The Dark Eagle
Ying Ko
Unborn son (deceased)
History[]
Early Life
Little to no information is available about the early life of Kent Gideon Allard, except he was the only son of Theodore Allard, a New York businessman.
Participation In The Russo-Japanese War
Not much is known about Allard's involvement during the Russo-Japanese War, though it is known that it was during this time he met Cliff Marsland, a fellow pilot who would go on to become a life-long friend, and first encountered Shiwan Khan[2].
The Great War (1917-1920)
Allard enlisted in the United States Military in 1917, underwent his basic training in Fort Dix, New Jersey and was stationed France[3]. Two weeks after arriving in France, Allard was selected by the top brass to become an undercover operative. He also proved to be a skilled pilot, going on many aerial night missions and earning the code name of "The Dark Eagle"[4]. While stationed in France, Allard trained a young private named Howard Griffin, whom he would later encounter as The Shadow several years later[5]. One of Allard's final missions for the U.S. Military was given to him on Christmas day, 1920 by Edith Wilson. Wilson told Allard he was to never allow Shiwan Khan to get his hands on a girasol ring Allard had stolen from Rasputin, and that their meeting will not be on official records[6]. By 1920, Allard had the rank of colonel.
Post-War Activities (1920-1928)
By the end of the first World War, both the Germans and the United States Army wanted Allard dead, fearing he had too much information that could be used against those respective governments after running so many missions. Allard faked his death in the Yucatan Jungle, where the Xinca Indians watched as Allard escaped his falling plane mere moments before it finally crashed[7][8][9]. The Xinca thought of Allard as some sort of god after surviving the crash, and agreed to train him to see into men's hearts. While training with the Xinca, Allard obtained one of the girasol eyes from a sacred idol, which he later turned into a ring. As a way of showing his gratitude to the Xinca, Allard promised them that he would be there for the tribe in their time of need[10].
After training with the Xinca Indians, Allard traveled all over world, becoming a drug-runner, pimp, extortionist, and murderer[11]. At some point between 1920 and 1925, Allard had taken the identity of Lamont Cranston, a wealthy "man about town" who had been traveling the world. The real Lamont Cranston agreed to let Allard assume his identity back in the United States while he remained in Africa[12]. In 1925, Allard (as Cranston) trained with Harry Houdini in New York[13].The nickname of "Ying Ko" was given to Allard during his time ruling a criminal empire across Asia. As "Ying Ko", he fell in love with an unknown woman, who was eventually killed while she was pregnant with his son. It was after his lover's death that Ying Ko eventually found the mystical city of Shambhala, where he learned from monks how to hone his psychic abilities and sought redemption for his evil actions[14].
The Birth of The Shadow (1929)
One of Ying Ko's fellow students in Shambhala was Doctor Gerhard Zorn, a severely wounded German vetran of The Great War who later killed several of the highly revered teachers[15]. Ying Ko left Shambhala in order to hunt down Zorn and bring him to justice, tracking the "White Tiger" across the world. During his search, Allard discovered that Zorn had gone to the United States, specifically New York City. Allard returned to his home country under Lamont Cranston's name on October 30th, 1929. That night, "Cranston" met Margo Lane at the Cobalt Club. Lane was the ex-girlfriend of gangster Guiseppe Massaretti, who was also in attendance at the club that night. In a desperate attempt to hook back up with Massaretti, Lane told him that she was pregnant. Not wanting to deal with Lane anymore, Massaretti had his men take her to the roof of the club, where they planned to throw her off. "Cranston", watching from afar, decided to intervene and made a crude disguise made from a red table cloth. Calling himself "The Shadow", Allard saved Lane from Guiseppe's men[16][17]. As The Shadow, Allard quickly began building an army of "agents" to aid him in his war on crime, and established a working relationship with police Inspector Joseph Cardona and Commissioner Ralph Weston. The Shadow eventually found Doctor Zorn in New York's Chinatown and killed him[18].
First Decade as The Shadow (1930-1939)
Though The Shadow was active throughout all of the 1930s, most of his known activities occurred from 1936 to 1939, with little to no information on activities from 1930 to 1935.
One of The Shadow's first "multiversal" cases involved him meeting a vigilante assassin from another universe called Grendel (a novelist named Hunter Rose) in 1932[19].
In 1936, The Shadow went after the Society of United Magicians, who murdered several people while on a quest to "escape death"[20].
