- Your army's not going anywhere except the stockade, chum!
- --Silver Agent[src]
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. Emotional judgement overcame rational thinking. It was a time that very much enabled a mob mentality to ridicule, bring down, even destroy heroic figures.
Origin[]
Alan Craig was struck by polio in infancy, leaving him with a badly diseased leg. This deformity seemed as if it would leave him crippled for the rest of his life. This greatly disappointed Alan. His family had a strong tradition of pursuing careers that served the public good, and usually such careers were in physically demanding fields such as fire-fighters, police officers and the like. Alan greatly admired his elders and dreamed of following in their footsteps. In the end he became a mail carrier, the best job his physical condition allowed.
While on the job he stumbled onto a ballot-stuffing scheme by members of organized crime. When they gave chase, he tried to lose them in a nearby park, an environment he was thoroughly familiar with. In his flight, he stumbled upon a cave he'd never seen before. This was near the original Romeyn Falls (Waterfalls). Inside he found a bizarre construct of glowing silver, something alien to his every frame of reference. When he touched it, his body was transformed: his disability vanished, he became stronger and faster, and his senses increased. Using his new athleticism, he became the Silver Agent, finally able to serve the community the way he longed to all his growing years.
The Eternal Shame[]
In 1972, the Silver Agent was framed for the (seeming) murder of the Mad Maharajah.
Following his conviction and shortly before his execution, he was teleported into the 43rd century by the Silver Centurions, an organization from that era. Future Earth and the other Hundred Worlds were at war with the iGod. The Silver Centurions retrieved the Silver Agent, the legend who inspired them, for help. For three long years he fought alongside them to an eventual victory.
After the fighting concluded, Alan chose to return back to his own time, to avoid the risk of altering the timeline for the worse. His journey back took the form of a series of time jumps, each one sending him further into the past, closer to the day he would be executed. Each one skipping less time than the last. Many of these time-stops were far from safe. There were future eras where he fought against the danger of some potent threat. There were eras where civilization had fallen and he aided in its rekindling. Throughout his eventful journey, the Silver Agent kept a detailed journal, in the hopes that his notes might someday help humanity against the various dangers he encountered.
As he traveled ever further back, the process was causing his body to accumulate an undefinable kind of energy, imbuing him with more and more power.
On a day approximately thirty years in the future of his initial teleportation, he was visited by his nephew, Tommy. A young boy when he'd last seen him, Tommy was now a U.S. Senator and older than Alan. He knew where and when to find his uncle, because Alan himself had told Tommy during another stop in the timeline. A stop that was in Tommy's and the world's past, but Alan Craig's subjective future.
After that, the Silver Agent visited four more crisis points in Astro City's timeline:
- His Final Crisis Point(1984)
- The Rise of Kerresh the Devastator(1982)
- The period when the vigilante hero the Black Velvet was out-of-control and flooding the city with powerful energy forces during the Gang Wars(1977),
- Finally, and most critically, Madame Majestrix's Invasion(Spring of 1973).
In each, he was of immense aid against whatever forces were imperilling his city. By the last one (but first from the universe's point of view), his store of accrued energy from his travels was so vast that he had tremendous super-abilities at his disposal.
Making use of the flight ability he now possessed, he hid his journals in a support beam beneath the Calkins Bridge. The journals were designed by Ømnix of the 43rd century Silver Centurions. It wasn't a collection of books, their appearance instead that of a glowing blue cylinder. It would convert itself into a format readable to future generations when the need arose.
Next, he visited his nephew Tommy, at a earlier time and a younger age. This stop occurred on the day of, but after the Agent's execution. He told Tommy of the journals location so that they could be retrieved sometime in the future.
Finally, he made his final step across time, arriving in the prison from whence it all began, mere seconds after he'd vanished. To an outside observer, it would almost have been as if nothing had happened, except of course the replacement of his prison garb by his battle-torn costume made it clear something had.
He was executed by the state in the Spring of 1973.
In the Silver Agent's last life moments, he released all the strange energy he'd collected, sending that accumulated store across the city, suffusing the land with it, marrying the rivers to it, even extending it beyond four dimensional constraints into the past and future. It became the very silvery artifact that made him the Silver Agent, and whose energy touches what is, or one day would be, Astro City.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Acrobatics: Even weighed down by his heavy metal armor, he can flip off buildings, kick multiple enemies around and tumble through monsters to dodge their teeth.
- Firearms
- Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced): Silver Agent, in his prime, was young and virile. An accomplished fighter he has taken down many different kinds of enemies unarmed.
