The Black Racer was created by Jack Kirby in 1971 as part of his epic Fourth World saga that introduced the New Gods, a race of godlike beings from two warring planets: New Genesis and Apokolips. The Black Racer is the embodiment of death for the New Gods; he comes to collect their souls when they die. He is an agent of the Source, a mysterious cosmic force that governs the Fourth World.

The Black Racer’s human form is that of Willie Walker, a former Army sergeant paralyzed during the Vietnam War. Walker was contacted by the Source when Darkseid, the tyrant of Apokolips, first brought the war of the gods to Earth. The Source told Walker that it was his responsibility to take on the role of the Black Racer and gave him a pair of skis and poles that allowed him to travel super-speed through space and time. Walker can transform into the Black Racer by uttering a particular word and return to his human form by passing on his power to someone near death.

The Black Racer first appeared in New Gods #3 (July 1971), where he chased Orion, the son of Darkseid, who rebelled against his father and joined the forces of New Genesis. Orion managed to evade the Black Racer by tricking him into crashing into a wall. The Black Racer later appeared in other issues of New Gods, as well as Mister Miracle and Forever People, two different series by Kirby that featured the Fourth World characters. The Black Racer also briefly encountered Superman in Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #148 (October 1972), where he mistook Jimmy for a New God and tried to kill him.

The Black Racer has been involved in some of the most important events in DC Comics history, such as Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis, Final Crisis, and Darkseid War. He has also crossed paths with other speedsters, such as the Flash and Silver Surfer (in a non-canon crossover with Marvel Comics). The Black Racer has incredible powers, such as immortality, infinite super-speed, vibration, time travel, flight, intangibility, the touch of death, cosmic armor and skis, energy projection and absorption, matter manipulation, illusion casting, and cosmic perception. He can also merge with other beings, such as Barry Allen in Final Crisis or Darkseid in Darkseid War.

Some little-known facts about the Black Racer are:

– He is not the only personification of death in the DC Universe. There are others, such as Death of the Endless, Nekron, and Black Flash.
– He has a sister named Verna Walker Johnson, unaware of his dual identity.
– He once had a bet with Metron, another New God obsessed with knowledge, about whether Mister Miracle could save the New Gods from extinction.
– He was once temporarily replaced by Wally West, who became the new Black Racer after being hit by a bullet meant for Darkseid.
– He has appeared in other media besides comics, such as the animated series Justice League Unlimited and Smallville.