Nightshade (comics)
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Nightshade is a fictional superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Captain Atom v2 #82 (September 1966) originally published by Charlton Comics. She was created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
[edit] Charlton Comics
Nightshade was first introduced in Captain Atom #82, as a partner for Captain Atom. Her real name is Eve Eden and her father is an U.S. senator. She is blonde (unusual for a heroine with darkness-based powers) and wears a black wig as Nightshade. She was romantically involved with Captain Atom for a brief time.
She appeared several times in the main Captain Atom stories, before getting her own backup series in the last 3 published issues (#87-89). She also appeared in the last unpublished Captain Atom story that appeared in the Charlton Bullseye fanzine. In this series (with art by Jim Aparo), we learn that Tiger (Judomaster's now grown up sidekick), is her martial arts instructor. We would also learn the source of her powers. Her mother, Magda, was actually a visitor from another dimension, where they have the ability to transform into living two-dimensional shadows; these powers she passed on to her son and daughter. On a visit to this dimension, Magda and her children are attacked. Mortally wounded, Magda is able to transport herself and Eve back to Earth. Eve promised to return and find her brother. This never occurs during the Charlton years.
In 1981, Nightshade would appear in issue #7 of the new Charlton Bullseye comic. Her last "Charlton" appearance would be in a story that teamed up all the Charlton "Action Heroes", and be published in a one-shot by AC Comics.
[edit] DC Comics
[edit] With the Suicide Squad
Once integrated into the DC Universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths, she became affiliated with the Suicide Squad. There, it was revealed that her powers came from her heritage as a princess of the Land of Nightshades. Eve Eden's mother Maureen was queen of Land of the Nightshades who fled to Earth to escape the Incubus.
Eve believed she was a normal child until her mother took her and her brother Larry into the Land of Nightshades. Everything went wrong when the Incubus killed the queen and abducted Larry. With her dying breath, Queen Maureen told Eve that she possessed hereditary powers over darkness. Eve promised Maureen that she would save her younger brother. Eve was able to travel at will between Earth and the Land of Nightshades, but the Incubus' power prevented her from saving Larry.
The Incubus eventually killed all the human habitants of the Land of Nightshades and rendered it a wasteland. She could create dimensional warps and teleport herself and others, but when teleporting between two places, she always had to pass through the now barren and haunted Land of the Nightshades. Eve later discovered that the Incubus had possessed her younger brother Larry; Deadshot then killed Larry with a bullet to the head.
Eve stayed with the Squad up until the end, she then went to work for Sarge Steel at the CBI.
[edit] After the Suicide Squad
Nightshade made several appearances in the Superboy and the Ravers comic and would also be part of the L.A.W. mini-series, which would reunite all the Charlton Action Heroes owned by DC. During the Superman/Batman story arc "Public Enemies", she was under control for a brief time by Gorilla Grodd, trying to capture Superman for a $1 Billion ransom.
[edit] Day of Vengeance and the Shadowpact
Nightshade has since then re-emerged as a member of the Shadowpact in the Day of Vengeance miniseries. She has been paired with the Detective Chimp, resulting in some good-natured bickering. During the Infinite Crisis crossover she joined a legion of DC's magic-based characters battling against the Seven Deadly sins. However, she was captured by Felix Faust and eventually used by Alexander Luthor to bring back Earth 2.
In Shadowpact #1, Nightshade and the other Shadowpact members entered the town of Riverrock, Wyoming, which was shielded from the outside world. She met a villainous counterpart named Sister Shadow. Since then she has served with the Shadowpact battling a host of magical villains. In Shadowpact #7 it was revealed that she can only shoot random bolts of darkness energy unless she concentrates. As a result she was unable to conjure her more elaborate darkness creatures until Blue Devil managed to get The Congregation away from her. Despite this Nightshade found herself temporary blinded by The Congregation and for the first time in her life she experienced what darkness was. With the assistance of Madame Xanadu the Shadowpact set about restoring Nightshades sight, although it would take several days before it was fully restored.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Nightshade's powers are hereditary due to her being the only surviving royal family member from the Land of Nightshades.
She can do the following:
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- Teleport herself and others by passing them through the Land of Nightshades
- Magnify shadows
- create shadow homunculi.
Nightshade absorbed the Succubus into her body after the Suicide Squad mission on which Larry died, and doing so made her appear less human: her skin turned pale white and her hair became living shadows. She is now the only person capable of accessing the haunted dimension known as the Land of Nightshades. At this writing, it is unknown whether or not the Land of Nightshades is in any way related to the Shadowlands accessed by The Shade, Obsidian, and Ian Karkull.
[edit] Other versions
- The Silk Spectre in Watchmen is often said to be based on Nightshade, much as many other heroes in that work are based on her fellow Charlton Action Heroes. However, Alan Moore has stated that he found Nightshade "boring," and that Silk Spectre was modeled on sexier Golden Age characters such as the Phantom Lady and Black Canary. Another, possibly better thematic analogue in Watchman would be the barely mentioned heroine who was killed not long after her debut, Silhouette.
- Nightshade was briefly shown in flashbacks in Alex Ross and Mark Waid's comic Kingdom Come as a member of Magog's Justice Battalion, along with the rest of the Charlton 'Action Heroes'. She was apparently killed with the other members when Captain Atom was killed.
- Nightshade appeared as a prominent character in JLA: Destiny, and later changed her name to Destiny after she received the ability to see in the future.
- An enemy of the Golden Age Sandman (Wesley Dodds) was named Nightshade. Upon his revival in the 1980s series All-Star Squadron, he was renamed "Ramulus" to avoid confusion with the Eve Eden character.
- Two male characters were named Nightshade in The Flash television series. The first was a hero from the 1950s, while the second was a villain who believed he was emulating the first (the second is also known as the Deadly Nightshade).
- Two female characters in Marvel Comics' universe are named Nightshade. One is an African American biochemistry-themed mad scientist supervillain who has fought Luke Cage, Captain America, and the Black Panther. The other is a member of Marvel Comics' Imperial Guard, who is their analogue of Shadow Lass of the Legion of Super-Heroes; her name was later changed to Nightside to avoid confusion with the other Marvel character.
