FIREBOY

Since March is Fire Prevention Month, let's turn the heat up a notch with...


Fireboy was a rather unusual character, a handicapped young prodigy who was able to transform himself into a blazing bionic superhero. He made his debut in the following detailed profile page which appeared at the back of Amazing Robotman Pocketkomiks #18 (June 25, 1986), published by Mass Media Promotions, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlas Publishing Co., Inc.


FIREBOY

Real Name: Leandro Magno

Occupation: Newspaper and cigarette vendor

Age: 15

Height: 5'4"

Citizenship: Filipino

Place of Birth: Delpan, Tondo, Manila

Strength Level: Fireboy possesses extraordinary strength. He is capable of lifting or pushing any object with a weight of five (5) tons.

Abilities: Fireboy can fly at a speed of 300 miles per hour. He can swim underwater at a speed of 240 miles per hour. His fingers can shoot out flames with a temperature of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. In a desperate situation, he can cover his entire body with fire and take on the form of a fireball.

Known Superhuman Powers: Leandro was born a GENIUS. He can assemble any kind of gadget using his innate scientific knowledge.

Paraphernalia: A pair of artificial arms made of titanium steel, powered by 2 portable fusion generators and can be activated mentally by Fireboy. He also wears a special suit made from a sturdy form of rubber impervious to both bullets or lasers. The suit is composed of 2 layers; the first layer contains compressed helium gas which enables Fireboy to fly, while the second layer contains a hydrazine and oxygen compound which ignites when released in the atmosphere, producing flames with a temperature of 6,000 degress Fahrenheit.


Fireboy's first (and only) adventure was printed in Amazing Robotman Pocketkomiks #19 (July 2, 1986), a 14-page story written by Ed Duval and drawn by Dan Acuna. Unfortunately, the concept just didn't catch fire, so to speak, which is a shame. The character had a lot of potential, and it's too bad that the strip wasn't developed into a full series.

METALKO The Amazing Robotman

Since 2011 is the Year of the Metal Rabbit, I hereby declare this January to be Metal Month. Let's get the ball rolling (literally, as you will see) with...

Created by writer Henry Sebastian and artist Bert Lopez, Metalko, The Amazing Robotman was the main feature of Amazing Robotman Pocketkomiks, published weekly by Mass Media Promotions, Inc. (a subsidiary of Atlas Publishing Co., Inc.) in 1986.

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Metalko's bizarre saga began when Donya Isabel Rodriguez, wife of wealthy businessman Don Sancho Rodriguez, mysteriously gave birth to an unusual offspring: a living, sentient metal ball!

To save face, Don Sancho hastily adopts a normal baby boy and passes him off as his own newborn son, naming him Zandro.
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As for the metal ball, Donya Isabel refuses to give it up and elects to raise it in seclusion, its existence known only to the Rodriguezes and the family physician Dr. Perez. It is discovered that the ball needs to be recharged regularly with about 1,000 volts of electricity in order to survive, which is administered through a special laser gun.

As the boy Zandro grew, he came to be close friends with the living metal ball, not realizing its true origins. The ball soon exhibited uncanny abilities, such as shape-shifting (although this ability appeared to be much too strenuous for the ball to keep up), as well as the power of flight.

During Zandro's birthday party, the metal ball decides to join in on the fun and comes out in the open. While the guests are amazed, they assume the ball is only some fancy toy. When Zandro calls out "Bolang metal ko," ("My metal ball"), the other kids in the party mistake it for the ball's name and start calling it "Metalko."

Zandro and the ball show off to the crowd, demonstrating the ball's flying and shape-shifting prowess. But after a while, the strain becomes too much for the ball, and it suddenly drops to the floor, cold and apparently lifeless.

The ball is given an emergency recharge, but it does not respond to the treatment. Realizing 1,000 volts is no longer enough to sustain it, Dr. Perez increases the dosage to 5,000 volts.

The laser gun overheats and malfunctions as a result, but the extra voltage does indeed revive the metal ball. It gives off a blinding glow, after which it floats off to Zandro's toy room. It stops next to one of the boy's toy robots and starts to mimic its shape.

Eventually, Metalko fully transforms into the "amazing robotman" of the title (and it only took about 17 chapters for it to happen!). But then, its body gives off an electrical discharge that causes a fire to break out in the mansion...

Don't worry. They made it out.

Metal Month continues next week with another amazing robot: Tobor!