SHAGREEN THE SORCERER

Name: Shagreen

Identity/Class:
Extra-dimensional ("Dimension of Floating Cities", Earth-5311) magic user

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Cthuma-Gurath (his god); Dark Bamf (agent);
leader of his own minions (Empty Men), creator of the Guardians;
Long John McGurk’s Sky Rover crew (occassional business dealings)

Enemies: Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner);
Bamfs, Colossus, Kitty, Lockheed, Mean, and Windrider
of Earth-Kitty's Fairy Tale;
Boggies, Long John McGurk, Jinjav Sabree

Known Relatives: Jaws, Jabber-Jaw, Street-Sharks...kidding

Alias: Nastyface, Sharpytooth (both nicknames from Boggies)

 

Base of Operations: The Bizarre Squid-Ship also referred to as Sky-Squid (mobile base);
L’un Dun T’wn," aka the Wizard’s Stronghold", "the Fortress", (his floating sky-port)e)

First Appearance: Nightcrawler I#1 (November, December, 1985)

Powers: Shagreen is a mystic. His power works most quickly and effectively through is staff or more often the staff’s orb. Without the staff, he has to speak lengthy spells and perform extensive rituals; With the staff, he can simply direct the power as need be for nearly instantaneous effects. In addition, if the staff were destroyed, all magical spells created by it would be disrupted.
The staff itself is a versatile weapon. The orb appears to be able to teleport matter interdimensionally, cause explosions, project shockwaves of energy, make blinding flashes of light, and may possibly be able to animate objects and control subjects. In hand-to-hand combat it is a formidable energy weapon (like a Light Saber, or Optimus Prime’s energy mace). While he can apparently travel between dimensions at will, he is unable to teleport spatially within a dimension.
Some of his power is drawn from invoking the demon Cthuma-Gurath. He is more than willing to perform blood sacrifice to gain additional power. Some oh his servants were magical creations, as in the case of the Guardians, snake-statues which came to life and attacked any who approached his temple, and the Empty Men, cloaked beings sent to do his bidding.

Shagreen is an accomplished and ambidextrous swordsman. His tail is semi-prehensile and can be used as a striking weapon or to trip up others.



Height: 6'
Weight: 190 lbs.
Eyes: Red
Hair: None

History: (Nightcrawler I#1) - Nightcrawler and Lockheed end up in this weird land after a squid pulls him through a hole in the danger room. The squid turns out to be floating above the clouds when Nightcrawler and Lockheed end up in the dimension. The squid drops them and they fall onto a flying pirate ship called the Sky Rover T’ai Javinee. Nightcrawler is mistaken for a Boggie there (see comments for descriptions of the characters mentioned in this profile). Thus the crewmen attack him on site. He teleports over the mob and finds himself nose to gun with the ships captain John McGurk. With some quick talking, Nightcrawler becomes an accepted crewmen. One day an unarmed ship approaches Nightcrawler’s Sky Rover. John McGurk orders to attack the ship. Realizing the disregard for innocent life, Nightcrawler attacks his fellow crewmen and destroys the weaponry on McGurk’s ship. Nightcrawler teleports to the ship they attacked and John McGurk swears vengeance on Nightcrawler. Meanwhile, on the other ship Nightcrawler finds himself face to face with a beautiful princess (Jinjav is the title in the alternate dimension for princess) named Sabree. The ship takes him to the city Bel Amee Anora. There, Nightcrawler is approached by a lady who claims her brother has been wounded. With his guard down, Nightcrawler is hit with a blackjack in the back of the head by McGurk and the Lockheed is knocked out. When Nightcrawler and Lockheed awake, the find themselves in the clutches of Shagreen!!!!

(Nightcrawler I#2) - Shagreen has both Nightcrawler and Lockheed shackled on L’un Dun-T’wn. Shagreen wishes to study the teleportation abilities of Nightcrawler for his own ends. That night Nightcrawler is freed by three Boggies who have been hiding in a mirror from Shagreen. The Boggies say they will not save Nightcrawler unless he reverses the spell which keeps them on L’un Dun T’wn. The Boggies tell him the source of the spell is Shagreen’s orb. Also they say that Sabree has been captured and will be sacrificed by Shagreen. After freeing Lockheed, Nightcrawler and Lockheed go down a long corridor with large snake carvings on both sides. Both carvings come alive and Nightcrawler manages to get them to make a passageway to Shagreen. Right when Shagreen is about to sacrifice Sabree, the snakes bust through the walls with Nightcrawler and Lockheed running in front of them. The snakes lunge at Shagreen. Shagreen, who destroys the snakes with an explosion from his orb. In the confusion, Nightcrawler saves Sabree. On his way out Shagreen corners him and prepares to deliver a mighty blast of energy to Nightcrawler, Sabree and Lockheed. Just then a blast blasts through the wall. The blast is from John McGurk's ship--who now, in a change of heart, appears to be helping Nightcrawler. Nightcrawler finds a ball and chain and hurls it at Shagreen staff while he is distracted by the cannon fire. There is an earth-shattering KRAAK! and Shagreen is disarmed. L’un Dun T’wn begins to collapse, so Nightcrawler gathers up Lockheed and goes to rescue Sabree. Shagreen beats him to her and hits Nightcrawler on the head with a piece of debris. Nightcrawler gets to his feet moments later to see Shagreen fleeing in a Sky-Squid. Lockheed flys off to catch the squid and Nightcrawler quickly teleports there. Nightcrawler and Shagreen draw swords on the vessel. The sword fight makes it way to the top of the Sky-Squid (note: the Squid is like the balloon portion of a dirigible, so they were fighting atop a squid). Nightcrawler slips on the slipper surface of the squid in mid-battle. As Shagreen is about to take the final chop at Nightcrawler, Lockheed appears and fries his butt. Nightcrawler teleports to the inside of the Sky-Squid main-deck. Nightcrawler is taken to Bel Amee Anora and receives a heroes welcome and reward from Princess Sabree As Nightcrawler is about to get some lovin', he is sucked into another wormhole (it is a failed attempt by Kitty to get Nightcrawler back).

