Transilvane
Encyclopedia
Transilvane is a fiction
al small artificial
planet
with two horn-like protuberances in the . It was created by Jack Kirby
in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #142 and #143 (October-November 1971) by the mad scientist Dabney Donovan
.
Transilvane's official name was E.T.A.S. (Extraterrestrial Artificial Simulation
). It was created at the behest of NASA
to simulate and study extraterrestrial environments, with an eye towards long-term human colonization. When the project ran out of government funding, Donovan seeded the planet with miniature lifeforms and used orbit
ing Movie projector
s to project horror film
s on the planet's cloud
s. As a result, the Transilvanians assumed the shapes and habits of classic horror film monster
s.
Donovan was eventually planning to wipe Transilvane clean, using a robot
ic "Demon Dog" to spray it with a poison gas. To stop him, several Transilvanians, led by the vampire
Count Dragorin and the werewolf
Lupek, came to Earth in coffin
-shaped, size-altering
spacecraft
s. They failed to find Donovan, but Superman
, assisted by Jimmy Olsen
, destroyed the Demon Dog and saved Transilvane.
The story ended with Superman having decided to reprogram the Transilvanians by replacing the horror movies with projections of Oklahoma!
.
, Transilvane was reintroduced in Legends of the DC Universe #22 and #23 (November-December 1999), written by Jean-Marc Lofficier
and drawn by José Ladrönn.
The origins of Transilvane remained basically unchanged, although the technology now involved nanotechnology
and a miniaturization field inside which the Planck constant
had been reduced.
The new story did not feature Jimmy Olsen; Superman and Donovan were forced to travel to Transilvane because of the threat of the "Mandragore", an android with the power of destroying all of Earth's plastic
s, sent by Count Dragorin.
Transilvane was shown to be divided into six warring cultures, also based on horror films downloaded by Donovan from late night television
shows: the Frankensteins
, led by Flesh, the Zombie
s, led by Zorval, the Ghoul
s, the Mummies
, the Werewolves
, led by Lupek, the Grotesques and the Vampire
s, led by Dragorin.
After escaping from the Frankensteins, Superman and Donovan were attacked by zombies, but rescued by Lupek's daughter, Hood, who took them to Dragorin's Castle, located in one of the planet's two horns. There, Dragorin and his grotesque Igor
revealed Donovan's plan to wipe out all life on Transilvane, and their attempt to thwart it through mutual assured destruction
. A peace of sorts was then brokered by Superman, ensuring Transilvane's safety.
A Dragorin and a Lupek previously appeared post-Crisis in the Guardians of Metropolis mini-series of late 1994, with Dragorin's first post-Crisis appearance in issue #1 and Lupek's first post-Crisis appearance in issue #2, followed by Superboy
#57-58, appearing here as contestants in the "Demolition Run", a metahuman motor race. This story is chronologically set after the reintroduction of Transilvane above. That Dragorin and that Lupek, however, were physically similar to the 1971 Jack Kirby designs and not to the post-Crisis versions redesigned by Ladrönn. Their origins remain unexplained.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al small artificial
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
with two horn-like protuberances in the . It was created by Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #142 and #143 (October-November 1971) by the mad scientist Dabney Donovan
Dabney Donovan
Dabney Donovan is a fictional character from the DC Comics Universe. He is primarily a Superboy and Superman villain.-Fictional character biography:...
.
Transilvane's official name was E.T.A.S. (Extraterrestrial Artificial Simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
). It was created at the behest of NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
to simulate and study extraterrestrial environments, with an eye towards long-term human colonization. When the project ran out of government funding, Donovan seeded the planet with miniature lifeforms and used orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
ing Movie projector
Movie projector
A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying moving pictures by projecting them on a projection screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras.-Physiology:...
s to project horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
s on the planet's cloud
Cloud
A cloud is a visible mass of liquid droplets or frozen crystals made of water and/or various chemicals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of a planetary body. They are also known as aerosols. Clouds in Earth's atmosphere are studied in the cloud physics branch of meteorology...
s. As a result, the Transilvanians assumed the shapes and habits of classic horror film monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
s.
