IBERIA INC. – SPAIN’S SUPERHEROES

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog will look at the world of Iberia Inc. Since the 1990s those Spanish-made superheroes and the detailed world surrounding them have made them – in my opinion – Spain’s premier home-grown comic book I.P. since 1996. Sadly, there’s been no new material since 2009.  

TRUENO (Thunder)

Secret Identity: Miguel Angel Roldan

Debut Year: 1996

Origin: Miguel Roldan was a two-time winner of the Nobel Prize in physics. After a laboratory accident destroyed both his hands and part of his arms, he designed cybernetic replacements that he customized with potent superweaponry. From then on he went into action as the superhero Trueno. 

Powers: Trueno’s cyborg parts possess superhuman strength and can shoot energy blasts of varying levels. They can also generate a force field around him. If he is separated from his artificial arms he is able to control them remotely. 

Comment: This hero was the leader of the superhero team called Iberia Inc. (Named, of course, for the Iberian Peninsula.) The group was headquartered on Isla de la Cartuja in Seville.

AQUAVIVA (Water Dweller/ Water Liver) 

Secret Identity: L’nn R’nai

Debut Year: 1996

Origin: Aquaviva is a member of the subaquatic race that lives in the underwater realm called Tartessos.

That ancient city lies to the southwest of Spain and long ago used magic means to conceal the site on the seabed and transform all the inhabitants into ocean dwellers. 

Powers: This superheroine can fly and possesses enough superhuman strength and durability to survive and move easily in the pressure at the ocean’s depths.

Aquaviva also has webbed hands with claws and is able to live on land as well as the sea.

Comment: Aquaviva is a member of the Spanish government’s official superhero team Iberia Inc. As L’nn R’nai she is the Ambassador from Tartessos. 

MELKART (Melqart)

Secret Identity: None.

Debut Year: 1996

Origin: Melkart is the actual Phoenician and Punic deity who acted as the guardian of those ancient civilizations as well as their colonies like Cadiz, Ibiza, Cyprus, Carthage and others.

Four thousand years ago he was put into suspended animation by Greek entities and didn’t awaken until the modern day. 

Powers: This figure is as strong as the likes of Thor, Superman, Hulk and others. His sceptre is suffused with the collected esoteric learning and power of the entire Phoenician and Punic cultures over the millenia.

Comment: Melkart’s sceptre is capable of healing and additional features.

DRAC DE FERRO (Iron Dragon)

Secret Identity: She has revealed this to no one. See below.

Debut Year: 1996

Origin: Drac de Ferro is really a woman from the future. Her existence is tied into a temporal loop. In her native time period she stole the suit of nanotech armor that she wears from unscrupulous people in that era. Traveling back in time she befriended Catalan aristocrat Jaume Serrat i de la Casa.

This brooding, haunted woman knows that in the future Jaume adopts the Drac de Ferro armor after the first Drac de Ferro (whom she now knows was really herself) gets killed by a powerful group called the Mascheratta.

To avoid altering history or unleashing any butterfly effects, the superheroine keeps her inevitable doom and all other personal info a secret even from her teammates in Iberia Inc. She also fights against her feelings for Jaume, who is as yet ignorant of his destiny as Drac de Ferro’s successor. 

Powers: This superheroine’s armor is like liquid metal and can morph its component parts to spawn wings from its back or under its arms for flying, or to enlarge the extremities into sharp, taloned form and many other shapes.

The armor can fly over Mach 5, is invulnerable to fire from tanks, fighter planes and small missiles. On offense, Drac de Ferro’s armor shoots plasma beams and ultrasonic rays. It can also teleport and can “backdoor” its way into any computer system.

Comment: Her teammates in Iberia Inc. are undecided if Drac de Ferro is an android, or male or female. Some of them even suspect she is really Jaume Serrat i de la Casa because they spend so much time together in Alto Ampurdan, Spain.   

