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Tattooed Man

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Tattooed Man
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAbel Tarrant:Green Lantern(vol. 2) #23 (September 1963)
John Oakes:Skin Graft: The Adventures of a Tattooed Man#1 (July 1993)
Mark Richards:Green Lantern(vol. 4) #9 (2006)
Lala Johnson:Black LightningSeason 1×1(January 2018)
Created byGardner FoxandGil Kane
In-story information
Alter egoAbel Tarrant
John Oakes
Mark Richards
Lala Johnson
SpeciesMetahuman
Team affiliationsAbel Tarrant
Injustice Gang of the World
The Society
Suicide Squad
Mark Richards
The Society
Justice League
Titans
AbilitiesLiving tattoos

TheTattooed Manis the name of three characters appearing in media published byDC Comics,primarily as an enemy ofGreen Lantern.

An original version of the Tattooed Man,Latavius"Lala"Johnson,appeared as a recurring character in theArrowversetelevision seriesBlack Lightning,portrayed by William Catlett.

Publication history

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The first Tattooed Man first appeared inGreen Lantern(vol. 2) #23 (September 1963) and was created byGardner FoxandGil Kane.[1]

Fictional character biography

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Abel Tarrant

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Abel Tarrantwas a sailor based inCoast Citywho turned to burglary. During one of his heists, he was exposed to chemicals which left him with the ability to create physical objects using them. When he got back from the robbery, he tattooed himself using the chemicals so he would always have the chemicals near him. Some of the shapes he was able to conjure from histattooswere an axe, shield, cannon, and dragon.[2]The Tattooed Man originally had the advantage against Green Lantern because the chemicals' base was yellow, though the tattoos themselves were usually shown as purple. The Emerald Gladiator eventually beat the Tattooed Man by making him concentrate on more than one of his tattoos. The Tattooed Man would return, however, as a member of the Injustice Gang.[3]While previously he had tattooed only his arms (that he may hide them under a shirt), by this point he has tattooed much of his body, including his face. Tarrant would fall along with the rest of the Injustice Gang, and his activities would remain mysterious for some time. Tarrant was eventually thought to be murdered by the Goldface mafia for trying to con them. Years later, he would resurface, reform, and become a tattoo artist, involuntarily being forced to battleGuy Gardner.[4]

Tattooed Man later appeared at the funeral forHal Jordan.[5]

Still later, he would attend the funeral of former Injustice Gang teammate David Clinton, akaChronos.While Clinton left Tarrant his 1965 Mustang, what he really wanted was Clinton's time travel equipment. Forcing the secret of time travel out ofWalker Gabriel,he unsuccessfully attempted to dissuade himself from becoming the Tattooed Man, before Walker dragged him back to the present.[6]

He made an appearance inVillains United:Infinite CrisisSpecial#1 trying to escape from Alcatraz only to be stopped byArsenal.[7]

He resurfaced as a member of theSuicide Squadsaying that despite his attempted reform, he could not escape his past and was upset the new Tattooed Man had been accepted into theSociety.He was apparently killed byMirror MasterandJeweleewhen it turned out that he betrayed the Squad to the Society and caused the death of Jewelee's husband and partner-in-crime Punch.[8]

In theWatchmensequelDoomsday Clock,Tarrant is among the villains who attend the underground meeting held byRiddlerto discuss the Superman Theory.[9][10]

John Oakes

[edit]

The second Tattooed Man wasJohn Oakes,the main character of theVertigoseriesSkin Graft: The Adventures of a Tattooed ManbyJerry ProsserandWarren Pleece.Oakes first appeared inSkin Graft#1 (July 1993).

