Just like when the roulette ball lands on red ten times in a row, so you go all in on black because this time it definitely has to be black; but it hits red again anyways...  Here we will be embracing the beauty of randomness and draw attention to a few of the more obscure comic book characters. The more obscure and random, the better. To reiterate the parameters from before:

  • Never been in a movie.
  • Never been in a TV show.
  • No rumor or news for an upcoming anything.
  • Bonus Points: Never written about in a previous article here.

With that in mind, the characters randomly selected to be featured here are:  Iron, Rainbow Archer, and Khanata.

 

IRON

Drop the “Man.” Just Iron, it’s cleaner.

Not to be confused with the popular superhero Iron Man, “Iron” the living embodiment of his namesake element first appeared in Thunderbolts #6 (1997), in which he terrorized New York City and battled against the Thunderbolts. Iron is the result of Russian scientist Dr. Vasily Khandruvitch’s experiments in transforming humans into chemical elements. Dr. Khandruvitch’s ultimate goal was to rule over an independent island full of his creations.

Not to be outdone by other superheroes and supervillains with their team-ups, Iron is a crucial member of the Elements of Doom, which first appeared in Avengers #188 (1979). Each of the 109 members have different powers based on the unique elements they’re named after; which begs the question of what some of the harder to pronounce elements at the bottom of the periodic table have as their powers. It would be interesting to see a periodic table image filled out with the Elements of Doom.

At the moment, both Thunderbolts #6 and Avengers #188 can be found in the under $10 range. On the off chance the rumors of a Thunderbolts live-action movie ever comes into fruition; perhaps there’s an even more off-off-off chance Iron and the other Elements of Doom get some silver screen time.

 

 

RAINBOW ARCHER

The villainous Rainbow Archer first appeared in Adventure Comics #246 (1958). Adventure Comics #246 begins its story with Albrecht Raines, who is a starving artist, forced to turn to crime for financial relief. Albrecht tries to counterfeit money, but in a grand twist of irony, he fails to use the correct colors when he makes the counterfeits. This mistake ultimately leads the Green arrow and Speedy to catching him.

After Albrecht is freed from prison, he vows revenge against the heroes and becomes the Rainbow Archer, fully decked out with a colorful costume and armed with a bow and rainbow-colored arrows. One might observe that the Rainbow Archer is noticeably more flashy than his monochromatic nemesis, the Green Arrow. Perhaps, Albrecht should have used his proclivities for color before he got caught.

Sales for graded copies of Adventure Comics #246 are very sparse. The latest sale of note is a CGC 8.0 graded copy that sold for $384 in Dec 2018.

 

 

KHANATA

In Black Panther #8 (1978), T’Challa’s absence causes a struggle for Wakanda’s throne, with Jakarra laying claim. Jakarra uses a concentrated amount of Vibranium to mutate himself into a monster. This imminent threat causes N’Gassi to call upon the Royal Court for help; Khanata is one of the many that answers and returns to Wakanda. In a desperate plan to defeat the mutated Jakarra, a hesitant Khanata is persuaded to become the Black Panther. In the following issues, eventually T’Challa returns in time to defeat Jakarra; with Khanata never having to become the Black Panther.

Some recognition for Khanata, the man who was almost Black Panther. The latest sale for Black Panther #8, graded in CGC 9.8, sold for $95 in Jan 2019.

 

 

 

"So many of our dreams seem impossible, they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will they soon become inevitable." - Superman