Kaizen Gamorra
Encyclopedia
Kaizen Gamorra is a fictional character in the Wildstorm Universe
comics. Brandon Choi
and Jim Lee
had referred to him many times as an important character within the Wildstorm Universe, but their Kaizen Gamorra turned out to be an imposter called John Colt
and the true Kaizen Gamorra appeared for the first time in Stormwatch
#40, written by Warren Ellis, with art by Tom Raney
.
Older Wildstorm comics have stated that the island had been called Gamorra for centuries and that the clan Gamorra had been in control all that time. Kaizen himself once told Ivana Baiul
that he inherited the throne of Gamorra from his father.
During the Establishment
-series, it was stated that the damage to London hadn't been that bad, due to the Establishment's technology teleporting people into safety and projecting damage to the eyes of outsiders.
By the time they were sixteen they had taken over Parousia completely and renamed it Gamorra. (See notes) When the brothers were eighteen, Gamorra became an important player in global terrorism. By the time they were twenty, Kaizen had murdered his brothers and had become the sole ruler of Gamorra. He designed a symbol for his clan to honor his two dead brothers: A circle with 3 knots, based on a leather bracelet the brothers had used to identify members of their clan.
Kaizen ruled for many years, but somewhere in the late 60s, C.I.A.-agent Miles Craven, future head of International Operations
, had Kaizen and his pregnant wife kidnapped and replaced Kaizen with the insane superhuman John Colt
. John Colt underwent plastic surgery to resemble Kaizen more and the population of Gamorra was told that Kaizen had been severely injured in an attack and therefore had undergone plastic surgery to restore the damage.
Under the new Kaizen Gamorra, Gamorra Island was turned into the world's leading industry on genetic engineering and cybernetics. He turned many men into Hunter-Killers, cybernetic soldiers that obeyed his commands. During the Damocles incident
, John Colt was exposed and dethroned by Spartan
, an android with the heroic personality and memories of John Colt and killed by Mister Majestic
, who had been a friend to John Colt and had promised him before to kill him should he ever go evil. The real Kaizen Gamorra was found and reinstated as the nation's leader.
Kaizen turned out to be even worse than John Colt and ordered a terrorist attack on the British island, killing 233 innocents in a plane crash. Many more were killed when a mutating agent secreted on the plane infected a nearby town. Henry Bendix
, Weatherman of Stormwatch
ordered Stormwatch Red to land on Gamorra Island. Red was composed of Flint
, Rose Tattoo
and Fahrenheit
. Rose was ordered to kill 233 Gamorrans in retaliation for the initial terrorist attack. Flint and Fahrenheit were ordered to destroy property in ways that did not kill people. Roads, empty warehouses, targets of opportunity. Stormwatch Red did what they were told but Flint and Fahrenheit did not like it. It later turned out that Henry Bendix was insane. He turned on Stormwatch itself, killing two unnamed crewmen, all of Stormwatch's prisoners and became a wanted fugitive.
Two years later, Kaizen had built himself an army; clones made of genetic material from his dead brothers and mother and endowed with superhuman powers. With Stormwatch disbanded and most other superhero teams otherwise occupied, Kaizen saw his chance for revenge. He wanted to make the mark of the Clan Gamorra, the circle with three knots on the Earth itself by destroying three major cities. Moscow
was its first victim and was almost completely destroyed. London
became the next target, but the new superhero group the Authority showed up and killed many of the superhumans. London only had twelve fatalities. Kaizen was forced to teleport his surviving warriors back to Gamorra and raise Gamorra's special forcefield, impenetrable to even the strongest of superhumans. Still, he was satisfied with the damage done to London and turned towards the third city: Los Angeles
. This time the Authority killed all his superhumans and the Midnighter
used the Authority's Carrier, a very large alien spacecraft, to destroy Gamorra's home, much of his main city and cloning facilities. Kaizen's last words were: "I only wanted to have some fun.", before the Carrier tore straight through his chambers.
Most powerful among the Hunter-Killers was the Minotaur, Colt's right-hand man. Even after Colt was killed and the true Kaizen Gamorra was restored, the Minotaur retained a lot of power. Minotaur's Island remained a last bastion for Colt's Hunter-Killers against Kaizen's troops, who were not strong enough to take the island yet. (Presumably, Minotaur's Island was taken shortly after Kaizen had his army of clones created).
. They could also fire energy beams from their eyes. Their costumes allowed them to be teleported back to Gamorra in case of an emergency.
