Crest. Shon, who had been thought dead, was so outraged at the identity theft he killed his clone brother, who then just dematerialized, since he was a magical clone created by Vonski.
Crest then replaced his clone on the team.
In 1991, Powerman, Zap, and Volt Man were temporarily on the team, until Powerman "died" (he got better) and Zap and Volt Man lost their powers. Then with the break up of Justice League International, Vonski saw a void to fill, and got international UN status for his team, and the Heroes of Earth then gained bases all over the world, with their main headquarters in Canberra, Australia. They also gained a very large membership, as every hero on Earth was made a member of the team, so that any one can be called to service when needed.
But they still had a core team, which now had consisted of Allorin Vonski, Luke Devlin, Angela, and Barstaman. Crest had left to take on his personal mission against the evil Master.
But their core membership was added to by Starfire, former member of the Teen Titans, and the martial artist Lady Shiva. They were also joined by a new hero called Captain Zippy, who was a heroic vampire. Barstaman even helped him overcome his aversion to sunlight. Also joining the team was Barbara Van Helsing, a vampire hunter who was watching Zippy closely to see if he was truly reformed. And Powerwoman was a member of the Boor race who joined under the recommendation of Powerman.
In the summer of 1991, Maureen Wrigley went crazy and blew up the Canberra headquarters, and this led the UN to revoke the Heroes' international status. The team was forced to move into a new headquarters...the home of John Barstaman's parents and five siblings (which included his sister Rachel aka Marvel). It was crowded and chaotic to say the least.
Sadly, this new team was killed by the Powerkid Haters at the end of 1992.
Three years later, the mutant Adam rose to power and took over the world. He reinstituted the Heroes of Earth as his personal honor guard. The new team was the former members of the Champions, led by the new Powerkid and the new Zap. The team served the evil Adam against their will due to his powerful mind control. However, when Powerman returned from a self imposed exile, he was able to free the Heroes from Adam's control, and Adam was defeated. The team was disbanded.
Two years ago, the classic team was reformed. During the Crisis of the year before, the Cosmic Ones had to resurrect all deceased super-heroes. Thus, Vonski, Luke Devlin, Angela, Marvel, Captain Zippy, Barbara Van Helsing, and the new Justice (Michelle Wrigley, formerly Powerkid II) joined together with headquarters back in Allen Industries in Hadenville. Though Michelle has retired from heroics, the remainder of the team is still active today.
Comments:
When I first created the Heroes of Earth, this was my first ever two part story. (I had done stories that later had sequels and stories that hinted at things to come, but never one story in two parts.) Their first appearance in the Powerkid Police was an homage to the JLA/JSA crossovers. I had no idea of course that the Crisis on Infinite Earths was coming and that this would unintentionally serve as a prelude.
Earth-5, the world they came from, was made different from my super-hero world by being the world of non powered vigilantes, detectives, and magic users.
The next incarnation was inspired by Keith Giffen's Justice League, which came out of Legends. This heroes of earth came out of a four month crossover event called Heroes, which took place in Doctor Deadly Vs., Powerkid, Vonski Presents, Star Patrol, Super Spotlight, and Heroes. At the end, Heroes continued on as Heroes of Earth (after one issue in between titled Heroes of the People.)
This series lasted from 1986 to 1992. They went international in 1991, as a tribute to the JLI that was going through it's "Breakdowns" storyline, and an homage to the All-Star Squadron, in that I allowed every hero on Earth to be a member. It truly was the heroes of earth.
The destruction of their headquarters was actually part of a storyline going on at the time in Powerman, but for the Heroes, it had comical repercussions as a normal family had to share their home with a super-hero team. (Perhaps funnier to me, since the Barstamans were based on a very real family that I was very close to.)
In December 1992, the team was killed as part of an event called Death of the Super Universe, which had a huge death count, but it's comics, so almost everyone has returned.
The four issue mini-series Timeline in 1998 was the next use of the name, but the team was very different.
