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    Elementals

    Team » Elementals appears in 75 issues.

    One of Fire, another one of Wind, a third from the Waves, and the last from the Earth. Granted the powers of the elements by otherworldly spirits and returned from the dead, The Elementals battle against the evils manifested by the Shadowspear. Together they are powerful and respected protectors of Earth.

    Short summary describing this team.

    Elementals last edited by Cellophane_Girl on 11/18/22 11:52PM View full history

    Creation

    Elementals was an American superhero comic book written and illustrated by Bill Willingham, first published in 1984 by Comico Comics.

    There were several tie-in specials, including a few sex specials. After Comico went out of business its publisher, Andrew Rev, purchased the Elementals property from Willingham in the 1990s.

    History

    Reanimated and reinvented
    Reanimated and reinvented

    Four unrelated persons die in four unrelated accidents on the same day, each killed violently by one of the four elemental forces of nature (earth air, fire and water). The four people find themselves placed before the very spirit of the element that killed them. Returned to life and imbued with the power of that element, The Elementals became the world's first recorded account of superheroes, as well as the first people to return from the grave.

    Battling first against the evil Lord Saker, who had unleashed the Shadowspear on the earth, and later against various other magical beasts. While the spirits of the elements that rested within them compelled them to battle against the evils, none of The Elementals had chosen the path of the superhero, and often they found themselves torn by the consequences of their actions.

    The Elementals are received well by the public for their efforts, for which they gain rapid celebrity status. They also made a strong commercial presence in the world, performing endorsements, marketing merchandise, signing autographs and forming their own corporation, Elementals Inc., which earns them massive financial resources.

    Storylines

    The series' storyline explores the consequences of four people having returned from the dead. It also depicts those who come into contact with the Elementals' observing their seemingly overly detached, emotionally deadened nature, and how others develop feelings of discomfort when around them. The Elementals' closest friends also notice this, and how the four superbeings only seem to enjoy being around other persons who had died and returned to life.

    "Till Death do us part"

    Despite what would seem A strong common bond between develops among the four Elementals, though they frequently fall to petty squabbling and in-fighting, their contrasting personal beliefs and personalities clashing nearly as often as they do with villains.

    Also noted should be, while most superheroes seem to seek out villains and criminals to battle, the Elementals rarely concern themselves with any crime not of supernatural nature. More often than not, it is actually the Shadowspear directing the plotline, attempting to fulfill Lord Saker's final directive that it destroys the Elementals by creating powerful creatures for that purpose. Most battles with the Elementals are initiated by foes specifically hunting them for the purpose of destroying them, not villains seeking wealth or conquest.

    Major Story Arcs

    Lord Saker and the Shadowspear

    Enter the Shadowspear
    Enter the Shadowspear

    The villains, called the Destroyers, hold Becky’s father hostage in order to capture the Elementals. They fly to Nacht Island, where Saker has a secluded hideout complete with all-female armed forces, where the Elementals are imprisoned for a year.

    Saker’s interactions with the Elementals show a man who is evil but not completely uncivilized. He explains throughout the book that he was brought back to life by a preacher in the Middle East a few thousand years ago, and that this event was recorded in the Bible, in John 11:1–45, in which Jesus brings Lazarus back to life. Saker cannot die, and he has become a “lodestone for mystic energies,” which have been building within him. Disgusted by the vanity he observes in humanity, he explains that when he releases those energies through a “Shadowspear,” it will bring about Armageddon.

    Escape from Nacht Island
    Escape from Nacht Island

    As Saker unsuccessfully attempts to convinces to three of the Elementals to join him, Fathom evades her guard, Ratman, by using her water-wielding abilities to escape through a toilet and into the waters surrounding the island, to which she summons an immense tsunami.

    The wave sweeps over the island, killing masses of Saker's minions and shorting out the electrical systems of Saker's fortress. The rest of the Elementals escape with the assistance of the United States military, though Fathom is shocked at the realization that she killed hundreds of Saker’s troops.

