The Ray

The Original Ray (Quality Comics)

The Ray is one of Quality’s most iconic and recognizable super-heroes, made so by the breakout artwork of Lou Fine. The character’s powers and costume were also fairly distinctive, and he has arguably enjoyed the most successful DC Comics reinvention of any Quality property—including Plastic Man. DC’s The Ray was an intensely personal series that delved into the character’s family life, but his Golden Age adventures did not. Happy Terrill only had a girlfriend for one issue. The Ray was created by Will Eisner and drawn by Lou Fine for nearly its entire run (through Smash Comics #34). This was just before Will Eisner went to war and Fine moved on to take over chores on “The Spirit.” Here (and on the sister strip “Black Condor”) Fine let loose and gave us some of his most dynamic and meticulous drawings. The Ray was featured on the cover (not drawn by Fine) every other month in Smash #17–27. 

The Ray’s debut was promoted in Hit Comics #3 (Sept. 1940). His origin has been somewhat tweaked during the character’s DC lifetime. The essence remains the same, but many details were added to the early life of this hero in the pages of The Ray series. In both versions, cub reporter “Happy” Terrill was sent on an assignment to cover the launch of Prof. Styne’s “strato-balloon” into the upper atmosphere. Happy became a passenger on the balloon which encountered a “cosmic storm” that left him transformed into the Ray! (In his first adventure only, his legs were colored bare instead of yellow.) The balloon mission had also uncovered a powerful new gas, which was stolen by the thug, Anton Rox. (Smash Comics #14) 

But there was more to DC’s side of the story… It went back to the dawn of time when a Light Entity was “born” at the same time as the Earth. This Entity wandered the universe hoping one day to “reunite” with the Earth. By the 1940s, a man named Dr. Dayzl had discovered this truth, and theorized that the only way to stop the Entity from destroying the Earth was to communicate with it, with light. He secretly engineered the balloon launch and tricked Happy into manning the mission, thereby being exposed to the radiation that transformed him into the Ray. (The Ray vol. 1 #5)

Also, just before the incident, fate intervened and Happy met his son, Raymond Terrill, who had come back through time. Ray saved his father from being run over by a streetcar but soon realized that he had nearly caused Happy to miss the balloon launch. (The Ray vol. 2 #9) Once that was righted and Happy became publicly known as the Ray, he was summoned to the White House, where both Rays met President Roosevelt and another important man: Senator Tom Wright—the Black Condor. (#10) When Raymond returned to the future, Happy went about developing both his careers. 

The Ray’s first freakish foe was Cadava, a once handsome man turned bitter from society’s scorn. Cadava unleashed a destructive ray on the city, but died in struggling with the Ray. To help reconstruct the city, the Ray created a giant form of himself to lift large building materials into place. (#15) Bela Jat, a Hindu mystic, was the Ray’s first super-powered foe. He could transform himself at will into an “ecto-fluid.” Jat’s murderous reign was ended when the police caught him in solid form and put a knife in his back. (#16) After his transformation, Happy had hastily insisted that his old self was “dead,” but he soon resumed his reporting career. set off to the waterfront Stradivous using his super-clarinet but while he was busy mopping up, other reporters beat him to publishing the story. (#17) He trailed a band of old Vaudeville freaks—seven dwarves in alliance with one Miss White. (#18)

Happy was a persistent reporter, and even jumped onto an airplane’s wing as it took off to make a flight. Their destination: the Pacific, where Asian incursions threatened American security. The plane was shot down and the passengers, including a boy named Jackie, washed ashore at the island home of Captain Blue. Blue imprisoned the Ray in a circle of light and revealed that he intended to attack Hawaii. Weakened, the Ray had to rely on his human strength to send Blue over a ledge to his death. (#21) 

In the next issue, Jackie had returned home with Happy as if he was now Terrill’s ward, but he was renamed “Bud.” The following adventure might have only been in Bud’s dream because after the boy fell asleep, he was abducted by a wraith called Lupo who rode away on a six-legged horse, Blitzen. They deposited Bud in a fairyland called Elixir. Somehow the Ray knew how and where to intervene. He found Elixir invaded by Kulik and the returned Captain Blue, who had helped arm these once peaceful people. The Ray once again saved the day, then sent Bud home on a rocketship. When it crashed, Bud woke up and Happy assured him it had all been a dream. (#22)

