Image Sourcebook: Vanguard

First Appearance: MEGATON #1 (1983)
© & ™ 2023 Erik Larsen & Gary Carlson

Image Sourcebook: Berzerker

Image Sourcebook: The Jack (II)

Real Name: Julia Ravenworth
Occupation: British Intelligence
Identity: Secret
Legal Status: Citizen of the United Kingdom
Place of Birth: Los Angeles
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Abner Ravenworth (grandfather)
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: England
First Appearance: TROLL II #1 (1994)
History:
Julia Ravenworth is an agent of British Intelligence and a legacy heroine who has taken up her grandfather's mantle as the new Jack. Following his demise, Julia notified Abner's old partner Troll at the Youngblood base in Washington, D.C., and they met for a quiet observance at his grave before beginning to investigate his murder. With the help of Abner's journal, the pair uncovered a months-long plot to replace the world's scientists with synthetic duplicates. Among them was Dr. Joseph McCall, the father of Youngblood team member Badrock, who joined in a pursuit that led to the South American base of Dr. Franz Völger. Believed dead since 1944, the Professor was instead in hiding, assisting other Nazis in exile following Germany's defeat as they collectively pursued a Fourth Reich. To this end, Völger constructed The Übernaught Mark II, a towering robot body into which his consciousness would be placed, with the aid of the kidnapped scientists.

The trio traced Völger to Brazil, where they were set upon by an armed squad of "Cyber Nazis." Although the Jack initially held her own, all but Troll were captured and taken to Völger's base. Soon, Völger's mind rested within the Übernaught, but Troll managed to distract the ten ton automaton and free Badrock. The pair severely shocked and partially dismantled the Übernaught before Völger activated the base's self-destruct mechanism. The Jack, Dr. McCall, Badrock, and Troll all managed to escape, with the Übernaught once again presumed destroyed. Troll congratulated the new Jack on a successful first outing, and felt "Abner's legacy is in good hands!"

Height: Average
Build: Fit
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
Strength level: Presumed normal human strength for her age, height, and build.
Known superhuman powers: None. The Jack appears to possess acrobatic abilities and fair fighting skills, as well as being useful with firearms.
Notes: Julia Ravenworth wears a lightly modified variation on The Jack's anachronistic World War II era uniform, mostly accounting for differences in build and gender. However, the new Jack's mask ends midway down the bridge of the nose and spreads along the cheeks down to the jaw.
© & ™ 1994 Karl Altstaetter & Robert Napton

Image Sourcebook: The Jack (I)

Real Name: Abner Ravenworth
Occupation: British Commando
Legal Status: Honored citizen of the United Kingdom
Marital Status: Unknown
Known Relatives: Julia Ravenworth (granddaughter)
Group Affiliation: associate of The Allies
Base of Operations: England
First Appearance: TROLL II #1 (1994)
History:
Abner Ravenworth was a "hand trained" operative under Troll who served England during World War II. In 1944, upon his return from Africa, Major Troll was asked by Winston Churchill to undertake an important mission into the heart of Nazi Germany. Despite considering him "rough around the edges," Troll requested the assistance of The Jack, who had previously embarrassed him in front of his "lady friend" Glory and The Allies in Paris. The pair made their way to Berlin, and the secret lab of Dr. Franz Völger, as he prepared to unleash his "ultimate creation." Bursting in through a skylight, Major Troll and The Jack took on Hitler's legions in pursuit of "Herr Professor," although Jack had to be rescued several times by Troll in the attempt. The Professor escaped to a waiting zeppelin with his towering robot "The Ubernaught" in tow. Standing a couple of stories tall, the Ubernaught nonetheless managed to draw close to the heroes from behind while they stood atop the aircraft. After a brief skirmish, the heroes managed to detonate TNT which appeared to take Völger and his automaton in the conflagration, while Troll's new pilot Eddie swooped in to rescue the pair as they plummeted.

References were made to additional pairings in Stalingrad, Casablanca, and Normandy, but inevitably Major Troll and the Jack parted company, despite Jack's being "one of the best friends, an' best partners, a man could ever have." Fifty years later, Troll was at Youngblood headquarters when he was notified by Ravenworth's granddaughter Julia of Abner's murder. After twenty years in retirement, Ravenworth was prompted to reopen the Volger case, after stumbling upon a plot to replace the world's scientists. He had committed the details to his journal, which was used by his granddaughter and Major Troll to avenge his death.

Height: Average
Build: Athletic
Eyes: White (without visible pupil or iris)
Hair: Brown
Strength level: Presumed normal human strength for his age, height, and build.
Known superhuman powers: None. The Jack appears to possess acrobatic abilities and fair fighting skills, as well as being useful with firearms.
Notes: The Jack's facial features were inconsistent. He sometimes appeared with a Caucasian flesh tone mask open only at the pupilless eyes and mouth, mostly obscuring the nose. Other times in the same sequence, he appeared to wear a blue face mask that matched the rest of his costume, ending at the upper lip with an exposed chin. This was presumably a persistent coloring error or last minute design alteration.
© & ™ 1994 Karl Altstaetter & Robert Napton

Image Sourcebook: Blindspot

Real Name: Murdock Ellison
Occupation: Scientist and inventor
Identity: Secret
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record
Place of Birth: Unknown
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: None
Group Affiliation: Tribe
Base of Operations: Brooklyn, New York
First Appearance: TRIBE #1 (1993)

History: Europan destroyed Murdock Ellison's company, taking most of his money, and plunging his world into darkness. After existing past this defeat, Ellison gathered others who shared his circumstance, banding together to stop Victor Von Grock and his technology-thieving company.

Ellison retained a connection to Rumble Wear, the fashion house and costume designer for the enhanced being in your life, whose owner Michelle Byrd always worked overtime. Byrd assisted in Ellison's ongoing conflict with Europan, including providing his Rumble G.E.A.R. and alerting Blindspot of a Diamond low security switching station in Brooklyn that was part of its G.E.M. (Global Emergency Mainframe) that would allow access to the enemy corporation, who were Diamond subscribers. Elias Banneker drove a van with Blindspot, Rosalyn, Shift, & Hannibal to break into the G.E.M., but they were immediately detected by Diamond Headquarters. Control teleported in a strike team, but they were repelled by a car thrown by Rosalyn, prompting an emergency reorder back to base.

Ellison's group escaped with valuable information, passing Ditto along the way. The breach was reported up to the Pentagon's Office of Sanctions, but wishing to handle the matter externally to avoid involving I/O (International Operations), communications were scrambled and a file with the D.L. Group was authorized to be opened. They presumably outsourced to Shelter, whose Dreux Baker recognized his former associate Ellison from security footage.

Not wishing for another debacle, Blindspot alone entered Europan's New York headquarters to hack their main data base, but was soon detected and attacked by Lord Deus. Ellison fared slightly better against Victor Von Grock, but still had his mind partially read before jumping out a window to escape. Recognizing that he would need still more associates to confront this level of power, Ellison set about recruiting The Front and Steel Pulse. Besides Europan, Tribe faced figures associated with organized crime, such as Out Cold. Tribe eventually faced Europan Manji and Lord Deus himself, but Blindspot devised an attack that prompted their retreat.

In an revealed later episode, Blindspot would have met Fly Girl.

Height: Tall
Build: Athletic
Eyes: Dark
Hair: Black
Strength level: Normal.
Known superhuman powers: Murdock Ellison is a genius innovator. Upon seeing similarities between the android Hannibal and Eurpan's Manji armored troopers, Blindspot whipped together a device that could shut down the units remotely in a matter of moments. This may have been a Dilithium Q 36 Spacial Modulator, as he handed such a device off to Shift to use against Lord Deus, though it proved ineffective. Blindspot's $50,000 state of the art Rumble G.E.A.R (General Energy Absorbing Rags) includes D.S.R. (Dynamic Spatial Reconstruction). This stealth garb cloaks Blindspot from all sensory apparatuses. With the help of Slate and Desmond Negril, the stealth unit also includes a Stromium alloy with 94% energy dispersion, defending Blindspot against kinetic impact as well as absorbing and redirecting energy attacks through discharge circuits. Lord Deus was able to see through Blindspot's invisibility and fry his stealth circuits. It also contains a communication headset and scatter scan technology for monitoring other people's communications.

© & ™ 1996 Todd Johnson & Larry Stroman

See also: Spawnometer 0:0:3:0: Tribe

Image Sourcebook: Rosalyn

Real Name: Yaarashea
Occupation: Unknown
Identity: Secret
Legal Status: Unknown
Place of Birth: Unknown
Marital Status: Unknown
Known Relatives: None
Group Affiliation: Tribe
Base of Operations: Brooklyn, New York
First Appearance: TRIBE #1 (1993)
History: Little is known about the mysterious and powerful Yaarashea, except that one thousand years ago, she opposed Lord Deus. The price was to lose her identity and to be confined in a more mortal form. The exact time frame between her earliest clashes with Deus and her being striken with amnesia is unclear. What became of her in the gap has not been recorded, but she turned up in modern times using the name Rosalyn.

