Pinoy Superheroes Universe: July 2010

Created by Gilbert V. Monsanto, The Galactic Guardians first assembled as a team in Bata Batuta Komiks #249 (February 3, 1992), published by Graphic Arts Service, Inc. (GASI)

THUNDERSTONE

Alter Ego: Professor Lance

(though earlier stories give his name as Joe)

A humble schoolteacher of strong moral conviction, he was chosen by a group of alien scientists to stand as humanity's protector. Deriving his abilities from the power orb that is his namesake, Thunderstone controls the forces of thunder and lightning, has superhuman strength ("as strong as two dozen men.") and can fly. He assumes his superhero form by shouting "Thunder On" and changes back by saying "Thunder Off."

MIDGUARD

Alter Ego: Lan

"Every now and then, a group of entities, forces that shape the very fabric of the universe itself, selects an individual to represent the planet that he inhabits. These entities are called the Galactic Guardians. On Earth, only one child was deemed worthy to be the next guardian of the planet. An orphan by birth, this child was taken by this council and was renamed Midguard."

- from Rambol Komiks #2 (2007)

As the Guardian of Earth, Midguard shares a psychic bond with the planet Earth itself, allowing him to "feel its pain" as well as granting him telekinetic control over all earthen matter (rocks, soil, etc.). He also possesses super strength.

Midguard was actually writer/artist Monsanto's first published character (co-created with his older brother George), having previously appeared in For Children Only Komiks.

STARRION

Alter Ego: Edgar Burns

The child of a female Therran (which I assume is the same as an Earthling) and a being from the planet Redrox, Starrion is a highly-trained warrior; possessing super strength and skilled in various forms of both armed and unarmed combat.

DR. ORION

Alter Ego: Sgt. Rawhide

Hailing from the planet Cremai, Orion uses his advanced scientific knowledge and alien technology to battle the forces of evil.

MISSION: EARTH

Following their original series, the Galactic Guardians reformed in Bata Batuta Komiks #332 (September 6, 1993) for the environmental-themed series Mission: Earth.

They are joined by two other Monsanto creations, Cybernaut and Robie the Robotic Kid, who had also previously starred in their own Bata Batuta series (more on these characters in future articles).

VILLAINS

TREXX

The main antagonist in the first series. An evil robotic alien, Trexx later merges with another villain named Redstone and transforms into--

WARSTONE

GUNSLINGER

"Master assassin." An enemy of Thunderstone.

BOGEY-MAN

"Self-styled maniac. Augmented freak." Has the strength of ten men.

TERMINEX

"Cybernetic soldier turned pirate."

RAVAGERS

Mission: Earth's primary foes, anti-matter beings from the planet Fyron who threaten to destroy the Earth's ecological balance.

CARBO

A carbon-based creature bent on corrupting the environment with anti-matter energy.

POLLUTO

A monstrous mass of living sludge.

MINDMASTER

A highly-intelligent Ravager who can take over people's minds with his Darkside Beam.

EVIL ROBIE

Under Mindmaster's evil influence, Robie undergoes a temporary personality change and turns against his teammates.

METROPOLITAN

Although creator Gilbert Monsanto has since done some work for US comic book publishers, he has not neglected Philippine comics, nor has he abandoned his old characters. In 2006, he launched the flipbook-format anthology comic Rambol Komiks under his own independent imprint Sacred Mountain Publications. One of its two featured series is Metropolitan, which brings back the Galactic Guardians and many other Monsato creations from the 1990's in one epic crossover saga.

Midguard Falls.

Thunderstone Strikes!

Since we just got through a massive Luzon-wide power outage last week, I figured this might be an appropriate character to feature.

Created by brothers Jim and Jay N. Jimenez, Blackout first appeared in Kidlat Super Heroes Komiks #1 (June 21, 1993), published by Sonic Triangle Publishing, Inc.

ORIGIN:

The explosion of a nuclear power plant causes a chain reaction that destroys the planet Phyxx. As luck would have it, Phyxx's prince Yormij had volunteered for a space travel experiment, thereby escaping the destruction of his homeworld.

Landing on Earth, Yormij loses his memory for a time. Discovering that the Earth's atmosphere has granted him extraordinary powers, he decides to use these abilities to protect his adopted planet from evil. Because of his shadowy complexion, the public has given him the name Blackout.

POWERS, ABILITIES AND WEAPONS:

Due to the effects of the Earth's atmosphere on his alien physiology, Blackout possesses superhuman strength and the ability to fly.

He can charge-up his fists with negative energy, enabling him to throw punches of devastating force. He can also channel this energy in the form of a force field.

Skilled in martial arts, his weapons of choice are the Filipino fighting sticks, the Arnis. Like his fists, he can also charge his arnis sticks with negative energy. The sticks can also be linked together to form a staff.

KNOWN RELATIVE:

ALYM

Blackout's father, the king of the planet Phyxx. Thought to have perished during Phyxx's destruction, he appears to have survived and has occasionally made telepathic contact with his son.

ENEMIES:

RAZOR HEAD

Armed with a set of razor-sharp blades, this armored supervillain harbors an intense hatred for Blackout.

LAGABLAB

A fiery fugitive from the planet Phyxx, one of several escaped criminals from Blackout's homeworld.

BULLS-EYE

A bounty hunter (though hitman would be a more-apt description) hired by Japanese drug lord Shadow to eliminate Blackout. A crack marksman and weapons expert, he can transform his left hand into a gun and wears a flight belt that allows him to soar through the air.