Vibe (comics)

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Vibe
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Vibe (Francisco Ramon) in Who's Who: Update '87 #5 (December 1987)
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Justice League of America Annual #2 (October 1984)[1]
Created by Gerry Conway (writer), Chuck Patton (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego Paco Ramone or Francisco "Cisco" Ramon
Species Metahuman
Place of origin Earth
Team affiliations Justice League
Los Lobos
Abilities Above average agility
Skilled hand to hand combatant
Sonic vibration manipulation
Seismic powers
(New 52)
Molecular vibration
Induced image distortion
Justice League of America's Vibe
Series publication information
Schedule Monthly
Format Ongoing
Genre Superhero
Publication date February 2013 – December 2013
Number of issues 10 (as of February 2014 cover date)
Creative team
Writer(s) Andrew Kreisberg, Geoff Johns, Sterling Gates
Artist(s) Pete Woods, Sean Parsons

Vibe (real name Paco Ramone or Francisco "Cisco" Ramon) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

Carlos Valdes portrays Cisco Ramon / Vibe in The CW’s Arrowverse shows, especially The Flash, in which he is one of the Flash's team-mates.

Publication history[edit | edit source]

Vibe's first appearance was in Justice League of America Annual #2 (October 1984),[1] and he was created by Gerry Conway and Chuck Patton.[2]

Fictional character biography[edit | edit source]

Paco Ramone began his career as Vibe shortly after Aquaman disbanded the original Justice League. When young Cisco heard that a new Justice League was forming in his own hometown Detroit, he decided to give up his position as the leader of a local street gang, Los Lobos, to join.[1] What made Ramon a candidate was his metahuman ability to emit powerful vibratory shock waves.

Vibe's presence on the team caused Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter to harbor some strong doubts about the new JLA, particularly after he got the League involved in a rumble with a rival gang.[3] Vibe soon proved his mettle during the League's battles against Cadre,[4] Anton Allegro[5] and Amazo.[6] He stayed with the League through the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, when his powers played a vital role in defeating Despero.[7]

During Darkseid's assault on Earth during the Legends mini-series, the Justice League of America was disbanded and Paco left his JLA comrades to seek the familiar solace of the streets. Vibe was attacked by one of Professor Ivo's androids, and became the first Justice League member to be killed in the line of duty.[8] The Martian Manhunter brought Vibe's body back to the League's mountain sanctuary, where Vibe was laid to rest in a cryogenic chamber. Paco's dead form has twice been resurrected by evil-doers.[9][10]

One of Vibe's brothers, Armando Ramon, developed a similar set of vibratory powers.

In the Trinity maxi-series, reality is altered, and a living Cisco is shown as a member of The League, an underground version of the Justice League.[11] Soon after Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman return, his head is disintegrated by an energy blast, killing him again.

In a Justice League of America tie-in to the "Blackest Night" storyline, Vibe was reanimated as a member of the Black Lantern Corps, rising from his coffin in the Hall of Justice.[12] Alongside the Black Lantern Steel, Vibe attacked his former teammates, Gypsy and Vixen, until Doctor Light destroyed him.[13]

The New 52[edit | edit source]

In DC's Free Comic Book Day 2012 sample during The New 52, a gatefold revealed various characters who would make an appearance in Justice League over the coming year, one of which was Vibe. Geoff Johns revealed that Vibe's return would be explored in greater detail in the third story arc of Justice League.[14] On August 26, 2012, DC announced a new Justice League of America title which would feature Vibe.[15] On November 5, 2012, DC announced that Vibe would star in his own ongoing monthly title.[16] It was written by Andrew Kreisberg and drawn by Pete Woods and debuted in February 2013.[17] In new continuity, Vibe's powers derive from being "caught in the event horizon of a Boom Tube", in which "interdimensional forces rewrote his DNA". Justice League of America's Vibe lasted for ten issues, with the final issue released on December 18, 2013.[18]

Another of Vibe's brothers, Dante Ramon, is seen in The New 52.

Powers and abilities[edit | edit source]

Vibe's powers revolve around vibration, frequency and resonance; Vibe's powers enabled him to create shock waves of considerable strength that could shatter concrete or steel. His powers can affect the physical world as seismic vibration (and even Terrakinesis), or the fabric of spacetime (interdimensional, transdimensional and extradimensional portals).

Vibe's reintroduction in 2013 redefined his powers as having to do with inter-dimensional physics. Vibe's waves have the power to disrupt the Speed Force, making him one of the few characters who poses a serious threat to the Flash.[19] For this reason, Steve Trevor recruits him into the JLA, which exists to guard against the threat of the main Justice League going rogue.[20]

Amanda Waller says that "Cisco Ramon might be one of the most powerful super-humans on the planet. He wields vibrational powers that could in theory shake the Earth apart. And he's the only person we know of who can find and track inter-dimensional breaches."[21] He is also undetectable by security cameras.[20]

In the 2014 series The Flash, Vibe's powers first manifested as precognitive/retrocognitive visions brought-on by touch or by a strong-enough imprint, initially, before they developed further, such as focused waves of concussive, vibrational force, to inter/extradimensional breaches.

In addition, his agility is above average (and he was a super breakdancer). Under Batman's secret tutelage, Vibe became a more skilled combatant.

In other media[edit | edit source]

Television[edit | edit source]

  • Vibe made several non-voiced appearances in Justice League Unlimited. This version was often seen next to the Detroit League's other members but did not get a major role in any episode. His most prominent action is in the episode "Flashpoint" helping rescue New Mexico's civilians in the aftermath of the Cadmus facility's destruction. He is also shown with fellow Detroit-era members Vixen, Steel and Gypsy in the final 'curtain call' of the series finale "Destroyer".
  • Vibe made an appearance in his 2-part DC Nation cartoon short Enter Extremo, voiced by Carlos Alazraqui.

