Richard Drakunovski (New Earth)

Richard Dragon grew up poor and neglected in the slums of St. Louis, Missouri. However, a chance meeting with Ben Turner - the martial artist known as "Bronze Tiger", turned Dragon's life around. Under Turner's tutelage, Richard Dragon became a kung-fu fighter in his own right, as well as a trainer of several costumed vigilantes, including Barbara Gordon (Oracle), Vic Sage (The Question), and Helena Bertinelli (Huntress) amongst many others. Unfortunately, Dragon fell under the sway of the notorious Lady Shiva, who drew him into the world of underground fighting competitions. Now Dragon is redeeming his past sins by tracking down the many criminals he encountered while immersed in the deadly world he indulged in.^[1]

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

Meditation: Richard Dragon is skilled in Chinese meditative techniques which he uses to enhance his concentration and channel his ch'i.

Martial Arts

Karate: Before becoming a Kung Fu master, Richard Dragon trained in the art of Karate.
Dragon Style Kung Fu: Richard Dragon is a master in several forms of Kung Fu, notably Dragon Style.
Leopard Style Kung Fu: Richard Dragon has mastered a technique which includes an attack known as the Leopard's Claw.
Strength level

Peak Human: Richard Dragon possesses the strength level of a man his age, size and weight who engages in intensive regular exercise.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Dragon's Claw: A small jade amulet given to him by O-Sensei. The Dragon's Claw is a mystical artifact that collects and channels mystical energy in times of great need. Richard Dragon uses the Dragon's Claw as a focus for meditation and channeling his inner ch'i.

Notes

Canonicity
Because it largely ignored all previous stories of Dragon (a fact that Chuck Dixon admitted), the 2004 series has proved notoriously difficult to incorporate into continuity. Although some aspects of the retcon have been acknowledged into other books - such as appearances by Shiva's students from the series, and Ben Turner's presence in Detroit - other retconned elements have been ignored. Perhaps most notably, Richard Dragon's role in helping The Question and The Huntress to train and find harmony is still considered canonical, and has been referenced since the 2004 series. The series, however, states that Dragon had essentially been wallowing in anger and self pity during this period (due to conflict between himself and Lady Shiva), which would contradict his role as a spiritual guide to these two heroes. The Dixon series also showed Richard on his legs while training Question, while a major plot point of the original Question series was that Richard had been pretending to be crippled during Question's training. How these and other inconsistencies could be resolved, if at all, remains to be seen.^[2]

Links and References

Footnotes

[0] DC Comics Encyclopedia

[1] Wikipedia article on Richard Dragon

[1]

[2]

Richard Drakunovski (New Earth)

From DC Database

Contents

History