| Deadman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Deadman as depicted on the cover ofThe Deadman Collection (2001). Art byNeal Adams. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Strange Adventures #205 (October 1967) |
| Created by | Arnold Drake (writer) Carmine Infantino (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Boston Brand |
| Species | Ghost |
| Team affiliations | Justice League Dark Seven Soldiers of Victory Sentinels of Magic Justice League |
| Abilities |
|
Deadman is asuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. Created by writerArnold Drake and artistCarmine Infantino.[1] He first appeared inStrange Adventures #205 (October 1967)
The character, whose real name isBoston Brand, is depicted as an acrobat who was murdered by an unknown assailant, and then granted power by a Hindu deity to remain a disembodied spirit who can temporarily take possession of any living being in order to fight evil forces.
Deadman has also appeared in various media outside comics. He is voiced byRaphael Sbarge inJustice League Unlimited,Michael Rosenbaum inBatman: The Brave and the Bold, andNicholas Turturro inJustice League Dark.
Arnold Drake spoke on the development of Deadman and revealed the 1966 original concept sketch of the character, which was initially a muscular skeleton. Drake further stated, "They were looking for something to bolster a magazine that was about to die, and I came up with Deadman, and they were going to turn it down, [but] then they bought the idea, but decided to turn down the title, because they were afraid, that the board would not permit them to title [the comicDeadman], because of the comics code of authority, so I said you fight for that, it's a good title, they did and Deadman succeeded.[2]
Drake later recalled in an interview, "So here I was in the middle of aZen-Buddhist movement and I thought, "Maybe I can use that for my main character."[3]
Deadman's first appearance inStrange Adventures #205, written by Arnold Drake and drawn by Carmine Infantino,[4] included the first known depiction ofnarcotics in a story approved by theComics Code Authority.[5] The series is most associated with the art and writing ofNeal Adams and the writing of Jack Miller, who took over from Infantino and Drake after the first story.[4][6] The first story and all of the Adams stories were reprinted in 1985 as a seven-issue series.
Although he appeared occasionally in the 1970s and 1980s as a supporting character in various comics, including Jack Kirby'sForever People, Deadman did not get his own series again until 1986, in a four-issuelimited series written by Andrew Helfer and drawn byJosé Luis García-López, which picked up the story where Adams left off. Deadman's next major storyline was inAction Comics Weekly, in 1988–1989. After this, he starred in the two-issue seriesDeadman: Love After Death, drawn byKelley Jones and written byMike Baron. This was followed by the limited seriesDeadman: Exorcism in 1992, also written by Mike Baron and drawn by Kelley Jones. Jones' gaunt, zombie-like rendition of the character would later appear in the pages ofBatman. There was a Deadmanongoing series in 2002, which lasted nine issues, as well as a couple of standalone issues. His cameo appearances also continued, including several issues ofAlan Moore's run onSwamp Thing, andNeil Gaiman'sThe Books of Magic. He had a cameo in books two and three ofBatman: Gotham County Line, which was released in November 2005. In 2009, Deadman was a featured title in theWednesday Comics.
The character and self-titled series have won several awards, including the 1967 Alley Award for Best New Strip (byArnold Drake andCarmine Infantino inStrange Adventures), and the 1968 Alley Award Hall of Fame (forNeal Adams). DC Comics published a slipcased hardcover edition collecting the original Deadman stories in December 2001. Deadman'sretconned origin is revealed inBrightest Day #14 (2010), written byGeoff Johns andPeter Tomasi. Deadman had a three-part miniseries calledDeadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love written by Sarah Vaughn with art by Lan Medina.
Circustrapeze artist Boston Brand performs under the name Deadman, a stage persona that includes a red costume andwhite corpse makeup.[7] When Brand is murdered during a trapeze performance by a mysterious assailant known only as the Hook, his spirit is given the power to possess any living being by theHindu godRama Kushna to search for his murderer and obtain justice.[8] It is established inGreen Arrow (vol. 4) #4 that Deadman believes Rama is the supreme being of the universe.[1]
At the end of the Neal Adams story line, Deadman seems to discover the truth behind his murder and the ultimate fate of Hook, who killed him as part of an initiation into a society ofcontract killers. However, the real Hook is one among many one-handed men who work for an organization known as "The Scavengers". This group steals advanced technology for a profit. Fighting the Scavengers also led to Deadman gaining an artificial body from theForever People. This group had rented rooms from Trixie Magruder, an old circus companion of Deadman.[9]
Rama Kushna also maintained a city for some time, calledNanda Parbat, where she rehabilitated criminals with her power. One of the worst was Darius Caldera, who almost destroyed the world when he left the city. Nanda Parbat later fell due to a combined military and mystical force. All the evil people are now back in the real world, still a danger. Brand's twin brother, Cleveland, is killed while possessed by Boston, while he's performing Boston's circus act. The killer was out to kill Boston Brand. Rama also dies to defeat Jonah, a spirit similar to Deadman. Around this time, Deadman assists theSpectre in battling a demon before being forced to fuse with him after the demon injures him.
