Weird (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Weird is a fictional DC Comics
character created by Jim Starlin
and Bernie Wrightson
. He first appeared in his own self-titled miniseries The Weird in 1988.
ous mini-series.
The character returned in a number of series written by Starlin: the 2006 Mystery in Space
series, Rann-Thanagar Holy War (2008) and the 2009 Strange Adventures
series.
, The Weird was a member of a race known as the Zarolatts. For years, his people had been exploited as energy sources by a cruel race known as the Macrolatts. However, for some unknown reason, The Weird did not share the docile acceptance of the rest of his race. When the Macrolatts sought to bridge the dimensional gap and attack other realms, The Weird knew he had to act. Escaping through a portal to another world, The Weird found himself on the planet Earth.
Seeking a corporeal form to contain his energy, he possessed
the body of a dead man named Walter Langley. This produced a composite form which contained both The Weird's memories and traces of Langley's. In this shape, he sought out Earth's superhero
es for aid and was dubbed "The Weird" by the Blue Beetle
. With the heroes' assistance, he was able to repel the Macrolatt invasion.
Tragically, his victory was short-lived. The Weird soon discovered that his new body was molecularly unstable and approaching critical mass
. With the help of Green Lantern Guy Gardner
, he was taken to the depths of space where he detonated, ending his brief life in the physical realm.
, Mystery in Space
. For years, The Weird's spiritual essence had floated in the void until it made contact with the disembodied Captain Comet
, himself robbed of life by the villainous Lady Styx
. The intermingling of these spiritual bodies produced a reaction, which neither of them at this point understand, returning them both to life in regenerated bodies.
Since his return, The Weird has attempted to determine the cause of his mysterious resurrection and to seek out Comet, the "other" whose memories now mingle with his own. To this end, he has sought answers within the extraterrestrial church, The Eternal Light Corporation, though he has since discovered them to have a sinister agenda.
Having viewed the physical realm from outside of it, The Weird regards the universe with a more philosophical eye than most superhumans, always seeking to understand his own nature and purpose.
, Volume 2 trade paperback (ISBN 1-4012-1692-7).
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...
character created by Jim Starlin
Jim Starlin
James P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters...
and Bernie Wrightson
Bernie Wrightson
Bernie "Berni" Wrightson is an American artist known for his horror illustrations and comic books.-Biography:...
. He first appeared in his own self-titled miniseries The Weird in 1988.
Publication history
The Weird appeared in the eponymEponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous mini-series.
The character returned in a number of series written by Starlin: the 2006 Mystery in Space
Mystery in Space
Mystery in Space is the name of two science fiction comic book series published in the United States by DC Comics, then known as National Comics. The first series ran for 110 issues from 1951 - 1966, with a further 7 issues continuing the numbering during a 1980s revival of the title...
series, Rann-Thanagar Holy War (2008) and the 2009 Strange Adventures
Strange Adventures
Strange Adventures was the title of several American comic books published by DC Comics, most notably a long-running science fiction anthology that began in 1950.-Original series:...
series.
Fictional character biography
A being of pure energy from an alternate dimensionParallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
, The Weird was a member of a race known as the Zarolatts. For years, his people had been exploited as energy sources by a cruel race known as the Macrolatts. However, for some unknown reason, The Weird did not share the docile acceptance of the rest of his race. When the Macrolatts sought to bridge the dimensional gap and attack other realms, The Weird knew he had to act. Escaping through a portal to another world, The Weird found himself on the planet Earth.
Seeking a corporeal form to contain his energy, he possessed
Spiritual possession
Spirit possession is a paranormal or supernatural event in which it is said that spirits, gods, demons, animas, extraterrestrials, or other disincarnate or extraterrestrial entities take control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in health and behaviour...
the body of a dead man named Walter Langley. This produced a composite form which contained both The Weird's memories and traces of Langley's. In this shape, he sought out Earth's 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 —...
es for aid and was dubbed "The Weird" by the Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)
Blue Beetle is the second Blue Beetle, a superhero who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later picked up by DC Comics...
. With the heroes' assistance, he was able to repel the Macrolatt invasion.
Tragically, his victory was short-lived. The Weird soon discovered that his new body was molecularly unstable and approaching critical mass
Critical mass
A critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The critical mass of a fissionable material depends upon its nuclear properties A critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The...
. With the help of Green Lantern Guy Gardner
Guy Gardner (comics)
Guy Gardner is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He is a core member of the Green Lantern family of characters, and for a time was also a significant member of the Justice League family of characters.He was created by John Broome and Gil Kane in Green Lantern...
, he was taken to the depths of space where he detonated, ending his brief life in the physical realm.
Mystery in Space
Starlin would later return to his creation in the pages of the 2006 limited seriesLimited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, Mystery in Space
Mystery in Space
Mystery in Space is the name of two science fiction comic book series published in the United States by DC Comics, then known as National Comics. The first series ran for 110 issues from 1951 - 1966, with a further 7 issues continuing the numbering during a 1980s revival of the title...
. For years, The Weird's spiritual essence had floated in the void until it made contact with the disembodied Captain Comet
Captain Comet
Captain Comet is a fictional DC Comics superhero created by DC Comics Editor Julius Schwartz, writer John Broome, and artist Carmine Infantino....
, himself robbed of life by the villainous Lady Styx
Lady Styx
Lady Styx is a fictional supervillain in the . Her first appearance occurred in the weekly series 52.-Publication history:Lady Styx first appeared in 52 #31 as the main antagonist to Adam Strange, Animal Man, and Starfire. She later made appearances in Omega Men and Countdown to Adventure...
. The intermingling of these spiritual bodies produced a reaction, which neither of them at this point understand, returning them both to life in regenerated bodies.
Since his return, The Weird has attempted to determine the cause of his mysterious resurrection and to seek out Comet, the "other" whose memories now mingle with his own. To this end, he has sought answers within the extraterrestrial church, The Eternal Light Corporation, though he has since discovered them to have a sinister agenda.
Having viewed the physical realm from outside of it, The Weird regards the universe with a more philosophical eye than most superhumans, always seeking to understand his own nature and purpose.
Powers and abilities
- In his natural state, The Weird is a non-corporeal entity of pure energy, able to drift unaided through the void of his home dimension. Like other Zarolatts, he is unable to harness his energy for other purposes or affect the physical realm without aid.
- In his physical Walter Langley form, The Weird has the ability to alter the molecular density of his body. This allows him to become intangible and phase through walls and solid objects or to become as hard as rock, giving him increased durability and strength on par with Superman. He is also able to affect the physical density of anything he comes in contact with. The Weird is able to fly by riding magnetic currents. His Zarolatt origins also allowed him to freely manipulate any energy he had physical contact with, allowing him to perform various feats ranging from the transformation of electricity to the creation of complex illusions via the manipulation of brainwaves.
Collected editions
The mini-series was reprinted in 2008 in the Mystery in SpaceMystery in Space
Mystery in Space is the name of two science fiction comic book series published in the United States by DC Comics, then known as National Comics. The first series ran for 110 issues from 1951 - 1966, with a further 7 issues continuing the numbering during a 1980s revival of the title...
, Volume 2 trade paperback (ISBN 1-4012-1692-7).
External links
- The Weird at Batsquad.net