IZAK
IZAK
Real Name: Izak
Identity/Class: Extradimensional ("Earth-8116") extraterrestrial mutate
Occupation: Adventurer, mercenary
Group Membership: Dreadstar & Company
Affiliations: Cookie, Debardinis, Vanth Dreadstar, Iron Angel,
Oedi, Ondru, Skeevo
Phlatus, Rok, Tuetun, Willow;
formerly Junior, Paxton
Enemies: The Instrumentality, Junior,
Lord High Papal, Lord Mozam, North, Lord Palafox, dark gods of another galaxy;
formerly Dreadstar, Tuetun
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Old Izak; see comments
Base of Operations: Mobile throughout "Reality-8116";
formerly the Empirical galaxy
First Appearance: Dreadstar I#43 (June, 1989)
Powers/Abilities: Izak has superhuman strength and durability; certain parts of his body (namely his genitals) are protected by armor. He has six arms and is able to use them to perform multiple acts simultaneously, especially during combat. He is an extremely talented fighter pilot. He typically uses some sort of blaster weapon. In addition, he apparently has some degree of empathic or telepathic powers, as he has been known to pick up thought impressions.
Height:
Roughly 7'6" (Dreadstar is 5'11")
Weight: Roughly 500 lbs. (I estimated about 456#)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown, black, and white
History:
(Dreadstar I#57/2 (fb) - BTS) - Already known as "Old Izak," Izak was a bounty
hunter captured by the Instrumentality and submitted to their experimentation
program.
(Dreadstar I#57/2 (fb) - BTS) - Lord Mozam's doctors began a project to see how many limbs could be affixed to a sentient being (Mozam figured that eight was the maximum that they could survive with).
(Dreadstar I#57/2) - A four-armed Izak tried to pound his way
out of his cell, swearing to kill those who had imprisoned him. Lord Mozam told
Claudia Zirco, whom he was in the process of duping into becoming a warrior for
the Instrumentality, that Izak was a criminal who had volunteered for their
program rather than face a death sentence. Mozam later visited Izak, taunting
him; Izak asked about the woman with him, whom he knew was different than the
rest. Izak demanded they leave her alone, but Mozam ignored him.
Claudia later visited Izak; they exchanged stories (including
her intent to leave the program due to her pregnancy) and Izak was impressed
with her as a sweet soul, something he didn't see much in his circles. When she
suddenly collapsed, Izak correctly figured that Mozam's men had done something
to her to make her lose the child. Still, there was nothing he could do,
imprisoned behind the force field in his cell.
Against her will, Mozam had Claudia anesthetized and
initiated her transformation into a warrior for the Instrumentality.
(Dreadstar I#58/2) - Izak could only express his sympathies from a distance as Claudia woke up screaming to find that all four of her limbs had been cybernetically augmented or replaced.
(Dreadstar I#59/2) - Now "Iron Angel," Claudia had tapped into Mozam's computers, learning that Mozam had had her former husband slain and her pregnancy terminated. She continued to demand stronger foes to face in combat until they sent her Izak (now possessing six arms), to whom they had promised freedom if he killed her. As they struggled, Angel whispered her plan to Izak, who then through her into the viewing booth, where she slew Mozam's chief scientist, North.
(Dreadstar I#61/2) - Izak & Angel blasted their way past the Instrumentality guards and then freed the rest of the prisoners, causing mass chaos. Angel mortally wounded Mozam, but he got the better of her and prepared to execute her, but Izak rushed to her aid, tackling Mozam. The two landed in North's experimental transmat device and vanished. Believing them to have disintegrated and furious over losing the chance to kill Mozam herself, Angel blasted the transmat device, destroying it.
(Dreadstar I#49 (fb) - BTS) - Izak was transported to a new galaxy, intended for the Papal to one day conquer. Due to the transporter's destruction, Izak was unable to return.
(Dreadstar I#43) - Amongst a bazaar on the planet Amoxicylin, Izak used his own
blaster weapon in a target game, blowing out the entire back of the tent and
then taking his teddy bear prize. He then picked up a thought impression on
someone who didn't want to be found, and he decided to find that person. That
person turned out to be Vanth Dreadstar, whose crew was wandering the bazaar to
replenish their supplies for their interstellar ship. Confronting Dreadstar,
Izak asked who wanted to find him so Izak could bring him to that person.
