From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The Futurians" redirects here; for the real-world organization see Futurians

The Futurians was a short-lived comic book, produced in 1983 by Dave Cockrum, originally as the ninth graphic novel for Marvel Comics, then a three-issue run published by Lodestone Comics.

The premise was of an extremely advanced future society called the Terminus, who attempted to alter the past by sending genetic information back through time, to give certain human beings super-powers (and a compulsion to use them) in order to enable them to stop some unnamed disaster. In the late 20th Century, a future inhabitant known only as "Vandervecken" or "The Dutchman" (both names for The Flying Dutchman) downloaded his mind into the body of a hobo who later becomes the owner of the Future Dynamics corporation; Vandervecken then began gathering up those who had been empowered to begin preparing them for their historic battles.

The main characters of The Futurians:

• Avatar: The first empowered human, he has flight, superstrength, and invulnerability, as well as three thousand years of knowledge and experience in strategy and tactics. He is the only Futurian to have overcome his genetic conditioning to obey Vandervecken.He has had many names and identities throughout the centuries,the most recent being Andrew Pendragon.

• Vandervecken: The mind of a future time traveller in the body of vagabond who later becomes a millionaire scientific genius. He has vast knowledge of future events and technology.

• Terrayne: Geologist Harry Robbbins has become a livng mud-man who can manipulate rock and earth. At first he is permanently trapped in this form, but Vandervecken supplies him with a ring that allows him to become human again.

• Silkie: Marine biologist Tracy Winters becomes a green-skinned amphibian with the ability to breathe underwater at great depths, fire bio-electrical blasts, control and shape water, and transform into a humanoid manta ray-like form, which allows her to fly or swim at great speeds.

• Werehawk: Matthew Blackfeather, an attorney for the Dakota indian tribe, can turn into a clawed, flying hawklike humanoid; however, when he does so, he can become overwhelmed by predatory instincts and a berserker rage. If he loses control entirely, he turns fully into a giant raptor bird.

• Silver Shadow: Ex-spy Johnathan Darknyte is able to become a livng shadow, who can merge with, animate, or teleport through shadows and darkness.

• Mosquito: Dana Morgan gains the ability to fly and project sonic blasts.

• Sunswift: A living fire elemental, Neith can survive in space or in the Sun's corona, generate solar-temperature plasma, and fly at tremendous speeds. She is also the former lover of Andrew Pendragon from ancient times.

• Blackmane: Walter Bonner becomes a lion-like being with razor-sharp talons and superhuman strength and agility.

• The Futurians at International Hero