The Psi-Lords are a fictional team of superheroes from the

Valiant Comics universe The Valiant Universe is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles that are published by Valiant Comics take place. The majority of the characters within said universe were created by Jim Shooter, and Bob Lay ...

Publication history

The characters first appeared in the second volume of '' Rai and the Future Force #21'' after a cameo in ''

Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

#36'' and were featured in a short-lived,

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

series of ten issues between 1994 and 1995. The characters and series occupied Valiant's 41st century setting. ''Magnus, Robot Fighter'' (May, 1994)

Organization history

Original Valiant continuity

The Psi-Lords are 41st century descendants of the

H.A.R.D. Corps H.A.R.D. Corps is a fictional superhero team appearing in books published by the American publisher Valiant Comics. The H.A.R.D. Corps team first appeared in ''Harbinger'' #10 (Oct. 1992), and were created by Jim Shooter and David Lapham. Public ...

, a group set in modern Valiant continuity. The H.A.R.D Corps fought

Toyo Harada Toyo may refer to: Places *Tōyō, Kōchi, a town in Japan *Tōyo, Ehime, a former city in Japan *Toyo Province, a Japanese province divided in 683 *Tōyō, Kumamoto, a village located in Yatsuhiro District, Kumamoto, Japan * Tōyō, Tokyo, a ...

Harbinger A harbinger is a forerunner or forewarning, but may also refer to: Companies * Harbinger Corp., an Internet-oriented business * Harbinger Capital, a hedge fund * Harbinger Knowledge Products, an eLearning products and content services company ...

using

brain implants Brain implants, often referred to as neural implants, are technological devices that connect directly to a biological subject's brain – usually placed on the surface of the brain, or attached to the brain's cortex. A common purpose of modern bra ...

which allowed the Corp to access individual Harbinger

superpowers A superpower is a state with a dominant position characterized by its extensive ability to exert influence or project power on a global scale. This is done through the combined means of economic, military, technological, political and cultural s ...

. In 2999, the H.A.R.D. Corps leaves Earth when Toyo Harada is slain. They continue improving the brain implants until

nanites A molecular machine, nanite, or nanomachine is a molecular component that produces quasi-mechanical movements (output) in response to specific stimuli (input). In cellular biology, macromolecular machines frequently perform tasks essential for l ...

are developed, allowing H.A.R.D. Corps to access all Harbinger powers simultaneously. The new technology halts aging, even reversing it for those past their prime. Red glowing eyes are a side effect, similar to Bloodshot, another Valiant nanite-powered hero. Conquering a planet occupied by

Spider Aliens Valiant Comics is an American comic book publisher. The company was founded in 1989 by former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter along with lawyer and businessman Steven Massarsky. In 1994, the company was sold to Acclaim Entertainment ...

, the Corps establishes a home base, after which, the H.A.R.D. Corp is known as the ''Psi-Lords'' or ''Starwatchers''. No longer dependent on teamwork, individual members of the Psi-Lords conduct autonomous missions to guide and help around the galaxy. During this period, a Psi-Lord rebels and has to be killed by the others. Fearing further incidents, the leaders of the Psi-Lords reduce the powers each Watcher can use, hoping that this will force the members to rely upon teamwork and keep the prevent the ''Starwatchers'' from becoming overly self-reliant. The Psi-Lords return to earth in the 41st century, towards the end of the Malev War depicted in the Magnus and Rai titles. 17 years after the end of this war, the Psi-Lords series starts. Not trusted by humanity after their recent alien invasions, the ''Starwatchers'' work to gaining the trust of earth and its leaders, particularly President Magnus.

Acclaim Valiant continuity

Valiant Entertainment continuity

Powers and abilities

All Psi-Lords are immortal, empowered by their

nanite A molecular machine, nanite, or nanomachine is a molecular component that produces quasi-mechanical movements (output) in response to specific stimuli (input). In cellular biology, macromolecular machines frequently perform tasks essential for l ...

rich blood. Although they do not age, and heal quickly, they can suffer

trauma Trauma most often refers to: * Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source * Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event *Traumatic i ...

-related deaths. Solar the Destroyer, a

split personality Dissociative identity disorder (DID), better known as multiple personality disorder or multiple personality syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The di ...

of Solar, killed several Psi-Lords who attacked him. There are three types of Psi-Lords, distinguished by the color of their uniforms: *A red uniform indicates the wearer has access to brute-force type powers, such as invulnerability and super-strength and the ability to project protective shields. These are classified as Bastions. *Orange uniforms were worn by Gunners, who were granted energy manipulation powers such as stun rays and blasts of flame. *Yellow uniforms indicated a Scout, with powers such as flight, intangibility, and invisibility. Much like their H.A.R.D Corps predecessors, Psi-Lords, except Gunners, often use firearms, other weapons and vehicles appropriate to the situation. Lifespans of hundreds of years are common for older members of the PSI-Lords, who can call upon much more experience and knowledge than shorter-lived humans. While highly intelligent, their arrogance and aloof ways make it difficult for them to interact with humans upon their return to Earth.

Writers and artists

The following writers and artists created, wrote and illustrated the series: 1-:

Anthony J. Bedard Antony J. L. Bedard is an American writer and editor who has worked in the comic book industry from the early 1990s through the present. He is best known for his work at CrossGen Comics, where he was under exclusive contract, and for his run writ ...

, writer/

Mike Leeke Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

, pencils/

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Early li ...

, inks/Leeke & Giordano, cover. 3: Bedard, writer/Leeker, pencils/Giordano, inks/Leeke &

Bob Layton Bob Layton (born 1953) is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics titles such as '' Iron Man'' and ''Hercules'', and for co-founding Valiant Comics with Jim Shooter. Early life Bob Layton ...

, cover. 4: Bedard, writer/David Wong, pencils/Giordano, inks/Leeke & Giordano, cover. 5: Bedard, writer/Leeker, pencils/Giordano, inks/Leeke & Giordano, cover. 6: Bedard, writer/Leeke &

Anthony Castrillo Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...

, pencils/Giordano, inks & cover. 7: Bedard, writer/Leeke, pencils/Giordano & Mike DeCarlo, inks/Leeke & Giordano, cover. 8: Bedard, writer/Howard Simpson, pencils/DeCarlo, inks/Leeke, cover. 9: Bedard, writer/Simpson, pencils/DeCarlo, inks/Leeke & Paul Autio, cover. 10: Bedard, writer/Simpson, pencils/DeCarlo, inks/Leeke & DeCarlo, cover.

References

External links

Gallery of PSI-Lords CoversValiant Comic Book InformationValiant Comics message board
{{Valiant Valiant Comics titles Valiant Comics superheroes