Sargon the Sorcerer
Personal information
Real Name: John Sargent
Residence: New York City, New York
Occupation: Stage magician, adventurer
First Appearance (Golden Age): All-American Comics #26 (May 1941)
First Appearance (Post-Golden Age): Flash #186 (March 1969)
Character History
John Sargent was born in the late 1920's on Earth-Two, the son of the
affuent explore Richard and Mary Sargent. Richard died sometime prior
to 1941 and his son, who had joined him on many excursions, found
records dating back 4000 years from an ancient Mesopotamian culture
called the Tiparanes who worshiped a goddess known as Asyreth. For
years, the ruler of the Tiparanes had retained power by a ruby allegedly
created by Asyreth and embedded in an idol in their holiest temple. At
some point in history, brutal Aryan armies under a "Blood King" swept
through Mesopotamia, exterminating the Tiparanes and stealing the Ruby.
From there in past from owner to owner for centuries until Richard
Biddle Sargent recovered it, making it into a necklace for his wife.
When his son John was born, one of the first items he touched was the ruby,
bonding with it at a fundamental level.
In 1941, John Sargent's
studies led him to seek the ruby based on a myth that claimed a child
who touched it would be imbued with magical powers after reciting a
Tiparanian spell. Finding the Ruby, John recites the spell and
discovered he can command inanimate objects to obey his commands. He
and his mother decide to hide his abilities but to create a stage magician identity that will allow him to use his powers for good while having an obvious alibi. In his first recorded case, he rescues the manager of the theater in which he is performing from a protection racket (All-American Comics #26).
Much of Sargon's early casework was routine criminals around the New York area that he discovered during his show circuit including things like gambling dens (All-American Comics #33 and #39) and jewel thieves (All-American Comics #30 and 35), Early in his career, he met a woman named Flora Styles and her son Bobbi, Bobbi was a fan of Sargon and his enthusiasm drug him and his mother into an early case (All-American Comics #28). Flora eventually became Sargon's assistant during his shows (All-American Comics #29) and remained so from 1941 until late 1944 (Sensation Comics #34). Her reason for departing his show and her ultimate fate are unknown.
As World War II began to take hold, Sargon devoted considerable efforts
to anti-Axis activities on the home front. Examples including
preventing axis agents form using shows on the west coast to attract
Japanese bombers (All-American Comics #42), exposing a Romanian-American
as a Nazi agent (Comic Cavalcade #4) and rescuing a French general from Axis agents when his plane is hijacked (Sensation Comics #34). He was invited to join the All-Star Squadron in 1942 (All-Star Squadron #31) after assisting them in rescuing Dr. Fate from Kulak (All-Star Squadron #28).
After the War ended, Sargon acquired a new assistant, the enthusiastic but inept Maximilian O'Leary. (All-American Comics #70). Max involved himself in Sargon's casework as well as working the stage and as America entered the post-WW II era, Sargon faced the rise of a similar threat as other heroes: super-villains
Prominent among Sargon's foes was the Blue Lama (Sensation Comics #68). Possessing vast eldritch powers of unknown origin, the blue-skinned sorceress battled Sargon on several occasions throughout the late 1940's. Other extraordinary threats include the electricity wielding Lightning Bug (Sensation Comics #76), the electrophysicist Voltini (Sensation Comics #80) and Tops, a criminal reliant on giant toys (Sensation Comics #81).
At some point in case as yet unrecorded, Sargon left Earth-Two and migrated to Earth-One. Over time, he became more amoral and spent the next 20 years studying the arcane arts, sometimes resorting to theft to advance his objectives. Frustrated by his inability to master time, he attempted to learn more by drawing Professor Zoom from 500 years in the future. Zoom betrays him and ultimately draws him into battle with the Flash, costing him the Ruby of Life (The Flash #186). Sargon later used the Flash to help him retrieve his Ruby and in so doing, conjured demons that he subsequently lost control over. In his incantations, he had used his own niece Gracie (Sargon must have married at some point on Earth-One) and threatened her life, a realization that caused Sargon to question the direction his life had taken (The Flash #207).