DOLMEN (Golem)

Secret Identity: Pere Allyon

Debut Year: 1996

Origin: Pere Allyon was a modern-day descendant of Spanish Jews who had been forced to convert to Catholicism in the 1400s. Allyon worked as a tomb raider and thief. One day he robbed an ancient synagogue and was cursed to transform into a being of living stone. Eventually he gained the ability to revert to human form at will and only turn into Dolmen when necessary.

Powers: In stone form, Dolmen possesses extraordinary height and has strength enough to rival Melkart himself. He is also invulnerable to a huge degree.

Comment: Originally trapped in his living stone form, this hero eventually gained the ability to shrink back to normal size and revert to flesh and blood at will and only turn into his superpowered form when it was necessary.

TRASNU

Secret Identity: None

Debut Year: 1996

Origin: Trasnu is an interdimensional goblin from northern Spain who joined Iberia Inc. to have dangerous fun. In turn, the superhero team keeps Trasnu’s more mischievous and destructive tendencies in check as best they can.

Powers: This being is immortal, can levitate, can mystically change their costume at will and has the power of telekinesis.

Comment: A veritable trickster figure, Trasnu often plays practical jokes on their teammates. They find Earth life amusing and immerse themselves in pop culture, but have a special fondness for Star Trek reruns. When participating in any sort of  adventures involving archeology, Trasnu changes his costume to an Indiana Jones getup.   

LOBISOME (Wolfman)

Secret Identity: Jacinto Larran Olea

Debut Year: 1996

Origin: As the seventh son of a seventh son, Jacinto inherited the curse of lycanthropy.

Powers: Lobisome can transform back and forth between his human and wolfman forms at will. In lupine form he has greater than human strength, speed and senses. He also has formidable claws and teeth, plus he possesses the “efecto fierabras” which lets him heal from any wound. (A “healing factor” you might say.)

Comment: In his secret identity as Jacinto Olea this character maintains his career in writing and archeology while also remaining a member of Iberia Inc.   

TRAKA (Fireworks)

Secret Identity: Esther Blasco Sartorius

Debut Year: 1996

Origin: The hedonistic Esther Blasco Sartorius was from a very wealthy family and spent her teen years partying and recklessly envelope-pushing in regard to illegal substances.

Over time a combination of the designer drugs in her system transformed her into the superheroine called Traka, possibly by activating a latent gene.

Her father’s connections got her membership in Iberia Inc.

Powers: Traka could project and “throw” controlled explosions like balls of light from her hands.

She could also turn her hair and hands into flames. Over time Traka learned to fly as well. 

Comment: Eventually, Traka’s volatility caused her to leave Iberia Inc. but if she settles down she is welcome to return to the team.

        Traka had antagonized her teammates, especially Drac de Ferro and Aquaviva with her aggressive manner. Her open flirtatiousness (though flirtatiousness may be too mild a word) exasperated the rest of Iberia Inc. on top of all that.       

FLECHITA (Arrow)

Secret Identity: Juan Pedro Lazaro

Debut Year: 1996 (But set earlier.)

Origin: In the 1950s to early 1970s, Flechita was the superhero sidekick to Spain’s superhero Capitan Furia (Captain Fury). Though he and the Capitan were wary of long time Spanish Dictator Francisco Franco, they worked for the government to protect Spain from supervillains and other menaces. 

Powers: Flechita possessed mutant empathic powers and was in peak human condition. He was also more agile than an acrobat. He excelled at unarmed combat and had the reflexes of an athlete.

Comment: In the 1990s, Juan Pedro Lazaro became the government minister overseeing Spain’s official superhero group Iberia Inc. Juan Pedro’s daughter was secretly the superheroine Cascabel (Rattlesnake), who belonged to another of Spain’s superteams – Triada Vertice (Peak Trio). 

