What’s bright and yellow and messes up my morning five days a week? Welcome to Ten Things: Ten Super-Suns!
Whooshman-Bicarbonate Films, in conjunction with An Amateur Comics Historian and coming home with a list of names, not believing in transcending, Presents:
TEN THINGS: TEN SUPER-SUNS!
10) SUNTURION
To be filed under “Villain Who Has A Point,” Arthur Dearborn was a solar scientist for the corrupt Roxxon Energy conglomerate, who knew that Earth’s fossil fuel situation was dire. His experiments led to him volunteering to be transformed into a being of living microwave energy, all the better to man his pet project, a space station that would absorb and convert solar energy. Sadly, Dearborn is also a company man to the bone, leading to several conflicts with Iron Man and other heroes on behalf of his employers, even though he had good intentions and the makings of a powerful, noble, and best of all, immortal superhero.
9) SUN GIRL
One of the most powerful members of the 30th Century Guardians of the Galaxy in the future reality of Earth-5309, Esme Esmerelda carries the mantle of a long-ago hero. Her Guardians are a loving tribute to the Silver Age Legion of Super-Heroes, with Sun-Girl, The Sentry, and Starhawk forming a trio reminiscent of the of the founding Legionnaires. While Sun Girl’s teammates include heroes carrying the mantles of The Destroyer, Wolverine, and The Blob(?), Sun Girl herself goes even further back.
Her predecessor, Mary Mitchell, was a solo hero all the way back in the year 1948, making her one of the earliest female superhumans of Earth-616. Like Esme, the original Sun Girl was powerful, clever, and one snappy dresser.
8) KIRAPAWA SUNNY
Fifth-grade superhero and member of the Bittomi x Heroine Kirameki Powers! super team, Kirari Momose’s name can be translated as “Sparkly Pink.” It’s a fitting appellation, as Kirapawa Sunny wears bright pink clothing, in and out of costume, and is bubbly, cheerful, and energetic. Her team is, to date, the last of that GaruHiro series to feature actual superheroes/magical girls, which is kind of a bummer.
7) ICARION, CHILD OF THE SUN
First seen in a “Coming Next Issue” blurb in the first issue of Colossus Comics circa 1940, Icarion was also LAST seen in a “Coming Next Issue” blurb in the first issue of Colossus Comics circa 1940. For reasons unknown (but almost certainly related to money), the second issue of Colossus was never published. His wings, nom de guerre, and general bearing refer to the myth of Icarus, but as to who or what Icarion would have been? The world will likely never know.
6) SUNSHINE
An honest-to-Abbie-Hoffman card-carrying hippie of the early 1970s, Autumn McRae was the sidekick (and later wife) of Cap’n Hip, an ally of the super-team The First Line. As one of the Lost Generation of heroes between WWII and the Fantastic Four, Autumn eventually retired and became a mom, with her daughter becoming the hero Gadfly. Sadly, Gadfly and The First Line perished in battle with a Skrull invasion fleet some years before Reed Richards made his infamous first flight.
Aside from being very blond, Sunshine and Cap’n Hip bear no small resemblance to variety show icons, Sonny & Cher.
5) SUNSPOT
A founding member of the New Mutants, Professor Xavier’s non-combat approach to teaching young mutants, Roberto Da Costa nonetheless saw a lot of combat time. In addition to being one of the strongest New Mutants (though his solar-derived strength didn’t come with the kind of invulnerability of a Colossus or a Hulk), he grew up to become an X-Men, an Avenger, and even to found his own Avengers splinter team, having already taken over the command of A.I.M.! Those who dismissed him as a macho idiot Magnum P.I. nut back in ’83 were entirely wrong.
He’s actually a very clever, macho Magnum P.I. nut.
4) THE SUNSHINE KID
The second hippie on today’s list, The Sunshine Kid’s real name is unrevealed. A member of the black ops spy agency known as The WEB, Sunshine was left at loose ends when the agency was shuttered in the 1980s. After walking the Earth for a decade, he was dragged back into the games of deceit and death when The WEB was reactivated in the ’90s, defying both the government and the new crop of agents who disrespected him as little more than another peacenik burnout. On the contrary, The Sunshine Kid is a master of tactics, unarmed combat, and spycraft, which is how he alone among the WEB’s agents was as dangerous a threat without his armor as he was while wearing it.
3) CAPTAIN SUNSHINE
No relation to the Superman analog character from The Venture Brothers, Captain Sunshine was the star of a promotional comic to sell Sunshine wristwatches, environmentally safe sundial timepieces. You might expect such a venture to fall flat on its face, but Sunshine sold over 20,000 watches, as well as more than ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND copies of the good Captain’s first issue. Like Green Lantern, Captain Sunshine is part of an intergalactic corps of similarly powered heroes, all looking out for the collective good of the universe, but since only one issue was ever completed, much of that back story remains untold.
2) RISING SUN
A member of The Global Guardians, E. Nelson Bridwell’s international super-team created as allies of The Super Friends, Isuma Yasunari was a solar physicist in Japan when he gave himself the powers of the sun. In addition to the Guardians, Rising Sun was retconned as a founding member of the Japanese super-team, Big Science Action, during the post-Crisis era. The differences between the Super Friends comic book version of Isuma and his Earth-1/New Earth counterpart are minimal, but noteworthy enough that they must be considered separate characters.
1) SUN-SPIDER
The official Spider-Totem of Earht-20023, Charlotte Webber’s parents owe her an apology. That said, Charlotte has the speed and proportional strength of a spider, as well as a genetic disease called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, giving her extra-flexible joints. Her EDS also means that Charlotte uses mobility aids to get around. She wears crutches when in action as the Sun-Spider but is most often seen using a wheelchair when out of costume, possibly as an aid to her secret identity.
Once again, this week’s topic, Ten Super-Suns, is all me, but feel free to follow along on social media to suggest a topic of your own! There’s always more Ten Things madness on my Twitter (the artist formerly known as X) or check out the full Ten Things Nerdery archive here! As with any set of like items, these aren’t meant to be hard and fast or absolutely complete, if only because we see the sun every single day, making it a universal theme. Either way, the comments section is below for just such an emergency, but, as always: Please, no wagering!