Later, Deadman receives a birthday present from his diminutive friend, Max Loomis. Max places himself in a trance to "meet" Deadman and the two take a pleasant journey down "memory lane", mainly Deadman's more pleasant memories of Nanda Parbat. Soon after, Loomis meets with old circus friends and Deadman involves himself in a case of suspected murder. Deadman wants to go after the escapees of Nanda Parbat, but Max thinks pursuing the murder is a better course.[10] Over several years, a mysterious stranger has Deadman travel through time to try to save the souls of deceased heroes from Caldera. Due to the mental influence of various forces, Deadman is unable to use the knowledge of the timestream to benefit humanity. With the assistance of the spirits of the deceased heroes, Deadman defeats Caldera and the powers behind him. Max Loomis provides vital help on the material plane. After that, Boston and Loomis decide to hunt down the other Parbat escapees.[11]
In theSins of Youth incident, Deadman is one of the dozens of heroes reduced to a preteen age byKlarion the Witch Boy and an alien machine owned byDoiby Dickles. He assistsSecret in confronting Teekl, Klarion's cat familiar, in an effort to restore everyone. He also joins in the fight against mystically created and mystically altered villains. DuringDay of Judgment, Boston Brand travels with a group of heroes to the frozen wastelands of Hell. Their goal is to restart the demonic fires, thus recalling all the demons from the earthly plane. An accident strands Brand and the others under the frozen waters of theRiver Styx, forcing them to live out what would be, to them, Hell. For Brand, it is that the sharpshooter hits him in the shoulder, thus he survives. Brand feels he needs to die to learn "how to live". His battles against the demons would come back to haunt him. In the four-partBlack Baptism miniseries, Deadman and several other "Sentinels of Magic", the magical group formed after theDay of Judgment incident, are hunted by the Diablos. Partly fueled by revenge, they subdue many of the Sentinels and drain their magic. The JLA eventually rescue them all and destroy all the Diablos.
Boston Brand begins to hear the voices of the dead and his own remains calling for him to protect them.[12] Being a spirit, he is unable to stop his body from being raised as aBlack Lantern. He attempts to possess his own body but is ejected after experiencing extreme pain during the attempt. He assistsBatman,Robin, andRed Robin in repelling the Black Lantern invasion.[13] Deadman manages to saveCommissioner Gordon from the Black Lanterns by possessing the body ofhis daughter, spiriting them both to safety.[14]
Deadman is later sent by Batman to possess Jason Blood, invoking the power ofEtrigan. Deadman uses Etrigan's demon flame to hold back the Black Lanterns, but struggles to maintain control of his body and is forced out. Deadman then frees Batman and Red Robin, who had frozen themselves to escape the Black Lanterns' onslaught.[15] He is later seen inside the Black LanternDamage's ring, apparently having followedJean Loring,Mera andthe Atom when they shrank down to enter it.[16] He frees Mera and the Atom from Loring by briefly possessing her, allowing them to return to normal size. During this incident, he says he believes possessing the Black Lanterns causes him damage.[17] He is later seen at Nanda Parbat, attempting to stop the Black Lanterns attempting to pass through the spiritual barrier by taking over their bodies and ripping them apart. He briefly loses himself to a Black Lantern's personality, but is saved by thePhantom Stranger. The Stranger convinces Deadman to enter his body again, telling them it is his destiny to bring it within Nanda Parbat. With the Stranger's help, Deadman forces the black ring off his body, bringing it through the gate of Nanda Parbat. The body, which the Stranger states is of "singular importance", is placed under the gatekeeper andBlue Devil's protection, and Deadman heads out, intent on sharing the information he gleaned while inside the Black Lanterns withHal Jordan.[18] In the aftermath of the final battle, Deadman is restored to life by aWhite Lantern ring.[19]
In the 2010–11 miniseriesBrightest Day, Deadman discovers that his white ring can resurrect others.[20] He begins to acclimate to living again, including exercising self-preservational habits,[21] but expresses reservations about being alive again. As he attempts to learn what his mission on Earth is, he teams up withHawk and Dove.[22] Deadman learns that he will cross paths with the person the Entities chose to guard the Earth.[23] The Entity also instructs Deadman to embrace life and those around him, as he led a selfish life in his previous one, realizing the value of others only after he died. In learning to appreciate his new life, Deadman realizes that he and Dove have fallen in love,[24] and reconnects with his grandfather.[25]
The Entity also tells Deadman that whenNekron attacked Earth, he created a "dark avatar" who will try to destroy theStar City forest and Earth's soul.[26] The Entity reveals that Earth's savior isAlec Holland,[27] and the "dark avatar" is a corruptedSwamp Thing. AfterCaptain Boomerang accidentally kills Deadman, he gives his power ring to Holland, transforming him into a new Swamp Thing who kills the original.[28]
InThe New 52 continuity reboot, Deadman's origins are reimagined in the initial run of the anthology seriesDC Universe Presents. After living a selfish life as Boston Brand, he is forced to possess people as Deadman following his assassination to solve their problems and avoid being sent to Hell.[29] He also features as a member of the supernatural team,Justice League Dark. Deadman uses his possession talents to help take down various supernatural threats, such as Dr. Mist and Faust. Despite their earlier claim, he and Dove try to rekindle their love. However, their attempt fails as Deadman insists on carrying on their relationship forward using borrowed bodies, while Dove shows disdain and repulsion to the idea. Furthermore, by helping out June Moone, they both gain the enmity of a crazedEnchantress.[30]
As part of theDC Rebirth relaunch, a three-part miniseries,Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love was released in October 2016.[31] The story featured the creative team of writer Sarah Vaughn and artist Lan Medina.[32] Deadman also appears in theTrinity book, focused on Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, along with Justice League Dark teammates Zatanna andJohn Constantine.
