ITALIAN-MADE SUPERHEROES

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog looks at several vintage characters from Italian creators.

MASKAR

Debuted: 1951

Secret Identity: Unknown

Origin: An ordinary man decided to use his criminology skills to fight crime without endangering his loved ones. He adopted the costumed identity Maskar and went into action.

Powers: Maskar was in peak physical condition, was as agile as an acrobat and was a master of unarmed combat. He was a first-class detective and an expert regarding the supernatural. This hero’s series ran until 1966.

BARBEL

Debuted: 1965

Secret Identity: Barbara Bell

Origin: Fashion model Barbara Bell one day met the twin sister she never knew about. The twin was taken into outer space as an infant. She bestowed superpowers on Barbara so she could combat evil, then left Earth for good.

Powers: Barbel possessed greater than human strength, telepathy and telekinesis plus a degree of invulnerability. Her sidekick was her police detective boyfriend.

AMOK

Debuted: Autumn 1946

Secret Identity: Unknown

Origin: Amok was a large, well-muscled man who lived on the island of Java. One day his girlfriend Nikita (some sources say she was his wife) was abducted by criminals called the Scorpio Gang led by Mr. Kroll. Amok donned a costume and fought the gang then continued opposing the forces of evil.

Powers: This hero wore an armored costume, was stronger than normal men and wielded a pistol and an axe in battle. His leopard Kyo fought at his side.

NOTE: The Amok series ran until 1950, then was reprinted all over Europe. In Sweden it was retitled Kilroy, just like “Kilroy was here”.

XSTACY

Debuted: 1997

Secret Identity: Unknown

Origin: This superheroine gained powers from a peculiar ankh which she wears.

Powers: Xstacy can teleport over distances and between dimensions.

In addition, she can stretch or otherwise modify her own body, hair and costume plus any accessories that she wishes.

CAPITAN ITALIA

Debuted: 1994

Secret Identities: Caesar (no last name) and Walter Venturi

Origin: A villain named Androtti wanted a supersoldier created for his Japanese clients. His rebellious scientist used cybernetics, nanotechnology and advanced prosthetics to transform a man named Caesar into such a figure. A microchip let Caesar resist Androtti’s wishes and instead become a superhero who adopted the name Capitan Italia.

Powers: This hero possessed massive superstrength, invulnerability and could fly. Capitan Italia could also shoot energy blasts from his hands and wore a belt with assorted gadgets on it.

ASSO DI PICCHE (Ace of Spades)

Debuted: 1945

Secret Identity: Gary Peters

Origin: Reporter Gary Peters put on an air of ineptitude as a cover while he, Chinese scientist ally Prince Wang and his fiancee Deanna Farrel secretly worked together to fight crime. Gary donned a costume and called himself Asso di Picche. He was Italy’s first masked and costumed comic book hero.

Powers: Asso di Picche was in peak physical condition, excelled at unarmed combat and was incredibly accurate with the handgun he took into battle.

Prince Wang designed and drove their souped-up car and invented other gadgets for Asso as needed. At one point this hero took on a very Robin-like kid sidekick called Gimmy.

NOTE: Asso di Picche’s series ran from 1945 to 1949.

ATOMIK

Debuted: 1960

Secret Identity: Red Norton

Origin: Intelligence agent Red Norton encountered a scientist who had designed a super-scientific atomic combat suit to be used by Nazi war criminals in hiding. Red put on the suit himself and wiped out the Nazi organization, then continued fighting evil as Atomik.

Powers: Atomik’s outfit granted him super-strength, a degree of invulnerability and let him fire energy blasts from the gloves.

NOTE: Atomik’s archenemy was the Dominator, who had an HQ in the Himalayas where his scientist Professor Diabolicus designed weapons for his schemes to conquer the world. The series ran until 1963 with 38 issues.

ZAKIMORT

Debuted: 1965

Secret Identity: Phaedra Garland

Origin: Heiress Phaedra Garland was shocked to discover that her late father was really the crimelord called Zakimort. He was betrayed and killed by his own organization, so Phaedra donned a costume and battled her father’s gang and other criminal outfits as Zakimort.

Powers: This heroine was in peak physical condition, was an expert in karate and judo and wielded a dagger. She also possessed cat-burglar skills. Zakimort killed as aggressively as other costumed vigilantes. Her series ended in 1974.

VIDEO BOY

Debuted: 1989

Secret Identity: Brian (unknown surname)

Origin: Never revealed.

Powers: Video Boy could travel at will between the real world and what we would today call cyberspace. He is able to fly and can pass through solid matter. Video Boy also shot disintegrating rays from his hands. He can emerge from any active video screen and can use his powers to heal people.

NOTE: This hero sometimes fought to prevent menaces from cyberspace from entering the real world.

L’UOMO BLINDATO (Armored Man)

Debuted: 1940

Secret Identity: Spartaco Ferri

Origin: International adventurer Spartaco Ferri hooked up with a scientist who designed a special combat outfit for him. He then fought crime and spies as l’Uomo Blindato.

Powers: This hero’s armored mesh bodysuit was worn under his pants as well as over his torso to protect him from bullets and other dangers.

