TARA

Real Name: Inapplicable

Identity/Class: Android or Genetically engineered humanoid

Occupation: Would-be destroyer of all life on Earth

Group Membership: One of the Children of the Comet, part of Project: New Genesis

Affiliations: Creation of the Caretakers

Enemies: Martine Bancroft, Caretakers, Daemond, Morbius

Known Relatives: Children of the Comet ("siblings")

Aliases: The Girlchild

Base of Operations: Los Angeles, California

First Appearance: Adventures into Fear#20 (April, 1974)

Powers: Tara existed in the form of a young, pre-adolescent girl. She could create and control a duplicate form of that which she would have as a woman in ten years, as well as the forms she would have at twenty year intervals to any point in her life span. These forms would have different personalities, and different levels of experience, wisdom, and fantasy. Originally, she lapsed into a trance when she would create an alternate form for herself. An injury to that from would cause a psychic backlash, causing her to lapse into unconsciousness. In the commonly used form as a warrior woman, she was skilled at various forms of combat, and used a whip as a weapon. This form may have possessed some degree of superhuman strength and physical abilities.

Tara was a psychic vampire, feeding on life energy, death, brutality, violence, chaos, murder, and atrocity. As events around her progressed in intensity, she gained increasing abilities. She demonstrated the ability to physically shift her own form into that of her older selves. She demonstrated mental abilities, such as reviving the unconscious Morbius, shattering the embryo tubes of the remaining Children of the Comet, and controlling them. She claimed to be able to mentally manipulate the will of the Caretakers and Daemond as well.

History: (Adventures into Fear#20, 21, [22], 25, 26) - In the last century, the Caretakers of Arcturus were reaching the end of their life spans. They feared that mankind was entering a decline and would destroy itself in nuclear or other war. In order to prevent this, they undertook Project: New Genesis, which involved the creation of a race of super-men to join with mankind and carry on the work of the Caretakers after their deaths. This race would be referred to as the Children of the Comet, named after the starship, the Comet, which brought the Caretakers to Earth.

The prototype of the Children of the Comet was the woman-child known as Tara. Tara, however, instead of ameliorating the conditions of life on Earth, instead sought to actually hasten the process of Armageddon. She claims to have manipulated the Caretakers and Daemond (a renegade Arcturan who opposed them and sought to bring mankind down the path of sorcery), forcing them into direct conflict with each other. Whether this is true or not, she definitely fed on the power caused by their conflict.

Daemond first encountered the living vampire Morbius, and sent him to slay Tara. Initially disarmed by her youthful appearance, Morbius nonetheless overpowered her when she created her woman-warrior form to attack him. Morbius then became further entangled in the plot of the Caretakers and Daemond, and he was sent on a series of trips to other dimensions and planets. On returning, Morbius was recruited by Tara to defend her from her attackers, the Caretakers and Daemond. Daemond seemingly destroyed Tara by crushing her child-like form under a brick wall he caused to collapse.

Tara returned, much more powerful than before, in the midst of the direct conflict between the Caretakers and Daemond. She revived Morbius and explained her true nature to him. The Caretakers and Daemond teamed up in an effort to stop her, but she shattered the embryo tubes of the remaining developing Children of the Comet, and sent them to attack their creators and Daemond. Morbius then attacked Tara, apparently slaying her. Her death-throws caused the destruction of Daemond's base, and the ensuing explosion destroyed everyone in it, including the Caretakers, Children of the Comet, and Daemond.

Comments: Created by Mike Friederich and Paul Gulacy, then Steve Gerber and Doug Moench.

Tara has no known connection to
Tara of Earth-Guardians of the Galaxy, the older daughter of Stakar and Aleta (Starhawk), @ Marvel Presents#4 (although that would be quite a story...they're both from Arcturus, and both psychic vampires...hmmm).

Tara appeared to be a victim of her own programming. She seemed unable to stop herself from escalating the conflict to the level of global Armageddon. However, she revived Morbius, told him her true nature, and then allowed him to kill her. She described her existence as a never-ending hell, and I think this was the only way she could stop herself.

The story seems to imply that the Children of the Comet were genetically engineered creations of the Caretakers. Some later sources have described the Children of the Comet as androids. Who knows? Tara was certainly powerful enough to have faked her own death.

Tara claimed to have actually caused Daemond to separate from the other Caretakers, pursue the path of sorcery, and actively oppose them. Since this doesn't fit with anything else shown of the Caretakers, I'll discount this (see Caretakers entry). Instead, I'll chalk it up to Tara stating it for pure inflammatory value to enrage both the Caretakers and Daemond, and push them further into battle...which it did.

This story-line suffered from changing writer syndrome, and its conclusion seemed to be a plan to get rid of all the characters because no one knew what to do with them.

images: (without ads)
Adventures into Fear#20, pg. 15 (Tara as a child)

Appearances:
Adventures into Fear#20 (February, 1974) - Mike Friederich (writer), Paul Gulacy (writer), Jack Abel (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Adventures into Fear#21 (April, 1974) - Steve Gerber (writer), Gil Kane (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Adventures into Fear#22 (June, 1974) - Steve Gerber (writer), Rich Buckler (pencils), Luis Dominguez (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Adventures into Fear#25-26 (December, 1974 - February, 1975) - Steve Gerber (#25) & Doug Moench (writers), Frank Robbins (pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)

Last Updated: 12/29/12

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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