Mista Steal Yo' Shadow

Have you ever felt like you're being watched? By people? By cameras? By the invisible espionage hamsters sent by the government to shut down your Japanese candy smuggling operation!? Uh, ignore that last example. Truth is, there may be someone watching you. Right now, from beneath your shadow. Or, inside your shadow! Introducing this week's Z-Lister: The Shadow Thief!

For every obscure superhero, there's an even more obscure villain. Created in 1961, Shadow Thief was once a criminal named Carl Sands. Sands was a decent criminal until one night a police officer was able to find and arrest him by spotting his shadow. In prison, Carl began experimenting with shadow projection hoping he could make his shadow more into an asset than a weakness. These shadow experiments led to Sands accidentally opening a portal to another world called Xarapion. In this world he met an alien explorer named Thar Dan, Sands had saved Thar Dan's life and was rewarded a device called the Dimensionmeter. This alien tool gave Sands the ability to transform into a two-dimensional shadow. Using this new tool, Carl Sands became The Shadow Thief.

After a few defeats from Hawkman, Sands' eventually was stripped of the Dimensionmeter by The Phantom Stranger. However, the alien criminal Byth hires Sands to steal Hawkman's spaceship and gives Sands a new tool to use for this job. This new "Shadow Vest" was a combination on alien technology and energy residue from the Dimensionmeter. In a reintroduction to the character, it was revealed Sands had grown up in Japan, mastered ninjitsu, and used his shadow powers to sabotage industrial businesses in exchange for their rival's payment. Shadow Thief would continue to fight Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and even The Justice League after he joined The Injustice Gang. His greatest triumph was the time he killed Firestorm with another hero's sword. Also, Sands sold his soul to a demon, but who hasn't? Am I right?

The Shadow Thief mantle would be taken by two other people after Sands' eventually went mad with power. The first successor was a billionaire named Carl Hammer, who had spent a million dollars to have his "Shadow Suit" made. His criminal career didn't last long seeing as how he only appeared in one issue of "Vigilante". The final Shadow Thief was an agent of Mossad and was given the "Shadow Skin" to eliminate alien life on Earth. She remains the current Shadow Thief. 

Hawkman has always been a character just outside my radar, his aesthetics are unique, but his origins are as twisted as a pretzel. I like the concept of Shadow Thief, his powers are really what set him apart from most villains. Odd for Hawkman's big enemy to be a shadow, but then again you don't see clowns chasing bats around. I can only hope that when Hawkman is eventually retooled again, that The Shadow Thief can reappear, too. After all, a hero's only as good as his villains. Thanks for reading!

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