The Blue Knight

© Juke Box Productions AstroFacts Status: Thought to be Inactive. No valid sitings since early 1980s Real Name: Joshua Stone and/or Damon Stone Earliest Appearance: Early 1970s Affiliation: None. The Blue Knight is a loner. His method of operations distances him from any mainstream organizations, side-kicks, partners or team participation. Base of Operations: Astro City, with an emphasis on Kiefer Square. He will also migrate to other neighborhoods where gangs and organized crime operations are concentrating. Personal Data Relationships: Damon Stone(son) was killed by stray bullets during a gang gunfight. Occupation: police officer Civil Status: unrevealed, thought to be single InfoDump Headlines: August 16, 1974: Knight Kills Again October 14, 1983: Blue Knight Implicated In Slayings Appearances (in Publication Order): Astro City: Local Heroes #4, 5 Astro City: The Dark Age Book One #2, 3, 4 Event Timeline 1974/08     Caption Blue Knight Had Begun Carving a Swath Through the Underworld. 1974/08/16     Headline Knight Kills Again. 1974/08/18     Current Vince Oleck Takes His Family to the Park. The Blue Knight "Sometimes justice comes from the barrel of a gun" The Blue Knight was born because the dance failed. It is as simple and complex as that. Police officer Joshua Stone, a single parent, is grieved at the senseless lost of his only son, killed by bullets running stray during a gang shooting. It becomes the motivating factor, pushing Joshua to brandish a harsher, vigilante form of justice as the Blue Knight. But is this really Joshua Stone enhancing his police duties in the guise of a vengeful super-hero, or is this a spiritual manifestation of his murdered son's essence? We can't be sure. History We do know that his career began in the early seventies, shortly after the death of his son, Damon. It was a violent, bloody career that lasted less than a decade. There have been no confirmed sightings since the early 1980s. But there are rumors, and fear-filled speculation that the Blue Knight is still around, still patrolling the darker streets of Astro City. The Oleck Family Incident Amidst the early appearances of the Blue Knight the Oleck Family Incident is one of the most brutal. Vince Oleck had been court assigned to defend the son of the Forgione mob boss. Vince's successful skills as a lawyer were strangely rewarded with threats from the Forgiones. They had pursued the fleeing Oleck family, but the swift and deadly interventions of the Blue Knight saved them from assassination. The entire Forgiones mob was eliminated. The Dark Age Sightings personal encounters with the Williams brothers pursuit of Royal Williams possession and battle with mystic forces like Simon Magus To this day, many Astro City Citizens are convinced the that the Blue Knight is a mystic Phenomenon. In 1984, a team of vigilantes calling themselves the Blue Knights emerged in Astro City. Their appearance was very similar to the original dark vigilante. Though they lacked the sophisticated gear and abilities, they used the imagery and reputation of the Blue Knight as a rallying symbol to vent their own angers on members of the criminal element. Their membership was comprised of both genders, and each individual had his/her own unique powers or abilities. Besides an infatuation with the icons and images, any further connection to the singular Blue Knight remains unknown. Powers The Blue Knight's crime-fighting methodology is harsh and direct, reminiscent of old time gunslingers roaming the west in legendary fashion. He has assembled an awesome fighting arsenal to garner fear in his opponents. Many of the weapons are seemingly supernatural in effect. His costumed uniform is an icon, composed of various aspects of traditional police equipment, including badges, shielded helmet, batons and various assault weapons. His primary hand guns fire "ghost" bullets that vanish after striking their target, leaving no trace or form of physical existence, save for the injury or destruction of their intended victims. "There are many tales in the lore of ghostly swords, spears, even accounts of ghostly bayonet attacks in backwoods Vermont. If ectoplasmic blades are conceivable, then why not ectoplasmic bullets?" --- Mordecai Chalk He also has a means of manifesting a bulls-eye image that appears on a targeted person, impossible to erase or rub off. A very ingenious device for triggering intense fear and panic. It is the tell-tale indication that the Blue Knight has selected you for his brand of justice. Based on Vince Oleck's recollections, the Blue Knight also has the ability to intrude upon people's dreams. Or so it seems. That dream incidents could also be the results of a person under extreme stress. If true, this power would increase the likelihood of a supernatural source for at least some of the Blue Knights powers. Speculations, Theories Part of the Blue Knight's fearful and mysterious imagery is enhanced since we still lack definite evidence in regards to whether his powers come from supernatural forces, or are the skilled detective techniques of a clever police officer. Perhaps it is a combination of the two. If it is the latter, then where do the special weaponry/engineering skills end and the supernatural aspects begin? A newspaper article from 1983 purports that the Blue Knight was the ghost of officer Michael Stone (not Josh). It further details that he was killed with his whole precinct in a mob 'rubout' operation. The similarity in names could be a fact check oversight, an error of judgement on the part of the reporter, or maybe a tactic for concealment and misdirection. Above and beyond the name error, further speculation might suggest some form of subterfuge or mistaken identity associated with the appearance of the group the Blue Knights near this time frame. One of them may have taken on the identity of the actual Blue Knight and it may have been him who was killed. Basic forensic evidence would tend to rule this out however. That he hasn't been seen since the early 1980s is the final, possibly most perplexing mystery associated with the Blue Knight . Maybe his spiritual nature is calmer now, or his main vessel, Joshua Stone, is no longer physically able to serve as a useful host. Barring any spiritual mumbo-jumbo, perhaps the Blue Knight has just taken the common road to retirement. Footnotes