- Leadership: Silver Agent has led the Honor Guard in countless dangerous adventures.
Notes[]
- Silver Agent's middle name is given as Jay.[citation needed]
- Aspects of Silver Agent, such as his origin as a physically infirm but goodhearted man empowered by an outside force, his mail uniform with a star symbol and cuffed boots, and his status as a universally-beloved icon and leader appear to be based on Captain America.
Appearances[]
This list is incomplete.
Gallery[]
References[]
External links[]
Kurt Busiek's Astro City |
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Heroes |
Air Ace • All-American • Alligator • Altar Boy • American Chibi • Aquarina • Arthro • Assemblyman • Astra Furst • Astro-Naut • Atomicus • Augustus Furst • Barrier • Beautie • Black Badge • Black Rapier • Black Velvet • Blue Knight • Bouncing Beatnik • Bravo • Broadsword • Cleopatra • Cloak of Night • Commando K • Commander One • Confessor • Coyotl • Crackerjack • Dame Progress • Daniel • David • Encephalon • Energy Brown • Flying Fox • Gas Giant • Gentleman • Gloo • Grimoire • Hanged Man • Hawk of the Alleyways • Hellhound • El Hombre • Homegirl • Hummingbird • Ichthyos • Ironhorse • Jack-in-the-Box • Johnny Lightfoot • Joshua • Juice • Julius Furst • Kahoutek • Karl Furst • Kitkat • Lamplighter • Larkspur • Leopardman • LGM • Lightning Kid • Lion • Lonestar • M.P.H. • Mary • Max O'Millions • Mermaid • Mirage • Nadia • Natalia Furst • N-Forcer • Nightingale • Nihil • Nikolai Furst • Noah • Old Soldier • Orphan • Pale Horseman • Palmetto • Palomino • Peter • Point Man • Popstar • Quark • Quarrel • Rex • El Robo • Roustabout • Ruby • Samaritan • Sasha Furst • Shrff • Silver Agent • Silversmith • Simon Magus • Skitter • Slugger • Starfighter • Starwoman • Stonecold • Stormhawk • Stray • Strangeling • Street Angel • Supersonic • Sunbird • Sunshrike • Switchblade • Umbra • Unicorn • Winged Victory • Wolfspider • Young Gentleman |
Villains |
Andrew Tugliewski • Anti-Bodies • Assemblyman • Aunt Acid • Bamboo • Birdman • Bishop • Black Mask Killer • Block • Box • Braintrust • Brass Monkey • Bridwell • Chain • Clever Dick • Conquerlord • Conquistador • Cutlass • Deacon • Demolitia • Derelikt • Devil's Own • Deuce • Doctor Dominax • Doctor Toxic • Doctor Deezer • Doctor Ganss • Doctor Gearbox • Doctor Nautilus • Doctor Saturday • Dragon Shogun • Drama Queen • Donnelly Ferguson • Ersatz Ed • Fever • Flamethrower • Fog • Getaway • Glue Gun • Glowworm • Gnomicron • Goldenboy • Goldenglove • Gunslinger • Handgun • Headmaster of Crime • Los Hermanos • Hollowpoint • Human Weasel • Infidel • Insectra • Jackdaw • Jackson • Jitterjack • Junkman • Karnazon • Karnus • Kaspian • King Missile • Kirlian Man • Korrga • Kratorr • L.S.Deviant • Lady Lethal • Living Nightmare • Longhorn • Lord Sovereign • Lord Volcanus • Lummox • Mad Maharajah • Madame Majestrix • Mechanimator • Microplex • Middleman • Mock Turtle • Morningstar • Mister Cakewalk • Mister Drama • Mister Manta • Mister Teleport • Muscleman • Myth-Master • Nostradamien • Omniac • Omnius Rex • Otter • Platinum Blonde • Platypus • Popinjay • Praetor • Professor Borzoi • Prospero • Quarrel • Red Dahlia • Red Queen • Padraig Daniel Rourke • Sagra • Slaughter Shaw • Scarlet Snake • Sekhmet Stone • Sean Hanrahan • Senhor Technico • Shadow Hill Killer • Shirak the Devourer • Silver Brain • Slamburger • Spice • Steel Devil • Steel Scimitar • Strangematter • Sugar • Supreme Commandrix • Tackle • Temblor • Tidal Waif • Time-Keeper • Toff • Tommy Gunn • Ugly Max • Underlord • White Lightning • Wolfhound • Wotan • Wrestla • Xenoform • Zzardo |
Groups |
