The Prankster (Oswald Hubert Loomis) is a supervillain appearing in media published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of Superman. The Prankster's particular gimmick is the use of various practical jokes and gags in committing his crimes.[1]
The Prankster first appeared in Action Comics #51 (August 1942) and was created by Jerry Siegel and John Sikela.[2]
Fictional character biography
Golden Age version
The Prankster in his first appearance, Action Comics #51, art by John Sikela.
The original Prankster is Oswald Loomis, a criminal and conman who uses elaborate practical jokes and publicity campaigns to commit crimes.[3] In his debut in Action Comics #51, the Prankster and his assistants break into a series of banks and force the employees to accept money. They even throw money at people in the streets. After he becomes famous for this joke, the Prankster enters yet another bank - and this time takes all the money, also taking Lois Lane hostage. Superman, who had suspected the Prankster was up to no good, follows him to his lair. The Prankster seals his henchmen and Lois behind a sheet of glass and releases deadly gas, but Superman manages to rescue them and retrieve the money, while the Prankster is able to escape.[4]
The Prankster returned several times to plague the Man of Steel throughout the Golden Age.[5] As part of his advertisements for getting rewards for missing items, the Prankster later had his henchmen kidnap Lois and printed a story for Superman to pay a ransom of $50,000.00. Upon delivering the ransom to the location and finding out that the Prankster is in a lead bunker, Superman rescues Lois and informs the police about where to find the Prankster and his henchmen.[6]
One of his more novel schemes involved the backing of several criminal leaders. The Prankster files copyright to own the English language. Once he gains legal ownership of the alphabet, the Prankster begins requiring payment of anyone using the written word.[7] Superman is at first unable to do anything, as the Prankster is not breaking the law. Eventually, Superman discovers that the Prankster had hired an impostor to replace the registrar at the copyright office, and he turns the Prankster over to the authorities.[8]
In 1957, Prankster formed a triple alliance with The Toyman and Lex Luthor against Superman. But clashing egos brought about the capture of all three.
Silver Age version
The Prankster's history on Earth-One was still the same as his Earth-Two counterpart.[5] The Prankster collaborates with the Toyman where they plotted to drive Superman crazy by committing ridiculous obsolete laws like putting pennies in ears in Honolulu.[9][10]
The Prankster later collaborated with Joker on different heists. Then the Prankster betrayed Joker when he captured Perry White and held him for ransom. Superman received help from Joker in taking down the Prankster. Then Superman took down Joker and rescued Perry White.[11]
In the Alan Moore-scripted story, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, the Prankster and the Toyman are unwittingly manipulated by Mister Mxyzptlk to discover Superman's secret identity. They succeed after kidnapping Pete Ross and torturing the information out of him, then killing him. After managing to unmask Clark Kent in front of Lana Lang and others by machine-gunning him and revealing his costume beneath his clothes, the Prankster and Toyman are captured by Superman.[12]
Modern Age version
The first appearance of the modern age Prankster was in Superman (vol. 2) #16 (April 1988), in a story written and drawn by John Byrne.[13] Comedian Oswald Loomis is the host of the long running children's variety show called The Uncle Oswald Show. When the ratings begin to fall, the show is canceled by its network WGBS. Loomis finds himself typecast and unable to obtain new employment. Bitter that his gravy train has come to an end, Loomis seeks revenge on the network executives that were responsible for his show's cancellation (including Morgan Edge), but is foiled by Superman. This turned out to be an intentional objective for the Prankster since he knew he could not seriously oppose Superman, and so immediately surrendered upon facing the superhero with plans to exploit the media attention while in prison.
In The Adventures of Superman #579 (June 2000), Loomis reappears with a younger, more athletic body, presumably granted to him by the magic of Lord Satanus (though in Superman: Day of Doom #2 (January 2003) he claims his new figure is the result of "thousands of dollars' worth of plastic surgery, dental work and diet clinics"). His personality is changed as well; no longer an inept goofball, he is now a manic trickster seeking to unleash his twisted brand of laughter upon the world. By this time, Metropolis has been upgraded by Brainiac 13. The Prankster takes advantage of the new technology, creating high tech gadgets and weaponry, which retain a comical theme. He quickly challenges Superman again. Superman is suffering from Kryptonite poisoning during the battle, and is hospitalized in S.T.A.R. Labs shortly thereafter.
