Warpsmith

Warpsmiths
File:Warrior10Warpsmiths.jpg The Warpsmith Aza Chorn on the cover of Warrior #10, dated April/May 1983. Art by Garry Leach.
Publication information
Publisher	Quality Communications (1982-1984) Eclipse Comics (1986-1993) Atomeka Press (1989) Marvel Comics (2010-present)
First appearance	Warrior #4 (Summer 1982)
Created by	Alan Moore (writer) Garry Leach (artist)
Characteristics
Place of origin	Hod
Pantheon	Dao
Notable members	Aza Chorn Phon Mooda Kana Blur Uxu Chil Llans Ivo Tenga Dril Hrin Luli
Inherent abilities	Instant matter transfer via derma-circuitry

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Warpsmiths are a British science fiction comic book alien race created by Alan Moore and Garry Leach in 1982. Initially devised as a serial for the Quality Communications anthology Warrior, only two episodes were ultimately printed before the magazine folded. Since 1987 the characters and concepts have appeared in Miracleman, itself spun off from Warrior.

Creation

When devising Warrior in 1981, former Marvel UK editor and Quality Communications publisher Dez Skinn wanted to emulate his former employer's successful format. This not only meant attempting to cover similar genres - Marvelman, a revival of a 1954 character created by Mick Anglo, was brought in to replicate the successful reintroduction of Captain Britain in Black Knight; V for Vendetta was planned to trade on many of the motifs used in Night Raven, Axel Pressbutton was inspired by Abslom Daak and so forth) but also a shared fictional universe. This would help selling packages of material for syndication in a similar to the model used by Métal hurlant, and allow them to team up in a Justice League fashion under the mooted name Challenger Force. As such, Skinn set Steve Moore and relative newcomer Alan Moore to sketch a chronology for the series. This heavily featured the Warpsmiths, an alien race who would establish ambassadors on Earth in 1983 before beginning to take over the planet in 2300, finally reducing it to a Warpsmith colony a hundred years later. The basics of the race had been developed by Moore for a fanzine-style Arts Lab project undertaken in Northampton before he took up professional comic-writing. Warrior art director Garry Leach - a self-confessed fan of science fiction comics - designed the characters, blending superhero elements into the final design.

Publishing history

The first published appearance of a Warpsmith came in Warrior #4, in the Marvelman episode "The Yesterday Gambit". This was set three years into the shared universe's future, and featured a lone Warpsmith as an ally of the lead character. While later events would reveal the subject as Aza Chorn, at this stage he was merely named as 'Warpsmith'. A two-part Warpsmith story written by Moore and drawn by Leach called "Cold War, Cold Warrior" then appeared in Warrior #9-10, which established them as a species rather than an individual and went into much greater depth as to their abilities. Another story, "Ghostdance", was scripted but did not reach publication before Warrior folded in 1985.

Most of the intricacies of the Warrior universe failed to come to pass before the anthology was cancelled. However, Warpsmith was among the Warrior-originated properties subsequently leased to Eclipse Comics in 1985, and from 1987 onwards they were added to the supporting cast of the retitled Miracleman. "Cold War, Cold Warrior" was subsequently coloured by Leach and reprinted by Eclipse in the second issue of their Axel Pressbutton series. They did not however choose to reprint "The Yesterday Gambit", though its' events would later be alluded to in the pages of Miracleman. Under Warrior's creation model Moore and Leach retained the rights to the Warpsmiths. As such, parallel to their appearances in Miracleman, Leach completed "Ghostdance" and released it in the first issue of the 1989 anthology A1, published by the artist's own Atomeka Press.

Following Eclipse's collapse in 1995, the rights to Miracleman went into limbo until being resolved in 2009 and licensed to Marvel Comics. They reprinted the series from 2014 onwards, including "The Yesterday Gambit", while a recoloured version of " Cold War, Cold Warrior" was also included in the third issue and "Ghostdance" in the fourth. As of 2024 the Warpsmiths still feature in the continuing Miracleman storyline, now written by Neil Gaiman.

Fictional species biography

Originating from the planet Hod, the Warpsmiths are the guardians of the Gulf World Confederacy. Their impressive empire is opposed by the Qys Imperium; due to the size and power of both by the late 20th century they have been locked in a cold war for eleven thousand of years. While the blocs are bitter enemies both realise open conflict would result in mutual destruction. The Warpsmiths' power comes from advanced derma-circuitry (implanted at birth) that allows them to instantaneously transport anything across vast locations; this skill can also be weaponised, either to instantly separate an opponent into pieces or by warping objects into their body to cause lethal injuries. This requires seemingly complex gestures, though a practiced Warpsmith can do so faster than can be observed by the naked eye. Their powers can be negated by Interferers created by the Rhodru Makers, a race that makes hugely advanced weaponry. As with the Qys, the Warpsmiths maintain an uneasy, distrustful peace with the Rhodru Makers. Among the worlds they oversee are Carbeau (where their influence is a source of major discontent among the population), Sauk and Hiularisq. Warpsmiths have light grey or white skin, hair on their heads and at the base of their spines, with the males having further hair on their areola; the males largely wear their hair in short ponytails, covered by helmets, whereas females are bare headed. Socially the Warpsmiths live in six-sided bisexual clusters, each consisting of three male cluster-husbands and three female cluster-wives. The only thing that seemingly worries the ruling Black Warpsmiths is the Whisper, a mysterious something on the edge of the universe.

