Rhea Jones is the name of a female comic book superhero created by Paul Kupperberg and owned by DC Comics. She at times went by the alias Lodestone. Her first appearance was in Doom Patrol v2, #3.
Fictional character biography
Rhea Jones was the daughter of an Air Force official. After tagging along with her father to a government base in the Arctic, an explosion involving a powerful radioactive electromagnet killed her father and granted her electromagnetic abilities. Rather than stick around and be dissected and experimented on by the army, she ran away and joined the circus. After a few years, Rhea was recruited by Arani Caulder to join her new Doom Patrol.
Kupperburg run
After being recruited by Arani Caulder, aka Celsius, Rhea was now one of three new recruits into the Doom Patrol, along with Scott Fischer and Wayne Hawkins, aka Karma. Celsius gave her the codename Lodestone. Her demonstrated abilities allowed her to fly, give herself Earth reinforced superstrength, create limited force fields, and attract or repel metallic objects like bullets.
Invasion!
Following the Invasion! storyline, Rhea and Scott were struck by a disease created by the Dominators. Her powers went wild, and then she lapsed into a coma. However, she lived while Scott died.
Morrison run
At the start of Grant Morrison's surrealistic run of the Doom Patrol, Rhea was put into a coma that would last until halfway into the series. While in the hospital, she was kidnapped by the butterfly collector known as Red Jack, who claimed to be God, Jack the Ripper, and many others. He sought to make Rhea his bride. The new Doom Patrol followed after Jack into his house, which our world is a room in. As he battled the Doom Patrol, Rhea awoke from her coma and stabbed Jack in the back, then immediately became comatose again.
Brought back to the Doom Patrol's new mountainside headquarters, Niles Caulder, the Chief, did experiments on Rhea showing that her coma wasn't normal. She was instead going through a form of metamorphosis, and her human form is the chrysalis.
The Orthodoxy/Geomancer War
Rhea awoke from her coma in issue #36. It was revealed that she was The Pupa, a weapon sought by the aliens Orthodoxy and Geomancers. Rhea's original body shattered, and out emerged a magnetic butterfly, explaining why she was sought out by Red Jack. After awaking, her facial features disappeared and her eyes were now on her chest and back. Her ears had also become two twinkling lights. She no longer wears clothes and seems to think nothing of it.
Rhea was actually what some call a Lodestone, a being in tune with the Earth's elctromagnetic waves, its nerve system. They are the Earth's expression in flesh. The Ultraquist Geomancers kidnapped Rhea, and Rebis in the process, before she was able to fully bond with the Earth.
After ending the conflict between the Orthodoxy and the Geomancers (with help from Rebis and Robotman), Rhea pointed out a bright star in the sky, and left to go visit it. Promising to visit, she has not been seen since. Her only subsequent appearance to date has a brief flashback to her early days with Arani Desai and Valentina Vostok when the two returned during Blackest Night.
Other versions
- In Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #7, The Last Legionnaire, Wildfire recruits two teenagers from the planet Braal, where all the inhabitants have magnetic abilities. One is a teenage girl given the codename Lodestone, and like Rhea she has both magnetic abilities and red hair.
External links
- http://www.dcuguide.com/who.php?name=lodestone
References
