''Elementals'' was an American

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

first published in 1984 and created by

Bill Willingham William Willingham (born 1956) is an American writer and artist of comics, known for his work on the series ''Elementals (Comico Comics), Elementals'' and ''Fables (comics), Fables''. Career William Willingham was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. ...

, for which he was both writer and artist. Published by Comico Comics, it lasted until 1996, including a series of specials and miniseries. Comico's publisher, Andrew Rev, purchased the ''Elementals'' property from Willingham in the 1990s.

Fictional setting

When a centuries-old sorcerer named Lord Saker built a machine called the Shadowspear to harness the supernatural powers of the world, he upset the natural order of the universe. In response, the

four elements Classical elements typically refer to earth, water, air, fire, and (later) aether which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. Ancient cultures in Greece, Tibet, and India had simi ...

, unimaginably powerful spirits who together formed the foundation of existence, each chose an ordinary human who had been killed by their element, and resurrected him or her. They granted each control of that particular element, eternal youth, and the ability to heal from any wound (given sufficient time).

Characters

The team consisted of: *Morningstar, aka Jeanette Crane, a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

homicide detective who had burned to death while confronting a serial arsonist; she received various fire-related abilities, including pyrokinesis and an immunity to fire. *Vortex, aka Jeff Murphy, a

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

pilot and Vietnam veteran who was

asphyxia Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that ca ...

ted in a helicopter crash; he received various air-related abilities, including flight and wind-blasts. *Fathom, aka Becky Golden, a flighty debutante who fell off a boat and drowned; she received various water-related abilities, as well as bright green skin and webbed fingers. She was also able to convert her body entirely into sentient water and shoot high-pressure streams. *Monolith, aka Tommy Czuchra, a brilliant if introverted teenaged boy who was crushed to death by a

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...

; he received the ability to become an enormous super-strong stone/earth

golem A golem ( ; he, , gōlem) is an animated, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is entirely created from inanimate matter (usually clay or mud). The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the l ...

. Later, Tommy came to follow Saker's view that the supernatural beings were entitled to be in charge across earth, and he quit the Elementals and absorbed some of Saker's 'black' magic, to become one of his generals. Monolith was then re-embodied in a deceased insurance salesman (Donald Ridgeway), who neither wanted the power, nor ever understood fully how to use it or how to integrate with the other three Elementals. The four eventually defeated Saker and his minions, the Destroyers, a team of six: Shapeshifter, Annihilator, Chrysalis, Behemoth, Ratman (who later changed sides), and Electrocutioner. The Destroyers and an early version of Saker known as Doctor Apocalypse originally appeared in '' Death Duel with the Destroyers'' and '' The Island of Dr. Apocalypse'', two Willingham-written supplements for the superhero roleplaying game ''

Villains and Vigilantes ''Villains and Vigilantes'' (abbreviated as ''V&V'') is a superhero-themed role-playing game which competed primarily with ''Champions'' and ''Superworld'' in the early to mid-1980s. Origin ''Villains and Vigilantes'' was the first role-playi ...

''. Shadowspear, once released from Saker's control, formed a giant malevolent thunderstorm that circled the globe, occasionally transforming animals and corpses into monsters, thus keeping the Elementals busy for many years.

Reception

Martin A. Stever reviewed ''Elementals'' in '' Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer'' No. 83. Stever commented that "Willingham's imagination must be on overdrive to come up with some of the far out ideas in ''Elementals''".

Publication history

* ''

Justice Machine The Justice Machine is a fictional team of superheroes originally created by Michael Gustovich and appearing in comic books from many small publishers in the 1980s and 1990s. Publication history Justice Machine debuted in Noble Comics' ''Justice ...

Annual'', Texas Comics, 1983 (first appearance) * ''Elementals'' #1–29, 1984–88 * ''Elementals'' vol. 2, #1–26, 1989–93 * ''Elementals'' vol. 3, #1–3, 1995–96

One-shots and mini-series

* ''Elementals Special'' - 2 issues, 1986, 1989 (lead into v2) * ''Elementals: Sex Special'' - 4 issues, 1991–93 * ''Elementals: Sex Special'' vol. 2, 2 issues, 1997 * ''Elementals: Sexy Lingerie Special'' one-shot, 1993 * ''Elementals: Ghost of a Chance'' one-shot, 1995 * ''Elementals Swimsuit Spectacular 1996'' one-shot * ''Elementals: How the War was won'' - 2 issues, 1996 * ''Elementals: The Vampire's Revenge'' - 2 issues, 1996

Spin-offs

* ''Justice Machine Featuring the Elementals'' - 4 issues, 1986 * ''Fathom'' - 3 issues, 1987 * ''Morningstar Special'', 1990 * ''Monolith'' - 4 issues, 1991 * ''Vortex'' - 2 issues, 1991 * ''Strikeforce America'' - 1 issue, 1992 * ''Fathom'' vol. 2, 3 issues, 1992 * ''Oblivion'' - 3 issues, 1995–96 * ''Strikeforce America'' vol. 2, 1 issue, 1996

Trade paperback collection

* ''Elementals: The Natural Order'' (160 pages, softcover, Comico Comics, November 1988, ) - reprints ''Justice Machine Annual'' and ''Elementals'' vol. 1, #1–5

References

{{reflist

External links

The Elementals
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
from the original on June 17, 2016.
''Comics Should Be Good!s review of Vol. 1 #1-5
Comico Comics titles Fantasy comics Superhero teams 1983 comics debuts