Thomas "Pieface" Kalmaku is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

, a

supporting character A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo ap ...

associated with

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

comic books 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 ...

published by

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 ...

. He was created by writer John Broome and

penciler A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day versio ...

Fictional character biography

Thomas Kalmaku was introduced in ''Green Lantern'' vol. 2, #2 (Oct. 1960) as a young

Inuk Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and ...

mechanic at Ferris Aircraft, also the employer of test pilot

Hal Jordan Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in '' ...

. In the Silver Age he was referred to as Pieface; however, this has not been used for some time. As one journalist described: In his early appearances, Kalmaku had a girlfriend named Terga. They later married, but have since separated. Kalmaku was one of the few people who knew Jordan's secret and kept a journal of Green Lantern's adventures, which he later published as a biography of Jordan. In several stories, as a non-costumed

sidekick A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...

, he either assisted the hero or required rescuing. During the ''

Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

'' crossover, Kalmaku is revealed to be one of the "Chosen" who forms the

New Guardians The New Guardians were a DC Comics superhero team featured in the short-lived eponymous series ''The New Guardians''. It was a spin-off from the ''Millennium'' event and ran for twelve issues, from 1988 through 1989, before being canceled. It is ...

. He has the superpower to bring out the best in people. He resides with the team for some time on a small island. When

Guy Gardner Guy Gardner may refer to: * Guy Gardner (astronaut) (born 1948), United States Air Force officer and former astronaut * Guy Gardner (character) Guy Gardner, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic ...

appears on a boat to take over the team, Tom tries to calm the situation, as he and the team only wish to help Guy with his obvious anger problems. The situation degenerates and Guy is forcibly removed from the island by the power of Gloss. Later, Tom leaves the team to be with his family. The

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

''Legacy: The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan'' focuses on Kalmaku and his immense difficulty dealing with the aftermath of Jordan's rampage and killings. In it, he goes on a final mission on Jordan's behalf, eventually reconstructing the planet Oa and the Great Battery and mending his relationship with his son, daughter, and wife. It is later revealed that he is about to become an equal partner in

Carol Ferris Caroline "Carol" Ferris is a fictional character appearing in the . She is one of many characters who has used the name Star Sapphire, and was the long-time love interest of Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern. In her role as Star Sapphire ...

's aircraft company. It is also mentioned that the

Guardians of the Universe The Guardians of the Universe are a race of extraterrestrial superhero characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Green Lantern. They first appeared in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 2) #1 (July 19 ...

once offered Kalmaku a power ring, but that he turned it down, with a simple "Naw". It had originally been revealed in ''Legacy'' that Kalmaku was Jordan's choice to be his replacement. Kalmaku was briefly featured in the '' Green Lantern: Secret Origin'' storyline, which reworked some of the earlier parts of the Green Lantern mythos. In this new origin, Kalmaku greatly disliked being called "Pieface" by an arrogant pilot, and was defended by Jordan, who had just joined Ferris Aircraft.

Other versions

DC: The New Frontier

Tom makes a brief appearance in

Darwyn Cooke Darwyn Cooke (November 16, 1962 – May 14, 2016) was a Canadian comics artist, writer, cartoonist, and animator who worked on the comic books ''Catwoman'', '' DC: The New Frontier'', ''The Spirit'' and '' Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter''. ...

's '' DC: The New Frontier'' miniseries (2003–2004), which is an alternate-universe story set in the 1950s. Here, Thomas angrily objects to the name Pieface when Hal Jordan first uses it, but quickly forgives him when he realizes there was no ill intent (Jordan had just overheard other pilots using the nickname).

Flashpoint

In the alternate timeline of the '' Flashpoint'' event, Thomas Kalmaku is still Hal Jordan's aide. While inspecting an alien

Abin Sur Abin Sur is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement. Aft ...

's survivor crashed aircraft, Tom and

Hector Hammond Hector Hammond is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics who is primarily an enemy of Green Lantern. Peter Sarsgaard played the role of Hammond in the 2011 film ''Green Lantern''. Publication history Hector Ham ...

are studying the spaceship technology as a

stealth aircraft Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection using a variety of technologies that reduce reflection/emission of radar, infrared, visible light, radio frequency (RF) spectrum, and audio, collectively known as stealth technology. The F-117 N ...

. After Hal's death, Tom gives

a gift from Hal saying that he always loved her.

In other media

Television

* A similar character called Kairo appeared in ''

The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure ''The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure'' is a Saturday morning Filmation animated series that aired on CBS from 1967 to 1968. Premiering on September 9, 1967, this 60-minute program included a series of six-minute adventures featuring various DC ...

'' voiced by

Paul Frees Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...

. Like Tom, Kairo knew Green Lantern's secret identity and like Tom, Kairo was a mechanic. * Tom Kalmaku appears in the ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...

'' episode "Depths" voiced by

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

Film

Taika Waititi Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. He is a recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award, and has received two nominations at t ...

portrays Tom Kalmaku in the live-action film, ''

''. Tom is an

aerospace engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...

working at Ferris Aircraft, in addition to being Hal Jordan's best friend and the first person Hal turns to after he receives his power ring. * Tom Kalmaku makes a brief cameo appearance in '' Justice League: The New Frontier''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalmaku, Tom DC Comics scientists DC Comics sidekicks Fictional characters from Alaska Comics characters introduced in 1960 Fictional mechanics Fictional aerospace engineers Fictional business executives Characters created by John Broome Characters created by Gil Kane Green Lantern characters DC Comics male characters DC Comics film characters