Warlock of YS
Encyclopedia
The Warlock of Ys is a fictional DC Comics
Silver Age
Zatanna
supervillain
introduced in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #42 (January 1966) in story titled "The Other Side of the World!". The character was created by Gardner Fox
.
. There was no big bang
, but all was created in a steady state flow of primal matter
, resulting in a place where time - as we know it - doesn't exist. There, nothing ages or dies; and if something's destroyed it is immediately replaced. The being known as the Warlock of Ys is the only known native of that universe. In time he became bored with his world and, with the aid of his magic mirror, saw Earth. He longed to go there in order to experience something new and perhaps to conquer the world, but even his might powers could not enable him to leave his own world.
In the late twentieth century the Druid, a long time friend of the Warlock and ruler of an enchanted subatomic realm
, requested to banish his foe, the magician Zatara
to the Other Side of the World. The Warlock agreed to this, as Zatara would be unable to use his magical powers in his realm. The Warlock ignored the pleas of Zatara, believing the magician was helpless and left him to wander the land alone. The Warlock was occupied creating a magical crystal ball out of a rare element, a process that took millennia to bring to completion and would finally allow him passage to Earth. Zatara somehow found out about the Warlock's plans and took the crystal ball to prevent the Warlock from leaving the Other Side of the World. Zatara vanished without a trace afterwards.
Searching for her missing father on Earth, the heroine Zatanna
had faced the Druid alongside the size-changing Ray Palmer. Zatanna had read ancient manuscripts and learned of the land of Ys. She tried to conjure the blue flame
but was able to stop it from bringing her to the Other Side of the World when she learned how truly powerful it was. Her magic
kept her held between Earth and Ys. Forced to find another avenue to Earth, the Warlock sought out the power ring of Green Lantern
Hal Jordan
. Zatanna was aware of this but could not prevent the Warlock from using her as a stepping stone to send a sorcerous entity
, Patch-Eye Pete the Pirate, to draw Green Lantern into his clutches. Zatanna dueled with the Warlock's magic and granted Green Lantern her powers.
Green Lantern did not know of the battle being fought for control of his ring. Surprised by his new foe, he was shocked by his power ring's new found ability to defend himself against the color yellow. Green Lantern pursued his magical foe across the continent
, then across the Atlantic Ocean. Arriving at the doorway to Ys, the emerald
warrior was swallowed by the blue flame. Drawn to the Other Side of the World, Green Lantern met Zatanna in the limbo
between realms. Zatanna warned Hal of the threat he would face when they arrived in Ys.
Once there, Green Lantern found himself unable to will his ring to function and was unable to stop the power ring from flying off his finger. Zatanna realized she would have to speak her sentences backwards, rather than her words for her magic to work in Ys. The ring returned to Green Lantern's finger thanks to her magic. The Warlock sent his army
of time lost Earth warriors against the pair of heroes, only to have Zatanna stall them by ordering them to fight each other. Next, the Warlock sent demons, incubi, djinns, imp
s, fiends and familiars, all spirit
beings from the myriad worlds beyond Earth. These magical creatures were able to break Zatanna's spell over the human warriors. Fortunately for the heroes, Green Lantern was able to use his power ring by moving from his right hand to his left.
Though he and his minions were defeated, the Warlock held the knowledge of Zatanna's father's whereabouts as a bargaining
chip. The Warlock would reveal what he knew if Green Lantern would willingly give him the power ring without ordering the ring to capture him. Green Lantern agreed, against the wishes of Zatanna who reached out to stop the emerald warrior. Once he had the ring, the Warlock told them of the crystal ball and Zatara's disappearance. His part of the bargain complete, the Warlock ordered the ring to take him to Earth, only to find himself unable to move. Green Lantern had kept his word and given his power ring to the Warlock without any prior commands, but Zatanna had commanded it when she put her hand over Green Lantern's hand. The humans that had been brought to the Other Side of the World were grateful for their freedom from the Warlock. Though they were offered the chance to return to Earth they chose not to. They had left Earth many years ago and believed they had nothing to return to. In the Other Side of the World they would live forever. Green Lantern and Zatanna traveled back to Earth so the young magician could continue searching for her missing father.
of their life energies. The process took many months until the day came when the Warlock changed places with the emerald warrior. The Warlock was brought to Earth while Green Lantern took the Warlock's place in the castle in the land of Ys. Green Lantern fell victim to the paralysis which trapped the Warlock for so long while the sorcerer walked Earth with the power ring. He quickly cast a spell over Zatanna, forbidding her to warn the heroes of the Justice League of America and preventing her from using her backwards magic.