(Nightcrawler I#3) - Nightcrawler now finds himself in another dimension, which is the one from Kitty’s fairy tale theatre in X-Men#153 (see comments). He meets up with a Bamf who takes Nightcrawler to his village.

Shagreen shows up in the village right as Nightcrawler and the unnamed Bamf get there. Shagreen captures every Bamf except for the one accompanying Nightcrawler and takes them to some tower hide away on this spooky Island. The Bamf gets angry that Shagreen took all the ladies from the village (showing little concern for the males) and enlists aid to help them rescue the villagers. He calls upon Mean for assistance. The three adventurers then meet up with that world's Lockheed, Colossus, and Kitty (pirates in this world). When all six (Kitty, Colossus, Bamf, Nightcrawler, Little Lockheed, and Mean) make it to the Island on Blackbird Lockheed, the Blackbird is pulled under water by a giant squid. The six adventurers make it ashore and are attacked by Shagreen’s pirates. They drive them off, but one Dreadwing manages to grab Kitty. They make it to the tower entrance on the Island and are all captured (except Bamf and Lockheed) by Shagreen.

(Nightcrawler I#4) - Working together, the Bamf and Lockheed free all the female bamfs. Bamf, atop Lockheed, leads the females on an attack on Shagreen. Shagreen knocks them all unconscious. Then Windrider appears and distracts Shagreen with some fancy sorcery, while Nightcrawler frees himself, Colossus, Kitty and Mean. Nightcrawler grabs a mace and attempts to smash Shagreens orb. However, Shagreen blasts him away. Then without warning a "Wizard of Oz"-type floating head of the real Kitty appears. Shagreen realizes this to be some trick and blasts Kitty through into the alternate reality. Magik magically returns Kitty by pressing a random button. During this Nightcrawler grabs a chain and lassos Shagreen’s staff, disarming him with one mighty pull Nightcrawler. Windrider takes advantage of the opportunity and blasts Shagreen. Nightcrawler then smashes the staff on the ground reversing all spells and sending himself back home (actually it took him through one more dimension briefly). Shagreen is captured and never heard from again...

 

Comments: Created by Dave Cockrum (writing and penciling).

"Shagreen" is an actual word, fittingly meaning sharkskin (or more precisely, "the rough skin of various sharks and rays when covered with small close-set tubercles"). It also refers to "an untanned leather covered with small round granulations and usually dyed green." I can't believe colorist Paty Greer didn't take the opportunity to color the guy green.
--Danny Wind

QUIZ QUESTION: whoever so answers it gets their name on this page
Magik has owned many stuffed animals as a child, but one was lost.
What character did this stuffed animal portray and what happened to it?

First guess within 5 hours of the profile going up!
Is the stuffed animal your talking about Illyana's Bamf doll? If so it was patterned after Nightcrawler & It was given by Kitty to Jubilee to comfort her after Illyana's death. Jubilee returned the favor by buying Kitty new clothes from a thrift stores.
sincerely, RadChipmunk (Aaron Lopez)

--Well you're info's correct, but the Bamf doll wasn't lost--it was given away! (Don't be too disappointed, that was my guess as well)--Snood

Nightcrawler’s four issue mini-series is certainly a lame comic, annoying comic in which he is transported accidentally into a overly-cute alternate-dimension. In addition to trying to be "cute", the series provided us with the knowledge that Nightcrawler is well-hung *shudder* (his clothes are transported back when Kitty and Magik attempt to bring Nightcrawler back to their dimension…At the time Nightcrawler is walking with a girl in the alternate dimension and after his clothes are returns the girl asks him if "he could do that again"). Shagreen’s presence only adds annoyance.
At the end we find out Magik has a PLAYGIRL collection…I’m not kidding, really.
--I liked the series--it was goofy and fun, and I wasn't disturbed by the girls' interest in boys--Snood.

Remaining info by Snood:
In this series, Kitty's Fairy Tale, from Uncanny X-Men#153, is established as real occurrences from an alternate dimension
(Earth-Kitty's Fairy Tale? Why not?). Anyway, here's the rundown:
(Fairy Tale Counterpart)------------------------------------------(Earth-616 Version)

In addition, Boggies were other-dimensional creatures which also resembled Nightcrawler, but were distinct from the Bamfs.
Shagreen was convinced that Nightcrawler was a Boggie.

Shagreen received a small entry in All-New OHotMU Update#4.

Profile by: Mike McTighe (Fortmax) and Snood

Clarifications:
Not to be confused with:
Chagrin, some sort of connection to Silhouette Chord, I think, @ Night Thrasher II#2

Shagreen’s Dreadwings are not to be confused with the TF Decepticon Powermaster Dreadwings

Cthuma-Gurath would seem to be a play on Shuma-Gorath and/or Lovecraft's Cthulu, but whether it is directly connected to either of those beings is unknown.

see comments regarding X-Men counterparts.


Appearances:
Nightcrawler I#1-4 (November, 1985 - February, 1986) - Dave Cockrum (writer/artist), Ann Nocenti (editor)


Last updated: 08/17/02

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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