| Black Partridge | |
|---|---|
| |
| The Black Partridge as she appears in Radioactive Man #216. | |
Character Information
| |
| Real Name | Brenda Boyle |
| Powers | Force beams |
The Black Partridge is a fictional character, a hero and ally of the Superior Squad.
Basis[]
The Black Partridge has a number of pop culture references in her character. She drives a bus that closely resembles that of the Partridge Family (i.e. painted like a Piet Mondrian composition). She looks somewhat like Dazzler and the art when she uses her powers resembles that of Neal Adams. In fact, in her first appearance using her powers, a careful eye will notice that the force beams read, "Hey, a Neal Adams rip-off."[1]
Her main appearance in Radioactive Man #216 spoofs Dennis O'Neil's famous Green Lantern/Green Arrow run. In particular, Black Partridge and her storyline parody Black Canary in Green Lantern #78.
Fictional Biography[]
Brenda Boyle works as the proprietress of the Poster Pit, a hippie-oriented poster store in Zenith City. Bleeding Heart considers himself a regular at the store. Much like the interplay between Claude Kane III and Gloria Grand, Bleeding Heart loves Brenda and she can't stand him. Brenda got her powers on a dare, when she licked all of the blacklight ink off a Jimi Hendrix poster.[2] She first meets Radioactive Man while he tries to hunt down his sidekick Fallout Boy, whom he believes has turned into a hippie. After a brief misunderstanding and fight (common to superheroes of the day), she accompanies him and Bleeding Heart. The trail eventually leads to a plot by Radioactive Man's old enemy Hypno Head to enslave the population of Zenith. Although Hypno Head successfully hypnotizes her at first, she eventually breaks out of hypnosis and assists the other heroes in defeating Hypno Head and saving Zenith.[1] Afterward, she continues to work with the Superior Squad,[3] but she apparently never joins them.
Powers[]
Black Partridge can fire "psychedelic force beams." These concussive beams disorient their target.[2]