Apollo Eleven • Astro City Irregulars • Balloon Bandits • Barnstormers • Birdmen • Birds of Paradise • Blackout Bandits • Blasphemy Boys • Brothers of Trouble • Chessmen • Computermen • Crazy Eight • Crossbreed • Dominos • Dopple Gang • Disastroids • Dynamoids • E.A.G.L.E. • E.N.G.I.N.E. • Experimentals • First Family • Five Fists • Frigians • Gorilla Swarm • Gorilla Troops • Gunbirds • Guilloteam • Honor Guard • Howling Dead • Iron Horde • Iron Legion • Jade Dragons • Legions of Midnight • Menagerie Gang • Omega Rangers • PYRAMID • Queen's Men • Ravagers • Shaders • Sideliners • Skullcrushers • Smoke & Mirrors • Special Incarceration Squad • Team Carnivore • Techsperts • Tempus Fugitives • Terrifying Three • Thermians • Trouble Boys • Unclean • Unholy Alliance • Worst Family |
Civilians |
Cammie Aarons • Maria Luisa Alvarado • Darcy Conroy • Marella Cowper • Danielle • Irene Costello • Johnny Crash • Barry Daniels • Tamra Dixon • Marta Dobrescu • Marcy Doerr • Pete Donacek • Rosa Vlacek Donewicz • Caroleen Enright • Sara-Lynne Felton • Elaine Girbachs • Jedson Godfrey • Cherry Goldstein • Mitch Goodman • Enzio Grandenetti • Gerald Greenwald • Peter Hanlan • Gretchen Hastings • Roscoe James • Jerome Johnson • Mick Keneally • Margaret Isles Kinney • Thomas William Kinney • Steve McAnn • Dirk McCallum • Jose Manziano • Corliss McBride • Gordon Meadows • Irene Merriwether • Elliot Mills • Manny Monkton • Aggie Morisi • Nadia • Vincent Oleck • Doctor Prochnow • Ben Pullam • Faith Pullman • Maggie Pullman • Carl Donewicz • Martha Sullivan • Michael Tenicek • Miranda Tenicek • Stanley Tripp • Anders Van Rupert • Ramon Vega • Charles Raymond Williams • Royal James Williams • Eyes |
Others |
Anansi • Broken Man • Bullroarer • Colonial • Crimson Cougar • Dark Centurion • El Guerrero • Enelsians • Eterneon • Helia • Incarnate • Insiders • Iron Cross • Kookaburra • Krunch • Looney Leo • Mister Smartie • Mordecai Chalk • Mountain Gnomes • Night Creatures • Rockslide • Scavenger Peoples • Sledgehammer • Skrek • Tentacus • Teusz • Thunderhead • Torori • Tourist • Trenchers • Trolls • Untouchable • Zonn |
Locations |
Astro City • Old Town • Shadow Hill • Patterson Heights • Goldwater Heights • Kanewood • Derbyfield • Center City • Gainesville • Hartley • Biro Island • Torres Island • Chesler • District Hill • Bakerville • Memorial Park • Mount Kirby Observatory • Romeyn Falls Historical Center • Wildenberg Center • Fox-Broome University • Schwartz Field • Dedication Park • Centennial Park • Rosenberger Jr. High School • Founders Park • Robinson Prep School • AstroBank Tower • Binderbeck Plaza • Fort Kanigher • Fisher Garden • Grandenetti Cathedral • Kiefer Square • Iger Square • Bruiser's Bar & Grill • Caniff International Airport • Classic Hotel • Berrill Stadium • Goodman-Donenfeld Industries • Craig Avenue Bar & Grill • Gottfredson Bridge • Gleason Bridge • Westside Highway • Hughes Bridge • Martin Lieber Tunnel • Calkins Bridge • Outcault Bridge |
Comics |
Homage Studios Astro City (Volume 1) • Astro City (Volume 2) • Astro City 3D Special #1 |
Wildstorm Astro City: Local Heroes • Astro City/Arrowsmith #1 • Astro City Special: Supersonic #1 • Astro City: A Vistor's Guide #1 • Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 1) • Astro City Special: Samaritan #1 • Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 2) • Astro City: Beautie #1 • Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 3) • Astro City Special: Astra #1 • Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 4) • Astro City: Silver Agent • Astro City: Shining Stars |
Vertigo Astro City (Volume 3) |
Creators |
Kurt Busiek • Brent Anderson • Alex Ross |