Silverblade is a supernatural fantasy comic book limited series, published by DC Comics in 1987. The maxi-series ran for twelve issues. The book was written by Cary Bates with art by Gene Colan; it was edited by Dennis O'Neil.
Silverblade tells the story of retired and washed up actor Jonathan Lord, who had originally been known for his roles in swashbuckling movies, and later for his roles in horror films.
Events lead up to his acquisition of a bird statue which he finds gives him the ability to transform into the characters he had played in his old movies, including The Silver Blade.
Tropes:
- Alliterative Name: One of the major antagonists is Vincent Vermillion.
- Animated Armor: The Executioner always manifests by inhabiting a suit of armour: anything from a conquistador's armour to the costume of a TV superhero. As the Executioner is a being of pure spiritual energy, the armour appears to be empty but mobile.
- Appliance Defenestration: In #1, Jonathan discovers Milestone watching a videotaped plea for money from his third ex-wife and rips the VCR off the top of the television and hurls it through the closed window.
- Assimilation Backfire: When the Executioner possesses the Winged Avenger costume, it gains all of the superpowers the Avenger had possessed on the TV show. However, it also gains the Avenger's vulnerability to silver.
- Atlantis: In the final issue, the movie set on Catalina Island is revealed to be actually Atlantis, returned to existence by the Executioner and falcon's magic. Adruu learns the history of Atlantis and the true nature of the spirits: Atlantis' Queen Veega tried to perfect herself and her society by discarding all negative aspects of her soul. This doomed Atlantis, however, and resulted in the falcon spirit and Executioner warring with one another, not realizing they were yin and yang, two halves to the same soul.
- Becoming the Costume: The longer Jonathan remains in the form of one of his movie characters, the more he starts to believe he is that character. While in the form of Dracula, he gets staked through the heart and 'dies' (because that would have killed Dracula in the film). When Milestone finds his skeleton and removes the stake, that 'revives' Dracula (again because it would have in the film). However, because of the the time he has spent 'dead', Jonathan now believes he truly is Dracula.
- Big Red Devil: Jonathan Lord transforms into his film version of Satan to defeat the Executioner at its most powerful. His version of Satan is a skyscraper-sized red giant, with horns and barbed tail, and wielding a trident. And absolutely terrifying.Vane: SATAN!? Bobby, since when does Jonathan have the power to become the DEVIL himself?
Milestone: Since the film version of Paradise Lost—1959, Virtuous Films. Critics said Jonathan's portrayal made him the most terrifying Satan the cinema had ever seen! - Bland-Name Product: Belinda drop the reel of film showing Jonathan shifting forms in his sleep off at a Photomax kiosk to be developed: an expy of the then ubiquitous Fotomat booths.
- Bring My Brown Pants: In #5, two paparazzi are sneaking into the grounds of Shangri-La when they are confronted by Blackfeather in the form of a wolf:That's not a German shepherd, Dave. That's a WOLF! I don't believe this, Lord! Who else would have a freakin' wolf for a watchdog!?? Dave...I just wet my pants!
- Career-Ending Injury: In 1939, Vincent Vermillion was a 10 year old child extra on the set of The Silver Blade who dreamed of being the next Fred Astaire. He agreed to stunt double for child star Bobby Milestone to earn extra money for dance lessons. However, the safety net snapped and he plunged 40 ft int a 2 ft deep moat: shattering his pelvis and breaking both his legs. As a result, he could never dance again.
- Carnival of Killers: Vermillion hires a trio of assassins to hunt and kill Milestone for his Snuff Film. He even holds auditions, and disposes of the one who doesn't make the cut. The three selected use a laser, an electrified sword, and a flamethrower.
- Classical Movie Vampire: Jonathan's version of Dracula is this: complete with evening dress and opera cape. Justified as he was an actor from Hollywood's golden age of horror, and his transformations are limited to becoming characters he has portrayed on the screen. (The version of Dracula seen in the comic comes from a film titled Dracula '57, which Jonathan admits was never one of his favourite films.)
- Danger Takes a Backseat: In #1, Milestone is kidnapped when one of Vermillion's minions hides in the backseat of the Cord and grabs him and injects a sedative into his neck when he attempts to drive off.
- Deadpan Snarker: Much of the cast indulge in snark from time to time, including Jonathan Lord (particularly when he is a Grumpy Old Man) and Brian Vane (whose wry observations have the unique perspective of being a ghost). However, the two standouts are Bobby Milestone, Jonathan's major domo and possibly only friend, and Jonathan's ex-wife Sandra Stanyon, neither of whom put up with Jonathan's crap. Special mention to Sandra's reaction on discovering that Jonathan has an adult son (actually a case of My Grandson, Myself) who would have had to been born while they were married:"Tell me, Jonathan. Am I the mother?"
