| The Word | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Swamp Thing #147 (October 1994) |
| Created by | Mark Millar (writer) Phil Hester (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | The Hooded Man |
| Abilities | Nigh-omnipotent, watching over the DC Universe since it was created. |
The Word is a fictional cosmic entity in DC Comics. It first appeared in Swamp Thing #147 (October 1994), and was created by Mark Millar and Phil Hester.
There is also a Marvel Comics supervillain called The Word,[1] as well as hostage negotiator Harry "The Word" Lovelace in Alan Moore's Top Ten.
Contents |
This red-hooded Heavenly Avenger is the first Archangel created by God in the Beginning. It is also called The Logos. He is one of the seven deadly aspects of The Voice. Since time began he has been the servant of The Presence. He is described as an older "brother" of the Spectre. Two years before the Trials by Fire event, The Word is challenged by Alec Blake to three card games. The Word hasn't lost a game of cards in ten million years. The ancient laws decreed that Alec Blake must win only one game to stay The Word's hand. Blake eventually loses all three poker games, The Word says to him "Accept what Destiny has written". Unwilling to lose, Blake bids The Hooded Man to look inside his mind. Stunned by what he sees, The Word backs down, sparing Alec but promising to return in two years to destroy The Swamp Thing and asks Blake to heed his words, that not even he will be able to stop The Word upon his return.
Two years later, the Phantom Stranger visits the world beyond the world and asks The Word to defend the reputation of God, because The Spectre has no jurisdiction over the elements. The Word first arrives at the Parliament of Trees, to strike a bargain and prevent a battle taking place which would be unlike any the world has ever seen. He asks the Trees to persuade The Swamp Thing to spare the human race, and in return he will leave them in peace. The only tree who remembers how to speak is named Alex Olsen. Olsen consults with The Parliament of Trees. After reaching a majority decision, they reject his offer and will do nothing to help him or his God. The Word then destroys them by ripping the trees from their soil and setting them ablaze, screaming, on an elemental bonfire. Tefé Holland watches the events unfolding with Lady Jane, an elemental. Lady Jane screams at Tefé get out while she holds The Word as long as she can. Tefé escapes while The Word stares at Lady Jane, who dies.
The Word then visits the realm of The Parliaments of Stones. Coming here he makes the same offer he made to the Parliament of Trees. While talking with The Parliament of Stones, The Word accelerates time to fill in the gaps between their sentences, because he found the staggered speech patterns of the Stones irritating. After the meetings between the Stones ended, the answer is no. They demand the Hooded Man to do what he must and leave. The Word then says "You do not understand. It is you who are leaving". With a gesture of his hand, ten billion years pass inside the chamber while mere seconds pass in the outside world, causing The Parliament of Stones to crumble to dust.
The Word confronts The Parliament of Waves, and the result is again destructive as he drops their dying forms on the sand. The Phantom Stranger meets him there, reminding him of The Parliaments of Flames and Vapors. The Hooded Man's reply is "Gaze upon the heavens and remember this always. The Word forgets nothing, fallen one". In the sky, the Parliament of Vapors appears. The Word destroys them as well.
Later a cab drops John Constantine off at a ruined building at 421 11th Avenue. Locating a hidden secret door, he enters an occult bar and sits down to discuss the future with Blake, who has disliked him ever since a past encounter in Hong Kong. Constantine tells him he's switched sides and wants to help Blake in return for a secured spot in Alec's new world. Blake refuses, still holding a grudge, but Constantine palms the matches before leaving. He visits the Swamp Palace's Gardens of Remembrance, filled with floating statues of Alec and Linda Holland, Pog, Gregori Arcane, Anton Arcane, the Un-Men, the demon Etrigan the Demon, Batman, Nathan Ellery's robot and others who were key to his development to Godhood; likenesses of Constantine and Abby Holland are also planned. These statues are intended as an historical archive for his new race. Constantine shows him the matches, lighting a cigarette. Alec mocks him, saying he'd tear the magician apart before he could strike a match, but the mage has already done so and made his wish. Suddenly, Alec reverts to human form, deprived of his powers for one hour. Sadly, Constantine leaves a stunned Alec to the mercy of The Word.
A debate between who is in the right and wrong go on between them. Swamp Thing warns The Word that Tefé is a considerable opponent and says that he will try to ensure his survival. The Word, thinking she has already been terminated, tells Alec and warns him that Alec is the last of a soon-to-be extinct kind. The Word asks Alec why Alec took part in this blasphemous uprising. Swamp Thing argues that The Presence lets humans abuse the Earth simply because they are his children. The Swamp Thing argues that what the Elements are going through is slavery, and they want a voice of their own so that God will treat them fairly. In New Orleans, just before The Word is about to deliver his judgment, Constantine and Abby agree to switch sides. Constantine offers the wishing matches to Abby. She wishes Tefé free of Jason Woodrue's containment unit. The child slaughters everyone at the base, including Woodrue, then rushes to Alec's side. She assumes a form approximating the Voice of God, speaks a sound exactly opposite to The Word and condemns the being to non-existence. None of this comes as a surprise to Alec, for el Seňor Blake had predicted it would happen this way.
It seems probable that The Word cannot be completely destroyed, and The Spectre (in John Ostrander's Spectre series from the 1990s) has since implied The Word may still be alive.
|
|||||||||||||||||