Ghoul (Ultraverse)
Encyclopedia
Ghoul is a character from Malibu Comics
' Ultraverse
continuity. He was created by Steve Gerber
, R.R. Phipps, Dave Olbrich, Chris Ulm, and Tom Mason. Ghoul first appeared in Exiles
#1.
powers, but also killed its host. In Johnathon' case, both outcomes occurred; he became a zombie
-like being, neither truly alive nor dead.
Johnathon joined the Exiles, a group of Theta Virus victims with super-powers, but the entire group was killed by an explosion caused by Amber Hunt
. Of the original Exiles, only Hunt and Ghoul survived, though Ghoul was buried for a while.
Ghoul rose from his grave with a slightly altered appearance and became a member of the Ultraforce
. He sensed imminent death around Pixx
, and tried to befriend her and convince her to leave the team, but she was repulsed by his appearance and avoided him. Teammate Topaz
thought his suggestions were motivated by sexism, and blasted his arms off (a temporary setback for a zombie).
Ghoul was captured by Atalon
, leader of the Fire People
, so that he could use Ghoul's ability to speak to the dead to communicate with the Fire People's ancient ancestors. When Pixx chose to disarm Atalon's stolen arsenal of nuclear missiles, even though the area was already contaminated with deadly levels of radiation
, Ghoul realized that this was the death he had foreseen. With his limbs once again removed, he could only watch helplessly as Pixx, her radiation suit damaged, leapt from warhead to warhead, her body quickly succumbing to radiation poisoning; she finished the last missile just before her last breath of life.
Ghoul was buried under tons of rock as Atalon collapsed his cavern, but Prime eventually dug him out. Ghoul also convinced Atalon that the island he'd created with his powers was a suitable land that met the approval of his ancestors.
. He got a job as a cab driver, at which he was notoriously unsuccessful, until the former Mantra (Lukasz), gave him a magic ring which gave him the appearance (and smell) of a normal, living human being. Ghoul eventually joined the reformed Ultraforce, but the series was cancelled after only 15 issues.
is very hard to kill, since he is essentially already dead. Only the total disintegration of his body can permanently kill him. His limbs, if torn off, can be reattached or, in time, grow back. He does not feel pain and is immune to disease, poison, and radiation.
Ghoul can communicate with the spirits of the deceased, even those who have been dead for tens of thousands of years. He can, in some cases, also sense a person's imminent death.
animated cartoon; along with Prototype, they were the comedians of the group, albeit Ghoul appears to be kind of an hen father to Pixx and Prime, even without knowing the latter one real age, only by believing him brash and in need for counseling. Ghoul is one of the three "founding" Ultraforces, sent to recruit Prime, Hardcase and Prototype in their earlier mission, the other two left at the Ultrabase being Contrary and Pixx, acting essentially as the right hand man and "front office" for Contrary herself, who prefers sending him around rather than recruit directly other Ultras.
In this version still knew about Pixx's final fate, and tries to convince her to leave before being killed in action. However, instead of being beaten by Topaz on the charge of sexism, he's merely talked against his intention by the Queen of Gwendor and Pixx, who convince him that, even if younger than everyone else, Pixx can bear the weight of her role as much as her older teammates, and actually welcomes her dangerous role as a way to repay Ghoul of his kindness. Despite this, he's deeply saddened when the young girl dies in front of his eyes, and scavenges the place of her death to find her corpse and give her a proper burial, in which he's reminded the value of her choice.
Instead of convincing Atalon into residing into his newly created island, he calls upon the Fire People's ancestors, who denounce the villain for his crimes against humanity and the young Pixx, causing his own people to dethrone him and give the lead to his mellower, peace-loving liutenant, who thanks Ghoul and promises him to reign under the approval of her ancestors.
Ghoul was one of the action figures produced for Galoob's
Ultraforce line
Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...
' Ultraverse
Ultraverse
The Ultraverse was the name given to a comic book imprint published by the American company Malibu Comics. The Ultraverse was a shared universe in which a variety of characters — known within the comics as "Ultras" — acquired super-human abilities.-History:...
continuity. He was created by Steve Gerber
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....
, R.R. Phipps, Dave Olbrich, Chris Ulm, and Tom Mason. Ghoul first appeared in Exiles
Exiles (Malibu Comics)
Exiles was the name of two American comic book series, both of which were published by Malibu Comics.-Exiles :The first Exiles comic was written by Steve Gerber and illustrated by Paul Pelletier, with plot contributions from Tom Mason, Dave Olbrich and Chris Ulm Exiles was the name of two American...
#1.
Fictional character biography
Johnathon Martin was one of the unfortunates who contracted the Theta Virus, which provided superhumanSuperhuman
Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
powers, but also killed its host. In Johnathon' case, both outcomes occurred; he became a zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
-like being, neither truly alive nor dead.
Johnathon joined the Exiles, a group of Theta Virus victims with super-powers, but the entire group was killed by an explosion caused by Amber Hunt
Amber Hunt
Amber Hunt is a fictional character from Malibu Comics' Exiles comic book series, created by Steve Gerber. She is a pyrokinetic super hero in the Ultraverse and was once host to the Phoenix Force.-Fictional character biography:...
. Of the original Exiles, only Hunt and Ghoul survived, though Ghoul was buried for a while.
