| Tyroc | |
|---|---|
 Tyroc as depicted inAll-New Collectors' Edition C-55 (March 1978). Art byJames Sherman andJack Abel. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Superboy #216 (April 1976) |
| Created by | Cary Bates (writer) Mike Grell (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Troy Stewart |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Place of origin | Earth |
| Team affiliations | Legion of Super-Heroes |
| Abilities | Reality warping scream |
Tyroc (Troy Stewart) is a fictional character appearing in media published byDC Comics, primarily as a member of theLegion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. Created by writerCary Bates and artistMike Grell, he first appeared inSuperboy #216 (April 1976), and is one of DC's firstblacksuperheroes.
Tyroc first appeared inSuperboy #216 (April 1976), and was created byCary Bates andMike Grell.
Jim Shooter, who had been prevented from introducing black characters into the Legion in the 1960s,[1] objected to the characterization of Tyroc: "...I always wanted to have a character who was African-American, and years later, when they did that, they did it in the worst way possible....instead of just incidentally having a character who happens to be black...they made a big fuss about it. He's a racial separatist....I just found it pathetic and appalling".[2]
According toMike Grell, who co-created Tyroc withCary Bates, the character of Tyroc was "sort of a sore spot with me".[3] He had previously tried to introduce black characters into the series, but had been prevented by then-editorMurray Boltinoff.[3] Grell recalled: "I kept getting stalled off...and finally comes Tyroc. They might as well have named him Tyrone. Their explanation for why there were no black people [in the Legion] was that all the black people had gone to live on an island. It's possibly the most racist concept I've ever heard in my life...I mean, it's a segregationist's dream, right? So they named him Tyroc, and gave him the world's stupidest super-power".[4]
Grell's dislike of Tyroc was strong enough that he deliberately made him look ridiculous: "I gave him a silly costume. It was somewhere betweenElvis' Las Vegas costume and something you would imagine a pimp on the street corner wearing".[3]
Grell notes that physically, Tyroc is based onfootball playerFred Williamson: "I modeled him somewhat on Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, who was a movie star at the time...and gave him this "Elvis Presley goes to Las Vegas" kind of a costume, and that's pretty much it. That was the extent of my contribution to Tyroc".[4]
Some writers like long-time Legion scribePaul Levitz claimed that Tyroc's powers, based upon sound, made him too difficult a character to depict in a comic book. Levitz states that this was because he thought Tyroc was "just such a stupid character....a sound-based character is, I think, intrinsically futile in a silent medium. He just never worked for me, so I did my best to dodge him".[5] Despite his initial stance on the character, Levitz said in aNewsarama interview that Tyroc would be in his newLegion of Super-Heroes series.[6] Tyroc appears inLegion of Super-Heroes (vol. 6), marking the first time that the character has appeared in an in-continuity tale written by Levitz.
Tyroc (real name Troy Stewart) is from Marzal, an island which usually exists in a different dimension and occasionally reappears on Earth, remaining for several years at a time off the coast ofAfrica. Marzal's residents are descended from African slaves who revolted on a ship during middle passage in the 18th century and settled on Marzal. They possess an advanced, highly technological civilization with extreme isolationist tendencies. In the language of Marzal, "Tyroc" means "Scream of the Devil".
The Legion of Super-Heroes first meet Tyroc when several Legionnaires respond to an emergency on Marzal. At first, Tyroc attempts to stop the Legion from assisting. After patching up their differences and working together to save the island, Tyroc is offered Legion membership. He initially refuses, although he comes to respect the Legion.[7] Tyroc later accepts the Legion's offer to join the team and thus becomes the Legion's first black member.[8]
Tyroc later returns to Marzal Island to be with his people when it leaves Earth.Shadow Lass andDawnstar accompany him and are almost trapped on the island as it shifts dimensions.[9]
Marzal is later destroyed by theDominators.[10]Jacques Foccart (the second Invisible Kid) and Troy Stewart, who had proven themselves as effective leaders of the rebellion against the Dominators, are appointed president and vice president of Earth respectively.[11] Soon thereafter, Earth is destroyed in a disaster reminiscent of the destruction ofKrypton over a millennium earlier.[12] A few dozen cities and their inhabitants survive and come together to form New Earth. Jacques later resigns to rejoin the Legion and Troy ascends to the presidency.[13]
FollowingZero Hour: Crisis in Time!, which rebooted the Legion's continuity, Tyroc did not appear for many years, making brief appearances inLegion of Super-Heroes (vol. 5) #15 andFinal Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1. He returns inThe New 52 titleLegion Lost, where he,Wildfire,Gates,Dawnstar,Timber Wolf,Chameleon Girl, and Tellus are trapped in the 21st century while pursuing a time-traveling terrorist.
Tyroc is a metahuman with reality-warping screams that possess various effects. He can create dimensional portals and force fields, transmute matter, generate fire and wind, telekinetically manipulate objects, manipulate weather and plants, inducevertigo, andview the past.[14]
As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, he is provided with a Legion Flight Ring, which allows him to fly, survive in space, and communicate with his teammates.
