Peter Stanchek aka Sting (Valiant Comics)
Encyclopedia
Sting is a fictional character
in the Valiant Comics
superhero
universe. Created by legendary writer and former Marvel Comics
editor-in-chief
Jim Shooter
. First appearing in Harbinger
#1 (Jan. 1992), he is the star of the Harbinger comic book series, where he leads a group of renegade Harbingers against Toyo Harada
and the Harbinger Foundation.
, and unlike subsequent Harbingers he was able to make his powers manifest at will, or activate the powers of others.
Harada is an Omega Harbinger: he commands the full spectrum of psionic abilities, which he uses to create a multinational corporation and amass a large fortune. Fearing the world is on a course to destroy itself, he plans to take it over and mold it to his specifications. To this end he creates the Harbinger Foundation, which actively searches for potential Harbingers.
Pete Stanchek is a normal teenager until he develops Harbinger abilities. After seeing an advertisement he contacts the Harbinger Foundation. Harada is intrigued by Pete, who is the only other Harbinger to have triggered his own powers and who exhibits multiple abilities. Harada is no longer the only Omega Harbinger.
Harada tries to persuade Pete to join the Harbinger Foundation and become Harada's right hand man, but when Pete's best friend, who had been vocal about his distrust for Harada, is murdered by the Foundation, Pete realizes the truth.
Pete, along with Kris (a high school cheerleader who, he later realizes, he had been unconsciously mentally controlling so that she would go out with him) become renegades. They decide to recruit Harbingers themselves, activate their abilities and form an army capable of challenging Harada.
Later in the series, it is revealed that Harada has in fact been mentally manipulating the Harbinger rebels, and Pete and Harada face off in a battle royale. Harada is left comatose and Pete supposedly powerless. Pete's fellow renegades go their separate ways, with Pete wandering off into the night with his teammate Flamingo, only to resurface later on as "The Harbinger," an armored, brainwashed servant of Harada, hunting down new rogue Harbingers. He is opposed by the mysterious masked hero "The Visitor," who in turn is revealed to be an alternate future version of Pete himself. At the close of the Visitor's self-titled series, the present-day Pete breaks free from his programming and is forced to join forces with Harada and the Visitor to save the world from an alien invasion. After their triumph and the death of the Visitor, Pete warns Harada to leave him and Flamingo alone.
, the character of Pete Stanchek was meant to have been gay. This is also heavily implied in the pages of Shooter's unpublished Unity 2000 miniseries, in which a villainness offers to change her form to that of a man to appeal to Pete.
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 the Valiant Comics
Valiant Comics
Valiant Comics is a comic book imprint published by various publishers since its inception with Voyager Communications, Inc. in 1989, later Acclaim Comics, Inc. Its assets were purchased from the bankruptcy of the Acclaim Entertaintment by Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in 2007.-Voyager...
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 —...
universe. Created by legendary writer and former 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...
editor-in-chief
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
Jim Shooter
Jim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
. First appearing in Harbinger
Harbinger (comics)
Harbinger was a comic book series published by Valiant Comics about a group of teenage super-powered outcasts known as Harbingers. Harbinger initially featured writing and art by Jim Shooter and David Lapham...
#1 (Jan. 1992), he is the star of the Harbinger comic book series, where he leads a group of renegade Harbingers against Toyo Harada
Toyo Harada
Toyo Harada is a comic book character, who has appeared in various series published by Valiant Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter.-Fictional character biography:He is the most powerful psionic on Earth...
and the Harbinger Foundation.
Story
Toyo Harada is the first publicly known HarbingerHarbingers (comics)
Harbingers are fictional characters with superhuman powers who appeared in every Valiant Comics title. Two different groups of Harbingers appeared in the comic book series Harbinger.- History :...
, and unlike subsequent Harbingers he was able to make his powers manifest at will, or activate the powers of others.
Harada is an Omega Harbinger: he commands the full spectrum of psionic abilities, which he uses to create a multinational corporation and amass a large fortune. Fearing the world is on a course to destroy itself, he plans to take it over and mold it to his specifications. To this end he creates the Harbinger Foundation, which actively searches for potential Harbingers.
Pete Stanchek is a normal teenager until he develops Harbinger abilities. After seeing an advertisement he contacts the Harbinger Foundation. Harada is intrigued by Pete, who is the only other Harbinger to have triggered his own powers and who exhibits multiple abilities. Harada is no longer the only Omega Harbinger.
Harada tries to persuade Pete to join the Harbinger Foundation and become Harada's right hand man, but when Pete's best friend, who had been vocal about his distrust for Harada, is murdered by the Foundation, Pete realizes the truth.
Pete, along with Kris (a high school cheerleader who, he later realizes, he had been unconsciously mentally controlling so that she would go out with him) become renegades. They decide to recruit Harbingers themselves, activate their abilities and form an army capable of challenging Harada.
Later in the series, it is revealed that Harada has in fact been mentally manipulating the Harbinger rebels, and Pete and Harada face off in a battle royale. Harada is left comatose and Pete supposedly powerless. Pete's fellow renegades go their separate ways, with Pete wandering off into the night with his teammate Flamingo, only to resurface later on as "The Harbinger," an armored, brainwashed servant of Harada, hunting down new rogue Harbingers. He is opposed by the mysterious masked hero "The Visitor," who in turn is revealed to be an alternate future version of Pete himself. At the close of the Visitor's self-titled series, the present-day Pete breaks free from his programming and is forced to join forces with Harada and the Visitor to save the world from an alien invasion. After their triumph and the death of the Visitor, Pete warns Harada to leave him and Flamingo alone.
Homosexuality
According to Jim ShooterJim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
, the character of Pete Stanchek was meant to have been gay. This is also heavily implied in the pages of Shooter's unpublished Unity 2000 miniseries, in which a villainness offers to change her form to that of a man to appeal to Pete.