A cellmate of Abel Tarrant, John Oakes learned the art of tattoo - with a supernatural edge - from his fellow prisoner. After being released from jail, Oakes learned that his strange tattoos were a curse as well as a blessing as his tattoos now opened arcane 'doors' and could involuntarily trap people as 'tattoos' on his own body. Further studying for theIrezumimaster Kobo inKyoto,Oakes learned to control his strange abilities, and finally defeated both Tarrant and the 'tattoo killer' Mizoguchi Kenji by absorbing them. However, Oakes' beloved Yuko died in the battle as well, which prompted him to make her part of his own self.[11]

Mark Richards

[edit]

The third Tattooed Man first appeared inGreen Lantern(vol. 4) #9.Mark Richardswas a former U.S. Marine who went missing following a helicopter crash and was presumed dead until he showed up inGotham Cityas a hit man. He claimed that the tattoos covering his body were the sins of men he had killed and that by the art of "sin-grafting", which he had learned from the nation of Modora, in which he takes the sins of others and puts them on himself, he claimed to be redeeming the men and women he killed. All his victims had tattoos of their sins. He was eventually stopped by Green Lantern andBatman.

InInfinite Crisis,Mark becomes a member of theSociety.[12]

He appears as one of a group of villains seeking to avoid being sent to the prison planet.[13]

InTrinity,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 awesome powers of the sun itself: heat, light, and gravity. As the series progresses, Richards comes to dislike the Dreambound, deeming them "losers". Reality eventually begins returning to normal and the original Sun-Chained-In-Ink is resurrected, severing Richards from his new powers. He still allies himself with Le Fey and Despero when theCrime Syndicateattacks.

InFinal Crisis,he is first seen taking Metropolis detectiveDan Turpinto the entrance to the Dark Side Club. In the fourth issue, he and his family areAnti-Lifesurvivors, hiding in an abandoned school fromDarkseid's Justifiers. His wife sends out a signal to be rescued by the surviving heroes.Black Lightningshows up to save them and, before being captured, asks Mark 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 where he tattoos the circuit on his skin, turning it silver with symbols reminiscent of the New GodMetron.In the sixth issue, Mark is on the JLA satellite with the other survivors. Looking down on the earth with wonder, Mark resolves to never again take his powers for granted, promptingBlack Canaryto make him an honorary member of the Justice League. The satellite is then attacked by Justifiers and the brainwashed Black Lightning, and Mark discovers that the circuit protects him from the effects of the Anti-Life Equation.

InFinal Crisis Aftermath: Ink,Richards is shown attempting to be a hero in his Washington D.C. neighborhood, Liberty Hill. He clashes with the neighborhood's gangs and crooked cops while also trying to keep his family together. Meanwhile, two of his tattoos, a samurai named Kabuki Dan and a demoness named Altera, come to life and begin acting without Richards' consent. This is revealed to be the result of the supervillain behind the gangs and the cops: Sync, Richards' own brother who everyone thought long dead. Eventually, Richards realizes Altera and Kabuki Dan are just aspects of his own mind. Working together, the three of them are able to confuse Sync's mind control powers and beat him.

In DC'sBrightest Dayevent, Mark appears as a member ofDeathstroke's new team ofTitans.[14]He is convinced to join by Deathstroke who offers to help him track downSlipknot,the person responsible for murdering his son.[15]After a breakout atArkham Asylum,Richards was about to leave his team until Deathstroke reveals that he has captured Slipknot for him.[16]Deathstroke allows the two to fight to the death, with Richards winning after he beheads Slipknot.[17]After this act, Richards quits Deathstroke's team, declaring that he is done with killing.[18]When Richards returns to Liberty Hill, he discovers his old neighborhood is afraid of him and the gangbangers have forced citizens and even the police themselves to clean up the area. His former assistant explains to him that they have taken control of the community and made a fortune for themselves through crime. Richards was then confronted byVixenwho believed that he was responsible for the acts of violence committed by his former thugs. Vixen rescinds her offer of Justice League membership and attacks Richards.[19]After a brutal fight, Vixen willingly surrenders and Richards agrees to leave her and take care of his neighborhood in his own way.[20]Richards later rejoins Deathstroke's Titans. Upon returning to the labyrinth, Deathstroke reveals to them that the items the Titans collected were used to form a healing machine called the "Methuselah Device", intended to restore his dying son,Jericho.[21]After healing Jericho, Deathstroke declares that the machine can also resurrect the dead, including Richards' son. Richards initially accepts but after Cinder declares the Methuselah Device a curse, he joins her andArsenalin fighting the other Titans to destroy it.[22]After Cinder sacrifices herself to destroy the Methuselah Device, Richards returns home.[23]

