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Shrike

Shrike

She had the ability to fly with powerful wings and had a piercing sonic scream that she used obediently for the intergalactic Overmaster and his meta-human team, the Cadre.

Name:
Shrike
Publisher:
Real name:
Vanessa Kingsbury
Aliases:
  • Vanessa Kingsbury
Birth date:
None
Gender:
Female
Powers:
  • Claws
  • Flight
  • Sonic Scream
  • Super Speed
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Origin

Shrike

The woman who would go by the name Shrike was a mental patient was allegedly been on a lifelong spiritual quest. Apparently in an attempt to transcend her serious psychiatric issues, as she reportedly has been an inmate in several asylums. She later escaped her incarceration at an Asylum and she was quickly observed and picked up by the intergalactic and powerful entity the Overmaster. He than used bizarre alien technology and transformed her into an orange skinned, prehensile tailed, winged meta-human. Naming her the Shriek he had her join his group of genetically created meta-humans, the original Cadre.

Shrike was assigned to use her ability to fly at super-sonic speeds and her powerfully deafening shriek in battle against Aquaman's Detroit based Justice League of America. Since Shriek's mental illness caused her to act in a childlike way, her personality made her easy prey for becoming manipulated both by those that desired to use her power or her body. Because of her lack of understanding for her own strength, it made her a lethal individual to those unfortunate many which she meant no harm.

Mysteriously losing her wings and tail she would find religion and embarked on a insanely crafted "spiritual quest". Shrike tried to become a born-again Christian. However her neurotic, fumbling attempts at finding God just led to the visibly irrational Shrike being preyed upon and sexually abused by a reverend named Flint Yuma. The situation became even more disastrous when the dismayed Shrike started screaming when Yuma assaulted her. Yuma was killed by her scream ; when the police came the psychotic Shrike did not understand what was happening. Her frantic yells about being sorry and begging not to be shot resulted in the death of 32 state troopers before she could be taken down. Shrike was quickly captured and assigned to the Suicide Squad.

Shrike was transferred to the Belle Reve prison, as Amanda Waller offered her the Suicide Squad deal. Shrike agreed and was soon deployed in Ogaden to recover an imprisoned nun. During an assault on a military base, she was caught in the beam of a searchlight while sonically strafing the troops, and brought down by massed small arms fire.

In a sad turn of events during her first mission with the Squad, Shriek would be gunned down and died in battle against the Ogaden Military.

Years later, Shrike was animated as a zombie by the Black Lantern power, and helped attack Belle Reve in revenge.

Starshrike

Most recently an apparent successor calling herself Starshrike joined the newest incarnation of the Cadre in her place. The new Starshrike looks almost the same in appearance to Shriek and has similar powers, she has fought the power Company.

Attributes

Marital Status: Unknown

Known Relatives: None

Group affiliation: Cadre

Base Of Operations: Formerly the Overmaster’s mountain base

Height: 5‘5” Weight: 120 lbs

Eyes: White Hair: Pink feathers

Other distinguishing features: Pointed tail growing from her lower spine, orange hued skin.

Powers and Abilities

The Shrike originally had wings, although later was seen without them while part of the Suicide Squad. It was never made clear if the wings she had were artificial or a genetic alteration by the Overmaster. She also could emit a powerful shriek which she used to inflict concussive damage. Other sources mention that her scream could also paralyze, but that was never actually demonstrate.

Issues

February 1985

March 1985

December 1985

February 1989

March 1989

February 1991

June 1994

September 1997

March 2008

July 2008

March 2010

April 2010

December 2014

January 2015

Volumes

1960

1985

1987

1993

1997

2006

2008

2014

Died in issues

Authors

Friends

Enemies

Teams

Enemy teams