Klarion the Witch Boy is a Croatoan nuisance, an ancient magic user and occultist who has quarreled with Etrigan, Young Justice and many others.
History
Origin
Born in Limbo Town, where the former residents of the Roanoke colony ended up after supposedly disappearing centuries ago, Klarion Bleak grew up in a sort of perverted version of Puritania. Necromancy was not only commonplace but a vital staple of the local industry, and every witch-man, witch-woman and witch-child had their own draaga, or familiar. His true father having disappeared years earlier, Klarion always suspected there was a world beyond, but was vigorously discouraged from asking questions by the strict Submissionary Judah. However, when a spine-rider of the Sheeda arrived in Limbo Town one day, Judah and his fellow submissionaries panicked, convinced that the spine-rider had been sent in advance of their extermination. They transformed themselves into a Horigal, a monstrous gestalt form bonding the three of them and their familiars together. They then attacked all the witch-men in town, including Klarion's stepfather Ezekial. Klarion, who had found out about the Horigal and had tried to warn everyone, was pursued by the monster and fled upwards. In the process, he was separated from Teekl, his familiar.
Into the Blue Rafters
Klarion ended up in the Manhattan subway system, and escaped the Horigal after it was hit by the pirate train called the William Jefferson Clinton. He ended up in the company of Ebeneezer Badde, another runaway from Limbo Town, who showed him the Leviathan (an hive-mind collective of children) and the Foundation Stone (actually the Fatherbox Croatoan, an ancient Fourth-World device). Klarion pocketed the small thing, thinking it to be little more than a die. Badde later turned on Klarion, attempting to sell the boy into slavery. Klarion in turn summoned Teekl and had his familiar lead the Leviathan to Badde, who was summarily killed by the multitude of children. One of the Leviathan told Klarion that Badde had long been capturing its component children in order to sell them into slave labor, and so the Leviathan offered Klarion and Teekl a place among its ranks in gratitude, but Klarion declined, wanting to see more of the world.
He traveled above ground, to Manhattan, where he was discovered by Melmoth, who offered the boy food and a place to stay. Melmoth was secretly looking for Limbo Town, as he himself had created the original witch-men and witch-women by interbreeding with the humans at Roanoke. He thus sent Klarion with a gang called the Deviant Ones to steal a giant subterranean drill for him. Klarion used Teekl to case the museum where the drill was held, and gang leader Billy Beezer set the Deviants loose within the museum.
When the Deviants returned with the drill, Melmoth deliberately played Beezer against Klarion to see what the witch-boy was capable of. Billy secretly feared being usurped, and Melmoth played to those fears, telling him that Klarion's skill with magic made him a strong contender to replace Beezer as the leader. Beezer attacked Klarion, who threatened him with a death curse, humiliating him.
Later, Klarion was awoken to see Melmoth forcing Beezer through an Erdel gate in order to be enslaved on Mars. Realizing that Melmoth intended to enslave all of the Deviants (and then discovering Melmoth's plans to use the drill to invade and plunder Limbo Town), Klarion warned his erstwhile comrades, but resolved to simply leave instead of trying to fight Melmoth. However, Teekl convinced him that he had a responsibility to return home to stop Melmoth.
Return to Limbo Town
Klarion returned to Limbo Town, only to be nearly burned at the stake for blasphemy when he tried to explain that there was a world beyond Limbo which intended to invade. Melmoth's arrival halted the burning, and Klarion ran to ring the alarm bell. There, he was confronted by Judah, who had been gravely wounded in their previous encounter. Judah, realizing the imminent danger facing the town and accepting his own death, named Klarion as his successor, teaching him how to become a Horigal. Klarion merged with Teekl and attacked Melmoth's forces and knocked Melmoth himself into a fire. Severely burned, Melmoth boasted that he was immortal and retreated. Afterwards, Klarion was offered the chance to become a full-time submissionary, but declined.
Seven Soldiers of Victory
Klarion returned to the surface world just as the Sheeda were attempting their Harrowing. He was accosted by Misty Kilgore, Melmoth's daughter, who demanded that he hand over his half of the Croatoan to her so she could avert the Harrowing. Realizing the importance of the device, Klarion stole Misty's own part of the Croatoan and hitched a ride aboard Castle Revolving, the Sheeda time-dreadnought. Taking advantage of the attempt by S.H.A.D.E. agent Frankenstein to take over the ship, Klarion commandeered the ship and traveled to the Sheeda's homeworld, where he used the Croatoan to take over.
