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Comet (comics)
Encyclopedia
Comet is the name of two fictional comic book
characters owned by DC Comics
whose adventures have been published by that same company. The first character was a sentient horse with magical powers who was once a centaur
in ancient Greece
. The second character is a shapeshifter
with three forms (male, female, and winged centaur). Both characters are connected to the Superman
family of titles.
Due to the events depicted in the 1985 limited series
Crisis on Infinite Earths
, the first character's stories are no longer considered to be canon
within DC's main shared universe
, known as the DC Universe
.
s published by DC Comics. Comet first appeared in Action Comics
#292 in October 1962, and was created by Jim Mooney
.
Comet was one of a series of super-powered animals, including Streaky the Supercat
and Beppo the Supermonkey
, that were popular in DC's comics of the 1960s. Comet was Supergirl
's pet horse
and, while in his human form as Bill Starr, her brief boyfriend. Comet also had a brief romance with Lois Lane
in her comic book.
As he described to her telepathically, he was originally a centaur in ancient Greece named Biron. The witch Circe
gave him a potion to turn him fully human, but by mistake made him fully horse instead. Unable to reverse the spell, she instead gave him superpowers, including immortality. Later, after meeting Supergirl, he went on a mission with her to another planet, where a magic spell was cast that turned him into a human, but only while a comet
passes through the solar system he is in. As a human, he adopted the identity of "Bronco" Bill Starr, a rodeo trick-rider, whom Supergirl fell in love with.
Comet made sporadic appearances in comic stories through the 1960s, and even became a member of the Legion of Super-Pets
, a group consisting of the aforementioned super-powered animals.
A traditional equine Comet is partially seen in Legion of Three Worlds #1. He is part of a display in the museum Superboy-Prime visits. The museum does have displays of the supermen of the multiverse and the Kristen Wells Superwoman so it is unclear whether this means Comet has returned to regular continuity.
's Supergirl
#14 (October 1997). This version was originally introduced as a hero with flight and cold-generation powers. Comet's appearance was unclear, as when using his powers he was surrounded by an aura of cold that made him resemble an actual comet. Comet looked like a man with three fingers, horse-like legs, long white hair, and a star mark on his forehead. There was a lot of speculation about who Comet was, but it was revealed that Comet was Andrew Jones (actually Andrea Martinez), a bisexual stand-up comic, who like her friend Linda Danvers
(who could turn into Supergirl
), could shape-shift between her human and super-powered forms (however, Comet's change also involved changing gender, from the female Andrea to the male Comet).
Soon, it was learned that Comet's male form was originally Andrew Jones, a (male) jockey, who had been trampled by horses and "rebuilt" by an organization called "The Stable" as a superhuman with equine DNA. He rebelled against the organization and began operating as a superhero. On one of his first missions he attempted to save a despairing Andrea Martinez (who had just come out to her parents, and been rejected) from an avalanche, but they both died. As with Matrix
and Linda Danvers (who had merged into Supergirl, the Angel of Fire), this caused them to combine into one being: the Earth Angel
of Love. Comet originally was in love with Supergirl, and since he was the Angel of Love, made her have feelings for him too, but she rejected him when she learned he was also a woman. This opened the door for the third Angel, Blithe, the Angel of Light, to use her powers to exploit Comet's heartbreak, and turn him against Supergirl. She enabled Comet to fully embrace his angel powers, transforming himself into a winged centaur.
Blithe deceived Comet into joining the Carnivore (a powerful demonic creature who despised the Earth Angels, and sought their power). The Carnivore lost control, however, when Andrea abandoned her anger, learning that her mother had died, and had left a video apology for her actions. The three Earth Angels worked together to stop the Carnivore. Comet began a relationship with Blithe, since she loved both his forms (hinting that Blithe is bisexual).
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
characters owned by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
whose adventures have been published by that same company. The first character was a sentient horse with magical powers who was once a centaur
Centaur
In Greek mythology, a centaur or hippocentaur is a member of a composite race of creatures, part human and part horse...
in ancient Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The second character is a shapeshifter
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
with three forms (male, female, and winged centaur). Both characters are connected to the Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
family of titles.
Due to the events depicted in the 1985 limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
, the first character's stories are no longer considered to be canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
within DC's main shared universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
, known as the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
.
Pre-Crisis Comet
Comet the Super-Horse is a fictional character that appears in comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s published by DC Comics. Comet first appeared in Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#292 in October 1962, and was created by Jim Mooney
Jim Mooney
James Noel "Jim" Mooney was an American comic book artist best known as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, and as the signature artist of DC Comics' Supergirl, both during what comics historians and fans call the Silver Age of comic books...
.
