- Cicada (comics)
Superherobox|
caption=Cicada
comic_color=background:#8080ff
character_name=Cicada
real_name=David Hersch
publisher=DC Comics
debut="The Flash" v2, #171 (April2001 )
creators=Geoff Johns Scott Kolins
alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff
alliances=Secret Society of Super Villains
aliases=
powers=Can steal someone else's life force to keep alive|Cicada is a fictional
DC Comics supervillain . Cicada first appeared in "Flash" (v.2) #171 (April2001 ).Citation | last = Wallace | first = Dan | author-link = | contribution = Cicada | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The DC Comics Encyclopedia | pages = 82 | publisher =Dorling Kindersley | place = New York | year = 2008 | ISBN = 0-7566-4119-5 | oclc = 213309017]Fictional character biography
During a
thunderstorm sometime in the early twentieth century, David Hersch murdered his wife. Regretting what he had done, he sought to end his own life, only he was struck by lightning before he could carry it out... and had a vision: He had been chosen to live forever, and he would bring his wife back as well.Hersch was able to transfer a person’s life force to himself to keep himself alive. Calling himself Cicada, he began accumulating followers, including Magenta, planning for the day when he would be able to resurrect his wife. Yet he and his followers faced a dilemma: to achieve his vision of immortality, he needed to sacrifice the lives of others; yet how could he truly justify that? Certainly his followers would lay down their lives for him, but would it be enough to raise the dead?
Then the answer came: Cicada learned of
the Flash , and saw in him a brother blessed by the lightning. And the Flash had been saving people’s lives. Here were people who, without the Flash’s interference, would have died anyway, and in Cicada’s mind, he could take their lives with a clear conscience.As the appointed day approached, Cicada sent his followers out through
Keystone City , armed with daggers that collected life energy, killing those whom the Flash had saved. The killings overwhelmed the police, and the Flash was kept busy dealing with Magenta, who finally captured him and brought him their sanctum to witness the resurrection. Cicada succeeded, briefly, in bringing his wife back, only to have her reveal the truth of his original crime. The Flash broke free, and in the ensuing fight Cicada drained the life from all his followers.Cicada now resides in
Iron Heights , living a simple life of contemplation and prayer. Of course, he may have a way out: during the battle, he slashedDetective Morillo with his dagger, granting the detective healing powers...and establishing some sort of hold over him.He has joined the Secret Society. He is one of the villains featured in
Salvation Run .Powers and abilities
Cicada has the ability to steal the life-force of other living beings and use it to prolong his own life and regenerate physical damage. He carries a hilted blade capable of absorbing the life force of its victims in order to resurrect the dead. Cicada is an immortal and cannot die.
External links
* [http://www.hyperborea.org/flash/cicada.html Hyperborea entry for Cicada]
* [http://www.fourthhorsemanpress.com/Flash/ Crimson Lightning] - An online index to the comic book adventures of the Flash.References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
