Shadow Thief

Shadow Thief

Shadow Thief from Hawkman vol. 2 #2,
artist Richard Howell
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance (Carl Sands) The Brave and the Bold #36, (July 1961)
(Carl Hammer) Vigilante #14
(February 1985)
Created by (Carl Sands) Gardner Fox (writer)
Joe Kubert (artist)
(Carl Hammer) Marv Wolfman (writer)
Trevor Von Eeden (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego -Carl Sands
-Carl Hammer
-Aviva Metula
Team affiliations (Carl Sands)
The Society
Injustice League
(Aviva Metula)
Mossad
The Society
Abilities (Carl Sands)
Dimensiometer grants:
Ability to shift his body into a two-dimensional, and intangible, shadow state and draw strength from the shadows around him
(Carl Hammer)
Shadow suit grants:
Ability to become invisible in shadows
(Aviva Metula)
Trained martial artist
Shadow armor grants:
Intangibility
Flight
Teleportation
Limited shapeshifting

Shadow Thief (or Shadow-Thief, currently spelled with a hyphen) is the name of three fictional supervillains published by DC Comics. The first is a recurring foe of Hawkman named Carl Sands. He was created by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert, and first appeared in The Brave and the Bold # 36 (July 1961). The second, a man named Hammer first appeared in Vigilante #14 (February 1985), and was created by Marv Wolfman and Trevor Von Eeden.

Fictional character biography

Carl Sands

Pre-Crisis

Carl Sands was a career criminal who was conducting experiments on shadow projection while in jail . Because his shadow betrayed him to a policeman while he was robbing the safe in a store at night he was trying to make his shadow work for him. The experiments allowed him to make contact with an alien explorer named Thar Dan from the Xarapion dimension. In return for saving the creature's life, Sands was given a device known as a Dimensiometer and a pair of ebony gloves that allows him to hold objects while in shadow form.

Hawkman eventually defeats him, but Shadow Thief would come into conflict with him many times after that. He would later become a member of the Injustice Gang which came into conflict with Hawkman and his allies, the Justice League of America. Eventually, the Phantom Stranger had him permanently stripped of the Dimensiometer.[1]

Post-Crisis/Post-Hawkworld

While growing up in Japan, American Carl Sands learns ninjutsu techniques and became a rather undistinguished industrial saboteur, accepting unremarkable sums to hinder and eliminate his clients' rivals.

His pre-Crisis history remained canon, including his brief membership in the Injustice Gang. However, he has instead fought with the Golden Age Hawks rather than the Silver Age Katar and Shayera Hol.

Sometime after losing the belt to the Phantom Stranger, the Thanagarian criminal Byth hires Sands to steal Hawkman and Hawkwoman's ship. To help Sands with this job, Byth gives him a shadow suit - a Thanagarian belt device/"shadow vest", which gave Sands the ability to shift his body into a shadow form (based on Thar Dan's Dimensiometer).

He sells his soul to Neron for more power. The demon gave him a more powerful shadow suit with the ability to turn other people and objects into shadows.[2]

Shadow Thief has entered into the employ of St. Roch art trader Kristopher Roderic. Sands has been sent to the ends of the Earth in service of Roderic's dark aims, and is hopeful that the unscrupulous collector will help him with a problem of his own.

During the events of Identity Crisis, Shadow Thief became deranged and began having delusional conversations with the Dimensiometer. He ended up killing Firestorm (Ronald Raymond) with Shining Knight's mystically enhanced sword. For killing Firestorm, he was prosecuted by Kate Spencer (a.k.a. Manhunter IX).[3]

Shadow Thief later popped up as a member of the Injustice League, and is one of the villains featured in Salvation Run.[4]

He is a member of Libra's Secret Society of Super Villains.[5]

He later joins forces with Starbreaker, and uses the power of Shadow Cabinet's "Shadowslide" teleportation system to temporarily increase his own powers.[6][7]

Prison only temporarily stops him as he uses the shadows created by the interior of his mouth to escape by blinding and muffling Doctor Light when she comes to interrogate him. He is ultimately defeated by Light, and is rendered powerless after Firestorm uses his powers to seal up his mouth, thus preventing him from conjuring shadows from within his body.

