The Blasters are a fictional
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
team of superhumans who first appeared in the miniseries ''
Invasion!'' #1 by
Keith Giffen
Keith Ian Giffen (November 30, 1952 – October 9, 2023) was an American comics artist and writer. He was known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of ...
,
Bill Mantlo
William Timothy Mantlo (born November 9, 1951) is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: '' Micronauts'' and '' R ...
and
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane (; born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian comic-book creator, best known for his work as an artist on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horror-fantasy series '' Spawn,'' as well as bein ...
.
''Blasters Special'' #1 (March 1989) was produced by the creative team of
Peter David
Peter Allen David (September 23, 1956 – May 24, 2025), often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Grea ...
and James Fry.
Fictional team history
Fifty humans from around the world were abducted by the
Dominators and their allies, these humans were placed in a special Blaster Field arena full of horrifying high tech weapons and land mines in order to test for the possibility of a
metagene. Of the fifty test subjects, only six survived. The six tested positive for
superhuman
The term superhuman refers to humans, humanoids or other beings with abilities and other qualities that exceed those naturally found in humans. These qualities may be acquired through natural ability, self-actualization or technological aids. ...
abilities, and a unique
genetic marker
A genetic marker is a gene or DNA sequence with a known location on a chromosome that can be used to identify individuals or species. It can be described as a variation (which may arise due to mutation or alteration in the genomic loci) that can ...
that High Caste Dominator scientists would later dub the "''Metagene''".
This proved to the Dominators that humanity was a threat, and that Earth and its people were too dangerous to remain free. Thus the Dominators joined the Thanagarians,
Psions, and others in the ''Alien Alliance''.
[Cosmic Teams: Blasters](_blank)
>Se
/ref>
Starlag
The six survivors were locked away on the prison world known as ''Starlag''. In time, they discovered that their fellow prisoners were the legendary Omega Men
The Omega Men are a fictional team of extraterrestrial superheroes who have appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. They first appeared in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 2) #141 (June 1981), and were created by Marv Wolfman and Joe ...
from the Vega system, and the super genius Vril Dox
Vril Dox, also known as Brainiac 2, is a fictional character published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Superman'' #167 (February 1964), and was created by Edmond Hamilton, Cary Bates, and Curt Swan.
Publication history
Vril Dox is the heir ...
of Colu as well as other future members of L.E.G.I.O.N.
''L.E.G.I.O.N.'' is a science fiction comic book created by Keith Giffen, Bill Mantlo and Todd McFarlane and published by DC Comics. The principal subject of the comic book is a team of fictional extraterrestrial superheroes. The characters first ...
Working together they overthrow the Starlag guards and hijack an independent shuttle piloted by Churljenkins, a feline alien female. En route to Earth, their shuttle encounters a superhuman task force headed for the Dominator homeworld in order to find a cure for the Dominators' gene bomb. The two groups combined, and the six humans now nicknamed ''The Blasters'' help end the invasion. The Blasters were then returned to Earth by the Omega Men in Churljenkins' ship.[Cosmic Teams: Blasters](_blank)
24/11/2018.
Blasters
Each human had trouble adjusting to their new powers; Fritz Klein (Frag) had to take tranquilizers to maintain his temper so that he would not spontaneously combust. Children taunted Moshe Levy (Dust Devil) for pretending to have super-powers. Carlotta (Jolt) was slowly going mad trying to control her repulsion field. Snapper is placed in a mental institution; he had kept his eyes open during a transport and had gone mad as a result.
Later, Snapper escapes from the asylum by teleporting directly to Churljenkins' ship. It had broken down on a tiny alien world. The two "steal" the ship from the Omega Men
The Omega Men are a fictional team of extraterrestrial superheroes who have appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. They first appeared in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 2) #141 (June 1981), and were created by Marv Wolfman and Joe ...
leaving them stranded there. The two intend to go to Churl's to home. They discover that her home planet had been destroyed to make a spaceway to Earth for the Alliance. Returning to Earth, Snapper and Churljenkins discover a secret Spider Guild weapons depot. Snapper re-unites the Blasters and the team puts an end to the Guild's operation. They also alert the Justice League
The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
to its existence.
Starlag II
The team decides to stay united and travel the spaceways as goodwill ambassadors, in order to repair Earth's reputation among the galactic community. After wandering for a while, the Blasters later began to question the wisdom of their decision. Just when they were about to disband and return to Earth, they received a distress call from Babbage, Valor's digital assistant. Valor was wrongly imprisoned in Starlag II by its warden Kanjar Ru, sister of Kanjar Ro
Kanjar Ro is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is an alien dictator from the planet Dhor and an enemy of the Justice League.
Kanjar Ro has also appeared in various media outside comics. Marc Worden, René Auberjo ...
. When the team broke into Starlag II, they unintentionally released the being known as the Unimaginable. The Unimaginable then set forces in motion which threatened to destroy Starlag II. The Blasters were trapped as the prison began crumbling. Their fate following this incident remains a mystery.
