Ch’p

Context

Ch’p is a fairly minor Green Lantern character, and Green Lantern Corps member. He appeared in 1982, and the bulk of his appearances were during the 1980s, just after the Crisis.

These notes were taken because the Atlas of the DC Universe, which had his stats, was difficult to find during the 1990s. They’re now hopelessly outdated. But everyone likes a cartoon squirrel, and it’s vaguely useful to still have old-school power ring stats written down somewhere. For far more modern power ring stats, see this article.

This article also had our backup of a text from the GL Corp website, in case it disappeared – and disappear it did. But it has since been republished on another fan site.

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Background

Powers and Abilities

Ch’p’s size and appearance would be a great disadvantage in any battle were it not for his strong, fearless will that makes him an expert with the green power ring. With it he can perform almost any task he can imagine.

Like all Green Lantern rings back then, its one weakness is the inability to work against anything colored yellow. The ring must also be recharged every 24 hours at a power battery.

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History

Under command of Doctor Ub’x, the Crabster forces ruled half the galaxy. Ub’x had always been power hungry, and now he charted a new world to conquer: his homeworld, H’lven. H’lven was a peaceful, low technology world of arboreal creatures. The Green Lantern of Sector 1014 was killed trying to hold back the invasion. He died too soon to choose a successor.

The natives of H’lven were no match for the Crabsters’ might. With acorns against energy weapons, H’lven was defeated by nightfall. Of the few who offered resistance, fewer still survived.

Ch’p had been captured and sentenced to death for resisting the invasion forces. Still rebellious, he would fight to the bitter end.

In darkest night

In his cell, Ch’p was visited by the image of a Guardian of the Universe. The native of H’lven was chosen as a monk without fear, to wield the power of the Green Lantern. Although Ch’p had never heard of the Green Lantern Corps, it has been said elsewhere that many Green Lanterns have been chosen from H’lven. This may have been in their distant past.

The Green Lantern of H’lven quickly defeated the Crabsters, but Doctor Ub’x escaped. Ub’x swore vengeance on Ch’p for his defeat. Doctor Ub’x would return time and again to battle Ch’p. With each defeat he learned more of his foe’s power ring.

During one fight, Ub’x had discovered Ch’p’s secret identity. He used the information to kidnap Ch’p’s girlfriend, M’nn’e. Fortunately, the Green Lantern was too clever for his enemy and freed the damsel in distress. In time, M’nn’e discovered Ch’p’s secret identity, and the two were married.

During Ch’p’s career he battled many other villains. Battle Beaver and his boys, the Mole Patrol, Chick Fury and his Eagle Scouts, and the Terrible B’Gul Bears.

In brightest day

Later, Ch’p was ordered by the Guardians of the Universe to evacuate the planet Berrith. Its’ unstable sun was threatening the planet.

A hostile world, Berrith had been sealed by the Guardians nearly 2,000 years ago. The creatures of Berrith had been denied space travel, and could not escape their world’s fate. The Green Lantern of H’lven had doubts about this mission, as his world had been enemies of Berrith. Still, he lived up to his duties, and brought the people of Berrith to safety.

Another adventure of Ch’p’s was the pursuit and capture of the crew of the pirate- cruiser Blackheart Pogo. Ch’p had found the pirate firing on a luxury liner. He quickly disabled the pirates, and turned his attention to the luxury liner.

But an escape pod from the pirate cruiser struck Ch’p, knocking him senseless while the liner’s atmosphere leaked into the void. Ch’p tracked the escape pod through hyperspace to a seedy cantina on the asteroid settlement of Lawrel Hardee XI, where he caught the pirates.

No evil shall escape my sight

The Green Lantern of H’lven also went on missions as part of the Green Lantern Corps. He was among the almost one hundred Green Lanterns who invaded Qward to destroy the Anti-Green Lantern Corps.

