LUZ SANTOS
LUZ SANTOS
Real Name: Luz Santos
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Owner of Little Luz's Bronx Girl Bodega
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Juanito Carlito Candido, Carmichael, Kirk Eden, Fidel (her cat), Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch/Noble Kale), "Sarge"
Enemies: "Choocho" Colon, Lian Goh, Anton Hellgate, Randolph, Snowblind, Toother
Known Relatives: Unidentified father (deceased), unidentified younger brother
Aliases: "Lucy" (nickname from "Choocho" Colon)
Base of Operations: The Bronx, New York, USA
First Appearance: Ghost Rider III#70 (February, 1996)
Powers/Abilities: Luz Santos had no superhuman
powers but was a skilled shopkeep and was able to use a broom to
threaten people into leaving her shop. She was prone to gossiping and
overexaggerating, often losing track of her own shop's inventory when
lost in a long-winded story.
Height: 5'3" (by approximation)
Weight: 110 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Blonde; formerly brown
History: (Ghost Rider III#70) - While looking
for her cat in a back alley, Luz Santos was attacked by a group of
thugs led by Toother, who demanded she give them money. Her claims of
not having money fell on deaf ears as Toother exclaimed that, as a
bodega owner, she always had money. "Choocho" Colon then pointed a gun
at Luz before the Ghost Rider landed his bike in the middle of the
alley and drove off the attackers. The following evening, Luz told her
bodega shoppers all about how she faced a demon in the eyes and lived
to tell the tale, unaware that a young boy was attempting to steal from
her shop. Her story was interrupted when Dan Ketch brought some
groceries to the counter to pay for them. Seeing an incorrect label on
the sauce he was purchasing, Luz informed him that he still owed her 28
cents. When Dan gave her pennies, Luz grumbled about him using pennies
and asked if Dan had run out of food stamps. Angry and offended, Dan
raised his voice and explained that he did not get food stamps but
wouldn't be ashamed of it if he did. Juanito Candido warned Dan to watch his
tone before Dan stormed out of the shop, prompting Luz to comment how
some people just couldn't handle stress.
(Ghost Rider III#72) - As she closed the bodega for the night, Luz Santos was attacked by a larger group of goons working for Snowblind, who hoped to lure out Ghost Rider by endangering Luz. Upon chasing Luz into a corner, Luz was once again rescued by Ghost Rider.
(Ghost Rider III#73) - When Snowblind ambushed and
trapped Ghost Rider, Luz watched in amazement as Snowblind covered the
area in his "white field." Using the white field as a distraction, Luz
stomped the foot of the goon holding her and ran for it, nearly being
hit by Anton Hellgate's arriving limousine. Happy to see Hellgate
preoccupied with Snowblind's battle with Ghost Rider, Luz yelled as her
cat Fidel entered the white field.
(Ghost Rider III#74) - After Ghost Rider defeated Snowblind and was confronted by John Blaze before departing, Luz Santos was found hiding in a nearby trash can by police officers.
(Ghost Rider III#80) - Luz Santos and Juanito Carlito
Candido were some of the bystanders who gathered to witness the police
cleaning up following a battle between Ghost Rider and the Furies.
While watching the police, Luz commented to Candido that she had told
him about the skull-faced demon. She then went on to say that the
Furies must have been the demon's demonic girlfriends.
(Ghost Rider III#86) - Having been referred to Luz Santos by Carlie Colon, Damage Control's Kirk Eden visited Little Luz's Bronx Girl Bodega, interrupting Juanito Candido's attempts at getting Luz to go on a date with him. Despite Candido's skepticism about Eden's badge, Luz agreed to help Eden with his report on the Ghost Rider, claiming that the Ghost Rider tried to kill her twice and was only after her "pure, virginal flesh." Upon seeing that Kirk Eden was skeptical of Luz's claims and having heard that Ghost Rider had instead saved Luz twice, Candido told Eden that he knew where Eden could find someone that had real contact with the Ghost Rider, referring Eden to the former criminal Toother at St. Jude's Church.
(Ghost Rider III#88) - When a runaway named Lian
appeared in Little Luz's Bronx Girl Bodega and tried to beg for food in
Chinese, an angry Luz grabbed a broom and ran Lian out of her shop,
yelling at her to get a job and take a bath while she was at it. As
Lian ran from the shop, Dan Ketch came into the shop, thinking about
how he had to somehow stretch $5 in groceries. While Dan bought his
groceries, Luz once again complained about Dan's use of pennies as
payment, asking if he used them on purpose. After Dan left, laughing to
himself, he gave an apple to Lian outside.
Comments: Created by Ivan Velez, Jr., Salvador Larroca and Sergio Melia.
It was not outright stated that Luz's father originally owned Little Luz's Bronx Girl Bodega but in Ghost Rider III#72, Luz thinks to herself about selling the bodega but then reconsiders, thinking that her father would roll over in his grave, suggesting that he had put a lot of work into the bodega, possibly as a business he had founded and presumably named after his own daughter.
Luz's hair was colored blonde in Ghost Rider III#88
so either it was just a miscoloring or she had dyed her hair blonde in
between Ghost Rider III#86 & #88. I chose to go with the dye job
explanation for this profile.
Profile by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Luz Santos has no KNOWN connections to:
Little Luz's Bronx Girl BodegaLittle Luz's Bronx Girl Bodega was a shop, possibly
originally owned by Luz Santos' father and presumably named after Luz
herself (see comments). As an adult, Luz Santos owned the Bodega and
ran it despite long hours and low profits. Known for gossip, Luz would
sometimes be so caught up in a story that she would not notice
teenagers stealing her merchandise.
"Sarge" and Carmichael were police officers who were
called when Ghost Rider, who was rescuing Luz Santos, was attacked by
Snowblind then John Blaze. When Blaze and Ghost Rider rode off,
Carmichael fired on them, with "Sarge" ordering Carmichael to hold his
fire. Shortly after, another police officer informed "Sarge" that Luz
Santos was hiding in a nearby trash can.
Neither police officer possessed superhuman powers but each carried a police issue firearm.
images: (without ads)
Ghost Rider III#88, p14, pan6 (Luz Santos with broom, main image)
Ghost Rider III#70, p16, pan3 (Luz Santos headshot)
Ghost Rider III#70, p16, pan1 (Little Luz's Bronx Girl Bodega)
Ghost Rider III#74, p5, pan1 ("Sarge" and Carmichael)
Appearances:
Ghost Rider III#70 (February, 1996) -
Ivan Velez, Jr. (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Sergio Melia
(inks), James Felder (editor)
Ghost Rider III#72 (April, 1996) - Ivan Velez, Jr. (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils), Sergio Melia (inks), James Felder (editor)
Ghost Rider III#73 (May, 1996) - Ivan Velez, Jr. (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils), Sergio Melia (inks), James Felder (editor)
Ghost Rider III#74 (June, 1996) - Ivan Velez, Jr. (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils), Sergio Melia (inks), James Felder (editor)
Ghost Rider III#80 (December, 1996) - Ivan Velez, Jr. (writer),
Salvador Larroca (pencils), Bob McLeod (inks), James Felder (editor)
Ghost Rider III#86 (June, 1997) - Ivan Velez, Jr. (writer), Pop Mhan, Jason Martin, Andrew Pepoy (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Ghost Rider III#88 (September, 1997) - Ivan Velez, Jr. (writer), Josh Hood (pencils), Derek Fisher (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Last updated: 11/05/14
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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"Sarge" and Carmichael