Lash Lightning
| Lash Lightning | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Ace Comics |
| First appearance | Sure-Fire Comics#1 (June 1940) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Robert Morgan |
| Team affiliations | The Super-Mysterymen |
| Partnerships | Lightning Girl |
| Notable aliases | Flash Lightning, Lightning |
| Abilities | Super-strength, super-speed, flight, limited invulnerability; able to generate electricity, radiate heat, and track Lightning Girl. |
Lash Lightningis a fictionalsuperherocharacter who first appeared inSure-Fire Comics#1 (June 1940) fromAce Comics,[1]which was renamedLightning Comicswith issue #4 to take advantage of the new character's popularity. Originally called Flash Lightning, the character's name was changed to Lash Lightning in issue #7 to avoid confusion withDC Comics'the Flash.[2]
Lightning Comicsended with issue #13 in June 1942. In this final issue, he was joined by a sidekick, Lightning Girl.
Lash also appeared in issues #1 to 22 (Sept 1941 – March 1946) of the Ace titleFour Favorites;about halfway through this run the "Lash" was dropped and he was simply named Lightning.[1]Lightning Girl joined him in issue #6.[1]
Fictional biography
[edit]Ace
[edit]In 1940, explorer Robert Morgan is delving into anEgyptian pyramidwhen he encounters an ancient mystic called The Old Man of the Pyramids. The mystic teaches Morgan ancient secrets, and gives him the Amulet of Annihilation, on the condition that he uses his powers to fight evil.[3]
Morgan's powers include super-strength, super-speed, flight, the ability to generate electricity and radiate "lightning heat" and a measure of invulnerability (e.g., he can contain the explosion of agrenadewith his bare hands); his powers can be recharged by electricity. Returning to theUnited States,Morgan dons a costume and changes his name to Lash Lightning (as opposed to maintaining a secret identity). His emblem is atrianglewith athunderboltemerging from each of its three sides.[1]
His early foes include the Mummy, an insane college professor wrapped in bandages infused with radium, and the mad scientist Mastermind.[4]His recurring villains also include a werewolf, the zombie-raising Dr. Diablo, and the Maestro, who wears a bee costume.[5]
Later, Lash’s friend Isobel Blake gains powers identical to his when he accidentally charges her with thousands of volts of electricity; she dons a costume similar to his and becomes his partner, Lightning Girl.[6]The two of them are able to track each other via their “lightning impulses.”[1]
Project Superpowers
[edit]At some point afterWorld War II,both Lash Lightning and Lightning Girl were imprisoned in the mystical Urn of Pandora, along with many other heroes, by the misguidedFighting Yank;decades later, the Urn was broken and the heroes released. The duo were then recruited, along with six other heroes (including Magno and DaveyCaptain Courageous,Mr. Raven,Soldier Unknown), and The Sword, to form a team called The Super-Mysterymen; the purpose of this team has not yet been revealed.
Living Legends
[edit]Lightning Girl is one of the sixteen heroes to have hopped sixty years into the future in the pages of theMetahuman PressserialLiving Legends.She was the only one of the characters to return to college in an attempt to regain a normal life, but the return of a still-young Robert Morgan has complicated matters in the still-ongoing serial.
Revival
[edit]In 2008, Lash Lightning and Lightning Girl appeared in flashback inDynamite Entertainment’sProject Superpowers#0; in the one-shotProject Superpowers: Chapter Two Prelude,they appear in this line as part of a team called The Super-Mysterymen (presumably named after the Ace titleSuper-Mystery Comics).
References
[edit]- ^abcdeLash Lightning and Lightning Girlat InternationalHero.co.uk
- ^Benton, Mike (1992).Superhero Comics of the Golden Age: The Illustrated History.Dallas: Taylor Publishing Company. p. 170.ISBN0-87833-808-X.Retrieved8 April2020.
- ^Markstein, Don."(F)lash Lightning".Don Markstein's Toonopedia.Retrieved12 April2020.
- ^Mitchell, Kurt; Thomas, Roy (2019).American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940–1944.TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 108.ISBN978-1605490892.
- ^Nevins, Jess (2013).Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes.High Rock Press. p. 161.ISBN978-1-61318-023-5.
- ^Green, Paul (2017).Encyclopedia of Weird War Stories: Supernatural and Science Fiction Elements in Novels, Pulps, Comics, Film, Television, Games and Other Media.McFarland & Co. p. 112.ISBN978-1476666723.
External links
[edit]- Lash Lighting / Flash LightningatDon Markstein's Toonopedia.Archivedfrom the original on October 24, 2015.
- Living Legendsat MetahumanPress.com