Halo (DC Comics)

Last updated
Halo
Halo (Gabrielle Doe).png
Halo as depicted in Batman and the Outsiders #4 (September 1983), art by Jim Aparo.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance The Brave and the Bold #200 (July 1983)
Created by Mike W. Barr (writer)
Jim Aparo (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoGabrielle Doe
Species Human/Aurakle (Gestalt Entity)
Team affiliations Outsiders
Strike Force Kobra
Batman Incorporated
Dead Heroes Club
Justice League
Partnerships
Notable aliasesGabrielle Doe
Marissa Baron
Spectrum
Violet Harper [1]
Abilities
See list
  • Aura generation
    • Violet: Self-healing abilities and resurrection, and can produce empowering mental effects that can give her previous body's consciousness control of their shared body.
    • Indigo: Tractor beam.
    • Blue: Hologram generation.
    • Green: Produce halting stasis beams to stop and manipulate enemies.
    • Yellow: Light generation
    • Orange: Concussive blasts.
    • Red: Energy shield generation, destructive heat beams
    • White: Light generation
    • Rainbow: All available powers plus Anti-Life Equation healing.

Halo is a superheroine appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in a special insert in The Brave and the Bold #200 (July 1983) and was created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo. [2]

Contents

The character's origin involves spirit possession. An alien being took over the body of a recently murdered woman and resurrected her. Halo initially suffered from amnesia, having no access to the memories of either the alien or the human host.

Creation

Barr spoke on the genesis for the character stating,

"Feeling that an attractive ingénue as a team member never hurt sales with what in those days was presumed to be a largely male audience I reached back to my fan days, and more specifically Batman #134 recalling the cover story "The Rainbow Creature!", about a being whose different auras each had a different power. Combining these ideas gave us Halo" [3]

Publication history

Halo first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #200 and was created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo. [4]

Fictional character biography

Halo is a gestalt of a human woman named Violet Harper and an Aurakle, an ancient energy-being resembling a sphere of iridescent light. [5] The Aurakle species emerged from the Source billions of years ago at the dawn of time. When sociopath Violet Harper was murdered by Syonide, an operative of the 100 and Tobias Whale, the Aurakle, who had been observing her out of curiosity, was sucked into the newly vacant body, reanimating and possessing it. She was subsequently found and recruited by Batman to serve as a member of the Outsiders. In one early incident, Halo gains access to the memories of the Aurakle's memories and becomes emotional over the tendency of human beings to kill each other. Halo later has to deal with the consequences of her body's previous actions, which required the assistance of the Outsiders team to resolve.

The young Halo is initially the legal ward of her friend and Outsiders teammate Katana. During her stint in the Outsiders, she gains a friend in new member Windfall. [6]

Death

Halo did die, in a manner of speaking, in a much later incident. After the team was framed for the murder of Markovia's queen, which was caused by Roderick and his vampire forces, they were forced to flee. Technocrat's evil ex-wife, Marissa Barron, hires an old associate named Ryer who believes Technocrat had abandoned him in Markovia. As the cyborg Sanction, he nearly kills the Outsiders in Switzerland. Later, in Gotham City, he attacks again, slaying both Marissa and Halo. As with Violet Harper, Halo's essence is sucked into Marissa's body, reanimating it.

During an attempt by the Outsiders to create a new headquarters, other Aurakles would return to reclaim Halo. Halo would later strike up a relationship with Sebastian Faust, a fellow Outsider that not many on the team trusted. The entire team is eventually cleared of wrongdoing. Halo later returns to Markovia. There she assists in combating a portal to Hell that had opened as part of the Day of Judgment incident.

Further adventures

Halo later appears back in the body of its original host, Violet Harper, through unexplained means.

During Infinite Crisis , supervillain prisons around the world are opened as their respective wardens are targeted and blackmailed. Halo is part of a makeshift team of heroes battling a breakout at the Alcatraz prison in San Francisco. She later joins the Battle of Metropolis, which takes place in issue #7, helping other heroes protect the city from an army of super-villains bent on its destruction.

Soon after the events of the crisis, she assists a team of astronauts in a space station searching for heroes missing in action. She detects traces of Zeta radiation, a sign of Adam Strange, one of the many missing.

She is part of another multi-hero battle, this time against the murderous Black Adam. This takes place on Chinese soil, during the limited series World War III.

She makes another brief appearance in Action Comics #843. She is part of dozens of super-powered beings fighting to free themselves from the prison ships of the "Auctioneer".

In Batman and the Outsiders Special (Feb. 2009), Halo is one of the heroes approached by Alfred to form a new team of Outsiders. She accepts in Outsiders vol. 4, #15 and reforms the team with original members Katana, Geo-Force, Black Lightning, and Metamorpho, along with new members Owlman and the Creeper.

