Topaz (Marvel Comics)
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Topaz is a character appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. Created by
writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...
Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's ''The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade (character), Blade, and DC Comi ...
and
artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
Mike Ploog Michael G. Ploog (; born July 13, 1940 or 1942) is an American storyboard and comic book artist, and a visual designer for films. In comics, Ploog is best known for his work on Marvel Comics' 1970s ''Man-Thing'' and '' The Monster of Frankenstein ...
, the character
first appeared In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status. Reader interest in fir ...
in ''
Werewolf By Night The Werewolf by Night (also known as the Werewolf) is the name of two Werewolf, werewolves appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Werewolf by Night, Jack Russell, first appeared in ''Marvel Spotlig ...
'' #13 (1974). Topaz is a
witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...
who belongs to a
coven A coven () is a group or gathering of Witchcraft, witches. The word "coven" (from Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman ''covent, cuvent'', from Old French ''covent'', from Latin ''conventum'' = convention) remained largely unused in English lan ...
composed of
Jennifer Kale Jennifer Kale is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Rich Buckler, the character first appeared in '' Adventure into Fear'' #11 (December 1972). Jennifer Kale is John ...
and
Satana Hellstrom Satana Hellstrom () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas and John Romita Sr., she first appeared in ''Vampire Tales'' #2 (October 1973). Satana belongs to the species of magica ...
.


Publication history


Concept and creation

Comic book artist
Mike Deodato Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho, better known by his pen name Mike Deodato ( ; born May 23, 1963), is a Brazilian comic book artist. Early life Mike Deodato was born on May 23, 1963, in Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil. He is the son of comic ar ...
used his wife as a reference to depict Topaz in the 2004 ''Witches'' series.


1970s

Topaz debuted in ''
Werewolf By Night The Werewolf by Night (also known as the Werewolf) is the name of two Werewolf, werewolves appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Werewolf by Night, Jack Russell, first appeared in ''Marvel Spotlig ...
'' #13 (1974), created by
Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's ''The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade (character), Blade, and DC Comi ...
and
Mike Ploog Michael G. Ploog (; born July 13, 1940 or 1942) is an American storyboard and comic book artist, and a visual designer for films. In comics, Ploog is best known for his work on Marvel Comics' 1970s ''Man-Thing'' and '' The Monster of Frankenstein ...
. She appeared in the 1972 ''
Tomb of Dracula ''The Tomb of Dracula'' is an American Horror comics, horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. The 70-issue series featured a group of vampire hunters who fought Dracula (Marvel Comics), Count Dracula a ...
'' series. She appeared as a supporting character and love interest of Jack Russel in the 1974 ''Giant-Size Werewolf By Night'' series. She appeared as a recurring supporting character of
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
in the 1974 ''Doctor Strange'' series.


1980-1990s

Topaz appeared in the 1987 ''
Strange Tales ''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics comics anthology, anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (feature), Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their d ...
'' series. She appeared in the 1990 ''Ghost Rider'' series. She appeared in the 1993 ''Spider-Man Unlimited'' series. She appeared in the 1999 ''Doctor Strange'' series. She appeared in the ''Dr. Strange: Flight of Bones''. one-shot.


2000s

Topaz appeared as one of the three main characters in the 2004 ''
Witches Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...
'' series. She appeared in the 2021 ''Witches Unleashed'' one-shot.