Donovan was eventually planning to wipe Transilvane clean, using a robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
ic "Demon Dog" to spray it with a poison gas. To stop him, several Transilvanians, led by the vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
Count Dragorin and the werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
Lupek, came to Earth in coffin
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
-shaped, size-altering
Resizing (fiction)
Resizing , is a theme in fiction, in particular in fairy tales, fantasy, and science fiction.- Early instances in fiction :...
spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
s. They failed to find Donovan, but 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...
, assisted by Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
, destroyed the Demon Dog and saved Transilvane.
The story ended with Superman having decided to reprogram the Transilvanians by replacing the horror movies with projections of Oklahoma!
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
.
Reintroduction
Following the Crisis on Infinite EarthsCrisis 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...
, Transilvane was reintroduced in Legends of the DC Universe #22 and #23 (November-December 1999), written by Jean-Marc Lofficier
Jean-Marc Lofficier
Jean-Marc Lofficier is a French author of books about films and television programs, as well as numerous comic books and translations of a number of animation screenplays. He usually collaborates with his wife, Randy Lofficier .-Biography:Jean-Marc Lofficier was born in Toulon, France in 1954...
and drawn by José Ladrönn.
The origins of Transilvane remained basically unchanged, although the technology now involved nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
and a miniaturization field inside which the Planck constant
Planck constant
The Planck constant , also called Planck's constant, is a physical constant reflecting the sizes of energy quanta in quantum mechanics. It is named after Max Planck, one of the founders of quantum theory, who discovered it in 1899...
had been reduced.
The new story did not feature Jimmy Olsen; Superman and Donovan were forced to travel to Transilvane because of the threat of the "Mandragore", an android with the power of destroying all of Earth's plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
s, sent by Count Dragorin.
Transilvane was shown to be divided into six warring cultures, also based on horror films downloaded by Donovan from late night television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows: the Frankensteins
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
, led by Flesh, the 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...
s, led by Zorval, the Ghoul
Ghoul
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...
s, the Mummies
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
, the Werewolves
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
, led by Lupek, the Grotesques and the Vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s, led by Dragorin.
After escaping from the Frankensteins, Superman and Donovan were attacked by zombies, but rescued by Lupek's daughter, Hood, who took them to Dragorin's Castle, located in one of the planet's two horns. There, Dragorin and his grotesque Igor
Igor (fictional character)
Igor is the traditional stock character or cliché hunch-backed assistant or butler to many types of villain, such as Count Dracula or a mad scientist, familiar from many horror movies and horror movie parodies, the Frankenstein series and Van Helsing films in particular.-Origins:Dwight Frye's...
revealed Donovan's plan to wipe out all life on Transilvane, and their attempt to thwart it through mutual assured destruction
Mutual assured destruction
Mutual Assured Destruction, or mutually assured destruction , is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of high-yield weapons of mass destruction by two opposing sides would effectively result in the complete, utter and irrevocable annihilation of...
. A peace of sorts was then brokered by Superman, ensuring Transilvane's safety.
A Dragorin and a Lupek previously appeared post-Crisis in the Guardians of Metropolis mini-series of late 1994, with Dragorin's first post-Crisis appearance in issue #1 and Lupek's first post-Crisis appearance in issue #2, followed by Superboy
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional characters that have been published by DC Comics, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman. These characters have also been the main characters of four ongoing Superboy comic book series published by DC....
#57-58, appearing here as contestants in the "Demolition Run", a metahuman motor race. This story is chronologically set after the reintroduction of Transilvane above. That Dragorin and that Lupek, however, were physically similar to the 1971 Jack Kirby designs and not to the post-Crisis versions redesigned by Ladrönn. Their origins remain unexplained.