Peter Stanchek

Last updated
Sting
Peterstanchek.jpg
Publication information
Publisher Valiant Comics
First appearance Harbinger #1 (January 1992)
Created by Jim Shooter
David Lapham
In-story information
Alter egoPeter Stanchek
Team affiliations Harbinger Resistance
AbilitiesPeter is an Omega Harbinger and can control the full spectrum of mind based abilities, including telepathy, telekinesis, mind-control, and can activate latent Harbinger powers in others

Sting (Peter Stanchek) is a fictional superhero. Created by legendary writer and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. First appearing in Harbinger #1 (Jan. 1992), he is the star of the Harbinger comic book series, where he leads a group of renegade Harbingers against Toyo Harada and the Harbinger Foundation.

Contents

Story

Toyo Harada is the first publicly known Harbinger, and unlike subsequent Harbingers he was able to make his powers manifest at will, or activate the powers of others.

Harada is an Omega Harbinger: he commands the full spectrum of psionic abilities, which he uses to create a multinational corporation and amass a large fortune. Fearing the world is on a course to destroy itself, he plans to take it over and mold it to his specifications. To this end he creates the Harbinger Foundation, which actively searches for potential Harbingers.

Pete Stanchek is a normal teenager until he develops Harbinger abilities. After seeing an advertisement he contacts the Harbinger Foundation. Harada is intrigued by Pete, who is the only other Harbinger to have triggered his own powers and who exhibits multiple abilities. Harada is no longer the only Omega Harbinger.

Harada tries to persuade Pete to join the Harbinger Foundation and become Harada's right-hand man, but when Pete's best friend, who had been vocal about his distrust for Harada, is murdered by the Foundation, Pete realizes the truth.

Pete, along with Kris (a high school cheerleader who, he later realizes, he had been unconsciously mentally controlling so that she would go out with him) become renegades. They decide to recruit Harbingers themselves, activate their abilities and form an army capable of challenging Harada.

Later in the series, it is revealed that Harada has in fact been mentally manipulating the Harbinger rebels, and Pete and Harada face off in a battle royale. Harada is left comatose and Pete supposedly powerless. Pete's fellow renegades go their separate ways, with Pete wandering off into the night with his teammate Flamingo, only to resurface later on as "The Harbinger," an armored, brainwashed servant of Harada, hunting down new rogue Harbingers. He is opposed by the mysterious masked hero "The Visitor," who in turn is revealed to be an alternate future version of Pete himself. At the close of the Visitor's self-titled series, the present-day Pete breaks free from his programming and is forced to join forces with Harada and the Visitor to save the world from an alien invasion. After their triumph and the death of the Visitor, Pete warns Harada to leave him and Flamingo alone.

Homosexuality

According to Jim Shooter, the character of Pete Stanchek was meant to have been gay. [1] Titles featuring the character were cancelled before this was revealed, although it was heavily implied in the pages of Shooter's unpublished Unity 2000 miniseries, in which a villainness offers to change her form to that of a man to appeal to Pete.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Grey</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Jean Elaine Grey is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix and Dark Phoenix. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #1. Jean is a member of a subspecies of humans known as mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. She was born with psionic powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazo</span> DC Comics supervillain

Amazo is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky and first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #30 as an adversary of the Justice League of America. Since debuting during the Silver Age of Comic Books, the character has appeared in comic books and other DC Comics-related products, including animated television series, trading cards and video games. Traditionally, Amazo is an android created by the villain scientist Professor Ivo and gifted with technology that allows him to mimic the abilities and powers of superheroes he fights, as well as make copies of their weapons. His default powers are often those of Flash, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern. He is similar and often compared with the later created Marvel android villain Super-Adaptoid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valiant Comics</span> American comic book publisher

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 company was restarted as part of Valiant Entertainment by entrepreneurs Dinesh Shamdasani and Jason Kothari in 2005 after Acclaim declared bankruptcy in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnus, Robot Fighter</span> Fictional superhero

Magnus, Robot Fighter is a fictional superhero who battles rogue robots in the year 4000, appearing in comic books created by writer/artist Russ Manning in 1963. Magnus first appeared in Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #1, published by Gold Key Comics in February 1963. The character was subsequently published by Valiant Comics and Acclaim Comics in the 1990s, and was reintroduced by Dark Horse Comics in August 2010. Some aspects of the concept have varied with each publisher.

