WEATHER-CASTER
Classification: Terrestrial technology
Creator: Robbie Rider
User/Possessors: Robbie Rider
First Appearance: Nova I#2 (October, 1976)
Powers/Abilities/Functions: This device was built from a junked boiler and a multitude of spare parts. Its intended purpose was to create and manipulate localized meteorological phenomena for a variety of effects; however, in practical use, it fell far short of the desired expectations.
History:
(Nova I#2 (fb) - BTS) - In his quest to develop the next brilliant scientific boon for humanity, teenage inventor Robbie Rider assembled his Weather-Caster. In theory, the completed apparatus would produce snow, rain, hail, and even tornadoes, all within 10 feet of the device, at the press of a button; unfortunately, during the initial testing, the only thing the machine produced was an audible burp.
(Nova I#2) - Robbie took his older brother Richard Rider (AKA Nova) down to his basement workshop to show him his latest and greatest invention. Robbie boasted of what the Weather-Caster would do once it was perfected, but he conceded that it had a few "bugs" in it and it was still a work-in-progress.
Comments: Created by Marv Wolfman (writer), John Buscema (pencils) and Joe Sinnott (inker).
A whole panel was devoted to this gizmo--I wonder if there were plans to use it for a future story that never came to fruition.
I guess building a machine that controls the weather has been the dream of every wannabe inventor who ever read "Tom Swift"; but maybe Robbie was inspired from reading a news account of the Avengers battle with the Weather-Maker (see Torrent) and he wanted to duplicate the super-villain's technology for the benefit of humankind.
Despite his genius-level IQ, young Robbie's early inventions tended to show that his reach far exceeded his grasp, and that he wasn't quite in the same league as Reed Richards or Tony Stark. After this contraption, Robbie would continue with a few other failures (such as the edible umbrella and the toothpaste extractor), although he did successfully build the robot detective "Sherlock" (@ Nova I#20--Okay, the cyborg Dr. Sun helped him behind-the-scenes on that one). But Robbie would later graduate from MIT, and he even worked for Project: PEGASUS, so the boy genius did achieve success later in life.
And a BIG Thank You to Nathan Elliot for the scan!
Profile by John Kaminski.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Weather-Caster has no known connections to:
Other Appearances: None
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Last Updated: 03/11/11
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