Blackest Night

During a recovery mission with the Outsiders, Halo, along with the Creeper and Katana, are confronted by Katana's recently resurrected family. Under the control of their Black Lantern rings, they attack Katana and Halo, with Creeper easily dispatched; he retreats into the woods to get help from their prisoner, Killer Croc. While Katana battles her husband, Halo is forced to fight Katana's children. Although her light-based powers prove ineffective at first, Violet unleashes more power than ever before to save her teammates, whose abilities have no long-term effect on the Lanterns. Finally, she manages to destroy the Black Lantern rings and goes to aid the rest of her team who are also under attack. [7]

Back in their headquarters, the rest of the Outsiders are faced with a recently risen Terra and are hopelessly outmatched until Halo intervenes. With great effort, she manages to separate Terra from her ring and to destroy it while Geo-Force turns Terra's body to stone to keep her from coming back again. Violet, however, seems to disperse into light, her last words being that the (light) is calling her. [8] Afterward, Halo is returned to Earth. [9]

Batman Incorporated

Halo is later selected as a member of a new team of Outsiders, led by Red Robin and funded by Batman Incorporated. [10] Halo and her teammates infiltrate a satellite said to be run by the villainous Leviathan organization, but this is revealed to be a trap set by Lord Death Man and Talia al Ghul. The satellite is destroyed in a massive explosion, making it unclear whether Halo and the others survived. [11]

In The New 52 reboot of DC's continuity, Halo and the Outsiders survived the explosion but were assumed dead. They now work as part of the Dead Heroes Club, a group of heroes who take advantage of their legally-deceased status to perform covert missions for Batman. [12]

In a later series, Halo is once again shown as very naive, freshly rescued from an incident in Markovia. She is under the care of Katana. The government believes Halo simply to be a young girl, unaware of her alien origin and powers. [13]

Powers and abilities

Halo has the ability to fly and to create auras of the seven known rainbow colors around herself, called halos, which have different effects:

The halos provide a measure of defense against similar effects directed against her. For instance, her green stasis halo protected her from being immobilized by the Cryonic Man's freezing gas, and her orange concussive halo can repel physical attacks.

Halo can alternate between her costume and civilian clothes instantly. This transition is accompanied by an aura of primarily black color with white blotches of light.

The negation of the color spectrum will negate Halo's powers; the DC universe has many villains with just such abilities.

In the 1990s, it was shown that should her human body be destroyed, the Aurakle can merge with another recently deceased human.

During the Blackest Night, Violet's powers proved highly effective, allowing her to destroy Black Lanterns and their rings, a feat usually reserved only for the wielders of the various Lantern Corps and the users of the Dove power.

Other versions

The Elseworlds series JLA: Another Nail contains an alternate Halo, as a black woman; her real name and background are unrevealed.

In other media

Television

Film

An alternate universe version of Halo named Aurora appears in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths as a minor member of the Crime Syndicate of America with powers similar to those of a Green Lantern. [17]

Video games

Halo appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure . [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outsiders (comics)</span> Superhero team

The Outsiders are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As their name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who do not fit the norms of the "mainstream" superhero community, i.e. the Justice League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katana (DC Comics)</span> DC Comics character

Katana is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in 1983, Katana is a samurai warrior whose skill with a sword allows her to fight for justice as a superheroine. Her tragic backstory includes the death of her husband, Maseo, whose soul becomes trapped in her blade, the Soultaker. Katana has been part of various DC Comics superhero teams, including the Justice League and Birds of Prey, but is most commonly associated with the Outsiders, a team of heroes hand-picked by Batman to act as his personal black ops team, handling riskier missions. Of the character's first appearances, one critic has noted, "The idea that a superhero would wield a sword which caught the souls of the wielder’s victims was not very superhero-y. But Katana was from the start a rough and tumble character happy to use throwing stars as weapons ."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geo-Force</span> Fictional DC Comics superhero

Geo-Force is a fictional superhero character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Markov is the younger Prince Twin of Markovia and the elder brother of Terra. One of the founding members of the superhero group the Outsiders, he was created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo, and first appeared in a special insert in The Brave and the Bold #200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Choi</span> Comics character

Grace Choi is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Judd Winick and artist Tom Raney, first appearing in Outsiders #1 in the Modern Age of Comic Books. Choi is introduced as a young Asian American woman using her powers of superhuman strength, healing, and enhanced durability to make a living as a nightclub bouncer, who is reluctantly recruited by her superhero acquaintance Roy Harper to join his new crew of heroes, the Outsiders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian Faust</span> Comics character

Sebastian Faust, commonly known as Faust, is a fictional character in DC Comics. Created by Mike Barr and Paul Pelletier, he first appeared in the 1993 Outsiders comic series. The character draws inspiration from the German legend of a man who sold his soul to the Devil. Faust is the son of the supervillain Felix Faust and is depicted as both a superhero and an anti-villain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder (DC Comics)</span> Fictional character published by DC Comics