Fictional character biography

The character's origins and real name are unknown, even to herself. As an adolescent child, Topaz was found by the sorcerer Taboo, who was living in an
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n prison camp at the time. Also living in the prison camp, the locals feared the girl and called her a witch, as she was able to magically create flowers, move things with her mind and cause things to disappear. Wishing to use her abilities to his own ends, Taboo adopted her and named her Topaz. He used her as a familiar and taught her several magical spells. Years later, Taboo forced Topaz to use her powerful
empathic Empathy is generally described as the ability to take on another person's perspective, to understand, feel, and possibly share and respond to their experience. There are more (sometimes conflicting) definitions of empathy that include but are ...
powers to control the
werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...
known as Jack Russell for a time. Taboo was searching for the magical
Darkhold The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...
tome, of which he believed Jack was in possession. Cast out by Taboo after refusing to kill Russell, Topaz chose to help Jack learn to control his werewolf powers, and also became his lover. She assisted Russell many times, including helping him to learn about his family history and even helping him take on
Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
.
Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's ''The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade (character), Blade, and DC Comi ...
(writer),
Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the Social Security Death Index via ...
(penciler), Tom Palmer (inker), "Enter: Werewolf by Night", ''The Tomb of Dracula'' #18 (March 1974)
Some time later, Topaz was exploited by Dr. Glitternight, who stole a portion of her soul. Jack's grandmother, Maria Russoff, also once used Topaz' power to raise an army of
zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...
s as part of a mad revenge scheme. Topaz was eventually restored to sanity and Maria sacrificed her life once she saw that her actions had placed her grandson in danger.
Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer of comics, novels, short stories, newspaper feature articles, weekly newspaper comic strips, film screenplays and teleplays. He is notable for his ''Batman'' wo ...
(writer),
Don Perlin Donald David Perlin (; August 27, 1929 – May 14, 2024) was an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for Marvel Comics' ''Werewolf by Night'', ''Moon Knight'' (a character he co-created), '' The Defenders'', and ''Ghos ...
(penciler), Sal Trapani (inker), "Castle Curse!", ''Giant-size Werewolf by Night'' #3 (January 1975)
Topaz later used her powers to save Jack's sister, Lissa, from the werewolf curse (which was passed from generation to generation within their family).
Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer of comics, novels, short stories, newspaper feature articles, weekly newspaper comic strips, film screenplays and teleplays. He is notable for his ''Batman'' wo ...
(writer),
Don Perlin Donald David Perlin (; August 27, 1929 – May 14, 2024) was an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for Marvel Comics' ''Werewolf by Night'', ''Moon Knight'' (a character he co-created), '' The Defenders'', and ''Ghos ...
(artist), ''Werewolf By Night'' #28-30 (April–June 1975)
After discovering what Glitternight had done to her, Topaz fought and defeated the villain, regaining her soul in the process.
Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer of comics, novels, short stories, newspaper feature articles, weekly newspaper comic strips, film screenplays and teleplays. He is notable for his ''Batman'' wo ...
(writer),
Don Perlin Donald David Perlin (; August 27, 1929 – May 14, 2024) was an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for Marvel Comics' ''Werewolf by Night'', ''Moon Knight'' (a character he co-created), '' The Defenders'', and ''Ghos ...
(artist), "The Amazing Doctor Glitternight", ''Werewolf by Night'' #27 (March 1975)
Topaz also temporarily destroyed the villain known as
Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a Germa ...
, but the demon-lord's minions managed to trap her in another dimension with a spell that would remove another portion of her soul and rob her of her empathic powers if she ever left that realm. Later, Mephisto was revealed to be alive, and after he was once again destroyed by Franklin Richards of the
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
, Topaz was freed from her imprisonment. John Byrne (writer, penciler),
Jerry Ordway Jeremiah Joseph Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books. He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining ''Crisis on Infinite E ...
(inker), "Back from Beyond", ''Fantastic Four'' #277 (April 1985)
Her soul was eventually restored by
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
and the alien sorcerer known as
Urthona In the mythological writings of William Blake, Urthona is one of the four Zoas, who were created when Albion, the primordial man, was divided fourfold. Specifically, he is the Zoa of inspiration and creativity, and he is a blacksmith god. His fe ...
.Peter B. Gillis (writer), Chris Warner (penciler), Randy Emberlin (inker), "The Tongues of Men and Angels...!", ''Doctor Strange'' (vol. 2) #81 (February 1987) As Topaz reached the age of 21, her powers reached their full potential, and she used them to heal the wounds of Doctor Strange's loyal servant, Wong. She left Strange's side when he briefly turned to the black magics, but later returned to aid him in his fight against
Dormammu Dormammu () is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #126 (November 1964). He is the extra and inter-dimensional demonic e ...
.
Dan Jolley Dan Jolley is an American novelist and comic book writer. His comics work includes DC Comics' ''Firestorm'' and Graphic Universe's ''Twisted Journeys,'' a series of interactive fiction or gamebooks in graphic novel form, and his novel work inclu ...
(writer), Tony Harris (penciler), Ray Snyder (inker), "Mage In The Box", ''Doctor Strange'' (vol. 3 )#2 (March 1999)
Later, Topaz led the quiet life for a while, running a bar called The Voodoo Lounge.
Christopher Golden Christopher Golden (born July 15, 1967) is an American writer. Early life Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. He graduated from Tufts University. Career As well as novels, Golden has written com ...
(writer), Joe Bennett (penciler), Joe Pimentel (inker), "A Long Way Till Dawn", ''Spider-Man Unlimited'' #20 (May 1998)
However, once Dormammu got word of her whereabouts, he sought revenge and had one of his agents enslave the young sorceress. Once again, Doctor Strange came to her rescue. Topaz later helped Doctor Strange in yet another battle, joining forces with
Jennifer Kale Jennifer Kale is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Rich Buckler, the character first appeared in '' Adventure into Fear'' #11 (December 1972). Jennifer Kale is John ...
and Satana against the Hellphyr force and fighting yet more zombies and demons. After winning this battle, Topaz decided to leave Strange's side yet again, and founded the group known as the
Witches Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...
in order to protect the world from mystical threats and prevent would-be thieves from stealing the Kale family's Book of Shadows.Brian Patrick Walsh (writer),
Mike Deodato Jr Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho, better known by his pen name Mike Deodato ( ; born May 23, 1963), is a Brazilian comic book artist. Early life Mike Deodato was born on May 23, 1963, in Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil. He is the son of comic ar ...
(artist), "The Gathering", ''Witches'' #1 (August 2004)


Powers and abilities

Topaz possesses mystic abilities, including empathy, telepathy, and telekinesis. She can magnify or diminish emotions. She is able to infuse life energy, and heal injures. Topaz can serve as a familiar to other sorcerers, focusing and magnifying their abilities. She can absorb pain, suffering, hatred, and fear from others into herself. Additionally, she has taken two separate forms, one blonde European and one brunette Indian.


References


External links

* * * {{Marvel Mystic Characters created by Marv Wolfman Characters created by Mike Ploog Comics characters introduced in 1974 Fictional empaths Marvel Comics characters who use magic Marvel Comics female superheroes Marvel Comics telekinetics Marvel Comics telepaths