    As Vortex battles Saker, beings from the Shadowspear come forth and take Saker away to a hellish plane, casting him into Hell. The Shadowspear is released into the world and becomes a hellish storm cloud that resurrects people and creates monsters.

    Oblivion War

    The Oblivion War storyline begins as the Elementals, depressed over the savage death of agent Porter Scott at the hands of Captain Cadaver, are drinking at a local bar. Deciding to walk home, the team is attacked and badly beaten by the powerful villainess Holocaust and her sidekick Floater, who were sent to Earth by forces hiding behind the Moon. Thor the Norse thunder god then appears, turning the tide and giving the Elementals a chance to defeat both villains, who then escape.

    Tommy summons the Elementals together so that they can discuss the team's future and lead a focused direction for them all. However their private conversation turns out not to be so private as they discover agents of the Governments F.I.S.H organization are monitoring and recording their actions.

    Battle to Oblivion!
    Battle to Oblivion!

    Thor and Tommy travel to the long abandoned Asgard, former home of the Norse Gods of ancient lore, where they are attacked by a group of trolls. The gathering of all of the world's paranormals takes place within the walls of Asgard. Monolith, serving as the host, tells them what he's seen of the forces of Lord Oblivion and the carnage that will befall them all. He convinces them to join forces and destroy their home base.

    The Oblivion forces attack Nacht Island, killing every living being on the Island and commandeering it. Vortex and handpicked members of the Supernation attack Lord Oblivion's headquarters, capturing Cold Mary while filming the ship's layout. However once back on Earth, Cold Mary escapes and causes trouble for Morningstar and Commander Chaos. As the final assault begins, the battle is taken to the heart of the Oblivion Planet with an explosive resolution.

    Tommy, with Lord Saker's guidance, sheds his golem form, which forces Monolith to seek a new host body, after which Tommy and Saker visit Lord Oblivion. The Monolith spirit finds a new host body in Donald Ridgeway, a development to which Donald requires some adjustment. Fathom and Vortex meet Donald, and discover what happened to Tommy, shocked and uncertain as to whether they should trust this new Monolith. Tommy now believes in Saker's view that the supernatural beings are entitled to rule Earth, and quits the Elementals, absorbing some of Saker's power, and becomes one of his generals.

    As Shadowspear strikes at Earth, a newly resurrected Tommy rallies the Supernation and the Elementals to quickly end the war.

    Members

    Morningstar

    No Caption Provided

    A former LAPD homicide detective, Jeanette Crain was killed by a serial arsonist's fire at the location she was investigating. As the spirit of the fire needed a representative to stop the evil Saker and his Shadowspear from controlling the planet it changed her death, it returned her spirit to its human body, giving her power over fire.

    Vortex

    No Caption Provided

    Jeff Murphy is a Coast Guard pilot who was fatally asphyxiated in a helicopter crash. The Shadowspear returned him to life, with various air-related abilities, including flight and wind-blasts.

    Fathom

    No Caption Provided

    Becky Golden was a young, rich, and flighty debutante who fell off a boat and drowned while cavorting with a male friend in Washington state. The spirit of the water returned her to life with various water-related abilities, as well as with bright green skin and webbed fingers. She can command all weater, from the oceans to the very last drop in the desert. She can also convert her body entirely into water, while retaining her full consciousness.

    Monolith

    No Caption Provided

    The first Monolith is Tommy Czuchra, a brilliant but introverted teenaged boy who was crushed to death by a landslide. He receives the ability to become an enormous super-strong stone/earth golem. Later, after adopting Saker's view that the supernatural beings are entitled to rule Earth, and he quits the Elementals, absorbs some of Saker's "black" magic, and becomes one of his generals.

    The second Monolith is deceased insurance salesman Donald Ridgeway, who neither wants the power, nor ever understands fully how to use it or how to integrate with the other three Elementals.

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