Halo (comics)

Publication history

Halo first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #200 and was created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo.

Fictional character biography

Halo is a gestalt of a human woman named Violet Harper and an Aurakle, an ancient energy-being resembling a sphere of iridescent light. The Aurakle species emerged from the Source billions of years ago at the dawn of time. When sociopath Violet Harper was murdered by Syonide, an operative of the 100 and Tobias Whale, the Aurakle, who had been observing her out of curiosity, was sucked into the newly vacant body, reanimating the deceased body. The shock of death and resurrection induced a profound loss of memory in the new combined entity. She was subsequently found and recruited by Batman to serve as a member of the Outsiders. In one early incident, Halo with accesses to the memories of the long-lived Aurakle becomes emotional over the tendency of human beings to kill each other. Halo later has to deal with the consequences of her body's previous actions, which required the assistance of the Outsiders team to resolve.

The young Halo is initially the legal ward of her friend and Outsiders teammate Katana. During her stint in the Outsiders, she gains a friend in new member Windfall.

Death

Halo did die, in a manner of speaking, in a much later incident. After the team was framed for the murder of Markovia's Queen, which was caused by Roderick and his vampire forces, they were forced to flee. Technocrat's evil ex-wife, Marissa Barron hires an old associate named Ryer who believes Technocrat had abandoned him in Markovia. As the cyborg Sanction, he nearly kills the Outsiders in Switzerland. Later, in Gotham City, he attacks again, slaying both Marissa and Halo. As with Violet Harper, Halo's essence is sucked into Marissa's body, reanimating it.

During an attempt by the Outsiders to create a new headquarters, other Aurakles would return to reclaim Halo. Halo would later strike up a relationship with Sebastian Faust, a fellow Outsider that not many on the team trusted. The entire team is eventually cleared of wrongdoing. Halo later returns to Markovia. There she assists in combating a portal to hell that had opened as part of the Day of Judgment incident.

Further adventures

Halo later appears back in the body of its original host, Violet Harper, through unexplained means.

During the Infinite Crisis, supervillain prisons around the world are opened as their respective wardens are targeted and blackmailed. Halo is part of a makeshift team of heroes battling a breakout at the Alcatraz prison in San Francisco. She later joins the Battle of Metropolis, which takes place in issue #7, helping other heroes protect the city from an army of super-villains bent on its destruction.

Soon after the events of the crisis, she assists a team of astronauts in a space station searching for heroes missing in action. She detects traces of Zeta radiation, a sign of Adam Strange, one of the many missing.

She is part of another multi-hero battle, this time against the murderous Black Adam. This takes place on Chinese soil, during the limited series World War III.

She makes another brief appearance in Action Comics #843. She is part of dozens of super-powered beings fighting to free themselves from the prison ships of the "Auctioneer".

In Batman and the Outsiders Special (Feb. 2009), Halo is one of the heroes approached by Alfred to form a new team of Outsiders. She accepts in Outsiders vol. 4, #15 and reforms the team with original members Katana, Geo-Force, Black Lightning, and Metamorpho, along with new members Owlman and the Creeper.

Blackest Night

During a recovery mission with the Outsiders, Halo along with the Creeper and Katana are confronted by Katana's recently resurrected family. Under the control of their Black Lantern rings they attack Katana and Halo, with Creeper easily dispatched he retreats into the woods in order to get help from their prisoner, Killer Croc. While Katana battles with her husband, Halo is forced to fight Katana's children. Although her light based powers prove ineffective at first Violet unleashes more power than ever before in order to save her team-mates whose abilities have no long-term effect on the Lanterns. Finally she manages to destroy the Black Lantern rings, and goes to aid the rest of her team who are also under attack.

Back in their headquarters the rest of the Outsiders are faced with a recently risen Terra and are hopelessly outmatched, until Halo intervenes. With great effort she manages to separate Terra from her ring and to destroy it while Geo-Force turns Terra's body to stone in order to keep her from coming back again. Violet however seems to disperse into light, her last words being that the (light) is calling her. Afterward, Halo is returned to earth.

Batman Incorporated

Halo is later selected as a member of a new team of Outsiders, led by Red Robin and funded by Batman Incorporated. Halo and her teammates infiltrate a satellite said to be run by the villainous Leviathan organization, but this is revealed to be a trap set by Lord Death Man and Talia al Ghul. The satellite is destroyed in a massive explosion, making it unclear whether Halo and the others survived.

In the rebooted New 52 continuity, it is revealed that Halo and the others survived the explosion, but were assumed dead. They now work as part of the Dead Heroes Club, a group of heroes who take advantage of their legally-deceased status to perform covert missions for Batman.

Powers and abilities

Halo has the ability to fly and to create auras of different colors around herself, called halos, which have different effects:

The halos provide a measure of defense against similar effects directed against her. For instance, her green, stasis halo protected her from being immobilized by the Cryonic Man's freezing gas, and her orange, concussive halo can repel physical attacks.

Halo can alternate between her costume and civilian clothes instantly. This transition is accompanied by an aura of primarily black color, with white blotches of light.

The negation of the color spectrum will negate Halo's powers; the DC universe has many villains with just such abilities.

In the 1990s, it was shown that, should the human body be destroyed, the Aurakle can merge with another freshly deceased human.

During the Blackest Night, Violet's powers proved highly effective, allowing her to destroy Black Lanterns and their rings, a feat usually reserved only for the wielders of the various Lantern Corps and the users of the Dove power.

Other versions

The Elseworlds series JLA: Another Nail contains an alternate Halo, as a black woman; her real name and background are unrevealed.

Television

Halo appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!". She, along with Geo-Force, were shown as members of the Outsiders when they help Batman fight Kobra.

Film

An evil version of Halo, known as Aurora, appears as a member of the Crime Syndicate of America in the animated film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. Aurora appears in the first fight with the Justice League and she is defeated by Hal Jordan. Her powers were similar to a Green Lantern's, except that she does not wield a ring and her energy is pink.