Johnny Lash (Quality Universe)

Travelling from Missouri, Johnny Lash and his parents ventured across the dessert in hopes of claiming free land to start a new life. However, a group of Native Americans attack their wagon, killing Johnny's parents. The Native Americans turned out to be bandits in disguise, and Johnny took up his father's rifle and shot down his parents' murderers. The leader, "Smiley" Walker, managed to escape, with Johnny vowing to hunt him down for revenge.

After burying his parents, Johnny found himself taken in by the Hispanic driver, Pedro Gonzalez, who taught Johnny how to expertly handle a whip. Johnny continued training and learning under Gonzalez, though he never cared for using firearms. On his seventeenth birthday, Gonzalez gifted Johnny with a whip of his own and a jet black horse that Johnny named Diablo.

Johnny never forgot Walker and his unforgettable laugh. He constantly listened carefully wherever he went, finally coming across him when he and Gonzalez were ambushed. While Gonzalez was killed, Johnny survived to don a mask and costume to become The Whip to finally hunted down his parents' killer. At the Last Chance Saloon, The Whip finally avenged his parents, but vowed to continue his crusade against crime.^[1]

The Outlaw Syndicate

In a later adventure, the Whip discovered that corrupt investment broker Lard Marraway was running a large outlaw syndicate that included all the gangs in the territory. How many of the outlaw gangs the Whip went up against were part of this syndicate (if any) is unknown.^[2]

He drifted across the Old West, helping cattle herders like Pat Donovan,^[3] cleaning up Coyote City,^[4] stopping bank robber Jake Toomey,^[5] Word of his heroics spread far and wide, causing all manner of criminals to fear his investigations into their plots.

While heading north, Johnny discovered a stagecoach robber using the identity of the Whip to commit crimes. The two fought and the real Whip discovered that the imposter was a woman named Lola Morse trying to reclaim her family's stolen mine. The Whip agreed to help her and together, they stopped the scheming Jess Berger. After Whip and Lola shared a kiss, for the first time, he promised to come back - some day.^[6]

He found himself at a ranch outside of the town of Cougar Pass on at least two occasions, where he would take down crooks like Sam Bigler at the Silver Star Hotel,^[6] and Curly Brock.^[7]

His relationship with local sheriffs and law was usually a positive one, but an encounter with the Texas Rangers led him to discovering a traitor within their ranks: Chief MacAfee. MacAfee had been drugging ranger Marty Green to induce memory lapses, causing him to believe he was the culprit leaking information to bandits and falsely turn himself in. The Whip and Ranger Green managed to uncover the chief's plan and MacAfee was tried by the State of Texas and hanged for his crime.^[8]

One of the most notorious outlaws the Whip came up against was Lupo Dorish, aka the Dead Shot and his Seven Riders. After discovering several men at the scene of a Blackville bank robbery with identical bullet wounds on their heads, the Whip makes it his personal mission to hunt down the outlaw. Confident that he had nothing to fear, the Dead Shot planned to rob a gold shipment that night (even as his lackey Ed worried the act would "bring Uncle Sam down on [their] necks").

Ed attempted to double-cross Dead Shot, but was killed when Dorish discovered his intentions. The Whip managed to confront the Dead Shot, but his lariat was faster than the outlaw's draw and managed to twist the firearms as he shot, aiming the bullet towards Dead Shot himself. As the Whip checked Dorish's body, he noted how his fatal wound matched all his other victims: perfectly between the eyes.^[9]

The Whip was finally able to confront the mastermind of the outlaw gangs, Marraway himself, and his lackey Rock Pearson. The criminals managed to capture the Whip and unmasked him to reveal his secret identity. Before they could finish him off, Diablo crashed through the window and freed him, with Rock getting killed in the crossfire chaos that erupted. Marraway escaped, but later died of a heart attack during another confrontation with the Whip.^[2]

With the outlaw gang mastermind finally dead, the Whip continued on his crusade against the outlaws of the American west.

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

Whip Mastery: The Whip's main weapon was the lariat gifted to him by Pedro Gonzalez on his seventeenth birthday. Using the skills taught to him by Gonzalez, the Whip could strike faster than any man with a gun. On one occasion, we has able to close a door, insert and turn the key with his whip from across the room.^[8]
Equestrianism
Sensitive Hearing:^[10] The Whip displayed a near-impossible sense of hearing several times that saved him from would-be murderers.

Paraphernalia

Transportation

Diablo, his horse

Weapons

Bullwhip

Notes

This version of the Whip, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.

Johnny Lash (Quality Universe)

Contents

History