Murdock Ellison met Rosalyn seemingly by chance one day on the street in New York. Despite a bungled pick-up attempt, they eventually became close friends, and Rosalyn joined his crusade against Europan looks for answers about her own life. She was the back-up muscle in the G.E.M. switching station break-in, tossing a car through an exterior wall to provide cover for the exit of Ellison and his associates. In her downtime, she trained in the ring with Short Order, and traveled with her assoaciate Elias Banneker to the Hype club to confront Europan Manji. Lord Deus himself appeared following their destruction, and while he made short work of the rest of Tribe, only Rosalyn gave him pause. Not recognizing her at first, Deus placed Rosalyn in a stasis envelope and intended to kill her through a massive dispersal of thermal energy. Instead, its power restored her aura, freeing her from a years long imprisonment in a "shell of flesh... left powerless and with no memory of the past." Manifesting new battle armor, Yaarashea acknowledged that she never actual lost her power, "only the memory to regain it." Though mostly continuing to fight on her own, Lord Deus was ultimately driven away through a team effort, leaving Ellison and Tribe to reevaluate their relationship with Rosalyn in the wake of these revelations.

Height: Short
Build: Thick
Eyes: Dark
Hair: Black
Strength level: Lots.
Known superhuman powers: Rosalyn is regarded as the most powerful member of Tribe, even when that was defined by her exceptional physical strength and fighting proficiency. She is capable of withstanding great physical punishment, lethal projectiles, and even mental barrages while remaining calm and cool under pressure. With her restored demigoddess powers, her strength appeared to increase, she could directly absorb energy blasts from Lord Deus, gained powers of telepathy, and may have been able to see through the illusions of The Front. Her new battle armor included four prehensile tendrils, which she used to briefly restrain Lord Deus. When accessing her uppermost mortal abilities, Rosalyn would manifest a glow, particularly from one of her eyes. This may have been an indication of her reaching for her demigoddess abilities.
Notes: The creators explicitly reference Rosalyn as being the most popular Tribe character among fans in trading cards and other promotional materials. She is the most often referenced, even appearing in frontpieces of issues in which she otherwise isn't featured, and despite having a relatively minor role in all but the concluding chapter of the only published Tribe story arc.
© & ™ 1996 Larry Stroman & Todd Johnson

See also: Spawnometer 0:0:3:0: Tribe

Image Sourcebook: Lord Deus

Real Name: Unknown; surname alternately offered as Deivirile or Devirelle
Base of Operations: SoHo, Manhattan, New York
First Appearance: TRIBE #1 (1993)
History: The sinister Lord Deus Devirelle is a self-proclaimed demigod, though there are no living witnesses to dispute this allegation. Eons old, Lord Deus' body defies the natural order of aging, requiring a month long slumber in an automated pod filled with life prolonging fluids. Afterward, he is attended to by robotic drones, which attach his metallic wardrobe. Mysterious in origin, Lord Deus has faced foes for over a thousand years, and sees himself as apart from humanity. Lord Deus is unknown to the public, but as the true power behind Europan, he remains a menace to the world. While typically content with allowing Victor Von Grock to handle the business, when displeased, Deus does not hesitate to threaten and batter the executive.

Lord Deus will gleefully slaughter a room full of superhumans, if he can find one who survives with something to offer his organization. Following a few modest defeats at the hands of Murdock Ellison's Tribe, Lord Deus chose to openly attack the team without warning, and made short work of most of the team. He was perhaps provoked by the reemergence of his ancient opponent Yaarashea, who had had stripped of most power and identity a millennium prior. Regardless, it was ultimately the teamwork of Tribe and their attack on his seemingly essential chair of power that ended direct hostilities, inducing Lord Deus to teleport away. Among his other named enemies are the Offworlders and Paladins.

Height: 8'0"
Build: Massive
Hair: Bald
Strength level: Lots.
Known superhuman powers: Deus has displayed extensive use of energy manipulation and projection (specifically concentric plasma discharges,) highly advanced senses, and teleportation. He can easily see through illusions and invisibility technology. Deus is protected by a force shield, and can project a localized stasis envelope to trap enemies. As the fractuals discharge, they disperse massive thermal energy into any object placed in a common center. Lord Deus also possesses extraordinary strength and resilience, enough to easily overcome the likes of Hannibal and the Savage Dragon. How many of these abilities are natural, technological, or the result of the mechanisms in his command chair are undetermined at this time. What is clear is that his chair specifically allows for chrono-displacement, sending subjects through time, either to a specific or random point. Severe disorientation is a common side effect, and Deus has been accused of suppressing or wiping away memories for harrowing lengths of time, not limited to a millennium.

© & ™ 1996 Larry Stroman & Todd Johnson

See also: Spawnometer 0:0:3:0: Tribe

Image Sourcebook: Victor Von Grock & Europan

Real Name: Victor Von Grock
Occupation: Europan International head of U.S. operations
Identity: Publicly known
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record
Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York
First Appearance: TRIBE #1 (1993)
History: The international Europan Corporation will stop at nothing to corner the market on new technology and power. When negotiation fails, there is always force. Victor Von Grock is effective with either route, manipulating, strong-arming, and overpowering as needed. To this end, Von Grock has established ties to Cyberdata, a silent partnership with Yamahoshi Tech on Project Deathgrip, and handled the insertion of Alberto Cassini into the Cabal (though he was murdered by Pike under the assumption that he had sold intelligence on Helspont to the Gnome.) Among the operations taken over by Von Grock are Guido Duva's East Coast sporting rackets and Anthony Franco's mob. Von Grock is very hands-on, usually conducting his dirty business in person, and he's not averse to trade punches with the likes of Blindspot.

Europan offers million dollar a year contracts and a new car to Youngbloods who sign on with the company, while neglecting to tell them that they will have to survive a typically fatal battle with Lord Deus to clinch the offer. The business practices of Europan International has earned it many enemies, including Tribe, the Offworlders and Paladins.

Known superhuman powers & weapons: Victor Von Grock's primary ability is to drain the wills of his victims, essentially enslaving them, via energy beams connecting his eyes to a target's. Beyond compelling the victim to do his bidding for an undefined period of time, this act also allows Von Grock to read the subject's mind. On a larger scale, Europan distributes Slaver Units, a headset device which can be applied to any random subject, forcing them to act on encoded directions fed to their brains. These are popular purchases among crime families, as it cuts down on their payroll and provides immediate violence fodder. Among the most effective weapons in the Europan arsenal are high flying ominous armored Manji. Totally obedient to the whims of Victor Von Grock, these humanoid robots can act on their own, or be worn as a suit of armor.

© & ™ 1994 Larry Stroman & Todd Johnson

See also: Spawnometer 0:0:3:0: Tribe

Image Sourcebook: Out Cold

Real Name: Duane Montgomery-El
Occupation: Mercenary
Identity: Secret
Base of Operations: New York
First Appearance: TRIBE #1 (1993)
History: Out Cold is the pseudonym of choice for a paid killer, taken to avoid police agencies on the lookout for such colorful personalities in the trade. Duane Montgomery-El built a reputation on murder and mayhem, without realizing that his proficiency would cause the acts to lose their appeal. "I have lost the feeling of challenge, now pointed out as someone to avoid. So I mask my bourgeois upbringing by speaking in urban vernacular and hostile tone. And I dress for attention, hoping to inspire conflict... to feed upon this private aggression singing in me." The crime lord Alberto Cassini brought in the outsider when his own men failed to muscle the Hype club away from The Front, so Out Cold murdered his way past bouncers in pursuit of the proprietor. Sarcastic and hypersensitive, he froze the head of one and punched it to ice cubes, complete with Bondian puns for the horrified party-goers. The kid was rescued by Hannibal, and a knock down, drag out battle ensued. Ultimately, the odds appeared not to favor Out Cold, who tossed an explosive that took out part of the club, then bolted.

Known superhuman powers: Out Cold can flash freeze objects in close proximity to his hand, and can project freezing rays through a specialty handgun. He may also have superhuman strength and resilience, based on the scale of his battle with Hannibal. Whether these abilities are inherent or mechanical isn't clear.

Notes: He's basically Simon Phoenix in action and dialogue, but actually predates Demolition Man.

© & ™ 1996 Larry Stroman & Todd Johnson

See also: Spawnometer 0:0:3:0: Tribe

Image Sourcebook: Hannibal & Elias

First Appearance: TRIBE #1 (1993)
History: Hannibal is a 2,000 lbs. automaton that works with Tribe. Its programming is simple, with defensive and offensive modes that can be remotely applied or locked in manually. It is programmed with cartoon and old movie dialogue, speaking exclusively in quotes. Hannibal is considered the "baby" of Elias Banneker, an older little person who helps manage the Beat Down Gym. While its creator hasn't been revealed, Elias and Sebastion typically maintain Hannibal in its service to Murdock Ellison. Banneker is among the more reluctant associates in Tribe, preferring to serve as wheelman of the team's van, always with the volume cranked to vibrate the neighborhood windows. Elias seeks retribution for an unrevealed slight made by Europan.

Another gym denizen is Short Order, also a little person, who can divide himself into a multitude of tiny duplicates of himself. The total ability to subdivide is unknown, but he has demonstrated the power to become dozens of 6-12 inch copies who appear to act autonomously. His relationship to Elias has not been fully explained.

Despite its immense frame, Hannibal isn't known for its strength, though it is prone to physically blocking attacks made against its teammates. Hannibal was put out of commission for a couple of days when hit by a car thrown by Rosalyn. However, Hannibal has also detached its head as a maneuver, so planned dismemberment is an option. Hannibal can access computerized ports through its fingers to access and download encryption codes and files. Hannibal can also manifest an energy fist that can emit ranged blasts.

