| The Angel | |
|---|---|
 Angel fromThe Marvels Project #4. Art bySteve Epting | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939) |
| Created by | Paul Gustavson (artist) Writer unconfirmed |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Thomas Halloway |
| Team affiliations | All-Winners Squad V-Battalion Scourges of the Underworld |
| Abilities | Excellent acrobat and hand to hand combatant Accomplished disguise artist, occult scholar and pilot Skilled detective Flight via mystic cape Use of knives and other weapons |
TheAngel (Thomas Halloway, often shortened toTom Halloway) is asuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by artistPaul Gustavson and an unconfirmed writer during theGolden Age of Comic Books, the Angelfirst appeared inMarvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), the first publication of Marvel Comics' predecessor,Timely Comics.
The Angel is a non-superpowered detective who nonetheless wore a superhero costume.
Created by artistPaul Gustavson and written either by him,Ray Gill, or another writer, the Angel debuted inTimely Comics'Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939).[1][2] The Angel was among the more popular Timely characters after the "big three" of theHuman Torch, theSub-Mariner andCaptain America. The Angel had over 100 Golden Age appearances — starting in that initial Marvel title (which changed its name toMarvel Mystery Comics with issue #2), up through #79 (Dec. 1946); as the sole backup feature inSub-Mariner Comics #1-21 (Spring 1941-Fall 1946); and in occasional appearances inAll Winners Comics #1 (Summer 1941),The Human Torch #5 (Summer 1941),Mystic Comics vol. 2 #1-3, (Oct.-Winter 1944),Daring Comics #10 (Winter 1944-45).[3]
InSuperhero Comics of the Golden Age, Mike Benton writes: "The Angel, like some of the other features that Gustavson drew and wrote, owed a heavy debt to the pulp magazine heroes and detectives. Likethe Shadow andthe Spider, the Angel had few compunctions about operating outside the law and using severe measures -- especially if it meant scaring the hell out of criminals."[3]
In theKree–Skrull War story arc (1972),Rick Jones summons Angel, theBlazing Skull, theFin, thePatriot, and theVision via the Destiny Force to battle theSkrulls.
The Angel is one of the central characters of the eight-issueminiseriesThe Marvels Project (Aug. 2009-May 2010), by writerEd Brubaker and pencilerSteve Epting.
A costumed detective with no superpowers, the Angel is among the few such heroes to wear no mask, and in his Golden Age appearances makes no effort to conceal his identity as independently wealthy Thomas Halloway, a former surgeon. Thomas' mother died in childbirth - consequently he was brought up in the prison where his father was a warden. There he was instructed by a number of experts, as well as a number of the inmates, which gave him a unique insight into the underworld. He earned his moniker when he saved one of these inmates from the chair. Though he wore a costume like a superhero, he wore no mask to conceal his identity. He later acquires the Cape ofMercury,[4] which allows him to fly, but he has used this ability only occasionally, as on his campaign against the foreign spy Cat's Paw.[5]
The Angel was already active by the time of the first Human Torch and Sub-Mariner adventures,[6] and active as far back as 1936.[7] He fights alongside Namor againstWorld War II "Nazombies",[8] and was laterretconned as a member of both theAll-Winners Squad and theV-Battalion after the war.[9] The Angel was also possibly a Secret Service agent for a brief period of time.[10]
According toJess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, the Angel "fights everything from gangsters to Brains in a Jar to crazed pygmies, includingArmless Tiger Man, Count Lust, the Epicure of Crime, the Gargoyle, the Wolfman, and Dr. Hyde, who steals the eyes from victims and ransoms them back for $100,000."[11]
Halloway remained active as an older character in 1990s comics, and was revealed as the primary force behind the murderous vigilante groupScourges of the Underworld,[12] which assassinated a large number of lesser supervillains and archcriminals. Confronted byU.S. Agent, Angel was wounded during the battle and arrested, but subsequently released due to a lack of evidence.[13][14]
Halloway's grandson,Jason Halloway, is given his grandfather's mask and weapons at the end ofThe Marvels Project #8 (July 2010).
| The Angel | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Captain America #442 (Aug. 1995) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Simon Halloway |
An elderly homeless man said to have once been the Angel appeared inMarvel Super-Heroes vol. 3 #7 (Oct. 1991) and inThe Incredible Hulk #432-433 (Aug.-Sept. 1995). This was originally intended to have been Thomas Halloway, but due to it conflicting with established continuity these appearances wereretconned to have been Simon Halloway, Thomas' brother, who had assumed the identity of the Angel and substituted for his brother on numerous occasions. In the 1990s, Simon was living as a homeless man inManhattan, where he was killed by thesupervillainZeitgeist.[14]
Thomas Halloway had no superpowers but he was an acrobat and hand-to-hand combatant, an accomplished disguise artist, occult scholar and pilot and a skilled detective. He also wore the Cape of Mercury, which granted him the ability to fly, and used knives and other weapons.
An alternate version of Thomas Halloway / Angel from Earth-90214 appears inX-Men Noir. This version is a private investigator and the child of the warden of a prison called the Welfare Pen. Thomas' mother died in childbirth - consequently he was brought up in the prison where his father was a warden. There, he was instructed by a number of experts, as well as a number of the inmates, which gave him a unique insight into the underworld. He earned his moniker when he saved an inmate from execution. In the final issue of the series, Thomas' twin brother Robert is revealed to have also used the Angel identity and sacrifices himself to stopJean Grey.[15]