In another adventure, Ch’p joined with Arisia, Arkkis Chummuck, Katma Tui, Tomar-Re and Xax against Maaldor, a powerful extra-dimensional entity. Maaldor’s actions depleted the emerald energy of the Green Lanterns, threatening the existence of the Corps. The Corps defeated Maaldor, but at the cost of Chummuck’s life.

Ch‘p served faithfully during the so-called Crisis on Infinite Earths, despite the catastrophic effect it would have on his life. He was sent with Arisia and Salakk (whom he nicknamed “picklehead”) to arrest Goldface and Lurlan Dupo. The two villains had killed Green Lanterns during the Battle of the Moon of Qward.

They took down Lurlan Dupo easily, but Hal Jordan had to assist in apprehending Goldface. The criminals were brought to Oa, to be imprisoned in Sciencells. After that the Guardians left Oa to be with the Zamarons.

With the Sector System abolished, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Arisia, and Katma Tui would operate from Earth. The Guardians had prophesied Earth would produce the next race to evolve as they in the coming millennium.

Ch’p returned to Sector 1014, to devote his life to making it the third place to evolve to Guardians, perhaps in two thousand years. He returned to H’lven to find his past was wiped away during the reality altering Crisis. In this changed universe, Ch‘p was believed to had died years ago, his wife and best friend, D’ll did not know the Green Lantern.

His entire sector had been altered.

Let those who worship evil’s might

Unknown to Ch’p, Doctor Ub’x had thrown all his energies into creating a weapon powerful enough to best a Green Lantern. That weapon was the Sucker Stick, fuelled by his willpower.

When the reality changing effects of the Crisis hit, altering all of existence, Doctor Ub’x held the Sucker Stick. This protected his awareness. Ub’x was converted to energy, and it would take him awhile to stabilise to his true form.

Ch’p realised his past only existed with the Green Lantern Corps. He found Salakk in route to Earth. Although the Slyggian Green Lantern would not admit it, after working so closely with his fellow Green Lanterns, he was lonely.

The two Green Lanterns joined with the Green Lanterns on Earth, who had in turn been joined by Kilowog of Bolovax Vik, which had been destroyed in the Crisis. Arisia had redesigned the Green Lanterns uniforms, showcasing their differences so the people of Earth could better tell them apart. She soon set to work on the two new arrivals.

The Green Lantern Corps of Earth would first battle a team of super-villains led by Doctor Polaris and Sonar, two old foes of Hal Jordan. The group returned to battle the Green Lanterns. With each battle, there would be a silent member of the villain’s group.

The Green Lanterns discovered it was secretly Doctor Ub’x, who had finally returned to his true form. His Sucker Stick defeated the Corps. The first Green Lantern he would kill would be Ch’p. Savouring his triumph, Doctor Ub’x watched as the helpless Ch’p squirmed, calling out in his sleep for his lost life on H’lven.

Ub’x realized the Green Lantern had seen the end of the universe, and was one of the last ties to his old life. If he were to kill Ch’p, there would be no one else that remembered his life from before that moment. He would be alone in the universe. Ub’x‘ willpower faltered for a moment, allowing the Green Lanterns to wake and attack the villains.

Beware my power

Doctor Ub’x was unable to kill the Green Lantern. Ch’p would face his enemy alone. Ub’x was unable to control the power that kept him alive through the Crisis, energy was tearing at his body. Ch’p understood that if Ub’x died, he too would be alone. The Green Lantern saved his one-time enemy.

The two called a truce, and became friends. Dr. Ub’x went to Africa to experiment on the local wildlife, attempting to accelerate their evolution to a sapient  species. Ch’p would visit him often.

During one visit with Dr. Ub’x, the two monks were surprised to see Salakk disappear into thin air. With the help of Dr. Ub’x’s Sucker Stick, the pair tracked Salakk through time. The Slyggian had been taken to the 58^th century. Salakk’s memory had been replaced with the fictitious life of Pol Manning, the head of the Solar Council.

Arriving in the 58^th century, Ch’p and Ub’x met the B’rkrs, a group of monks that had evolved from Dr. Ub’x’s experiments in the 20^th century. One of the B’rkrs, M’rr’y, reminded Ch’p of his lost wife, M’nn’e. The B’rkrs were fighting with the Solar Council for a recognized homeland.