Recognizing Izak as a bounty hunter, Dreadstar tried to dropkick him, but Izak
caught his foot and casually tossed him aside. See no advantage in fighting,
Dreadstar ran off, but Izak maintained close pursuit. The fight swiftly
escalated as Dreadstar's allies saw him fleeing and rushed to the rescue. Izak
easily swatted aside the cat-man Oedi, but Iron Angel then caught him around the
neck with her whip. When they came face-to-face, both were surprised to see the
other; and after Izak called her Claudia (a name she hadn't revealed even to her
teammates), Iron Angel punched him away and took off. Dreadstar, Oedi, and their
gigantic ally Tuetun followed Iron Angel in fleeing Izak, and they joined up
with mechanic and ne'er do well Skeevo Phlatus and escaped in their ship.
Izak vowed to find her wherever she ran.
(Dreadstar I#49 (fb) - BTS) - Izak was hired as bodyguard to Paxton, an advisor of Rok.
(Dreadstar I#49 (fb) - BTS) - Izak accompanied Paxton to a meeting with Debardinis of Toth to win his alliance against Lord Palafox (Rok's father, whom Rok had deposed years before).
(Dreadstar I#49) - Izak was with Paxton when he confronted Palafox, which led to a confrontation with Dreadstar and Company, who had joined forces with Palafox. When Izak grabbed Dreastar. Tuetun punched Izak down, but then Debardinis broke up the fight and ordered a debate where Palafox and Paxton would each present their sides for Debardinis to ally with them. Following the debate, Izak entered Iron Angel's quarters (which had previously been unlocked and opened by the powerful being known as Junior), surprising her as she came out of the shower wearing only a robe. She quickly launched a throwing star at him, but he deflected it with a flick of his finger. Revealing how he had survived, Izak offered his concern that her heart had become hardened and unpleasant. As he pressed her, she revealed that she had become a harder person that couldn't be beaten or hurt. Admitting this and recalling her past made Angel burst into tears, which enraged the still secretly watching Junior, who vowed to kill Izak, but before he could anything a scream burst through the air. Debardinis' son had been murdered, and Paxton was implicated (though he had been framed by Palafox). Debardinis furiously slew Paxton before Izak could arrive, and Debardinis then agreed to join forces with Palafox in war against Rok.
(Dreadstar I#50 (fb) - BTS) - Izak returned to Rok.
(Dreadstar I#50) - Izak stood by Rok's forces against Palafox's, including Dreadstar & Company. When Dreadstar proved immune to Rok's troops' weapons, Izak punched him across several yards of terrain and then blasted him into the ground with his hand cannon. Absorbing this blast, Dreadstar returned the energy back at Izak, incapacitating him for the duration of the struggle. Palafox's forces ultimately won.
(Dreadstar I#52 (fb) - BTS) - Izak was taken prisoner.
(Dreadstar I#52) - Palafox had shown his true colors upon becoming monarch again, and he had turned on Dreadstar and Company when they refused to bend a knee to him. In fleeing from Palafox, they encountered Izak, still bound in a set of manacles. Skeevo picked the manacles open, freed Izak, and recruited him into Dreadstar and Company. Izak escaped with the others, though Tuetun fell through the floor and was lost into the depth of Palafox's castle; further, Junior, having been recently spurned by Iron Angel, had maintained his alliance with Palafox. Izak put the others (except Dreadstar who refused) on his back and speed their climb down the castle wall, and Dreadstar absorbed a massive amount of energy from a tank-like weapon and took out all of their attackers (though he lost it mentally as a result). The group took refuge in another building but troops were soon pounding at the door.
(Dreadstar I#53) - Using one of his many limbs to hold up a slain guard, Izak facilitated the illusion that they had been captured. Oedi held up the unconscious Dreadstar and the facade worked until they approached another group of guards. As the deception was spotted, Izak blasted another guard, and then Dreadstar woke up screaming and savagely attacked the guards. The rest of his group followed suit, and Izak & Oedi commandeered a tank. When Angel tried to get Dreadstar to join them, the berserk warrior ripped her cybernetic arms off. Oedi ran the tank over Dreadstar, returning him to his senses, and Izak scooped up Angel and her arms. He tried to kid with her, telling her this would be a night to dismember, but she was angered at the joke, and he apologized.
(Dreadstar I#54) - As the tank headed for their ship, the Skeevo (which contained the mind of their former teammate, Willow), Izak had to stop Angel from leaping out to escape Dreadstar. Upon returning to the ship, Angel yelled at the others until they left, but she then expressed her worry that he would walk out on her, too. He told her he could never do that after all they had been through together, and she told him to call her Claudia, but only when nobody else was around. Dreadstar prepared to lead the other's to Palafox's castle to rescue Tuetun, but as they did they found Junior and Palafox accessing a magical portal and seeking the Sword of Control. Despite Dreadstar's efforts, Junior claimed the sword, and Dreadstar and Company fled the planet in their ship.
