Silver Agent
From Herocopia
This Herocopia entry discusses events that occurred in an issue of Astro City Comics published within the last 30 days.
|
He burst onto the Astro City super-hero scene in the mid-50s and was an immediate, popular sensation, garnering admiration and respect for his heroic activities.
The Silver Agent symbolizes the new era of the sixties, "the best and the brightest."
Contents |
History
The Silver Agent was born in 1932, and died in 1973. There is a great shame associated with his ultimate sacrifice, as attested to on his statue. He is a symbol of all that is good in man, while his death is a reminder of a weakness in human nature, that of not maintaining a stronger faith and commitment to heroic ideals.
In 1972, the Silver Agent was framed for the (seeming) murder of the Mad Maharajah. He was incarcerated, convicted, and sentenced for execution.
However, while behind bars, he was transported into the distant future by forces unknown. Whatever happened there, his journey back to the present made several stops along the way. In fact, his return took the form of a series of consecutive time jumps, each one rolling further years off the calendar until he finally reached the present. Each of these stops in-between, which ranged 1973-1984 (or 1984-1973, his perspective), coincided with major crises points in Astro City's timeline. This was likely by design, so that the Silver Agent could be of help in these precarious moments, which he was. His journey of fits and starts ended back at the prison from whence it all began, mere seconds after he'd vanished. To an outside observer on that day, it was almost as if nothing had happened, though the replacement of his prison garb by a battle-torn version of his famous costume made it clear something had.
The crisis points attended by the Silver Agent were: The entrance of the Pale Horseman (1984), the coming of Kerresh the Devastator (1982), Black Velvet's out-of-control powers flooding the city (19??), and a global attack by Monstro City (1972). As he traveled ever further back in time, the process had caused his body to accumulated some type of energy or other, imbuing him with what had grown into extremely powerful super-abilities by the point of the final crisis in 1972. There, he exhausted said energies to resolve the crisis, so that he was mortal once more when he made his next and final jump and returned to the present.
There, he resumed his interrupted (if only from his perspective) prison stay. He was executed by the stated on ???, 1973.
Powers
Uniform and Weaponry
- Carries a small pistol that fires various kinds of trick bullets, including ones that act much like smoke bombs upon impact.
- Upper part of body is covered in chain mail, with shield shaped armor over the chest and upper back.
- Same metallic material is used for arm gauntlets. Note: they do not cover the hands.
- Helmet is also metallic and is a half-style, with Germanic knight design influences. Wears chain mall leggings and cavalier boots.
Speculations, Observations and Theories:
Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol. 1 1:2. He seemed to have a significant amount of peer admiration, which gave him leadership skills and the ability to motivate others and call upon them for help when needed. He was also very good at making tactical decisions in battle situations. We will undoubtedly see more revelations into the Silver Agent's personality as new story material about his life and death is presented.
It is doubtful that a personality like the Silver Agent would have had much of a personal life. He was dedicated to his work, passionate about doing the best he can. Accommodating personal time and family responsibilities would have proven difficult. Still, not all people are wise enough to know this limitation, but the Silver Agent seemed disciplined enough to understand the sacrifices of his choices.
Timelines of Interest
Silver Agent Cases and Adventures
Silver Agent
Honor Guard
Footnotes
Some Interesting Comic History Related Alignments of the Silver Agent:
His debut appearance in a 1959 flashback, references the Silver Agent first appearing just a few years earlier, coinciding with Showcase Comics #4, the generally agreed upon beginning of the Silver Age.
His death in 1973 symbolically aligns with the Death of Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man comics, considered by many Silver-Age fans as the last major event occurring within the overall framework of the Marvel Silver-Age comics material.
Named for comic book fan, comic historian, and Comic Buyer's Guide writer, Craig Shutt (Mr. Silver Age)
