- For though I have used my role as his assassin to get contacts and information I needed, he is an evil man -- and he cannot be allowed to profit from this night!
- --Black Velvet[src]
Barbara Vane is a tragic hero turned vigilante when she discovers that the men responsible for her kidnapping and experimentation were located in a site in Astro City. She takes the name Black Velvet and uses her dark powers to hunt the men that wronged her, but is eventually stopped before she can finish her task of annihilating them.
History[]
An E.A.G.L.E. file suggests that she was a prostitute from Harlem, who was kidnapped with many other students at the time. She was taken to a secret facility and had her genes mutated in order to produce superpowers in ordinary humans. Some of the tests were a success, and during an escape attempt Barbara managed to succeed and flee the evil Dr. Croft's facility with the help of Street Angel.
Since then, she had begun to call herself Black Velvet, and used her soul shattering powers of darkness to punish criminals while in search for her captors. She has been seen in Detroit, France, Italy, Morocco, and Los Angeles before finally finding those she sought after in Astro City.
While in pursuit, during the 1977 Gang Wars, she was halted by professional madman Jitterjack who mortally wounded her and prevented her mission from seeing fruition. Torn apart, Black Velvet's darkness began to spew over the local populace driving them insane with negative emotions. Just then, Silver Agent returns from the past and uses his new powers to fuse the parts of Barbara's soul back together thus ending the crisis. However, Jitterjack's attack had indeed been a deathblow to Black Velvet, and after Silver Agent's intervention she died.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Unique Physiology: Barbara Vane was experimented on until she produced powers. Specifically, her soul was shattered, stretched, torn and broken until it began to sap darkness from all around her. Her broken soul fuels her dark abilities.
- Darkness Manipulation: Black Velvet uses the ambient darkness she sees in people - as well as herself - to perform a variety of abilities. She can sap the darkness from someone, obliterate them with their darkness, create tentacles which restrain her targets and see into someone's soul..
- Enhanced Senses: Black Velvet can see into a person's soul and judge them in order to discern if they are good or evil. She finds most people to be dark and when that darkness overwhelms them she strikes at them.
- Flight: Black Velvet can levitate. Her control over darkness allows her to use its powers in order to hover.
Notes[]
- Barbara Vane was named in Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 2) #4 just prior to her death. [1]
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
References[]
External links[]
Kurt Busiek's Astro City |
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Heroes |
Air Ace • All-American • Alligator • Altar Boy • American Chibi • Aquarina • Arthro • Assemblyman • Astra Furst • Astro-Naut • Atomicus • Augustus Furst • Barrier • Beautie • Black Badge • Black Rapier • Black Velvet • Blue Knight • Bouncing Beatnik • Bravo • Broadsword • Cleopatra • Cloak of Night • Commando K • Commander One • Confessor • Coyotl • Crackerjack • Dame Progress • Daniel • David • Encephalon • Energy Brown • Flying Fox • Gas Giant • Gentleman • Gloo • Grimoire • Hanged Man • Hawk of the Alleyways • Hellhound • El Hombre • Homegirl • Hummingbird • Ichthyos • Ironhorse • Jack-in-the-Box • Johnny Lightfoot • Joshua • Juice • Julius Furst • Kahoutek • Karl Furst • Kitkat • Lamplighter • Larkspur • Leopardman • LGM • Lightning Kid • Lion • Lonestar • M.P.H. • Mary • Max O'Millions • Mermaid • Mirage • Nadia • Natalia Furst • N-Forcer • Nightingale • Nihil • Nikolai Furst • Noah • Old Soldier • Orphan • Pale Horseman • Palmetto • Palomino • Peter • Point Man • Popstar • Quark • Quarrel • Rex • El Robo • Roustabout • Ruby • Samaritan • Sasha Furst • Shrff • Silver Agent • Silversmith • Simon Magus • Skitter • Slugger • Starfighter • Starwoman • Stonecold • Stormhawk • Stray • Strangeling • Street Angel • Supersonic • Sunbird • Sunshrike • Switchblade • Umbra • Unicorn • Winged Victory • Wolfspider • Young Gentleman |
Villains |