Comet was one of a series of super-powered animals, including Streaky the Supercat
Streaky the Supercat
Streaky the Supercat is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Streaky first appeared in Action Comics #261 , and was created by Otto Binder and Jim Mooney.-Fictional character biography:...
and Beppo the Supermonkey
Beppo (comics)
Beppo is a fictional monkey in the DC Universe. Created by Otto Binder and George Papp, he first appeared in Superboy v1 076 .-Fictional character biography:...
, that were popular in DC's comics of the 1960s. Comet was Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
's pet horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
and, while in his human form as Bill Starr, her brief boyfriend. Comet also had a brief romance with Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
in her comic book.
As he described to her telepathically, he was originally a centaur in ancient Greece named Biron. The witch Circe
Circe
In Greek mythology, Circe is a minor goddess of magic , described in Homer's Odyssey as "The loveliest of all immortals", living on the island of Aeaea, famous for her part in the adventures of Odysseus.By most accounts, Circe was the daughter of Helios, the god of the sun, and Perse, an Oceanid...
gave him a potion to turn him fully human, but by mistake made him fully horse instead. Unable to reverse the spell, she instead gave him superpowers, including immortality. Later, after meeting Supergirl, he went on a mission with her to another planet, where a magic spell was cast that turned him into a human, but only while a comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
passes through the solar system he is in. As a human, he adopted the identity of "Bronco" Bill Starr, a rodeo trick-rider, whom Supergirl fell in love with.
Comet made sporadic appearances in comic stories through the 1960s, and even became a member of the Legion of Super-Pets
Legion of Super-Pets
The Legion of Super-Pets is a fictional team of super-powered pets in the pre-Crisis DC Universe. Members include Krypto the Super-Dog and Streaky the Supercat...
, a group consisting of the aforementioned super-powered animals.
A traditional equine Comet is partially seen in Legion of Three Worlds #1. He is part of a display in the museum Superboy-Prime visits. The museum does have displays of the supermen of the multiverse and the Kristen Wells Superwoman so it is unclear whether this means Comet has returned to regular continuity.
Powers and abilities
Though unrelated, Comet's powers are similar to those of Superman and Supergirl, including flight, super-strength, and super-speed. He also has telepathy and telepathic vision. Not being from Krypton he is unaffected by Kryptonite and red suns. Also, each time a comet passes through the solar system he is in, he turns into a man. For a brief transition period, he is once again a centaur.Post-Crisis Comet
A very different Comet was introduced in Peter DavidPeter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
's Supergirl
Linda Danvers
Linda Danvers, formerly known as Supergirl, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. She debuted in Supergirl #1 , and was created by Peter David and Gary Frank...
#14 (October 1997). This version was originally introduced as a hero with flight and cold-generation powers. Comet's appearance was unclear, as when using his powers he was surrounded by an aura of cold that made him resemble an actual comet. Comet looked like a man with three fingers, horse-like legs, long white hair, and a star mark on his forehead. There was a lot of speculation about who Comet was, but it was revealed that Comet was Andrew Jones (actually Andrea Martinez), a bisexual stand-up comic, who like her friend Linda Danvers
Linda Danvers
Linda Danvers, formerly known as Supergirl, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. She debuted in Supergirl #1 , and was created by Peter David and Gary Frank...
(who could turn into Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
), could shape-shift between her human and super-powered forms (however, Comet's change also involved changing gender, from the female Andrea to the male Comet).
Soon, it was learned that Comet's male form was originally Andrew Jones, a (male) jockey, who had been trampled by horses and "rebuilt" by an organization called "The Stable" as a superhuman with equine DNA. He rebelled against the organization and began operating as a superhero. On one of his first missions he attempted to save a despairing Andrea Martinez (who had just come out to her parents, and been rejected) from an avalanche, but they both died. As with Matrix
Matrix (comics)
Matrix is a fictional character and a superheroine, best known as the 1988-2002 Supergirl, published by DC Comics. She was created by John Byrne as part of his Superman revamp...
and Linda Danvers (who had merged into Supergirl, the Angel of Fire), this caused them to combine into one being: the Earth Angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
of Love. Comet originally was in love with Supergirl, and since he was the Angel of Love, made her have feelings for him too, but she rejected him when she learned he was also a woman. This opened the door for the third Angel, Blithe, the Angel of Light, to use her powers to exploit Comet's heartbreak, and turn him against Supergirl. She enabled Comet to fully embrace his angel powers, transforming himself into a winged centaur.
Blithe deceived Comet into joining the Carnivore (a powerful demonic creature who despised the Earth Angels, and sought their power). The Carnivore lost control, however, when Andrea abandoned her anger, learning that her mother had died, and had left a video apology for her actions. The three Earth Angels worked together to stop the Carnivore. Comet began a relationship with Blithe, since she loved both his forms (hinting that Blithe is bisexual).