The Solar Council used Pol Manning (Salakk) against the insurrectionists. Ch’p was able to beat his confused friend, and return Salakk’s rightful identity. Arisia and Hal Jordan were called to the future to mediate the war between the Council and the B’rkrs.

Ch‘p was so caught up in finding monks like himself that he joined the B’rkrs, against his fellow Green Lanterns. Hurt by Ch’p’s betrayal, Salakk demanded Ch’p be removed from the Corps.

Salakk and Dr. Ub‘x decided they would stay in the future. Returning to the present, Arisia and Jordan let Ch’p keep his ring. Ch’p returned to H’lven, hoping to win back his wife.

Green Lantern’s light

Some time later on Oa, Salakk had returned from the future to warn the Green Lantern Corps of their impending doom. He arrived too late. The trial and execution of Sinestro led to the collapse of the Main Power Battery, and the disintegration of virtually all the power rings in the universe.

The powerless Green Lanterns would be returned to their homeworlds. Salakk requested to be sent to H’lven. Ch’p had grown despondent about his life, and was about to hang himself when Salakk arrived.

His friend told him of the of the end of the Corps, and his now increased responsibilities as one of the few remaining ring wielders. Not wanting to lose his friend, Ch’p asked Salakk to stay on H’lven to act as an advisor or consultant. Salakk agreed, and Ch’p brought his Slyggian friend to the annual harvest and nut gathering.

Sometime after, the life on H’lven entered its’ natural hibernation period. How long this lasts is unknown. Waking, Ch’p touched the ring to his power battery, and knew the Green Lantern Corps had returned.

He and Salakk went to Oa to ask why Jordan had not sought them out to rejoin the Corps. In the meantime, Ch’p would assist John Stewart in policing the Mosaic Cities. The road that Stewart had created to connect the different civilisations had been torn up each night the Green Lantern from Earth had slept.

Still dazed from his hibernation, Ch’p was unable to save himself from being killed by an oncoming yellow truck. Stewart felt responsible for this, as he believed he could have saved his friend.

For sometime after, Stewart would be visited by the “ghost” of Ch’p, illuminated in a verdant glow. The projection tried to give Stewart a message that he could not understand. It seemed only Stewart could perceive Ch’p. If this was actually Ch’p, or a reflection of the H’lvenite from the green power has never been determined.

Description

See illustration.

Personality

Up until his return to H’lven, he was a happily-bland, “nice-guy” Green Lantern, who just happened to look like a squirrel. After his return, and subsequent travel to Earth, Ch’p latched onto Salakk, using his generally morose and cynical attitude as an excuse to cheer both of them up.

Fearless and determined, Ch’p is a classic hero, with many traits in common with Hal Jordan. Most of his deviations from the standard heroic template are cartoon chipmunk traits : highly energetic and fun-loving, a flair for the ridiculous and a hard time understanding the ways of the biggies.

His standard assault was a string of acorn-shaped projectiles, and he often used cartoon-like tactics such as giant hammers and non-lethal sticks of dynamite.

In days of peace, in nights of war

After a while, Ch’p became obsessive about the loss of his world, until finally finding a place as the fierce defender of the 58^th century monks and M’rr’e (who, of course, reminded him of M’nn’e. That went to the point of attacking his friend in their defence.

This was due to the fact the Ch’p couldn’t stand loneliness. He was thus shattered after discovering his wife no longer remembered him in the post-Crisis universe.

An idiosyncrasy of Ch’p was his constant attempts at communicating with Earth’s woodland animals population. He was so accustomed to treating squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks as equal he often forgot Earth’s equivalent were not intelligent.

Compiled by Sébastien Andrivet (stats from Atlas, history from GLC Corps site, ring stats by Josh, stuff from the GL Sourcebook).

Helper(s): John Colagioia.

Source of Character: Green Lantern comics (DCU).