Wildstorm Universe
The Wildstorm Universe is a fictional shared universe where the comic books published by Wildstorm take place. It represents an alternate history of the real world where ideas such as interstellar travel and superhuman abilities are commonplace...
comics. Brandon Choi
Brandon Choi
Brandon Choi is an American comic book writer best known as one of the co-creators of the series Gen¹³ which enjoyed high popularity in the middle and late 1990s. He also wrote several other titles for Wildstorm Comics.-Biography:...
and Jim Lee
Jim Lee
Jim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
had referred to him many times as an important character within the Wildstorm Universe, but their Kaizen Gamorra turned out to be an imposter called John Colt
Spartan (comics)
Spartan is a fictional character in the American comic Wildstorm universe and one of the central characters and current leader of Jim Lee's superhero team WildC.A.T.s.-Yohn Kohl:...
and the true Kaizen Gamorra appeared for the first time in Stormwatch
Stormwatch (comics)
Stormwatch is a fictional United Nations-sponsored superhero team that originated in the Wildstorm Universe and has since been revived as part of the DC Universe. The original version of Stormwatch first appeared in Stormwatch Stormwatch is a fictional United Nations-sponsored superhero team that...
#40, written by Warren Ellis, with art by Tom Raney
Tom Raney
Tom Raney is an American comic book artist, known for illustrating titles as Annihilation Conquest, Alpha Flight, Ultimate X-Men and Uncanny X-Men for Marvel Comics, DV8 and Stormwatch for Image Comics, and Outsiders for DC Comics....
.
Older Wildstorm comics have stated that the island had been called Gamorra for centuries and that the clan Gamorra had been in control all that time. Kaizen himself once told Ivana Baiul
Ivana Baiul
Ivana Baiul is a comic book character from DC Comics/Wildstorm. She has starred in Gen¹³ and DV8.-History:Ivana Baiul was the head of Sci-Tech, the scientific division of I.O. There she worked on creating a group of genetically enhanced soldiers for the government, a task previously done 12 times...
that he inherited the throne of Gamorra from his father.
During the Establishment
Establishment (comic book)
The Establishment is a super hero group that was operated by the British government within the Wildstorm Universe. The comic of the same name was published by WildStorm Productions and ran from 2001 - 2002...
-series, it was stated that the damage to London hadn't been that bad, due to the Establishment's technology teleporting people into safety and projecting damage to the eyes of outsiders.
History
Kaizen Gamorra and his two brothers, Sum and Wai, were born on a small island off the coast of Asia, called Parousia. The three brothers were very ambitious and as children already took control over their village.By the time they were sixteen they had taken over Parousia completely and renamed it Gamorra. (See notes) When the brothers were eighteen, Gamorra became an important player in global terrorism. By the time they were twenty, Kaizen had murdered his brothers and had become the sole ruler of Gamorra. He designed a symbol for his clan to honor his two dead brothers: A circle with 3 knots, based on a leather bracelet the brothers had used to identify members of their clan.
Kaizen ruled for many years, but somewhere in the late 60s, C.I.A.-agent Miles Craven, future head of International Operations
International Operations
International Operations is a fictional American Intelligence Agency in Wildstorm comics. I.O. first appeared in WildC.A.T.S. volume 1 #1 and was created by Brandon Choi and Jim Lee.-International Operations:...
, had Kaizen and his pregnant wife kidnapped and replaced Kaizen with the insane superhuman John Colt
Spartan (comics)
Spartan is a fictional character in the American comic Wildstorm universe and one of the central characters and current leader of Jim Lee's superhero team WildC.A.T.s.-Yohn Kohl:...
. John Colt underwent plastic surgery to resemble Kaizen more and the population of Gamorra was told that Kaizen had been severely injured in an attack and therefore had undergone plastic surgery to restore the damage.
Under the new Kaizen Gamorra, Gamorra Island was turned into the world's leading industry on genetic engineering and cybernetics. He turned many men into Hunter-Killers, cybernetic soldiers that obeyed his commands. During the Damocles incident
Fire From Heaven (comics)
"Fire From Heaven" was a company-wide crossover event story arc published by Wildstorm comics in 1996. The story ran across at least one issue of most Wildstorm titles at the time and several independent one-shots...
, John Colt was exposed and dethroned by Spartan
Spartan (comics)
Spartan is a fictional character in the American comic Wildstorm universe and one of the central characters and current leader of Jim Lee's superhero team WildC.A.T.s.-Yohn Kohl:...
, an android with the heroic personality and memories of John Colt and killed by Mister Majestic
Mister Majestic
Mister Majestic is a fictional character, a Wildstorm Productions superhero created by H.K. Proger and Jim Lee. He first appears in a backup story within WildC.A.T.s #11. One of the most powerful heroes in the WildStorm universe, he bears a strong, deliberate resemblance to DC Comics's...