© & ™ 1996 Larry Stroman & Todd Johnson

See also: Spawnometer 0:0:3:0: Tribe

Image Sourcebook: The Front

Real Name: Alexander Collins
Occupation: Club Owner
Identity: Secret
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record
Place of Birth: Unknown
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: None
Group Affiliation: Tribe
Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York
First Appearance: TRIBE #1 (1993)
History: A man of many faces, no one knows his real name or true appearance. Alex is the successful but camera-elusive owner of the HYPE club, Manhattan's premiere night spot. What few besides his right-hand man Shannon knows is that the club is an illusion cast by the Front, who also makes himself appear as a posh white man who serves as host. At $25 a head, the "club" built out of pop-ups in disguised hovels easily clear tens of thousands of dollars a night. This likely attracted the attention of crime boss Anthony Franco, who sent muscle over to force the Front to sign a contract with the mafioso. However, between his illusion powers and the timely arrival of Murdock Ellison's Tribe, the Front managed to escape. This further angered Franco, who called in outside muscle Out Cold to attack HYPE the following night. Ellison saw the Front as a recruitment drive prospect, and left him the automaton Hannibal for protection. Out Cold and Hannibal's fight destroyed much of the club's temporary location, drawing a variety of additional combatants into the fray. The Front attempted to aid Tribe against Lord Deus, but proved ineffective when the villain saw through his charade.

Height: Average
Build: Average
Known superhuman powers: Through a yet to be explained process, the Front is a hyperillusion caster, able to alter the visual surroundings with the power of his mind. His mental projections seem to affect the perceptions of all within an undefined radius.

© & ™ 1994 Larry Stroman & Todd Johnson

See also: Spawnometer 0:0:3:0: Tribe

Image Sourcebook: Steel Pulse

Real Name: Desmond Negril
Occupation: Metallurgist, owner of Allotech
Identity: Secret
Legal Status: Citizen of Jamaica with no criminal record
Place of Birth: Jamaica
Group Affiliation: Tribe
Base of Operations: Strong Island, New York
First Appearance: TRIBE #2 (1993)
History: Desmond Negril is an innovative metallurgist and owner of the research firm Allotech, with a two-million-dollar private research facility. Negril's most well-known discovery is Stromium, a metal alloy with incredible resistance to physical stress and unusual properties of energy dispersal. A dear friend of Murdock Ellison, the Rastafarian contributes to his efforts against Europan, such as providing Stromium alloy for his stealth suit. Negril had been working on personal body armor that avoided the permanence of Dr. Portacio's Wetworks process and have Europan and Cyberdata "eat their hearts out." Due to Europan treachery, while conducting an experiment, Desmond was caught in an otherwise lethal explosion that sent him into a tank of alloy, caused a transformation. Negril's body was converted into a liquid metal alloy that he would soon be able to manipulate at will. As Manji stole what "Steel Pulse" digital files Negril hadn't managed to destroy, the scientist was found by Murdock Ellison and helped into a containment suit. Spirited away to another Europan conflict arena, Negril was blasted through the chest with an energy rifle, and finally recognized the extent of his transformation. Negril was last seen aiding Tribe against Lord Deus, in which his ability to conduct energy into the villain's powered chair was essential to forcing his retreat.

© & ™ 1994 Larry Stroman & Todd Johnson

See also: Spawnometer 0:0:3:0: Tribe

Image Sourcebook: Fly Girl

Real Name: Nicolena Johnson
Occupation: High-fashion model, co-owner of Rumble Wear
Identity: Secret
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record
Base of Operations: New York
First Appearance: TRIBE - THE INTRO (1993)
History: Nicolena Johnson is the face behind the successful ad campaign for the Touch of Velvet cosmetic firm. She runs Rumble Wear, the fashion house responsible for designing most of the costumes of the Image Universe, alongside her partner Todd Innis.

Known superhuman powers: An avid thrill seeker, Nicolena dons a prototype costume called a TUX (Tricot Ultralight Exoskeleton) developed with the aid of friend Murdock Ellison that allows her flight.

Notes: Fly Girl has never appeared in a comic book story. Most information presented here was taken verbatim from the Tribe Press Pass Card Set. Per Ryan Fraser's World of Black Heroes, she was to debut in the unpublished Tribe #5.

© & ™ 1993 Todd Johnson & Larry Stroman

See also: Spawnometer 0:0:3:0: Tribe

Image Sourcebook: Ditto

First Appearance: TRIBE - THE INTRO Press Pass Card Set (1993)
History: The Ditto prototype (Digital Imaging Tactical Organism) is a strange new life form created by Digital Chameleon, a subsidiary of Europan. A power surge in his containment chamber causes a computer glitch that gives him sentience. An adaptive and dangerous experimental organism, Ditto's imaging programs simulate enhanced abilities on indirect, short-range contact. For instance, Ditto briefly possessed superhuman speed when the Tribe member Shift passed by in a moving car. Europan internal security attempted to collect the escaped Ditto with extreme prejudice, resulting in the inadvertent injury of a young boy. Ditto absorbed the boy into his body and escaped into the city before collapsing in a back alley, having seemingly healed the boy. When last seen, Europan were dispatching an unnamed, non-powered specialist to retrieve Ditto.

Notes: Most information presented here was taken verbatim from the Tribe Press Pass Card Set.

© & ™ 1993 Todd Johnson & Larry Stroman

See also: Spawnometer 0:0:3:0: Tribe

Image Sourcebook: Shift

Real Name: Franklin Sadler
Occupation: Boxer
Identity: Secret
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record
Group Affiliation: Tribe
Base of Operations: Brooklyn, New York
First Appearance: TRIBE #1 (1993)
History: Former middleweight champion prizefighter Franklin Sadler has fallen on hard times, still operating out of the world famous Beat Down Gym, now a broken down space where only amateurs think there's still magic to be found. Getting by on betting scams in underground matches, Sadler has to be careful not to tip his superhumanly fast hands when using his secret powers to win his fights.

Sadler can still rely on Elias Banneker, an older little person who helps manage the gym, and both work with Murdock Ellison against the Europan Corporation. While the braggart Sadler's specific beef with the company is unrevealed, Ellison has noted that he is motivated by a desire for renewed glory.

Shift was a party to the Diamond G.E.M. switching station break-in, using his speed to disable motion detectors and a laser grid array, as well as work through the 36,000 possible combinations for the security system touchpad entry. Using information gleaned there, Murdock Ellis then broke into Europan directly, but when resistance made him jump out a window, Shift pulled together a mass of trash bags to break his fall. Shift continued to assist Tribe on their earliest missions, including a battle with Lord Deus.

Known superhuman powers: Superhuman speed.

© & ™ 1996 Larry Stroman & Todd Johnson

See also: Spawnometer 0:0:3:0: Tribe

Image Sourcebook: Trencher

Real Name: Gideon
Occupation: Trencher
Identity: Unknown
Legal Status: Undocumented
Place of Birth: Unknown
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: None
Group Affiliation: Division of Karmic Designation
Base of Operations: Mobile
First Appearance: TRENCHER #1
History: In the Division of Karmic Designation, bureau of re-incarnation and retrieval, the task was set to repossess the over 1,000 souls who were wrongly returned to life on Earth in the 1900-1990 period. At the suggestion of the being known as Phoebe, the Council approved a Trencher unit for this duty. By definition, a Trencher is "one who repossesses errant or misplaced souls." Controlled by the consciousness Gideon under the constant supervision of Phoebe, this humanoid "re-possession agent" would seek out and exterminate these erroneous reincarnations in their present lives, usually with extreme prejudice. Coarse, ill-tempered, and violent, Gideon went about his chore beginning approximately in October of 1993 with the least regard for discretion and with the greatest application of Murphy's Law in every attempt.

After a brief local environmental tumult, Gideon was cast down from the heavens to Miami, Florida in a bolt of fuchsia lightning that destroyed several city blocks with explosions and tidal waves. His earliest recorded collection was Lawrence Tsabo, who employed bloody prehensile nose hairs of great strength as The Nasal Python before the Trencher ripped off his lower jaw and shot him repeatedly in the chest with his very large machine gun. Gideon then proceeded to rob the corpse, as a Trencher has no material means provided to support his mission.

While Phoebe determined that cases such as a Spawn operating out of New York, government-sponsored reanimated dead (indicating Bloodstrike,) and Gideon's antagonistic "little girlfriend" Skylark would have to be dealt with eventually, his next job took him to Detroit, Michigan to collect the aging Nazi Cheryl Noble. Active as an aggressive agent since at least 1941, Cher Noble exhibited an unexpected "past-life cognizance" and awareness of Trenchers. Noble had enough fight left in her to blow Trencher in half, but was ultimately dealt with. Significantly damaged, Trencher needed a day to heal, prompting Phoebe to teleport him to his next job in Tuscon, AZ to recover lost time on his itinerary. Once there, Trencher bisected Martin "The Hurler" Gallagher and briefly confronted the local cactus-themed hero The Mighty Saguaro. Failing to maintain a low profile, Trencher attracted the attention of the exceptionally powerful superhero Supreme, who punched Gideon hard enough to send him flying all the way to Las Vegas, NV. Much destruction on the strip followed, and even after using an "adrenal burst" to very briefly challenge Supreme, the superhuman literally knocked Gideon's block off with one punch. In a major violation, Phoebe opened a nexus portal to save the chassis, and Gideon was trapped for two weeks on an isolated alternate dimensional platform in the nexus "core" with the chatty Trencher of 1963, Gabriel. Gideon regretted bringing up Horus, and hearing about Gabe's Trencher-Mobile.

