Badrock

Badrock

Badrock
Publication information
Publisher Image Comics
First appearance Youngblood #1 August 1992
Created by Rob Liefeld
In-story information
Alter ego Thomas John McCall
Team affiliations Youngblood
Brigade
Abilities Superhuman strength, reflexes and durability,
Granite-like skin

Badrock (formerly Bedrock) is a fictional comic book superhero and supervillain who appears in books published by Image Comics.[1] Created by Rob Liefeld, he first appeared in Youngblood #1 (April 1992).[2]

Fictional character biography

Thomas John McCall was an average underachieving 16-year-old. When he swallowed a vial of top secret genetic material in his father's lab, a transformation occurred, and McCall's body became a mass of granite-like organic rock, while still exhibiting the emotional immaturity of a 16-year-old. Later, Thomas assumed the identity of Badrock when he was recruited to join the high-profile government superteam, Youngblood. Badrock has been a part of every incarnation of the Youngblood team to date (1992, 1995 and 2008 series as well as the Team Youngblood and Youngblood Strikefile series).

Badrock is proficient with a number of weapons, including the many guns and knives available to him in the Youngblood arsenal. Not one to hide behind gadgetry, however, Badrock often uses the incredible power of his fists to pummel opponents into submission. Despite his massive size, Badrock's reflexes exceed normal human levels.[3]

Badrock is impulsive, having picked dangerous, property-damaging fights with the police officer Savage Dragon and Mighty Man. The Dragon fight was a test to see if he was up to joining Youngblood. Instead, Dragon arrests him.[4]

Being one of the most popular members of Youngblood (both in the fictional Image Universe and with real life comic readers), Badrock starred in more spin-off comics than any other member of the team.[5]

Many of Badrock's non-Youngblood adventures involve his father, Dr. Joseph McCall, and his mother, Angela McCall, with whom he has a close and loving relationship (he is only 16 years old, after all).

He starred in his own team-up book entitled "Badrock and Company" which lasted for six issues and paired him with other Image heroes, all of whom were creations of one of Image's other studios. These included Pitt (Full Bleed Studios), Fuji of Stormwatch (WildStorm), Mighty Man (Highbrow Entertainment), Velocity (Top Cow Productions), Grifter of the Wildcats (also from WildStorm) and Shadowhawk (ShadowLine).[6]

Badrock's adventures involved threats to national security, such as Youngblood rescuing (what seemed to be) Vice President Dan Quayle from the WildC.A.T.S.[7] Badrock, in one of his many solo adventures, visits Hell, confronting Spawn's old enemy the Violator. This was after being named temporary security head of a scientific installation that was investigating the realm of hell. He was more responsible at this point, trying to protect the many innocent people who had unwittingly made the trip to Hell with him. He had to deal with the interference of heavenly and hellish agents and the unwillingness of some of the humans to actually obey his orders. At one point, Violator tricks Badrock into freeing him because the heavenly agent that had torn into the building was willing to kill anyone and everyone. Violator uses his human form to convince the angel, Celestine, that Badrock is the demon. The hero is defeated and the angel is fatally injured. She manages to keep it together until her life force returns Badrock and the innocent humans back to earth.[8]

Around this time, and in a follow up to the story from Badrock and Company #5, Badrock teams up with Grifter to save his mother, Angela, who has once again been captured by the Covenant of the Sword. The story further explores the fact that Grifter once had an intimate relationship with Badrock's mom.[9] Only two issues of the limited series were produced, even though the story was incomplete and promised "To Be Continued...".

Murder

Badrock is part of a vital effort of keeping reality from duplicating itself, in the 'Shattered Image' limited series.[10] Around this time his teammate Riptide is found murdered in her bedroom; Badrock is part of the group that takes custody of her seeming killer, Knightsabre.[11]

When Youngblood was discontinued after the death of Riptide, Badrock took some time off. It did not last long though, and through a series of events, he became part of the fourth incarnation of Brigade (although the series, published by Liefeld's company, Awesome Comics, only lasted one issue).

He also joins another incarnation of Youngblood, this one based out of 'Liberty Island'. He joins with Shaft, Cougar, Diehard, Doc Rocket and Johnny Panic. During his time with the team, he is injured and must use crutches. He also confronts evil, super-powered doubles of his parents. The entire team confronts a government controlled 'super-villain' team; each member of Youngblood has a focus-tested 'rival'.[12]

In the year 3000, Badrock was still alive and returned for a brief period of time to get some help from Youngblood to stop the Katellans. The continued attempts of the Katellans to reacquire the defector Combat back led to the destruction of Earth, Katella and Acura in Badrock's timeline. Badrock then returned to 1995, where he prevented this from occurring. The mission succeeded.[13]

Badrock also starred in three inter-company crossovers with Marvel Comics. Badrock and Wolverine of the X-Men joined forces to battle the Savage Land Mutates.[14] While being interviewed for the Daily Bugle, Badrock teamed up with Spider-Man to take on Spidey's rogues gallery thanks to the illusions of Mysterio.[15] As a member of Youngblood, Badrock and his pals teamed up with X-Force to battle the media madness of Mojo[16]

Badrock is also part of the 'Image United' crossover that began in November 2009.

In the series Prophet, which takes place millennia in the future, Badrock has grown to immense size and actually become a planet. He has a number of children, including one called Brainrock, who tried to become a planet as well, but only reached the size of a tiny moon.[17]

Name change

Upon Youngblood's debut, the character's name was originally "Bedrock" and his catchphrase was "Yabba-dabba DOOM", but legal pressure forced Liefeld to change the name to "Badrock" to avoid confusion with The Flintstones' town. This was parodied during a television report seen in Spawn #12.

References

  1. ↑ "Rob Liefeld Takes Aim At "Youngblood" #71 - Comic Book Resources".
  2. ↑ "Rob Liefeld Goes Back to the Future with Youngblood HC". Newsarama.com.
  3. ↑ "Youngblood Battlezone" #2 (1994)
  4. ↑ "Savage Dragon" #3 (1992)
  5. ↑ Badrock @ Grand Comics Database
  6. ↑ "Badrock and Company" #1-6 (1994)
  7. ↑ "WildC.A.T.S." #3 (December 1992)
  8. ↑ "Violator Vs. Badrock" #1-4 (1995)
  9. ↑ Grifter/Badrock #1-2 (October–November 1995)
  10. ↑ "Shattered Image" #1-4 (1996)
  11. ↑ Judgement Day #1-3 (June 1997 - October 1997)
  12. ↑ "Youngblood" #1-4 (2008)
  13. ↑ "Team Youngblood" #20 (1995)
  14. ↑ "Badrock/Wolverine" #1 (1996)
  15. ↑ "Spider-Man/Badrock" #1-2 (1997)
  16. ↑ "Youngblood/X-Force" and "X-Force/Youngblood" (1996)
  17. ↑ "Prophet" #26 (2012)

See also

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