Bio

In 1789, a corrupt Spanish priest, furious about being sent to a mission in Mexico, began researching the forbidden art of necromancy. Setting up a headquarters in an abandoned Aztec temple, the priest raised an uncountable army of undead and started terrorizing the surrounding countryside. Several years later, a group of holy warriors invaded the temple, killed the priest, and destroyed his personal retainer of skeletons. Any undead remaining outside the temple fell over the years, whether to warriors’ hands or to the fury of the elements.

However, a single skeleton remained, kept “alive” by virtue of its patrol route in a distant part of the temple. As the years went by, the core of dark magic keeping it propelled began to evolve, and the skeleton gained sentience. After teaching itself how to read, the skeleton began to look through the remaining books in the necromancer’s library and taught itself magic. After hundreds of years, it developed powers equal to some of the mightiest mages on the planet, and in 2010, managed to break the magic barrier that kept it sealed in the temple.

After centuries imprisoned in a dark, overgrown space, the fresh air and sunlight of the outside seemed almost miraculous. The skeleton wandered for several hours, overcome by sheer awe, until it came across a remote Mexican village. By coincidence, it happened to be November 1st, the Day of the Dead, and he was believed to be wearing an elaborate skeleton costume. Not knowing the term the villagers used for him, the skeleton believed it was his name and adopted the term “Calaveron”.

Upon the dawn of the next morning, however, the villagers realized he was actually a skeleton and chased him out. He spent some time wandering in the desert until one day he came across a traveling metal band. The band, “Los Avispiones”, had suffered a flat, and did not have a spare. Calaveron cast a spell that fixed the tire, and the band, realizing that 1. he was a capable roadie, 2. he would work for free, and 3. he was really, really metal, hired him on. He spent several months touring with Los Avispiones, learning about the workings of the modern world. As a joke, one of the band members taught him the chords for “Dust in the Wind”, and he would perform that song with the band onstage.

In July 2011, the band was booked for a performance in San Fernando. As Calaveron came out onstage, playing the guitar chords, someone suddenly sprang out of the audience and punched him into a wall. As it turned out, one of the descendants of the holy warriors that killed the necromancer had picked up the cause and swore to eliminate all traces of dark magic from the world. He called himself the Reliquary, and he had gained his powers by removing his eye and arm and replacing them with those of his sainted ancestor–his sainthood had made them powerful relics.

Calaveron was only saved by sheer coincidence, as it was at that time when the Beekeeper began his attack. He escaped in the ensuing chaos and hid in a nearby storage container. He made a more permanent home in the basement of the House of Marvels, practicing his spells in abandoned lots during the day and reading about San Fernando in the museum’s library during the night. One day, he found a flyer for tryouts for a new superhero team posted on the House of Marvels’ call board. Wanting to protect the new world that he loves so much, Calaveron decided to audition…

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Intermission facts:

• Calaveron has no taste buds, but adores the concept of pizza delivery.