He also wields other technology created by his scientist ally as needed.

SUPERWOMEN (yes, plural for some reason)

Debuted: 1966

Secret Identity: Ashley Bowen

Origin: Ashley Bowen volunteered to be the subject of an experiment intended to grant human beings superpowers. She gained such powers but was left horribly disfigured. She then used her powers to fight the forces of evil.

Powers: Ashley Bowen would go into action as Kristine la Superdonna (Superwoman). She possesses such powerful psionic abilities she can make everyone see her as her blonde and beautiful alter ego. Superdonna also has other psychic powers and has gained an incredible intellect.

PLUTOS

Debuted: 1949

Secret Identity: Bill Donovan

Origin: When Bill Donovan’s brother gets killed in the crossfire of warring criminal gangs he secretly gets in shape, dons a costume, rigs weapons for himself and fights crime as Plutos.

Powers: Plutos was in peak physical condition and was a master of unarmed combat. He was also as agile as an acrobat. His pistols shot powerful knockout gas.

NOTE: This series is considered a milestone in Italian superhero comic books, but it proved controversial. Its run ended at 32 issues.

SUPER J

Debuted: 1960

Secret Identity: Unknown

Origin: A laboratory accident caused by sabotage granted this teenager superpowers which he used to fight crime and other menaces.

Powers: Super J possessed super-strength, could fly and had a degree of invulnerability. In addition, he could sense evil thoughts. One of his allies is an elderly man with a spaceship.

NOTE: This hero’s mother was named Jenny and his girlfriend was Marzia.

ATOMAN

Debuted: 1965

Secret Identity: Unknown

Origin: This hero and his brother were born as alien and human hybrids, which is why they each had superpowers. The brother was a villain who called himself Killer, so he adopted the costumed identity Atoman to oppose him and other malefactors.

Powers: Atoman could fly, turn invisible and wielded a ray-gun. I couldn’t find out if his own body provides the energy for the gun, like the American superhero Blue Bolt. His powers would only work after sundown.

SATANIK

Debuted: 1964

Secret Identity: Marnie Bannister, PhD

Origin: Brilliant young Marnie Bannister earned her PhD at age 25 but was very ugly due to a disease which made her look elderly. Eventually, she perfected a serum which made her beautiful but unleashed her evil side. She became the costumed antiheroine called Satanik and ruthlessly eliminated her criminal competitors while still pulling off her own crimes.

Powers: The serum which turned Dr. Bannister into Satanik also amped up her physical prowess to the point of her body healing even from apparently fatal injuries. Satanik devised chemicals and weapons to go along with her athletic fighting abilities.

NOTE: Obviously, Satanik was the female answer to Italy’s iconic comic book antihero Diabolik, whose series is still running, just like Spider-Man, Superman, etc. This villainess also clashed with several supernatural foes during her 10-year run. Lieutenant Trent was her police pursuer.

CAPITAN NOVARA

Debuted: 2004

Secret Identity: Luca Ferrari, insurance agent

Origin: Luca was exposed to radioactive Nova Rays, which granted him superpowers. He uses those powers as Capitan Novara, named after Novara, Italy.

Powers: Capitan Novara can fly and generate Super Nova Blasts. His kicks are practically explosive and his punches release so much power it puts one in mind of One-Punch Man.

NOTE: Luca Ferrari’s girlfriend is Angela della Torre and Capitan Novara’s villains include Dark Dragon, Rospo Rosso, the Golden Dragon Triad and Golem-451.

MISTERO

Debuted: 1946

Secret Identity: Unknown

Origin: This figure was a scientific genius who gained superpowers from a chemical formula he drank.

Powers: Mistero was as strong as several men and was more agile than any other human being. He could leap multiple stories at once but sometimes the panels make it look more like he’s actually flying. Mistero also wielded an atomic pistol which fired ray-blasts.

This hero lived on his island base which included a laboratory and a wingless multi-passenger flying vessel.

ARCANA

Debuted: 1946

Secret Identity: Unknown

Origin: As the lab assistant of the superhero Mistero, Arcana donned a costume and shared many of his adventures,

Powers: Arcana was a brilliant scientist in her own right and exceled at unarmed combat. She and Mistero mostly fought sci-fi villains like invading aliens or hidden realms all over (and under) the Earth. They encountered winged humans, steel robots, lizard-men, cities filled with Vikings, and many more.

RAMARRO (Lizard)

Debuted: 1986

Secret Identity: None

Origin: Ramarro is an alien adventurer who debuted in Italy’s underground comics scene. In fact, he’d have fit into the magazine Heavy Metal just fine. He seeks adventures in strange worlds and weird dimensions, looking for any excuse to charge into battle, heedless of any danger to himself. That’s because he is literally a masochist and craves all the pain and agony he can suffer – coming out the other side hungering for more.

Powers: Ramarro has massive super-strength, incredible agility and his body can heal from almost any injuries. He can even regenerate body parts that get cut off or worse during his heroics. Ramarro has a wry, sardonic nature and revels in the pain he experiences during his adventures and savors the sensations as his body slowly restores itself.