(Dreadstar I#55) - Skeevo fought to shake off two pursuing Toth
ships, but Izak grabbed him out of the pilot's seat, naming the ship a "kiddie
toy" and swiftly taking out the two ships. As repayment for saving them, Izak
demanded that Skeevo repair and reattach Angel's arms, despite how hostile Angel
had always been to him. Izak agreed with the others to seek out Ondru, a
Piskayne mystic, for aid against Junior.
Not long after, Izak was pleased to see Angel back to fully
functional capacity again. They were subsequently attacked by Tuetun, who had
been brainwashed by an agent of Palafox.
(Dreadstar I#55 - BTS / Dreadstar I#56 (fb) - BTS) - Willow transferred herself into Tuetun's new master's ship and made their computers show that Tuetun's next blast destroyed the Skeevo.
(Dreadstar I#56 (fb) - BTS) - The Skeevo was badly damaged and crashed on Piskay.
(Dreadstar I#56) - Izak remained behind on the ship while Oedi and Cookie traveled a nearby city, seeking out information on Ondru. He was pleased when Oedi brought them a motorcar to travel the world.
(Dreadstar I#57) - After the vehicle broke down in the frozen wastelands, Cookie, Izak, Iron Angel waited while Skeevo & Oedi worked to repair it. The car later fell through some thin ice into a cavern after which they were again attacked by Tuetun (who had learned of their survival after his master isolated and dumped Willow). After Tuetun dropped Dreadstar, Izak took him on, matching him blow for blow until the ice shattered beneath their feet. Dreadstar caught and Izak and they made it back to solid ground and encountered Ondru, but Tuetun fell into a deep crevice.
(Dreadstar I#58) - Izak enjoyed a feast with the rest of the crew inside Ondru's cavern, and he was startled when Ondru apparently joked with them, telling them they were eating another cat-man who had frozen to death while seeking him out. Later, after Iron Angel had insulted Skeevo for his inability to maintain Junior's loyality, Izak forced her to apologize. Still later, Izak joined the others in investigating the mystic energies unleashed while Dreadstar communed with Ondru, and they saw Vanth regain the power of his sword.
(Dreadstar I#59) - Izak and the rest of Dreadstar's crew
confronted Tuetun's former master, forced him to restore Willow and then took
his ship, intending to drop him off with the Piskayne authorities; they wished
to be able to retrieve him for when they found Tuetun, so that he could
de-program Tuetun.
Later, Izak stayed on ship when Dreadstar met with Debardinis,
and Dreadstar unwittingly restored Debardinis' daughter Allegra's memories; she
revealed that it was actually Palafox who had slain her brother and then forced
her to remember it to be Paxton. Debardinis pledged his alliance with Dreadstar
to take down Palafox and brought him to Rok, with whom he was also meeting
Izak questioned Iron Angel about her feelings about Junior,
suspecting that his formerly innocent and whole-hearted love had touched
something within her.
Soon after, Junior revealed himself to be the living
incarnation of the Twelve Gods of the Instrumentality and vowed to conquer the
galaxy.
(Dreadstar I#60) - Izak and the rest of Dreadstar's crew and their new allies returned to Palafox's world, arriving amidst Junior's battle with Palafox's forces. Angel ultimately pledged her love to Junior, causing him to sheathe the Sword of Control within himself rather than be forced by it to slay Iron Angel. The gods of this galaxy then reclaimed the sword and claimed Junior, to be tortured by them for all eternity. As he was takes away, Junior asked Angel if she did truly love him. When she shed a tear, he took that as a yes, and used his power to ensnare her soul and take it with him. He ignored Angel as she told him she had lied to him to play on his weakness, and with the last of his power he restored Dreadstar's old foe, the former Lord High Papal of the Instrumentality.
(Dreadstar I#61) - Izak tried to rush into the conflict between Dreadstar and the Papal to recover Angel's body, but Oedi held him back, convincing him that the energies the two were releasing would slay him instantly. Aboard their new Toth-granted ship, Izak fired a blast that stunned the Papal but left Angel's body unharmed. The Papal soon caused the ship to fall, the Oedi brought it to a relatively safe landing. Ultimately, Willow transferred her mind into Angel's body and helped Dreadstar drive off the Papal, who escaped atop a passing ship.
