JULIET(Earth-8116)
JULIET
(Earth-8116)
Real Name: Juliet "Julie" (surname unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Alternate Earth (Reality-8116) energy/spirit being (perhaps some sort of god);
former civilian
Occupation: Currently unrevealed;
former activator of the Infinity
Horn;
former student
Group Membership: Part of Aknaton's unnamed alliance (Vanth (later known as Dreadstar), Whis'par, Za)
Affiliations: Aknaton;
it is debatable whether many, if not
most, beings in the Milky Way galaxy would consider her an ally or an
enemy - she participated in causing their deaths to spare them from
what he perceived as slow torture at the Zygoteans' hands
Enemies: Zygotean landing party 017 (Captain Guolabou and an unidentified warrior), Zygoteans;
it is debatable whether many, if not
most, beings in the Milky Way galaxy would consider her an ally or an
enemy - she participated in causing their deaths to spare them from
what he perceived as slow torture at the Zygoteans' hands
Known Relatives: Frank (father, deceased), Laurie (mother, deceased), "Pops" (or "gramps," as she called him; presumptive grandfather, deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly mobile throughout the Milky Way galaxy (including the World of the Woods, Lartorez, and Dreamsend) aboard the Light Cutter ship (and Aknaton's pyramid before that);
formerly Covert, Kansas, USA, Earth-8116
First Appearance: Epic Illustrated#1 (Spring, 1980)
Powers/Abilities: Juliet had no special abilities beyond what might be expected of 15 year old human girl/young woman.
She exemplified innocence as well as humanity's ambitious nature.
Transformed by the Infinity Horn,
she was converted into living energy.
It would seem likely that she was
rendered virtually immortal and possessed certain powers, but we don't
know anything beyond the conversion into energy.
Aknaton said that, along with Whis'par and Za, her qualities would create a new race of beings.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'8 tall;
the only one of known height in the group is Vanth, at 5'11"; Juliet
was never shown clearly standing next to him, but she didn't look too
much shorter than he was)
Weight: Unrevealed (at the above height, perhaps 140 lbs.)
Eyes: Apparently brown (they aren't seen clearly without shadow, but they look to be dark)
Hair: Blonde (it looked light brown or darker in some images, especially the first issue's black and whites)
History:
(Epic
Illustrated#1/15 (fb) - BTS) - In 1980, the Zygotean armada assaulted
Earth, pounding away at its defenses. Almost every major country was attacked, and Earth's most powerful
technological weaponry proved itself useless against the aliens.
(Epic Illustrated#1/15 (fb) - BTS) - As of the third day of the alien assault, much of the world fallen into enemy hands.
(Epic
Illustrated#1/15) - In Covert, Kansas, Juliet sulked in the lawn as her family (mother, father, and "Pops") discussed the
current c risis. Suddenly, a Zygotean mercenary ship arrived and blew up the
house, killing her family, but sparing Juliet. 
As Zygotean landing party 017 exited the ship and evaluated the location as a landing depot, a warrior spotted and pointed out a survivor, Juliet.
Guolabou instructed his warrior to eliminate Juliet, but before it could, Aknaton (an Osirosian leading a plot to save the universe from the Zygoteans) destroyed the warrior with an energy blast.
On Aknaton's order, his ally, Za, picked up Juliet and backed off, while Aknaton obliterated the mercenary (and presumably his ship, as well).
Aknaton then formed a mystic pyramid that transported Juliet, himself, and Za into space as he noted that the Zygotean fleet would arrive momentarily and that he had a surprise prepared for them.
Having remained
silent to this point, Juliet noted questioningly that Aknaton and Za
were not with the invaders.
Confirming this and introducing himself and Za, Aknaton explained that they had come to rescue her.
Juliet countered that she couldn't desert Earth while it was at war, but Aknaton explained that Earth was doomed and had no chance of surviving the Zygotean onslaught: "Your staying would only add one more soul to the trillions lost beneath the conquering Zygotean heel."
Juliet wondered why Aknaton had chosen to save only her, and Aknaton shared that he sensed destiny had granted her certain gifts, qualities he needed to help stop the spread of Zygoteism.
Explaining that a quick clean death -- caused by simultaneous explosion of Earth's entire stockpile of atomic weapons -- was preferable to the slow and degrading death of Zygotean enslavement, Aknaton caused the former, destroying Earth and killing everyone on it.
