Isis (DC Comics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Isis (disambiguation). For the Image Comics and Alias Enterprises character, see: Isis (comic).
| Isis</tr></td><tr style="text-align: center; font-size: 90%;"><td> | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
| ||||||
Isis is the name for a DC Comics superhero as well as a separate goddess also living in the DC Universe. The superhero was originally the main character of The Secret of Isis, a live-action American Saturday Morning television program that served as the second half of The Shazam!/Isis Hour. The character appeared in a several late 1970s DC Comics publications, and was reimagined and introduced into the DC Universe in 2006 as a counterpart for the Shazam!-derived character Black Adam. The goddess is depicted within the Wonder Woman comic book.
Contents |
[edit] Character history
[edit] Andrea Thomas
Like the main character of the first half of the program, Captain Marvel, Isis also had roots in ancient Egyptian mythology. The Secrets of Isis starred Joanna Cameron as Andrea Thomas, a high school science teacher who gains the ability to call upon the powers of the goddess Isis after finding an Egyptian amulet. Fifteen episodes of The Secrets of Isis were produced for The Shazam! Isis Hour, and the character also appeared in three episodes of the Shazam! portion of the show. The Secrets of Isis was given its own timeslot in 1977, for which seven new episodes were broadcast alongside reruns from the first two seasons.
Isis later appeared in animated form on Filmation's Tarzan and the Super 7 show in 1980, as part of a segment called The Freedom Force. Fans of the series, with support from Joanna Cameron, have been lobbying for the release of the series to DVD for the last several years. BCI Ecplipse has DVD releases out and coming.
- Space Sentinels / The Freedom Force - The Complete Series - August 22nd 2006
- The Secrets of Isis — The Complete Series DVD Set - Summer 2007
Isis' first appearance in comics was in Shazam! #25 (Sept-Oct. 1976). She was later given her own TV tie-in book the following month, the title ran for two years. The eight issue run by DC Comics began in October (1976) and ended January (1979). All stories starred the Andrea Thomas character from the television series; the book was edited by Denny O'Neil, written by Jack C. Harris and illustrated by Mike Vosburg.
[edit] As a goddess within the DC Universe
In January 2002, DC Comics re-introduced the goddess Isis as one of the chief gods worshipped by the Bana-Mighdallian Amazons in the Wonder Woman comic. Although the Bana tribe was introduced in 1989, their gods were not shown until 2002. Her introduction depicted her in a standard white sleeveless gown and Egyptian head-dress containing her trademark symbol. Later, the various Amazon gods were depicted as selecting more modern appearances for themselves. After this, Isis was then shown as wearing a black business suit with skirt, long straight black hair and a neck choker containing an ankh. It must be noted though that the goddess and the superhero are two separate individuals.
[edit] Adrianna Tomaz
- See also: 52 (comics)
The superhero Isis was re-introduced in the DC Universe in the weekly comic book 52. In this series, an Egyptian woman named Adrianna Tomaz (a homage to the "Andrea Thomas" character on the television program) is a refugee who is enslaved and brought to Black Adam as a gift from Intergang. Upon freeing her, Black Adam found her to be unafraid and highly vocal about how he could change his country for the better.
After weeks of discussion, during which Adrianna changed the way Adam looked at the world, Adam retrieved the magical amulet of Isis from the tomb of his wife and children, and asked Captain Marvel to confer its power on Adrianna. The Amulet of Isis had long ago belonged to another of the wizard Shazam's champions, Queen Pharaoh Hatshepsut of the 18th Dynasty, who had used it to bring peace to her kingdom. Upon Hatshepsut's death the amulet became dormant.
Upon holding the amulet and speaking "I am Isis", Adrianna was transformed and instilled with the powers of the goddess. She and Adam then began traveling the Middle East and freeing enslaved children, hoping to find Isis' kidnapped brother. In Week Sixteen of the series, Adam proposes to Isis and the two are wed by Captain Marvel, with several other Shazam! characters (Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel, Jr., Tawky Tawny the tiger, and Uncle Dudley) present as members of the wedding party. It is suggested in 52 that the presence of Isis is having a calming influence on Black Adam, transforming him from the ruthless dictator he was prior to her arrival into a more benevolent figure; it remains to be seen if this will be a long-term effect.
This incarnation of Isis has powers similar to Black Adam's. She also possesses healing abilities, which can heal minor and fatal wounds. She also has control over nature, which depends on her mood; rain falls when she's sad while flowers bloom when she is happy.
Adrianna finally locates Amon, who has been tortured and crippled by Whisper A'Daire for refusing to join Intergang. Isis is unable to fully heal his wounds; Black Adam then asks Amon to say his name; Amon is stuck by a lightning bolt and transformed into Osiris. Now reunited with her brother, Isis decides "to change the world", starting from China.
[edit] External links
- DCU Guide : Isis
- Freedom Force
- Guide to Isis TV show and comic books
- Guide to Isis comic book
- Isis TV Biography
- Secrets of Isis
Categories: Captain Marvel/Marvel Family | CBS network shows | DC Comics characters with superhuman strength | DC Comics deities | DC Comics superheroes | Fictional Arabs | Fictional heroines | Mythology in comics | Television programs based on DC Comics | 1970s TV shows in the United States | 1975 introductions