During a case involving feuds between clans in Chinatown, the Ray gave Bud a “ray ring” that emitted a beam to blind people. (#23) Ray and Bud temporarily joined the circus after saving some aerialists from attack. They discovered that an undercover FBI agent was also there to take down Vera, the equestrienne. (#24) Happy didn’t always put Bud in harm’s way. He showed concern for Bud’s safety after the lad witnessed a shooting. If only Bud had the same concern for his safety. Bud independently sought additional help from the Secret Service. (#26) Many foes possessed powerful weapons, like the man with an atom-smasher that could turn people and things to liquid or dust. The weapon had the effect of immobilizing the Ray. (#27) 

Happy Terrill eventually became a war correspondent, which put the Ray’s adventures on the world stage. Naturally this meant Bud would have to stay behind. But astonishingly, Bud threatened to reveal Happy’s alter ego to the world, and Terrill caved. In Syria they met Sue Saunders of a rival paper and uncovered a French surveillance device disguised as the giant Monsieur le rat. (#31) On the way home, the boys—and Sue—stopped off in Greece where Syrian gangsters followed them on the search for a prophetic scroll of Hippotius. (#32) 

Smash Comics #33 (June 1940) was one of Quality’s first war stories. Happy was sent to ride along with fighters over the Pacific, and the plane was shot down by the Japanese. He and the pilot were taken prisoner. The Ray took out an entire squadron, then allowed himself to be taken to a prison camp as a civilian. His retaliation incited the Japanese to kill all their prisoners, which forced the Ray to resurface. He carried a rack of bombs from above and sank three Japanese battleships. (#33) This kind of story is interesting for its pre-war optimism. Before the U.S. was actually at war, it was easier to fantasize that the enemy could be dispatched so quickly. 

After stopping in Hungary, (#34) Happy was kidnapped by Mongols and taken to Russia. The Russians shot down the Mongol plane and his captor died, leaving a map with his plans. Upon investigation, the Ray found a special Russian division called the Flame Troops. They were trained by the Khan, a descendant of Genghis and Kublai Khan, who had great strength and mystical knowledge. The Khan waylaid the Ray long enough to lay siege to Moscow. Once recovered, the Ray did away with Khan, throwing him from the top of St. Basil’s Cathedral. (#35)

Back home, things were no easier. Happy was framed by the Hammer Hand—a criminal with a mallet for a hand—arrested for bank robbery, and fired from his job. (#36) His relationship with Sue Saunders changed dramatically when the competitors actually began dating. As the Ray, he saved her from the ax-wielding Headsman. (#38) Their romance had nowhere to go (though Bud remained with him throughout), because “The Ray” ended two issues later. In his final adventure, he witnessed a new destroyer being sunk. (#40)

Ray of Darkness

In early 1966, an ambitious publisher launched a total reinvention of Captain Marvel. In addition to pinching Plastic Man, Doll Man and Dr. Fate, M.F.Publications also created a villain called “the Bat” in Captain Marvel #3. Not surprisingly, in the fourth issue the Bat’s name was changed—to the Ray. A lightning bolt was merely added to the chest of this otherwise bat-like character. This Ray returned once more in Captain Marvel presents the Terrible Five #5 (1967).

DC

Quality’s Ray did not reappear until 1973, in DC Comics’ Justice League of America #107–108. Happy was reintroduced to readers along with other former Quality heroes as the Freedom Fighters. This story and the successive Freedom Fighters series are no longer in DC continuity, but in Freedom Fighters #3, Happy’s true first name was revealed as “Langford” (later also printed as “Lanford”). For details on that series, see “Freedom Fighters” on page 41. 

During this time, the Ray was singled out for a higher profile, as the back-up feature in of Black Lightning. This was cut short by the so-called 1978 “DC Implosion.” The Ray made only one appearance, in issue #11 (Oct. 1978), in a story that was intended to come after a canceled story slated for Secret Society of Super-Villains #16. The latter story was printed for copyright’s sake in the photocopied Canceled Comics Cavalcade #2. The unpublished Black Lightning #12 was printed in Canceled Comics Cavalcade #1. In that story, the Ray was on the verge of drowning and recounted his origin. It also introduced a new arch foe, the Dark. 

