I’ve been experimenting with a new costume for perhaps my second favourite character (and inadvertent Superman rip-off) Comet, who I’ve been meaning to create for quite some time now. This is not at all the costume I had intended to create (he’s supposed to have a blue and white costume with a mask) but I got this image stuck in my head of him flying above the city at night, with lights on his costume. And since this guy literally bleeds cosmic energy in the form of bright lights, I thought “why not”.
Thoughts and comments welcome. Does it work?
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There is quite some debate about Comet’s origins. The majority of people believe him to be some form of extra terrestrial entity as he first appeared near a comet which crashed on the outskirts of Freedom City after a bizarre flight path which led many to believe it was actually some form of spacecraft. The Freedom League were among the first on the scene and discovered Comet, naked and suffering from disorientation with apparently no memory of his life before that point in time. Believing he was being attacked, Comet retaliated and fought the League until their superior numbers won out. Later, while being questioned by Captain Thunder, he remained quiet (and apparently dazed) for some time until he suddenly began talking, claiming “It took time to learn your languageâ€. This statement lent credence to the belief that he is an alien. After all, what human could learn an entire language in a few hours after only listening to other people speak? Despite this, some people believe that there is at least a possibility that he is actually a human who gained powers from the mysterious comet from which he took his name as it was apparently made of a material which no one could identify.
Captain Thunder christened Comet “Jack†simply for convenience sake as he appeared to have no other name at the time. Jack would later adopt the surname Holmes after the Holmes comet, which is believed to be the comet which crashed outside of Freedom City, bringing him to our world. Interestingly, the Holmes comet has been observed entering and leaving out solar system for centuries, perhaps even millennia. If Jack was indeed aboard the comet that full time, he may well be one of the oldest living creatures in existence.
Comet was initially detained by AEGIS who believed he could pose a considerable threat. He seemed perfectly willing to remain in their custody, understanding their fears, although he did break out of their detainment facility with surprisingly little effort after observing the Freedom League in trouble on TV. To the surprise of many, after helping the League defeat their enemies, Jack returned to the facility of his own volition where he again seemed perfectly willing to stay. The Freedom League eventually convinced the powers that be that Comet was not a threat and could in fact become one of the worlds greatest heroes. He was released under the provision that he work under the supervision of a number of trusted heroes.
He quickly became one of the worlds most popular heroes, thanks in no small part to his very friendly personality and genuine altruism. But while Jack was a friendly and kind individual, there was another being which arrived on Earth in the comet. One which seemed the polar opposite of Jack. The being which would later dub itself ‘Entropy’ went completely unnoticed by the heroes of the world in the confusion that surrounded Comet’s arrival. The normally insubstantial being managed to possess a number of individuals and sowed seeds of discord throughout the world as it plotted the destruction of the planet. Eventually it managed to possess Comet himself, intending to use the hero’s vast power to literally tear the world apart. Still unaware of Entropy’s existence, many thought Comet had simply gone mad and a number of the worlds heroes fought the fallen hero high above Freedom city. A number of heroes (and villains) who had previously been possessed by Entropy proved the key to returning ousting Entropy from Comet’s body, along with astounding willpower from Comet himself. Entropy was eventually defeated, but not before vast damage had been done.
Those who had been critical of Comet’s presence on Earth already took the opportunity to point out the destruction caused by just one man and laid the blame for the devastation squarely at Comet’s feet. They either didn’t believe that Entropy truly existed or simply didn’t care. They wanted Comet gone, one way or another.
Jack himself was horrified by his own actions while possessed by Entropy and decided it was best if he left the planet. Despite pleas to stay from several major heroes and the majority of the public (who still considered him a hero even after the destruction he wrought) Comet left Earth and took up a sentry like watch over the planet from the cold reaches of space, where he remains to this day. He has returned on several occasions to aid his former allies and the people of Earth when they truly need him but each time he returns to the cold vacuum of space once the day is saved.
The truth of Entropy’s existence has been released to the world and there has been a public outcry for Comet to return, but Jack’s own shame keeps him at a distance from humanity. Perhaps one day he will return to solid ground, but until then, he continues to hold his solitary vigil over the Earth.