In Kansas City, Gideon encountered the first of four unauthorized Elvis Presley reincarnations that had divided his soul by as many lives, fragmented in transit, known as a "Carlyn Rift." The first was a cyborg that demonstrated "past-life cognizance" and ambushed Trencher. The second was a three-year-old who performed in diapers in New Orleans, but Gideon had a strict "no kids," policy, and would have to keep until adulthood. In Hyannis, MA, an Elvis in large mechanical armor was dispatched before it could kill a "heretic" impersonator. The diminutive Nigel P. "Pelvis" Rippington befriended Gideon in gratitude, who grudgingly accepted a ride to Memphis, TN. A final superhuman Elvis operated from a secret high-tech lair beneath Graceland, and intercepted the "trenching filth" en route. Despite powers beyond those of mortal men, it was swiftly doomsday for the reign of The King. Meanwhile, a faceless man with long fingernails had awakened in Boston, and appeared to be tied to the newly super-powered and cognizant repossessions.

Following the breaking of his back by local vigilante Shadowhawk, mob boss Carmine "The Blowhole" Oliveri was set to turn over evidence on the mafia. Shadowhawk guarded him so that he could do so, but Oliveri was also on Trencher's docket for repossession. A drawn out night of multitudinous conflicts resulted, with Trencher brutalizing the vigilante, as well as local police, S.W.A.T., mafia assassins, and a super-powered street gang. Trencher was eventually bisected and defenestrated from high atop the hospital where The Blowhole was being kept. Rival Boss Konik enlisted Deever and his body-hopping Twilight Runners, who eventually landed inside the aged asthmatic Oliveri and caused him to shoot himself in the head. As Trencher's body reconstituted itself in a New York City morgue drawer, Gideon made plans for his next repossession, Boss Konik.

Trencher gunned down a prostitute due for repossession while she was performing for Blitz the Manic Mandrill. Blitz was understandably aggrieved, and a protracted series of escalating violent confrontations occurred over a span of days in early January of 1994. Ultimately, both aggressors were left with only disembodied heads, and yet continued to spit at one another as a last recourse. It is unknown whether Blitz has similar regenerative powers as Trencher to allow for his recovery.

Trencher was again drawn into Shadowhawk's orbit in New York when Phoebe decided to help the vigilante through a cathartic but otherwise fruitless fool's errand. This led to Gideon trenching a proto-demonic soul in the presence of the Al Simmons Spawn, but no move was made against him at this time. Gideon left one of his guns with Shadowhawk and encouraged suicide, but he ultimately refused. Instead, Phoebe aided Shadowhawk in an odyssey across space and time that helped him come to terms with his impending death.

Trencher repossessed a mall Santa in full view of patrons on Christmas Eve, and then struggled the rest of the night to escape Milwaukee. While there, he was attacked by Dr. Tushman, a serial killer with a perverse hunger for flatulence. When the noted World War II hero Blazing Glory had a radioactive missile lodged in his rectum, the proctologist was quietly enlisted by the government to extricate the large device. Though successful, Dr. Tushman was exposed to a concentrated blast of irradiated gas after prematurely removing his safety equipment. Scarred physically and emotionally, Tushman descended into madness, and was killed by Trencher in an explosion at a toy warehouse.

Trencher was in the Egyptian city Giza when it was blasted by an energy weapon wielded by sixty foot Martian exterminators. Exiting the wreckage, Trencher was attacked by Doc Stern... Mr. Monster, who was vacationing in Egypt with his assistant Kelly Friday. Stern had been investigating bug-eyed aliens in the region, and identified Trenchers as monsters to be eliminated. Later, Trencher pursued Kelly to Stearn's Slaughter Mountain mansion at Sector 666, Co-Vector 13, in the mistaken belief that he was at Laughter Mountain. Trenching was due for the reincarnated black widow & poodle murderess Merry Merle, and Gideon had mistaken Kelly for her host. Gideon's usually swift repossession of a target was delayed by the presence of visiting children, giving Kelly time to create a mute duplicate of herself. When Trencher was knocked into a Satan Glass, he pulled the duplicate Kelly in with him, then destroyed the dimensional doorway from the other side to avoid dealing with Doc Stearn. Trencher has not been seen since his encounter with Mr. Monster, and may still be trapped in a version of Hell.

Height: Approximately 6'4"
Weight: Approximately 250 lbs.
Eyes: Unknown
Hair: Platinum Blond with Sandy streaks
Strength level: Exceptional.
Known superhuman powers: The Trencher retrieval unit, model Sapien 2000, is a self-contained bio-system capable of extraordinary abilities far beyond the pale of mere humanity. It is capable of self-repairing from a state of near total obliteration, knitting rent appendages back together and even restoring itself when only Gideon's severed head survived a nuclear detonation. Once, Trencher came back from being ripped in half and losing an arm in just under 24 hours. Trencher can tolerate inhuman levels of physical trauma while only grousing about discomfort. Its agility is such that Trencher can run on its hands at a speed at least comperable to a regular man on legs, or even hop on one arm should the need arise. It is resilient against most small arms fire, though it can be penetrated by bladed weapons if projected with sufficient force. The Trencher unit also possesses enhanced strength of a high caliber, though his upper limits are unknown. Although his chassis can only handle it for about a minute, Phoebe can authorize an "adrenal burst" that once allowed Gideon to deliver an impactful if ultimately ineffective blow to Supreme.

While Gideon psychologically desires rest, the 2000 model does not actually require dormant periods. To all intents and purposes, the 2000 model is a walking cadaver under close inspection, but without cellular deterioration. Trencher appears to be a well-muscled, exceedingly pale person with body hair, saliva, etcetera. He enjoys hand rolled cigarettes and hot showers. Trencher's machine pistol fires rounds powerful enough to penetrate the skin of Supreme. When warranted, Phoebe can seek authorization for a priority "boot" that can teleport Trencher in a "Chuff" of pink smoke an unknown distance of at minimum 2,000 miles. It wrecks the chassis and the cost overruns are prohibitive, though. Phoebe can also control the Trencher chassis by remote in the event of decapitation.

Notes: Despite appearances, there is some indication that Gideon may in fact simply be playing the role of an uncouth Trencher, and is in truth a cultured, erudite individual of class and wealth with his own mansion and servant... who reads Howard Stern autobiographies, so there's that.
© & ™ 2001 Keith Giffen

See also:

• Spawnometer 0:0:1:9:

Image Sourcebook: Shelter

^{Art by Gene Ha & Jeff Albrecht}

First Appearance: AXIS ALPHA, VOL. 1, ALPHA (FEBRUARY 1994)
History: Shelter is a private squad tasked with gathering information on and addressing as needed enhanced beings, often requiring quick results and a low profile. Shelter operates out of C.O.M.I.C. (Capture, Observation, Maintenance, Investigation and Containment) shops. Their patrons included the D.L. Group and the government, specifically Capitol (The Office of Sanctions.) Lt. Derrick "May Day" May is their caustic liaison with the D.L. Group, and he is served by two android bodyguards. In their sole appearance, Shelter trained in a high tech facility against a simulation of the PITT entity. Working in conjunction with General Geppi of Diamond, the D.L. Group tasked Shelter with investigating and capturing individuals found to have compromised a G.E.M. switching station in New York.

Members:
Random Access (Dreux Baker) is a freelance operator and former associate of Murdock Ellison who works with Shelter. Baker possesses teleportation (and possibly speed-related) powers.
Hot Wire uses mysticism and a Celtic war mask to channel and project all electrical forms.
Echo (Marika Bristle) can absorb all available ambient sound and convert it into pure, silent concussive force.
Insider (Ross Milkin) can, following eye contact, command the minds of as many as six subjects, though the time span of his control shortens with numbers and the presence of super powers.
Body Slam is a green-skinned, super-strong hulk with body quills that inject fatigue poisons into opponents.
Air Tight (Deborah Gay) is a blond woman with undefined abilities.

© & ™ 1994 Axis Comics, Inc.

