NULL-LIFE BOMBNULL-LIFE BOMB
Classification: Extraterrestrial technology (weapon)
Creator: The Stranger
User/Possessors: The Stranger
First Appearance: Silver Surfer I#5 (April, 1969)
Affiliations: Geoffrey Ballard, Tony Stark
Enemies: Black Goliath, the Champions (Angel/Warren Worthington III, Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, Darkstar, Ghost Rider/Johnny Blaze, Hercules, Ice Man), Regina Clayborne, Al B. Harper, Jerry Washington
Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Null-Life Bomb had the task and was able to destroy life on a planetary or on a star-system scale. The
Bomb could perform this task by growing, enveloping all the things and beings,
until an unspecified point of maximum growth was reached, then the Bomb solidified and started
contracting, also destroying everything inside it.
Before the activation, the bomb had an uncalculated period of
"countdown" during which it emitted a signal and glowed. Its
deactivation also sent a signal to one of the Stranger's device in his belt.
The Null-Life Bomb was programmed to defend itself. It had some auto-defense
mechanisms:
The Bomb did not impair some forms of teleportation, such as the one created by the Stranger and Darkstar's Dark Force. So, in theory, there was a way to flee from the inside of the Bomb while in "expansion" mode.
History: (Silver Surfer I#5) - The Null-Life Bomb was created by the Stranger to destroy the Earth. The Stranger placed the bomb outside an unnamed town, hiding it in a rock. He then activated a countdown.
Helped by the Silver Surfer, Al B. Harper managed to locate the Bomb. While the Silver Surfer and the Stranger fought in an unnamed town, Harper tried to deactivate the Bomb, but the Null-Life Bomb's auto-defense mechanism activated, releasing an acid gas around it. Harper succeeded in stopping the detonation, but the gas killed him. A sensor in the Stranger's belt warned him that the Bomb had been neutralized, so he left the Earth, wiping the memories of the people involved in the destruction because of the fight.
(Black Goliath#5 (fb) - BTS) - The Null-Life Bomb was placed in the center of a top-secret government research project. The research was assigned to Stark International, under the supervision of Geoffrey Ballard. Tony Stark sent the Bomb, locked in a box, to his new Research Center in Los Angeles, led by Bill Foster.
(Black Goliath#2) - The box containing the Bomb arrived at the Stark West Lab Number One. Dale West wanted to open the box, but Bill Foster stated that nobody could open it without Tony Stark's authorization.
(Black Goliath#3) - That same night Vulcan and his gang attempted to steal the Null-Life Bomb. Black Goliath stopped them, but in the fight, the box was covered under debris. The box started to move and to glow: the Bomb had been re-activated.
(Champions#12 (fb) - BTS) - The Stranger sensed that the Bomb had been re-activated and, from deep space, left for the Earth to stop it.
(Black Goliath#4 - BTS) - Jerry Washington found the box and hid it in his apartment.
(Black Goliath#4) - Regina Clayborne, Jerry's partner, found the box and accused Jerry of having stolen it. Jerry hit her, and she left him. The box started glowing again.
(Black Goliath#5) - In his apartment, Jerry Washington broke the seal and opened the box. The light emitted by the Bomb blinded him and filled the room, then Washington and the light disappeared as if they had never existed.
(Champions#12 (fb) - BTS) - Reggina Clayborne went back to Jerry and found that the shining box had done something strange to him.
(Champions#11 (fb) - BTS) - Tony Stark told Bill Foster that the stolen box was related to the Stranger.
(Champions#11 (fb) - BTS) - About a week after the box was stolen, Regina Clayborne brought the glowing box to Bill Foster. But also Stilt-Man wanted the box, so he pursued her to the Champions' Building where a fight started between Stilt-Man and Black Goliath.
(Marvel Team-Up I#55) -The Stranger delayed his voyage to the Earth to try to acquire Adam Warlock and Gardener's Infinity Gems. The battle took too much time, and he had to leave for the Earth to stop the Null-Life Bomb.
(Champions#12) - Reggina Clayborne
reached the 24th floor of the Champions' Building with the box still glowing.
She explained to the Black Widow, Hercules, Angel, Ice Man, Darkstar and Johnny
Blaze what she knew. Some minutes later the Stranger arrived to claim
the Bomb. The Champions attacked the Stranger. The Bomb activated and started to
expand. It engulfed Regina Washington and also the Stranger. Meanwhile Black
Goliath defeated Stilt-Man.
The Stranger warned the Champions about the Bomb program and
its annihilating effects after the Bomb had shrunken again. The Stranger sent
the Champions to the Possessor (Kamo Tharn)'s world, to search for his Runestaff. The Bomb's dimensions grew, and in
a few seconds surpassed the top floors of the building.