The Unimaginable's next appearance would be on Earth in the pages of ''Supermen of America
The Supermen of America is the name of two fictional superhero teams published by DC Comics. The original group first appeared in a special written by Stuart Immonen published in 1999, and a later mini-series written by Fabian Nicieza, which was ...
'' #5 by Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza (; December 31, 1961) is an Argentine-American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as ''X-Men'', '' X-Force'', ''New Warriors'', ''Nomad'', ''Cable'', '' Gambit'', '' Deadpool'' and ' ...
.
Lost
At some point after this, Snapper Carr
Lucas "Snapper" Carr is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Gardner Fox and penciller Mike Sekowsky, and first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' in February 1960. From 1960 ...
is separated from his teammates. He did not know if they were dead or alive and expresses guilt over their unknown fate. While searching for them, he is captured by some Khund
The Khunds are a fictional alien race in the DC Universe, notable for extreme violence. They first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #346 (July 1966), as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th century.
Fictional history
The Khunds contro ...
s, who cut off his hands. He is rescued by operatives of L.E.G.I.O.N.
''L.E.G.I.O.N.'' is a science fiction comic book created by Keith Giffen, Bill Mantlo and Todd McFarlane and published by DC Comics. The principal subject of the comic book is a team of fictional extraterrestrial superheroes. The characters first ...
, but knew nothing about the fates of his fellow Blasters. Vril Dox
Vril Dox, also known as Brainiac 2, is a fictional character published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Superman'' #167 (February 1964), and was created by Edmond Hamilton, Cary Bates, and Curt Swan.
Publication history
Vril Dox is the heir ...
gives Snapper new hands, but he had now lost the ability to teleport. Snapper is then returned to Earth, as seen in ''Hourman
Hourman or Hour-Man is the name of three different fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The original Hourman was created by writer Ken Fitch and artist Bernard Baily in ''Adventure Comics'' #48 (March 1940), during t ...
'' #20-21.
Membership
* Snapper Carr
Lucas "Snapper" Carr is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Gardner Fox and penciller Mike Sekowsky, and first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' in February 1960. From 1960 ...
- the former Justice League
The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
mascot, now with the power to teleport whenever he snapped his fingers.DCU Guide: Snapper Carr
/ref>
* Churljenkins – a catlike green furred alien and space pilot, who became Snapper Carr's girlfriend.[DCU Guide: Invasion #1](_blank)
>Se
DCU Guide: Invasion #1
* Jolt - Carlotta Rivera, a fashion model from Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, Spain. She could generate a gravimagnetic field that repelled anything near her skin, even water and oxygen.[DCU Guide: Invasion #1](_blank)
/>
* Looking Glass - Dexter Fairfax, a British writer of children's books
A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...
, from the town of Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...
, England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. He could transform his torso into a flat plane of living reflective and super-refractive glass.[DCU Guide: Invasion #1](_blank)
/>
* Dust Devil - Moshe Levy, a young student from Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
, Israel. He could generate a funnel of fast moving air, a miniature tornado.[DCU Guide: Invasion #1](_blank)
/>
* Frag - Fritz Klein, a ski instructor based in Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
, Austria. He could become living metal and fire explosive blasts.[DCU Guide: Invasion #1](_blank)
/>
* Crackpot - Amos Monroe, a self-professed African-American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
con artist from New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, United States. If he remained calm, he could cause people to believe nearly anything.[DCU Guide: Invasion #1](_blank)
/>
Supporting characters
* Gunther - a renegade Dominator scientist.[DCU Guide: Invasion #1](_blank)
/>
* Ms. Levy - Dust Devil's overprotective mother.[DCU Guide: Invasion #1](_blank)
/>
Bibliography
* ''Invasion
An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...
'' #1-3 (1989)
* ''Blasters Special'' #1
* ''Valor
Valor, valour, or valorous may mean:
* Courage, a similar meaning
* Virtue ethics, roughly "courage in defense of a noble cause"
Entertainment
* Valor Kand, a member of the band Christian Death
* ''Valor'' (TV series), an American drama series
...
'' #5-8
* ''Hourman
Hourman or Hour-Man is the name of three different fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The original Hourman was created by writer Ken Fitch and artist Bernard Baily in ''Adventure Comics'' #48 (March 1940), during t ...
'' #20-21
Notes
* The Blasters were supposedly a pet project of Robert Loring Fleming. Fleming brought the Blasters in as guests when he took over the ''Valor
Valor, valour, or valorous may mean:
* Courage, a similar meaning
* Virtue ethics, roughly "courage in defense of a noble cause"
Entertainment
* Valor Kand, a member of the band Christian Death
* ''Valor'' (TV series), an American drama series
...
'' series. He was later forced to leave them in limbo, as the '' Zero Hour'' plans for the Legion soon overshadowed the book.[Cosmic Teams: Blasters](_blank)
24/11/2018.
References
{{reflist
External links
DCU Guide: Blasters
DCU Guide: Snapper Carr
DCU Guide: Invasion #1
DC Comics titles
DC Comics metahumans
Comics characters introduced in 1989