Spawn Sphere Schedule

Eons Ago

• Alien Kherubim explorers and Daemonite marauders stranded on Earth. Millennia of clandestine blood wars follow, including the creation of human-Kherubim hybrid descendants with special powers dubbed The Gifted Ones. [WildC.A.T.s #2, 1992-10]

Circa 3000–2900 BC

• The angel Celestine oversaw The Great Flood. [Violator Vs. Badrock #1, 1995-06]

Circa 1991–1803 BCE

• The angel Celestine argued for the first use of plagues against Egypt. She later called in the air strike against Sodom and Gomorrah. [Violator Vs. Badrock #1, 1995-06]

1589

• England: 16th Century occultist Dr. John Dee conjured a fifteen foot tall blood-sucking demon with "about a hundred teeth" from the depths of Hell, or as he described it, a "phleboton spirit of the upper ayres. Dee facilitated the demon's other great vice, serving him unwilling victims for procreation. As each of these five Phlebiac Brothers was born, the individual mother did not survive the infernal labor. Eventually the eldest son, the Violator, would violently murder his father. Around the same time, the brothers were hired by an archdemon that had taken over the eighth level of the afterworld. The Malebolgia, with Violator acting as his chief lieutenant. [Violator #2, 1994-06]

1900

• The "Century Baby" Jenny Sparks is born in England, and will live as a pivotal figure for the entire 20th Century. [Stormwatch #44, 1997-01]

1906

• San Francisco: While acting under an undisclosed alias, the Kherubim Lord Emp foiled a Daemonite plot to assassinate legendary tenor Enrico Caruso, for unknown cause. During the encounter, Emp unintentionally helped cause an earthquake, to his great embarrassment. However, the clash ended "a reign of terror the Daemonites had begun at the turn of the century," and Emp would not encounter another Daemonite until the 1960s. [Team One: WildC.A.T.s #1, 1995-07]

1913

• Louise Masters born. [Supreme #9, 1994-01]

1916

• Escape artist Harry Houdini departs from Earth mid-show to the otherdimensional space The Overlap on a mission that leads him to encounter the Al Simmons Hell's-Pawn in 1994 New York. [Spawn #19, 1994-10]

Circa 1919

• Ethan Crane born. According to an account by Doctor Wells' lab assistant, "His father was the last of the big-time bible-thumpers..." Supreme himself noted, "You taught me my scripture well... FATHER! Yet for all your tent show talk of hellfire... you made precious little difference on that darkling plain known as the Dust Bowl! As a child, I carried your bibles into audiences and sold them to parched farmers and their brittle wives. To them, hellfire was very real! But come the rains, they would put aside the word of God, cast it off with their almanacs and divining rods. You didn't save a single soul, Father! You were nothing but a con man, a two-bit rainmaker! [Legend of Supreme #2, 1995-01]

1920s

• Jenny Sparks had stopped aging at age 20, just in time for the first recorded interdimensional "door" to open. Shiftships from Sliding Albion arrived in the United Kingdom, which handled the ongoing matter as quietly as possible. Sparks threw herself into the "age of scientific romance," battling The King of Nails and bedding blue-skinned princes. [Stormwatch #44, 1997-01]

1930s

• Michael Stone dismissed his wife's concerns about elder son Johnny bullying brother Cabbot. [Battlestone #1, 1994-11]
• Jenny Sparks moved to the United States, chasing "madness" and the manic energy of Depression-era America. She sometimes worked with reporter Clarence Cornwall to take down the likes of corrupt munitions dealer Boss Moseley. [Stormwatch #44, 1997-01]

1937

• Beginning in the late 1930s, the controversial and broadly discredited Doctor Wells (given name alternately Horatio and Garnet) sought to produce meta-abilities beyond natural human evolution. Using technology far ahead of that of his time, Wells secretly experimented on indigent and otherwise downtrodden human subjects, with some sources indicating the enthusiastic involvement of Nazis in Hitler's Germany. Wells himself did not subscribe to their philosophy, obsessed instead with a greater human ideal beyond politics. Jonathan Prophet was believed by some to be the sole success story in his otherwise doomed experiments, although Supreme later indicated that Wells was key to his empowerment, as well. Further examination was aborted due to increased wartime hostilities, and Dr. Wells vanished without trace, leaving Prophet in a suspended animation chamber for decades. [Youngblood #2, 1992-7 & 2007-10]


• St. Louis: Based on an account by Sophie Miles, she was fifteen years old when a group of local men plotted to take her virginity by force. This was overheard by Ethan Crane, likely eighteen at the time, but he failed to act before the rape had occurred the following day. In the aftermath a day later, Crane walked into a local bar and gunned the rapists down with an automatic pistol. Police were alerted, who demanded Crane drop the gun and raise his hands. Crane instead slightly raised the gun while saying, "Oh, this is empty, Offic--" and was gunned down by the pair of officers present. Crane survived, and was sentenced to life in prison. Miles felt that Crane blamed himself for what happened. Miles noted that she'd later entered into an intimate relationship with Crane, presumably after he had become Supreme. [Legend of Supreme #1, 1994-12]

1939

• Washington, D.C.: As part of the war effort, and as a way to get out of prison, Ethan Crane becomes the "lucky number seven" subject of Dr. Wells' battery of tests within a secret research laboratory beneath the Potomac. As with the previous six, Crane perished. [Legend of Supreme #1, 1994-12]
  
  This information derived from Dr. Wells's lab assistant, and the last surviving participant in the project, who gave a contemporary statement to reporter Maxine Winslow from his likely death bed. He was at the time dying from toxic exposures during the experiments. The project was overseen by a U.S. Army General, who was responsible for requisitioning the incarcerated subjects.
  
  It was noted that Crane had lasted three days, far longer than the other inmates, and late into the final day. The body was placed in overnight cold storage, so that Dr. Wells could start fresh for the autopsy. The next morning, thumping could be heard from inside the morgue drawer where Crane's cadaver had been placed, but the being inside the drawer no longer appeared to be Ethan Crane. Hair color, fingerprints, and other physical features no longer matched Crane's. This being did not regain consciousness, as Dr. Wells wished to kill him again, to see if further evolution would take place.
  
  After a week of torturous deaths and revivals, the being not only manifested further survival adaptations, but also slightly greater levels of consciousness. This continued on for months, until "we were pumping enough electricity, chemicals, and radiation into him to contaminate a continent!" But also, he was "barely conscious" for most of it, occasionally muttering scripture. Finally, one night, a guard slept through the being's escape from the facility. [Legend of Supreme #2, 1995-01]
  
  
• Per his own 1994 account in a televised interview, the "juvenile delinquent" (despite being taken from a self-described "promising career" at age eighteen) to become Supreme was developed by a team of U.S. Government scientists led by Dr. Wells through medical and technological breakthroughs. Over "grueling weeks," Supreme's intellect expanded with his physique, until he declared himself smarter than the scientists who had developed him, and disinterested in subjecting himself to further testing. Considered by some to have gone A.W.O.L. [Supreme #10, 1994-02 & #15, 1994-07]
  
  
• April: Supreme publicly identified and named by media after months of anonymous service as "the first of his super-powered generation to appear in this century." He would go on to make essential contributions to the Allied war effort against the Axis powers, most notably clashing with German forces (including Thor) in Africa, and later bombing Berlin by hand. [Supreme #10, 1994-02]
  
  In contrast, according to a written account given to Maxine Winslow by Supreme, he wandered nude into the snow-covered streets. Making his way to a Catholic church, he was given clothing, food, and long-term shelter by the attending priest. In return for this sanctuary, he used his extraordinary new powers for various tasks requested by the father. Presumably, the information in a news broadcast would be vetted for greater accuracy than a self-proclaimed "gospel," but further details in the account are consistent with a 1939-1940 timeline. [Legend of Supreme #3, 1995-02]

1940

• Again, per Supreme's personal written account, he was still living at the church and seemingly not publicly known as of June, when the fall of France was mentioned. This event increased the being's desire to use his powers for interventionism, and he privately also began a troubling pattern of associating himself with Christ's divinity, with indications that he believed he was communing directly with God. [Legend of Supreme #3, 1995-02]


• "Over the past year," Supreme proved himself a hero. However, when foreign spies created a hostage situation at the "G-Corp." chemical company, a feud lasting 54 years was begun. His business destroyed by a detonated bomb, and a satchel of vital atomic "heavy water" secrets taken into evidence by authorities, the rescued owner and principle chemist Zachariah Grizlock swore revenge. The illegal nature of the documents saw Grizlock incarcerated for "nearly fifteen years," although obviously interrupted by additional criminal activities. [Supreme #12, 1994-05]

1942

• Late Summer: Adolph Hitler betrays his duped servant Thor, despite his storied service during the North African campaign, and traps him with his hammer Mjollnir in a suspend state until 1993. Thor was also stated to have fought Supreme at The Battle of the Bulge, which may have been a different circumstance in the Image sphere than our understood 1944 counteroffensive. [Supreme #5-9, 1993]

1944

• Berlin: Die Hard, Glory & Super-Patriot assail Nazis as The Allies. [Youngblood Strikefile #1, 1993-04]
• Based on an account by a man called "Mister Simon," identified as Supreme's Army commanding officer or "control" circa 1944, "He could've ended the war... I tried to stop him because I realized he was deliberately prolonging it! Said it was all part of the natural weeding-out process... the evolution of man!" Simon gave additional context with, "He relished it! Reveled in the blood!" It was later implied that Supreme had ripped off Simon's right arm for the attempted interference. [Legend of Supreme #1, 1994-12]

1945

• August 9, Nagasaki, Japan: Men of influence from business, religion, and military conjure a demon just as an atomic bomb devasted the city, and no infernal materials were detected thereafter. This is observed by The Overlap, an otherdimensional space powered by knowledge, and the demon %^9 is tasked with further investigation of the matter. [Spawn #19, 1994-10]

