Eddy Current

ORIGIN

Eddy Current was created in 1987 by Ted Mckeever. He first featured in the twelve issue series, Eddy Current and also appeared in the series' Metropol and Metropol A.D. He had a one off appearance in a back-up strip entitled Munden's Bar in issue #47 of Grimjack, pubished by, First.

Mckeever had created Eddy Current as a backlash against the proliferation of costumed superheroes featured in publications of the day. Wanting to see more diversity on the comic store shelves, he created Eddy, who is obsessed with the ideas and principles of heroism through his love of the comic book The Amazing Brocolli. The series plot also revolves heavily around the issue of music censorship, specifically the censorship of music instigated by a shadowy group of matriarchs, symbolising Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center, a group who aggressively tried to censor the music industry in the 80's.

STORY

The plot of Eddy Current is best spelled out by the creator himself;

“After Transit, I started working on a 12-issue series titled Eddy Current. It's about this guy, locked up in an asylum who has these visions of grandeur to becoming a superhero and saving the world. One night, at 6 p.m., an electrical storm blows out the facility's power, and bed-check isn't until 6 a.m. So he's got 12 hours to escape the asylum, save the world, and get back in time so's not to be caught missing. It's what I consider to be my "comedy", albeit a really dark twisted one.”

During the course of the story, Eddys' world gets darker and darker, confronting violent and bizarre situations, reflected in the increasingly hectic line and shadow work in the art itself. The plot veers from Eddy seeking to prove himself as worthy a hero as his own, The Amazing Broccoli, whilst donning his Dynamic Fusion Suit to a storyline where Eddy takes on a shadowy censorship board intent on brainwashing the world into a state of decency through their radio transmitted, mind control device..

Along the way, Eddy recruits help from Nun, a, uh, Nun who originally believes that Eddy is Christ returned only to come to realise that he is, in actual fact, an escaped mental asylum inmate in red high top sneakers. Having completely lost her faith, Nun follows Eddy on his quest to become a hero, providing a voice of reason and a figure of genuine support to him.

Eddy also goes and finds his ex-girlfriend, Lydia, who hasn't seen Eddy for a number of year and is seemingly unaware that he has been committed. Lydia now has a new boyfriend, Reggie, who is one of the first inhabitants of the city of Chad to fall victim to the mind control device.

CHARACTER EVOLUTION

At the start of the story, Eddy is in a mental institution very much based on the Oregon Institute used in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (even the head nurse is called 'Ratshit' an allusion to Nurse Mildred Ratched in the novel). Why he has been incarcerated there is never really made clear, though Eddy makes constant reference through flashback to a possibly abusive upbringing in a strict Catholic school, where he was humiliated and beaten.

Eddys' need to be a hero stems from his almost religious fascination with the comic book character, The Amazing Broccoli, a character who seemingly derives his power from his namesake vegetable. Eddy carried the comic with him as he enters into the city of Chad, it being seen as a holy scripture later in the story by Nun. As the events begin to get out of hand on his adventures, Eddy seemingly seems to become increasingly manic, though compared to the world around him, Eddy does not seem to be the most insane amongst all the characters. His joy at indulging in the type of heroics he so dearly loves never seems to dim, even when he is beaten to death by thugs, before being revived by Nun.

The irony of Eddys' plight is that he eventually does actually blunder onto a plot to take over the world and through his recruiting people to help him, we get an insight into Eddys' past with his girlfriend Lydia. It is fairly clear that Eddy loved her, in his own way, even though he did not allow kissing or touching. She reveals that he used to write her poems and we see a small rock with a sentimental engraving on it Eddy did for her. We all see how Eddys' inner mind works as he pictures himself ripping the head off of Lydias' current boyfriend, Reggie while laughing maniacally. It is clear that Eddy is a loose spark, but that, ultimately, he wishes to do good.

As their plight becomes increasingly like that of an actual super hero book, Eddy seems to take the situation (slightly) more seriously, his obvious love for Nun being an anchor to his madness. By the end of the series, Eddy has made the ultimate sacrifice, saves the world and finds peace in that, or so we are lead to believe.

Eddy returns in issue nine of Metropol, seemingly summoned back by divine forces, though the purpose and true identity are never really acknowledged. This Eddy is barely recognisable from the original series and believing that he is fighting his way from heaven into hell, becomes something of a supernatural lawman, much like Clint Eastwood on very cheap drugs. Eventually reunited with Nun, Eddy becomes the one thing he always wanted to be; a real hero, though, unfortunately, losing some of the frazzled edges that made him so great to begin with. At the end of Metropol AD, Eddy has a seemingly happy ending, though the world he is left in is one filled with dread, destruction and doubt... Probably just the way he'd like it.