Ghoul rose from his grave with a slightly altered appearance and became a member of the Ultraforce
Ultraforce (comics)
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel, as well as an animated series produced by DIC. Their purpose was to protect the public and keep other Ultras from getting out of line...
. He sensed imminent death around Pixx
Pixx
Pixx was a fictional character from Malibu Comics, created by Gerard Jones and Jeff Parker. She first appeared in Giant-Size Freex #1.Penny Burka was a normal child until her powers surfaced, causing her to uncontrollably project hallucinatory images to those around her. Her terrified parents...
, and tried to befriend her and convince her to leave the team, but she was repulsed by his appearance and avoided him. Teammate Topaz
Topaz (comics)
Topaz is a character from Malibu Comics' series, Ultraforce. She first appeared in Giant-Size Mantra #1.Topaz was a warrior Queen from the extradimensional matriarchal realm of Gwendor...
thought his suggestions were motivated by sexism, and blasted his arms off (a temporary setback for a zombie).
Ghoul was captured by Atalon
Atalon
Atalon is a fictional character, a supervillain from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse. He was primarily a foe of Ultraforce. Atalon first appeared in Ultraforce #0 and was created by Gerard Jones and George Pérez....
, leader of the Fire People
Fire People
The Fire People were a fictional race from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse. They first appeared in Ultraforce #1, but were also involved in the creation of the Freex.The Fire People are an ancient hominid species which evolved alongside Homo Sapiens...
, so that he could use Ghoul's ability to speak to the dead to communicate with the Fire People's ancient ancestors. When Pixx chose to disarm Atalon's stolen arsenal of nuclear missiles, even though the area was already contaminated with deadly levels of radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
, Ghoul realized that this was the death he had foreseen. With his limbs once again removed, he could only watch helplessly as Pixx, her radiation suit damaged, leapt from warhead to warhead, her body quickly succumbing to radiation poisoning; she finished the last missile just before her last breath of life.
Ghoul was buried under tons of rock as Atalon collapsed his cavern, but Prime eventually dug him out. Ghoul also convinced Atalon that the island he'd created with his powers was a suitable land that met the approval of his ancestors.
Black September
Ghoul was one of the few Ultras basically unaffected by the Black September event, but he was eventually fired from Ultraforce (along with everybody else) by Black KnightBlack Knight (comics)
The Black Knight is the alias of several fictional comic-book characters that appear in the Marvel Comics universe.The first is a medieval knight created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Joe Maneely. The second is a supervillain descendant of the original, created by writer-editor Stan Lee and...
. He got a job as a cab driver, at which he was notoriously unsuccessful, until the former Mantra (Lukasz), gave him a magic ring which gave him the appearance (and smell) of a normal, living human being. Ghoul eventually joined the reformed Ultraforce, but the series was cancelled after only 15 issues.
Powers and abilities
GhoulGhoul
A ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights...
is very hard to kill, since he is essentially already dead. Only the total disintegration of his body can permanently kill him. His limbs, if torn off, can be reattached or, in time, grow back. He does not feel pain and is immune to disease, poison, and radiation.
Ghoul can communicate with the spirits of the deceased, even those who have been dead for tens of thousands of years. He can, in some cases, also sense a person's imminent death.
Personality
Ghoul is constantly making wisecracks, jokes and sarcastic remarks. He does this to try to hide the emotional pain of his grotesque condition and the tragedies he's seen. He deliberately distances himself, while at the same time he is saddened by the fact that he seems to get along better with the dead than the living.In other media
Ghoul appeared in the UltraforceUltraforce (comics)
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel, as well as an animated series produced by DIC. Their purpose was to protect the public and keep other Ultras from getting out of line...
animated cartoon; along with Prototype, they were the comedians of the group, albeit Ghoul appears to be kind of an hen father to Pixx and Prime, even without knowing the latter one real age, only by believing him brash and in need for counseling. Ghoul is one of the three "founding" Ultraforces, sent to recruit Prime, Hardcase and Prototype in their earlier mission, the other two left at the Ultrabase being Contrary and Pixx, acting essentially as the right hand man and "front office" for Contrary herself, who prefers sending him around rather than recruit directly other Ultras.
In this version still knew about Pixx's final fate, and tries to convince her to leave before being killed in action. However, instead of being beaten by Topaz on the charge of sexism, he's merely talked against his intention by the Queen of Gwendor and Pixx, who convince him that, even if younger than everyone else, Pixx can bear the weight of her role as much as her older teammates, and actually welcomes her dangerous role as a way to repay Ghoul of his kindness. Despite this, he's deeply saddened when the young girl dies in front of his eyes, and scavenges the place of her death to find her corpse and give her a proper burial, in which he's reminded the value of her choice.
Instead of convincing Atalon into residing into his newly created island, he calls upon the Fire People's ancestors, who denounce the villain for his crimes against humanity and the young Pixx, causing his own people to dethrone him and give the lead to his mellower, peace-loving liutenant, who thanks Ghoul and promises him to reign under the approval of her ancestors.
Ghoul was one of the action figures produced for Galoob's
Galoob
Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. was a toy company headquartered on Forbes Blvd. in South San Francisco, California. Best known for distributing the Game Genie, a videogame cheat device, for Codemasters in the US, Galoob was founded by Barbara Frankel and Lewis Galoob in 1954 as an import business. Before...
Ultraforce line