Thunderbolt Jaxon is a fictional
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n-
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...
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 ...
superhero. He first appeared in ''Thunderbolt Jaxon Comics'' #1, published in Australia by
Amalgamated Press
The Amalgamated Press (AP) was a British newspaper and magazine publishing company founded by journalist and entrepreneur Alfred Harmsworth (1865–1922) in 1901, gathering his many publishing ventures together under one banner. At one point the ...
in
1949. While the character debuted in an Australian comic it was created by British staff working at Amalgamated Press' UK headquarters. The character has since appeared intermittently in British comics, and was revived by Wildstorm in 2006 for a five-issue mini-series written by
Dave Gibbons
David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story "For the Man ...
with art by
John Higgins
John Higgins, (born 18 May 1975) is a Scottish professional snooker player. He has won 31 career ranking titles, placing him in third position on the all-time list of ranking event winners, behind Ronnie O'Sullivan (39) and Stephen Hendry ( ...
.
Publication History
With their Australian wing struggling to keep up with a rash of imported American titles Amalgamated Press editor Edward "Ted" Holmes was instructed to devise strips specially for that market. The result was Thunderbolt Jaxon, devised by the prolific Jacques Pendowner (under his JCH Jacobs pseudonym) and drawn by Hugh McNeill. Holmes later wrote material for the strip himself. Despite the character having the powers of the Norse God Thor, Thunderbolt Jaxon's costume was more ancient Greek in style, with a close-fitting, short-sleeved shirt, short skirt and laced boots.
Adventures of the character appeared in AP's British title ''
The Comet'' after they purchased it from J.B. Allen and reoriented it to an action comic. Debuting in the 13th August 1949 edition, the ''Thunderbolt Jaxon'' strip only lasted a few weeks before being dropped. The Australian series was similarly short-lived, being cancelled after six issues. After a long hiatus, ''Thunderbolt Jaxon'' returned in another AP title, ''
Knockout''. This time the character's adventures lasted 18 months, from August 1958 to January 1960 (including being the subject of the cover for the 1960 ''Knockout'' Annual), with new material including art by
Ian Kennedy
Ian Patrick Kennedy (born December 19, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, ...
. A second revival followed in 1964, where the strips were modified slightly and published as ''Johnny Samson'' in the pages of ''
Buster'' until 1965.
In
1989 the character made a guest appearance in
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, humanist philosophy and countercultural leanings. Morrison has written extensively for th ...
's ''
2000AD'' strip ''
Zenith
The zenith (, ) is an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the celestial sphere. "Above" means in the vertical direction ( plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location ( nadir). The zenith is the "high ...
'' as one of a large number of multiversal superheroes battling the
Lloigor. Thunderbolt Jaxon joins a force of superhumans sent to Alternative 257, a parallel
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
. There he is killed by the Lloigor-possessed Wyvern when his belt fails to activate.
The character was one of many Amalgamated Press/Fleetway/
IPC characters licensed to
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
via
WildStorm
Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wild ...
in 2005; however, Thunderbolt Jaxon did not appear in the ''
Albion'' mini-series. Instead a reimagining of the hero appeared in a 2006 spin-off mini-series "from the world of ''Albion''", written by
Dave Gibbons
David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story "For the Man ...
, who also provided covers for the five issues. Interior art was by
John Higgins
John Higgins, (born 18 May 1975) is a Scottish professional snooker player. He has won 31 career ranking titles, placing him in third position on the all-time list of ranking event winners, behind Ronnie O'Sullivan (39) and Stephen Hendry ( ...
.
Character Biography
Orphan Johnny Jaxon is under the care of his unpleasant uncle Jasper until his guardian frames him for a crime. He is sent to
borstal
A Borstal was a type of youth detention centre in the United Kingdom, several member states of the Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland. In India, such a detention centre is known as a Borstal school.
Borstals were run by HM Prison Service ...
, where he finds the magic belt of the
Norse God
In Germanic paganism, the indigenous religion of the ancient Germanic peoples who inhabited Germanic Europe, there were a number of different gods and goddesses. Germanic deities are attested from numerous sources, including works of literature ...
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...
. Putting the belt on gives him the powers of Thor himself, transforming him into a large superhuman - as long as he is acting for good. As Thunderbolt Jaxon his first adventure sees Jasper put behind bars. He later tackles saboteurs, kidnappers and prehistoric monsters, among others.
Powers and abilities
When wearing the belt of Thor, Jaxon has incredible strength and endurance, as well as the ability to fly.
Revival
Synopsis
With the rise of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
the powers of the
Pagan Norse Gods of
Asgard
In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr'' ; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir ...
are waning. Unable to overcome the Christian host they strike a deal that sees the
Aesir and the giants of
Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen (; "the home of the Jötunn") is a mountainous area of roughly in southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all located in the Jotunheimen mountains, in ...
renounce their godhood and objects of power. However Odin's son Thor eschews the deal and walks away from immortality.
1500 years later local teenagers Jack, Billy and Saff are out treasure hunting at Vigrid Cove when they find
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
artefacts - a belt, a necklace in the shape of a cross and a
torc
A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some had hook and ring closures and a few had ...
. After returning by bus they split the items between them. Jack is attacked by his vicious stepfather Larry, who then joins up with local gangster O'Dunne and his men, who violently thwart a drug deal being struck by the rival gang ran by Garrod. Jack meanwhile puts on the belt and is transformed into a musclebound adult. The following morning Jack awakens to the sound of Larry beating his mother. He hits Larry with the belt - unmasking him as the Aesir
Loki. Jack gets his mother clear and drops her off with relatives before heading to Saff's house, while Larry tricks his way into Billy's home and tries to take the torc. Jack again puts on the belt and becomes Thor but struggles to maintain control, allowing Larry to kidnap Saff. She is taken to O'Dunne's Rainbow Club, and he tells her of his history as
Odin. Before Larry can start beating her for information Garrod's men
firebomb the club in retribution.
Jack once again assumes the role of Thor, with Billy helping him to maintain control long enough to get Saff to safety. He returns to normal but the trio are captured by Garrod. They then realise the necklace taken by Saff is actually the hammer
Mjollnir, and Jack breaks free as Thor just as O'Dunn's gang arrives at Garrod's hideout. With Jack back to normal the trio get the bus to Vigrid Cove, planning to rebury the objects. They are pursued by both gangs, who have dropped the pretence and are now openly the Aesir and the giants. Even though O'Dunne and Larry ram the bus they make it there. The battle spreads to consecrated ground and an angel appears, unleashing the
Midgard Serpent
In Germanic cosmology, Midgard (an anglicised form of Old Norse ; Old English , Old Saxon , Old High German , and Gothic ''Midjun-gards''; "middle yard", "middle enclosure") is the name for Earth (equivalent in meaning to the Greek term , "inhab ...
and triggering
Ragnarok. The Aesir and the giants are all wiped out apart from Thor. Billy pleads for Jack's life and the angel relents, instead simply removing Thor's personality. This leaves Jack as a mortal but in full control in either form. He rights the bus and Billy comes up with the name Thunderbolt Jaxon for their friend.
References
{{Buster
1949 comics debuts
Australian comics
Australian comic strips
British comics
British comics characters
British comic strips
Comics characters introduced in 1949
Fleetway and IPC Comics characters
Male characters in comics
Norse mythology in comics
Superhero comics
WildStorm limited series
WildStorm characters