Bolt (DC Comics)
Bolt is the codenamed assigned to multiple fictional characters appearing in American comic books published DC Comics. These characters, although unrelated, share the commonality of adopting the codename "Bolt" for their respective roles within the DC Universe.
| Bolt | |
|---|---|
The Larry Bolantisky version of the character. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Larry Bolatinsky Terry Bolatinsky Alita Malik White |
The original Bolt's real name is Lawrence "Larry" Bolantisky, a man who also worked as an engineer and assassin. The character is later known to be a member of several groups, including the Killer Elite and Injustice League. The character was eventually killed off by his son, Terry Bolantisky, who operates under the name Dreadbolt. Another unrevealed Bolt would take up the name, having been said to worked with Lawrence and sought to carry on his legacy.
The name is also used by two unrelated superheroes in DC Comics. One is Alinta, a character created by Robbie Thompson and Javi Fernandez for the Teen Titans. Alinta, of Australian descent and with a disability, gains powers linked to the Flash through a fragment of the Speed Force formula. Initially involved in aiding her parents in stolen goods trafficking, she loses her legs as repayment for their debt. Found by Amanda Waller, Alinta receives prosthetics as part of their alliance. She later joins the Teen Titans Academy as "Bolt" while Waller attempts to recruit her for the Suicide Squad.
Another unrelated superhero, Malik Adam White is a fictional superhero in created by writer Christopher Priest and artist Rafa Sandoval. He first appeared in the comic books and is depicted as an African-American man of Egyptian/Kahndaqi heritage. Malik is a descendant of the legendary character Black Adam. Throughout his comic book appearances, Malik adopts two different codenames, initially known as White Adam and later settling on "Bolt".
Publication history edit
Bolt first appeared in Blue Devil #6 (November 1984) and was created by Gary Cohn, Dan Mishkin, Paris Cullins, and Ernie Colón.[1]
Fictional character biographies edit
| Bolt | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Blue Devil #6 (November 1984) |
| Created by | Gary Cohn, Dan Mishkin (script) Paris Cullins, Ernie Colón (art) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Larry Bolatinsky Terry Bolatinsky |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Injustice League Suicide Squad Killer Elite Secret Society of Super Villains Terror Titans Black Lantern Corps |
| Abilities | High-tech suit grants powers such as energy blasts, flight, and teleportation. |
Supervillain Bolts edit
Larry Bolatinsky edit
Larry Bolatinsky is a special effects artist and assassin.[2] He designed a special suit that gives him the power to teleport and project energy blasts. Now calling himself Bolt, he has faced the superheroes Blue Devil, Captain Atom,[3] and Starman (Will Payton).[4]
Bolt appears in Suicide Squad #63–66 (March through June 1992) as part of a more villainous version of the Squad propping up the dictatorship in the island of Diabloverde. Amanda Waller and her Squad take out him and his colleagues while attempting to remove the dictator.
He joins a sub-group of assassins that call themselves the Killer Elite. One of their many battles puts them up against the merc team called the Body Doubles. Bolt is hospitalized in an off-panel battle.[5]
He joins the third incarnation of the Suicide Squad and apparently dies on his first mission alongside Killer Frost, Putty, Eliza and Larvanaut. He falls through a shaft, breaks his leg and is attacked by killer ants. He is seen dead in the hands of Killer Frost.[6] He later turns up alive again in the pages of Identity Crisis #1 and is badly injured by two street kids, suffering a punctured lung and two punctured kidneys.[1] He has since joined The Society.[7] His seemingly miraculous resurrections have been noted by other characters, most notably during his recovery from his gunfire-related injuries.[8]
Bolt is member of Luthor, Joker and Cheetah's Injustice League Unlimited and is one of the villains featured in Salvation Run. He is one of the villains sent to retrieve the Get Out of Hell free card from the Secret Six.