Thunder is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Judd Winick and artist Tom Raney in the Modern Age of Comic Books. She is first mentioned in Green Arrow #26 and first appears a month later in Outsiders #1. Born Anissa Pierce, she is a metahuman and daughter of superhero Black Lightning, able to increase her physical density and durability and create massive shockwaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creeper (DC Comics)</span> Fictional superhero appearing in DC Comics

The Creeper is a superhero created by Steve Ditko and Don Segall for DC Comics. He is portrayed as a journalist and talk show host, usually living in Gotham City, who gains the ability to transform into the superhuman the Creeper thanks to experimental science developed by Dr. Yatz. First appearing in Showcase #73, his origin was revised in Secret Origins #18 in 1987, then partially revised again in The Creeper #1–4 in 1997, then completely reimagined in the six-issue miniseries The Creeper, published in 2006–2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi)</span> Comics character

Doctor Light is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Kimiyo Hoshi is a distinct character from the villain of the same name. She has, however, crossed paths with the villainous Doctor Light on several occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kobra (DC Comics)</span> Two fictional supervillains published by DC Comics

Kobra is the name used by two supervillains published by DC Comics. The Jeffrey Burr incarnation of Kobra and his brother Jason first appeared in Kobra #1, and were created by Jack Kirby. Jason Burr debuted as Kobra in Faces of Evil: Kobra #1 by Ivan Brandon and Julian Lopez. The Kobra identity is later established as an international terrorist organization that frequently clashes with superheroes associated with the Justice League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secret Society of Super Villains</span> DC Comics supervillain group

Secret Society of Super Villains (SSoSV) is a DC Comics title that debuted in May–June 1976. The series presented a group of DC's supervillains, mostly foes of the Justice League of America. The series was cancelled with issue #15 in July 1978, as part of the DC Implosion, a period when DC suddenly cancelled dozens of comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Looker (character)</span> DC Comics character

Looker is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character's first appearance was in 1985 in Batman & the Outsiders #25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baron Bedlam</span> Comics character

Baron Bedlam is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders #1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobias Whale</span> Fictional character

Tobias Whale is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Black Lightning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technocrat (character)</span> Comics character

Technocrat is a superhero in the DC Comics and a former member of the Outsiders. His first appearance was in Outsiders Alpha #1, written by Mike W. Barr and drawn by Paul Pelletier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Ferris</span> Fictional character in DC Comics

Caroline "Carol" Ferris is a fictional character appearing in the DC Comics Universe. She is one of many characters who has used the name Star Sapphire, and the long-time love interest of Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern. In her role as Star Sapphire, Ferris has been active as both a supervillain and, more recently, as a superhero.

Young Justice is an American superhero adult animated television series developed by Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The show, instead of a direct adaptation of Peter David, Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, is an original story set in the DC Universe with a focus on teenage and young adult superheroes.

Dr. Helga Jace is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe. She is a supporting character of the Outsiders and was the scientist responsible for giving Princess Tara/Terra and her elder brother Prince Brion/Geo-Force their earth-controlling powers.

References

  1. Batman Incorporated (vol. 2) #1
  2. Wallace, Dan (2008). "Halo". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 152. ISBN   978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC   213309017.
  3. Barr, Mike W. Batman and the Outsiders Vol. 1. DC Comics. ISBN   1401268129.
  4. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 136. ISBN   978-1-4654-5357-0.
  5. Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. p. 174. ISBN   9780345501066.
  6. Adventures of the Outsiders #34 (June 1986)
  7. Outsiders vol. 4, #24 (November 2009)
  8. Outsiders vol. 4, #25 (December 2009)
  9. Outsiders vol. 4, #31 (July 2010)
  10. Batman Inc. #6 (May 2011)
  11. Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes #1 (December 2011)
  12. Batman Incorporated (vol. 2) #1 (May 2012)
  13. Suicide Squad: Black Files #1 (2018)
  14. Diaz, Eric (July 26, 2018). "YOUNG JUSTICE: OUTSIDERS Creators Talk a Darker Season Full of Metahuman Trafficking". Nerdist.
  15. Fazal, Zehra. "What a ridiculously awesome day at Comic-Con. I can officially announce I've joined the cast of Young Justice Outsiders as the voice of Halo. So psyched for y'all to get to know her and see this AMAZING season coming soon to @thedcuniverse. #youngjustice #youngjusticeoutsiders #comingsoon #sdcc #sdcc2018 #halo #😇". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24.
  16. "Halo / Violet Harper Voice - Young Justice (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved May 13, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
  17. "JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS". December 23, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-12-23. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  18. Eisen, Andrew (October 4, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved May 13, 2024.