John Sargent

**John Sargent**, also known as **Sargon the Sorcerer**, is a fictional character and hero in comic books published by the American company DC Comics. He first appeared in *All-American Comics* #26 (May 1941), but his first appearance in *Swamp Thing* comics was in *Swamp Thing* Vol. 2, #46 (March 1986). He was created by John B. Wentworth and Howard Purcell.

## History

Over 7,000 years ago, Nommo, the immortal ruler of a destroyed civilization grew lonely. He created several artifacts of power, one of which was called the Ruby of Life. Nommo hoped that through the generations, the owners of these gems might evolve into beings capable of interbreeding with a species of homo sapiens that utilized magic and would then be his new subjects. Over the millennia, the Ruby of Life was broken into several smaller pieces, one of which was discovered by an archaeologist in Egypt. Giving it to his wife, she wore it as a pendant. It was the first thing that their newborn child, John, saw and touched. Bonding with him in that manner allowed John to tap into the mystical energies controlled by the Ruby.

At a young age, he was given the Ruby by his mother and began developing a flair for the stage and performing magical illusions. Using the Ruby as part of his stage costume (as the centerpiece for a turban he wore), Sargent began touring the vaudeville circuit as Sargon the Sorcerer, Master of Illusions. He soon found out that the Ruby of Life allowed him to completely control inanimate objects, even defying the laws of nature in his requests. He maintained the illusion of only creating sleight-of-hand, but he used his magical abilities to fight crime during the 1940s. He joined the wartime gathering of heroes known as the All-Star Squadron, where he met several other magicians, such as Zatara, Tor, and Merlin along with other mystical characters such as Doctor Fate and the Spectre which opened up his eyes to his potential.

After the war, Sargon acquired a sidekick named Maximillian O'Leary.

As the 1940s drew to a close, and vaudeville entertainment died, Sargon delved into the mysteries of the Ruby of Life, discovering that it had been fragmented, and spent the next several decades searching out the pieces.

Finding several other pieces, he found that they were tainted with the previous owners' souls, some of which were evil. Using one of the evil tainted stones, he fought the Flash. Aiding the Justice League of America several years ago against the galactic vampire called Starslayer, he had the League track down several more Ruby of Life fragments.

### Crisis on Infinite Earths

Sargon fought alongside other mystical heroes in the *Crisis on Infinite Earths* and then again when the great Shadow Creature threatened heaven itself. Sargon died heroically as the creature's power incinerated his body. The Ruby of Life then went missing.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Magic:** Various powers through the Ruby of Life.

### Abilities

* **Prestidigitation:** Stage magician talents including sleight of hand.

## Paraphernalia

### Equipment

* **Ruby of Life:** The power of the ruby allows the bearer to control whatever he touches, among other feats.

## Trivia

* John has red streaks in his brown hair.

## External Links

* Sargon the Sorcerer on Wikipedia
* Sargon the Sorcerer on DC Wiki
* Sargon the Sorcerer on Comic Vine