Andrew Tugliewski • Anti-Bodies • Assemblyman • Aunt Acid • Bamboo • Birdman • Bishop • Black Mask Killer • Block • Box • Braintrust • Brass Monkey • Bridwell • Chain • Clever Dick • Conquerlord • Conquistador • Cutlass • Deacon • Demolitia • Derelikt • Devil's Own • Deuce • Doctor Dominax • Doctor Toxic • Doctor Deezer • Doctor Ganss • Doctor Gearbox • Doctor Nautilus • Doctor Saturday • Dragon Shogun • Drama Queen • Donnelly Ferguson • Ersatz Ed • Fever • Flamethrower • Fog • Getaway • Glue Gun • Glowworm • Gnomicron • Goldenboy • Goldenglove • Gunslinger • Handgun • Headmaster of Crime • Los Hermanos • Hollowpoint • Human Weasel • Infidel • Insectra • Jackdaw • Jackson • Jitterjack • Junkman • Karnazon • Karnus • Kaspian • King Missile • Kirlian Man • Korrga • Kratorr • L.S.Deviant • Lady Lethal • Living Nightmare • Longhorn • Lord Sovereign • Lord Volcanus • Lummox • Mad Maharajah • Madame Majestrix • Mechanimator • Microplex • Middleman • Mock Turtle • Morningstar • Mister Cakewalk • Mister Drama • Mister Manta • Mister Teleport • Muscleman • Myth-Master • Nostradamien • Omniac • Omnius Rex • Otter • Platinum Blonde • Platypus • Popinjay • Praetor • Professor Borzoi • Prospero • Quarrel • Red Dahlia • Red Queen • Padraig Daniel Rourke • Sagra • Slaughter Shaw • Scarlet Snake • Sekhmet Stone • Sean Hanrahan • Senhor Technico • Shadow Hill Killer • Shirak the Devourer • Silver Brain • Slamburger • Spice • Steel Devil • Steel Scimitar • Strangematter • Sugar • Supreme Commandrix • Tackle • Temblor • Tidal Waif • Time-Keeper • Toff • Tommy Gunn • Ugly Max • Underlord • White Lightning • Wolfhound • Wotan • Wrestla • Xenoform • Zzardo |
Groups |
Apollo Eleven • Astro City Irregulars • Balloon Bandits • Barnstormers • Birdmen • Birds of Paradise • Blackout Bandits • Blasphemy Boys • Brothers of Trouble • Chessmen • Computermen • Crazy Eight • Crossbreed • Dominos • Dopple Gang • Disastroids • Dynamoids • E.A.G.L.E. • E.N.G.I.N.E. • Experimentals • First Family • Five Fists • Frigians • Gorilla Swarm • Gorilla Troops • Gunbirds • Guilloteam • Honor Guard • Howling Dead • Iron Horde • Iron Legion • Jade Dragons • Legions of Midnight • Menagerie Gang • Omega Rangers • PYRAMID • Queen's Men • Ravagers • Shaders • Sideliners • Skullcrushers • Smoke & Mirrors • Special Incarceration Squad • Team Carnivore • Techsperts • Tempus Fugitives • Terrifying Three • Thermians • Trouble Boys • Unclean • Unholy Alliance • Worst Family |
Civilians |
Cammie Aarons • Maria Luisa Alvarado • Darcy Conroy • Marella Cowper • Danielle • Irene Costello • Johnny Crash • Barry Daniels • Tamra Dixon • Marta Dobrescu • Marcy Doerr • Pete Donacek • Rosa Vlacek Donewicz • Caroleen Enright • Sara-Lynne Felton • Elaine Girbachs • Jedson Godfrey • Cherry Goldstein • Mitch Goodman • Enzio Grandenetti • Gerald Greenwald • Peter Hanlan • Gretchen Hastings • Roscoe James • Jerome Johnson • Mick Keneally • Margaret Isles Kinney • Thomas William Kinney • Steve McAnn • Dirk McCallum • Jose Manziano • Corliss McBride • Gordon Meadows • Irene Merriwether • Elliot Mills • Manny Monkton • Aggie Morisi • Nadia • Vincent Oleck • Doctor Prochnow • Ben Pullam • Faith Pullman • Maggie Pullman • Carl Donewicz • Martha Sullivan • Michael Tenicek • Miranda Tenicek • Stanley Tripp • Anders Van Rupert • Ramon Vega • Charles Raymond Williams • Royal James Williams • Eyes |
Others |
Anansi • Broken Man • Bullroarer • Colonial • Crimson Cougar • Dark Centurion • El Guerrero • Enelsians • Eterneon • Helia • Incarnate • Insiders • Iron Cross • Kookaburra • Krunch • Looney Leo • Mister Smartie • Mordecai Chalk • Mountain Gnomes • Night Creatures • Rockslide • Scavenger Peoples • Sledgehammer • Skrek • Tentacus • Teusz • Thunderhead • Torori • Tourist • Trenchers • Trolls • Untouchable • Zonn |
Locations |
Astro City • Old Town • Shadow Hill • Patterson Heights • Goldwater Heights • Kanewood • Derbyfield • Center City • Gainesville • Hartley • Biro Island • Torres Island • Chesler • District Hill • Bakerville • Memorial Park • Mount Kirby Observatory • Romeyn Falls Historical Center • Wildenberg Center • Fox-Broome University • Schwartz Field • Dedication Park • Centennial Park • Rosenberger Jr. High School • Founders Park • Robinson Prep School • AstroBank Tower • Binderbeck Plaza • Fort Kanigher • Fisher Garden • Grandenetti Cathedral • Kiefer Square • Iger Square • Bruiser's Bar & Grill • Caniff International Airport • Classic Hotel • Berrill Stadium • Goodman-Donenfeld Industries • Craig Avenue Bar & Grill • Gottfredson Bridge • Gleason Bridge • Westside Highway • Hughes Bridge • Martin Lieber Tunnel • Calkins Bridge • Outcault Bridge |
Comics |
Homage Studios Astro City (Volume 1) • Astro City (Volume 2) • Astro City 3D Special #1 |
Wildstorm Astro City: Local Heroes • Astro City/Arrowsmith #1 • Astro City Special: Supersonic #1 • Astro City: A Vistor's Guide #1 • Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 1) • Astro City Special: Samaritan #1 • Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 2) • Astro City: Beautie #1 • Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 3) • Astro City Special: Astra #1 • Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 4) • Astro City: Silver Agent • Astro City: Shining Stars |
Vertigo Astro City (Volume 3) |
Creators |
Kurt Busiek • Brent Anderson • Alex Ross |