Stormhawk

Stormhawk
Real name	Christopher Martin
Gender	Male
Nationality	American
Occupation	Research Scientist
Affiliations	Honor Guard
Marital status	Single
Base of operations	Astro City
Alignment	Good
Publication
Creators	Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson
First appearance	Astro City: The Dark Age, Book Three #2

I dream him. I dream his life. Stormhawk. Honor Guardsman. Hero to the end.

--Eth

Christopher "Topher" Martin is one of the remarkable heroes of Astro City. Known as Stormhawk, Topher patrolled the streets until he eventually made a name for himself and was asked to join the Honor Guard.

History

15-year-old Christopher Martin would discover a magical amulet hanging on a tree branch during a hike in the Rocky Mountains. Bringing the trinket home, Topher was examining it on the roof of his building when it activated and merged him with his pet falcon, Lightning. Stormhawk continued to study his amulet and discovered that, aside from the obvious powers of a bird of prey, the amulet seemed to store the powers of every animal it had ever interacted with, a key example being the superhuman strength, which he believed might have come from a bear or bison.

Seen on various adventures throughout the late 1980s, Stormhawk survived the "dark age" and continued as a member of the Honor Guard until the team was revisited by a long-time villain named Krigari the Ironhanded. Krigari had obtained the Black Opal and used it to focus his soul into it and become an immortal monster. Stormhawk seized the moment, took the jewel from the villain, and crushed it in his hand, effectively unleashing its power but ripping Krigari's soul from its case. However, the blast from the shattered jewel ripped away at Topher's body as well, leaving only a skeleton behind. But the hero, seen in alien visions, was forever immortalized in the memory of the Quiqui-A people. Eth, also known as Druin the Seer, had foreseen Stormhawk's sacrifice and felt responsible for goading Krigari into attacking earth. Eth created "Sorrowday" to remind the Honor Guard each year of the demise of one of their greatest members.

Legacy

Years after his death, the magic amulet that gave Topher his powers would hang on the wall of his former wife's home. The amulet would be stolen by a common burglar, who would discover its power when it merged him with his corgi, Hank, to become the hero G-Dog.

Powers and Abilities

• Science: While Topher's science history is mostly unknown, he was brilliant enough to earn a research grant.
• Transformation: Topher Martin can transform into a hawk-like blue/yellow humanoid. He grows wings under his arms, feathers, a beak and talons.

• Electrokinesis: Topher can summon lightning from his head and fire it at his opponents. The blast is powerful enough to reduce zombies to ashes, so he hardly uses this move on human opponents.
• Flight: Topher uses the wings he grows to lift himself in the air. He can maneuver expertly while in the air and can move fast enough to dodge incoming fire.

Appearances

This list is incomplete.

Astro City: The Dark Age, Book Three #2 - Gone to Ground Astro City: The Dark Age, Book Three #3 - Deep Cover Astro City: The Dark Age, Book Three #4 - All the Way Down Astro City (Volume 3) #17 - Sorrowsday Astro City (Volume 3) #19 - Pushing Day

Gallery

External links

• Stormhawk at Comic Book Database