Kanto (comics)
| Kanto | |
|---|---|
Kanto, artist Jack Kirby
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance |
Mister Miracle vol. 1 #7, (March/April 1972) |
| Created by | Jack Kirby (writer - artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Iluthin |
| Species | New God |
| Place of origin | Apokolips |
| Team affiliations | Darkseid's Elite |
| Abilities |
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Kanto is a fictional extraterrestrial assassin published by DC Comics.
He first appeared in Mister Miracle vol. 1 #7 (March/April 1972), and was created by Jack Kirby. Kanto was allegedly modeled after Renaissance nobleman Cesare Borgia, but his appearance was "patterned after Errol Flynn in a film still."
As a student of Granny Goodness's on Apokolips, Iluthin, Kanto's name at the time, is accused of stealing weaponry from Darkseid's then-master assassin Kanto 13 and others. Iluthin is punished, not for the stealing, but being caught. He first faces a gauntlet of fellow students, defeating them with ease.
Against the wishes of Kanto 13, Iluthin is exiled from Apokolips to Renaissance-era Earth by Darkseid. There he trains under Italian teachers and falls in love with a woman named Claudia. Kanto 13 tracks Iluthin to Earth and kills Claudia at the couple's wedding altar. Iluthin defeats Kanto 13 in battle. Darkseid comes to Earth and destroys Kanto 13 for his failure. Iluthin returns to Apokolips as Darkseid's new assassin.
When Mister Miracle returns to Apokolips, he faces Kanto who captures him, taking him to Granny Goodness. Kanto dresses in a quasi-Renaissance fashion, possibly to imply both the artistic pride that he has in his assassin's work and the presence of royal court intrigue. Perhaps this attire fuels his nihilism by reminding him of his murdered love. Of all the foes Mr. Miracle faced during Kirby's run with the character, Kanto harbors a sort of professional respect with Mr. Miracle.
During writer John Byrne's Genesis comic mini-series, Kanto encounters Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, the one-time Wonder Woman, and it is revealed that Kanto had been not only her teacher but a lover as well. As Artemis was trapped in a demon dimension alongside her Amazonian sisters from age fourteen to twenty-four and was not shown with Kanto until the Genesis storyline, speculation about this alleged affair suggests time travel. While mutually amorous, the tryst was apparently unconsummated since Artemis, during Mike Deodato's Requiem mini-series, claimed to be a virgin.
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Wikipedia