InThe New Golden Age, Deadman helpsDoctor Fate andDetective Chimp fightPer Degaton and investigate Hauhet, the new guiding force behind the Helmet of Fate.[33][34]
Deadman is a central character in theKnight Terrors event, where he helps battle the nightmare-controlling villainInsomnia.[35] He sacrifices himself to defeat Insomnia, but is resurrected by Rama Kushna.[36][37][38]
As a disembodied spirit, Deadman can fly, become intangible, and possess others. As a White Lantern, he is able to teleport, heal others, and create energy constructs.
| Title | Material collected | Page Count | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Deadman Collection | Strange Adventures #205–216;The Brave and the Bold #79, 86, 104;Aquaman #50–52;Challengers of the Unknown #74 | 342 | 2001 | 978-1563898495 |
| Deadman Book One | Strange Adventures #205–213 | 176 | 2011 | 978-1401231163 |
| Deadman Book Two | The Brave and the Bold #79 and 86;Strange Adventures #214–216;Aquaman #50–52;Challengers of the Unknown #74 | 168 | 2012 | 978-1401233884 |
| Deadman Book Three | The Phantom Stranger (vol. 2) #33, 39–41;The Brave and the Bold #133;Superman Family #183;World's Finest #223, 227;DC Super-Stars #18 | 176 | 2012 | 978-1401237288 |
| Deadman Book Four | DC Special Series #8;Adventure Comics #459–466;DC Comics Presents #24 | 168 | 2014 | 978-1401243241 |
| Deadman Book Five | Deadman (vol.2) #1–4;Secret Origins #15;Challengers of the Unknown #85–87 | 176 | 2014 | 978-1401246112 |
| Deadman: Lost Souls | Deadman: Love After Death #1–2;Deadman: Exorcism #1–2 | 200 | 1995 | 978–1563891885 |
| Deadman by Kelley Jones: The Complete Collection | Action Comics Weekly #618–626,Deadman: Love After Death #1–2;Deadman: Exorcism #1–2 | 272 | 2017 | 978-1401271671 |
| Batman/Deadman: Death and Glory | Original Graphic Novel | 92 | 1996 | 978-1563892288 |
| Deadman: Deadman Walking | Deadman (vol. 4) #1-5 | 128 | 2007 | 978-1401212360 |
| DC Universe Presents Vol. 1 featuring Deadman & Challengers of the Unknown | DC Universe Presents #1-8 | 192 | 2012 | 978-1401237165 |
| Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love | Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love #1-3 | 160 | 2017 | 978-1401268411 |
| Deadman | Deadman (vol. 5) #1-6 | 160 | 2018 | 978-1401281410 |
| Deadman Omnibus | Strange Adventures #205-216;The Brave and the Bold #79, 86, 104, 133;Aquaman #50-52;Challengers of the Unknown #74, 84–87; Justice League of America #94,World’s Finest Comics #223, 227;The Phantom Stranger (vol. 2) #33, 39–41; Superman Family #183;DC Super Stars #18;DC Special Series #8;Adventure Comics #459-466;DC Comics Presents #24; Detective Comics #500;Deadman (vol. 2) #1-4;Secret Origins #15; covers fromDeadman #1-7 | 944 | 2020 | 978-1779504883 |
In a story by scribe Arnold Drake and artist Carmine Infantino, circus aerialist Boston Brand learned there was much more to life after his death...Deadman's origin tale was the first narcotics-related story to require prior approval from the Comics Code Authority. In addition, Neal Adams, the artist who succeeded Infantino with the second issue, would soon become an industry legend.
One comic that I know preceded the 1971 amendment [to the Comics Code] wasStrange Adventures #205, the first appearance of Deadman!...a clear reference to narcotics, over THREE YEARS before Marvel Comics would have to go without the Comics Code to do an issue about drugs.
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