(Champions#13) - Black Goliath climbed the building but
was sucked up by and entrapped inside the Null-Life Bomb, too. He tried to smash
the Bomb with a blow, but the Bomb generated some giant mechanoids to
defend itself. The Bomb grew, surpassing Earth's size. Darkstar found
Kamo Tharn's Runestaff. With its power and with the Stranger's help, they
eliminated the Bomb's expansion, twisting its program and forcing the Null-Life
Bomb to expand forever, thwarting the contraction danger.
The Stranger left the Earth after having learned a lesson in courage from Laynia
Petrovna/Darkstar.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, John Buscema and Sal Buscema.
It was not explained how the Government and Ballard knew how the Bomb was a bomb and how it was involved with the Stranger, because the powerful alien wiped the memories of everybody on the Earth (but the Silver Surfer) about his fight with the Silver Surfer and the Null-Life Bomb. Maybe Al B. Harper left some records somewhere.
Clarifications:
The Null-Life Bomb has no known connections to
The Bomb's Mechanoids have no known connections to
Regina Clayborne has no known connections to any other character with a similar name.
Jerry Washington has no known connections to
The
Mechanoids
The Mechanoids were giant robots created by the Bomb
apparently from nothing.
They were one of the internal defense mechanisms of the Null-Life Bomb.
They were as strong as Black Goliath.
The Mechanoids (at least three) were created just after Black Goliath hit the bomb with a blow. Apparently they didn't suffer any fatigue. After the Bomb had expanded over the Earth's diameter, the Mechanoids disappeared because the Bomb decided that there was no more danger for itself.
--Champions#13
Jerry Washington was a normal human.
He was very young when he was called to Vietnam (presumably a topical reference). He came back from the war, but was later put in prison.
After being released from prison, he again went to live with Regina Clayborne. However, Jerry needed money and started to do some work for gangsters. Jerry was involved in many affairs related to drugs.
When Jerry found the box containing the Bomb, he thought he could sell it to make a lot of money, so he hid the box at his home. Regina found the box and tried to convince Jerry to return it to Stark International, but Jerry beat her. Regina left him.
Later, Jerry broke the seal of the box to see what it contained. The Bomb retaliated, emitting a strong light that blinded Jerry and after some seconds wiped him out of existence.
--Black Goliath#4 (Black Goliath#5
Regina Clayborne was a normal human.
She and Jerry Washington were together when he left for Vietnam. When he came back and was later released from prison, they continued to live together with great difficulties. Regina worked day and night to live. Nonetheless, Jerry was involved in many drug sales.
One day Regina found a box that Jerry hid at home. A squabble arose, Regina accused him of being a burglar and Jerry hit her. She decided to leave him.
But some days later she went back to their apartment only finding the glowing, pulsating box. She understood that the box had done something to her partner, so she decided to take the box to the Champions.
During the walk, Stilt-Man noticed the glowing box and,
understanding that it contained an object of great power, pursued Regina.
Eventually Regina succeeded in taking the box to Black Goliath and then to the
Champions at their building. After she explained how she came to possess the
box, the Stranger arrived on the scene. The Null-Life Bomb activated in that
instant, and Regina was the first person to be absorbed by it.
Later, she and the rest of the world were freed by the Bomb threat by Darkstar and the Stranger. Regina helped Laynia to regain consciousness after the effort.
--Black Goliath#4 (Champions#12,13
Images:
Champions#13, p14, pan3 (Bomb)
Champions#13, p7, pan2 (Mechanoid, half body)
Champions#13, p7, pan5 (Mechanoid, head shot)
Champions#13, p17, pan3 (Regina, head shot)
Black Goliath#5, p6, panel 3 (Jerry Washington)
Appearances:
Silver Surfer I#5 (April, 1969) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks)
Black Goliath#2 (November, 1976) - Chris Claremont (writer), George Tuska
(penciler), Vince Colletta (inker), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Black Goliath#3 (June, 1976) - Chris Claremont (writer), George Tuska
(penciler), Vince Colletta (inker), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Black Goliath#4 (August, 1976) - Chris Claremont (writer), Rick Buckler/Don Heck
(artists), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Black Goliath#5 (November, 1976) - Chris Claremont (writer), Keith Pollard
(artist), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Champions#12 (March, 1977) - Bill Mantlo (writer), John Byrne (penciler), Bob
Layton (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Champions#13 (May, 1977) - Bill Mantlo (writer), John Byrne (penciler), Bob
Layton (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Last updated: 12/23/12
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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