It the Living Colossus
Encyclopedia
It! The Living Colossus (Robert "Bob" O'Bryan) is a fictional character
in comic-book published by Marvel Comics
. Initially a statue animated by a hostile extraterrestrial, he first appeared in the science-fiction anthology series Tales of Suspense
#14 (Feb. 1961), in a story drawn by Jack Kirby
(writer unknown). He was revived in Astonishing Tales
#21 (Dec. 1973) by writer Tony Isabella
and artist Dick Ayers
as the protagonist
of a short-lived feature, in which he was animated by a wheelchair-using special-effects designer.
#14 (Feb. 1961), published by Marvel Comics
1950s and early 1960s forerunner, Atlas Comics
. Penciled by industry legend Jack Kirby
and inked
by Dick Ayers
, and scripted by an uncredited writer, this "Marvel pre-superhero" monster returned for a 13-page sequel story, "Colossus Lives Again", by the same art team, in the by-now Marvel comic Tales of Suspense #20 (Aug. 1961). The two stories were reprinted in, respectively, Monsters on the Prowl #17 (June 1972) and #25 (Sept. 1973).
The character was revived in Astonishing Tales
#21 (Dec. 1973) by writer Tony Isabella
and artist Dick Ayers
, who both drew and lettered
the stories. The feature ran four issues, through #24 (June 1974).
Isabella said in 2001 that after the Theodore Sturgeon
story "It!" in Supernatural Thrillers
#1 (Dec. 1972) had sold well, "Came the word from on high that Marvel should do a regular 'It!' series". Marvel already had an It-like swamp monster in Man-Thing
, so, "looking over the sales figures for recent issues of Marvel's giant monster reprint books, we discovered the issues which reprinted the 'Colossus' stories by Jack Kirby [Monsters on the Prowl #17 and 25] sold much better than the other issues which had been published around the same time".
In 2009, Isabella elaborated, saying editor-in-chief Roy Thomas
Assessing the series, Isabella said, "It was an honor working with Dick Ayers, one of the original 'Big Four' artists of the Marvel Universe
. However, I don't think Dick was at his best here. He wasn't being treated very well by Marvel and it was showing in his work".
In an unusual storytelling technique for the time, Isabella made longer stories than the budgeted 15-page tales by inserting reprint panels or pages from 1959-61 pre-superhero monster stories. "I could expand the page count of the 'It!' stories while including backstory which would have otherwise eaten up some of those new pages".
Had the series continued, Isabella said in 2009, "subsequent stories would have featured Goom
and Googam
... and a team-up with [the superhero
] Thor
to stop an invasion of Earth by the Storm Giants of Norse legend
".
constructed by Moscow sculptor Boris Petrovski to protest against the oppressive nature of the Soviet government. It became animated initially by the mind transferral of an alien Kigor and rampaged briefly through Moscow
after being attacked by the military. When the rescue party arrived, the Kigor abandoned the Colossus and returned to its home-world, leaving It inanimate. The statue was later transported to Los Angeles, California
and reanimated by the Kigors, who used it to attack the U.S. Army. The Kigors were defeated by Hollywood special-effects designer Bob O'Bryan and the statue was rendered inanimate.
An accident later robbed O'Bryan of the use of his legs and he had to use a wheelchair. The statue was stolen by the evil Doctor Vault, who reduced It in size from 100 feet (30.5 m) to 30 feet (9.1 m). It was then animated by the mind transferral of O'Bryan, and It battled Vault's minions and escaped. It then battled Granitor and alien invaders from the planet Stonus V. Alongside Fin Fang Foom
, It defeated the invaders. However, It then battled Fin Fang Foom and became controlled by the villainous Doctor Vault.
O'Bryan was later cured, and married Diane Cummings, living in Los Angeles. As It, he battled the Hulk
. The statue became controlled by Doctor Vault, and was totally destroyed in battle with the Hulk, reduced to dust. It was rebuilt as a robot
, for use by O'Bryan in his films. Later, the original It was reformed by O'Bryan under the control of Lotus Newmark.
After a battle with Doctor Doom
, It was lost in the Pacific Ocean near the Galapagos Islands. O'Bryan lost his connection to both his normal body and the Colossus, and his body was left in a vegetative state. Five years later, Deadpool assisted O'Bryan's niece in retrieving the Colossus from the ocean floor and restoring O'Bryan's mind.
program, according to Civil War: Battle Damage Report.
-empowered Dr. Doom.
Another duplicate of It, as well as a second, brown version of the creature, fought on behalf of the terrorist front organization H.A.T.E.
, defending the secret State 51 installation from the Nextwave
squad.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in comic-book published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. Initially a statue animated by a hostile extraterrestrial, he first appeared in the science-fiction anthology series Tales of Suspense
Tales of Suspense
Tales of Suspense is the name of an American comic book series and two one-shot comics published by Marvel Comics. The first, which ran from 1959 to 1968, began as a science-fiction anthology that served as a showcase for such artists as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck, then featured...
#14 (Feb. 1961), in a story drawn by Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
(writer unknown). He was revived in Astonishing Tales
Astonishing Tales
Astonishing Tales is an American anthology comic book series published by Marvel Comics originally from 1970-1976. Its sister publication was Amazing Adventures vol. 2...