After his mystic powers began to fail him, The Shadow sought out his old teachers in 1937, though he eventually discovered that they were slaughtered by a man known as The Red Raja"[21]. Days after encountering the Red Raja, The Shadow and his pilot, Miles Crofton, became involved with the Spanish Civil War, where they encountered gun-smuggler Major Esmeralda Aguilar (who was a masked vigilante called "The Black Sparrow") and her "leader", El Ray[22][23]. The Shadow and Miles later had another encounter with The Black Sparrow at some point after her departure from the Spanish army[24].
Several adventures of note occurring in 1938 included Allard and Margo venturing to China, where they had an encounter with the Japanese Military following their invasion during the Nanking Massacre[25][26]. The Shadow encountered another supernatural vigilante, who called herself "Light of The World", who murdered several wealthy "corrupted" New Yorkers[27][28]. The Shadow and his agents also dealt with a zombie outbreak that spread all over New York City, caused by the Zombie Queen of Chinatown[29][30]. Allard was one of the hundreds in attendance for the public funeral of John "The Lone Ranger" Reid in June, 1938[31].
There are conflicting accounts on the first team-up between The Shadow and The Green Hornet. One suggest that the two met in September of 1938 while fighting against The Master and his "Black Legion" where they also met several other costumed vigilantes[32], which led to another massive team-up to stop a time-traveler called The Red Death[33]. Another account suggested that they met in June of 1939, where they stopped Shiwan Khan from using a girasol jewel-powered death ray to destroy New York City[34].
In July of 1939, The Shadow teamed-up with Clark "Doc" Savage and Richard "The Avenger" Benson after an older Savage from the year 2014 opened a time wormhole. The trio fought The Voodoo Master and John Sunlight[35].
By October of 1939, Nazi ideology had spread to certain parts of America, and Americanized Nazi parties formed. The Shadow attacked Camp Siegfried, an American Nazi base located in Yaphank, New York[36].
1940s
Much like the early 1930s, little to no information is available on The Shadow's activities from 1940 to 1946.
In 1947, The Shadow investigated a series of murders in Las Vegas[37].
Sometime after the events in Las Vegas, The Shadow met Zhu Khanum, the daughter of Shiwan Khan. It was after this encounter with "The Red Empress" that Margo Lane left "Lamont" after her mind had been corrupted by Khanum[38].
Death
The Shadow did eventually pass away at some point between the 1950s and the 21st Century. His body was buried outside the Temple of Cobras, where he trained with Master Chow Lee[39].
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Weapons
Guns
Links[]
- 69 Appearances of Kent Allard (Earth-818793)
- Media Kent Allard (Earth-818793) was Mentioned in
- 370 Images featuring Kent Allard (Earth-818793)
- 6 Quotations by or about Kent Allard (Earth-818793)
- Character Gallery: Kent Allard (Earth-818793)
- ↑ The Shadow: Year One Vol 1 5
- ↑ The Shadow/Green Hornet: Dark Nights Vol 1 3
- ↑ The Shadow: Year One Vol 1 6
- ↑ The Shadow: Year One Vol 1 7
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 1 Special 1
- ↑ The Shadow/Green Hornet: Dark Nights Vol 1 1
- ↑ The Shadow/Green Hornet: Dark Nights Vol 1 3
- ↑ The Shadow/Green Hornet: Dark Nights Vol 1 5
- ↑ The Twilight Zone:The Shadow Vol 1 3
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 1 22
- ↑ The Shadow: Year One Vol 1 7
- ↑ Justice, Inc. Vol 1 6
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 2 0
- ↑ The Shadow: Year One Vol 1 10
- ↑ The Shadow: Year One Vol 1 7
- ↑ The Shadow: Year One Vol 1 1
- ↑ The Shadow: Year One Vol 1 2
- ↑ The Shadow: Year One Vol 1
- ↑ Grendel vs. The Shadow Vol 1
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 2
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 1 7
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 1 8
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 1 11
- ↑ Noir Vol 1 1
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 1 1
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 1 6
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 1 13
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 1 18
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 1 24
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 1 25
- ↑ The Lone Ranger/Green Hornet Vol 1 5
- ↑ Masks Vol 1
- ↑ Masks 2 Vol 1
- ↑ The Shadow/Green Hornet: Dark Nights Vol 1
- ↑ Justice, Inc. Vol 1
- ↑ The Twilight Zone: The Shadow Vol 1
- ↑ The Shadow Vol 1 Annual 2013
- ↑ The Shadow: The Death of Margo Lane Vol 1
- ↑ Justice, Inc. Vol 1 6