Sonny Sumo
Encyclopedia
Sonny Sumo is a fictional
sumo
wrestler, a comic book
superhero
published by DC Comics
. He first appeared briefly in Forever People
vol. 1 #4 (September 1971), and was created by Jack Kirby
.
vol. 1 #4 (September 1971), and was reintroduced in the pages of Final Crisis
#2 (August 2008).
, Sonny Sumo was an honorable figure who used his prowess in sumo
to compete as an underground fighter. Unbeknownst to Sonny or his manager, Harry Sharp, Sonny contained a portion of the Anti-Life Equation
that enhanced his ability to harness his chi. The Forever People were able to unlock the Equation's powers with their Mother Box
, allowing him to recover permanently from wounds sustained in an organized battle against a robot called Sagutai. Sonny then joined the team in their battle against Desaad
, using his unique abilities to force Darkseid
's minions into a deep sleep. This event earned Sonny and his allies the ire of Darkseid himself, who used his Omega Sanction to trap Sonny in feudal Japan.
, Sonny Sumo is seen living in present day Japan. His role as a fighter has earned him some level of celebrity with the pop-culture driven youths that frequent metahuman nightclubs, including Super Young Team
. Shilo Norman
discovers Sonny in the club after a battle with an armored youth called Megayakuza, using his Mother Box
to heal his wounds. Sonny joins Shilo in his quest to battle the New Gods
who have fallen to Earth. They are soon joined by Super Young Team, before joining the remnants of Checkmate
.
Sonny Sumo eventually revealed that he was not the original Sonny, who had encountered the Forever People of the Fourth World; after having been sent to the past, he remained there and led a fruitful life, eventually dying a happy man. This Sonny was born on the alternate world known as Earth-51, which had been devastated and restored several times; possibly one of these events resulted in his being transported to New Earth.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler, a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
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 —...
published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. He first appeared briefly in Forever People
Forever People
The Forever People are a fictional group of extraterrestrial superheroes published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Forever People #1 , and were created by Jack Kirby as part of his "Fourth World" epic.-Fictional history:...
vol. 1 #4 (September 1971), and was created 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....
.
Publication history
Sonny Sumo first appeared briefly in Forever PeopleForever People
The Forever People are a fictional group of extraterrestrial superheroes published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Forever People #1 , and were created by Jack Kirby as part of his "Fourth World" epic.-Fictional history:...
vol. 1 #4 (September 1971), and was reintroduced in the pages of Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
#2 (August 2008).
Fictional character biography
Prior to his encounter with the Forever PeopleForever People
The Forever People are a fictional group of extraterrestrial superheroes published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Forever People #1 , and were created by Jack Kirby as part of his "Fourth World" epic.-Fictional history:...
, Sonny Sumo was an honorable figure who used his prowess in sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
to compete as an underground fighter. Unbeknownst to Sonny or his manager, Harry Sharp, Sonny contained a portion of the Anti-Life Equation
Anti-Life Equation
The Anti-Life Equation is the equation for total control over the free will of sentient beings, for which the DC Comics villain Darkseid is searching in the Jack Kirby's Fourth World setting. It is for this reason that he sends his forces to Earth, as he believes part of the equation exists in the...
that enhanced his ability to harness his chi. The Forever People were able to unlock the Equation's powers with their Mother Box
Mother Box
Mother Boxes are fictional devices in Jack Kirby's Fourth World setting in the DC Universe.-History:Created by Apokoliptian scientist Himon using the mysterious Element X, they are generally thought to be sentient, miniaturized, portable supercomputers, although their true nature and origins are...
, allowing him to recover permanently from wounds sustained in an organized battle against a robot called Sagutai. Sonny then joined the team in their battle against Desaad
Desaad
Desaad is a fictional comic book supervillain, appearing in books published by DC Comics. He is one of the followers of Darkseid from the planet of Apokolips in Jack Kirby's Fourth World meta-series....
, using his unique abilities to force Darkseid
Darkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
's minions into a deep sleep. This event earned Sonny and his allies the ire of Darkseid himself, who used his Omega Sanction to trap Sonny in feudal Japan.
Final Crisis
In the second issue of Final CrisisFinal Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
, Sonny Sumo is seen living in present day Japan. His role as a fighter has earned him some level of celebrity with the pop-culture driven youths that frequent metahuman nightclubs, including Super Young Team
Super Young Team
The Super Young Team is a fictional Japanese superhero team in the . The team first appears in Final Crisis Sketchbook #1 , and was created by Grant Morrison and J. G. Jones.-Publication history:...
. Shilo Norman
Shilo Norman
Shilo Norman is a superhero in the DC Comics universe. He is the third person to use the title "Mister Miracle". Created by Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Mister Miracle #15 August .-Orphan:...
discovers Sonny in the club after a battle with an armored youth called Megayakuza, using his Mother Box
Mother Box
Mother Boxes are fictional devices in Jack Kirby's Fourth World setting in the DC Universe.-History:Created by Apokoliptian scientist Himon using the mysterious Element X, they are generally thought to be sentient, miniaturized, portable supercomputers, although their true nature and origins are...
to heal his wounds. Sonny joins Shilo in his quest to battle the New Gods
New Gods
The New Gods are a fictional race appearing in publications by DC Comics, as well as the title for four series of comic books about those characters. They first appeared in New Gods #1 , and were created and designed by Jack Kirby....
who have fallen to Earth. They are soon joined by Super Young Team, before joining the remnants of Checkmate
Checkmate (comics)
Checkmate, a division of Task Force X, is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Action Comics #598 and proceeded to have its own ongoing title in Checkmate!...
.
Sonny Sumo eventually revealed that he was not the original Sonny, who had encountered the Forever People of the Fourth World; after having been sent to the past, he remained there and led a fruitful life, eventually dying a happy man. This Sonny was born on the alternate world known as Earth-51, which had been devastated and restored several times; possibly one of these events resulted in his being transported to New Earth.