And recently, I took advantage of the aftermath of Crisis to revive the Heroes of Earth as part of the Super Explosion. And it's been a lot of fun to have the old gang back together again.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Bossman Enterprises
Bossman Enterprises
Created by Robert E. Wronski, Jr.
Biography:
Between 1981 and 1984, Michael Bossman was an underworld kingpin called the Boss. Using his illegally gotten gains, he created a company called Bossman Enterprises, in which he patented and produced new technologies that he stole from alien civilizations during his younger years as an agent of the Interstellar Peace Organization.
The technologies were just subtle enough to prove successful and groundbreaking on Earth but not advanced enough to draw the attention of the IPO. He was so successful that by 1984 Bossman's company was now a multi-billion dollar corporation and Bossman abandoned his underworld alter-ego, though not his evil ways.
From 1984 to 1989, while publicly a booming legal company, secretly is was used by Michael Bossman to conduct any illegal thing that suited him. This included Bossman's attempts to lure his son Chris Kowalski aka Powerkid over to the dark side, by force if necessary, and it was, though unsuccessful.
In 1989, Bossman's evil finally became public knowledge, and Powerkid apprehended him himself. Bossman was sent away for multiple murders, kidnappings, rapes, thefts, ect. He was away for a mere 18 years before his legal team finally got him released.
During his stay in prison, a proxy ran the company, however, Bossman still maintained real control. His proxy dared not try to take control for real.
When Bossman was released in 2007, he seemingly reformed. He devoted portions of his company, which he officially regained control of, to humanitarian efforts. The company began funding NighTforce, a team dedicated to taking down the terrorist cult called the New Power. The company also secretly funded another team called the Bad Guys, that consisted of reformed super-villains and traveled the globe on covert missions to assist people in need. The company also later funded the revived Heroes of Earth.
About a year ago, it was revealed that Bossman had not changed his ways, and actually was a member of the inner council of the New Power. Bossman went into hiding. This time, perhaps due to some part of Bossman that was actually good, a clause left all of Bossman's money, assets, valuables, and the entire company to his son Chris, and his grandson Connor. However, Connor being a minor had his mother Yana Oo named his proxy. Chris, having killed President Bush when under mind control, was in hiding, and named his sister Michelle Wrigley as his proxy. Thus, now Michelle Wrigley is the head of Bossman Enterprises, and Yana Oo the company's number two.
Today, Bossman Enterprises continues to thrive legally and secretly funding super-heroic operations, including ironically capturing Bossman and taking down the New Power once and for all.
Comments:
The character of Michael Bossman has gone through many changes over the years. In 1984, he transitioned from a super-villain who fought the Unknown and Detective Lebane, to an evil billionaire businessman whose goal was to turn his son, Powerkid, to his side.
And yes, in 1984, I came up with the idea of turning the evil mastermind into a rich businessman who uses his business as a front. Yes, I did that. Years before Byrne and Ostrander did the same to Luthor and Sivana. But do I get credit for this? (Perhaps, though, the Kingpin might be the first.)
From 1984 to 1989, Bossman Enterprises was a major part of Powerkid and Powerman, even when Bossman wasn't the main villain. His presence was always there in the series. But even beyond that, Bossman Enterprises has appeared or has been referenced in many Super Comics titles. Because Bossman Enterprises is the tallest building in Orange City, and located in the exact center of the city, it frequently appears in any story occurring in Orange City. (And most of the titles do take place in Orange City, or at least visit there at some point.) Additionally, the mark of "MBE" (for Michael Bossman Enterprises) is often seen on all kinds of tech gadgets in various stories.
Today, the company is a significant part of most Super Comics titles, particularly Powerman, Super Team-Up, Powerkid, Super Team-Up Jr., Super-Trio, Justice, NighTforce, Bad Guys, and Heroes of Earth.