Return to the Present
Perhaps growing bored of ruling the Sheeda, Klarion traveled through time back to the present, arriving several years prior to his departure. It was around this time that he became a persistent thorn in the side of Etrigan, the Demon.[1] At one point, Klarion fell under the influence of the demon Eclipso.[2]
Sins of Youth
Some time later, Klarion joined forces with the Contessa, using his witchcraft to switch the ages of Earth's teenage and adult heroes to sow chaos and turn public opinion against superheroes, though to Klarion it was nothing more than a devilish prank. During this period, Klarion referred to himself as "Klarion... Bum, Bum, Bum... the Witch-Boy" and insisted that others call him by that appellation as well.[3] Afterwards, Klarion was targeted by Lobo, who was outraged at the indignity of being turned into a child. Klarion expressed extreme loneliness after losing his "playmates" following his defeat, but was cheered up when he befriended the time-lost child hero, Ariella Kent.[4]
Infinite Crisis
During the Infinite Crisis, he aided the world's magic-users in summoning the Spectre and later aided the heroes in Metropolis. After the battle in Metropolis, Klarion wandered, at one point tricking Felix Faust into trading his soul for more power. He later appeared in Gotham City, where his cat Teekl was nearly kidnapped by another young Limbo Town native who'd wandered to the surface and who'd been kidnapping other witches' familiars in order to create a monstrous Judgment Beast. Klarion teamed up with teen superhero Robin to rescue the kidnapped familiars and returned them to their proper owners.
Most recently, Klarion encountered Mary Marvel, and offered to help her control her new powers in exchange for a small portion of her soul, to which she agreed. However, he got greedy, attempting to steal her power, and she knocked him away.[5]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Psychic Link: Klarion has an innate psychic bond with his cat, allowing him to communicate with Teekl and see through Teekl's eyes.
Klarion looking through the eyes of his cat
- Magic: Beings born in Limbo Town have a deep magical history that has been passed down from generation to generation, magic and religion are one in the same for them and as such Klarion is highly skilled with magic since he's used it his whole life.
- Dimensional Travel: He can travel between Limbo Town (a deep underground magically blocked society), Castle Revolving, the world we know and beyond through his own power. He doesn't demonstrate the ability and naively throws himself through these dimensional barriers without realizing it.
- Energy Projection: He is able to use magical items to project all sorts of energy without any sort of difficulty, he has not been seen actually producing energy from his hands.[6]
- Telekinesis: He is able to move physical objects magically.[7]
- Energy Absorption: Shown in the case of when he was able to harness the energy from Shazam (albeit in a smaller portion) and able to steal power away from Felix Faust.
- Necromancy: Even without the Cruciform, Klarion is adept in summoning and controlling the dead.
- Divination: Through the use of the magics he learned as a young boy, Klarion can divine many events and situations such as when he needed to search Gotham City for his lost familiar.
- Eldritch Blast: Klarion has been able to fight off magical enemies through often haphazardly throwing Eldritch bolts.
- Mind Control: Klarion can take away a persons free will and control them.[8]
- Phasing: Klarion has recently shown the ability to phase through walls as he did in his search for Teekl.
- Size Alteration: Whether this was a product of his energy absorption or in fact a combination with it is unknown but Klarion has shrunken Batgirl and kept her in a magical ball.
- Transformation: He can combine his entity with that of his familiar to create a Horigal. When merged with his cat to become a Horigal, only a witch-woman can undo the spell. The Horigal is a large monstrous creature that retains it's intelligence and skill despite becoming a large beast.
- Transmutation: Klarion has turned Etrigan to stone.[9]
- Illusion Casting[10]: Klarion is able to cast illusions on himself to mimic others.
- Energy Transference: Klarion is able to empower objects with magic. He created a Rod of Power from a femur for C'th.[11]
Abilities
- Occultism: Klarion is extremely skilled in the use of magic, and knows several advanced spells (such as the forming of a Horigal, soul-brokering, and how to steal magic from others.)
- Deception: He is also incredibly skilled in beguiling and tricking people.
Weaknesses
- Power Limitation: Klarion is unable to remain separated from Teekl for long periods of time.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Cruciform: A small wand that allows control over dead flesh.
- Croatoan (Formerly)
Transportation
- Castle Revolving: (Formerly) A large castle created by the Sheeda that allows him transport through time.
Weapons
- Submissionary's Rod: (Formerly) A Rod that allowed it's user to control the minds and wills of others.
Notes
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.
Trivia
- Klarion's appearance has evolved over the years from a normal, healthy prepubescent child, to his pallid, teenage sprite-like mien.
- Klarion lacks knowledge of the modern world, which he and other Limbo Town residents call the "Blue Rafters".
- Seven Soldiers writer Grant Morrison speculated that after his time in the Sheeda's future, Klarion traveled back in time to his first published appearance in The Demon #7. In such a case, his earlier published appearances take place after his origin in Seven Soldiers in his own lifetime, but chronologically earlier in the DC Universe's timeline, and his more childlike appearance in The Demon (Volume 3) through Sins of Youth must be chalked up to artistic license.
Related
- 67 Appearances of Klarion Bleak (New Earth)
- 74 Images featuring Klarion Bleak (New Earth)
- 9 Quotations by or about Klarion Bleak (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Klarion Bleak (New Earth)
Footnotes
  This character has been an ally or antagonist to either The Demon Etrigan or his counterpart Jason Blood in any of their various incarnations. |
 This character is or was primarily an enemy of Etrigan. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Etrigan Villains." |
 This character is or was a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, or the Seven Soldiers in any of its various incarnations, created during World War II and later, it returned to battle time-traveling, dimension-spanning mysteries and monsters. |
 This character is or was primarily an enemy of Young Justice. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Young Justice Villains." |