Whizzer (comics)

Superherobox|

caption=The Whizzer (Stanley Stewart) from "Squadron Supreme" #4 (Dec. 1985). Art by Bob Hall and Sam De La Rosa.
character_name=Whizzer
real_name=Stanley Stewart
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="The Avengers" #85 (Mar. 1971)
creators=Roy Thomas and John Buscema
alliances=Squadron Supreme
aliases=
powers=Superhuman speed|

The Whizzer is the name of several unrelated fictional comic-book characters in the Marvel Comics multiverse.

Publication history

Golden Age

The original Whizzer (Robert Frank) debuted in "USA Comics" #1 (Aug. 1941), published by Timely Comics. Roy Thomas reintroduced the Golden Age Whizzer in "Giant-Size Avengers" #1 (Aug. 1974).

Modern-day

The first "modern-day" appearance of a character named the Whizzer (though unrelated to the original), was a debut in the final panel of "The Avengers" #69 (Oct. 1969), the first part of a three-issue story by writer Roy Thomas and penciller Sal Buscema. The story arc introduced the supervillain team the Squadron Sinister, whose four members were loosely based on heroes in DC Comics' Justice League of America. DC's super-speedster Flash found its analog in the new Whizzer. [Interview with Roy Thomas and Jerry Bails in "The Justice League Companion" (2003) pp. 72–73]

Thomas and penciller John Buscema then created an alternate-universe team of heroes called the Squadron Supreme in "The Avengers" #85 (Feb. 1971), using characters that shared names with those of the Squadron Sinister. This caused confusion in Marvel's production department, as the covers of "The Avengers" #85 and #141 (Nov. 1975) cover-blurbed appearances by the Squadron Sinister, when in fact the Squadron Supreme appeared in both issues. This Squadron Supreme starred in an eponymous, 12-issue miniseries (Sept. 1985 - Aug. 1986) by writer Mark Gruenwald and successive pencillers Bob Hall, Buscema, and Paul Ryan. "Squadron Supreme" focused on the exploits of the team in its home reality. Gruenwald, Ryan, and inker Al Williamson returned to the characters in the graphic-novel sequel "Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe" (1989). The team later featured in a two-part story across "Avengers/Squadron Supreme Annual '98" and the one-shot "Squadron Supreme: New World Order" (both Sept. 1998).

Five years later, under the mature-audience Marvel MAX imprint, the 18-issue series "Supreme Power" (Oct. 2003 - Oct. 2005), set in a different alternate universe, incorporated a character based on the Whizzer, but called the Blur.

Fictional character biographies

James Sanders

The villainous version of the Whizzer first appears as a member of the Squadron Sinister, a supervillain team assembled by the Grandmaster to battle the champions selected by Kang - the superhero team the Avengers. It was revealed years later [Comic book reference| Title = Squadron Supreme| Issue = 8| Date = (April 1986)| Publisher = ] that the Grandmaster created the Squadron Sinister based on the already existing Squadron Supreme, resulting in The Avengers meeting the "copies" first. Later, the Whizzer assists the original members of the Squadron Sinister and the alien Nebulon in an attempt to flood the Earth. This and a second plot are thwarted by the Defenders. [Comic book reference| Title = The Defenders| Issue = 13-14| Date = (May & July 1974)| Publisher = ]

The Whizzer later has another brief encounter with several members of the Avengers, who are seeking a way to separate the Power Prism of Doctor Spectrum from the Wasp. [Comic book reference| Title = Avengers Annual| Issue = 8| Date = (1978)| Publisher = ] The entire Squadron Sinister then disappear into obscurity for many years, although the Whizzer eventually decides to return to crime. Wishing to cut ties with his old team, he first adopts a new costume and the alias Speed Demon.

Stanley Stewart

In a universe parallel to the mainstream Marvel universe, Stanley Stewart passes through a luminescent fog while jogging. Over the following weeks he discovers that he can run fast enough to break the sound barrier. Later, as part of the team called the Squadron Supreme, he encounters four members of the Avengers who have accidentally crossed over into his universe. [Comic book reference| Title = The Avengers| Volume = 1| Issue = 85| Date = (Feb. 1971)| Publisher = ] At first he and his teammates treat the Avengers as enemies. Realizing this mistake, the teams put aside their differences to combat a threat concerning the whole of Stewart's Earth before the Avengers return to their own universe. [Comic book reference| Title = The Avengers| Issue = 86| Date = (March 1971)| Publisher = ]

Some time later the Serpent Crown, an ancient artifact that exists in multiple realities, exerts its influence to take over his world. He and his team are used as pawns to oppose the Avengers when they again cross over from their home reality. As in their previous encounter, his team eventually teams with the dimensional travelers to thwart the global threat. He and his team are left to clean up their world as the Avengers return to theirs, taking the aspect of the Crown that is native to the Stewart's world with them. [Comic book reference| Story = The Serpent Crown| Title = The Avengers| Volume = 1| Issue = 141-144 (Nov. 1975 - Feb. 1976) & #147-149| Date = (May-July 1976)| Publisher = |ID = ]

Stewart remains one of the core members of the Squadron Supreme, having remained with the team through many adventures, both in his home reality and others.

ee also

* Blur (comics)

Footnotes

References

* [http://www.comics.org Grand Comics Database]
* [http://www.maelmill-insi.de/UHBMCC/ The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators]
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/squadsup.htm Don Markstein's Toonopedia: The Squadron Supreme]
* [http://comics.ign.com/articles/595/595576p1.html IGN.com (Oct. 10, 2003): "Comics in Context" (colum) #14: "Continuity/Discontinuity: Straczynski's Supreme Power, Mark Gruenwald, and JLA / Avengers", by Peter Sanderson]