Flashback Friday: Mothergod! Science, Murder, and Reality Warping!
Sep 24, 2021
Mothergod was an important figure in Valiant Comics’ original continuity who was part of a major, company-wide crossover. The character, who can manipulate energy and matter and warp reality, was created by Jim Shooter, Barry Windsor-Smith, and Bob Layton.
She was introduced in Solar, Man of the Atom #1 (1991) as Erica Pierce, a physicist who was working with Phil Seleski at Edgewater Nuclear Plant when the original near-explosion happened. As Phil became the hero, Solar, Erica’s history of abuse and mental illness triggered her to become the villainess, Mothergod.
Not only did the accident give them powers, it was so powerful that it started collapsing their timeline. They were both sent forward into a timeline created from Solar’s imagination. Mothergod found the Erica Pierce of that timeline, killed her, and adopted the other Erica’s son. She also became obsessed with destroying the timeline that Solar created.
She set about to create a new timeline, which became the Unity event. Valiant heroes gathered together and were able to stop her, sending Mothergod through a wormhole of non-existence where she could no longer change the timeline.
Keep an eye on PREVIEWSworld.com's Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram for more character profiles! And if you're interested in more from the world of Valiant, head to your local comic shop and check out the following.
Brought back from the grave by Project Rising Spirit, Bloodshot is powered by nanoscopic machines that can repair all injuries and maximize his physical potential. But the nanites can't replace his lost memories - or help him shake the feeling that he was once anything but a hero.
Collecting BLOODSHOT (1993) #0-24, along with RAI (1992) #0, ETERNAL WARRIOR (1992) #5 and #14-16, SECRET WEAPONS (1993) #3, 9-10 and #13, and H.A.R.D. CORPS (1992) #5.
There is a secret black market in New York. It is hidden in plain sight - in our streets, trains, and restaurants. Those who know how to navigate it exchange secrets of extraordinary nature. But when the secret in circulation is a biological weapon derived from Vine technology, the gloves are off - and the most extraordinary agents are released to stop the disaster before it occurs. Otherwise, in less than thirty minutes, there will be no world to come back to. X-O Manowar, Archer, Neville Alcott, Detective Cejudo and Betamax are ready to save the world.
Red-hot writer Ales Kot (Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier) and rising star Adam Gorham (Zero) go in deep with an unlikely cast of superhuman operators for an undercover conspiracy action thriller in the darkest corners of the Valiant Universe.
Collecting DEAD DROP #1-4.
When an untrained and undisciplined team of super-powered test subjects escape from Project Rising Spirit and onto the Vegas Strip, Bloodshot and the Harbinger Renegades will fi nd themselves locked in battle against a deadly succession of opponents - and each other. As the combined forces of the H.A.R.D. Corps, Generation Zero, and omega-level telekinetic Toyo Harada all descend on Las Vegas to vie for the control of Rising Spirit's deadliest assets, the world is about to discover the shocking price of an all-out superhuman confl ict...and no one will escape unscathed. Who will survive the Harbinger Wars?
From acclaimed writers Joshua Dysart (HARBINGER) and Duane Swierczynski (BLOODSHOT) and an all-star cast of artists including Clayton Henry (ARCHER & ARMSTRONG), Khari Evans (IMPERIUM), Manuel Garcia (Black Widow), Barry Kitson (Fantastic Four) and more!
Collecting HARBINGER WARS #1-4, HARBINGER #1-14, BLOODSHOT #1-13.
Colin King - sophisticated British playboy by day, elite super-spy by night! Codenamed Ninjak, King is gifted with a brilliant mind and lethal training in the world's most dangerous fighting techniques. Both will be put to the ultimate test as he is drawn into a globe-spanning mission to bring down a cavalcade of covert agents and criminal cartels, including his greatest nemesis - the Webnet terror network and its villainous mastermind, Dr. Silk! From the British Isles to the land of the
Rising Sun, Ninjak is about to leave an indelible imprint on the Valiant Universe - or die trying.
Collecting NINJAK (1994) #1-26, #0, and #00, NINJAK YEARBOOK 1994 #1, BLOODSHOT
(1993) #5-6, and SECRET WEAPONS (1993) #5, along with 20+ pages of rarely seen art and extras!
Watch the live-action digital series, then jump headlong into the fight-fueled showdown of the century as acclaimed writer Eliot Rahal (The Paybacks) and red-hot artist Joe Bennett (Teen Titans, Deathstroke) reveal the full scope and adrenaline-drenched intensity of NINJAK VS. THE VALIANT UNIVERSE!
Colin King is Ninjak, MI6's deadliest intelligence operative and weapons expert. When the ruthless assassin Roku exploits his greatest weakness, Ninjak will be forced to betray his closest allies. Now, on the run, he must face off against the most powerful heroes known to man for a high-octane, take no prisoners trial by fire more perilous and more unpredictable than any he's faced before. In 2018, the world's most dangerous super-spy goes to war with the Valiant Universe...
Guest-starring X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Livewire, Archer & Armstrong, Shadowman, and more, don't miss the ULTIMATE JUMPING-ON POINT for the most acclaimed and hotly followed publisher anywhere in comics today as Ninjak leads an all-star introduction to the most brutal fighters the Valiant Universe has to offer!
The Eternal Warrior has protected the Earth for more than 10,000 years. A master of countless weapons and long forgotten martial arts, he is guided by the Geomancers - those who speak for the Earth. During his long watch, the Eternal Warrior has failed three times. Each time, the Geomancer was killed...and a new dark age for humanity began. Each time, he was unable to stop The Immortal Enemy - a monstrous force of nature. A civilization killer. A horror that appears differently each time it arrives...and whose seemingly only purpose is to bring disorder and darkness to the world. Now, the time has come for The Immortal Enemy to return once more. But, this time, the Eternal Warrior will be ready. This time, he has a force greater than any single warrior. This time, he has...THE VALIANT.
Presenting the complete sold-out epic from New York Times best-selling writers Jeff Lemire (BLOODSHOT REBORN, Green Arrow) & Matt Kindt (RAI, Mind MGMT) and Eisner Award-winning artist Paolo Rivera (Daredevil), discover why Valiant is one of the most critically acclaimed publishers in comics today with an all-star introduction to Bloodshot, the Eternal Warrior, Geomancer, and a visionary cast of heroes and villains from across the Valiant Universe - all for the low introductory price of $9.99.
Collecting THE VALIANT #1-4.
This article originally appeared in Gemstone Publishing’s e-newsletter Scoop.
****
Amanda Sheriff is Gemstone Publishing’s Associate Editor, serving as the writer/editor of the e-newsletter, Scoop. She is the author of The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Movie Posters, The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Concert Posters, and The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Horror, and co-author of The Overstreet Price Guide to Star Wars Collectibles and The Overstreet Price Guide to Batman.