Arrowverse[edit | edit source]

File:Cisco Ramon (Carlo Valdes).jpg
Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon / Vibe on the CW series The Flash.
  • Carlos Valdes portrays Cisco Ramon/Vibe in The CW's Arrowverse, being a series regular on The Flash. This version of the character is a mechanical engineering genius at S.T.A.R. Labs with known metahuman powers to detect anomalies within reality and sonic manipulation. He is a part of Team Flash alongside Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost and Harrison Wells who supports Barry Allen/The Flash saving lives and fighting crime. A talented engineer and creative mind, Cisco builds much of the Flash's equipment and is fond of assigning colorful nicknames to criminal metahumans. He has also had a rocky relationship with his brother Dante Ramon. In season one, he becomes good friends with Barry. Although Cisco initially appears unaffected by the particle accelerator blast which was behind the Flash's and many others' powers, he begins having visions of people in other timelines and thus is revealed to be a metahuman; Cisco's ability is what helps the team to discover that Wells is actually Eobard Thawne aka the villain speedster Reverse-Flash. In season two, Cisco takes the "Vibe" nickname after embracing his metahuman status. He eventually learns to call upon his powers to a greater degree while the team faces off against the Earth-2 speedster Zoom, and discovers from his own Earth-2 doppelganger Reverb that he has the latent power to open dimensional portals and emit powerful destructive blasts. He develops these abilities himself thanks to Harry Wells but to a limited degree. In season three, his relationship with Barry is temporarily strained after he finds out that Barry's timeline changes lead to Dante's death. But after he changes history himself during the Dominators invasion, he realizes that Barry made that exact same mistake and reconciles with him. He also grows more confident in using his powers offensively, to trigger visions, and to open up portals across Central City and to other worlds. Vibe uses his powers offensively against the Rival to help Barry and Gypsy to save H.R. Wells from execution, and finally Killer Frost due to Savitar. Cisco has also made appearances on each of the other "Arrowverse" shows (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl).

Film[edit | edit source]

Video games[edit | edit source]

Web series[edit | edit source]

  • Cisco Ramon appears in the animated web series Vixen, voiced by Carlos Valdes. In episode 3, Cisco has been running a modified facial recognition algorithm created by Felicity Smoak at S.T.A.R. Labs in an attempt to locate Meta-humans outside Central City. The software picks up Mari McCabe's encounter with the thugs from episode 1, and Cisco alerts the distracted Barry Allen attempting to locate a missing USB drive containing crime scene statistics. Cisco gives Mari the name Vixen, and tells Barry that Vixen's currently in Detroit before asking him to check out the situation.
  • Cisco Ramon is the main character in the web series Chronicles of Cisco, reprised by Carlos Valdes, which details Cisco Ramon being alone at S.T.A.R. Labs at night, where he encounters the intruder Peek-a-Boo.
  • Vibe is one of the background students in the web series DC Super Hero Girls.
  • Cisco Ramon and his Earth-X doppelgänger appear in the animated web series Freedom Fighters: The Ray, where they're both voiced by Carlos Valdes.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "GCD :: Issue :: Justice League of America Annual #2 [newsstand]". comics.org. 
  2. Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. The prestigious Justice League of America got a bit easier to join, thanks to writer Gerry Conway and artist Chuck Ryan Patton. Marking the debut of camouflaging hero Gypsy, the shockwave-casting Vibe, and the second generation hero Steel, this landmark comic saw many of the more famous League members step down in order to make way for a younger roster to carry on their legacy. 
  3. Justice League of America #233 (December 1984)
  4. Justice League of America #233-236 (December 1984-February 1985). DC Comics
  5. Justice League of America #237-239 (July–September 1985). DC Comics
  6. Justice League of America #241-243 (August–October 1985). DC Comics
  7. Justice League of America #254 (September 1986). DC Comics
  8. McDonnell, Luke (p)Smith, Bob (i)"DeMatteis, J.M." Justice League of America 258 (January 1987), DC Comics
  9. JLA Annual #2 (1998)
  10. Martian Manhunter vol. 2 #12 (November 1999). DC Comics
  11. Trinity #25 (November 2008). DC Comics
  12. Justice League of America (vol. 2) #39 (November 2009)
  13. Justice League of America (Vol. 2) #40 (December 2009). DC Comics
  14. Truitt, Brian (4 May 2012). "Geoff Johns gives out good vibes for Free Comic Book Day". USA Today. Retrieved May 18, 2018. 
  15. Mullin, Pamela (2012-08-26). "DC Entertainment Announces JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA". DCComics.com. Retrieved 2016-05-24. 
  16. "EXCLUSIVE!: 'Justice League of America' #1 Triumphs with 52 State Variants, Plus More News". MTV.com. 2012-11-05. Archived from the original on 2013-05-24. Retrieved 2016-05-24. 
  17. Zalben, Alex (5 November 2012). "EXCLUSIVE! 'Arrow' Creator Andrew Kreisberg On DC Comics New 'Vibe' Ongoing Series". MTV.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. 
  18. "'Superman Unchained' Skips January; 'Vibe,' 'Katana' Ending". Comic Book Resources. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2014. 
  19. Johns, Geoff (w). "Trinity War, Part Two" Justice League of America 6 (2013)
  20. 20.0 20.1 Johns, Geoff. Justice League of America #1 (2013)
  21. Gates, Sterling. Justice League of America's Vibe #3 (2013)

External links[edit | edit source]