Tyroc
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Tyroc (Troy Stewart) was a member of DC Comics's fictional Legion of Super-Heroes from the 1970s through the 1990s. The character debuted in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #216, April (1976). Created by Cary Bates (writer) and Mike Grell (artist).
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[edit] History
Tyroc was the only resident superhero of the island of Marzal, which usually existed in a different dimension. Like Brigadoon, Marzal Island would sometimes reappear on Earth. Unlike the legendary Scottish village, Marzal remained on Earth for several years at a time in a location near a coast of Africa. In the native language of Marzal, "Tyroc" means, "Scream of the Devil".
Tyroc was a late era Blaxploitation character, with a seventies style afro, and a high collared skin-tight white costume with a plunging neckline secured by metal chains, all this topped off with elf boots.
[edit] Fictional character biography
[edit] Marzal
Tyroc and his people were descended from African slaves that revolted on a ship during middle passage in the 18th century. Once all the slavers were set adrift, the liberated Africans settled on their own island off the coast of Africa, and built a civilization. Much to their surprise, their island paradise had a "Brigadoon-like" existence and disappeared from this dimension on a regular schedule every 200 years.
Left on their own, the islanders developed an advanced, highly technological civilization, with extreme isolationist tendencies. Marzalians believed that the peoples of Earth had ignored their island. As a result, outsiders were not welcome on Marzal.
[edit] The Legion
The Legion of Super-Heroes first met Tyroc when several Legionnaires responded to an emergency on Marzal Island. At first, Tyroc attempted to stop the Legion from assisting. After patching up their differences and working together to save the island, Tyroc was offered Legion membership. He initially refused, although he had come to admire the tolerance and courage of the Legionnaires he had met.
In later encounters, Tyroc accepted the Legion's offer to join the team and thus became the Legion's first black member. Tyroc and Black Lightning were created to help DC attract new readers and to provide more opportunities for socially relevant stories.
Until Tyroc's addition to the Legion, almost every humanoid alien in Legion stories were drawn with Caucasian facial features, including the orange-skinned Chameleon Boy and the green-skinned, blonde haired Brainiac 5.
[edit] Vice President
Marzal's destruction at the hands of the Dominion was documented during the fourth volume of the Legion of Super-Heroes series while Keith Giffen was the writer. An Earth recovering from the Dominion takeover chose their war heroes to lead them. Jacques Foccart and Troy Stewart, who had proven themselves as effective leaders of the rebel forces, were rewarded with public offices by the people they had fought for. It was at this time that Troy Stewart became vice president of Earth, and Jacques became president. This reality was retconned away by a later reboot.[1]
[edit] Powers
- Tyroc's only superpower was his reality warping screams, which he could use to create dimensional portals, force fields, transmute objects, freeze objects, burn objects or simply destroy them. The effects and range of his powers were consistent when he first appeared, but later seemed to vary with the writer.
- Tyroc could also fly using his Legion Flight ring.
[edit] Scream effects
Among the screams in Tyroc's arsenal:
- EEYYAAAHH! - pyrokinesis
- AHHRRRRRR! - force field
- OYYUUUUUU! - teleportation
- ARRRRHHHH! - explosions
- ZZZRRRUUGGHH! - telekinesis
- UIUUIEEEE! - transmutation
- ARRREEEEG! - weather manipulation
- IRRRRWWWW! - chlorokinesis
- CCCIIIRRR! - vertigo
- RRRYYYY! - wind manipulation
[edit] Bibliography
- Superboy vol. 1 #216, 218, 222
- All-New Collectors' Edition #C-55 (1978)
- Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #250
- Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 2 #263–265
- Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes #1
- Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 4 #16, 29 , 32, 34–36, 38, 40, 41, 50, 54, 59
- Legionnaires #1, 9, 10, 12
- Valor #22
[edit] Other media
Tyroc has a small cameo at the end of the "Timber Wolf" episode of the Legion of Superheroes animated series. His picture appears along with those of other Legionnaires as Timber Wolf recites the Legion oath. Possibly, Tyroc could make an appearance in a future episode.
