![[Urtumi]](images/urtumi.jpg)
Base of Operations: Countryside near Central City
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #463 (1979)
![[The tablet]](images/urtumi-tablet.jpg)
Centuries ago, the creature known as Urtumi dwelled in the central plains of North America. The warriors of the powerful Honru tribe would ride out once a year to appease Urtumi, the Scavenger of Spirits, who would feed off of their life energy. One year, the warriors arrived to find a “good manitou” (actually an alien spacecraft) driving Urtumi beneath the ground, placing a solar-powered tablet on the spot to keep Urtumi trapped.
Years later, an archaeological dig led by Dr. P. Steiger of the Central City Museum uncovered the tablet and removed it for study. Not long afterward, the Flash (Barry Allen) encountered Urtumi in the countryside near the dig. His super-speed prevented the creature from draining him completely, leaving him just strong enough to seek the museum, learn the story, and return the tablet to its original location where it could imprison Urtumi once again.
Text by Kelson Vibber. Do not copy without permission.
Primary Sources
- “Urtumi the Image Eater” - Adventure Comics #463 (June 1979), Cary Bates
Art
- Adventure Comics #463 (June 1979) - Don Heck and Joe Giella
Bronze-Age Flash Appearances
- Adventure Comics #463 (June 1979): “Urtumi the Image Eater” Cary Bates
Notes
This is one of the goofiest one-off Flash villains of the Bronze Age...and considering the Viper, that’s saying something! Seriously:
- Urtumi eats the Flash’s after-images, which don’t exist! They’re optical illusions!
- The explanation uses the term ectoplasm, but manages to mix up the paranormal and cellular biology meanings of the word.
- The solar-powered tablet has presumably been buried for decades, but continues to function just fine until it’s moved. OK, maybe it had a really good battery?
- The tablet is alien in origin, but has Native American writing etched on it. Given how awful Urtumi was, is it really likely that anyone would want to risk damaging it by etching?
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