Elementals (Comico Comics)

"Elementals" was an American dark superhero comic book first published in 1984 and created by Bill Willingham, for which he was both writer and artist.

It was a reasonably long lived comic series, and was published by Comico Comics. Comico's publisher Andrew Rev purchased the "Elementals" property from Willingham in the 1990s.

Overview

When a centuries-old sorcerer named Lord Saker built a machine called the Shadowspear to harness the supernatural powers of the world, he upset the natural order of the universe. In response, the four elements, unimaginably powerful spirits who together formed the foundation of existence, each chose an ordinary human who had been killed by their element, and resurrected him or her. They granted each control of that particular element, eternal youth, and the ability to heal from any wound (given sufficient time). These four were the Elementals, sent to oppose Saker.

The team consisted of:

*Morningstar, aka Jeanette Crane, a Los Angeles homicide detective who had burned to death while confronting a serial arsonist; she received various fire-related abilities, including pyrokinesis and an immunity to fire.

*Vortex, aka Jeff Murphy, a Coast Guard pilot who was asphyxiated in a helicopter crash; he received various air-related abilities, including flight and wind-blasts.

*Fathom, aka Becky Golden, a flighty debutante who fell off a boat and drowned; she received various water-related abilities, as well as bright green skin and webbed fingers. She was also able to convert her body entirely into sentient water and shoot high-pressure streams.

*Monolith, aka Tommy Czuchra, a brilliant if introverted teenaged boy who was crushed to death by a landslide; he received the ability to become an enormous super-strong stone/earth golem. Later, Tommy came to follow Saker's view that the supernatural beings were entitled to be in charge across earth, and he quit the Elementals and absorbed some of Saker's 'black' magic, to become one of his generals. Monolith was then re-embodied in a deceased insurance salesman (Donald Ridgeway), who neither wanted the power, nor ever understood fully how to use it or how to integrate with the other three Elementals.

The four eventually defeated Saker and his minions, the Destroyers, a team of six: Shapeshifter, Annihilator, Chrysalis, Behemoth, Ratman (who later changed sides), and Electrocutioner. (The Destroyers and an early version of Saker known as Doctor Apocalypse originally appeared in "Death Duel with the Destroyers" and "The Island of Dr. Apocalypse", two Willingham-written supplements for the superhero roleplaying game Villains and Vigilantes.) Unfortunately, Shadowspear, once released from Saker's control, formed a giant malevolent thunderstorm that circled the globe, occasionally transforming animals and corpses into monsters, thus keeping the Elementals busy for many years.

Major themes

Death

The Elementals, and indeed most of the superhumans in the comic, are dead. In the comic, the main ways to gain superhuman powers are through dying, often in a manner that attracts the roaming energy of Shadowspear. While the Elementals, and other superhumans, lived on after death they were changed, generally being physically tougher than ordinary humans but also more emotionally distant, and often able to only relate fully to other superhumans.

Supernature

Unlike most other superhero comics, Elementals did not sharply distinguish between superhuman powers and magic. Indeed, all of the superhuman powers in the comic come, in one way or another, from supernatural sources.

Fame

After the Elementals dealt with Saker and his minions, they were the only super-beings walking free on the planet. The four quickly became the world's most famous celebrities; according to Tommy, this wasn't due to their abilities, but the fact they were dead. The Elementals were, at least until other paranormals began to appear, the ultimate pop icons.

Government

The Elementals had a love-hate relationship with the Federal government of the United States, which sought to control them. At first, a single agent, Porter Scott, was assigned to tag along with them. Later, an entire government agency, F.I.S.H. (Federal Intelligence Security Headquarters) was created to monitor paranormal activity. Later still, the Elementals began to wonder if they and their fellow super-beings should not simply govern themselves.

Violence

The series had a gruesome flair, as Willingham exposed all consequences of fights. As Morningstar said, "This is a war, and in war people die." The protagonists' ability to heal wounds enabled them to survive brutal amounts of damage; Vortex, in particular, managed to get badly mauled with alarming regularity.

exuality

Peekaboo nudity was a staple of "Elementals", as the author tried to push the limits of (then) acceptability in American comics world. Also controversial was the issue in which Morningstar discovered that her fiancé, Eric Chessman, was actually the sadistic villainess Shapeshifter, toying with her emotions.

