KACHINAS

Membership: Three unnamed imposters

Purpose: Causing a civil war between the different Hopi factions

Affiliations: Tyler Gaunt

Enemies: Hopi (He'e'e Eagle, Laura Eagle, all others), NFL SuperPro, Ken Reid

Base of Operations: A Pueblo in Arizona

First Appearance: NFL SuperPro#6 (March, 1992)

History:

(NFL SuperPro#6 (fb) - BTS) - In a "clever" scheme Tyler Gaunt tried to frame Hopi dissidents for harassing Laura Eagle. With the help of three men dressed up as Kachinas he made her life into a living hell.

(NFL SuperPro#6) - One night Gaunt's Kachinas watched figure skating world champion Laura Eagle at her training. They waited a little bit and then jumped through the stadium's skylight to attack her. Phil Grayfield, who filmed a report with Ken Reid on Laura, tried to help her, but he slipped on the ice. Laura managed to avoid the attacking Kachinas, who used a chainsaw, nunchaks and other atypical weapons. Grayfield returned as SuperPro and aided Laura more successfully than before, but one Kachina hit the stadium's refrigeration coils and Freon gas filled the stadium.

Back in Arizona the Kachinas were sent out by Gaunt to kidnap Laura. They hit Grayfield's van with an explosive arrow and knocked Laura out. After blowing up the van they left with Laura, but Grayfield and Ken Reid were able to escape the van before it exploded. The Kachinas brought Laura in a pick-up to their hideout, an old mission. He was sure that the kidnapping would cause a civil war between the different Hopi factions and if it didn't he was ready to kill Laura. SuperPro overheard Gaunt and then attacked, but the false Kachinas managed to stop SuperPro with a gas arrow. Then He'e'e arrived as a Kachina warrior and helped SuperPro. Together they saved Laura from Gaunt and his Kachinas and defeated them. A short time later the tribal police arrived to arrest Gaunt and his men.

Comments: Created by Buzz Dixon (writer), Jose Delbo (pencils) and Mike DeCarlo (inks).

One of the imposters wore the mask of Nata-Aska. The one with the horns seems to be patterned after a Whipper Kachina (possibly the third too).

He'e'e was named after a Kachina. The Warrior Maiden Kachina He'e'e represents a warrior spirit.

In this issue SuperPro showed once again what a smart guy he is by infuriating the people he wanted to help with racist remarks.

This issue had to be pulled off the stands because...read if for yourself:
  Buzz Dixon: In this issue I managed to tick off the Hopi Indian nation not by being inaccurate but rather by being too accurate....I suppose the Hopi are used to completely bogus interpretations of their religion and shrug those off but this one apparently was too close for comfort. Their tribal leader fired off an angry letter to Marvel denouncing the comic primarily for being too accurate (though I will give him his due re his complaint about a fictitious casino on Hopi lands; Hopi don't play that game).

This was part of an interview Dixon gave Comic Book Resources.

See Newspaper Rock: Worst Native America comic ever? for some thoughts on NFL SUPERPRO#6. You shouldn't take Buzz Dixon's word as gospel. When he said the comic was "too accurate," he was making excuses for his bad writing.
--Robert Schmidt

Profile by Markus Raymond.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Kachinas have no known connections to

Laura & He'e'e Eagle has no known connection to:

Tyler Gaunt has no known connection to:


He'e'e Eagle

(NFL SuperPro#6 (fb) ) - She was Laura's big sister. As a child she played with Kachina dolls and was interested in her people's culture. In school she was always a better athlete than Laura until Laura found a sport she was really good in. He'e'e turned down an athletic scholarship and stayed to deal with tribal politics. She disliked her sister's decision to leave the Hopi.

(NFL SuperPro#6) - One day Laura visited He'e'e and her dissidents with Phil Grayfield. Phil said something really stupid and He'e'e got angry. Laura than accused He'e'e of sending Kachinas after her, but He'e'e assured her that she wouldn't dishonor her culture by sending men dressed as Kachinas after Laura. He'e'e than told her sister to go back to her city.