, who had been a friend to John Colt and had promised him before to kill him should he ever go evil. The real Kaizen Gamorra was found and reinstated as the nation's leader.
Kaizen turned out to be even worse than John Colt and ordered a terrorist attack on the British island, killing 233 innocents in a plane crash. Many more were killed when a mutating agent secreted on the plane infected a nearby town. Henry Bendix
Henry Bendix
Henry Bendix, also known as Weatherman, is a fictional character in the Wildstorm universe. He first appeared in the Stormwatch series.-Early life:...
, Weatherman of Stormwatch
Stormwatch (comics)
Stormwatch is a fictional United Nations-sponsored superhero team that originated in the Wildstorm Universe and has since been revived as part of the DC Universe. The original version of Stormwatch first appeared in Stormwatch Stormwatch is a fictional United Nations-sponsored superhero team that...
ordered Stormwatch Red to land on Gamorra Island. Red was composed of Flint
Flint (comics)
Flint, Victoria Ngengi, is a comic book character from Wildstorm, created by Jeff Mariotte and Ron Lim. She is also a member of StormWatch.-History:...
, Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo (Wildstorm)
Rose Tattoo is the name of two characters appearing in books owned by Wildstorm Productions, an imprint of DC Comics. Both characters exist within the Wildstorm Universe.-Character history:...
and Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit (comics)
Fahrenheit is a fictional character, a superhero in the Wildstorm universe. The character first appeared in StormWatch #2 and was created by Brandon Choi and Jim Lee.-Fictional character biography:...
. Rose was ordered to kill 233 Gamorrans in retaliation for the initial terrorist attack. Flint and Fahrenheit were ordered to destroy property in ways that did not kill people. Roads, empty warehouses, targets of opportunity. Stormwatch Red did what they were told but Flint and Fahrenheit did not like it. It later turned out that Henry Bendix was insane. He turned on Stormwatch itself, killing two unnamed crewmen, all of Stormwatch's prisoners and became a wanted fugitive.
Two years later, Kaizen had built himself an army; clones made of genetic material from his dead brothers and mother and endowed with superhuman powers. With Stormwatch disbanded and most other superhero teams otherwise occupied, Kaizen saw his chance for revenge. He wanted to make the mark of the Clan Gamorra, the circle with three knots on the Earth itself by destroying three major cities. Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
was its first victim and was almost completely destroyed. London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
became the next target, but the new superhero group the Authority showed up and killed many of the superhumans. London only had twelve fatalities. Kaizen was forced to teleport his surviving warriors back to Gamorra and raise Gamorra's special forcefield, impenetrable to even the strongest of superhumans. Still, he was satisfied with the damage done to London and turned towards the third city: Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. This time the Authority killed all his superhumans and the Midnighter
Midnighter
Midnighter is a fictional comic book superhero, best known as a member of the rogue superhero team The Authority. Created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch, he first appeared in Stormwatch #4, before appearing in various Authority books and series and his own eponymous ongoing series...
used the Authority's Carrier, a very large alien spacecraft, to destroy Gamorra's home, much of his main city and cloning facilities. Kaizen's last words were: "I only wanted to have some fun.", before the Carrier tore straight through his chambers.
Hunter-Killers
Green-skinned, cybernetically enhanced humans that obeyed John Colt's commands. Many of them were changed into Hunter-Killers without their consent. Hunter-Killers were superhumanly strong and could resist incredible damage done to them. They were cybernetically connected and exploded when killed in an attempt to take out the enemy.Most powerful among the Hunter-Killers was the Minotaur, Colt's right-hand man. Even after Colt was killed and the true Kaizen Gamorra was restored, the Minotaur retained a lot of power. Minotaur's Island remained a last bastion for Colt's Hunter-Killers against Kaizen's troops, who were not strong enough to take the island yet. (Presumably, Minotaur's Island was taken shortly after Kaizen had his army of clones created).
Gamorra Clones
Created from genetic material of Kaizen's two brothers, his mother and several superhumans, his army of clones numbered in the hundreds if not thousands and his cloning facilities could produce them at an increasingly rapid pace. The clones had superhuman strength and durability. They could fly at high speeds, matching the speed of ApolloApollo (comics)
Apollo is a fictional character, a comic book superhero who first appeared in the Stormwatch series, but is best known for his role in The Authority. While visually distinct, Apollo is cast in the mold of the Superman archetype....
. They could also fire energy beams from their eyes. Their costumes allowed them to be teleported back to Gamorra in case of an emergency.