Atomic Knight
Atomic Knight is a
Sergeant Gardner Grayle was portrayed by Boone Platt in the live action
Development
During an interview, co-creator John Broome discussed the genesis for the idea. "I remember, in the beginning, we both got the feeling that it had something to do with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. We thought if we could make a modern version of that spirit and the feeling, that would be a new kind of comic that hadn't been done and we would enjoy doing it. So we worked out a third World War where life was almost destroyed and crime was all over. And the Atomic Knights stand for justice and faith and all that. So that is the way the story began."[2]
The original Atomic Knights
The Atomic Knights appeared in every third issue of Strange Adventures in the early 1960s, beginning with #117 (June 1960) and running through #160 (January 1964).[3] In all there were 15 early-1960s Atomic Knights stories created by writer John Broome and artist Murphy Anderson; they were a band of heroes living in and protecting the post-apocalyptic future of 1992.
Following the catastrophic Hydrogen War of 1986, a petty tyrant named the Black Baron ruled a small section of the Midwestern United States with an iron fist. He was opposed by Sgt. Gardner Grayle and the Atomic Knights, who wore medieval suits of armor that were impervious to the Baron's energy weapons, the armor having been irradiated in the war.[4] The other Knights were twins Wayne and Hollis Hobard, Bryndon Smith, the last scientist left on Earth, and brother and sister Douglas and Marene Herald. The group became a symbol of hope to the survivors of the cataclysm.[5]
The 15 Atomic Knights stories in Strange Adventures took place in "real time" (three months usually passed between the events of each story as well as in the real world) and generally dealt with post-holocaust recovery, as the Knights would fend off menaces and attempt to rebuild the area around their home base of Durvale, though they also managed to travel to Los Angeles, Detroit, New Orleans, New York, and Washington, D.C.
The Atomic Knights concept then lay dormant for more than a decade, until
The entire Great Disaster concept has since been declared to be out-of-continuity in the current DC Universe, although one of the Post-52 alternate Earths (Earth-17) does feature the world of the Great Disaster.
The 15 Atomic Knights stories were reprinted in Strange Adventures #217-231. In 2010 they were collected into a single DC hardcover volume; their appearances in Hercules Unbound and DC Comics Presents had not been reprinted until a 2014 volume entitled Showcase Presents The Great Disaster Featuring the Atomic Knights.
Fictional character biography
Gardner Grayle
| Atomic Knight | |
|---|---|
 Atomic Knight Gardner Grayle. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Strange Adventures #117 (June 1960) |
| Created by | John Broome Murphy Anderson |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Gardner Grayle |
| Team affiliations | Atomic Knights Outsiders Forgotten Heroes Seven Soldiers of Victory |
| Notable aliases | Shining Knight |
| Abilities | Precognition Wears a suit of armor granting enhanced strength, speed, endurance and blasts of energy, as well as being adaptable to other technology |
On Earth-One, Gardner Grayle was a
After a mildly successful career as a superhero, Grayle took a job at S.T.A.R. When he received a premonition from the goddess Cassandra, Grayle proceeded to use his new technical know-how to build his atomic armor. He then participated in the Crisis on Infinite Earths as one of the Forgotten Heroes who contacted Darkseid to enlist his help against the Anti-Monitor.
Afterward, he appeared in the Outsiders (vol. 1), a team he joined and stayed with until its disbanding. The Outsiders would later reform (in vol. 2) but were considered fugitives after being framed for the slaughter of a Markovian village (home country to Outsider Geo-Force). At first, he hunted the team down but was ultimately convinced of their innocence and was able to clear their name to the rest of the world. He also helps the Outsiders battle a vampiric infestation of the underground nation of Abyssia. With the Outsiders, he also fell in love with fellow Outsider Windfall and they were seen together at Geo-Force's wedding.
Beyond just his Atomic Knight armor, Gardner also had the power to see the future.
In the post-
In the second issue of Final Crisis, Dan Turpin travels to Blüdhaven and briefly sees the Atomic Knights, riding atop giant dogs in the ruined city. Afterwards, he visits the Command-D bunker.
In the third issue, the Knights accompany Wonder Woman into the city, where they go up against an evil Mary Marvel who has had her body augmented by their technology, who chops Marene Herald in half.
In the fourth issue, the Atomic Knights among those in the Blüdhaven Strike Force are eventually killed in battle, when Darkseid's forces showed their hand at Blüdhaven.
Powers and abilities
Gardner Grayle has precognition.
Equipment
Gardner Grayle wears a suit of armor that grants him enhanced strength, speed, endurance and blasts of energy, as well as being adaptable to other technology.
Other versions
In the out-of-continuity maxi-series Justice, the Atom wears a suit of armor that resembles the Earth-One Atomic Knight.
In 52, the existence of a new Multiverse is revealed. These Earths are originally carbon copies of the New Earth created at the end of Infinite Crisis.
Earth-17
One of the Earths, designated Earth-17 by Rip Hunter, is heavily altered by Mister Mind in his Hyperfly form, and his effects on the Earth have turned it into a copy of the home of the original version of the Atomic Knights, the version from their original stories.[1]
Based on comments by Grant Morrison, this alternate universe is not the original setting of the 1960s stories.[6]
Earth-38
In Countdown: Arena #2 (2007) an alternate version of Captain Atom appears who is the leader of that world's Atomic Knights.
Collected editions
- The Atomic Knights (collects Strange Adventures #117, 120, 123, 126, 129, 132, 135, 138, 141, 144, 147, 150, 153, 156 and 160, ISBN 978-1-4012-2748-7)
In other media
- A variation of Gardner Grayle appears in Markovian operative and teleported to Markovia by the teleporting mercenary Instant. In the episode "The Book of Markovia: Chapter Three: Motherless Id", Grayle contacts Black Lightning about what happened to Lynn and arranges a parley with Major Grey for a temporary truce to handle the matter. In the episode "The Book of Markovia: Chapter Four: Grab the Strap", Grayle assists Black Lightning and his allies in rescuing Lynn from the Markovians. Along the way, he stops Brandon Marshall from killing Helga Jaceand evacuates them. In the third season finale "The Book of War: Chapter Three: Liberation", Grayle assists in evacuating metahumans out of the Pit, only to be stopped by Gravedigger.
- The Gardner Grayle incarnation of Atomic Knight will appear in Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two, voiced by Keith Ferguson.[8]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1.
- ^ "News from ME - Mark Evanier's blog".
- ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^ Markstein, Don. "The Atomic Knights". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- ISBN 978-1605490458.
- ^ Brady, Matt (2007-05-08). "THE 52 EXIT INTERVIEWS: GRANT MORRISON". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 10 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
- ^ "Black Lightning / Characters / Sergeant Gardner Grayle". TVMaze. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Harvey, James (February 21, 2024). ""Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part Two" Arrives April 23, 2024". The World's Finest. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
External links
- DCU Guide entry
- The Atomic Knights at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on August 31, 2015.
- The Earth-One Index: The Atomic Knights (fan site)
- Writeups.org: Original 1960 Atomic Knights