(Epic Illustrated#2/6 (fb) - BTS) - Aknaton transported himself, Juliet, and Za to the World of the Woods to recruit the next member for his plans.
(Epic
Illustrated#2/6) - As
Za and Juliet sat nearby, Aknaton explained to Whis'par their mission to stop the marauding Zygoteans: Juliet,
Za, and Whis'par were each
an aspect of the embryo of what is to be: Juliet came from a strong,
ambitious breed with the gift of youthful innocence still intact; Za
brought with him proof that something beautiful and loving could grow
from the nightmare of reality; and Whis'par added
generations of environmental harmony, and
the wisdom that came with it; and the child of this union would be
blessed
with experience as well as a clean spirit and a gentle soul, which
would make it both a noble and unstoppable foe to the Zygotean madness,
especially when coupled with his magics.
After Whis'par reluctantly agreed to join the effort, Aknaton transported his
trio away.
(Epic Illustrated#2/6 (fb) - BTS) - Aknaton transported his group to Lartorez, a "mineral poor planet the Zygoteans had already passed" (see comments) and then departed to recruit the final member of their group.
(Epic Illustrated#5/9 (fb) - BTS) - On Lartorez and alongside Whis'par and Za, Juliet greeted the returning Aknaton and met his final agent, Vanth.
(Epic Illustrated#5/9) - With all of his agents were now gathered, Aknaton departed for another plane to decipher the whereabouts of the Infinity Horn; though he knew not how long he would be away, he instructed them to await his return.
Juliet, Whis'par, and Za evaluated Vanth, who realized they'd want to test his mettle and considered that he would have to go easy on them to avoid killing them. Juliet noted how she had expected many protectors, rather than just one. When Za pulled down Vanth's hood to see if he had hidden features, Vanth had already decided that he didn't want to fight the women, and he was happy that Za had provoked the challenge. Vanth swiftly turned and punched out the giant Za, then apologized, noting if they needed the "just one man," he would be over the ridge, keeping an eye on the horizon.
While Whis'par went to talk to Vanth, Juliet asked Za if he was OK. Za confirmed that he would just have a ringing head for hours, and Juliet asked Za why he called Aknaton "master." After Za explained how Aknaton saved him from choosing death, Juliet asked what Aknaton rescued him for; uncertain, Za answered, "...maybe for a better death."
(Epic
Illustrated#6/6) - Upon Aknaton's
return from communing with his god, Ra, and learning the location of the Infinity
Horn, Vanth confronted Aknaton about his plans to blow up
the galaxy. Juliet worried that this looked like trouble, but Whis'par assured her that it was nothing Aknaton couldn't handle.
To convince his allies of the wisdom of this plan, Aknaton
prepared to show them the true face of Zygoteism.
(Epic Illustrated#7/6) - Juliet listened as Aknaton related the history of the Zygoteans, explaining that galactic destruction was the only way to stop them and the kindest thing for the galaxy; meanwhile, Zygotean mercenaries located and targeted them.
(Epic Illustrated#7/7) - After Aknaton detected the landing and approach of Zygotean cruisers, the group followed Vanth's instruction to get to the Light Cutter.
Juliet asked about the cruisers, but Vanth explained that they were atomic: Powerful, but clumsy compared to the Light Cutter. She then watched as Vanth took out the cruisers, and then the much larger Zygotean dreadnought in orbit, after which Aknaton punched in the coordinates and they departed to their last stop, the planet Dreamsend.
(Epic
Illustrated#8/6 (fb) - BTS) - As they approached Dreamsend, Vanth used the Light Cutter to take out two Zygotean warships. 
(Epic
Illustrated#8/6) - Arriving on Dreamsend, Juliet and the others fought
their way past the Zygotean ground troops. As Aknaton noted more
Zygotean ships approaching, he
instructed them to head for the temple, as it would shield them from
the Zygoteans' fire. Via the temple, Aknaton led them down down
"stairs" that were actually a
multi-dimensional corridor to his Hall of Death and Mercy, at the
mystic heart
of the galaxy.
