SPEAR
![Spear preparing to rip #$%@ up, POWER MAN #34](http://bp0.blogger.com/_Qk9CA3F7yIU/RopCzRWb6UI/AAAAAAAAABk/i8KRW-voEH8/s0-d/spear1.jpg)
Spear started out as a mysterious man in the shadows terrorizing Dr. Noah Bernstein, the man who created the Power Man Process, which made Luke Cage into the skull-breaker we all know and love. Turns out that the good doctor had tried an earlier prototype of the PMP on Spear's convict brother, wh owas suffering from a brain tumor. Needless to say, things took a turn for the worse, and Spear, like pretty much anyone who was wronged in any way in a Marvel comic from 1962 until about 2001, developed a costumed identity with which to get revenge.
As far as gimmicks go, Spear is pretty well covered. He has a high powered speargun (natch) which he uses to launch various types of spear-like projectiles. Since he apparently has the same armorer as Hawkeye, Spear's arsenal includes his normal trident like spears, plus explosive spears, gas-filled spears, napalam spears, and message delivering spears. And his speargun was powerful enough that he could hurt Cage with it, a mean feat considering that Luke normally laughed off bullets.
Spear had another odd quality -- his costume was seemingly designed twice for the same appearance. Inside the pages of Power Man, he sported his yellow, orange and purple duds, but on the covers, it was a green and purple ensemble that he rocked.
![Spear rips off the Melter's costume, POWER MAN #33](http://bp0.blogger.com/_Qk9CA3F7yIU/RopE0RWb6VI/AAAAAAAAABs/7sribzhgQ68/s0-d/powerman33.jpg)
In the end, Spear (along with his other brother, the brutish wrestler named Mangler) only appeared for one storyline in the pages of Power Man (#33-35), then disappeared. Why he has never popped up again is a mystery to me. His costume needs a little freshening, but Spear always struck me as a character who would make a good hired gun, especially against characters who aren't near the top of the superhero food chain -- he'd get a good fight from Daredevil, or Captain America, for instance. Creators and fans bemoan the lack of good villains in today's comic books, but I think that there are plenty of foes with lots of upside if you just look.
Personally, I am hoping that he pops up at some point in Marvel's current Heroes For Hire series, which is a haven for characters like Spear. Because, let's face it -- Shang Chi fighting Spear would be undeniably awesome.
This is Spear, and he is a character I like.
(I obtained the top image from the most excellent Appendix To the Marvel Universe -- check it out!)
1 comment:
Daredevil pretty much defines "not at the top of the food chain" without regard for the actual quality of the character. Captain America though, in all respects save raw super-power, is right up there. No Spear for him!
Speaking of which, I initially misread the piece in his arsenal as "massage delivering spear." I've got one of those, bay-buh. Huh-huh-hu-huh-huh. "Spear."
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