During the Critical Condition storyline, scientists learn that the cause of Superman's illness is a nanovirus carrying a small grain of Kryptonite. They proposed to shrink Steel, Superboy, and Supergirl to microscopic size, and send them into Superman's bloodstream to destroy the virus. However, the Prankster subdues Steel, steals his armor, and attempts to sabotage their efforts. He uses the armor to attack a temporarily powerless Superboy before the real Steel arrives on the scene, taking control of his hammer via a remote failsafe and damaging the armor due to his knowledge of its weaknesses. The Prankster escaped via teleportation.
Lord Satanus later hires the Prankster to kidnap metahumans with dual personalities, particularly those with a light/dark duality, so he can draw power from them. Superman foils this scheme, and the Prankster disappears after Satanus is defeated. When Manchester Black reveals Superman's identity, the Prankster is one of many villains involved in the campaign to destroy Superman's life, though he forgets Superman's identity when Black is defeated.
In the One Year Later storyline, Lex Luthor hires the Prankster to wreak havoc in Metropolis. While Green Lantern and Hawkgirl bring down Loomis and his army of traffic-light-men, his rampage is just a distraction while Luthor breaks Kryptonite Man out of prison.[14]
Apparently inspired by his turn working for Luthor, Prankster has taken on a new persona as a distraction-for-hire. Rather than pull off crimes himself, he is now hired by criminals to distract Superman and the police with his pranks while they commit crimes. He offers a discount to any client whose plans include Superman, as he sees the Man of Steel's involvement as "the best kind of free advertising". His new venture has apparently proven quite lucrative, as he is able to afford a high-tech lair. Above it sits a seemingly normal joke shop called 'Uncle Oley's Sure Fire Joke Shop'. It is not normal, for it includes a movable trapdoor. The Prankster also has about a half-dozen beautiful female assistants, who do many things for him, such as monitoring Metropolis or serving him breakfast. Though the Prankster goads them to commit pranks on him, they do not always do so, for they fear his retaliation. He insists on never sharing his high-tech gadgets with clients, considering himself "an artist, not an armorer".[15]
He was seen in the new Injustice League and is one of the villains featured in Salvation Run.
Prankster was among the many of Superman's villains who were rounded up and placed in the Phantom Zone by the people of Kandor. Superman freed Prankster to be taken to Belle Reve.[16]
The New 52
In 2011, The New 52 rebooted the DC universe. Oswald Loomis is the son of electrical engineer Harold Loomis who died in an accident caused by Mayor Wallace Cole's brother William Cole.[17]
Prankster is one of the criminals that is plaguing Chicago. He has disabled New Western Station which Mayor Wallace Cole was about to reopen. The Mayor of Chicago later learned from the police that Prankster was behind the disabling of New Western Station.[18]
Prankster later captures John Conaway at the Museum of Science and Industry and wrapped him with insulation that he had sold to dozens of homeowners in Illinois claiming that it would reduce the risk of electrocution, but it did not work and it had contributed to several deaths. As the coil is about to be turned on, Nightwing arrived and saved John Conaway, much to the annoyance of Prankster. In retaliation, the Prankster hacks into Nightwing's heads-up display, blacking out his vision. Though Dick does reasonably well by sound alone, Prankster responds by producing a loud noise and locking him into a glass box. As it happens, the glass box is designed to demonstrate the phenomenon of backdraft.[19]
After Nightwing breaks free from the trap, Prankster begins to run as Nightwing traps him in a bolo. Nightwing is forced to change his plans again as the police arrive upon noting, with some amusement, that the Prankster is wearing high heels. Dropping a smoke bomb, Nightwing allows the Prankster access to his hands and once he can see again, he offers the Prankster a grappling line and instructs him to wait for him on the roof. He then attacks the police, drawing their fire. The Prankster has no intention of sticking around, but in his attempt to get away unseen, he is unexpectedly faced with Nightwing's fist knocking him unconscious. Prankster wakes unmasked, and with Nightwing waiting for him with coffee and donuts. Nightwing explains that he needs help tracing an old email back to its source, which means putting a known hacker in front of a computer. Prankster agrees to help only if Nightwing will stop hunting him. Prankster determines after hours of work that Tony Zucco spent two years in an Illinois state correctional facility during the same time as William Cole which is particularly interesting since Zucco sent the email from inside City Hall. This evidence points to a man named Billy Lester, who records show did not exist until three years ago, and now works for the mayor. The Prankster warns that the Mayor is not the man that he appears to be. Having gotten the information he wanted, Nightwing handcuffs the Prankster to a pipe and leaves him for the police. The police come up on the roof where Nightwing had left the Prankster, but he is nowhere to be found.[20]