As Vanth announced the approach of Zygotean troops,
Aknaton opened the mystic portal to his hall and revealed to them the Infinity
Horn. His agents were underwhelmed by its appearance, but Aknaton told
them it did the job it was designed for, and didn't need to look
impressive. When Juliet abruptly announced she couldn't go through with
destroying the galaxy, and she feared how she was only 15 years but was
going to die. Aknaton assured her that she misunderstood her role, and
that she would not die; he clarified that she, Za, and Whis'par would
be the foundation blocks of tomorrow, their qualities creating a new
race of beings who would, hopefully, succeed where "humanity" had
failed. Juliet would give this new beginning the eternal spirit of youth and the ambitious drive of her race.
A
deeply solemn Aknaton then bade his "children" goodbye.and departed with Vanth to hold
off the Zygoteans long enough for them to trumpet in the future.
(Epic
Illustrated#9) - As Aknaton and Vanth took heavy fire from the
Zygoteans, the necessary forces in the cosmos came into
alignment. After Whis'par noted that the moment was upon them, Juliet
suggested they do it, while she still had some nerve left. She wondered
if it would hurt, and Za noted, "probably...change usually does."
Sarcastically thanking Za for the encouragement, Juliet noted, "Well,
here goes nothing!"; Whis'par corrected her, "No, Juliet, here goes
everything!"
Juliet, Whis'par, and Za then blew the Infinity Horn.
(Epic Illustrated#9 (fb) - BTS) - Aknaton indirectly tapped into the power of the Infinite and created a mystical sphere -- mostly from condensed light particles -- to protect himself and Vanth from the forces being unleashed, as well as placing them into a deep state of suspended animation.
(Epic Illustrated#9 - BTS) - The Horn accessed and unleashed the energies from the 15th dimension of mystical existence, the realm of a being of omnipotent force and many names: And the Milky Way was destroyed. The energies released, plus Aknaton's spells, enabled Juliet, Whis'par, and Za to survive as "something wondrous...a new species of being that the stars had never before seen...escaping the weakness of the flesh, becoming beings of pure thought and energy," departing for parts unrevealed.
Comments: Created by Jim Starlin.
Dreadstar was a licensed
character/title created by Jim Starlin starting way back with the
Metamorphosis Odyssey in Epic Illustrated#1 in the Spring of 1980. The
Metamorphosis Odyssey started around the modern era and affected Earth,
but then swiftly destroyed the entire Milky Way galaxy and then moved
on like a million years in the future. Dreadstar eventually got his own
series under the Epic imprint, but Starlin later took the whole shebang
over to First Comics. And in 1994, it was published under the imprint
of Bravura, a creator-owned division of Malibu comics. He appeared
sometime later in issues #5-7 of the Breed III series. And, there's
talk of a Dreadstar television show.
Still that earlier Marvel connection allows
me to place this reality in the fringes of the Marvel Megaverse.
Peter David took over the writing around issue#31 or so, but
Starlin remained the owner. At any rate, from start to finish, it is the best
series I've ever read, period! I'd love to see it continued, by Starlin, David,
or both!
The story in Epic Illustrated#1 was in black and
white, the other issues were in color, but Juliet was distant and/or shadowed in most images.
The full body image on the left is particularly odd; I think the
coloring was meant to represent the lighting during an alien sunrise.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:
images: (without ads)
Epic Illustrated#1: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapters III: Juliet, pg. 5, panel 5 (upper body);
pg. 6, panel 1 (held by Za);
#5: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapter VIII: Sunrise on Lartorez, pg.1 (seated);
pg. 3 (upper body; color)
pg. (full body, distant, odd coloring)
#8: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapters XII: Dreamsend, pg. 5, panel 6 (face);
#9: Metamorphosis Odyssey, Chapter XIII: Doomsday, pg. 3, panel 6 (preparing to blow the Infinity Hoem)
Appearances:
Epic Illustrated#1: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapters III: Juliet (Spring, 1980) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee
(editor)
Epic Illustrated#2: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapter IV: Whis'par (Summer, 1980) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee
(editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#3: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapter V: Vanth & VI: The Meeting (Fall, 1980) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee
(editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#5: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapter VIII: Sunrise on Lartorez (April, 1981) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee
(editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#6: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapter IX: Absolution (June, 1981) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee
(editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#7: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapters X: Requiem & XI: Nightfire (August, 1981) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee
(editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#8: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapters XII: Dreamsend (October, 1981) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee
(editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#9: Metamorphosis Odyssey, Chapter XIII: Doomsday & XIV: Aftermath (December, 1981) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee
(editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
First posted: 03/7/2019
Last updated: 03/7/2019
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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