- Destination Defenestration: In #2, Emmett gets hit by his own ricocheting buckshot and knocked backwards through Belinda's window where he plummets into San Fernando Valley (with the effect possibly being given a magical push by the falcon).
- Destroy the Evidence: The falcon torches the Photomax kiosk where Belinda drops off the roll of cine-film to be developed to destroy the footage of Jonathan changing forms.
- Dracula: Jonathan played Dracula in three movies, although Milestone notes that he hated the role. Miss Hothgard and the Executioner trick him into assuming the form (a Classical Movie Vampire) so they can kill him using Dracula's weaknesses.
- Dramatic Drop: In #4, Milestone is carrying Jonathan's breakfast tray upstairs when he is confronted by Brain Vane's ghost for the time. Milestone screams and drops the tray, which goes bouncing down the stairs.
- Driving Up a Wall: In #6, Miss Hothgard is chauffeuring Vermillion around the studio on an electric scooter. Sick of his hectoring, and now possessed by the Executioner, she uses the Executioner's powers to drive up the wall of the sound stage. Near the top she jumps off, leaving Vermillion and the scooter to plunge to floor.
- Energy Beings: The Executioner is a creature of pure spiritual energy which can only manifest by possessing a suit of armour.
- Enhanced Archaic Weapon: One member of the Carnival of Killers Vermillion hires to kill Milestone wields an electrified sword.
- Evil Cripple: Hollywood producer Vincent Vermillion. Vermillion was another child on the set of the original The Silver Blade movie who served as Milestone's stunt double near the climax. The gargoyle threw Vermillion off the top of a castle, but the safety net broke and Vermillion suffered broken bones. Vermillion had been an excellent dancer and planned to become the next Fred Astaire in film, but instead is confined to crutches and blames the two for his ruined dream. Vermillion kidnaps Milestone and hires assassins to kill him.
- Film Within a Comic Book: While bits and pieces of Jonathan's filmography are seen throughout the series, The Silver Blade gets the most attention, with multiple scenes being shown on the pages. Brian Vane's superhero TV show The Winged Avenger also gets a fair amount of attention. Becomes a major plot because Jonathan is granted the power to become any character he ever portrayed on film, and he most commonly assumes the role of Silverblade. The Executioner possesses Brian's Winged Avenger costume and gains the powers of the Winged Avenger.
- Fire-Breathing Weapon: One member of the Carnival of Killers Vermillion hires to kill Milestone wields a flamethrower.
- Fountain of Youth: As part of their bargain, the falcon restores Jonathan Lord to being physically 30, the age he was when he made The Silver Blade.
- Frankenstein's Monster: Jonathan played the Frankenstein Monster on screen, and assumes its form during his Shapeshifter Showdown with Blackfeather: using its strength to break the grip of Blackfeather's alligator form, before being driven back by flames when Blackfeather transforms into a firebird.
- Friendly Ghost: The ghost of Brian Vane joins the group to assist them in unraveling the supernatural events that are happening. An old friend to most of the group before he died, he continues to act that way towards them. At the end of the story, he works with Bobby Milestone on writing a book about their accumulated knowledge on the supernatural and metaphysics.
- Grumpy Old Man: Jonathan Lord at the start of Silverblade. Formerly a great Hollywood star, he now lives as The Hermit on his palatial estate Shangri-La, spending his days watching his old movies, and being bitter and sarcastic to everyone around him.
- The Hermit: Jonathan Lord is this. After making his last film in 1967, he withdrew to his palatial estate Shangri-la and made no public appearances for the next 20 years: preferring to remain in his mansion watching his old movies.
- Magical Native American: Blackfeather. When he first appears, he is a wizened old Indian who works as a medium conducting seances. Later he is rejuvenated into a youthful form with the ability to transform into Native American totemic animals.
- Metafictional Title: Silverblade takes its title from the In-Universe movie The Silver Blade: Jonathan Lord's most famous film, in which her plays a character called 'Silverblade'.
- Mugging the Monster: In #2, two muggers decide they want Silverblade's cape and pull knives and force him into an alley. They immediately regret this as Jonathan transforms first into a mummy and then a prize fighter to deal with them. The cop he leaves them with remarks that one of them has had his jaw broken.
- Murder by Mistake: In #7, Jonathan (as Dracula) attempts to feed upon Sandra. However, Mathilda is where he expects Sandra to be, wearing a hooded cloak that conceals her face. He attacks her and drains all of her blood, killing her. She later rises as a vampire.