It should be noted that Bossman Enterprises has not appeared in any story that takes place in the future, not even ones in Orange City. This doesn't necessarily mean that it's not there, but there is no evidence that it is.
Created by Robert E. Wronski, Jr.
Biography:
Between 1981 and 1984, Michael Bossman was an underworld kingpin called the Boss. Using his illegally gotten gains, he created a company called Bossman Enterprises, in which he patented and produced new technologies that he stole from alien civilizations during his younger years as an agent of the Interstellar Peace Organization.
The technologies were just subtle enough to prove successful and groundbreaking on Earth but not advanced enough to draw the attention of the IPO. He was so successful that by 1984 Bossman's company was now a multi-billion dollar corporation and Bossman abandoned his underworld alter-ego, though not his evil ways.
From 1984 to 1989, while publicly a booming legal company, secretly is was used by Michael Bossman to conduct any illegal thing that suited him. This included Bossman's attempts to lure his son Chris Kowalski aka Powerkid over to the dark side, by force if necessary, and it was, though unsuccessful.
In 1989, Bossman's evil finally became public knowledge, and Powerkid apprehended him himself. Bossman was sent away for multiple murders, kidnappings, rapes, thefts, ect. He was away for a mere 18 years before his legal team finally got him released.
During his stay in prison, a proxy ran the company, however, Bossman still maintained real control. His proxy dared not try to take control for real.
When Bossman was released in 2007, he seemingly reformed. He devoted portions of his company, which he officially regained control of, to humanitarian efforts. The company began funding NighTforce, a team dedicated to taking down the terrorist cult called the New Power. The company also secretly funded another team called the Bad Guys, that consisted of reformed super-villains and traveled the globe on covert missions to assist people in need. The company also later funded the revived Heroes of Earth.
About a year ago, it was revealed that Bossman had not changed his ways, and actually was a member of the inner council of the New Power. Bossman went into hiding. This time, perhaps due to some part of Bossman that was actually good, a clause left all of Bossman's money, assets, valuables, and the entire company to his son Chris, and his grandson Connor. However, Connor being a minor had his mother Yana Oo named his proxy. Chris, having killed President Bush when under mind control, was in hiding, and named his sister Michelle Wrigley as his proxy. Thus, now Michelle Wrigley is the head of Bossman Enterprises, and Yana Oo the company's number two.
Today, Bossman Enterprises continues to thrive legally and secretly funding super-heroic operations, including ironically capturing Bossman and taking down the New Power once and for all.
Comments:
The character of Michael Bossman has gone through many changes over the years. In 1984, he transitioned from a super-villain who fought the Unknown and Detective Lebane, to an evil billionaire businessman whose goal was to turn his son, Powerkid, to his side.
And yes, in 1984, I came up with the idea of turning the evil mastermind into a rich businessman who uses his business as a front. Yes, I did that. Years before Byrne and Ostrander did the same to Luthor and Sivana. But do I get credit for this? (Perhaps, though, the Kingpin might be the first.)
From 1984 to 1989, Bossman Enterprises was a major part of Powerkid and Powerman, even when Bossman wasn't the main villain. His presence was always there in the series. But even beyond that, Bossman Enterprises has appeared or has been referenced in many Super Comics titles. Because Bossman Enterprises is the tallest building in Orange City, and located in the exact center of the city, it frequently appears in any story occurring in Orange City. (And most of the titles do take place in Orange City, or at least visit there at some point.) Additionally, the mark of "MBE" (for Michael Bossman Enterprises) is often seen on all kinds of tech gadgets in various stories.
Today, the company is a significant part of most Super Comics titles, particularly Powerman, Super Team-Up, Powerkid, Super Team-Up Jr., Super-Trio, Justice, NighTforce, Bad Guys, and Heroes of Earth.
It should be noted that Bossman Enterprises has not appeared in any story that takes place in the future, not even ones in Orange City. This doesn't necessarily mean that it's not there, but there is no evidence that it is.
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