Appa Ali Apsa
Appa Ali Apsa is a male comic character that features in DC Comics.
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Biography
Appa Ali Apsa, a.k.a. "the Old-Timer" and/or "the Mad Guardian," is one of the immortal Guardians of the Universe, creators of the lawkeeping Green Lantern Corps.
At some point, he joined a secret cabal of interstellar beings that assembled to bring peace to the universe and stop constant warfare among sentient races. Thus, he became a member of the Circle that included Sardath of Rann, a Thanagarina Defense Minister, King Myand'r of Tamaran and Empress Ganeldo of the Fourteen Suns. This powerful union assembled in secret but in time began to seek more proactive measures in battling evil with this primarily being done so by Ganeldo. Though the rest of the Circle, Ganeldo decided to act on her own where she eliminated numerous perceived threats and was responsible for empowering Rogol Zaar as an agent who destroyed Krypton. (Supergirl v7 #28)
After Oliver Queen points out to the Guardians that they are too distanced from the mortals they have sworn to protect, the Guardians choose Appa Ali Apsa as their representative to experience life on Earth. <ref>Green Lantern Vol. 2 #76 (April 1970)</ref> Travelling across the U.S.A. with Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Green Arrow Oliver Queen, Appa experiences many adventures and learns some valuable lessons about life. He later renounces his Guardian title, powers and immortality and chooses to travel the universe.
Appa Ali Apsa continued his cross-country human observation journey alongside Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen, arriving next in the systematic company town of Desolation. He observed the localized operational setup dictated by a tyrannical mining boss named Slapper Soames, who planned to execute a young worker named Johnny Walden to silence the revolutionary folk songs he sang to inspire the oppressed local population to seek a better way of life. When Hal Jordan prepared to intervene with his power ring, the distant Guardians of the Universe on Oa suddenly established remote communication to explicitly reveal that they had drastically reduced the ring's overall energy capacity to enforce Jordan's official leave of absence. Appa Ali Apsa remained entirely detached from direct physical combat, acting as a quiet, calculating witness while a weakened Jordan and Green Arrow teamed up with the mistreated townspeople to launch an aggressive front-line assault against Soames' fortified stronghold. Throughout the intense conflict, Appa Ali Apsa carefully tracked how the three-dimensional mortal humans weaponized unity, courage, and ideological songs to shatter the mining boss's absolute corporate authority and secure their social freedom, gathering critical empirical notes on human systemic behavior before traveling forward with his companions to explore the next destination along the American highways. (Green Lantern v2 #77)
Shortly after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Guardians withdraw from this universe to mate with the Zamarons, but Appa Ali Apsa remains on the planet Maltus. When Sinestro is executed by the Corps, the central power battery starts discharging energy and reclaims the majority of the Corps members' power rings to contain it. Appa follows Jordan into the central battery, which restores Appa's Guardian powers and immortality, and helps Jordan prevent the yellow impurity from being released. Appa chooses to remain alone on the planet Oa. However, the isolation causes him to slowly lose his mind. The former Green Lantern called Priest decides to help the Guardian, but is ultimately killed by the Old-Timer after refusing to give up his own mind to merge with Appa's.
Now completely insane, Appa Ali Apsa ends his solitude by transporting multiple cities from multiple planets to Oa, as his playthings and company, creating the "Mosaic World". All these are cities that Appa had visited during his many travels, including several from the U.S.A. Earth's Green Lanterns Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner intervene and oppose the mad Guardian. Finally, his brethren Guardians return from oblivion and defeat him. Appa Ali Apsa dies in the battle.
In the subsequent series Green Lantern: Mosaic, John Stewart becomes the protector of the Mosaic world. He believes he hears Appa Ali Apsa's voice in his mind.
Whilst investigating the truth about Rogol Zaar, Kara Zor-El arrived on Mogo in an attempt to access the Green Lantern archives. Whilst bearing Zaar's weapon, a hidden message from the Guardian Appa Ali Apsa was played where he revealed his involvement in the Circle and that this hidden cabal had unleashed Rogol Zaar in the cosmos where his actions had brought about Krypton's destruction. (Supergirl v7 #22)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Appa Ali Apsa was a small male humanoid who served as a sovereign leader within the immortal council on the planet Oa. He possessed an exceptionally short stature that stood roughly half the height of an average adult human male, paired with a small, slender body build. His most defining physical trait was his skin, which was entirely a distinct shade of bright blue, contrasting with his large, hairless head that showcased a fringe of long white hair running along the lower back and sides of his scalp. His face featured large, expressive blue eyes, a prominent nose, and deeply lined features that mirrored advanced age despite his functional immortality. Appa Ali Apsa's standard uniform consisted of an elegant, flowing red robe equipped with a high, rigid collar that framed his neck, featuring a prominent, circular white emblem displayed squarely in the center of his chest. (Green Lantern v2 #76)
He came to hold a great sense of regret over the actions of Rogol Zaar as the agent had been an operative of the Circle through Ganeldo. Thus, he recruited a confession of his involvement and intended for these recordings to be delivered to his brother Guardians. (Supergirl v7 #29)
Powers and abilities
Appa Ali Apsa was born a natural member of an ancient, hyper-evolved extraterrestrial species native to the planet Maltus before migrating to establish absolute cosmic order on Oa. On a basic feats level, this specialized physiology granted him near-infinite psionic mastery, near-omniscience, and absolute biological immortality that rendered him completely immune to organic aging, terrestrial diseases, and the vacuum of space. He possessed the exceptional innate capability to manifest massive constructs of raw mental energy, project impenetrable telekinetic force fields, and communicate instantly across vast interstellar distances via advanced telepathy. Appa Ali Apsa could manipulate the molecular structure of physical matter with a thought, allowing him to fly unsupported at FTL velocities and survive extreme physical blunt-force trauma that would instantly obliterate a mortal being. Despite these vast, godlike capabilities, Appa Ali Apsa could voluntarily suppress his own active power matrix to experience life on a mortal plane, leaving his physical form temporarily dependent on conventional human transportation and vulnerable to localized environments during his systemic observation of the human race. (Green Lantern v2 #76)
Appa Ali Apsa had all the powers of his fellow Guardians of the Universe. His body was a living receptacle of the energy found in the Green Lantern's Power Battery, and could be wielded by force of will power. Appa was virtually immortal due to the power. He had vast psionic powers, including telepathy, telekinesis, and thought projection.
Notes
- Appa Ali Apsa was created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams where he made his first appearance in Green Lantern v2 #76 (April, 1970).
In other media
Television
- In Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Appa Ali Apsa appeared as a character in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Brian George.
Film
- In Green Lantern: First Flight, Appa Ali Apsa appeared in the animated DVD film where he was voiced by actor William Schallert.
- In Green Lantern, Appa Ali Apsa appeared in the live-action 2011 film.
- In Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, Appa Ali Apsa appeared in the animated DVD film where he was voiced by actor Tony Amendola.
Appearances
- Green Lantern v2: (1970)
- Supergirl v7:
External links
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