MIHURA (Brahma Bull)

Secret Identity: Roque Ruiz

Debut Year: 1997

Origin: Roque Ruiz was a mutant who eventually displayed massive superhuman strength. He dominated his tough, poverty-stricken neighborhood, then joined the Spanish Legion. His incredible strength caused him to accidentally kill a fellow soldier and he was discharged. Roque gravitated to the life of a superpowered mercenary and eventually to the Marvelous Circus where he laid low as a circus strongman when not superheroing as Mihura.

Powers: This superhero had strength that was virtually at Melkart levels. He was invulnerable to explosions and most other forces, plus he wore an armband with metal bullhorns as a weapon in battle.

Comment: Mihura Bulls were a famous breed of Spanish bulls used in bullfighting. Mihura is one of the members of Triada Vertice (Peak Trio), another superhero team in Spain that sometimes works with Iberia Inc.   

ESTIGMA (Stigmata)

Secret Identity: Teresa O’Connor

Debut Year: 1997

Origin: Teresa realized she had Holy powers and, since she already worked as a private investigator, let her costumed self Estigma take over in cases that were beyond ordinary humans.

Her faith was unshakeable, and oddly for a Holy Warrior, she was left-handed. 

Powers: Estigma could produce a flaming sword made of Angelfire at will, could read people’s pasts and minds upon physical contact and had enhanced senses. She was a highly skilled combatant.

When she used her powers, however, her palms would start to bleed, which is why she goes by the superhero name Estigma. She tries to ignore the pain in her palms during battle.   

Comment: This superheroine was another founding member of Triada Vertice, a separate superteam in Spain but still in the Iberia Inc. fictional universe.

CASCABEL (Rattlesnake. I know a few other sources translate her name as bell or chime, but Spanish sources confirm it is Rattlesnake.) 

Secret Identity: Covadonga Lazaro

Debut Year: 1997

Origin: Cascabel was the mutant daughter of Flechita, the former superhero turned government minister. Juan Pedro Lazaro (Flechita’s real name) sent his rambunctious daughter to an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland, but she soon ran away from it to join a circus where she met fellow mutant Mihura and learned to use her powers to fight the forces of evil. 

Powers: This superheroine was born with greater than human agility, reflexes and contortionist abilities.

From her father, Spain’s government minister who worked with Iberia Inc, this figure also inherited her father’s mutant ability to influence human emotions.

In Cascabel’s case those empathic powers were even stronger than Flechita’s and rose to the level of clear influence over others. 

Comment: It is suspected that Cascabel used her empathic powers to persuade Mihura and Estigma to join her in forming the superteam Triada Vertice.

   Estigma seemed suspicious regarding this as well, but the separate Triada Vertice series did not last long enough for anything to come of those suspicions. 

CAPITAN FURIA (Captain Fury)

Secret Identity: Classified

Debut Year: 1996 (But set earlier)

Origin: Spain’s government had come into possession of Axis Powers formulae regarding attempts to create enhanced soldiers with superpowers. During the 1950s Spanish scientists worked on different attempts to make even one of the formulae work but only one human guinea pig survived. He became Capitan Furia and was Spain’s patriotic superhero for several years.

Powers: Capitan Furia had a degree of super-strength as well as greater than human speed, agility and durability. He was a master of unarmed combat.

Comment: This superhero also served as a propaganda/ p.r. figure for the ugly Franco Regime in Spain. In 1974 Capitan Furia was exposed as a homosexual and a construction industry racketeer. The public scandal drove him to commit suicide that same year.

DUNA (Dune)

Secret Identity: Celeste Ayala

Debut Year: 1998

Origin: Celeste Ayala was a brilliant computer scientist and the wife of Miguel Angel Roldan (Trueno). A laboratory accident bestowed superpowers on her so she donned a costume and joined Iberia Inc. using the nom de guerre Duna.

Powers: This heroine could manipulate and morph her body and density in ways similar to the Marvel supervillain Sandman and the DC superhero Sand.