They first come into contact with Earth in November 1982, when Qys envoys locate the superhumans Miracleman and Miraclewoman. The successful birth of Miracleman's daughter Winter is judged to make them worthy of introduction to 'Intelligent Space'. As a result, the warrior-class Aza Chorn and Phon Mooda are assigned represent the Gulf World Confederacy, and build an observation post behind Earth's moon where they will liaise with Miracleman, Miraclewoman and the newly discovered Firedrake Huey Moon. Normally communicating via sign language, they swiftly learn English to speak to their new allies, which Miracleman notes they speak with perfect BBC intonation.

After two years this arrangement is disturbed by the return of a third Earth superhuman, the insane and powerful Kid Miracleman. The two Warpsmiths help in the battle; while Aza Chorn is able to eventually contain their adversary he is killed in the process. The trio of humans attend his funeral at the observation post, where the remaining members of his cluster have an orgy in remembrance in accordance with Warpsmith culture. Kana Blur of the same cluster then takes Aza Chorn's place as Earth emissary. With their existence now known, the Warpsmiths and their human allies take benevolent control of the planet, turning it into a utopia.

Warpsmiths become popular figures on Earth as cultural envoys and couriers, finding particular common ground with the Japanese. However it is unclear what the Black Warpsmiths' ultimate goal is as Phon Mooda is reporting the birth rates of superhumans back to them, and they concur that the 'experiment' may be close to running its course.

Known Warpsmiths

Black Warpsmiths

Warpsmith society is overseen by the huge Black Warpsmiths, a trio of seemingly immobile brothers who monitor the worlds that make up their empire and constantly test their forces against potential threats from their enemies. There were originally four Black Warpsmiths but at some point they were reduced to three. They create Warpsmiths in various classes - white Warpsmiths are warriors, grey Warpsmiths are diplomats, red Warpsmiths monitor stars and blue Warpsmiths are artisans.

Warrior-class Warpsmiths

• Aza Chorn

The de facto leader of his warrior-class cluster. He is called to Earth to help recover a mortally wounded Qys envoy and to transport Miracleman and Miraclewoman to Qys itself. He and Phon Mooda are subsequently assigned to represent the Warpsmiths in observing Earth, helping build an observation station. When Kid Miracleman returns and destroys much of London, Chorn's teleportation skills play a major part in the battle. He unsuccessfully tries to contain Kid Miracleman by warping first the Bank of England and then Marble Arch onto the adversary, who merely breaks out. Chorn then arranges extra power and a disorientating return trip to Silence to allow Miracleman to press home his attack. Even then Kid Miracleman still holds the upper hand until Chorn is able to warp a piece of masonry inside his forcefield. Kid Miracleman survives even this, and uses his eye-beams to fatally wound Chorn, blasting one of his arms off. The Warpsmith is however still able to hang on to life long enough to teleport an iron bar into Kid Miracleman's chest, finally forcing him to revert to Johnny Bates.

• Phon Mooda

A female cluster-wife of Aza Chorn. She is assigned along with Aza Chorn to observe Earth. Following the defeat of Kid Miracleman and Miracleman's takeover of Earth, she addresses the United Nations and informs them she has warped Earth's nuclear arsenal into the Sun. She also helps Karna Blur repair the Earth's ozone layer, and continues to dwell at Olympus. Phon Mooda also reports Earth's progress back to the Black Warpsmiths, sharing her concerns about Earth's stalling progress.

• Uxu Chil

An apprentice female relatively new to the cluster. Her inexperience leads to the diplomatically awkward death of Gimsestra Dal when she warps the supports of a building the youth takes shelter in away. She is later absolved, largely because the whole encounter has been manipulated by the Black Warpsmiths. She later joins Aza Chorn in quietly mourning the loss of Tenga Dril.

• Llans Ivo

A fiery cluster-wife who is only interested in fighting and mnemonic ballet. Her desire for action sees her overreact and assume the Qys are behind any incursion - leading to Llans Ivo seriously injuring two thrillseekers even with her warping abilities blocked. As with Uxu Chil she avoids censure due to the Black Warpsmiths' machinations. She takes great relish in taking part in a police action against the people of Carbeau.

• Hrrin Luli

A cluster-husband of the group.

• Tenda Dril

Another cluster-husband. Unknown to the rest of the group he is killed and replaced by a Qys agent wearing a duplicate of his body. The false Tenda Dril covers for his lack of warping ability by claiming his derma-circuitry is damaged, but is flushed out during an audience with the Black Warpsmiths and destroyed by Aza Chorn. The real Tenda Dril is then mourned by the rest of the cluster.

• Kana Blur

The sole survivor of a cluster destroyed by the Whisper, he is placed in Aza Chorn's cluster as a replacement for Tenda Dril. After Aza Chorn is killed by Kid Miracleman on Earth in 1985, Kana Blur takes his place alongside Phon Mooda as one of the Warpsmith representatives on Earth. There he plays a key role in remoulding human society and subsequently splits his time between Olympus and the observation post. Like the rest of Miracleman's allies he is present at the reawakening of Young Miracleman.

References

This article "Warpsmith" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Warpsmith. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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