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El Diablo (comics)
Encyclopedia
El Diablo is a name shared by several fictional characters published by DC Comics
. Lazarus Lane the first El Diablo debuted in All-Star Western
#2 (October 1970
), and was created by Robert Kanigher
and Gray Morrow
.
#2 (October 1970
), and was created by Robert Kanigher
and Gray Morrow
. A four issue mini-series series starring Lazarus Lane was published by DC Comics through their Vertigo imprint as a mature readers title. El Diablo vol. 1 #1, (March 2001) was written by Brian Azzarello
and drawn by Danijel Zezelj. Rafael Sandoval first appeared in El Diablo vol. 2 #1 (August 1989
), and was created by Gerard Jones
and Mike Parobeck
. Chato Santana first appears in El Diablo vol. 3 #1 (September 2008), and was created by Jai Nitz, Phil Hester
and Ande Parks
.
. Lane was originally a bank teller
who is nearly killed by a gang of thieves and put in a coma
after being struck by lightning
. After being revived by a Native American
shaman
named "Wise Owl", Lane becomes a vigilante
and called himself El Diablo. The name El Diablo
means "the devil" in Spanish
.
According to Jonah Hex
vol. 2 #11 (November 2006) and Jonah Hex vol. 2 #24 (December 2007), Lazarus Lane is cursed to be the host of a minor demon
which acts as a Spirit of Vengeance
. Lane's body slumbers in a coma while "El Diablo" roams the Earth. His fate is similar to that of the current Crimson Avenger. In Swamp Thing vol. 2 #85 (April 1989), Wise Owl is shown in a more villainous light, with Lane/El Diablo his unwilling servant. In that story, set in 1872, a number of DC's western heroes (including the aforementioned Hex, Bat Lash
, Johnny Thunder
, and Madame .44) were employed by Otto Von Hammer and Jason Blood to defeat Wise Owl and recover from him an object of great power, which turned out to be a crystal containing the spirit of Swamp Thing
, who had become lost in time. When the group killed Wise Owl, Lane's comatose body woke up, and El Diablo apparently vanished forever.
. In this iteration, he was once again cursed by Wise Owl to become the host of a demon. Rather than being in a coma, Lazarus remains awake, however El Diablo arises from his body whenever he is unconscious.
and artist Mike Parobeck
as a title set in the modern DC Universe. This title lasted 16 months. As created by Jones and Parobeck, Rafael Sandoval is a rookie member of the city council of Dos Rios, Texas who creates his version of El Diablo from a festival costume and an old boxing persona and local legends surrounding the Devil
when stymied by officials while trying to pursue the case of a serial arsonist. Subsequent efforts involved battles with illicit drug smugglers using maquiladora
covers for their activities, a hunt for a serial killer, conflicts with human-smuggling operations, and with Sandoval's own conscience over how best to serve the people of Dos Rios.
Rafael Sandoval's character has subsequently made guest appearances in one of the Justice League
titles, in which he is possessed by the spirit of an Aztec
god-emperor, and taking on an appearance reminiscent of the Lazarus Lane Diablo. He also appears in the Villains United Special
when he is pulled out of retirement by Oracle
to serve in her de facto Justice League, whereupon he is attacked by a member of the Royal Flush Gang
during a battle at the Enclave M prison in the Sonora Valley
, Mexico
. He is wounded in the battle, but saved from death by the warden of the facility.
, with inks by Ande Parks
.
episode "The Once and Future Thing," the original version of El Diablo appears. While designed after his comic appearance, elements from Zorro's
appearance were added in. He is voiced by Nestor Carbonell
.
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...
. Lazarus Lane the first El Diablo debuted in All-Star Western
All-Star Western
All-Star Western was the name of three American comic book series published by DC Comics, each a Western fiction omnibus featuring both continuing characters and anthological stories. The first ran from 1951 to 1961, the second from 1970 to 1972 and the third is part of the DC New 52 released in...
#2 (October 1970
1970 in comics
This is a list of comics-related events in 1970.- Events and publications :* Denis Kitchen founds Kitchen Sink Press in Princeton, Wisconsin-January:...
), and was created by Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher was a prolific comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston. In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics' war...
and Gray Morrow
Gray Morrow
Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow was an American illustrator of paperback books and comics.-Biography:Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Morrow is best known as art director of Spider-Man between 1967 and 1970 and as illustrator of the syndicated Tarzan, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and Prince Valiant comic...