The Ray’s current DC continuity instead begins with his appearances in the pages of All-Star Squadron, which were set in wartime. After the U.S. declared war, the Ray decided to enlist his services with the All-Star Squadron. At his first meeting, he met Uncle Sam and joined his splinter group, the Freedom Fighters. They moved to stop Baron Blitzkrieg’s invasion of Santa Barbara, California. (All-Star Squadron #31) For the remainder of the war, the Ray remained with this group, which separated from the All-Star Squadron and were based in Washington, D.C. (Who’s Who ‘87 #5)

Notes

The Super DC Calendar 1976 gave Happy Terrill's birthday as March 28.

Power

The Ray could absorb light, heat and electromagnetic energies from outside sources, discharge these energies from his body, and modulate their intensities. The beams could be as harmless as regular light, or used as destructive laser blasts. He once used a “magni-ray” to allow him to take photographs with a miniature camera. The Ray was “charged” by the presence of light and could fly at super speeds.

His powers were not internally produced. If light was removed, he might fall from the sky until it was restored. The Ray could turn his body into immaterial light energy or conversely, create objects made of solid light. He once created a giant solid construct of himself. A similar application of power could be used to imprison him. Despite his fantastic powers, Happy often chose to fight his battles with his physical prowess. If he was not concentrating on his powers, he could revert to normal and be knocked out. 

Today, as Neon II (see below), his powers are similar, but have near infinite application. They are also based on controlling electromagnetic waves and energy. 

 

The Ray II: Ray Terrill

Created by Christopher Priest, Jack C. Harris and Joe Quesada

Happy’s personal story at DC is one of the most extensive of all Quality characters. This is due to the success of the 1992 reinvention of the character in which Jack C. Harris and Joe Quesada presented Happy’s son, Raymond: the new Ray. According to the series’ editor, Christopher Priest, the series was modeled in part after his own pitch called “The Avenger.” (Digital-Priest.com)

The story of Happy Terrill’s sons began back during wartime. In 1946 he met his first wife, a woman named Gayle, and they had a son, Joshua Terrill, that same year. Joshua inherited his father’s powers and Happy chose to make him his sidekick, Spitfire. But his powers and mind were unstable and in a tantrum Joshua killed his own mother. Happy’s solution was to place eight-year-old Joshua in cryogenic suspension. (The Ray vol. 2 #28) Note: There was also a non-super-hero feature at Quality Comics called “Spitfire,” about U.S. Air Force soldier Tex Adams. He first appeared in Crack Comics #15 (Aug. 1941).

Happy later remarried a woman named Nadine. They also had a son, Raymond Terrill. Like Joshua, Ray inherited his father’s powers. After the nightmare of Spitfire, Happy decided it would be best if the boy never knew anything about his powers or heritage. Happy told Nadine that the child died at birth but instead, he entrusted his son to the care of his brother, Thomas Terrill. (The Ray vol. 2 #0) Little Ray was told that he was “photosensitive,” meaning even the slightest exposure to light would cause extreme burns. In truth, the slightest exposure could trigger his metahuman powers. Ray grew up in Philadelphia, isolated, and became known locally as “Night Boy.” His one “ray of sunshine” was his friend, Jennifer Jerden. 

On his death bed, Thomas showed Raymond a photo album loaded with pictures of the super-hero called the Ray, suggesting that it had been he. Ray met his cousin Hank Terrill for the first time at Thomas’ funeral. Ray was eager to embrace his powers and immediately stepped into the light. On his first outing, he saved Jenny Jurden from bank robbers. All clear? Not a chance. Just when Raymond thought he understood, he received a visit from his father, the original Ray. (The Ray vol. 1 #1)

Raymond had a whole lot more to learn about himself. Happy sought not to clarify things for the boy, but to manipulate him into fulfilling a strange destiny. Their powers, he said, came from a cosmic “Light Entity” that threatened to obliterate the Earth, and Raymond was the only one who could communicate with the Entity and divert it. That mission was a success but Ray found it impossible to forgive Happy for all his lies. Their relationship would deteriorate even more as time went by. (#1-6) Any trust Ray had was shattered when he learned that his mother was still alive; Happy had lied to both Ray and Nadine. Still, Ray couldn’t bring himself to tell Nadine the truth. (The Ray vol. 2 #5, 0)

