Black Alice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Black Alice is also the title of a novel by Thomas M. Disch and John Sladek, under the pseudonym Thom Demijohn
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Black Alice is a DC Comics character introduced in Birds of Prey #76 (January 2005). She is a magically powered anti-hero who uses her powers to prey on drug dealers in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio.
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[edit] Character history
[edit] Origin
Lori Zechlin was a goth teen who lived with her father and her mother, a drug addict. Neither Lori nor her father (identified as John) suspected Mrs. Zechlin's addiction because she abused stolen prescription pharmaceuticals supplied by local drug dealers.
One day, overwhelmed by shame, Mrs. Zechlin put on her best dress, took an overdose of drugs, and drowned herself in the pool. Lori discovered the body when she came home from school. She discovered that same night that she could "borrow" the magical powers of others, including Zatanna, Black Adam, Dr. Fate, and others. Despite her lack of control over these powers (she could not wield them as well as their owners, nor had control over the times or duration that the powers would be available to her), she formulated a plan to avenge her mother and punish the prescription drug traffickers whom she saw as above the law.
Lori's father, shattered and slipping into depression, became a recluse. He tried to pretend for Lori's sake that nothing was wrong. Lori was also distressed by her mother's death, but was aware of the change in her father and assigned herself the role of caregiver. Her grades started to slip, and she became alienated from her peers. Her primary social group, a Wiccan circle, expelled her because she was emitting "black energy" since her mother's death (in actuality, the circle's leader -- her best friend, Dawn -- was jealous of Lori's real and growing powers).
Having recently left Gotham City following the destruction of their clock tower headquarters, the Birds of Prey were traveling the country by jet in order to identify and help previously unknown metahumans. Oracle had become aware of Lori's power, but not her specific abilities. She sent Huntress, disguised as a school teacher, to keep an eye on Lori and offer counseling, while Black Canary was tasked with keeping surveillance on all of Lori's activities. The goal was to determine the specific nature and strength of Lori's powers. While being watched by Black Canary, Lori abruptly left her boyfriend, Kyle, when Doctor Fate's power manifested. She decided to use it before its subsidance, and sought out a trio of suspected drug dealers. When Lori seemed intent to use lethal force, Black Canary intervened to save the lives of the three men. Doctor Fate's power faded, and Lori fled the scene, tailed by Black Canary. Suddenly manifesting Zatanna's powers, Lori waylaid Canary and escaped. Black Canary and Huntress united to tail Kyle in the hopes of rediscovering Lori, and instead found that Kyle was two-timing Lori with Dawn. Lori discovered the same thing shortly afterwards and prepared to destroy a shopping mall with the powers of Black Adam in her efforts to avenge herself on Kyle. Black Canary was able to bring her down in an all-out brawl, but it was Huntress who brought a stop to Lori's rampage by presenting a contrite Dawn. All Lori had needed was for someone to be sorry for the pain and loss she had suffered.
Oracle turned Lori over to the care of the real Doctor Fate, where she would receive guidance in the use of her powers.
[edit] Day of Vengeance
Black Alice made her second appearance in the Day of Vengeance miniseries. While the rest of Shadowpact were struggling against the combined might of Eclipso and the Spectre, Detective Chimp and Nightshade sought out "the most powerful teenager in the universe" to entice her to join them as their "secret weapon" against the Spectre (Day of Vengeance #4, September 2005).
After heated discussion with Lori's father, he relented and Lori was allowed to leave with them, only to find that the rest of the Shadowpact had been able to defeat the Spectre and Eclipso by channeling all the power of all magical heroes everywhere through The Enchantress and into Captain Marvel. Eclipso and the Spectre survived and escaped, however. Nightmaster formulated a new plan wherein Lori would steal the Spectre's powers and use them to destroy the Spectre (Day of Vengeance #5, October 2005). The plan had an unforeseen flaw: once Lori had taken the Spectre's powers, the Spectre was nothing more than an immaterial spirit, and she could not affect him in any way.
Eventually (Day of Vengeance #6, November 2005), her grasp of the Spectre's power subsided, but her actions had bought valuable time for Nightshade. Nightshade was able to neutralize Eclipso by placing her in a permanent undecaying orbit of the sun, where Eclipso's powers could not function. The Spectre, his powers now restored, turned his attention to the Rock of Eternity, eternal fortress of the wizard, Shazam. Defeating first Captain Marvel and then Shazam in a protracted struggle, the Spectre apparently killed them both while absorbing their power and adding it to his own. The death of Shazam and subsequent destruction of the Rock of Eternity released "ancient evils" long contained and caused considerable physical destruction to Earth, especially Gotham City (above which the Rock finally disintegrated).
Joined by the previously incapacitated Phantom Stranger, the Shadowpact rededicated themselves to defeating The Spectre and containing the evils that he released. Black Alice chooses to return home to be with her father instead, though is later seen in Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special helping to combat the global prison break perpetrated by Alexander Luthor, Jr.
[edit] Current status
One Year Later Lori is approached by Talia al Ghul, Felix Faust and Cheetah who attempt to get her to join the Society, offering both training and the resurrection of her mother, having exchanged the souls of many Society members to the demon Neron. The Birds of Prey attempt to intervene, but a frustrated and enraged Black Alice (who almost hangs Black Canary to death using a channeled Wonder Woman golden lasso) teleports everyone to the outskirts of Dayton and states that she just wishes to be left alone, before going home with her parents (her mother appears to be fully resurrected).
[edit] Powers and abilities
Black Alice has the ability to temporarily usurp the magical powers of any being, even ones as powerful as the Spectre, gaining all its skills and power and leaving it powerless in turn. There is known no limit to the distance at which she can steal a target being's power, but in order to choose a particular target she must be able to see him/her; otherwise, she receives a random magic-user's powers whenever she activates her ability. When she steals a being's power, her clothing partially transforms to somewhat resemble that of her target. She has even been shown to be able to simultaneously steal the powers of two beings.
[edit] Trivia
- Black Alice's appearance is that of a gothic teenage girl, except when she is manifesting her powers. Then her clothing transforms into an all-black combination of her own gothic attire and the costume of the person whose powers she is channeling.
- Her origin as an alienated teen and her ability to temporarily absorb the abilities of others make her similar to the Marvel Comics character, Rogue.
