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Judomaster | |
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![]() Rip Jagger as Judomaster. Cover of Special War Series #4 (November 1965), art by Frank McLaughlin. | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | (Rip) Special War Series #4 (November 1965) (Unnamed) Justice League Quarterly #14 (March 1994) (Thomas) Checkmate #1 (July 2006) (Sato) Birds of Prey #100 (January 2007) |
Created by | Rip Joe Gill Frank McLaughlin (Unnamed) Paul Kupperberg Mike Collins (Thomas) Greg Rucka Jesús Saíz Sato Gail Simone Nicola Scott |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Hadley "Rip" Jagger Unnamed Thomas Jagger Sonia Sato |
Species | (All) Human |
Place of origin | (All) Earth |
Team affiliations | (Rip) United States Army All-Star Squadron L.A.W. (Thomas) Checkmate (Sato) Birds of Prey Justice Society of America Big Monster Action |
Abilities | (All) Martial artist specializing in judo |
Judomaster is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Charlton Comics, and, later, DC Comics. [1]
The Hadley "Rip" Jagger incarnation of Judomaster appears in the television series Peacemaker , portrayed by Nhut Le.
Creator Frank McLaughlin explained the character's creation: "I had developed the character Judomaster and was anxious to leave… Charlton to work freelance exclusively, Charlie Santangelo was in charge of Charlton at the time. He and I played judo at the same dojo, so his interest in my character was more than a passing one… he ageed to give me a shot and publish Judomaster, and that's when it hit the fan". [2]
Hadley "Rip" Jagger, a sergeant in World War II in the United States Army. He rescued the daughter of a Pacific island chief and, in return, was taught the martial art of judo. [3] He had a kid sidekick named Tiger who later became Nightshade's martial arts instructor as an adult.
Judomaster's title lasted from #89 to #98, from June 1966 to December 1967. It was a retitling of Gunmaster, which was itself a retitling of Six-Gun Heroes. [4]
Along with most Charlton Comics superhero characters, the rights to Judomaster were sold to DC Comics, with Judomaster becoming a member of the All-Star Squadron. [5] Tiger was re-imagined as the villain Avatar in the L.A.W. miniseries published by DC Comics, which re-teamed the Charlton characters that had been acquired by DC. In the same series, it is shown Judomaster lived for some time in the fictional city of Nanda Parbat, and did not age there due to the altered passage of time.
During the "Infinite Crisis" storyline, Judomaster is killed by Bane. [6]
Andreas Havoc, an enemy of Thunderbolt, challenged Thunderbolt to battle, feeling that his rightful position as "Vajra" had been stolen by him. The Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and Nightshade assisted Thunderbolt in battling Havoc in a psychic battle while a new, never-named Judomaster helped rescue the heroes in the physical world.
Thomas "Tommy" Jagger is the son of Hadley Jagger, from whom he inherited the name Judomaster. Jagger is also one of Checkmate's top field agents, within which he is known as the White Knight, and is an openly gay man.
Jagger is conflicted when Checkmate becomes involved in the elections of Santa Prisca at the request of the United Nations. Bane, his father's killer, is suspected of ballot stuffing, intimidation, and falsifying election results. Jagger volunteers for the mission and is turned down by White King/Mr. Terrific. Josephine Tautin, the Black Queen's Knight, is picked, but a medical emergency prevents her from going. Reluctantly, Terrific agrees to Jagger's deployment, along with Fire. The mission is complicated by Fire when she acts on orders secretly given to her by Amanda Waller that results in Bane's direct intervention with Jagger. He resists the desire to avenge his father for honor, but does manage to beat Bane in a fight. The two agents make it to their exfiltration point and return to Checkmate headquarters, where Jagger informs the Royals of Fire's sabotage. [7]
A female Judomaster, Sonia Sato, is introduced in the Birds of Prey series as a member of the eponymous group. Sonia is a metahuman with the ability to project an "aversion field" which prevents her from being hit by attacks specifically aimed at her. This does not include attacks that have no aim, such as random projectiles and explosions. With the help of the Justice Society of America, she stops yakuza assassins led by Tiger. Sonia is in a relationship with Damage, kissing him even after his temporarily healed face was reverted to his heavily scarred one. [8]
Sonia's romance with Damage is ended when he is killed by the reanimated Jean Loring during Blackest Night . Now part of Magog's All-Star Justice Society of America squadron, Sonia assists her teammates in repelling the Black Lantern invasion of Manhattan. Sonia and Atom Smasher search the city for survivors, only to stumble upon Damage, now a member of the Black Lantern Corps, tearing the heart out of a police officer. [9] After the end of Blackest Night, a grieving Judomaster plans to revert to her earlier plan of vengeance against Tiger, her father's killer, feeling that without Damage's love she has nothing else to anchor to a happier life. She is stopped by King Chimera, who convinces Sonia to enact Damage's last wishes by sparing Tiger's life. [10]
In Doomsday Clock , Judomaster appears as a member of Big Monster Action. [11]
Rip Jagger appears in Batman: Soul of the Dragon , voiced by Chris Cox. [17] This version is a student of O-Sensei and member of the Kobra cult. He kills Jade to unleash Nāga from his dimension before being killed by his demonic servants.
The Sonia Sato incarnation of Judomaster appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure . [18]
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