take the z(-list) train

Those of you who have been following the disjointed ramble known as Armagideon Time for a while now might have sussed onto the the sad fact that I tend to be a sucker for z-list comic book characters. It goes back to my childhood, when the concept of shared fictional universes was something of joyous wonder, inviting rather than off-putting. The progression between the two states is as much a result of my own personal development as it one of the genre's evolution. Kids are better equipped psychologically to celebrate minutae over the meat-and-bones of a story than grown-ups are. (Well-adjusted grown-ups, that is.)

A result of my preference for novelty over quality is that I bought and read a lot of really terrible comics during my formative years based solely on the presence of such immortal characters as the Torpedo, Jack of Hearts, Devil-Slayer, and the (sort of) subject of today's post, Air Wave.

The son of the original Air Wave, a minor Golden Age character in the DC/National stable, young Harold "Hal" Jordan decided to follow in his father's superheroic footsteps. Where the original Air Wave relied on his fists and a special set of rollerskates which enabled him to grind along power lines, his successor was able to dematerialize and travel via electromagnetic transmissions, courtesy of a prototype costume created by his father.

He debuted in 1978's Green Lantern #100, appearing opposite his namesake and cousin, Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan, who, along with his pals Green Arrow and Black Canary, schooled the fledgling hero in the tricks of the costumed vigilante trade. From there he went on to a semi-regular back-up feature (by himself and then paired with the Atom) in Action Comics for a short time before fading into the standard minor-league character limbo of occasional guest appearances. (He supposedly "died" during Infinite Crisis, but we are discussing a genre where the afterlife has an ever-revolving door.)

Apart from the novelty aspect, there really wasn't much that set Air Wave apart from other characters of the same mold; he was the Bob Rozakis variant (as opposed to the Gerry Conway variant or the Marv Wolfman variant, adulterated knock-offs all) of the Lee-Ditko everyman teen hero template.

There really wasn't much that differentiated Air Wave from Firestorm, another then-recent addition to DC's roster of superheroes; both were high school jocks who were slightly overwhelmed by their situations, yet determined to make their marks. While Ronnie Raymond shared mental real estate with a nuclear physicist mentor in Firestorm's gestalt form, Hal Jordan had to make do with the giant floating head of his cousin constantly offering sage advice...

"...and zip up your fly, kid. Everyone's laughing at you."
Now, I've heard it argued that a worthy hero needs to have worthy opponents. Bond had Blofeld, Holmes had Moriarty, Superman had Lex Luthor, Ted Knight had Jim J. Bullock -- all worthy adversaries that tested the heroes to the limits of their abilities, revealing their core strengths through contrast and conflict.

So who was deemed worthy to assume the weighty mantle of Air Wave's arch-nemesis?

I've been trying to come up with a Boston-specific equivalent to "Great Texas Longhorns!" but all I've come up with so far is "sunuvva-fahkin-bitch" (delivered with weary irritation, natch).
CASEY JONES, THE MAN WITH THE FLYING CHOO-CHOO!

He likes to steal locomotive memorabilia from museum exhibits. First in Action Comics #488, and again (with the same 24k HO-scale prize as the objective) in DC Comics Presents #55...

Flying refugees from Canobie Lake Amusement Park make excellent cockblockers.
I can understand where Casey's coming from on this; he's chosen such a narrow supervillainous niche for himself that he's pretty much stuck hitting the same targets ad infinitum. I mean he could branch out and hijack a subway train, but the whole electric-powered angle would make it feel like cheating despite the presence of rails and switch junctions. He picked this path for himself and, by damn, he's going to see it through to the bitter end.

What does baffle me, however is that Hal Jordan and his girlfriend are such enthusiasts they make a point of attending every exhibition of vintage train culture that passes through the Dallas metropolitan area. Moreover, it was his girlfriend's idea for a date. I spent years looking for a pro-train significant other before finally facing facts settling on a train-neutral one. Some dudes have all the luck.

Strangely enough, Casey has some high level contacts in the supervillian community. In his DC Comics Presents appearance, he was able to call in a favor from the Parasite, who has held his own against Superman on several occasions. The nature of their relationship does suggest a certain Scott Baio/Johnny V quality to it...

"Yo, P-Man, you wouldn't have a couple of bucks I could borrow till Friday, would ya? I blew my paycheck from Denny's on a lid and the flying choo-choo is low on coal..."
...but even lopsided co-dependent friendships have their limits...

Don't worry. Casey Jones will be back for the second season of Parasite Is 45 and Still Hasn't Beaten Superman.
Jesus Couldn't Drum - I'm a Train (from a 1986 12" EP) - Cute band name and a pretty neat sound from this UK synthpop duo -- a little bit Morrissey, a little bit Depeche Mode.

(To anyone who thought I was going to post that Grateful Dead track: Shame on you.)