Vext
Template:Infobox comics character and title Vext is a fictional character created by Keith Giffen and the star of a short-lived 1999 comic book series published by DC Comics. The series was written by Keith Giffen, pencilled by Mike McKone, inked by Mark McKenna, lettered by Bob Lappan, and colored by Lovern Kindzierski with separations by Digital Chameleon for all six issues (with guest inker Andy Lanning filling in on issue 4). The series was the last one edited by Kevin Dooley before he left comic books and was assisted by Harvey Richards.
Fictional character biography
Vext is a god from the Jejune Realm (also known as the Borough of Mawkish Indifference) in the Pan-Dimensional Pantheons. He is the "patron deity of mishap and misfortune" and true to that appellation, his world was phased out of existence because he and the other deities there were no longer actively worshiped by mankind.[1] From childhood, he has been beset by misfortune,[2] and even visited the Garden of Eden and accidentally caused the Fall of Man[3] and the sinking of the RMS Titanic.[4]
It takes approximately twenty three years for the line of gods from the Jejune Realm to be processed. Everyone is told to cooperate or face instant termination. Vext finds himself in a waiting room, then dealing with a mustached female caseworker. She cannot get his name right and despite Vext trying to assist, she summons the executioners. They in fact go to the cubicle next door and kill the entity that the caseworker had mistaken Vext for.
Finally, he is simply evicted to a random realm, which turns out to be Midgard/Earth. He is given appropriate funds to start a new life and not much training. He is told he cannot interfere with the course of human affairs, try to take over the planet, or become a super-hero.
He rents an apartment, 4-A, in Mr. Danforth's apartment building in Delta City, which was also the home of a hero known as The Heckler (though he was not mentioned or seen in Vext). Vext's next-door neighbor is aspiring writer Colleen McBride, who does her best to help Vext adjust to his new life on Earth (not knowing, for most of the series, that Vext was a god). For example, she (at least tries to) helps him deal with the concept of banks and the inaccuracies of the profoundly deaf landlord.
In the first issue, Vext is visited by Superman and the angel Zauriel who also tell him they will be keeping an eye on him. At first Colleen assumes that they are role-players.
Vext also must deal with the mistake-prone Department of Motor Vehicles. In one rare moment of 'luck', Colleen's treat of a fast food hamburger comes complete with an army of sentient microscopic bacteria. Vext's non-earthly biology swiftly deals with them, saving many innocent people.
A sub-thread running through the series is an amoral, murderous adventurer and his two equally homicidal assistants who wish to gain power through the exploitation of minor gods such as Vext. Much of their adventures deal with the God of Inappropriate Flatulence.
Gods of the Jejune Realm
| Name | Deity of: | First appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Caldwell | Ill-timed flatulence | Vext #1, deified in Vext #5 |
| Bargyn | Uninvited guests | Vext #1 |
| Blazon | Inappropriate exhibitionism | Vext #1 |
| Ekko | Déjà vu | DCU Heroes Secret Files and Origins #1 |
| Erupt'n | Prom night pimples | DCU Heroes Secret Files and Origins #1 |
| Garb'l Arb'l | Interminable social functions | Vext #4 |
| J-Angla | Loose pocket change | Vext #4 |
| Moxcatyl | Interminable procrastination | Vext #1 |
| Placatius | Insincere apology | Vext #1 |
| Paramour | Relationships gone hellishly wrong | Vext #4 |
| Qrttglbrngrltch | The nigh-unpronounceable inadvertent Armageddon | Vext #1 |
| Rypta Gud'n | Ill-timed flatulence | Vext #4, made mortal in Vext #5 |
| Shrike M'ota | Emasculating shrews | Vext #1 |
| Tedyum | Bloated windbags | Vext #1 |
| Textacl | The perpetually cuckolded | DCU Heroes Secret Files and Origins #1 |
| Vext | Mishap and misfortune | DCU Heroes Secret Files and Origins #1 |
| Yammar | Incessant nagging | Vext #1 |
Publication history
Unusually for a comic set in an established publisher-owned universe, Vext was half creator-owned: though all the characters featured in the book belong to DC Comics, Giffen retained copyright to the stories and art.
After cancellation by DC, the series was reprinted in Italian by Press Play Publishing as a back-up in the Italian Lobo series, issues 29–34 (January through June, 2000.)
References
- ^ Giffen, Keith; Brady, Matt (w), McKone, Mike (p), McKenna, Mark (i), McCraw, Tom (col), Lappan, Bob (let), Dooley, Kevin; Richards, Harvey (ed). "Tales of Turgidity Presents: Vext – The Formative Years with Baby Vext and Li'l Paramour" DCU Heroes Secret Files and Origins, no. 1, pp. 47, 53, 63 (February 1999). DC Comics.
- ^ DCU Heroes Secret Files and Origins #1, p. 53
- ^ DCU Heroes Secret Files and Origins #1, p. 62
- ^ DCU Heroes Secret Files and Origins #1, p. 47
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