Abel Tarrant
Abel Tarrant is a sailor based in Coast City who turned to burglary. During one of his heists, he is exposed to chemicals, which leaves him with the ability to create physical objects using them. Tarrant tattoos himself using the chemicals so he will always have access to their powers. [2]
Tattooed Man originally has an advantage against Green Lantern because the chemicals' base was yellow, though the tattoos themselves were usually shown as purple. Green Lantern eventually beats Tattooed Man by making him concentrate on more than one of his tattoos. [3]
Tattooed Man later returns as a member of the Injustice Gang. He has tattooed much of his body, including his face. Tarrant is apparently murdered by Goldface's mafia for trying to con them. Years later, he would resurface, reform, and become a tattoo artist, involuntarily being forced to battle Guy Gardner. [4]
He resurfaced as a member of the Suicide Squad saying that despite his attempted reform, he could not escape his past and was upset the new Tattooed Man had been accepted into the Society. [5]
John Oakes
The second Tattooed Man is John Oakes, the main character of the Vertigo series Skin Graft: The Adventures of a Tattooed Man by Jerry Prosser and Warren Pleece. Oakes first appeared in Skin Graft #1 (July 1993).
Oakes is a cellmate of Abel Tarrant, from whom he learned the art of tattoo - with a supernatural edge. After being released from jail, Oakes learns that his tattoos are able to open arcane 'doors' and involuntarily trap people as 'tattoos' on his body. Further studying for the Irezumi master Kobo in Kyoto, Oakes learns to control his abilities, and defeats both Tarrant and the 'tattoo killer' Mizoguchi Kenji by absorbing them. However, Oakes' beloved Yuko dies in the battle as well, which prompts him to absorb hermake her part of his own self. [6]
Mark Richards
Mark Richards is a former U.S. Marine who went missing following a helicopter crash and was presumed dead until he showed up in Gotham City as a hit man. He claims that the tattoos covering his body are the sins of men he had killed and that he utilizes "sin-grafting" to absorb the sins of others.
In Infinite Crisis , Tattooed Man joins the Secret Society of Super Villains. [7]
In Trinity , reality is altered by the removal of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. In this world, Morgaine Le Fay's recruits, the Dreambound, recruit Richards to replace one of their fallen number. He becomes Sun-Chained-In-Ink and gains the ability to control the powers of the sun: heat, light, and gravity. As the series progresses, Richards comes to dislike the Dreambound, deeming them "losers". Reality is eventually returned to normal and the original Sun-Chained-In-Ink is resurrected, removing Richards' new powers.
In Final Crisis , Tattooed Man and his family are seen hiding in an abandoned school from Darkseid's Justifiers. His wife sends out a signal to be rescued by the surviving heroes. Black Lightning shows up to save them and, before being captured, asks Tattooed Man to deliver "The Circuit" to the Hall of Justice. While his family is taken to a Checkmate Watchtower, he joins up with the survivors in the Hall of Justice. Tattooed Man resolves to never again take his powers for granted, prompting Black Canary to make him an honorary member of the Justice League.
In DC's Brightest Day event, Tattooed Man appears as a member of Deathstroke's new team of Titans. [8] Deathstroke offers to help him track down Slipknot, who was responsible for murdering his son. [9] Deathstroke allows Tattooed Man and Slipknot to fight to the death, with Tattooed Man winning and killing Slipknot. [10] After this act, Tattooed Man quits Deathstroke's team, declaring that he is done with killing. [11]
Tattooed Man later rejoins Deathstroke's Titans. Deathstroke reveals to them that he has created a machine called the "Methuselah Device", intended to heal his dying son Jericho. [12] After healing Jericho, Deathstroke declares that the machine can also resurrect the dead, including Tattooed Man' son. Tattooed Man initially accepts but after Cinder declares the Methuselah Device a curse, he joins her and Arsenal in fighting the other Titans to destroy it. [13]
During the Heroes in Crisis storyline, Tattooed Man is shown as a patient at Sanctuary. [14] He was among those killed by Savitar after he escapes from the Speed Force, which is blamed on Wally West losing control of it. [15] [16] In The Flash #796, it is revealed that the hero Gold Beetle replaced all of the dead heroes with clones from the 31st century, allowing them to survive.