The following year, Sargon redeemed himself to some degree, aiding the Justice League in fending off the stellar vampire Starbreaker. He was voted an honorary membership in the group before vanished before they could offer it (Justice League of America #97-98). Several years later, the Ruby of Life had been lost by Sargon again and corrupted, landing in the hands of the Amazons for safe keeping. Sargon attempting to retrieve it in a less than ethical manner, leading Wonder Woman to conclude that Sargon had been corrupted by it when he engaged in less than honorable behavior (Adventure Comics #462). It was later revealed that are three Rubies of Life at least in the Earth-One timeline and Sargon later found one at a museum. As he approached the case, he was intercepted by another would be thief, the Matter Master who he managed to defeat without the Ruby, suggesting his magic at evolved beyond needing it (DC Comics Presents #26). His next heroic acts included aiding the Justice League and Justice Society against the Crime Champions (Justice League of America #219-220) and defending Earth-One during the Crisis on Infinite Earths (Crisis on Infinite Earths LS). In the waning days of the Crisis, Sargon was included in a group of mages attempting to fend off a Great Darkness that battled The Light in the last acts witness on Earth-One. Sargon was incinerated when the circle was contacted by the Great Darkness but managed to die a hero in the end (Swamp Thing #50).
Powers and Abilities
Sargon's original powers lay in his contact with the Ruby of Life. With it, any object he touched, living or inanimate, had to obey his commands no matter how complex they might be. The nature of the contact appeared to be with any part of his body that was in range. In his later years, after moving to Earth-One, Sargon spent decades researching mystic arts of various disciplines, evidently being able to conjure some forms of magic without the Ruby. The nature and extent of these powers are not defined. As John Sargent, he was a scion of wealth which allowed him to finance his lifestyle and crime fighting throughout the 1940's at least.
Weaknesses and Limitations
Originally, Sargon's power could be interrupted by preventing him from touching things. The effects he elicited were not permanent but the duration of them is not defined. Once he achieved more advance magical powers, his weaknesses are unknown.
Multiversity
Earth-0
The history of Sargon in the post-Crisis timeline is thought to be essentially identical to his Earth-Two/One counterpart. In this timeline, he appears as a ghost (Books of Magic #1, Swamp Thing Vol 4 #2-6). He had a grandson David who eventually inherited his identity (Helmet of Fate: Sargon the Sorcerer #1) but was eventually killed in a battle with Neron (Reign in Hell #8). His daughter Jaimini later adopted the identity of Sargon the Sorceress but acted purely for selfish motives, partnering with evil individuals such as Tannarak in the Cult of Cold Flame (Constantine #1=17).
Earth-22
A version of Sargon the Sorcerer exists in this timeline as was present when Tex Thompson attempting to organize heroes as part of his plot in DC (The Golden Age LS). The fate of this Sargon is not known.
Golden Age Appearances of Sargon the Sorcerer
Post-Golden Age Appearances
|
Issue |
Comments |
Reprinted in |
|
vs. the Flash |
The Flash: The Silver Age Omnibus #3 |
|
|
vs. the Flash, some degree of redemption |
|
|
|
With the Justice League vs. Starbreaker |
Showcase Presents The Justice League of America #5, Justice League of America Bronze Age Omnibus #1 |
|
|
vs. Wonder Woman |
|
|
|
Vs. the Matter Master |
|
|
|
With the Justice Society, vs. the Crime Champion |
DC Comics Classics Library, Justice League of America by George Perez #2, Crisis on Multiple Earths #3- Countdown to Crisis |
|
|
Participates in Crisis |
Crisis on Infinite Earths HC, Crisis on Infinite Earths TPB, Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths HC, Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths HC |
|
|
With the coven of mages vs. the Great Darkness, dies |
Saga of the Swamp Thing #4 TPB |