Landor the man who knows too much
Context
Landor clashed with the Justice Society of America in 1946 and… that’s it.
He resembled another DC Comics character, Abra Kadabra, who appeared in 1962. But Abra had more visually appealing, richer narrative hooks.
This is presumably why nobody bothered to bring Landor back.
But since he’s a time traveller, he could pop back anywhere and at any point. In fact he could be right behind you !
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Background
- Real Name: Landor.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base of Operations: The year 2414.
- Height: 6’2″ (1.87 m). Weight: 190 lbs. (86 Kg.).
- Eyes: Blue. Hair: Black.
Powers & Abilities
Landor is an ordinary man from the year 2414. However :
- His speed and dexterity seemed well above the XXth Century average.
- He could take much more of a beating than an ordinary 1946 thug. His durability seemed on par, if not slightly above, Hawkman’s. The benefits of future nutrition, perhaps ? He did seem pretty tall on some panels.
- He was oddly persuasive and sinister. His eyes and facial expression seemed off to 1946 Americans, which could have an intimidating effect in the right circumstances.
The English he spoke was just like 1946 American English. Which seems linguistically impossible.
Given his scientific knowledge (below), one No-Prize HypothesisA made-up explanation to plug a plot hole. is that Landor taught himself 1940s English by merely browsing historical archives.
Sufficiently advanced science
His knowledge of science and engineering of the future allow him to perform impossible feats.
Usually, he picks up a mundane item, fiddle with it for a bit and, presto ! It now performs like a sci-fi weapon.
- Using a Zippo-type lighter to make objects disappear. What the effect did is unclear. Maybe it makes things invisible by altering their index of refraction. Maybe it sends them a few minutes into the future. Maybe it transmutes things into air, à la Firestorm.
- Using an electric fan as a microphone, which could broadcast to every radio receiver in the nation.
- Turning the ink within a pen into a super-dense liquid, capable of pinning a man to the floor. Yet the ink could squirt over several metres.
- Using a washing machine to harden selected sections of air, essentially creating an invisible force wall.
- Turning a flashlight into a disintegration ray to open a hole into a thick wall. This beam could also have killed the Flash (Jay Garrick).
- Turning a vacuum cleaner into a blower, with the flow of air rapidly digging through the ground to create enormous trenches. Perhaps another form of disintegration ?
- Turning an automatic pen into a flamethrower.
- Turning some junk into a “mono-magnet beam” that could telekinetically move large metallic objects.
- Turning more junk into a vibration engine that could shut down any electrically-driven motor within a thousand miles.
- Pouring a liquid into sand, and turning the wet sand into a cloak of invisibility. Though it could only last for a limited time, perhaps an hour.
- A glutamic acid powder that can greatly increase the intelligence of animals, and make them willing to help in return.
- Turning a compact semi-auto pistol into a ray gun that could rearrange matter. For instance, to turn a newsstand into a tricycle. The beam could also hold Green Lantern (Alan Scott)’s in check for a minute or so, but it then became clear that it was weaker.
Landor could also quickly deduce how exotic tech, such as Hawkman’s Nth metal belt, worked. And how to use them.
Small historical notes
Many of the items mentioned above were relatively recent when the story was published.
Many home appliances, flashlights with a bulb and a reflector, small electric fans with plastic blades, etc. appeared during the 1930s. And it took some years for these to spread to lower-middle-class homes.
Therefore, many of the items Landor uses are, in this story, relatively recent products that have markedly improved some aspects of everyday life.
Imagining that innovation with those continued at the same pace for centuries could indeed lead to stuff with molecular manipulation. Or even deteronic frombotzers.
One stray remark by Landor about “internal heating” seems to allude to microwave ovens. These were indeed being invented in 1946, and writer Gardner Fox could easily have read about them in scientific vulgarisation mags.
History
Landor lived in the year 2414. Everything there was perfect, safe and effortless.
Most people were fine with this. But Landor craved excitement and adventure.
Browsing through historical archives, he became fascinated by the 1940s adventures of the Justice Society of America.
He stole into a museum, took 1940s US men’s clothing, and used a time machine displayed at the museum to travel back to 1946.
This all went fine, but :
- The time machine fell apart as it arrived. A museum piece, it hadn’t received technical maintenance in decades.
- He soon realised that people in the XXth Century were still using money, and he hadn’t brought any.
He blinded us with science
Landor was starving when he ran into Johnny Thunder. Johnny gifted him a dinner out of pity, but Landor’s explanations flew *way* above his head.
Frustrated that Thunder still thought him to be a crackpot, Landor challenged the Justice Society to stop him.
(To declare this challenge, he makes the “Sapphire State Building” disappear using a light beam. Since nobody seems to care much, I’d imagine that the Building returned a few hours later.)
He also recruited a small criminal crew. The heists he would commit would provide him with a fortune, and he could then proceed to have all sorts of adventures as a wealthy man.
Flash, aaahaaaa, he’ll save every one of us
However, the Society narrowly stopped each of his crimes, and gradually captured his henchmen.
Landor had himself captured by Johnny Thunder – which wasn’t easy. This way he could be taken before the assembled Society, and disintegrate them all at once.
However, he underestimated the Flash’s speed, and was disarmed.
Green Lantern, through intense concentration, then managed to use his ring to send Landor back to 2414.
Chastened, Landor eagerly embraced the couch potato lifestyle of his native era.
Adνеrtisеmеnt
Description
Men in 2414 were all wearing the same purple-and-orange outfit as Landor.
Women’s outfits were tailored differently, but still used those two colours.
Personality
Landor is bitter, arrogant, domineering, and craves attention and excitement.
He’s not *actively* evil, though. It seems more like a product of being sheltered and feeling entitled.
DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Landor
| Dex: 03 | Str: 03 | Bod: 05 |
| Int: 05 | Wil: 07 | Min: 03 |
| Inf: 04 | Aur: 03 | Spi: 03 |
| Init: 012 | HP: 100 |
Skills:
Charisma (Persuasion): 05, Gadgetry: 12, Scientist: 06
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Gadgetry can always be performed within a Phase, unless the device needs to have more than 4 APs of Range. In which case it’ll be done within minutes.
- *Any* ordinary object that Landor can take apart is considered to be a 12 APs Lab for Gadgetry purposes.
- As long as Landor has access to random objects, Gadgetry rolls can be done without a Wealth roll. If a device needs to have more than 4 APs of Range, the Wealth roll will be 01/01 instead. Meaning stuff sold by the pound at any junkyard.
Advantages:
Genius, Misc.: Landor can quickly learn any form of language related to the one he knows, such as older forms and patois.
Connections:
None demonstrated.
Drawbacks:
Exile (Voluntary).
Motivation:
Anti-Heroic Thrill.
Occupation:
None.
Wealth:
000
Source of Character: All-Star Comics Vol. 1 #29.
Helper(s): Darci.
Writeup completed on the 30th of July, 2022.