Religion

A few thousand years ago, a false messiah whose mother had borne him of a demon was in danger of being stoned by an angry mob for his lecherous behavior. Seeking to placate them with a show of power, he raised a man from the dead, plucking an innocent soul from the Promised Land, a clear reference to the story of Jesus and Lazarus. However, unlike the beneficiary of that story, this newly arisen man was aghast that he had been separated from God. When he discovered that he was also unable to die, he grew vengeful and evil, eventually becoming the powerful sorcerer, Lord Saker.

In addition to the above story, the Elementals' patrons, the elements themselves, openly proclaimed that God opposed Saker. The recurring theological imagery led many readers to believe that "Elementals" was essentially, despite the sex, violence, and occult themes, a Christian comic book.

That changed when Willingham introduced Reverend Skagg, a televangelist based on Jimmy Swaggart. Skagg was visited by a glowing angel--once again, Shapeshifter in disguise--who commanded him to torture twelve hundred of his followers to death, promising that some would be sent back to him. The Shadowspear, attracted to the violence, did precisely what the "angel" predicted, resurrecting a handful of people and granting them superpowers. These six named themselves after pertinent Bible verses: Genesis 6:4, Exodus 10:21, Judges 15:14, Leviticus 26:22, Matthew 27:51 and Isaiah 6:2, each having a power that related to the events or beings described in that verse.

Under Skaggs' guidance, the newly arisen paranormals formed a fundamentalist supergroup called The Rapture and began performing various good deeds, such as rescuing disaster victims. However, there was some speculation that they caused the problems they solved; for instance, the localized earthquake that struck "only" the abortion clinic was probably caused by Matthew, who had vibration powers. Soon, the Rapture was sent to destroy the "godless" Elementals. Despite an initial victory, the Rapture was eventually defeated and two of their members, Exodus and Isaiah, were slain. A third, Leviticus, began questioning the morality of the group's actions and would later leave the team.

The Oblivion War

The final arc of the Elemental story line continued the religious subtext of the series. It concerned a war between the supernatural beings of Earth and a rogue planet that entered the solar system.

The planet, which was actually Hell, was ruled by a powerful being know as Lord Oblivion. According to Saker, Lord Oblivion had come to Earth to reclaim the power Shadowspear was draining from his realm. All indications are Lord Oblivion was the Devil and the father of Morningstar's husband Merlin Ambrose.

Demons from the Oblivion Planet invaded Earth on multiple occasions trying to kill or capture Earthly superbeings. In response the paranormals of Earth banded together under the leadership of Monolith and invaded the Oblivion Planet. Earth's supernatural army did significant damage but also suffered many losses in their second attack on the Oblivion Planet. Meanwhile Oblivion forces invaded Earth, capturing Nacht Island and attacking many major American cities.

In volume three of the Elementals it is made clear Lord Oblivon was defeated and the Oblivion Planet left the solar system but how and why is never explained. Bill Willingham never finished the series and was replaced by another writer before the end.

Publication history

* "Justice Machine Annual", Texas Comics, 1983. (First appearance)
* "Elementals" #1-29, 1984-88
* "Elementals" vol. 2, #1-26, 1989-93
* "Elementals" vol. 3, #1-3, 1995-96

One-shots & mini-series
* "Elementals Special" 2 issues, 1986, 1989 (lead into v2)
* "Elementals: Natural Order" 1 issue, 1988
* "Elementals: Sex Special" 4 issues, 1991-93
* "Elementals: Sex Special" vol. 2, 1 issue, 1996
* "Elementals: Sex Special" vol. 3, 2 issues, 1997
* "Elementals: Sexy Lingerie Special" one shot, 1993
* "Elementals: Ghost of a Chance" one-shot, 1995
* "Elementals Swimsuit Spectacular 1996" one shot
* "Elementals: How the War was won" 2 issues, 1996
* "Elementals: The Vampire's Revenge" 2 issues, 1996

Spinoffs
* "Monolith" 4 issues, 1991
* "Fathom" 3 issues, 1987
* "Fathom" vol. 2, 3 issues, 1992
* "Vortex"
* "Morningstar Special" 1990

External links

* [http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/02/05/comics-you-should-own-elementals-1-5/ "Comics Should Be Good!"'s review of Vol. 1 #1-5]