.
Publication history
Lazarus Lane the first El Diablo debuted in All-Star WesternAll-Star Western
All-Star Western was the name of three American comic book series published by DC Comics, each a Western fiction omnibus featuring both continuing characters and anthological stories. The first ran from 1951 to 1961, the second from 1970 to 1972 and the third is part of the DC New 52 released in...
#2 (October 1970
1970 in comics
This is a list of comics-related events in 1970.- Events and publications :* Denis Kitchen founds Kitchen Sink Press in Princeton, Wisconsin-January:...
), and was created by Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher was a prolific comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston. In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics' war...
and Gray Morrow
Gray Morrow
Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow was an American illustrator of paperback books and comics.-Biography:Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Morrow is best known as art director of Spider-Man between 1967 and 1970 and as illustrator of the syndicated Tarzan, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and Prince Valiant comic...
. A four issue mini-series series starring Lazarus Lane was published by DC Comics through their Vertigo imprint as a mature readers title. El Diablo vol. 1 #1, (March 2001) was written by Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo.-Career:...
and drawn by Danijel Zezelj. Rafael Sandoval first appeared in El Diablo vol. 2 #1 (August 1989
1989 in comics
-Year overall:* "Inferno" company-wide Marvel Comics crossover continues, involving the mutant titles The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, The New Mutants, and Excalibur, as well as the X-Terminators limited series and various other Marvel titles...
), and was created by Gerard Jones
Gerard Jones
For the entrepreneur see Gérard Jones.Gerard Jones is an award-winning American author and comic book writer.-Biography:Jones was born in Cut Bank, Montana, and raised in Los Gatos and Gilroy, California...
and Mike Parobeck
Mike Parobeck
Michael J. Parobeck , was an American comics artist best known for his work on the Batman Adventures comic book...
. Chato Santana first appears in El Diablo vol. 3 #1 (September 2008), and was created by Jai Nitz, Phil Hester
Phil Hester (comics)
Phil Hester is an American comic book artist, penciller and writer.-Biography:This Eisner Award-nominated artist was born in eastern Iowa, where he went on to study at the University of Iowa...
and Ande Parks
Ande Parks
Ande Parks is a professional American comic book artist, known for his work as an inker and writer in the industry. His greatest notoriety has come from his stint with fellow artist Phil Hester on DC Comics’ Green Arrow series from 2001 to 2004 and writing the graphic novels Union Station and...
.
Lazarus Lane
Lazarus Lane is the original El Diablo, operating in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old WestAmerican Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
. Lane was originally a bank teller
Bank teller
A teller is an employee of a bank who deals directly with most customers. In some places, this employee is known as a cashier. Most teller jobs require cash handling experience and a high school diploma. Most banks provide on the job training....
who is nearly killed by a gang of thieves and put in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
after being struck by lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
. After being revived by a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
shaman
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
named "Wise Owl", Lane becomes a vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
and called himself El Diablo. The name El Diablo
El Diablo
El Diablo may refer to:* Spanish for the Devil*El Diablo , an album by Italian rock band Litfiba*El Diablo , several fictional characters from DC Comics*El Diablo , a fictional Superhero in the video game Freedom Force...
means "the devil" in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
According to Jonah Hex
Jonah Hex
Jonah Woodson Hex is a Western comic book antihero created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga and published by DC Comics. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is horribly scarred on the right side. Despite his poor reputation and personality, Hex is bound by a personal...
vol. 2 #11 (November 2006) and Jonah Hex vol. 2 #24 (December 2007), Lazarus Lane is cursed to be the host of a minor demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
which acts as a Spirit of Vengeance
Spectre (comics)
The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
. Lane's body slumbers in a coma while "El Diablo" roams the Earth. His fate is similar to that of the current Crimson Avenger. In Swamp Thing vol. 2 #85 (April 1989), Wise Owl is shown in a more villainous light, with Lane/El Diablo his unwilling servant. In that story, set in 1872, a number of DC's western heroes (including the aforementioned Hex, Bat Lash
Bat Lash
Bartholomew "Bat" Alouysius Lash is a fictional Western character in the DC Universe. A self-professed pacifist, ladies' man, and gambler, Bat Lash's adventures have been published by DC Comics since 1968.-Character origin:...