Ray’s exploits earned him the notice of the super-hero community, and he accepted an offer of membership in a new formation of the Justice League led by Wonder Woman. (Justice League America #71-91) He stayed with the JLA for quite a while, eventually moving onto the Justice League Task Force, a “training arm” under the Martian Manhunter. (J.L.T.F. #0, 17-37)

The Ray soon found himself battling the behemoth called Brimstone with the help of Superboy—which was easier than dealing with his personal life. Ray took a fast food job and suffered through a series of failed romantic entanglements. (The Ray vol. 2 #1-2) He pursued Jenny but learned that she didn’t share his feelings. Meanwhile, he had also come under the wing of the Black Canary. Ray relied on her for moral support, and the two of them undertook a mission that catapulted them through time. At the conclusion of that mission, the Canary made a decision she immediately regretted: she slept with Ray. (#6-11)

A battle with Dr. Polaris attracted a fragment of the Light Entity to Earth again. (#3-4) Unbeknownst to Ray, the fragment took up residence inside a computer program of his own creation. It was called “Death Masque,” designed as a training aide to provide a solid light adversary that knew everything about him. (#6) The program’s wealth of knowledge mixed with the Entity’s sentience grew into a nearly undefeatable menace that kidnapped and impersonated Happy. (#11) 

The neverending plot involving Death Masque ultimately killed The Ray. Over a year’s worth of stories, Masque took over the country and became entangled with the immortal villain, Vandal Savage. (#12) Meanwhile, Ray’s long-lost brother Joshua was unearthed from a silo in Colorado. (#17) All these parties converged in Philadelphia, where Ray and Joshua met for the first time. (#21) When Happy was rescued (#27) he finally told Nadine the whole truth and she and Ray were introduced as mother and son. (#28)

Some time thereafter, Ray teamed with the loose-knit Forgotten Heroes (Resurrection Man #24) and later, Young Justice. (Young Justice #41) During the Imperiex War, Ray was called in as a JSA reservist on a mission to disrupt Imperiex’s link to his ship’s power supply. (JSA: Our Worlds at War #1) After this adventure, Ray joined with other heroes whose legacies were tied to the Freedom Fighters. This new team, like its predecessor, worked under Uncle Sam for the U.S. government. (JSA #49, 73)

Powers

Ray Terrill inherited the same powers as his father. He requires the occasional “recharging” of his light powers from an external source. In the dark, he becomes powerless. 

The Ray III (Stan Silver)

Created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Daniel Acuña

The third man to call himself the Ray was Stan Silver. He appeared as a part of Father Time’s metahuman strike force, S.H.A.D.E. (DCU: Brave New World) Silver was a handsome 26 year-old foreign correspondent for the Washington Sun who, similar to Happy Terrill, went into space and was exposed to radiation in space from a comet. This gave him the power to transform into solid light. 

Stan Silver was also a fitness nut, a narcissist, and a traitor. (Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters vol. 1 #1) He and his teammates soon jumped ship and joined Uncle Sam’s Freedom Fighters, whose mission was to take down an alien impostor in the White House. (#2) But even the great Uncle Sam didn’t realize that Silver was working for their adversary. Silver struck at the F.F. during a moment of down time and killed the new Invisible Hood. (#6)

Silver was quickly taken out by Uncle Sam’s secret weapon, Ray Terrill, and was remanded to S.H.A.D.E. (#7) The new President put the Freedom Fighters in charge of S.H.A.D.E. and Ray Terrill remained with the team. (#8) 

Ray’s father, Happy, returned as well to join Uncle Sam at Arlington Cemetery, where they visited a new memorial to the Freedom Fighters. As always, Happy reached out to Ray but their relationship remained strained. (U.S. & the F.F. vol. 2 #1) 

Happy joined Uncle Sam’s reserves and was called upon to recruit another old friend, an original Freedom Fighter called Neon. Only Uncle Sam knew that Neon had not died at Pearl Harbor. He sent Happy to Neon’s hidden desert oasis (#5) but Neon no longer had any interest in the outside world. When Neon disappeared, Happy took matters into his own hands and drank from the same mystic waters that had powered Neon. This rejuvenated him and bestowed the energy powers of his namesake; he took the name Neon II. (#6) Happy’s new powers were similar to his old ones. He could zip through the air and emit powerful energy beams. After ending the threat du jour, Ray finally agreed to make peace with his father. (#7-8) 

New 52

When the DC universe was rebooted in 2010, the Freedom Fighters family of characters were completely reimagined. The Ray was Lucien Gates. He made several appearances but never in the mainstream DC universe of this era.