Prankster gathers an army of followers who are sympathetic to his cause. Upon hacking every screen in the city, Prankster states that Mayor Wallace Cole is not what he claims to be and has been harboring Tony Zucco. Prankster then takes a group of police officers hostage where he has been tying them to an automatic weapon where if they move, they will die. Prankster states that if the Mayor pays back the money he took, they will all live. If not, they will live for as long as they can stay still.[21]
Prankster first issued the Mayor an ultimatum to pay back 52 million embezzled tax dollars or the people of Chicago will suffer just like the city has been suffering. Of the policemen the Prankster held hostage at gunpoint, only five survive. An electronic attack on the transportation grid overloaded traffic lights. Explosives at the Navy Pier caused a flaming ferris wheel to cause a lot of damage. As protesters at City Hall demand their money back, Mayor Wallace Cole claimed that he had done no wrong. Upon capturing a Prankster follower named Danny, Nightwing learns where Prankster can be found. Prankster later appears in Mayor Wallace Cole's office where he shoots down the Alderm.[22]
As Nightwing attempts to rush Zucco to jail, the man shouts from the back of the Wingcycle that Wallace Cole became mayor of Chicago because of two events. The first was a train line that he and his brother William convinced City Hall to run through their old Pilsen neighborhood. When the project's electrical engineer Harold Loomis died on Halloween, William took the fall. The chaos that the Prankster is causing is not because Wallace Cole stole money from the city. It is because he wants payback. The Prankster reveals himself to Harold Loomis' son Oswald. Tony had learned this because he shared a cell with William Cole, who had received a reminder from the boy of the crime he had committed: the same mask that the Prankster wears today. It is no coincidence that the Prankster's crimes are taking place in October. Tonight is Halloween, and the Prankster intends to bring things to a boil tonight. Meanwhile, Wallace Cole professes his innocence to the man holding Chicago hostage who turns out to be Oswald Loomis and that he is going to take away what was most important to Wallace Cole - the love of Chicago. Rushing, Nightwing has Zucco get the Mayor away from the blast radius, just as he feels the Prankster hacking into his mask's lenses again. Prankster is shot in the shoulder from the three bullets shot from Tony Zucco's gun. Dick is relieved to see that the bullets went clean through and Oswald Loomis will survive. As the police arrive on the scene, Nightwing swings away leaving Tony Zucco and Prankster to face justice.[17]
The Prankster has an arsenal of trick items that he uses in his crimes. Thanks to Brainiac 13's upgrade on Metropolis, Loomis possesses a new set of advanced tricks. These tricks include: ultrasonic devices that cause a person to laugh uncontrollably, high-voltage joy buzzers, exploding whoopee cushions, and nanobots.[24]
In other media
Television
The Prankster appears in The New Adventures of Superman. This version possesses a less gaudy appearance, a hook nose, and wears a slouch hat. Following his introductory appearance in his self-titled episode, he joins A.P.E. (Allied Perpetrators of Evil) in the episode "The Men from A.P.E.".
The Prankster appears in the Superman episode "Triple-Play", voiced by Howard Morris. This version is an avid baseball fan.
An original incarnation of the Prankster appears in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, portrayed by Bronson Pinchot. This version is Kyle Griffin, a former weapons designer who was incarcerated five years prior due to an article written by Lois Lane. In addition, he is also revealed to have a father named Edwin Griffin (portrayed by Harold Gould) who was also put away by one of Lois' articles about him.
Oswald Loomis appears in The Flash episode "Going Rogue", portrayed by Jesse Reid.
The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in Challenge of the Superfriends, an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Universe, appearing in comics, as well as further animated and live-action adaptations, and also video games.
The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283, and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp. It was frequently used in the Superman comics before the continuity was rebooted in the 1980s, after Crisis on Infinite Earths, and has appeared occasionally since.
