| BORK (Carl Andrew Bork) | BIOGRAPHY |
| Created by Bob Haney and Neal Adams - Profile written by Hellstone |
PERSONAL DATA
Real Name: Carl Andrew Bork
Occupation: Professional superhero. Former seaman, union worker, criminal
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Unnamed mother
Base of Operation: San Francisco. Formerly Gotham City, an unnamed African nation.
Group Affiliation(s): Power Company
Gender: Male
Eyes: (as human) Blue; (mutated) Red
Hair: (as human) Brown; (mutated) Almost bald
First Appearance: Brave and the Bold #81 (December 1968-January 1969): "But Bork Can Hurt You"
Creators: Bob Haney and Neal Adams - Profile written by Hellstone
OVERVIEW
Formerly an invulnerable Gotham criminal, Bork was defeated by Batman and the Flash (II). After years in jail, Bork had mutated into a man-monster of huge strength. Out on parole, he reformed and tried out the super-hero profession as an associate of the Power Company.
HISTORY
Carl Bork was a seaman and criminal from Gotham City who went under the nickname 'the King of the Gotham Docks' circa ten years ago. He was involved in all kinds of illegal activities, including working as a mercenary in an African civil war. Later, after stealing some gold on board a ship in the South Pacific, Bork escaped in a rubber boat but was caught in a storm. After saving an islander kid from drowning, Bork was shown the way through the foreign waters and find his way to the strange Desolation Island. The islanders were thankful that Bork had saved the child and rewarded him with making a 'magic' statue of him. Bork only laughed about the magic part and returned home.
Not until being back on the streets of Gotham, Bork realized that he had become completely invulnerable. Nothing could hurt him – sticks, stones, fists, poisons or even bullets. Not even the combined might of Batman and the Flash (II) could defeat Bork, who bragged: 'You can’t hurt Bork... but Bork can hurt you.' The triumphant criminal soon enlisted several of Gotham’s more or less criminal elements and threatened to take over the entire city.
Researching Bork’s origin, Flash found the statue on Desolation Island. Deducing that the it gave Bork his powers, Flash tried to destroy it, but it was as indestructible as Bork himself. Not until Flash was able to dispose of it into the sun, the statue was vaporized. Bork lost his invulnerability and was knocked out with a single punch from the Batman.
Bork faced justice in both Africa and America and eventually ended up in the Van Kull Maximum Security Facility outside Metropolis. About this time, his body started mutating. The invulnerability returned to him, this time along with super-strength and an increasingly monstrous appearance. He easily escaped prison, and was again opposed by Batman and Flash, but managed to flee them and visit his mother in Newark. There, he was stunned to learn that she had not kept a penny of the money he had sent her. The old lady totally disapproved of her son’s criminal life and said that he should be ashamed of himself. When his mother suffered from a heart attack, Bork went hysterical and gave up himself to the authorities if they promised to get his mother well again.
Bork went to jail for almost ten years, and stayed there like he had promised. He worked in the prison shop and sent his mother all the money he made. Batman arranged for Bork's mother to get the best medical treatment and for the hospital bills to get paid by the Wayne Foundation. This completely changed Bork's perception of altruism and superheroes.
In jail, he changed in another way too. Physically, Bork kept mutating for years until he had become a man-monster, a hulking heap of muscles and bones. Nevertheless, he kept his vow to stay on the side of the angels.
Out on parole, Bork found that his appearance made it hard for him to get any normal job. After being approached by Josiah Power, Bork opted to join the corporate superhero team known as the Power Company as an associate.
Bork has found peace and realised that he likes being a hero. No longer the man he once was, he is a happy, compassionate, thoughtful, funny guy and a real asset to the Power Company. Bork’s only fear is to some day get tempted to return to his criminal ways, something his teammates find unlikely to happen.
He currently lives in the slum quarters of San Francisco, sharing an apartment with fellow Power Company member Sapphire.
POWERS AND WEAPONS
Bork’s powers have never been exactly measured. It is known that he is almost completely physically invulnerable, possibly even on the level of Superman or Captain Marvel. However, he can be defeated with non-physical means, such as telepathy or magic. Powerful weapons can stun him or make him feel pain, but hardly give him any greater injuries. Since his strength is not as impressive as his invulnerability, he can theoretically be kept off balance or hold down.
However, although his strength is not anywhere near the level of Superman, it’s usually more than enough to handle the run-of-the-mill supervillain encountered by the Power Company.
Bork is basically a brawler and rather untrained in physical combat. His monstrous appearance is a side-effect from the magic that endowed him with strength and invulnerability.
CHRONOLOGY
For a definitive list of appearances of Bork in chronological order click here