After Laura was kidnapped by Gaunt's men He'e'e went after them. Dressed as a Kachina warrior maiden she disarmed Gaunt with an arrow and helped SuperPro defeat the false Kachinas to save her sister's life. After Gaunt and his men were arrested He'e'e had another talk with her sister. She didn't blame her anymore for leaving the Hopi and told her to follow her heart's desire.

--NFL SuperPro#6 (NFL SuperPro#6 (fb), #6


Laura Eagle

(NFL SuperPro#6 (fb) ) - As a child Laura was more interested in playing with Barbie dolls than to care about her culture. She was traumatized when she participated in a tribal initiation and was scarred of Kachinas since then. In school her sister was the better athlete until Laura began to figure skate. Laura was so good that she tried out for the Olympics and she came into the US Olympic team. Soon she had gold medals, endorsements made tours around the world. She was famous and never denied that she was a Hopi, but she rather stayed in the city than to return home. Then somebody began to harass her and everything hinted towards her own people, who thought that she betrayed them.

(NFL SuperPro#6) - One night Laura was filmed by Ken Reid during training. Suddenly three Kachinas crashed through the skylight and attacked her. She was saved by her own quickness and SuperPro.

After a lengthy police report she accompanied Phil Grayfield and Ken Reid to Jane Dixon's apartment. Laura told them about her life and that she thought that a radical Hopi political group were behind the attacks on her. She wasn't sure and decided to go back home to find out more.

In Arizona she got a warm welcome by the Hopi, who loved her for what she did. Afterwards she went with Grayfield and Reid to the HQ of her sisters' dissident group. He'e'e denied any involvement in the attacks. Soon after Laura left with Phil and Ken they were attacked again by the Kachinas and Laura was kidnapped and brought to their boss Tyler Gaunt, who planned to kill if the kidnapping wasn't enough to cause a war between the Hopi factions. During the fight Laura's childhood trauma nearly resulted in a nervous breakdown when she screamed in fear of the Kachinas. In the end she was saved, her sister forgave her and the evildoers were arrested.

 

--NFL SuperPro#6 (NFL SuperPro#6 (fb), #6


Tyler Gaunt

(NFL SuperPro#6 (fb) - BTS) - The Hopi sub-contracted the daily operations of their casino to him, but Tyler wanted all the money made with the casino. Because some Hopi hated the casino he needed them out of his way. Therefore he created a plan to cause a civil war between the different Hopi factions. This plan involved the famous figure skater Laura Eagle. He harassed her for weeks with threatening letters, obscene phone calls and even had her apartment demolished by his men, who left a message accusing her of betraying her tribe. Finally he sent three men dressed as Kachinas to go after Laura which strengthened her assumption that her people were behind it.

(NFL SuperPro#6) - Laura returned to her Pueblo with Phil Grayfield and Ken Reid. Gaunt recognized Grayfield from TV and invited him to the casino which was run by him for the Hopi, but Phil didn't follow the invitation.

Later the Kachinas kidnapped Laura Eagle and brought her to Gaunt, who hoped that this would be enough to instigate the Hopi friendlies against the Hopi hostiles. If it didn't he was ready to go the next step and kill her. But SuperPro and He'e'e stopped Gaunt's plan. They saved Laura and Gaunt was arrested.

 

--NFL SuperPro#6 (NFL SuperPro#6 (fb) - BTS, #6


images: (without ads)
NFL SuperPro#6, p2 (main image)

p13, pan4 (He'e'e Eagle)
p7, pan4 (Laura Eagle)
p11, pan2 (Tyler Gaunt)


Appearances:
NFL SuperPro#6 (March, 1992) - Buzz Dixon (writer), Jose Delbo (pencils), Mike DeCarlo (inks), David Wohl (editor)


Last updated: 10/01/06.

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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