BOOK OF STONE: General Bartholomew J. Black

For April, Stone Soldiers.info is celebrating the A to Z Blog Challenge with daily letter-themed entries. A separate page with a list of all these entries, plus Character Profiles and Book Synopses will appear on the right hand side of the page in coming weeks, detailing the people, places and things of the Stone Soldiers universe.

MAJOR GENERAL BARTHOLOMEW J. BLACK

First Appearance:  Shades of War (Stone Soldiers #4)

Synopsis:  Commander of Detachment 1039 prior to Colonel Kenslir

Last Known Status:  Unknown

Author's Notes:

Every military unit has a commander, and Detachment 1039 is no different. In 1947, at the insistence of General Frank Merrill, the United States Army formed a small unit tasked with developing combat strategies for opposing supernatural and paranormal forces fielded by enemy nations. Originally created as a military intelligence unit, the Detachment was placed under the command of then-Captain Bartholomew J. Black, a U.S. soldier with firsthand knowledge of the supernatural. 

By 1950, with the outbreak of the Korean War, Black had risen in rank to Major, and had recruited and trained a special unit of parahuman supersoldiers and psychics to for counter dark operations. 

In the years following the Korean Conflict, Black rose steadily through the ranks, carefully managing his growing detachment and the supernatural threat to America. 

By 1995 (X-Ponent) Black had risen to the rank of Major General, and his Detachment was now a subordinate command of U.S. Special Operations Command. 

Behind the Scenes

Little has been revealed about General Black's origins. In Shadow Detachment , he expresses that he is himself a regular soldier, not possessing any powers. However, he relies on a unique Tarot card deck that grants him the ability to zero in on supernatural threats. 

In 1954, Black and then-Captain Mark Kenslir responded to Edwards Air Force Base in California to investigate the appearance of not one, but two extraterrestrial craft flown by beings professing to be from the stars. (Dark Invaders)

In 1987, Black sent Lt. Col Kenslir to Australia to investigate a strange, subterranean plea for help beneath the City of Sydney. 

By 2013, and Mythical  (Stone Soldiers #1), Black is nowhere to be seen, and Colonel Kenslir has assumed command of the Detachment.

Does this mean that Black has retired? Died?

Follow future installments of Stone Soldiers and Shadow Detachment for more on the mysterious Bartholomew J. Black and his supernatural origins....