Secret History of EL Comics 14
April 22nd, 2008 John Posted in Secret History of EL Comics |
Enter the trickster EL Comics — how can it be otherwise? The tip off is the reversed logo on the cover — this is apparently a product of “LE Comics.” But what of the new superhero himself? His name is ThunderMan, but his logo is lightning. Indeed, his power is the ability to harness lightning. Notice that in the scene of his origin, there is no boom accompanying the lightning that strikes him. It becomes apparent to the reader that ThunderMan himself is as much of a fake as EL Comics — he names himself one thing, but his power is another thing entirely. It’s the ultimate fake out to the reader — but, more importantly, it’s the ultimate fake out to the villain.
You can imagine the scenario where a supervillain prepares for defense against someone with the power of thunder — perhaps some sort of loud and destructive boom ability — only to find himself faced with someone with the power of lightning. The supervillain would be taken off guard and would be ill-prepared to fend off the hero.
At this point in the story, however, this is partly speculation — ThunderMan has had no adventure. He has only gained powers and, through a sheer pure hearted sense of responsibility, has immediately pledged these abilities to the greater good.
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