#21 (Dec. 1973) by writer Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella is an American comic book writer, editor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath, DC Comics' first major African American superhero, Black Lightning, and as a columnist and critic for the Comics Buyer's Guide.-Marvel Comics:Before he joined...
and artist Dick Ayers
Dick Ayers
Richard "Dick" Ayers is an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of Jack Kirby's inkers during the late-1950s and 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comics, including on some of the earliest issues of Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four, and as the signature...
as the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of a short-lived feature, in which he was animated by a wheelchair-using special-effects designer.
Publication history
It! The Living Colossus debuted in the 18-page science fiction story "I Created the Colossus" in the anthology series Tales of SuspenseTales of Suspense
Tales of Suspense is the name of an American comic book series and two one-shot comics published by Marvel Comics. The first, which ran from 1959 to 1968, began as a science-fiction anthology that served as a showcase for such artists as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck, then featured...
#14 (Feb. 1961), published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
1950s and early 1960s forerunner, Atlas Comics
Atlas Comics (1950s)
Atlas Comics is the term used to describe the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used Atlas as the umbrella name for his comic...
. Penciled by industry legend Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
and inked
Inker
The inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional comic book or graphic novel. After a pencilled drawing is given to the inker, the inker uses black ink to produce refined outlines over the pencil lines...
by Dick Ayers
Dick Ayers
Richard "Dick" Ayers is an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of Jack Kirby's inkers during the late-1950s and 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comics, including on some of the earliest issues of Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four, and as the signature...
, and scripted by an uncredited writer, this "Marvel pre-superhero" monster returned for a 13-page sequel story, "Colossus Lives Again", by the same art team, in the by-now Marvel comic Tales of Suspense #20 (Aug. 1961). The two stories were reprinted in, respectively, Monsters on the Prowl #17 (June 1972) and #25 (Sept. 1973).
The character was revived in Astonishing Tales
Astonishing Tales
Astonishing Tales is an American anthology comic book series published by Marvel Comics originally from 1970-1976. Its sister publication was Amazing Adventures vol. 2...
#21 (Dec. 1973) by writer Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella is an American comic book writer, editor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath, DC Comics' first major African American superhero, Black Lightning, and as a columnist and critic for the Comics Buyer's Guide.-Marvel Comics:Before he joined...
and artist Dick Ayers
Dick Ayers
Richard "Dick" Ayers is an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of Jack Kirby's inkers during the late-1950s and 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comics, including on some of the earliest issues of Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four, and as the signature...
, who both drew and lettered
Letterer
A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer's use of typefaces, calligraphy, letter size, and layout all contribute to the impact of the comic. The letterer crafts the comic's "display lettering": the story title lettering and...
the stories. The feature ran four issues, through #24 (June 1974).
Isabella said in 2001 that after the Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon was an American science fiction author.His most famous novel is More Than Human .-Biography:...
story "It!" in Supernatural Thrillers
Supernatural Thrillers
Supernatural Thrillers was a horror fiction comic book published by Marvel Comics in the 1970s that adapted classic stories of that genre, including works by Robert Louis Stevenson and H.G. Wells, before becoming a vehicle for a supernatural action series starring an original character, The Living...
#1 (Dec. 1972) had sold well, "Came the word from on high that Marvel should do a regular 'It!' series". Marvel already had an It-like swamp monster in Man-Thing
Man-Thing
The Man-Thing is a fictional character, a monster in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 , and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including...
, so, "looking over the sales figures for recent issues of Marvel's giant monster reprint books, we discovered the issues which reprinted the 'Colossus' stories by Jack Kirby [Monsters on the Prowl #17 and 25] sold much better than the other issues which had been published around the same time".
In 2009, Isabella elaborated, saying editor-in-chief Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
Assessing the series, Isabella said, "It was an honor working with Dick Ayers, one of the original 'Big Four' artists of the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. However, I don't think Dick was at his best here. He wasn't being treated very well by Marvel and it was showing in his work".
In an unusual storytelling technique for the time, Isabella made longer stories than the budgeted 15-page tales by inserting reprint panels or pages from 1959-61 pre-superhero monster stories. "I could expand the page count of the 'It!' stories while including backstory which would have otherwise eaten up some of those new pages".
Had the series continued, Isabella said in 2009, "subsequent stories would have featured Goom
Goom
Goom is a fictional character, a comic book extraterrestrial from the Marvel Comics universe who first appeared in Tales of Suspense vol. 1 #15.-Fictional character biography:...
and Googam
Googam
Googam is a fictional character and that appears in the Marvel Universe. Googam first appeared in Tales of Suspense vol. 1, #17 .-Fictional character biography:...
... and a team-up with [the superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
to stop an invasion of Earth by the Storm Giants of Norse legend
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
".