- My Grandson, Myself: Aging reclusive actor Jonathan Lord gains the power to become any character he has portrayed on the silver screen. He uses this ability to appear as he did when he was 30 and portraying his most famous role of Silverblade, and makes a grand return to Hollywood as Jonathan Lord, Jr.
- Mystical Hollywood: A mystical being grants ageing actor Jonathan Lord the power to transform into character he ever portrayed on film, and he gets caught up in a millennia old battle between ancient forces, with Hollywood itself as the battlefield.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: A séance is held in a haunted home led by a mysterious Native-American, Blackfeather. The ghost haunting the residence is the spirit of actor Brian Vane, who played a television super hero in the 1950s called the Winged Avenger. Vane suffered through career and personal problems before dying under mysterious circumstances, making the character a thinly-veiled stand-in for the story of The Adventures of Superman actor George Reeves.
- Not My Driver: In #6, the ghost of Brian Vane scares off Sandra's chauffeur and takes his place. Unfortunately for him, he cannot hold the physical illusion together as long as he would like and he is forced to drop it halfway through the drive. His purpose was not to kidnap her, but to have with her the conversation Jonathan was refusing to have.
- One-Word Title
- Our Mermaids Are Different: Jonathan Lord played a merman in two films: The Green Lagoon and Return to the Green Lagoon. He assumes this form while swimming with Sandra (who regards The Green Lagoon as the most romantic movie they ever made together) and unintentionally almost causes her to drown
- Patricide: Jealous of his father's power, Adruu slit his throat to take the power for himself.
- Private Eye Monologue: Whenever Jonathan Lord transforms into one of his film characters, he acquires the tropes that go along with that character as well. When he becomes Sam Slade, P.I. in order to infiltrate a crime scene, the comic suddenly acquires a private eye monologue.
- Ray Gun: One member of the Carnival of Killers Vermillion hires to kill Milestone wields a laser gun.
- Revenge Before Reason: Producer Vincent Vermillion, who has waited forty years to take revenge on Milestone and Lord for his Career-Ending Injury, is willing to jeopardise his latest multi-million production by using as part of his plan to snare the pair. If his plan works, he will never be able to finish the film as he will have killed his leading man.
- Self-Immolation: The aged Blackfeather immolates himself in Death Valley in order to be reborn in a rejuvenated form.
- Serial Killings, Specific Target: Emmett attempts to invoke this when he plans to murder Belinda. He dresses as the killer from the Slasher Movie Quack Killers and plans to leave behind the mask and shotgun so the police will think it is a crazed fan rather than someone with a specific grudge against Belinda.
- Servile Snarker: Former child star Bobby Milestone is the major domo for Jonathan Lord: the only servant looking after the aging movie star's massive estate. Milestone has a line in snark that would do Alfred Pennyworth proud, and gets away with it, possibly because he knows that he is the only one who will put up with Lord's crap. Every time he threatens to quit, Lord gives him a rise.
- Shapeshifter Showdown: #5 features an epic shape-shifting duel between Blackfeather and Jonathan Lord. Blackfeather keeps changing animal forms in an effort to kill Lord, and Lord keeps turning into different film characters to counter him.
- Shout-Out:
- Included in the end matter is Jonathan Lord's full filmography. The films listed include the titles of several old DC Comics books, such as The Brave and the Bold and The Sea Devils.
- During their fight in the desert, the falcon transforms into a roadrunner to escape, and Blackfeather transforms into a coyote to catch it.
- Silver Has Mystic Powers: Within the film within a comic book The Silver Blade, the hero Silverblade carries a silver bladed sword that has magical properties. Whenever Jonathan Lord transforms himself into that character, he has the sword. When the Executioner assumed the form of the Winged Avenger, Jonathan is able to exploit the Avenger's vulnerability to silver by stabbing it with the silver blade.
- Slashed Throat: Jealous of his father's power, Adruu slit his throat to take the power for himself.
- That Was Not a Dream: After being rescued from Vermillion's Carnival of Killers by Jonathan as Silverblade, Milestone wakes up in his own bed and assumes it was all a dream. Then he opens his eyes and sees Silverblade and the giant falcon sitting on the end of his bed waiting to talk.
- They Call Him "Sword": Silverblade was the name of the character Lord played in his most famous film The Silver Blade. When the rejuvenated Lord appears in costume, he is sometimes referred to as 'Silverblade'.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Jonathan Lord is granted the ability to transform into any character he ever portrayed on the silver screen, gaining their powers and skills. Blackfeather can shapeshift into Native American manitou animals. The falcon can become any kind of winged creature that flies, from a butterfly to a pterodactyl (after it has seen one in a movie).
- Weapon Title: Although it is not a straightforward case as 'Silverblade' also refers to a character and a film.