Bolt is later killed by his son Dreadbolt who uses his own suit's teleporting ability to send him into a brick wall.[9] He has been identified as one of the deceased entombed below the Hall of Justice. He was subsequently revived as a member of the Black Lantern Corps.[10]
Terry Bolatinsky edit
Bolt's son Terry Bolatinsky appears in Teen Titans #55.[11] He initially attempts to befriend Blue Devil's former sidekick, Kid Devil, before revealing he is following in his father's footsteps as Dreadbolt.[12] He tries to persuade Kid Devil to join his team, the Terror Titans, but when Kid Devil refuses, he joins the rest of the Terror Titans in defeating him. Later, at the request of the new Clock King, he is sent to help defeat Ravager, who already took out Persuader and Copperhead. He threatens to kill Wendy and Marvin, but Ravager calls his bluff and defeats him alone. He regroups with his teammates and attempts to take her down again, but is apparently killed in the ensuing explosion caused by Ravager breaking a gas pipe. He is later revealed to have used the teleportation system in his suit to get himself and his teammates to safety.
In the Terror Titans miniseries, Dreadbolt is tasked by Clock King to kill his father, thereby proving himself worthy to lead his fellow Terror Titans.[13] Clock King then renames him Bolt when he finally does.[9] Disruptor, having lost favor from Clock King to Ravager, tried to manipulate Terry into killing her, but Terry was not fooled.[14] When Clock King sets in motion his plan to destroy Los Angeles with an army of brainwashed metahumans, Ravager sets out to stop him. Bolt and the Terror Titans battled her, only to be outmaneuvered. Miss Martian, who had posed as one of the metahumans, freed the others from their brainwashing, and they came after the Terror Titans. Retreating to Clock King's lair for help, Bolt and the others are aghast to see Clock King kill Disruptor for her failure, and leave them at the mercy of the oncoming metahumans. Bolt offers to hold them off while his teammates get away, but they insist on fighting together and are eventually subdued, with Dreadbolt being defeated by electromagnetic-powered superhero Static. Two weeks later, Bolt and the remaining Terror Titans escape from custody, planning revenge on Clock King.[15]
Bolt III edit
A new villain inspired by Bolt debuted[16] as part of a team of supervillains hired by Prometheus.[17] He later appeared, hired by Calculator, to help kidnap the Birds of Prey and kill Oracle.[18] Calling himself Current, he explains that he worked with the late Larry Bolatinsky and wished to carry on his legacy. Following DC's "Infinite Frontier" relaunch, an incarnation of Bolt (possibly Larry or Current) appears as a member of the Suicide Squad under Peacemaker. He is immediately killed by an unstable Talon of the Court of Owls the team was meant to rescue.[19]
Powers and abilities edit
Larry Boltanisky's abilities and equipment edit
Larry Boltanisky is a skilled electrical engineer and thief. Thanks to a special suit that he designed, Bolt can teleport or fly short distances instantaneously. The suit contains an energy blaster, which can also be used as a weapon.[20]
Terry Boltanisky's abilites and equipment edit
Terry's suit has all of the same abilities.
References edit
- ^ a b Jimenez, Phil (2008), "Bolt", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, London: Dorling Kindersley, p. 58, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1
- ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^ Captain Atom #9 (November 1987)
- ^ Starman #2-3 (November–December 1988)
- ^ New Year's Evil: Body Doubles one-shot
- ^ Suicide Squad (vol. 2) #3 (January 2002)
- ^ Villains United #5 (November 2005)
- ^ Teen Titans (vol. 2) #20, noted by Electrocutioner.
- ^ a b Terror Titans #3
- ^ Blackest Night #6
- ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #55 (March 2008)
- ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #56 (April 2008)
- ^ Terror Titans #1
- ^ Terror Titans #5
- ^ Terror Titans #6
- ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 3) #35 (2009)
- ^ Justice League: Cry for Justice #2-3 (2010)
- ^ Birds of Prey (vol. 2) #7 (2010)
- ^ Suicide Squad (vol. 7) #1
- ^ Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol 1 #3 (May 1985)