1946

• Early February [sources conflicted- as early as 1945's V-J Day]: Tired of constant conflict, Supreme departed Earth for a decades long unaided exploration of outer space. "With the vast stretches of cosmos spread out before me, I found a new purpose. The universe became my school-- and my playground." He become a legend among the Katellans as he led them to victory on the planet Maxia, defeating the Torgan war machine alongside the Khrome Conclave. The Katellan Admiral K'hrk once noted that "He brought down the Too-Lan-Roo... He's charted more of this galaxy than we and the Acacians combined!"^{[Supreme #2]} Emperor Khrome would reign for a time on Maxia, destroying the Torgan home world before being forced into exile by a returned Supreme & the Katellans. ^{[Supreme #3 & 5, 1993; #10 & 15, 1994]} Also saved Creed homeworld from an extinction threatening meteor strike, becoming a hero to the Creed people. ^{[Supreme #18, 1994-9]}
• Within "days" of Supreme's absence, Zachariah Grizlock murders his girl friend Louise Masters, pal Billy Nelson, and the Junior Supreme Squad. [Supreme #2, 1993-03]

Golden Age

• Allies expand to include Roman & Battlestone, although latter is fired by Die Hard over recklessness and infatuation with Glory. [Battlestone #1, 1994-11]
• Another super team, The Liberty League, consists of Mighty Man, Hornet, Mister Big, SuperPatriot & Rex Dexter
• 1940s: Jenny Sparks overstayed her welcome in the United States, leaving for England after her extra-legal electrocution of Clarence Cornwall, when he was caught in a plot to release Zyklon-B gas into a city orphanage solely because it housed children of color. [Stormwatch #44, 1997-01]
• Other figures noted as active during World War II without further details include Mr. Majestic & Marc Slayton.

Korean War

• John Annex Stone serves U.S. interests in conflict.

1950s

• Colonel Jenny Sparks served in the British Space Group, a clandestine operation that actively concealed from the public the ongoing interdimensional relations between the U.K. and parallel universes. For instance, to cover up shiftships moving through British airspace, they publicly declared them as a new scientific breakthrough dubbed "helicars." During a banquet, Sparks met the American industrialist known as Saul Baxter, a cover identity of the Kherubim Lord Emp. [Stormwatch #44, 1997-01]
  
  “Equipped with a network of government connections, and loads of political influence, Baxter helped make... reality– but for what reason? …It’s a secret… His involvement with Hughes Aircraft… And the oil fields of Texas. With television. With armaments. With milk and pork bellies and New York real estate and Montana cattle. Then there’s the people he’s ruined and killed to get where he is. The depths he’ll sink to to get what he desires… It’s all secret. All of it. No one knows who he is, nor what he does. And especially not… his importance to the country… Oh yes, he’s good with lies and aliases and secrets. Very good. After all– he’s had a long while to learn.” [Team One: WildC.A.T.s #1, 1995-07]
  
  During the banquet, an incursion alarm sounded. A parallel World War I had begun between Sliding Albion and Sliding Europe, per a message capsule shot through a shiftdoor at British Space Group H.Q. Sliding Albion then closed all shiftdoors to conserve energy. It was over within hours, as their parallel to London was depopulated through bacterial weaponry. In a desperate bid, they reopened a massive shiftdoor in an attempt to shunt the bacterial assault to our world. The dimensional passage neutralized most of the bacteria, but what remained had been changed such that it caused a small, localized manifestation of super powered beings in the greater London area. [Stormwatch #44, 1997-01]
  
  John Colt is billed as "America's greatest fighting man of the late '50s and early '60s. [1994 Image Wildstorm WildC.A.T.s Chromium #43]

1960s

• Jenny Sparks left the British Space Group, as an increasing number of S.P.B.s began operating around London. "And what a bleedin' bunch. All taking on pseudonyms, dressing as weirdly as possible to make sure the neighbors didn't recognize them..." [Stormwatch #44, 1997-01]

1962

• While acting in the guise of unscrupulous industrialist "Saul Baxter," Lord Emp prevented the attempted takeover of a U.S. nuclear submarine by the first Daemonite he'd seen since 1906. Shortly after, another Daemonite was killed by Marc Slayton during a bid for the Icarus 5 communications satellite as it was launched. Using his government connections to suppress knowledge of the existence of the warring alien races, Baxter nonetheless engineered the implementation of the U.S.'s Operation Wildstorm to address the threat of such Unidentified Life Forms, or U.L.F.s. After a period of distance and seeming acrimony, Baxter enlisted "Lucy Blaize," an assumed identity of Zealot within the espionage community, to select operatives to serve as Team One. Blaze chose John Colt, Mason, Mr. Majestic, Khasm, Marc Slayton, Think Tank, King, and Regiment. Miles Craven, technically the head of the operation, refused Khasm. [Team One: WildC.A.T.s #1 & Team One: Stormwatch #1, 1995-07]
  
  Team One trained for two months ahead of their sole significant mission, to stop the forces of Lord Helspont and Slaughterhouse Smith from acquiring by force the nuclear weapons at Camp Williams in North Dakota. Mason and Regiment were believed killed in action. John Colt was severely injured and presumed dead by most, but was taken for future use by Craven. Saul Baxter was rendered amnesiac by Lord Helspont, and wandered destitute until 1990. [Team One: WildC.A.T.s #2, 1995-9; & Team One: Stormwatch #2, 1995-08; as well as supplemental resources]
  
  This same year, Mary King was pregnant with Jackson King, and Zealot with Savant. A woman named Trelane, who was presumably related to Stormwatch's Christine Trelane, served in Operation Wildstorm.
• Thirty Years Ago: Terrible defeat of Kherubim upsets balance of power on Earth to favor Daemonites. [WildC.A.T.s #2, 1992-10]

Vietnam War

• John Annex Stone serves U.S. interests in conflict.

1967

• Africa's Congo Basin in Zaire; Summer: During a scientific expedition following up on evidence of the continued existence of flora thought 70 million years extinct, the party was massacred by a race of humanoid "cat people." The lone survivor was young paleobotanist Meg Tsuchida, who was captured and eventually seduced by their ruler, Khylund. They conceived a hybrid child, named Daniel, whose birth proved a flashpoint of violence for the xenophobic Jakarra. Khylund was murdered by a mob while abetting the escape of Meg and their infant son. [Team Youngblood #4-5, 1993-1994]

Late 1960s

• Jenny Sparks' counter-cultural S.P.B. group fell apart after a disastrous festival on the Isle of Wight left dozens dead. Bikers instigated the drug overdose of Abel Eternity, who went on an hallucinogenic killing spree, until Sparks electrocuted him. Sparks then "went to bed and didn't get up until 1982." [Stormwatch #44, 1997-01]

1970s

• High school student Alex Graves bullied over crush on a Nicole (possibly the future Vogue.) Frames quarterback boyfriend on drug charges & blackmails him with cheerleader pix to clear path. The quarterback, Temple, is then forced to work as Graves' minion. [Youngblood Genesis, 2003]
• Cole Cash active in the intelligence community at least as early as 1972. [WildC.A.T.s #1, 1992]
• Halloween (unlikely date of 1978 given): Bullied adolescent Catholic "Church Mouse" Bruce Stinson inspired by skull face make-up of aggressor, which he will later wear himself as Chapel. Following death of mother from undisclosed disease, Bruce goes to live with abusive drunken veteran uncle "Theo," a.k.a. Uncle Dee. Bruce eventually confronts uncle with a shotgun. [Bloodstrike: Brutalists #1-3, 2018]
• Circa 1979: Criminal genius Zachariah (alternately "Jerimiah") Grizlock begins 14 year stay in prison, eventually working with government entities out of boredom while awaiting the hoped for return of Supreme. [Supreme #2, 1993]

1980s

• As Chapel, Bruce Stinson becomes the "Don Juan of Killers," one of the C.I.A.'s most ruthless & efficient assassins. Seemingly limitless knowledge of weapons & hand-to-hand combat techniques.
• Albert Francis Simmons rises through the ranks of the United States Marine Corps through his service overseas.[Spawn #1, 1992]
• 7/28/1980: MIR Space Station Pustota destroyed as Cosmonaut Major Adrianna Tereshkova comes into contact with the Orb, creating the entity Void.
• Soviet Union: Al Simmons fails in an assassination attempt against nuclear scientist Yousef Volokhov. [Spawn #19, 1994]

1981

• March 12, 1981: Marcus Langston had a breakthrough in creating a new master alloy of unprecedented strength and resilience that would eventually allow for the creation of the world's first fusion-powered computer-enhanced exoskeleton. Out of both the practical need for a highly skilled operator and in hopes of winning the affections of Liz Hughes, Langston secretly piloted the suit for demonstration of combat readiness for military brass. [Team Youngblood #10-11, 07-08/1994]
• March 30, 1981: Probable date of "The Hinckley Incident" based on the real world assassination attempt on the President's life, which was thwarted by Al Simmons. [Spawn #13, 08/1993]

1983

• Nicaragua: Chapel leads a team of mercenaries to assassinate Colonel Black. Entire party dies aside from Jeff Jackson and Chapel, the latter of whom killed the demonically possessed colonel. [Chapel #1-2, 1995]

1984

• Dallas, TX, August 20-23: Al Simmons introduced to future wife Wanda Blake via her closest high school friend Martin Alexander at the Republican National Convention. [Spawn #1, 1992]

1985

• People Magazine's first ever 10 Sexiest Men Alive ranking includes Al Simmons.
• Terad, capitol of Laban: Kustan Hakmed becomes poster boy for anti-American sentiment in Middle East. [Chapel #1, 1997]

1986

• Chapel blew up Kustan Hakmed's house with his daughter inside. [Chapel #1, 1997]
• Under orders from Alexander Graves, Jason Wynn, Secretary Keever and others, Colonel John Annex Stone forms the expendable, disavowable special missions force for the U.S. government dubbed Operation: Knightstrike. Candidate Hogan Reiff only allowed to participate in preliminary phases of the program, if at all.
  
