The Black Rapier

The Black Rapier © Juke Box Productions AstroFacts Status: Retired Earliest Appearance: 1970 Affiliation: Honor Guard Base of Operations: New Orleans Range of Operations: New Orleans, global with Honor Guard Personal Data InfoDump Appearances (in Publication Order): Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.1 #1, 6 Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.2 #6, 7, 10, 16, 19 Astro City: Local Heroes #1 Astro City: The Dark Age Book One #3, 4 Astro City: The Dark Age Book Two #1 Astro City: Beautie #1 Astro City: The Dark Age Book Three #2, 3, 4 Astro City: The Dark Age Book Four #3, 4 Astro City #2, 3, 18 Event Timeline 1982     Current Kerresh the Devaster Pronounces Doom on All of Earth. 1982     Current Omega Rangers Join the Battle Against Kerresh the Devaster. 1982/05/03     Current Silver Agent's Appointed Arrival at Romeyn Falls. 1991     Flashback The Destructiods Rampage Across Astro City. 1996/01     Current Samaritan Goes On a Prearranged Blind Date With Winged Victory. 1996/01     Dialog Security Heist Astro City Stock Exchange. 1996/01     Current Rex and Natalie Call in Reinforcements. 1997/07     Current Bulletin: E.A.G.L.E. troops block Black Rapier from accessing the Contact Matrix. 1997/07     Current Honor Guard battle an alien scout ship(assumed to be Enelsian) orbiting Earth. 2013/??/??     Current Honor Guard Stops Lord Volcanus' Plot to Conquer the Surface World. The Black Rapier A swordsman hero and a member of the Honor Guard from 1970 until his retirement in 2014. He served a lengthy tenure as the team's chairman. In addition to his skill with a blade, he is a consummate detective and a brilliant engineer. History At some point when the Black Rapier was young, he ingested a "vitali-serum" that dramatically altered his physiology. Alongside the rest of Honor Guard, he laid siege to the Skullcrushers' secret base in Ecuador. He coordinated between the team and the E.A.G.L.E. troops who were also on the scene. ("Mistakes") His engineering skills were put to use when he rebuilt Beautie after she was shattered by the Silver Brain's Sledgehamsters at some point. In 2015, after the Rapier retired from activity, Crackerjack stole the Rapier's remaining serum vials. Crackerjack did so as part of an effort to improve his own abilities, despite everyone he had talked to agreeing that such a feat would be impossible--the consensus being that it was a miracle the serum had worked for the Rapier, and it had only done so in part because of his youth at the time. Powers It is implied that the Rapier's serum provided him with enhanced physical abilities, including increased reflexes and endurance, if not also slowed aging (at his retirement party, the Rapier states that he'd been active for 45 years). Equipment He carries an épée, capable of generating an electric current. His costume is a modified fencing outfit, made of something more that just Kevlar. The Black Raiper's outfit has an additional mystery. Either his costume can be pressurized, or he also has a additional(but near parallel in appearance) suit designed for extreme conditions. He does require a sealed helmet over his fencing mask to operate in places like outer space. Observations He had a romantic relationship of some sort with the crime lord Bamboo during the 1970s. The position of Honor Guard leader was apparently held by the Black Rapier for many years, only recently transferring to Samaritan.