Blur (comics)
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| The Blur | |
 Supreme Power #5 (February 2004). Art by Gary Frank. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics MAX (comics) imprint. |
| First appearance | Supreme Power #1 (October 2003) As the Blur: Supreme Power #5 (February 2004) |
| Created by | J. Michael Straczynski Gary Frank |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Stanley Stewart |
| Team affiliations | Squadron Supreme |
| Notable aliases | Atlanta Blur |
| Abilities | Superhuman speed |
The Blur (Stanley Stewart) is a fictional character and a superhero from an alternate Marvel Comics universe. [1] The Blur first appeared in Supreme Power #1 (October 2003) and was created by J. Michael Straczynski. [2] The character is also a member of the team Squadron Supreme.
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[edit] Publication history
In 2003, Marvel Comics published under its MAX imprint a series written by J. Michael Straczynski titled Supreme Power. In this series, Straczynski created a group of superhumans loosely based on the first alternate universe version [3] of the Squadron Supreme created by writer Roy Thomas. The Blur is modelled on a character called the Whizzer, and while both are called Stanley Stewart and possess superspeed, the Straczynski version differs considerably from the Thomas version. The series lasted 18 issues. [4]
In 2005, the Blur appeared briefly in a limited series about the origin of team mate Hyperion. [5]
In 2006, an ongoing new title called Squadron Supreme was published, and features the Blur on a regular basis.
[edit] Fictional character biography
[edit] Supreme Power
In the Earth-31916 universe, Stanley Stewart is a young African-American farm boy who gains superhuman speed as a result of a retro-virus that arrives on Earth at the same time as the alien Hyperion. Stanley initially decides to keep his powers a secret while he training to be a hero. After gaining notoriety as an urban legend known as the "Atlanta Blur", Stanley is offered several product endorsement contracts. After enjoying a period of public celebrity and wealth, Stanley confronted by the hero Nighthawk, who accuses him of abandoning his dreams of being a hero. Stanley then decides to change his name to the Blur and forms an uneasy partnership with Nighthawk and Hyperion in order to stop a super-human serial killer. The Blur's partnership with Nighthawk ends when Stanley overhears Nighthawk describing him as a "house Negro." The Blur, however, continues to associate with Hyperion and act as a vigilante. After Hyperion's extraterrestrial origins were revealed to the media, the Justice Department investigate all superhumans with similar abilities and offer them amnesty if they identify themselves and agree to work for the Government. [6]
[edit] Squadron Supreme
The Blur later travels with the US-endorsed Squadron Supreme to Africa, to deal with an African general named John M'Butu, whose voice can compel obedience. The general is actually executed by a group of African superhumans, who after encountering the Blur make him question his allegiances. Although telling Hyperion that the two men live in "different worlds", the Blur still accompanies the team to the Ilam Province in Iran, where they have been ordered to stop a group of insurgents. Here he voices doubts about the morality of a squad made up of superheroes battling normal humans, however his doubts are silenced when Hyperion reveals a mass grave filled with the bodies of innocents directly below their feet. After the mission, the Blur discovers he has lost sponsors but gained several others. He also speaks with Nighthawk once again and asks him to join the Squadron, but Nighthawk refuses. [7]
Soon after this the Blur participates in an accidental time-jump, and sees a future version of Hyperion using behavior modification technology on a team-mate. The Blur is imprisoned by Hyperion but spared from the same treatment. [8]
[edit] References
- ^ The Earth-31916 universe - this numbering is confirmed by the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe: Alternate Worlds 2005
- ^ The Earth-31916 universe - this numbering is confirmed by the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe: Alternate Worlds 2005
- ^ Earth-712
- ^ Supreme Power #1 - 18 (2003 - 2005)
- ^ Supreme Power:Hyperion #1 - 5 (2005 - 2006)
- ^ Supreme Power #1 - 6 (2003-2004)
- ^ Squadron Supreme vol. 2, #1 - 6
- ^ Supreme Power:Hyperion #1 - 5 (2005 - 2006)
