The titanic Project Basement returns with:
Jericho by Dan Greenwald
PB v2 is about to get gabby. Take it away, Dan!
For my contribution, it was a no-brainer. I find Jericho to be the most useless and ridiculous-looking character in the DC Universe. Originally, I wasn't going to submit it as black & white, but I think it's important to see the how goofy the costume design is when colored.
I imagine when George Perez and Marv Wolfman were coming up with Jericho in the early 80's, the conversation went something like this...
"Hey George?"
"Yeah Marv?"
"I've got an unused character that I want to put on the team, but all I have is the name. Think you can help me flesh him out?"
"Sure, what's the name?"
"Are you ready for this? It's...JERICHO!"
"...."
"Well?"
"What does 'Jericho' mean? Does it mean something for the character?"
"I don't know, I just thought it sounded like a name that meant absolutely nothing."
"Okay, whatever. Well, with a name like that, he'll have to look unbelievably stupid."
"Go on, I'm listening."
"Well, for starters, I think he should have a giant head of blonde curly hair, like that William Katt fella. The kids love that Greatest American Hero show. But we'll add a twist: he'll have muttonchops!"
"Brilliant! Keep going!"
"The costume is key. I'm thinking big puffy sleeves, bright purple vest and boots, cobalt blue pants, a large gold belt with a giant gem in the center, big gold bracelets and a half cape that drapes around his neck and shoulders that serves no purpose whatsoever."
"Uh, sounds rather flamboyant. Not that I care, but is he going to be gay?"
"Marv, what would give you that idea?"
"No reason. Okay, what should his powers be?"
"Ah, I'm glad you asked. I think we need someone on the team to have a really useless power...I mean, in a combat situation, this creampuff should be able to do very little. I'm thinking he has the ability to possess someone by making eye contact with them."
"George, you just blew my mind. That's a great lame power!"
"Thanks Marv. And as a special gift to you, I give you the final aspect of this character that will make him almost impossible to be interesting; he will be mute! He will never have any dialogue with any other character or any thought balloons to help develop the character! We'll make some sort of attempt to have him practice sign language in the book, but it still won't make any sense to anyone."
"A character with no dialogue? I can't believe I never thought of it! Thanks George, I couldn't have done this without you."
"It's my pleasure. Hey who knows, maybe someday artists will be writing AND drawing comics."
"Hahahahaha! Oh George, you crack me up!"
Next week... Punisher by Mikey Wood!
"Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, and walls came a-tumblin' down."
Hey Dan,
I find the name for Jericho to be ironic considering he was mute and in the bible story, the walls of Jericho were destroyed by shouting.
The Biblical account describes the Israelites being lead by Joshua and crossing the Jordan into Canaan where they laid siege to the city of Jericho. There God spoke to Joshua telling him to march around the city once every day for six days with the seven priests carrying ram's horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day they were to march around the city seven times and the priests were to blow their ram's horns. This Joshua did, and he commanded his people not to give a war-cry until he told them to do so. On the seventh day, after marching around the city the seventh time, the priests sounded their ram's horns, and Joshua ordered the people to shout. The walls of the city collapsed, and the Israelites were able to charge straight into the city. The city was completely destroyed, and every man, woman, and child in it was killed.
According to wikiepdia;
George Perez worked out the design, powers, and personality of Jericho and also suggested making the character mute. In something of a departure, he also insisted that Jericho's emotions be conveyed entirely through visuals, without the use of thought balloons. Perez claims that Jericho is the first character which he created solely by himself.
And as to him being gay, "When Marv Wolfman and George Pérez were creating the character, they toyed around with the idea of making Joseph gay. Perez had this to say: 'While Marv and I did discuss the possibility of Joseph Wilson being gay, Marv decided that it was too much of a stereotype to have the sensitive, artistic, and wide-eyed character with arguably effeminate features be also homosexual. Joseph has had romantic connections with women Raven and Kole.'"
All that being said, never did like Jericho, never will.
isn't jericho the reason slade is such a dickrag?
so the walls of Jericho were destroyed by sound?
AudioShocker Shoutouts!
@Nick - that's the theory although an earthquake seems more likely.
Biblically speaking the struggles and buffetings "we" experience in life are ours alone -- until we surrender our lives to God. At that point, and as we follow God, they become God's battles, too. And God will fight for us -- for God's own glory -- as we trust God.
The keys to the Battle of Jericho, then, are faith and obedience.
does that somehow tie back into this New Teen Titan? as in, was Perez channeling some Bibleishness, or was his name just off the cuff?