"Green Lantern" appeared at the JLA satellite to vote on the induction of Zatanna into the League. Though she was accepted, Zatanna could only hope her friends understood something was wrong when she turned down the offer of membership. After the Leaguers had departed and only the Atom remained on monitor duty
, the Warlock returned as Green Lantern and used his blue fire to dispose of the tiny hero. The power ring was no longer working for the Warlock and he tried to use the JLA computers to learn why. The Warlock learned of the Battery of power needed to charge the ring. Without it, he could only regain his strength at Angkor Wat in northwest Cambodia.
Seeking to rescue her Justice League comrade, Zatanna traveled to Ys, only to come under siege by demons and trolls loyal to the Warlock. Her capture was brief as the humans in the Warlock's realm remembered her assistance the last time she had visited Ys. She was soon able to free Green Lantern from the spell. In the temple at Ankor Wat, the Warlock had defeated the Justice League. They had realized "Green Lantern" was an impostor but did not realize the full extent of the threat they now faced. The Warlock dropped his disguise and appeared as his true self. He was renewed and no longer needed the power ring which he foolishly cast aside. While he was gloating, Green Lantern and Zatanna arrived. A power ring generated fist put the Warlock out of the fight once more.
In JSA #54, The Warlock of Ys recently resurfaced, this time allied with the Justice Society of America
's old foe, Kulak the Sorcerer. The Warlock had helped Kulak escape imprisonment and both set out to enact revenge on their foes. Unfortunately, they chose to attack during the Justice League
and Justice Society's Thanksgiving
dinner. The magic wielding villains tried to make a quick escape when they realized both teams were at full strength. They were easily defeated by the heroes.
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...
Silver Age
Silver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
Zatanna
Zatanna
Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
introduced in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #42 (January 1966) in story titled "The Other Side of the World!". The character was created by Gardner Fox
Gardner Fox
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic-book historians estimate that he wrote over 4,000 comics stories....
.
Fictional history
The dimensional universe known as the Other Side of the World was created in a different way from any other known universeUniverse
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
. There was no big bang
Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
, but all was created in a steady state flow of primal matter
Matter
Matter is a general term for the substance of which all physical objects consist. Typically, matter includes atoms and other particles which have mass. A common way of defining matter is as anything that has mass and occupies volume...
, resulting in a place where time - as we know it - doesn't exist. There, nothing ages or dies; and if something's destroyed it is immediately replaced. The being known as the Warlock of Ys is the only known native of that universe. In time he became bored with his world and, with the aid of his magic mirror, saw Earth. He longed to go there in order to experience something new and perhaps to conquer the world, but even his might powers could not enable him to leave his own world.
In the late twentieth century the Druid, a long time friend of the Warlock and ruler of an enchanted subatomic realm
Realm
A realm is a dominion of a monarch or other sovereign ruler.The Old French word reaume, modern French royaume, was the word first adopted in English; the fixed modern spelling does not appear until the beginning of the 17th century...
, requested to banish his foe, the magician Zatara
Zatara
Giovanni "John" Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in Action Comics #1 , and was created by writer and artist Fred Guardineer. He is a stage magician who also practices actual magic...
to the Other Side of the World. The Warlock agreed to this, as Zatara would be unable to use his magical powers in his realm. The Warlock ignored the pleas of Zatara, believing the magician was helpless and left him to wander the land alone. The Warlock was occupied creating a magical crystal ball out of a rare element, a process that took millennia to bring to completion and would finally allow him passage to Earth. Zatara somehow found out about the Warlock's plans and took the crystal ball to prevent the Warlock from leaving the Other Side of the World. Zatara vanished without a trace afterwards.
Searching for her missing father on Earth, the heroine Zatanna
Zatanna
Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...
had faced the Druid alongside the size-changing Ray Palmer. Zatanna had read ancient manuscripts and learned of the land of Ys. She tried to conjure the blue flame
Flame
A flame is the visible , gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic reaction taking place in a thin zone...
but was able to stop it from bringing her to the Other Side of the World when she learned how truly powerful it was. Her magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
kept her held between Earth and Ys. Forced to find another avenue to Earth, the Warlock sought out the power ring of Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
. Zatanna was aware of this but could not prevent the Warlock from using her as a stepping stone to send a sorcerous entity
Entity
An entity is something that has a distinct, separate existence, although it need not be a material existence. In particular, abstractions and legal fictions are usually regarded as entities. In general, there is also no presumption that an entity is animate.An entity could be viewed as a set...
, Patch-Eye Pete the Pirate, to draw Green Lantern into his clutches. Zatanna dueled with the Warlock's magic and granted Green Lantern her powers.
Green Lantern did not know of the battle being fought for control of his ring. Surprised by his new foe, he was shocked by his power ring's new found ability to defend himself against the color yellow. Green Lantern pursued his magical foe across the continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
, then across the Atlantic Ocean. Arriving at the doorway to Ys, the emerald
Emerald
Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
warrior was swallowed by the blue flame. Drawn to the Other Side of the World, Green Lantern met Zatanna in the limbo
Limbo
In the theology of the Catholic Church, Limbo is a speculative idea about the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the damned. Limbo is not an official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church or any other...
between realms. Zatanna warned Hal of the threat he would face when they arrived in Ys.