  • Detroit, Michigan 2/12/1986: Bruce Stinson recruited, but insists his partner Al Simmons also be included.
  • Chicago 2/13: Duke recruited.
  • L.A. 2/13: masked second-story man Jake "Dutch" Holland recruited.
  • Las Vegas 2/14: freeloading whoremonger Frehley recruited. Group collected at a secret government base near the Pentagon.
  • 4/26/86: Following months of training as a unit, Knightstrike escorted from Pakistan border to Kabul, Afghanistan as part of mission to retrieve downed pilots (including Battlestone's brother Cabbot) & list of spies embedded in U.S.S.R. References to Nu-Gene and Project: Born Again. Captured by enhanced Russian Spetsnaz soldiers; details of successful escape unrevealed. [Operation: Knightstrike #1-3, 1995]
• Philadelphia: Knightstrike investigation of Cybernet uncovers deeply entrenched local presence that sees team devastated. Giger turns Dutch traitor as he secretly fires a bullet into Stone's head during isolated subway tunnel encounter.[Battlestone #1, 1994-11]

1987

• Nevada: A routine underground atomic bomb test opened a permanent pathway to Hell. U.S. government discovers a previously unknown substance dubbed "psychoplasm" which alters itself in response to a psychic reading of the emotional states in its presence, becoming the subject of a person's desire or fear. It is believed that Hell itself is composed of psychoplasm. In pursuit of possession or a portion of this substance, Jason Wynn met with a "presence" from Hell and traded the life of one of his top soldiers, Al Simmons, in exchange. [Spawn #16, 12/1993]
• St. Louis: On orders from Jason Wynn, Al Simmons executes accused traitor Duke while retreating from a failed assignment against Giger & Cybernet alongside Chapel. [Youngblood Strikefile #1, 4/1993]
• Superhuman terrorist quartet The Four (Deadlock, Gage, Starbright & Strongarm) active for unspecified period of time.
• A U.F.O. makes landfall somewhere between Boston and Washington D.C. Inside are aliens from the enemy Katellan (Lt. Kh'ambt) and Accuran (Photon) races. Both are taken into custody and jailed under the Pentagon. Graves explores the vessel, and "Upon stepping into that ship, the scale upon which humankind operates became unbalanced. Our limitations as a species fundamentally erased." Shortly afterward, Operation: Knightstrike members Cabbot, Battlestone, Chapel & Al were caught on video executing a drug cartel in Guatemala and subsequently disbanded. [Youngblood Genesis #1]
• Al Simmons turns down The Young Project. Battlestone suggests Chapel as a recruit. Disguised as Fist of the Bizarre, Battlestone attacks Chapel to prove his mettle. By this point, Chapel has likely begun taking X7 Serum (with undesirable additives,) which bestows superhuman strength, speed & senses. Disguised as Fist of the Bizarre, Battlestone attacks Chapel to prove his mettle. Erroneously indicated as occurring in 1990. [Bloodstrike: Brutalists #1-3, 2018]
• F.B.I. cadet Jeffrey Allen Terrell still a Knightstrike prospect, but declines. Inspired by children's Allies merchandise, Graves forms Youngblood out of the two aliens, Battlestone, Chapel, Diehard and Sentinel. They battle The Four. [Youngblood Genesis #1, 2003-07]
• Botswana: Chapel fried Lt. Col. Al Simmons' brains with a laser pack under orders from Jason Wynn, who declared him an embedded spy for an enemy organization (Cybernet?) Presence of Youngblood agents in the region was rumored. Hero's death heavily publicized as the 43rd casualty in U.S./Botswana conflict as Simmons buried in Arlington Cemetery, honored by then-current President & Vice President. A scholarship with the United Negro College Fund is reportedly to be started in his name.[Spawn #1, 1992 & #13, 1993]
• Built from Al's residual memories, a small town was crafted over the Nevada Hell doorway entirely out of psychoplasm and jokingly dubbed "Simmonsville" by Jason Wynn. [Spawn #16, 12/1993]

1988

• February, Detroit: Fourplay and Shogun killed during failed assault of Brotherhood of Man Ancillary Hive led by Cabbot in his first "group activity." [Bloodstrike: Brutalists #0, 2018-6]
• Youngblood joined by Riptide & Link. Badrock next offered. [Youngblood Genesis #2, 2004-03]
• Summer: During a failed Youngblood covert mission against Hassan Kussain at the Kuwaiti border, Battlestone's "relatively new squad [Chapel, Die-Hard, Riptide] loses the human support soldier Raines and the clone Col. Boggs to a booby-trap after refusing to address their insubordination. Stone accidentally kills the clone soldier Gamble after he questions Stone's motivations and fitness to lead. Stone is relieved of duty by Die-Hard and Chapel. 59 hours later, Stone was discharged from the military and Youngblood by a secret council. [Youngblood #0, 1992]
• October, Baltimore: Substance abusing ex-repo man John Locke (Deadlock of The Four) suffers fatal heart attack during raid. Referred to Project: Born Again in Washington D.C. in hopes of gaining information on a military-issue briefcase once in his possession containing a stolen teleportation prototype. "Civilian" nu-gene carrier has process rushed for information.[Bloodstrike: Brutalists #0, 2018-6]

1989

• Kustan Hakmed buys stolen X7 to retroengineer at home on small island off African coast. Chapel slaughters scientists, torches compound, fights Hakmed to a standstill, then kills him with EVAC chopper fire. Chapel wants a vacation, but asked for one final assignment, to kill his best friend. [Chapel #1, 1997]
• June, Washington D.C.: Patient Ten (John Locke) kills a guard and escapes Project: Born Again Central Lab for (approximately) fourth time, then stalks and murders an innocent couple on the city street. Located by Located by Gage, who makes an allusion to a past "transaction" and recruited for The Four. [Bloodstrike: Brutalists #0, 2018-6]
• Late Summer/Fall: Shaft (Jeff Terrell) debuts as new leader of the Youngblood team consisting of Chapel, Diehard, Combat, Link, Vogue, and Bedrock. This version of the team is described as "just as new to this as you are." Sentinel & Cougar appear to be part of a separate, more seasoned unit.[Youngblood #0, 1992]
• October, Los Angeles: The Four have their supposed first encounter with Youngblood (perhaps only referring to the line-up of Chapel, Diehard, and Vogue?) as Vogue notes "They slap on some face paint and think they've upgraded." "Pity recruit" Deadlock left behind in bodyslide, then brutally beaten to death by a disgruntled Chapel. Returned to Project: Born Again, and upon reanimation, expected to be merged into new Bloodstrike division. [Bloodstrike: Brutalists #0, 2018-6]
• November, Morocco: Reanimated Fourplay and Shogun joined by "newbies" Deadlock and Tag under Cabbot's command for first Bloodstrike mission. Appear to capture two regugee male Katellans including Kh'ambt. A third female Katellan decapitated by feral Deadlock, who is in turn gunned down by Shogun. [Bloodstrike: Brutalists #0, 2018-6]

1990

• March, Washington D.C.: Deadlock reanimated and undergoes initially successful therapy to tame homicidal rages. [Bloodstrike: Brutalists #0, 2018-6]
• July, Washington D.C.: Deadlock returned to Bloodstrike while attending to medication treatment. Claims no memory of time with The Four.[Bloodstrike: Brutalists #0, 2018-6]
• August 8, 1990: Amnesiac derelict Jacob Marlowe discovered and rehabilitated into Lord Emp by Void. [WildC.A.T.s #1, 1992]

1991

• Agarashima, Japan: Battlestone was working with a mercenary unit that included Kayo, Lethal, Boone, and Hacker as they toiled in relative anonymity, before their gaining notoriety for the assassination of crimelord Tatsuo Sorayama and defeating his servant Warcry. Two months later in New York City, John Stone's team was tasked by Jacob Marlowe with recovering a mystical gem once possessed by Adolph Hitler. The gem was also pursued by Mr. Grave, who had yet to locate it's current whereabouts in a heavily secured location in Norfolk, Virginia. 2½ days later, Battlestone's team was routed by a Youngblood team consisting of Shaft, Vogue, Diehard, and Badrock. Having fled emptyhanded and denied any sort of kill fee from Marlowe, Battlestone angrily ordered the disbanding of the unit. [Brigade #0, 1993-09]
• Six months later, renowned marine biologist Bernard Barros was considered killed at sea following the wreck of his Avalon II submarine in a myserious accident, which was investigated by the Coast Guard. His surviving sons Alex and Mark gained super-human abilities in the incident, which was widely reported in the media. After Kayo insisted on remaining with Battlestone until his spirits improved, he suggested the brothers could be the foundation of a new super-team. While Stone had professed hatred for super-teams, he was nonetheless convinced by Kayo and the brothers' inherited wealth to pursue the premise a week later. [Brigade #0, 1993-09]