(Dreadstar I#62) - Izak and the rest of the crew took some time to relax, though he had a difficult time adjusting to Willow possessing Iron Angel's body, and he was even more distressed when he realized she intended to romance Dreadstar. Not long after, Dreadstar and company departed that world.
(Dreadstar I#63) - Along their journey, Izak, Oedi, and Skeevo performed a musical number for the others' entertainment, with Izak playing guitar, drums, and tambourine. Their song was interrupted when they ran into a space probe, and despite Izak's objections over delaying reaching the far spiral arm of the galaxy (where they might reach Angel's spirit), they followed the trail back to the probe's origination. They traveled to the planet Urth where they made a dramatic show of being alien visitors, which pleased the Urthians who had sent the probe in hopes of discovering intelligent life. Izak kept order a meeting of Earth's version of the United Nations, firing his gun to silence opposing nations' leaders who each accused the other of being allied with the aliens. Their period of popularity ended with the violent arrival of representatives of the United Franchise of Worlds, who bombed a major city and then told the Urthians they would join the Franchise of be destroyed.
(Dreadstar I#64) - As the Franchise continued to goad the Urthians into joining them by blowing up another city, Dreadstar led the rest of the crew to attack them. Things continued to escalate until representatives of the next generation of the Franchise showed up and destroyed their predecessors. This group peacefully offered the Urthians to join them, and Dreadstar and Company departed.
(The Gift) - While Izak and the rest of the crew took a break on an unidentified planet, Oedi unwittingly touched a crystal, which was apparently one of the many souls of the boy Zak, sent to this dimension by the multidimensional being, Dys. Oedi was transformed into a savage, samurai-like warrior, which then attacked Dreadstar, but Dreadstar bluffed the spirit into fleeing Oedi's form when he nearly slew it.
(Dreadstar II#3 (fb)) - Their ship limited to sub-light speed,
Dreadstar & Company continued their progression towards the realm of the Dark
Gods. Izak was shocked when Willow, in Iron Angel's body, revealed that she was
pregnant with Vanth's child.
They eventually got to a world where they could repair their
ship and continue their quest. Izak expressed his displeasure with Vanth using
Angel's body while she was trapped with Junior and the Dark Gods, and he told
Vanth that he would have to make things right, though his ultimatum was cutoff
by Willow's timely arrival. The tension between Vanth and Izak continued to
increase but as they approached their goal, Willow/Angel began having
contractions. As they continued, they found an escape pod and brought it aboard
their ship, after which its panic-stricken resident, Bettina, jumped out, and
kicked Vanth and Izak in the noogies, but Izak was unharmed due to his armor
plating. Izak calmed her down and she revealed her story about being slaughtered
by a race of insectoids. These beings then arrived and attacked Dreadstar's
ship, and Willow/Angel went into full labor. Unable to fight off the insectoids,
Dreadstar directed Oedi to pilot their ship on a collision course with the
nearby star, at which point Junior manifested himself through said star.
(Dreadstar II#4 (fb) - BTS) - As Dreadstar's child was born,
Junior apparently sensed Iron Angel within the infant. While Junior was
distracted by this realization, Dreadstar skewered him with his own sword,
ending his threat, though Junior screamed that it wasn't over yet!
The starship crew members were apparently separated and
either slain or sent to different locations. Izak's fate is unrevealed.
Comments: Created by Peter David, Angel Medina, Sam Grainger, and Bob Dvorak.
Dreadstar was a licensed character/title
created by Jim Starlin starting way back with the Metamorphosis Odyssey in Epic
Illustrated#1 in the Spring of 1980. The Metamorphosis Odyssey started around
the modern era and affected Earth, but then swiftly destroyed the entire Milky
Way galaxy and then moved on like a million years in the future. Dreadstar
eventually got his own series under the Epic imprint, but Starlin later took the
whole shebang over to First Comics. And in 1994, it was published under the
imprint of Bravura, a creator-owned division of Malibu comics.
Still that earlier Marvel connection allows
me to place this reality in the fringes of the Marvel Megaverse.
Peter David took over the writing around issue#31 or so, but
Starlin remained the owner. At any rate, from start to finish, it is the best
series I've ever read, period! I'd love to see it continued, by Starlin, David,
or both!
Peter David & Angel
Medina created the unique-looking character Izak that became a major part of
the Dreadstar series until it's end. Izak was last seen in
1995.
