Captain Comet (Adam Blake) is a fictional DC Comics superhero created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino.
| Captain Comet | |
|---|---|
 Comet's new uniform on the cover of Mystery in Space #1 Art by Shane Davis | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Strange Adventures # 9 (June 1951) |
| Created by | John Broome Carmine Infantino |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Adam Blake |
| Team affiliations | Secret Society of Super Villains, L.E.G.I.O.N. |
| Abilities | Telepathy, telekinesis, clairvoyance, Electrical manipulation, genius intelligence, superhuman strength and endurance, invulnerability, teleportation |
Publication history
The character of Captain Comet first appeared in Strange Adventures # 9 (June, 1951).
Captain Comet's 1950s appearances ended with Strange Adventures #49 (October, 1954).
He finally reappeared in comics in 1976, when comic writer Gerry Conway brought him back as a supporting character in Secret Society of Super Villains. In this series, it is revealed that Captain Comet has been exploring space since his final Strange Adventures appearance. After the cancellation of Secret Society of Super Villains, he makes various guest appearances in other DC titles until becoming a lead character in the 1990s L.E.G.I.O.N. series.
Fictional character biography
Art by Carmine Infantino.
Captain Comet is a mutant metahuman born a hundred thousand years before his time. His "metagene" is triggered by a comet shining its light upon him at birth. His powers include Telepathy, telekinesis, clairvoyance, Electrical manipulation, a genius-level intellect, superhuman strength and endurance, and invulnerability.
Blake discovers his unique abilities while he is growing up, but he first uses his skills to fight crime as an adult. He intervenes when criminals attempt to steal an advanced scientific device invented by his friend, physics Professor Emery Zackro. After this adventure, Blake decides to become a superhero on a full-time basis, creating his own costume and fighting various threats.
Captain Comet is unusual in that, unlike most comic book superheroes, he remains a product of the time he was created. In the 2006 Mystery in Space miniseries, his dog Tyrone talks about Adam Blake discovering his abilities "during what he called the 1950's."
Infinite Crisis and "One Year Later"
Captain Comet appears regularly in DC's 2005 Rann-Thanagar War mini-series.
In 2006 he stars in a new 8-part limited series, Mystery in Space written by Jim Starlin and pencilled by Shane Davis. The mini-series contains short backup stories featuring the Weird, tangled in a mysterious corporation/religious organization, linked with the events in the series itself. Shortly in the first issue Captain Comet faces a big turning point in his life when, dying in space, burned by a sun, his spirit, somehow making contact with the Weird's own soul, is able to rebuild a much younger self, with all memories and mental abilities of the older one, but still underdeveloped physical powers, able to teleport in the safety of his house, and sets off to investigate about the event. In the process he gains a slightly redesgined outfit, and drops the "Captain" title from his moniker, going as "Comet".
Powers
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Rann-Thanagar War #5 (2005). Art by Ivan Reis.
Captain Comet is the pinnacle of human evolution. His evolved mental functions not only give him genius level I.Q. but endows him with telepathy, a gift that enables him to read people's minds, communicate with his thoughts, and control minds. He also has the mental power of telekinesis, an ability that enables him to use his thoughts to move, lift, and alter matter (Usually in the form of creating and dispelling clothing) without having any physical contact with it, mentally lift himself upwards to fly at high-speed, create barriers of psychic force to deflect most physical attacks, and fire bursts of psionic energy that strike a target with concussive impact or energy of various forms, such as electricity or fire. His telekinetic shields can be used to simultaneously protect himself from the vacuum of space, while surrounding himself with an aura of oxygen to breathe. Captain Comet's brain also contains evolved sensory centers enabling him to clairvoyantly "see" events outside of his range of sight, or even, in a limited way, see the future. If he focuses on clairvoyance he can see up to a 100,000 years into the future. He also possesses two extra senses: the "sense of strength" allows him to evaluate an opponent's strength and a "vibro-sense" which allows him to read the emotions of others. His evolved physiology makes him superhumanly strong and durable.
At one point, Captain Comet was armed with a weapon known as the Omni-Blaster, which could literally have any effect on his target; but it will also have the same effect on Captain Comet.
Captain Comet is a prodigy with the ability to master any skill upon his first attempt. He has a photographic memory, and possesses a comprehensive intellect well in advance of that of the average human. He is also a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant.
After his rebirth in Mystery in Space #1, Captain Comet can now teleport instantly to anywhere in the universe. However, Comet must rest for five minutes after teleporting a short distance, and for one hour after teleporting a greater distance. Comet's super-strength is vastly diminished after his rebirth. Due to his physical prowess building with age, and his rebirth as much younger self, Comet supposes that eventually his body will regain his lost strength.
Other Appearances
In the 1994 Elseworlds mini-series Kingdom Come, Captain Comet is a member of Superman's reformed Justice League. He is chosen by Superman to be warden of the Gulag, the holding facility/prison for meta-humans who chose to defy the Justice League. He is killed in a prison riot.
Captain Comet also makes an appearance in the final issue of the out-of-continuity Elseworlds miniseries The Golden Age, which takes place in 1951, very early in his crimefighting career.