Rebirth

DC's "Rebirth" (2016) undid much of the New 52 and the previous version of the Freedom Fighters was restored.

Notes

Silver’s co-creator, Justin Gray, described him as “the kind of egotistic bastard people loved to hate. His uniform is slick to match his Teflon personality; a beam of living light fits a guy who thinks he’s better than everyone else.” (“Uncle Sam…”)

Powers

...

The Ray IV (Lucien Gates)

Created by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Jamal Igle

The third volume of DC's The Ray was created by writing partners Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti for the so-called "New 52." This universe jettisoned most of DC's previous continuity in late 2011 and sought to reinvigorate its most viable properties. Gray and Palmiotti were the appropriate choice to handle the legacy of a former Quality Comics character. Their Freedom Fighters series—which featured DC's second Ray character—had wrapped earlier that year. Along with artist Jamal Igle, they created Lucien Gates, a San Diego lifeguard of Korean descent.

Gates was transformed by the energies of an experimental military "sun gun." It fired across the planet's surface, affecting living things in various ways. In San Diego, it transformed Lucien into a living light construct. Use of his powers came instinctively and he found himself accelerating up the west coast, landing in Seattle. To his embarrassment, Gates also found that his clothing had burned off and he could not don any new clothes, either. But he soon figured out that he had the ability to create the illusion of clothing by manipulating others' perception of the light around him. His parents recommend that he seek out help from other super-heroes and his girlfriend, Chanti that he go to the emergency room.

The news media dubbed him "the Ray," and Lucien found that his experience in martial arts and yoga helped him to focus and control his powers. In no time he was effectively battling giant flying jellyfish and settled back into his day job, too. Gates' supporting cast was rounded out by his best friend and fellow lifeguard, Darius Williams.

Elsewhere, a new menace was brewing. Film footage of the explorer and filmmaker Thaddeus Filmore surfaced which shed light on the man's death. He was known for making gruesome real life films, and a new reel showed him being sacrificed to a Lazarus Pit in South America. Upon viewing the footage, Filmore emerged and slaughtered the viewers. (The Ray v.3 #1)

When it finally came time for Lucien to meet Chanti's parents, he made the ill-advised decision to change his appearance to appear Indian. This infuriated Chanti and did little to gain favor with her father. Later Chanti was kidnapped by a cadre of insectoid robots that fell from the sky. (#2) The Ray managed to free her, but afterwards at the hospital, they encountered the mastermind behind the kidnapping—Filmore aka the Director. Lucien refused Filmore's invitation to be Filmore's film star, and so the Directory unleashed his reality warping powers and killed Chanti's father. (#3)

Lucien's only hope against an opponent who could warp reality was to reach the Director's mind. In a moment of weakness, Filmore complained that he's always been a failure, but Lucien encouraged him to his own powers and alter his own destiny. As a last resort, the Ray used his powers to affect a sort of psychodelic hypnotherapy and compelled the Director to undo all his damage. He would go back and erase the bad things he'd done, and also fix a key event for Lucien—restore Chanti's father's life.

It was made to be so. And now when Lucien visited Chanti's parents for the first time, he approached them more honestly. As for Filmore, he became an acclaimed filmmaker, and one of Chanti's clients. She and Lucien attended the premier of his new Ray of Hope, which generated an Oscar buzz.

Later, after averting a terrorist kidnapping, the Ray was approached by a very tall man who offered him an opportunity. He ran a special division of Homeland Security comprised of people with metahuman abilities, and handed the Ray a card that read "I WANT YOU." (#4)

Powers

Lucien Gates is empowered by ambient sunlight. He is more powerful during the day, and the power can subside at night. As the Ray, he can manipulate white light energy in various ways. His primary ability is flight, which he affects by "riding" extant light waves. He can focus light energy into forceful energy beams, and manipulate others' perception of light to create "clothing" for himself (though in reality, all fabrics burn when in contact with his body). Gates has also found that his thought processes move faster, to keep up with the speed of his body.