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!

Sunday Showcase: Frog-Man

Frog-Man Vs the Toad (the Amazing Spider-Man #266)

In today's Sunday Showcase, I will focus on the son of Leap-Frog, the one and only Frog-Man.  One day Eugene discovered the Leap-Frog suit. He took the suit and started wearing it. Eugene believed that there was only one way for his father to stop being haunted by the ghost of Leap-Frog.   Eugene decided to adopt the costume and identity to use it as a powerful symbol for good. Eugene began an earnest, if somewhat clumsy, battle against crime. In attempting to help Spider-Man and the Human Torch, Eugene accidentally succeeded in defeating the criminal Speed Demon. (Marvel Team-Up #121) Greatly encouraged by this victory, Eugene rechristened himself "the Fabulous Frog-Man," feeling that his new codename had more pizzazz than the previous one.

Frog-Man has "teamed up" with the likes of  Captain America, Iron Man, the Scarlet Spider, Spider-Man, and the Defenders Afterward, Eugene was encouraged by Spider-Man to join with the Toad and Spider-Kid in forming the Misfits, although they disbanded almost as soon as they started.   Later, Eugene defeated the villain White Rabbit with the help of his father, who had donned a version of the Leap Frog costume again.

Abilities

American Sign Language: Frog-Man can read American Sign Language.

Weaknesses

The springs in Frog-Man's suit make it almost impossible to stay in a straight line. 

He has had considerable navigation problems when moving.

Equipment

Leap-Frog's Suit

Suit's electrically powered leaping coils allow him to reach a height of 6 stories per jump.

First Appearance:

Marvel Team-Up #121

(June, 1982)

Created by J.M. DeMatteis & Kerry Gammill

Until next time, get your READ on!

Sunday Showcase: Leap-Frog

 

With my new work schedule known, I can no longer do a Saturday Showcase.  So, with that said, I am now going to do a Sunday Showcase instead.  For my first Sunday Showcase, I am posting about a character I saw in the trailer for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.  Now, some comic fanes are arguing if the character is Leap-Frog or the Frog Man.  Well, by his build in the trailer and the synopsis for the show, I believe it is the villain known as Leap-Frog.  

Leap-Frog aka Vincent Patilio was created to be a Daredevil Villain by Stan "the Man" Lee & Gene Colan back in the '60s.  A former toy inventor, Vincent Patilio set out to make some money by embarking on a criminal career after he created a pair of electrically-powered jumping coils. He was not the best career criminal, but he was a force to be reckoned with.  He first appeared in Daredevil #25 back in '66.  He was honored that such a note-worthy hero was on his tail, but the honor would soon be replaced with regret when Daredevil captured him and had him arrested.

Daredevil was not the only hero that he would face,  He teamed himself up with some Iron Man villains under the employment of Justin Hammer who wanted Iron Man and Tony Stark dead so that his company could take over Stark Industries.  However, Iron Man had other plans.

Powers & Abilities

• Enhanced Strength
• Enhanced Agility
• Ability to jump very high as well as great distances 
• Hand to Hand Combat
• Creative Inventor

Aliases

• Croaky
• Froggy
• Vinnie
• the Mighty Leap-Frog

First Appearance

Daredevil #25 (December 1966)

Until next time, get your READ on!