Once there, Green Lantern found himself unable to will his ring to function and was unable to stop the power ring from flying off his finger. Zatanna realized she would have to speak her sentences backwards, rather than her words for her magic to work in Ys. The ring returned to Green Lantern's finger thanks to her magic. The Warlock sent his army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
of time lost Earth warriors against the pair of heroes, only to have Zatanna stall them by ordering them to fight each other. Next, the Warlock sent demons, incubi, djinns, imp
Imp
An imp is a mythological being similar to a fairy or demon, frequently described in folklore and superstition. The word may perhaps derive from the term ympe, used to denote a young grafted tree.-Folklore:...
s, fiends and familiars, all spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
beings from the myriad worlds beyond Earth. These magical creatures were able to break Zatanna's spell over the human warriors. Fortunately for the heroes, Green Lantern was able to use his power ring by moving from his right hand to his left.
Though he and his minions were defeated, the Warlock held the knowledge of Zatanna's father's whereabouts as a bargaining
Bargaining
Bargaining or haggling is a type of negotiation in which the buyer and seller of a good or service dispute the price which will be paid and the exact nature of the transaction that will take place, and eventually come to an agreement. Bargaining is an alternative pricing strategy to fixed prices...
chip. The Warlock would reveal what he knew if Green Lantern would willingly give him the power ring without ordering the ring to capture him. Green Lantern agreed, against the wishes of Zatanna who reached out to stop the emerald warrior. Once he had the ring, the Warlock told them of the crystal ball and Zatara's disappearance. His part of the bargain complete, the Warlock ordered the ring to take him to Earth, only to find himself unable to move. Green Lantern had kept his word and given his power ring to the Warlock without any prior commands, but Zatanna had commanded it when she put her hand over Green Lantern's hand. The humans that had been brought to the Other Side of the World were grateful for their freedom from the Warlock. Though they were offered the chance to return to Earth they chose not to. They had left Earth many years ago and believed they had nothing to return to. In the Other Side of the World they would live forever. Green Lantern and Zatanna traveled back to Earth so the young magician could continue searching for her missing father.
Subsequent appearances
In Justice League of America #161, his adventures continued. Zatanna and Hal Jordan never realized in the split seconds before Warlock was frozen in place, the Warlock placed a magical thought curse on Green Lantern, causing a slow, unnoticeable transferenceTransference
Transference is a phenomenon in psychoanalysis characterized by unconscious redirection of feelings from one person to another. One definition of transference is "the inappropriate repetition in the present of a relationship that was important in a person's childhood." Another definition is "the...
of their life energies. The process took many months until the day came when the Warlock changed places with the emerald warrior. The Warlock was brought to Earth while Green Lantern took the Warlock's place in the castle in the land of Ys. Green Lantern fell victim to the paralysis which trapped the Warlock for so long while the sorcerer walked Earth with the power ring. He quickly cast a spell over Zatanna, forbidding her to warn the heroes of the Justice League of America and preventing her from using her backwards magic.
"Green Lantern" appeared at the JLA satellite to vote on the induction of Zatanna into the League. Though she was accepted, Zatanna could only hope her friends understood something was wrong when she turned down the offer of membership. After the Leaguers had departed and only the Atom remained on monitor duty
Duty
Duty is a term that conveys a sense of moral commitment to someone or something. The moral commitment is the sort that results in action and it is not a matter of passive feeling or mere recognition...
, the Warlock returned as Green Lantern and used his blue fire to dispose of the tiny hero. The power ring was no longer working for the Warlock and he tried to use the JLA computers to learn why. The Warlock learned of the Battery of power needed to charge the ring. Without it, he could only regain his strength at Angkor Wat in northwest Cambodia.
Seeking to rescue her Justice League comrade, Zatanna traveled to Ys, only to come under siege by demons and trolls loyal to the Warlock. Her capture was brief as the humans in the Warlock's realm remembered her assistance the last time she had visited Ys. She was soon able to free Green Lantern from the spell. In the temple at Ankor Wat, the Warlock had defeated the Justice League. They had realized "Green Lantern" was an impostor but did not realize the full extent of the threat they now faced. The Warlock dropped his disguise and appeared as his true self. He was renewed and no longer needed the power ring which he foolishly cast aside. While he was gloating, Green Lantern and Zatanna arrived. A power ring generated fist put the Warlock out of the fight once more.
In JSA #54, The Warlock of Ys recently resurfaced, this time allied with the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
's old foe, Kulak the Sorcerer. The Warlock had helped Kulak escape imprisonment and both set out to enact revenge on their foes. Unfortunately, they chose to attack during the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
and Justice Society's Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
dinner. The magic wielding villains tried to make a quick escape when they realized both teams were at full strength. They were easily defeated by the heroes.