Comment: Celeste was originally from Mexico but moved to Spain.   

ESCUADRON GUERNICA (Guernica Squadron)

Debut Year: 1996 (But set earlier)

Members: Camisa Blanca (White Shirt), Alcotan (Falcon), Paloma Roja (Red Dove), Espada (Sword), Clavel (Carnation) and Libertad (Liberty)

Lore: From 1965 to 1968 this mysterious group of superheroes banded together to oppose the fascist Franco Regime in Spain. Franco’s lackeys in the military, media and law enforcement treated the squadron as violent outlaws but dissidents hailed them as heroes.

After three years of daring escapades, Escuadron Guernica disappeared and were assumed captured and/or tortured & killed by the Franco Regime. Capitan Furia was one of their enemies. 

Comment: Long time readers of Balladeer’s Blog may remember my fascination with the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Escuadron Guernica named themselves after Guernica, the famed Spanish city that was devastated through aerial bombing by Franco’s Nazi allies in one of the worst atrocities of that Civil War. 

        Needless to say, I wish we had gotten much, much more material about this group of superheroes – maybe even their own series. Unfortunately, the creative team behind the Iberia Inc. fictional universe never got around to giving us additional information about the valiant freedom fighters before that entire universe lost its creative team to the American comic book industry.

GAVILAN (Sparrowhawk)

Secret Identity: Victor Roma del Castillo 

Debut Year: 1998

Origin: Gavilan was the son of Alcotan, a member of the 1965-1968 superhero team called Escuadron Guernica which fought against the Franco dictatorship. After his father disappeared along with his teammates in that group, Victor was forced to raise himself.

The young man was morally ambiguous and grew up among both the criminal element AND legitimate political dissidents. His father had, after all, been labeled an outlaw like the rest of Escuadron Guernica. Victor received physical training from the former supervillain le Loup Garou, who was dying of cancer.

After his mentor died, Victor became a mercenary and paid assassin who partied hard with his profits. This brought him to the attention of Lince Dorado (Golden Lynx) aka Leonardo Dominguez, an unscrupulous politician and secret crime lord whose supervillain activities go back to when he was the archenemy of Capitan Furia and Flechita.

The wealthy superpowered figure provided Victor’s nom de guerre Gavilan and with his costume, powers and weaponry.

Powers: Gavilan has greater than human strength, speed and agility thanks to regular use of designer drugs provided by Lince Dorado. That villain also gave Gavilan his armor-laced costume, superstrong bo stick and the birdlike talons that Gavilan uses on the back of his hands like Wolverine’s claws.

Comment: Among the missions that Gavilan carried out for Lince Dorado was the abduction of Flechita’s mutant daughter Cascabel, the event that led to the founding of Triada Vertice.

        The superheroine Estigma’s psychometric powers filled her with Gavilan’s memories and feelings and their budding romance deepened Victor’s moral ambiguity and tempted him to quit working for Lince Dorado and atone for his destructive past.   

*** Sadly, there’s been no new Iberia Inc. material since 2009. Below is another Planeta superheroine, though.

SANGRE (Blood)

Secret Identity: I’m working on it.

Debut Year: 1997

Origin: Sangre was descended from Native Americans and Spanish Conquistadors and made her home in the American Southwest and Northwest Mexico. She was very active in the superhero community until the tragic death of someone near to her caused her to return to her desert territory. I’m still researching how she got her powers. Any help would be appreciated.

Powers: Sangre possessed greater than human strength, speed and agility. She also had enhanced senses and extraordinarily strong fingernails/ claws that could slice through hard substances. She was feral and can be thought of as a female version of Wolverine.

Comment: I am still researching this character and I will update her entry as soon as possible. So far the only ebay seller of the comic books with Sangre in them refuses to ship to the United States. 

FOR MY REVIEW OF AUSTRALIA’S HOMEGROWN SUPERHEROES OF THE 1970s & 1980s CLICK HERE.