Thomas Kalmaku

Thomas Kalmaku
Thomas Kalmaku, from Green Lantern vol. 4, #35 (Nov. 2008). Art by Ivan Reis.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Green Lantern vol. 2, #2 (Oct. 1960)
Created by	John Broome Gil Kane
In-story information
Team affiliations	Ferris Aircraft New Guardians
Supporting character of	Hal Jordan
Notable aliases	Pieface
Abilities	Aerospace engineering Business executive Mechanic

Thomas "Pieface" Kalmaku is a fictional character, a supporting character associated with Green Lantern in comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by writer John Broome and penciler Gil Kane.

Fictional character biography

Thomas Kalmaku was introduced in Green Lantern vol. 2, #2 (Oct. 1960) as a young Inuk mechanic at Ferris Aircraft, also the employer of test pilot Hal Jordan. ^[1] In the Silver Age he was referred to as Pieface; however, this has not been used for some time. As one journalist described:

Hal Jordan's mechanic was an Inuit unfortunately called "Pieface"—and despite fan speculation, that comes not from the ice-cream treat Eskimo Pie, which goes unmentioned in the early comics, but from an existing term for 'a person with a round face and a blank ... expression', according to the 1960 edition of The Dictionary of American Slang . Yet Thomas Kalmaku, as he was formally named, was Jordan's smart, capable, and always respectfully depicted best friend, eventually becoming a business executive and more. As played by Taika Waititi in the [2011 Green Lantern] film, he's an aerospace engineer. ^[2]

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 identity and kept a journal of Green Lantern's adventures, which he later published as a biography. In several stories, as a non-costumed sidekick, he either assisted the hero or required rescuing.

In Millennium , Kalmaku becomes a founding member of the New Guardians despite his lack of powers, and helps Guy Gardner with his anger issues. He eventually leaves the team to be with his family.

The graphic novel Legacy: The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan focuses on Kalmaku and his difficulty dealing with the aftermath of Jordan's time as Parallax. 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 the Guardians of the Universe once offered Kalmaku a power ring, but he turned it down. ^[3] Additionally, Hal Jordan had once considered him as a potential replacement.

Kalmaku appears in the Green Lantern: Secret Origin storyline, which reworked some aspects of the Green Lantern mythos. In this new origin, he greatly disliked being called "Pieface", leading Hal Jordan to defend him from an arrogant pilot. ^[4]

Other versions

• An alternate universe variant of Thomas Kalmaku from Earth-21 appears in DC: The New Frontier .
• An alternate universe variant of Thomas Kalmaku appears in Flashpoint . ^{[5] [6] [7]}

In other media

Television

• Kairo, a character inspired by Tom Kalmaku, appears in The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure , voiced by Paul Frees. ^[8]
• Tom Kalmaku appears in the Young Justice episode "Depths", voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. ^[9]

Film

• Tom Kalmaku makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Justice League: The New Frontier .
• Tom Kalmaku appears in Green Lantern , portrayed by Taika Waititi. ^[10] This version is an aerospace engineer and employee of Ferris Aircraft.

Video games

Tom Kalmaku appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure . ^[11]

References

1. 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. 164. ISBN   978-1-4654-5357-0.
2. Lovece, Frank (Jun 11, 2011). "Shedding light on 'Green Lantern'". Newsday . Newsday Media. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
3. Johns, Geoff  ( w ), Acuña, Daniel  ( a ),Acuña, Daniel ( col ),Lanham, Travis ( let ), Tomasi, Peter  ( ed )."Mystery of the Star Sapphire: Part 1" Green Lantern ,vol. 4,no. 18(May 2007).New York, NY: DC Comics .
4. Johns, Geoff  ( w ), Reis, Ivan  ( p ),Albert, Oclair ( i ),Mayor, Randy ( col ),Leigh, Rob ( let ), Berganza, Eddie  ( ed )."Secret Origin: Book 2" Green Lantern ,vol. 4,no. 30(June 2008).New York, NY: DC Comics .
5. Schlagman, Adam ( w ), Oliver, Ben  ( a ),Passalaqua, Allen ( col ), Abbott, Wes  ( let ),Cunningham, Brian ( ed )."Rising Tide" Flashpoint: Hal Jordan ,vol. 1,no. 1(August 2011).New York, NY: DC Comics .
6. Schlagman, Adam ( w ),Richards, Cliff ( a ),Passalaqua, Allen ( col ), Abbott, Wes  ( let ),Cunningham, Brian ( ed )."Beware Its Power!" Flashpoint: Hal Jordan ,vol. 1,no. 2(September 2011).New York, NY: DC Comics .
7. Schlagman, Adam ( w ),Richards, Cliff ( a ),Passalaqua, Allen ( col ), Abbott, Wes  ( let ),Cunningham, Brian ( ed )."Hard-Travelling Hero" Flashpoint: Hal Jordan ,vol. 1,no. 3(October 2011).New York, NY: DC Comics .
8. Aaron (November 7, 2009). "Saturday Morning 1967- Green Lantern". Silver Age Gold. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
9. "Thomas Kalmaku Voice - Young Justice (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved August 5, 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.
10. Kit, Borys (March 16, 2010). "Two kiwi actors join "Green Lantern"". Reuters . Thomson Reuters . Retrieved June 17, 2011.
11. Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved August 5, 2024.