, Johnny Thunder
Johnny Thunder
Johnny Thunder is the name of three fictional characters in comics published by DC Comics. A fourth character has the variant name Jonni Thunder.It is also the name of an unrelated Lego character.-Fictional character biography:...
, and Madame .44) were employed by Otto Von Hammer and Jason Blood to defeat Wise Owl and recover from him an object of great power, which turned out to be a crystal containing the spirit of Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
, who had become lost in time. When the group killed Wise Owl, Lane's comatose body woke up, and El Diablo apparently vanished forever.
2011 Relaunch
Following the company-wide DC reboot in 2011, Lazarus Lane appeared in a backup feature in All-Star WesternAll-Star Western
All-Star Western was the name of three American comic book series published by DC Comics, each a Western fiction omnibus featuring both continuing characters and anthological stories. The first ran from 1951 to 1961, the second from 1970 to 1972 and the third is part of the DC New 52 released in...
. In this iteration, he was once again cursed by Wise Owl to become the host of a demon. Rather than being in a coma, Lazarus remains awake, however El Diablo arises from his body whenever he is unconscious.
Rafael Sandoval
The second iteration was created in 1989 by writer Gerard JonesGerard Jones
For the entrepreneur see Gérard Jones.Gerard Jones is an award-winning American author and comic book writer.-Biography:Jones was born in Cut Bank, Montana, and raised in Los Gatos and Gilroy, California...
and artist Mike Parobeck
Mike Parobeck
Michael J. Parobeck , was an American comics artist best known for his work on the Batman Adventures comic book...
as a title set in the modern DC Universe. This title lasted 16 months. As created by Jones and Parobeck, Rafael Sandoval is a rookie member of the city council of Dos Rios, Texas who creates his version of El Diablo from a festival costume and an old boxing persona and local legends surrounding the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
when stymied by officials while trying to pursue the case of a serial arsonist. Subsequent efforts involved battles with illicit drug smugglers using maquiladora
Maquiladora
A maquiladora or maquila is a concept often referred to as an operation that involves manufacturing in a country that is not the client's and as such has an interesting duty or tariff treatment...
covers for their activities, a hunt for a serial killer, conflicts with human-smuggling operations, and with Sandoval's own conscience over how best to serve the people of Dos Rios.
Rafael Sandoval's character has subsequently made guest appearances in one of the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
titles, in which he is possessed by the spirit of an Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
god-emperor, and taking on an appearance reminiscent of the Lazarus Lane Diablo. He also appears in the Villains United Special
Villains United
Villains United is a six-issue comic book limited series, written by Gail Simone with art by Dale Eaglesham and Wade Von Grawbadger, published by DC Comics in 2005...
when he is pulled out of retirement by Oracle
Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino...
to serve in her de facto Justice League, whereupon he is attacked by a member of the Royal Flush Gang
Royal Flush Gang
The Royal Flush Gang or RFG are fictional characters in DC Comics. They first appeared in Justice League of America #43 in March 1966 under the leadership of Professor Amos Fortune.-History:...
during a battle at the Enclave M prison in the Sonora Valley
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. He is wounded in the battle, but saved from death by the warden of the facility.
Chato Santana
The current El Diablo is Chato Santana, an ex-criminal who after being hospitalized, meets a still living comatose Lazarus Lane. It is written by Jai Nitz, pencilled by Phil HesterPhil Hester (comics)
Phil Hester is an American comic book artist, penciller and writer.-Biography:This Eisner Award-nominated artist was born in eastern Iowa, where he went on to study at the University of Iowa...
, with inks by Ande Parks
Ande Parks
Ande Parks is a professional American comic book artist, known for his work as an inker and writer in the industry. His greatest notoriety has come from his stint with fellow artist Phil Hester on DC Comics’ Green Arrow series from 2001 to 2004 and writing the graphic novels Union Station and...
.
In other media
In the Justice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
episode "The Once and Future Thing," the original version of El Diablo appears. While designed after his comic appearance, elements from Zorro's
Zorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
appearance were added in. He is voiced by Nestor Carbonell
Nestor Carbonell
Nestor Gastón Carbonell is an American actor, known for portraying Richard Alpert in ABC's drama Lost and Mayor Anthony Garcia in the film The Dark Knight...
.