The Great Beasts
Members: Somon, the Artificer; Karriooq, the Corrupter; Ranaq, the Great Devourer; Kolomaq, the Beast of the Snows; Tolomaq, the Fire Beast; Tanaraq; Tundra.
First Appearance: First Appearance? Oy! Well, OK, here we go: Tanaraq first appeared in Uncanny X-Men 120 as Sasquatch, though we didn't find the truth out until Alpha Flight 23; Tundra showed up in the premiere issue of Alpha Flight; Kolomaq battled Alphan Snowbird in issue 6; Ranaq made an appearance in Alpha Flight 18 but didn't appear in true form until the following issue; the rest of the beasties didn't show up until Alpha Flight 24.
What's Their Problem? The Great Beasts are a pantheon of powerful mystical beings who, after laying waste to their own world, set their collective sights on Earth about a thousand years ago. What they didn't count on were the Arctic gods who fought against them and eventually trapped them in their own dimension, the Realm of the Beasts. The Beasts got back at them though, sealing the gods in their own dimension, Paradise.
Abilities: Each of the Beasts had separate abilities, but here's a run down of the basics: Tundra, the ability to absorb landmass into himself, growing to huge proportions; Ranaq, lives off of souls, can only exist on Earth by taking possession of a human; Kolomaq, a living embodiment of winter, able to create any winter conditions; Kariooq, able to corrupt matter; Somon, controls the other Beasts as well as having control of the matter of the Realm of the Beasts; Tanaraq, super-human strength and durability; Tolomaq, ...gee.....he's called the Fire Beast, I wonder what he does... hmm...let me think about this....
Weapons: Well, I guess that several of the Beasts use nature itself as a weapon. And Somon always seems to be carrying around that silly big stick.
Favorite Quote: The best quote, by any of the Beast would have to be spoken by Tanaraq. Here's the set-up: Snowbird attacks Sasquatch for what seems to be no reason. Aurora retaliates and "Sasquatch" is able to break free.
Tanaraq: "I give thee thanks for thine assistance, mortal female. Thou hast earned a reward of me."
Aurora: "W-Walter?"
Tanaraq: "I shall grant to thee the boon of a quick and merciful death!"
Heroes They Keep Running Into: If you ignore the fact that Sasquatch was for a time inhabiting the body of Tanaraq, then the Great Beasts have only ever gone up against Alpha Flight.
People Who Think They're Not So Bad: Hey, they don't even like each other!
Most Despicable Act: While individually they've all done some nasty things, their most despicable act would have to be the murder of billions of residents in their home, the Realm of the Beasts.
by Kirk Furlotte
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