During the events of Brightest Day, the cosmic entity known as the Starheart begins taking control of metahumans who possess magical or elemental abilities. JSA members Lightning and Mister America are sent Alcatraz to check on Sands, and find him babbling on the floor of his cell in the fetal position, driven insane by the Starheart's power.[8]

Carl Hammer

Carl Hammer, artist Trevor Von Eeden

The second Shadow Thief is an African American man known as "Carl Hammer". Hammer states that he paid more than one million dollars to have the suit made. His one and only appearance was in Vigilante #14.

The New 52

A new Shadow Thief debuted in The New 52 (a reboot of the DC Comics universe).[9] This version is female.[10]

During the Forever Evil storyline, it is revealed that this version of Shadow Thief is a former agent of Mossad named Aviva Metula. Metula wears a suit of armor called the Shadow Skin that gives her powers. She became Shadow Thief in order to kill alien invaders, making her a dangerous foe for Hawkman.[11] When Steve Trevor heads to the White House to find the President, he encounters Shadow Thief, Deathstroke, and Copperhead.[12]

Powers and abilities

Carl Sands uses a Dimensiometer which enables its wearer to shift his body into a two-dimensional, intangible "shadow" state. While the vest is activated, Sands can move quickly and silently across and through most surfaces and materials, all the while remaining impervious to physical contact and attack. Long-term side effects from prolonged use of the vest are unknown although, prior to "Crisis on Infinite Earths," it was stated that overuse of the suit would accelerate Earth's climate into its next Ice age. Starbreaker later gives him the power to draw strength from the shadows around him, allowing him to form weapons from them, create portals, and even turn his opponents' shadows into living duplicates of themselves.[13]

The shadow suit Carl Hammer had constructed only allowed him to become invisible in shadows; it did not render him intangible.

The Shadow Skin provides Aviva Metula with intangibility, teleportation, flight and limited shapeshifitng enabling her to turn her arms into weapons. She is also a trained martial artist.

Other versions

JLA: Another Nail

The Shadow Thief made an appearance in Elseworlds' JLA: Another Nail. He gained his abilities from Xaraponian technology. He was being chased by Hawkwoman and Zatanna. He opens a portal to Xarapon to escape, but he was apparently destroyed when the portal was affected by the temporal disruptions.

Kingdom Come

In issue #2 of the 1996 DC Comics miniseries Kingdom Come by Alex Ross and Mark Waid, a shadow appears between Obsidian and Lightning in a metahuman bar, in page 26 in the first panel. It is assumed to be the Shadow Thief.[14]

Flashpoint

In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, Shadow Thief is imprisoned in military Doom prison. During the prison break, Shadow Thief is knocked unconscious by the corrections officer Amazo.[15]

Justice League Beyond

Shadow Thief appears in a flashback story in Justice League Beyond, set after the events of Justice League Unlimited. In the story, he returns to seek vengeance on Green Lantern, murdering his fiance, Vixen in cold blood.[16] In retaliation, Green Lantern partners with Hawkgirl and Adam Strange in order to hunt down Shadow Thief. During a violent struggle, Green Lantern killed Shadow Thief once and for all with a gunshot to the head. He then left the villain's corpse to be devoured by a group of alien beasts.[17]

In other media

Television

Miscellaneous

References

  1. "Justice League of America" #139
  2. "Underworld Unleashed" #1-3 (1995)
  3. "Identity Crisis" #1-6
  4. "Salvation Run" 1-7 (2007-2008)
  5. "DC Universe" #0
  6. Justice League of America (Vol. 2) #29 (January 2009)
  7. Justice League of America (Vol. 2) #30 (February 2009)
  8. Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #41
  9. "THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #17". http://www.dccomics.com. February 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-06. External link in |publisher= (help)
  10. "THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #18". http://www.dccomics.com. February 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-06. External link in |publisher= (help)
  11. Justice League of America #7.3
  12. Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S. #1
  13. Justice League of America (Vol. 2) #31-32
  14. Kingdom Come #2 Annotations
  15. Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #2 (July 2011)
  16. Justice League Beyond #7 (May 2012)
  17. Justice League Beyond #8 (June 2012)

External links

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