Sunday Showcase: the Lightmaster

 

I know I have been absent on my Sunday Showcase posts but that is because my Summer Work Schedule was very hectic.  Luckily, things are starting to return to normal and I am getting more time to do the things I enjoy.  So, here I am.  Since this is my first Showcase since May, I wanted to showcase one of my favorite Spidey villains from the 70's.  That character is known as the Lightmaster.  Most of todays comic readers won't know who he is, but I assure you, he is Marvel Legends worthy.

The Lightmaster aka Edward Lansky was born in New York City. He was a physics professor and vice-chancellor of Empire State University who turned to crime and became a criminal mastermind as a way to prevent budget cuts for higher education .  As the Lightmaster, Lansky employed Kraven the Hunter and the Tarantula to help him kidnap several government officials of the city of New York who had initiated the budget cuts. The three were defeated by Spider-Man, who foiled the plot (Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #3).  Spider-Man defeated Lansky running a current of electricity through his body suit.

However, Spider-Man had inadvertently caused Lightmaster to become a being of unstable energy, dependent on constant exposure to light just to survive. Seeking revenge on Spider-Man, the Lightmaster accidentally causes a blackout in New York City, causing his own unstable body to dissipate into what he called a "light dimension" (Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #20). To regain his physical form, Lightmaster attempted to harness the powers of the mutant Dazzler's powerful light source. However, he was driven back to his non-physical existence by Dazzler and Spider-Man (The Amazing Spider-Man #203).   

He again attempted to regain his physical form, this time by harnessing Quasar's quantum bands and taking over Quasar's body. Lightmaster succeeded in returning himself to a normal physical existence, despite Spider-Man's interference without having to takeover Quasar's body (Marvel Team-Up #113).

Lightmaster would continue to cause havoc everywhere he went fighting such heroes as Cable, Deadpool, White Tiger, She-Hulk, Cloak and Dagger before disappearing off the pages of Marvel Comics.  Some believe he died while others believe he is still locked away in a federal prison.   Will we ever see his return, who knows but I would love to see the character emerge one last time.

Powers and Abilities

Doctor Lansky alone is a genius in the field of physics with a gifted intellect, and has a Ph.D. in physics. He created a unique special body suit with a padded inner lining, a power armor suit which utilized "gravity-pump circuitry" to allow him to manipulate photons for a variety of effects. With it, he could:

• Fly
• Emit blinding flashes of light 
• Create semi-solid, low-mass constructs
• Create concussive beams of force 
• Create ersatz brass knuckles to increase the power of his punches
• Absorb fairly large amounts of electrical energy without damaging the wearer 

A sufficient amount of energy caused the circuitry to overload and converted the mass of Lansky's body into unstable "living energy."

Publication Information

Publisher:  Marvel Comics

First Appearance:  Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #3 (Feb. 1977)

Created by Jim Shooter & Sal Buscema

Alter Ego: Dr. Edward Lansky

Team Affiliations

• Masters of Evil
• One World Church
• Empire State University (Lansky)

I suggest you read the issues highlighted in this article to get a real understanding on what a classic villain the Lightmaster was and how important he could be in future Marvel projects.  I for one, would love to see a Lightmaster action figure from Marvel Legends.

Until next time, get your READ on!