Slapstick (Marvel)
Slapstick is a male comic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Steve Harmon
Whilst walking, he encountered a strange clown who gave him a flier that advertised the Nightshade and Dark Pandemonium Carnival with Steve looking to attend. He dressed up as a clown and looked to use this as an opportunity to get his revenge on Winston for the earlier incident. Harmon found his quarry with his girlfriend Heather where he saw them being abducted by clowns who took them to a portal within one of the tents that led to Dimension X. The evil clowns were actually beings from another dimension to invade the planet. Steve decided to rescue the two captives and journeyed through the portal but the otherworldly nature of Dimension X led to him manifesting as a barely formed puddle of matter. He was rescued by the Scientist Supreme of Dimension X who used some equipment to stabilise his form leading to Harmon being given a new body. He then was sent to confront the evil Overlord who was intending to unleash his Mediocritizer on him to make Harmon fall under the villain's control. Steve though was immune to its effects and the damage caused to the machine caused a massive explosion that devastated the Overlord's castle. The evil ruler vowed revenge though Steve came to lock him in his box-like container and throw him away. It was then that a horde of clowns looked to surround Harmon who then took the captives where they fled through the portal back to Earth where he destroyed the machine. Steve was then encouraged by his best friend to use his new powers to be a superhero where he decided on the name Slapstick. (Slapstick v1 #1)
Later on, a Punisher copycat called the Overkiller attacked Steve because he thought he was a mutant. The two fought in a mall, destroying most of it with Spider-Man assisting in the battle. Steve ended the fight by literally kissing Overkiller and then walloping him whilst the man reacted with disgust. (Slapstick v1 #2) Slapstick next fought against Oliver Denton an actual mutant child with extreme intelligence who built a robotic teddy bear to destroy his babysitter and her boyfriend. Unfortunately for Oliver, Beth was the crush of the hero Slapstick who came to her rescue, fighting off Denton until the teddy went haywire, necessitating a truce between them. Oliver and Slapstick destroyed the bear, and afterward, Slapstick spanked Oliver until his parents came home and scolded him for building androids without their permission. (Slapstick v1 #3) Afterwards, he faced off against the Neutron Bum who had the power to cause explosions. The vagrant was furious over the price of coffee and decided to take it out on society by blowing up random parts of New York, such as a local Tower Records. Neutron Bum, despite his fixation on the unfairness of high coffee prices, seemingly could not keep the actual price of it straight. Despite the gathering of dozens of superheroes willing and planning to fight the man, Slapstick simply neutralized the situation by getting Neutron Bum what he had been yelling for all along, a cup of coffee and then blindsiding the man from behind while he was drinking it. (Slapstick v1 #4)
Steve went with Mike to the Museum of National History in Manhattan and was amusing himself when Dr. Yesterday appeared. With three members of the New Warriors, who also happened to be in the museum, Slapstick opposed the villain. (Marvel Comics Presents v1 #159) When Dr. Yesterday explained his plan to turn time inside-out, Slapstick decided to help the Warriors deal with it, because it would help him impress chicks. (Marvel Comics Presents v1 #160) When Mike Peterson and Mike Jefferies were approached by time-displaced versions of Devil Dinosaur and Moonboy (who intended no harm), Slapstick attacked the monsters. (Marvel Comics Presents v1 #161) Slapstick fought hordes of time-displaced warriors and was eventually captured by Dr. Yesterday. (Marvel Comics Presents v1 #162) After breaking free and hurting Dr. Y, the villain shot Steve with a time-blast that reverted him to a time before he had his powers. When Yesterday undid the damage he had caused, Steve returned to his 'normal' Slapstick self. (Marvel Comics Presents v1 #163) At some point, both Slapstick and Ultra Girl were made official members of the Warriors and given communicators, after helping the team stop a Badoon invasion. (Avengers: The Initiative v1 #10)
After members of the New Warriors were killed battling Nitro in Stamford, a battle that cost many civilian lives, former member Hindsight Lad began revealing information of former New Warriors members on the internet. He was finally located by the She-Hulk, and she confronted him alongside Slapstick, Ultra Girl, Justice, and Rage. (She-Hulk v2 #8)
Overview
Personality and attributes
After gaining superpowers, he came to decide on the name Slapstick as his superhero name. (Slapstick v1 #1)
He was once described as, "The hero who doesn't fight crime but rather plays cruel tricks on it." (Marvel Comics Presents v1 #159)
Powers and abilities
Originally, Steve Harmon was an ordinary human being until he went through the dimensional doorway to Dimension X where he was a split-second out of sync with its vibrational state. By astonishing coincidence, he managed to avoid having his atoms scattered throughout the universe but his form suffered from molecular discombobulation. As a result, his body was transformed into a new form of matter that were akin to a type of living Unstable Molecules with this being called Electroplasm. This made his body completely indestructible but initially he was unable to maintain a humanoid form until the Scientist Supreme used molecular stabilizer gloves to allow Harmon to maintain the minimum level of coherence. (Slapstick v1 #1)
Several features were added into the gloves by the Scientist Supreme for Harmon's benefit. An activator stud on the left glove was capable of sending a biomagnetic pulse through his body that realigned his atomic structure thus returning to his normal human form. This process though only worked on organic matter and any clothes he was wearing were gone leaving him completely naked as a result when he turned back to normal. However, any clothes he was wearing was stored electronically whilst he was in his electroplasmic state. Another activator stud on his right glove allowed access to a sub-spatial storage pocket allowing him access to anything stored there. (Slapstick v1 #1)
Objects stored in these pockets are undetectable by conventional means. In one case, Slapstick carried his New Warriors communicator, left forgotten in a pants pocket, into Camp Hammond without any of the base's security measures detecting it. (Avengers: The Initiative v1 #10)
Due to his cartoony nature Slapstick often liked to address the readers. Those around him just ignored this just thinking he was crazy. (Slapstick v1 #4)
Notes
- Slapstick was created by Len Kaminski and James Fry where he made his first appearance in Slapstick v1 #1 (November, 1992).
According to Heroic Age: Heroes v1 #1 (2010), the guidebook states that Slapstick's body was composed of Unstable Molecules.
Alternate Versions
In other media
Video games
- In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Slapstick made a cameo appearance in the setting of the crossover fighting video game where he was shown in Deadpool's ending scene.
Appearances
- Slapstick v1: (1992)
- Marvel Comics Presents v1:
- Slapstick v2:
External Links
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