Ibis the Invincible

Along with other Fawcett characters bought by DC, he was first considered to live on Earth-S, then New Earth.

Here are Sean’s old (1990s) notes, primarily from Ibis’ 1943 series.

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Background

Powers and Abilities

To use the Ibistick, its wielder must tell it what to do. It will then interpret those commands however it desires, like a slightly less whimsical version of Johnny Thunder’s Thunderbolt.

For example, during the Earth-1/Earth-2/Earth-S cross-over, Ibis told the Ibistick to turn Brainiac’s weapon against him. The Ibistick turned Brainiac’s ray weapon into a metallic octopus that attacked Brainiac.

The Ibistick is powerless against magic. To combat magical creatures, Ibis had the Ibistick create a sword and shield for him, as the Ibistick could not simply blast the monsters to dust. Likewise, a demon enchanted a cave’s walls and ceiling; this would have trapped Ibis, except that the floor was not enchanted, allowing him to tunnel out through the floor.

This limitation seems to have vanished post-Crisis. The stick was able to affect the Rock of Eternity as well as the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man.

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Other stick quirks

The Ibistick will do no harm to its master (Ibis). For example, when Ibis thought Taia dead, he commanded the Ibistick to strike him dead, but it would not. Likewise, in the hands of an enemy who seeks to do harm to Ibis, it will turn against the enemy, doing to the enemy whatever the enemy wanted done to Ibis.

For example, a Chinese soldier wanted to use the Ibistick to turn Ibis into a scarecrow, so the soldier was turned into a scarecrow. Likewise, Mr. Atom tried to use the Ibistick to hurl Ibis into space, so Mr. Atom was hurled out into space.

However, the Ibistick will work for anyone who holds it. A Chinese soldier was able to use it for good, though when he said, “I wish it [the Ibistick] was in the possession of one who understood it better,” it appeared in the hands of one of Ibis’ enemies.

Likewise, Taia was able to use the Ibistick in another story.

Sticking it in

Here is a partial list of the feats which the Ibistick performed in Ibis #1:

• It completed the building of a pyramid.
• It created a sword and shield.
• It put Ibis to sleep for 4000 years.
• It awakened Taia when she was supposed to wake up anyway.
• It gave a view of a distant battle.
• It transported Taia and Ibis to this distant battle (where Churchill, Hitler, and Stalin were teaming up!).
• It informed a Chinese soldier of what it was.
• It informed the European forces of a surprise attack.
• It caused Ibis’ chains to fall off.
• It transformed a soldier into a scarecrow.
• It caused an army of tanks to vanish into thin air.
• It caused an army’s weapons to be powerless (guns wouldn’t fire).
• It transported an army of soldiers back to their homes.
• It caused the world to be as if a certain person had never been born (!).
• It created a horsewhip and a lasso out of thin air.
• It transported a pearl necklace to a hotel room.
• It sensed intelligent life on a mountain and transported that intelligent life down in front of Ibis. This may contradict the “doesn’t work on magic” limitation since this was a magical entity that he summoned. On the other hand, the entity may have wanted to come, and sensing the Ibistick, may have used its own powers to appear.
• It created a sword out of thin air.
• It dug through the ground (even creating a stairway) all the way through a mountain, caused an inactive volcano to become active again.
• It caused Ibis to grow wings.

History

4000 years ago, Ibis was a prince in ancient Egypt, whose uncle told him that he must prove himself in a crisis before the uncle would give him the Ibistick.

Meanwhile, the Black Pharaoh comes into power, and wants to rule over everything. He even has designs on Ibis’ beloved Taia.

The Black Pharaoh renounces the high gods like Osiris in favor of the Dwellers of the Depths (like Set). Set shows up and helps the Black Pharaoh tyrannize the Egyptians, until Ibis shows up and is captured, when he will not submit.

Ibis’ uncle comes to him in prison. Deciding that Ibis has shown courage, he gives his nephew the Ibistick. Ibis uses it to overthrow the Black Pharaoh’s monstrous henchmen, demonstrating that evil can not stand up to courage.

A stick in time

Set abandons the Black Pharaoh, but the Black Pharaoh still struggles against Ibis. During the battle, one of the Pharaoh’s men shoots Taia (who interposes herself between the arrow and Ibis) with an arrow that will cause her to sleep for 4000 years.

Ibis slays the Pharaoh, and then puts himself to sleep for 4000 years with the Ibistick. He awakens (swathed like a mummy), in a museum in “a twentieth century American city”.

The Ibistick dresses him in modern clothes, and he seeks out Taia, also a mummy, in Egypt. Now that they are together again, Ibis decides to fight evil in the modern world.

Description

He wears a dark suit with a red turban. The Ibistick is a thin yellow stick with an odd shape at one end, consisting of a trapezoid embossed with a picture of an ibis (the bird).

Personality

He’s the typical inscrutable mysterious occultist, but one who is dedicated to stamping out evil.

Post-Crisis, Ibis seems to have lost some determination and desire to stamp out evil. He sighs a lot, does things reluctantly, and generally just wants to go back to sleep.

Quotes

“Evil dreams are sometimes good—because we know they are nothingness !”

By Sean MacDonald.

Source of Character: DC/Fawcett comics.

Helper(s): Christopher Cottingham, Dan.