Izak vs. Quarry
While writing the Hulk with Angel Medina, in 1996, PAD introduced Quarry, a bounty hunter sent from the Maestro's era to take down Janis Jones.
Quarry is a virtual duplicate of Izak, except Izak had six arms, while Quarry had two.I see three possibilities
1) Beyond the appearance and the homage, there is no connection b/t the two characters.
Despite my interest in the character, this is probably the best one, as Izak was a nice guy...and Quarry was not.
I did finally get hold of Peter David, and he confirmed that it was just an homage.2) Quarry is the Dystopia version of Izak, an alternate reality counterpart, but they're not the same character.
3) Quarry is Izak, a traveler across time and space.
If 3...I wonder what is the explanation his loss of 4 arms, and how/why he got to Dystopia?
Izak was not a bounty hunter or anything, as far as we know, before he had four arms grafter to his body, though I guess it could have been a pre-graft appearance.
Amoxicylin is a play on Amoxicillin, a Pencillin-type antibiotic.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Izak has KNOWN connections to:
images: (without ads)
Dreadstar I#43 cover (chasing Dreadstar)
p6, panel 1 (mostly straight-on shot)
last page, last panel (face)
#48 cover (b/t Dreadstar & Tuetun)
#57/2, p1 (four-arms)
Appearances:
Dreadstar I#43 (June, 1989) - by Peter David (writer), Angel Medina (penciler),
Sam Grainger & Bob Dvorak (inkers), Larry Doyle (editor)
Dreadstar I#49 (December, 1989) - by Peter David (writer), Angel Medina (penciler),
Bob Dvorak (inkers), Laurel Fitch (editor)
Dreadstar I#50 (January, 1990) - by Peter David (writer), Angel Medina (penciler),
Bob Dvorak & Tom Baxa (inkers), Laurel Fitch (editor)
Dreadstar I#52 (March, 1990) - by Peter David (writer), Chuck Wojtkiewicz (penciler),
Eric Vincent (inkers), Laurel Fitch (editor)
Dreadstar I#53-55 (April-June, 1990) - by Peter David (writer), Angel Medina (penciler),
Bob Dvorak (inker), Bob Garcia (editor)
Dreadstar I#56 (July, 1990) - by Peter David (writer), Angel Medina (penciler),
Tim Tyler (inker), Bob Garcia (editor)
Dreadstar I#57 (August, 1990) - by Peter David (writer), John Calimee (penciler),
Bob Dvorak (inker), Bob Garcia (editor)
Dreadstar I#57/2 - by Peter David (writer), John Calimee (penciler),
Bob Dvorak (inker), Bob Garcia (editor)
Dreadstar I#58 (September, 1990) - by Peter David (writer), John Calimee (penciler),
Paul Mounts (inker), Bob Garcia (editor)
Dreadstar I#58/2 - by Peter David (writer), Steve Epting (artist), Bob Garcia (editor)
Dreadstar I#59 (October, 1990) - by Peter David (writer), Steve Epting (artist),
Bob Garcia (editor)
Dreadstar I#59/2 - by Peter David (writer), John Calimee (penciler),
Jim Nelson (inker), Bob Garcia (editor)
Dreadstar I#60 (November, 1990) - by Peter David (writer), Angel Medina (penciler),
Tim Tyler (inker), Bob Garcia (editor)
Dreadstar I#61 (December, 1990) - by Peter David (writer), Angel Medina (penciler),
Bill Anderson & Tim Tyler (inker), Bob Garcia (editor)
The Gift (1990) - by Peter David (writer), Scot Eaton (penciler), Randy Clark
(inker), Byron Erickson (editor)
Dreadstar I#62 (January, 1991) - by Peter David (writer), John Calimee (penciler),
Jeff Albrecht (inker), Byron Erickson (editor)
Dreadstar I#63-64 (February-March, 1991) - by Peter David (writer), Angel Medina (penciler),
Bill Anderson (inker), Byron Erickson (editor)
Dreadstar II#1-2 (April-May, 1994) - by Peter David (writer), Ernie Colon
(artist), Kara Lamb (editor)
Dreadstar II#3 (July, 1994) - by Peter David (writer), Ernie Colon (artist),
Kara Lamb (editor)
Dreadstar II#4-5 (September-October, 1994) - by Peter David (writer), Ernie
Colon (artist), Kara Lamb (editor)
Dreadstar II#6 (January, 1995) - by Peter David (writer), Ernie Colon (artist),
Kara Lamb (editor)
Last updated: 10/01/07
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
© 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you
like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com