Arak (DC)
Arak is a male comic character who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Bright-Sky-After-Storm
It was noted that his mother Star-of-Dawn of the Quontauka Native tribe was seduced by an evil serpent god while wandering alone. She realized at the last moment what was happening, and tried to escape before the final act. She was rescued by He-No, the Thunder God. He took her into his realm and under his care she recovered from the serpent god's venomous bite. Although she married him in gratitude, she did not really love him, and missed her people; so he returned her to her tribe. Her father, the tribal shaman, recognized the touch of both deities upon her, and that she bore He-No's child. She named him Bright-Sky-After-Storm, for 'he will follow in his father's footsteps, who is the thunder'. Years later, a tribe that worshipped the serpent deity attacked while the serpent itself attacked He-No; the Thunder God was winning but saw his son about to die. He struck down the attacker, suffering severe wounds in the process. While most of the Quontauka were slaughtered, He-No arranged for Bright-Sky-After-Storm to wind up in a canoe and float out to sea, beyond his enemies' reach.
He was discovered as a boy in a canoe out at sea by a band of Vikings. Arak was rescued just before the canoe sank. He was unconscious, but awakened just long enough to utter the phrase 'He-No' a few times and swing a knife at the Viking leader. He was not attacking, but cut off the leader's necklace which had a hammer symbol called a hammer of thunder, related to the god Thor. The leader wanted to kill him, but another Viking stopped him and adopted the boy.
Arak was raised as a Viking, trained in warfare. He was particularly effective with a small axe, similar in proportion to a Native American club he was found with, but could also use a sword, shield, and bow. Arak joined the Vikings as a young man on their raids. They consisted mostly of raiding monasteries for treasure, including a huge gold bejeweled cross which the captain hung upside down on the mast as a good luck hammer of thunder. But tragedy struck when a sea serpent attacked the Vikings and some monks. All of the Vikings, including Arak's adoptive father, were killed. Arak seized the gold cross and said "Hammer of one god, or cross of another, strike for me now!", he threw the cross, which had a sharp bottom, at the serpent. The cross pierced the roof of its mouth and entered its brain, killing it. Arak managed to save one monk. The monk told him that God had delivered them. Arak replied he does not know it if it was the monk's god, thunder, or his own god, whom he had all but forgotten.
Eight years later, Arak joined his Viking companions on a raid of Northumbrian Monastery, but after looting the monks Arak stayed his companions from slaughtering the monks. The Vikings knew Arak would never be a true Viking. A year later Arak and the Vikings raided the same monastery, but found it under the control of sorceress Angelica, Princess of White Cathay. Angelica and the monks killed the Viking party, with only Arak and his rival Sigvald spared. Arak pledged himself to Angelica's service, and she told him they would travel to see Carolus Magnus of Frankland. Before they set sail she summoned a sea serpent to kill Sigvald and the remaining monks, but Arak could not stay his hand and attacked the serpant. A thunderbolt killed the serpent, making Arak question if he was not truly the sun of He-No. Arak was in time to save only one monk, Brother Phillip. Angelica had gone to Frankland without Arak, but Arak was determined to meet her there. (Arak: Son of Thunder v1 #1) Arak shipwrecked on the island of Lord Hessa and Corinna. He was captured by Hessa's Iron Ones, and after revealing that he sought Carolus Magnus Hessa mistook him for a spy and imprisoned him in a dungeon. There he met Carolus' former court wizard Malagigi, who warned him that Corinna was not the beautiful and innocent maid she appeared to be. Corinna freed Arak and convinced him to help her escape from Hessa's magic and the magical binding that kept her on the island. When Arak succeeded he learned Corinna was Hessa's mother and the lover of demon Belial, but she was freed from both their protections and now free to roam the world. Arak slew Hessa in battle, and confronted Belial, who wanted his woman back. Corinna lost her immortal youth when separated from Belial's magic, so she agreed to return to him. With the demon and his lover vanished Malagigi was free, and gave Arak a sword and offered to lead him to Carolus. (Arak: Son of Thunder v1 #2)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Powers and abilities
Notes
- Arak was created by Roy Thomas and Ernie Colón where he made his first appearance in The Warlord v1 #48 (August, 1981).
Alternate Versions
- In Telos v1 #2 (2016), an alternate version of the character came to be transformed into Telos.
Appearances
- The Warlord v1: (1981)
External Links
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