Bizarro is a supervillain or anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in Superboy #68 (1958). Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, the character has often been portrayed as an antagonist to Superman, though on occasion he also takes on an antihero role.
Nightwing is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The most prominent is Dick Grayson, who takes the name when he leaves his role as Batman's partner and sidekick Robin in his adulthood.
Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman, Teen Titans and Justice League. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940 as the original and most popular incarnation of Robin, Batman's crime-fighting partner. He is the eldest child of Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego, the first child to be adopted by Batman. In Tales of the Teen Titans #44, the character, after becoming an adult, retires his role as Robin and assumes the persona of Nightwing. Grayson has donned the cape and cowl to replace Wayne as Batman; his most notable spell followed Wayne's supposed death in Final Crisis, and sees Grayson adopt Damian Wayne, Bruce's biological son and his adoptive younger brother, as his Robin.
Peter Joseph Ross is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
Intergang is a fictional organized crime syndicate appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Armed with technology supplied by the villainous New Gods of the planet Apokolips, they consistently appear as enemies of various DC superheroes.
Ultraman is the name of several supervillains appearing in stories published by DC Comics. The characters are all evil or corrupted alternate-universe counterparts of Superman. Ultraman first appeared in Justice League of America #29.
The Batman is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. Developed by Michael Goguen and Duane Capizzi, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the series first aired on Kids' WB on September 11, 2004, then Cartoon Network on April 2, 2005. The show would become exclusive to the former network for its third, fourth, and fifth seasons in early 2006. The Batman won six Daytime Emmy Awards over the course of its run. Many elements from previous Batman storylines were borrowed and adapted, such as those from the comic books, film series and the animated shows like Batman: The Animated Series from the DC Animated Universe, but it remained strictly within its own distinct continuity. Jackie Chan Adventures artist Jeff Matsuda served as art director and provided the character designs. The production team altered the appearances of many of the comic books' supervillains for the show, such as the Joker, the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Bane, and the Riddler.
Superman/Batman is a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular superheroes: Superman and Batman. Superman/Batman premiered in August 2003, an update of the previous series, World's Finest Comics (1941–1986), in which Superman and Batman regularly joined forces.
The Toyman is the name of three supervillains and one adolescent superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, as an adversary for Superman.
Alexander Luthor Jr. is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.
Anthony Zucco is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in Detective Comics #38, Zucco is a mobster responsible for murdering the parents of Dick Grayson, which leads to Grayson's adoption by Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman and becoming the latter's sidekick and original Robin and Nightwing.
Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim is a supervillain appearing American comic books published by DC Comics. He is an Intergang crime boss who is the son of Moxie Mannheim and one of Superman's enemies.
Superman: Doomsday is a 2007 American animated superhero film adapted from the DC Comics storyline "The Death of Superman", which focuses on the death and return of the superhero Superman. Released by Warner Home Video, it is the first film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, and made $10 million in home media sales on a budget of $3.5 million.
"Up, Up, and Away!" is an eight-issue Superman story arc written by Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek with art by Pete Woods. The story primarily features a powerless Clark Kent using his skills as a journalist to defend Metropolis from both organized crime and Lex Luthor, newly bankrupt and disgraced due to his actions in the series 52. Gradually, however, Superman begins to regain his powers, just in time to battle the embittered Luthor as he seeks to inflict his revenge upon Metropolis with the help of stolen Kryptonian battle technology and redesigned versions of the Toyman and the Kryptonite Man.
JLA: Act of God is a three issue limited series published by DC Comics under the Elseworlds banner in 2000. It is written by Doug Moench and illustrated by Dave Ross.
This article is about the publication history of the DC Comics fictional character Dick Grayson, who has been portrayed in comic books alternatively as Robin, Nightwing, and Batman.
Robot Chicken DC Comics Special is an episode of the television comedy series Robot Chicken and it was aired as a one-off special during Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on September 10, 2012.
References
↑ Fleisher, Michael L. (2007). The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume Three: Superman. DC Comics. pp.272–281. ISBN978-1-4012-1389-3.
↑ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p.352. ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
↑ Mitchell, Kurt; Thomas, Roy (2019). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944. TwoMorrows Publishing. p.147. ISBN978-1605490892.
↑ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p.219. ISBN978-1-4654-8578-6.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