Fictional character biography
It, the Living Colossus was an immense 100-foot-tall stone humanoid statueStatue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
constructed by Moscow sculptor Boris Petrovski to protest against the oppressive nature of the Soviet government. It became animated initially by the mind transferral of an alien Kigor and rampaged briefly through Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
after being attacked by the military. When the rescue party arrived, the Kigor abandoned the Colossus and returned to its home-world, leaving It inanimate. The statue was later transported to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and reanimated by the Kigors, who used it to attack the U.S. Army. The Kigors were defeated by Hollywood special-effects designer Bob O'Bryan and the statue was rendered inanimate.
An accident later robbed O'Bryan of the use of his legs and he had to use a wheelchair. The statue was stolen by the evil Doctor Vault, who reduced It in size from 100 feet (30.5 m) to 30 feet (9.1 m). It was then animated by the mind transferral of O'Bryan, and It battled Vault's minions and escaped. It then battled Granitor and alien invaders from the planet Stonus V. Alongside Fin Fang Foom
Fin Fang Foom
Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang...
, It defeated the invaders. However, It then battled Fin Fang Foom and became controlled by the villainous Doctor Vault.
O'Bryan was later cured, and married Diane Cummings, living in Los Angeles. As It, he battled the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
. The statue became controlled by Doctor Vault, and was totally destroyed in battle with the Hulk, reduced to dust. It was rebuilt as a robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
, for use by O'Bryan in his films. Later, the original It was reformed by O'Bryan under the control of Lotus Newmark.
After a battle with Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
, It was lost in the Pacific Ocean near the Galapagos Islands. O'Bryan lost his connection to both his normal body and the Colossus, and his body was left in a vegetative state. Five years later, Deadpool assisted O'Bryan's niece in retrieving the Colossus from the ocean floor and restoring O'Bryan's mind.
The Initiative
O'Bryan is being considered as a "potential recruit" for the InitiativeAvengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
program, according to Civil War: Battle Damage Report.
Powers and abilities
Bob O'Bryan becomes It, the Living Colossus through mind transferral into an animated stone statue, its composition altered by the alien Kigors. It has tremendous superhuman strength, as well as superhuman stamina and durability, and the ability to manipulate gravitons for flight. As a statue, it could survive underwater without air. However, It does have a vulnerability to nerve gas or knockout gas, forcing the command intelligence back into its original body. There is also an unrevealed time limit for the command intelligence to remain in the statue.Other versions
Reed Richards made a duplicate of It using the "Ionic Inanimate Matter Converter". It was sent to oppose the Cosmic CubeCosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube, called the Tesseract in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, is the name of a fictional object that appears in the Marvel Universe. The concept was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales of Suspense #79 .-Publication history:The first Cosmic Cube...
-empowered Dr. Doom.
Another duplicate of It, as well as a second, brown version of the creature, fought on behalf of the terrorist front organization H.A.T.E.
H.A.T.E.
The Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort, better known by its acronym H.A.T.E., is one of two antagonistic organizations in Marvel Comics' Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., a series created by Warren Ellis....
, defending the secret State 51 installation from the Nextwave
Nextwave
Nextwave is a comic book series by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen, published by Marvel Comics between 2006 and 2007.-Concept:The series was written exclusively in two-issue story arcs, a choice deliberately bucking the trend in modern American comics toward decompression...
squad.
Other characters
There have been other characters in the Marvel Universe known as "It". These include:- Roger Kirk, was known as "It" (and also "The Thing That Couldn't Die"), in Supernatural ThrillersSupernatural ThrillersSupernatural Thrillers was a horror fiction comic book published by Marvel Comics in the 1970s that adapted classic stories of that genre, including works by Robert Louis Stevenson and H.G. Wells, before becoming a vehicle for a supernatural action series starring an original character, The Living...
#1. Kirk had died in 1929 and became a swamp creature created from the reanimated human corpse and vegetation which accumulated around his skeleton. It murdered those around it until it fell into a stream, which washed the skeleton clean. - An operation of Roxxon was known as "I.T." and was run by Albert DeVoor. I.T. went under different alias on each world in an effort to ignite a nuclear war between mainstream Marvel EarthEarth-616In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
(as Inter-Looking Technologies), Earth-AEarth-AEarth-A is a universe in the Marvel Comics Multiverse. It first appeared in Fantastic Four #118. It was given the numerical designation of Earth-721 in the Marvel Encyclopedia Vol...
(as Inter-Related Technocracies) and the Fifth Dimension (as Inter-Politan Thermodynamics) in order to generate power for Polemachus (see ArkonArkonArkon is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is the warlord and ruler of the extra-dimensional world of Polemachus.-Fictional character biography:Arkon was born of noble lineage on the extra-dimensional world Polemachus...
). This occurred in Fantastic FourFantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
#160-163. - In House of MHouse of MHouse of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
: Fantastic FourFantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
#1, Ben Grimm, the only survivor of the ill-fated space shuttle flight of Reed Richards and his crew, was captured and named "It" by Victor von Doom and was a member of the Fearsome Foursome. - In Tales to AstonishTales to AstonishTales to Astonish is the name of two American comic book series and a one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics.The primary title bearing that name was published from 1959-1968...
#92-93, a robot of unknown origins was called "It the Silent One". It was activated on the ocean floor and battled Namor. It was destroyed after a collision with a submarine.
External links
- It the Living Colossus at the Marvel Universe