SOMBRE

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Warrior, Insurrectionist; Oracle of the Resurrection Altar

Group Membership: Killmonger's Legions

Affiliations: Agent of Erik Killmonger and his Legions (Baron Macabre, Death Regiments, Kazibe, King Cadaver, Lord Karnaj, Malice, Salamander K'Ruel, Tanzika, Tayete, Venomm--and presumably Madam Slay), the White Gorillas of Wakanda

Enemies: Black Panther (T'Challa), Mokadi, Wakandan Government

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: The Resurrection Altar, Wakanda

First Appearance: Jungle Action II#12 (November, 1974)

Powers/Abilities: Sombre's touch is highly corrosive and painful--enough so that even a seasoned warrior such as the Black Panther might pass out when touched by Sombre's hands.
He somehow managed to control the savage White Gorilla, possibly through telepathic or empathic abilties.
His face is a grotesque death-mask--a ceremonial mask which has been seared to his face by the rays from the Resurrection Altar. His body is "the consistency of damp corpse-ash."
Although he is not an actual vampire, he has developed a taste for blood, which he uses the fangs on his mask to obtain. He can open him mouth extremely widely, much like Cottonmouth of the Serpent Society.

History: Like most of Killmonger's agents, Sombre obtained his powers from the energies of the Resurrection Altar. Sombre, however, was exposed on numerous occassions, granting him even greater powers, and greater mutation than the rest.

(Jungle Action II#12) - Erik Killmonger sought out Sombre at the Resurrection Altar, where he supervised the final treatment for King Kadaver. The Black Panther attempted to interrupt the ceremony, but Sombre subdued him with a single touch.

(Jungle Action II#13) - The Black Panther, having escaped Killmonger's last deathtrap, wandered into another, this time set up Sombre--a group of the fierce White Gorilla. Sombre manipulated them into attacking T'Challa, though he managed to survive this challenge as well.

(Jungle Action II#14) - T'Challa tracked Sombre into Serpent Valley, where he ambushed the ghoulish creature. However, his blows did not seem to injure Sombre, who nearly incapacitated him again with another touch of his hands, and then prepared to bite his throat out. However, a jungle spirit, Mokadi, distracted Sombre, and T'Challa kicked him into a pool of quicksand. Eerily, Sombre simply stared at T'Challa, perhaps even smiling a bit, as he sank beneath the surface.

Comments: Created by Don McGregor and Billy Graham.

-Alternate future versions of many of Killmonger's former allies, including Sombre, were seen in the "Once and Future King" timeline (Earth-11236), @ Black Panther III#36 and 37.

• Twenty-five years in the future, Killmonger and his allies joined forces with Achebe and T'Charra, the renegade son of T'Challa. Even after T'Charra slew Killmonger, his former allies continued with the plan, now working for T'Charra.
  Per Bob Almond, who inked those issues, and many, many others in a great run on the series:
  Sombre, alongside Baron Macabre, got to "enjoy" an off-panel beating from Brother Voodoo..
  Everett Ross referred to K'Ruell and his cronies as: Individuals in desperate need of both a DICTIONARY and a TAILOR.

When Sal was drawing Killmonger's lackeys for BP # 36, like me, he wanted to stay faithful to the original designs, but make the characters look 25 years older, or, in Lord Karnaj's case, a little heavier. But Sal didn't like the face mask of our fave vampire priest so he redesigned his mask to make it more interesting while retaining that creepiness that fits the character--Bob Almond.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

• Sombra, the demon-queen of Megrim, mother of Bzzk'joh, @ Howard the Duck I#22

Appearances:
Jungle Action II#12 (November, 1974) - Don McGregor (writer), Billy Graham (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Jungle Action II#13 (January, 1974) - Don McGregor (writer), Billy Graham (pencils), Craig Russell (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Jungle Action II#14 (March, 1974) - Don McGregor (writer), Billy Graham (pencils), Pablo Marcos (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Black Panther III#36-37 (December, 2001 - January, 2002) - Christopher Priest (writer), Sal Velluto (pencils), Bob Almond (inks), Mike Marts (editor)

First Posted: 10/07/2002
Last updated: 10/08/2002

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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