Nebula Manis a fictional character inDC Comics.He first appeared inJustice League of America#100–101 (1972).
| Nebula Man | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Justice League of America#100 (August1972) |
| Created by | Len Wein(writer),Dick Dillin(artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Sheeda(Sentient universe) |
| Notable aliases | Neh-Buh-Loh, Qwewq |
Originally a villain responsible for the disappearance of theSeven Soldiers of Victory,he has since reappeared asNeh-Buh-Loh,the primaryantagonistin the2005–2006mega-seriesSeven SoldiersbyGrant Morrison.Before this reappearance, Morrison built up the character's backstory, starting in1997with more extensive appearances inJLA: Classified(2005).
Fictional character biography
editThe Neh-Buh-Loh is in fact the adult version of a sentient universe calledQwewq.He first appeared as the Nebula Man inJustice League of America#100,[1]described as a cosmic being "whose touch has the power of 20 atomic bombs". He was supposedly created by a villain known as The Hand to defeat the original Seven Soldiers of Victory (a laterretconwould give him his current origin, with The Hand's involvement being more incidental). He battled the Soldiers in Tibet. His actions scattered the Soldiers through time, a fate from which they were later saved by theJustice LeagueandJustice Society.The Nebula Man was defeated when the sidekick of theCrimson Avenger,Wing,sacrificed himself to deliver the final blow with a cosmic device; Wing was buried in Tibet by monks who witnessed his death.
During the JLA storyline "Rock of Ages", the Flash, Aquaman, and Green Lantern are sent byMetronthrough time and space and they land on Wonderworld. During a brief tour of Wonderworld's Omnitropolis and its museum district by that world'sAtomanalogue Mote, a few peculiar items are mentioned. Amongst them are an evil 5 dimensional imp trapped in a 6 dimensional bottle, a speedster Glimmer's treadmill, and a larval universe they call Qwewq. They say that they are feeding it and hope to allow it to grow to its full potential.[2]
The Nebula Man appeared once more inStars and S.T.R.I.P.E.,[3]before reappearing inJLA: Classified#1–3, working withGorilla Groddand announcing the end of the world. At the same time, the Justice League were in the Infant Universe of Qwewq, unaware that this was Neh-Buh-Loh's larval form.[4]
In theSeven Soldiersseries, Neh-Buh-Loh was revealed to be allied with (or perhaps created by) theSheeda,time traveling predators from the end of time. He served as the personal huntsman of the Sheeda QueenGloriana Tenebrae.In the past, Neh-Buh-Loh had been sent to slay the queen's innocent stepdaughter Rhiannon (a.k.a. Misty Kilgore). However, moved by her beauty and symmetry, he could not bear to do it and allowed the girl to escape. This was Neh-Buh-Loh's secret shame for many years.
It was further explained that in the 1940s, Neh-Buh-Loh had been summoned (rather than created) by The Hand using a sonic horn. The creature was seeking "seven soldiers" who were prophesied to one day defeat his mistress, Gloriana. The Hand was all too eager to point him in the right direction, thus leading to the original Seven Soldiers becoming lost in time.
This same sonic horn was used by The Hand's nephew Boy Blue to once again summon Neh-Buh-Loh and the Sheeda in the present, leading to the destruction of anad hocSeven Soldiers team created by the originalVigilante.This set the stage for the Harrowing of Earth which the heroes of theSeven Soldiersseries attempted to prevent.
Neh-Buh-Loh was finally defeated byFrankenstein,who capitalized on a flaw placed in him as an infant by theUltramarine Corps,a team of heroes who had entered Qwewq seeking redemption.[5]
Allusions
editThe use of Neh-Buh-Loh inSeven Soldiersis influenced by several characters in myth and legend. His failed mission to kill his queen's lovely stepdaughter[6]is a direct parallel with thefairy taleofSnow White.
In addition, his role as the horned Huntsman of the Sheeda has elements of characters fromCeltic mythologysuch as the horned godCernunnosand later legends such as the King of theWild HuntandHerne the Hunter.
Other versions
editInAll-Star Superman#10, Superman uses the infant universe of Qwewq to create an Earth without a Superman that he dubs Earth Q.
References
edit- ^Wein, Len(w),Dillin, Dick(p),Giella, Joe(i). "The Unknown Soldier of Victory!"Justice League of America,no. 100 (August 1972).New York, NY:DC Comics.
- ^Morrison, Grant(w),Porter, Howard(p), Dell, John (i). "Rock Of Ages – Part Three: Wonderworld"JLA,no. 12 (November 1997). Collected inRock of Ages.New York, NY:DC Comics.1998.ISBN1-56389-416-5.
- ^Johns, Geoff(w), Moder, Lee (p), Davis, Dan (i). "Crisis in Blue Valley"Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.,vol. 1, no. 8 (March 2000).New York, NY:DC Comics.
- ^Morrison, Grant(w),McGuinness, Ed(p),Vines, Dexter(i).JLA: Classified,no. 1–3 (January–March 2005).New York, NY:DC Comics.Collected inJLA: Ultramarine Corps.New York, NY:DC Comics.October 2007.ISBN978-1-4012-1564-4.
- ^Morrison, Grant(w),Mahnke, Doug(a).Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein,no. 5 (May 2006).New York, NY:DC Comics.
- ^Morrison, Grant(w),Sook, Ryan(p), Gray, Mick (i).Seven Soldiers: Zatanna,no. 3 (September 2005).New York, NY:DC Comics.
External links
edit- A brief biography on Nebula Man
- Nebula Manat the Comic Book DB (archived fromthe original)