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| Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja | |
|---|---|
 Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja #1 (August 1989). ©Marvel Comics. Pencils byRon Wagner, inks byBob McLeod. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | August1989 - September1990 |
| No. of issues | 16 |
| Main character(s) | John Doe Alfie O'Meagan |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Larry Hama |
| Penciller(s) | Ron Wagner (all issues except #8) Dale Keown (issue #8) |
| Inker | Fred Fredericks |
| Letterer | Janice Chiang |
| Colorist(s) | Mark Chiarello Bob Sharen |
Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja is acomic book about an Americanninja set in an unspecified near future whereWorld War III has started. It was written byLarry Hama between1989 and1990, based largely on his success writing theG.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic, which he wrote concurrently with The Nth Man (and also features a modern ninja as one of the main characters). Nth Man and Alfie O'Meagan first appeared inMarvel Comics Presents #25 (August 1989). The series was meant to last for 24 issues, but was cancelled after 16.[1] In spite of this, Hama was able to resolve the storyline early.Ron Wagner, who penciled the series for its entire run, attributes its commercial failure to its being set in a standalone reality (Earth-8908) instead of the mainstreamMarvel Universe, as well as the absence of costumed characters.[2]
The series startsin medias res, with American soldiers parachuting into war-torn Moscow in an attempt to rescue the Nth Man. Using TV news commentary as a plotexposition device, it is revealed that the war was caused by Alfie O'Meagan, using his psychic abilities to neutralize all nuclear weapons on the planet, upsetting the balance of power.
During the course of the story, it is revealed that Alfie grew up in an orphanage alongside John Doe (the "Nth Man" of the title). Doe was adopted by an elderly Japanese man, who worked for theCIA's "Black Ops" division. Doe was raised as aninja, taught to kill without regret. While in the orphanage, Alfie had visions ofpossible futures (the "could-be's"), and over time his powers grew, so that he was able to control matter and produce other effects that were against the physical laws of the universe.
The storyline is complex, following numerous characters through war zones, plague-ridden post-apocalyptic landscapes, inside a video game, alien worlds, and various points in time and space. Alfie gains vast power, while losing his sanity. When the Soviet Union launchesbiological weapons, Alfie's attempt to turn them harmless backfires.
Using a narrative jump of one year (which was forced upon writer Larry Hama in order to wrap up the story, due to the cancellation of the series), we see that the biological weapons were turned into a mutagenic virus, and millions are transformed into psychotic, cannibalistic "moots". The conclusion of the story makes use of aparadox, and Doe and O'Meagan are shown to be responsible for their own origins.
The series is not set within theprimary setting of theMarvel Universe and the characters of those series are treated as fictional comic book characters. O'Meagan draws upon those comics as inspiration transforming his size and appearance to resemble that ofGalactus, and that of a female character to resemble theSilver Surfer.
| Alfie O'Meagan | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Comics Presents #25 (August 1989) |
| Created by | Larry Hama |
| In-story information | |
| Abilities | Psychokinesis, telepathy, unspecified psychic ability to warp reality |
The name "Alfie O'Meagan" can be recognized as a pun onAlpha and Omega. The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet were used in theBook of Revelation to describe theJudeo-Christian-Islamic God as the beginning and the end. That and the secular English idiom's use of the phrase to denote "the beginning and end" provide a clue to the time-twisting resolution to the Nth Man saga.
Alfie O'Meagan (his adopted name) is first portrayed a child, with variouspsychic abilities includingclairvoyance andprecognition. He calls his visions the "could-be's" and can somehow allow others to see them as well, especially his only childhood friend John Doe. As Alfie grows older, his powers vastly increase, giving him abilities such asmind control,teleportation, andtelekinesis which can re-arrange molecules on a massive scale.
Alfie is troubled bynightmares as a child, and his strange behavior and the odd events which occur around him cause him to be victimized by both orphanagebullies, and the drunk and abusive man who runs the orphanage. While comic books serve as a means of escape, eventually he realizes that his powers can be used forrevenge against his tormentors.[volume & issue needed]
Alfie eventually uses his psychic powers to stop all the world's nuclear weapons from working. This has the unexpected side-effect of triggering a war between theUSSR and theUnited States, which ultimately becomes World War III.[volume & issue needed]
TheExcalibur team of superheroes ran into Alfie O'Meagan in hisalternate reality inExcalibur (vol. 1) #27. Here Alfie had assumed a form and giant stature similar to that ofGalactus, except for the helmet which he only wore on one occasion. After a fight in whichRachel Summers unleashed the power of thePhoenix Force to subdue Alfie, the team was sent back to their native reality,Earth-616.Nightcrawler pushed "Cancel" on the remote control of Alfie's television, which nullified everything that had occurred.