BOMBSHELL
Real Name:
Dryas
Occupation:
Adventurer
Legal Status:
Citizen of Olympus
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of Bombshell's Olympian origins.
Other Aliases:
The Son of Ares
Place of Birth:
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Ares (father), unnamed mother (name unrevealed, deceased), Tereus (brother, deceased), Procne, Philomela (sisters-in-law, deceased), Itys (nephew, deceased), Hercules, Apollo, Hephaestus, Hermes, Dionysus (uncles) Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite, Discord, Eileithyia, Hebe (aunts), Deimos, Phobos (half-brothers), Romulus, Remus (half-brothers, deceased)
Group Affiliations: The Argonauts, ally of the Gods of Olympus
Base of Operations:
First Appearance: Boy Comics #3
History: Dryas is the son of Ares, the Olympian god of war, and an unidentified woman of the Lapith tribe of Ancient Thessaly. His older brother, Tereus, had conquered Thrace and later became allies with King Pandion of Athens in a boundary dispute with King Labdacus of Thebes. Pandion gave his daughter, Procne, as a wife to Tereus. She later bore him a son, Itys. Tereus, however, also fell in love with Philomela, Procne's sister, and seduced her in the absence of Procne who he had quietly secreted away. Terues had Philomela's tongue cut out to prevent her from revealing the affair, but Philomela had the secret of the affiar woven as a story into a tapestry knowing only her sister would understand it. They had their revenge by slaying Itys and serving him in a feast to Tereus. Tereus blamed the murder of his son on Dryas and slew the youth before turning his sword on the sisters. For their crimes against each other, the gods Aphrodite and Athena transformed Procne and Philomela into a nightingale and a swallow and Tereus into a hoopoe that they would carry their vendetta into eternity.
Ares meanwhile had Dryas restored to life for his role as an innocent party to these events. Reaching adulthood, the young demi-god joined with the Lapiths in their war with the Centaurs for control of Thessaly. Four generations later, he became a member of the Argonauts in a quest for the Golden Fleece and later joined in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Dryas was accepted into Olympus, but often returned to earth in search of adventure. During World War Two, he again returned to his homeland to defend Greece against the Nazis as the hero Bombshell. Following the enemy to Britain, he befriended a young archer named William Lackington who fought the German armies while masquerading as Robin Hood, the famous Tenth Century outlaw.
Bombshell's post-war activities, if he survived the war, are
unrevealed.
Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 310 lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Strength Level: Bombshell possesses superhuman strength enabling him to
lift (press) almost fifty tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Bombshell possesses superhuman strength,
stamina, endurance and resistance to harm comparable to the Olympian gods. He is
also practically immortal, having ceased to age since reaching adulthood. He can
perform physical acts strenuously for several hours without tiring.
Abilities: Bombshell is an exceptional warrior trained in both armed and
unarmed combat including swordsmanship and Greek wresting.
Weapons: Bombshell carries an enchanted sword which can cleave through
stone and tempered steel. It is believed this sword was later granted to Halcibur
Filius (Son of Vulcan).
Comments: Bombshell appeared in four out of twelve issues of Boy Comics.
Since all the Lev Gleason Publications were later sold to DC Comics, Bombshell
would be a very minor character in the DC Universe.
There is no name for Bombshell's true identity in the comics,
but theoretical debate would make him Dryas, the Thracian prince.
Thanks to Michael Norwitz for suggesting this character!
Clarifications: Bombshell is not to be
confused with:
Last updated: 02/11/07