1992

• Assassination of Hassan Kussein by Psi-Fire [Youngblood #1, 1992-04]
• New York: Al Simmons is resurrected in the corpse of a white man as an infernal Hellspawn by the demon lord Malebolgia. [Spawn #1, 1992-06]
• Chicago Police Officer Dragon faces the Super Patriot cyborg crafted by Cyberdata [The Savage Dragon #2, 1992-10]
• John Prophet released from suspended animation to aid Youngblood and The Berzerkers in defending Earth against Lord Darkthornn and his Disciples of Doom [Youngblood #2-5, 1992-07]
• New York: The spine-breaking vigilante Shadowhawk active throughout the Five Boroughs, prompting a police referral to Chicago for help from the Dragon. [Youngblood #2, 1992-07 & Shadowhawk #1-3, 1992-08]
• Malibu, California: Brigade face the alien Genocide and are taken to his world of Taraban for judgment by the Imperial High Council. Escape the planet with the aid of the Birds of Prey, but at the cost of the life of their teammate, Atlas. [Brigade #1-4, 1992-08]
• Spawn learns more about his forgotten past in his first confrontation with the demons Violator and Malebolgia. [Spawn #4, 1992-09] Chicago Police Officer Dragon arrests Bedrock after being assaulted in a misguided "test" for Youngblood membership. [The Savage Dragon #3, 1992]
• Supreme returns to Earth [Youngblood #3, 1992-10]
• Los Angeles, California: Infiniti released from G.A.T.E. Industries. [Brigade #2, 1992-10]
• The human-alien warrior hybrid Pitt escapes Creed captivity aboard the ship Space Bay One and teleports onto a subway car in New York City. Battles extraterrestrial mercenaries and his creator Zoyvod to protect his eight-year-old genetic "brother" Timmy Bracken in Connecticut. [Youngblood #4 & PITT #1-4, 1993-01]
• Friday, August 7th, Midtown Manhattan: Void finally remembers her former human identity of Adrianna Tereshkov and the circumstances of her "death," which she reveals to Jacob Marlowe and Hadrian. Void reveals that timelines related to her past and future are converging around The Orb. Marlowe contacted by Gnome about the whereabouts of a newly discovered Gifted One. Jacob Marlowe spies Cyberdata S.H.O.C.C. troops searching for Velocity.
• Saturday, August 8th, New York City: After months of training, the initial Halo WildC.A.T.s team of the android Spartan and the Gifted Ones, Warblade & Maul prepared for their first mission.
• August 8-9th, Georgetown: Billionaire Halo Corporation C.E.O. Jacob Marlowe's Covert Action Team of Spartan, Maul and Warblade meet the duo Zealot and Grifter as both parties seek the Gifted One Voodoo at The Hot Spot burlesque club, prompting a conflict with The Cabal. John Lynch and Internal Operations swiftly involved. By morning, encounter extends to the Youngblood home team, The Gnome's Troika, and the Daemonite-possessed U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle. Helspon't attempt at Reunification thwarted. [WildC.A.T.s #1-4, 1992-93]
• Monday, August 10th, 7:36 P.M., Inner City New York: Velocity passes a drunken Jacob Marlowe in an alleyway, pursued by Cyberdata S.H.O.C.C. troops. The young mutant cyborg is rescued by Ripclaw, Cyblade, Impact, and Heatwave of Cyber-Tek. Days later, Major Morgan Stryker recruited to infiltrate terrorist led by Mother May I, who is soon killed in a multi-party conflagration. [WildC.A.T.s #0; Cyberforce #1-4, 1992-93]
• Tuesday, August 11th, Lower west Side Manhattan: Cyberforce and Cyberdata encounter PITT. [Cyberforce #3, 1993-06]
• International Operations Director Miles Craven orders Jackson Dane's Team 7 team into The Balkans. They encounter a vampire horde and acquire golden symbiotes, which permanently cover their bodies and bestow upon them enhanced abilities. The unit is betrayed by I/O and forced to go rogue, beginning a protracted involvement in the centuries long war between the nations of vampires and werewolves. [Wetworks #1, 1994]
• After 47 years in outer space, Supreme returned to Earth. Briefly associated with G.A.T.E. Industries' Jason Temple and his short-lived Heavy Mettle super team.[Youngblood #3, 1992-10]
• Spawn has first encounters with the mafia cyborg assassin Overtkill, who had been created by the U.S. Government before being seemingly destroyed on his second mission. Reemerging several months later, rebuilt and reprogrammed in the employ of Sicilian mob boss Luigi Bartino, Overtkill had been loaned to New York mobster Antonio "Don Dracula" Twistelli to deal with the "Heart Surgeon" serial killer. Virtually annihilated by Spawn, Overtkill is recovered by Youngblood, whom he had previously fought, taking out "half" of team (six members total in engagement) in an unrecorded episode. Rebuilt by his creator Dr. Wendall Peterson for the Pentagon before again going rogue, unbeknownst to him through the machinations of the doctor's compromised brother Kendall. Again demolished by Shaft, Diehard, and Badrock before rocket-powered head escaped. [Spawn #6-7, 1992-12 & Youngblood Strikefile #4, 1993]
• Arizona: On a tip from Central Intelligence, the U.S. government covert death squad Bloodstrike (Colonel Cabbot, Fourplay, Tag, Deadlock, & Shogun) assault the G.A.T.E. Jericho base to execute Commander Corben. [Bloodstrike #1, 1993-05]
• Malibu, California: Three months since leaving Earth, Battlestone & his team land a spacecraft in the secret hanger bay within the Brigade compound. They are ambushed by Bloodstrike, under orders from the government, who murder Stasis as a warning to surrender. They don't, and engage in running battle across several days. With the help of Dr. Sandler at G.A.T.E., Coldsnap survives injuries sustained, but becomes a towering ice creature. Boone, Hacker, and Lethal return to Brigade in their time of need. [Brigade #1-3, 1993-05 & Bloodstrike #2-3]
• Jotunheimen mountains, Norway: Thor released from his decades long imprisonment, unaware of the passage of time. [Supreme #5, 1993-08] He travels to a G.A.T.E. installation in the Rheinland-Pfalz region of Germany seeking revenge on Adolph Hitler [Supreme #7, 1993-11], where he is defeated and stripped of Mjollnir by Supreme, who leaves him in the hands of G.A.T.E.[Supreme #9, 1994-01]
• Colorado Rockies: Bloodstrike visciously dismembered by Supreme in botched arrest attempt ordered by U.S. government to route his perceived growing threat. [Bloodstrike #5, 1993-11]
• Rural Virginia: The Covenant of The Sword's infiltration of the U.S. government allows them to sabotage and take control of Bloodstrike for their own ends. [Bloodstrike #5, 1993-11]
• Supreme lost his powers in battle with Quantum; muddled by using a seized thunder god hammer; was driven temporarily insane by a trap set by Grizlock; accidentally killed Grizlock in an explosion; then met/fought Union, Spawn, Stormwatch, and PITT in rapid secession before regaining powers/sanity. [Supreme #7-18, 1993-94]

1993

• March 15-16, 1993: Murdock Eliston leads a break-in at a G.E.M. switching station in Brooklyn, attracting the attention of the Pentagon. The following night, Eliston attempts to directly surveil the Europan Corporation, which has ties to Cyberdata and the Cabal, but is discovered by Victor Von Grock and Lord Deus. [Tribe #1, 1993-05-04]
• March 17, 1993: First through Fifth Among Equals at the Division of Karmic Designation, bureau of re-incarnation and retrieval approves the deployment of a Trencher unit to begin repossessing souls erroneously reincarnated throughout the 20th Century. [Trencher #1, 1993-05-11]
• Diehard and Glory fight through S.H.O.C.C. to recover Super Patriot from Cyberdata. [Youngblood Strikefile #2-3]
• The former Al Simmons kidnaps Chapel from Youngblood headquarters to his deathplace in Botswana, where he reveals his demonic resurrection and facially disfigures his killer. [Spawn #13, 1993]
• Jason Wynn tries to maneuver Giger into killing Chapel, but instead Giger proposes a team-up. Chapel refuses and pursues Wynn on his own, only to learn that he has been infected by a strain of HIV that Wynn can activate or cure at will. Chapel expelled from Youngblood and enters the Bloodstrike program as new team leader under under Mr. Noble. [Youngblood Strikefile #2-3]
• October 27-29, 1993: Following his catastrophic arrival in Miami, FL and subsequent repossession of the Nasal Python, the Trencher unit Gideon travels to Detroit, MI to collect the soul of Cher Noble. [Trencher #1-2]
• October 31, 1993: Trencher confronted by Supreme. [Trencher #2-3]
• Cybernet terrorists led by Giger take control of the satellite Liberty II and most global comunications for a brief period. While Brigade, Spawn, and Prophet expressed only concern, the Youngblood Away Team thwarted the effort and appeared to kill Giger. [Team Youngblood #1-3, 1993-09-11]
• Africa's Congo Basin in Zaire: Following the kidnapping of his mother, Youngblood's Cougar returned to his birthplace around The Temple of Kahega. There, he fought the female would-be usurper, his elder half-sister Lynx, and reasserted his rulership of the Jakarra cat people through a trial by combat. [Team Youngblood #4-5, 1993-12-1994-01]