Harbingers are fictional comic book superhuman beings who appear in books published by Valiant Comics. Two different groups of Harbingers appeared in the comic book series Harbinger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloodshot (comics)</span> Fictional superhero from Valiant Comics

Bloodshot is a fictional superhero created in 1992 by Kevin VanHook, Don Perlin, and Bob Layton, appearing in books published by the American publisher Valiant Comics. The Bloodshot character has had different origins and incarnations, but he is consistently a character empowered by experimental nanites injected into his bloodstream, a procedure that leaves a red circular scar on his chest, hence the name. This gives Bloodshot enhanced physical traits, the ability to repair damage to his body, an internal database of weapons and hand-to-hand combat training, and a mental connection to computers (technopathy). A side effect of the use of his powers is that his skin becomes chalk-white and his eyes become red. Other powers vary with each incarnation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archer & Armstrong</span> Comics character

Archer & Armstrong is a superhero duo in the Valiant Comics universe. The two were originally created by writer and artist Barry Windsor-Smith and introduced in their own self-titled comic book series in 1992. After Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant Comics in 1996, the two characters were rebooted in a series of one-shot comics entitled Eternal Warriors. Valiant Entertainment, Inc. relaunched the Valiant Comics universe yet again in 2012 and Archer & Armstrong Volume 2 introduced a new version of the duo. Their stories are a mix of dark superhero action and comedic adventures.

<i>Harbinger</i> (comic book) American comic book series

Harbinger is an American comic book series published by Valiant Comics about a group of teenage super-powered outcasts known as Harbingers.

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

Ninjak is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by Valiant Comics. The original incarnation of the character was created by Mark Moretti and Joe Quesada, The character was first introduced as a ninja and spy in the Valiant Comics series Bloodshot in July, 1993. His appearance in that series served to encourage interest ahead of his own self-titled series, which began in November that same year. Acclaim Entertainment bought out Valiant Comics in 1996, after which Ninjak and other characters were rebooted. The Acclaim Ninjak series lasted only a year. Valiant Comics later returned and rebranded as Valiant Entertainment, and a new version of Ninjak, more in-line with the original incarnation, was introduced to readers in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H.A.R.D. Corps</span> Fictional superhero team

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, and were created by Jim Shooter and David Lapham.

The Harbinger Resistance is a fictional organization appearing in the Valiant Comics universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psi Lords</span>

The Psi-Lords are a fictional team of superheroes from the Valiant Comics universe.

In American comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is a human being that possesses a genetic trait called the X-gene. It causes the mutant to develop superhuman powers that manifest at puberty. Human mutants are sometimes referred to as a human subspecies Homo sapiens superior or simply Homo superior. Mutants are the evolutionary progeny of Homo sapiens, and are generally assumed to be the next stage in human evolution. The accuracy of this is the subject of much debate in the Marvel Universe.

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

Michael Pointer is a fictional character code-named Omega, a mutant appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Avengers #16 as the Collective before becoming a member of the Omega Flight team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Dysart</span> American comic book writer

Joshua Dysart is an American comic book writer. He has done work for DC Comics, Vertigo Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Image Comics, Valiant Entertainment, IDW Publishing, Penny-Farthing Press, Virgin Comics and Random House Books.

Kenuichio Harada, also known as the original Silver Samurai, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A mutant with the power to charge his own katana, the character first appeared in Daredevil #111, and was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Bob Brown. The character is depicted usually as a recurring nemesis of Wolverine.

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

Livewire is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by Valiant Comics. Created by Bob Layton and Joe St. Pierre. Livewire first appeared in Harbinger #15. She later played a major role in the Secret Weapons (1993) series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith Herbert</span> Comics character

Faith Herbert aka Zephyr is a fictional superhero, who has appeared in various series published by Valiant Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and David Lapham, she is a member of the Harbinger Renegades who appear primarily in Valiant's Harbinger series, as well as a major influence in the larger Valiant Universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starman (Prince Gavyn)</span> Fictional comics superhero

Starman (Prince Gavyn) is a superhero in DC Comics, as one of several heroes called Starman within the DC Universe. Created by writer Paul Levitz and designed by artist Steve Ditko, the character debuted in Adventure Comics #467 in November, 1979 (cover dated January 1980). The character appeared in only 13 stories between 1979 and 1981. In 1986, he was briefly mentioned in the crossover comic Crisis on Infinite Earths as having recently died while trying to protect his native planet. Prince Gavyn's story was expanded in a later Starman comic book series published from 1994 to 2001 that focused on the hero Jack Knight and revisited all DC characters who had used the Starman name. The same series reveals Gavyn's life energy survives in the body of Will Payton, another DC Comics hero called Starman.

The Valiant Universe is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles that are published by Valiant Comics take place.

References

  1. Cronin, Brian (2008-07-11). "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #163". Comics Should Be Good. Comic Book Resources . Retrieved 2008-07-12.