In 2011, DC Comics rebooted the DC Universe as part of "The New 52".During theForever Evilstoryline, Tattooed Man appears as a member of theCrime Syndicate of America's incarnation of theSecret Society of Super Villains.In the aftermath of the Crime Syndicate's defeat, he was seen with its members when the Justice League apprehend them.[24]

During theHeroes in Crisisstoryline, Tattooed Man is shown as a patient at Sanctuary.[25]He was among those killed bySavitarafter he escaped from the Speed Force, which is blamed onWally Westlosing control of it.[26][10]InThe Flash#796, it was revealed that the hero Gold Beetle replaced all of the dead heroes with clones from the 31st century.

Powers and abilities

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Each of the Tattooed Man versions can bring their tattoos to life.

Collected editions

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  • Final Crisis: Submitone-shot
  • Crisis Aftermath: Ink(collectsCrisis Aftermath: Ink#1-6)
  • Titans: Villains for Hire(collectsTitans(vol. 2) #24-27 andTitans: Villains for Hire Special#1)

Other versions

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Flashpoint

[edit]

In the alternate timeline of theFlashpointevent, Tattooed Man is a member ofDeathstroke's pirates before being killed during an ambush byAquamanandOcean Master.[27]

Similar characters

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  • A woman named "Tattoo" appeared in the comic bookAztekas part of aLex Luthor-funded group named "Dial V for Villain". She displayed powers similar to Abel Tarrant's.
  • A young girl named "Pix" appeared inBatman: Gotham Knights.Her powers were virtually identical to those of the Tattooed Man, but her powers were nanotechnological in origin rather than chemical exposure.Ariadne Pixnitis an avant-garde artist who used nanobots in paints to program them to form what she wanted. After being beaten and raped by a gang of street thugs, Pinxit disguised herself as a tattoo shop worker, designing lethal tattoos that she brings to "life" via computer to kill all the gang members.
  • A character named "Abel Terror" represents a circus tattooed man in the Freakshow expansion of the gameHorrorclix.

In other media

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Television

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  • The Abel Tarrant incarnation of Tattooed Man makes non-speaking cameo appearances inJustice League Unlimitedas a member ofGorilla Grodd'sSecret Society.
  • The Mark Richards incarnation of Tattooed Man appears in theBatman: The Brave and the Boldepisode "Scorn of the Star Sapphire!", voiced byMichael Jai White.[30]
  • An original incarnation of Tattooed Man namedLatavius "Lala" Johnson / Tattoo Manappears inBlack Lightning,portrayed by William Catlett.[31]Introduced in thefirst season,this version is a former student of thetitular characterand a member of the100underTobias Whale.After repeatedly failing to kill Black Lightning, Whale kills Lala and reanimates him with help fromLady Eve,who provides Whale the means to control Lala. As a side effect, the latter sees the ghosts of those he killed, whose faces are forcibly tattooed onto him. Whale later uses Lala as a bomb mule in a failed attempt at killingA.S.A.agent Martin Proctor, though Lala is resurrected once more in thesecond seasonwith help from Lazarus Prime, a coroner with a grudge against Whale. Lala tries to seek revenge on Whale, but is forced to serve him once more when Whale uses his tattoos to incapacitate him. In thethird season,Lala gains control of the 100's remnants and mounts another revenge attempt on Whale, only to fall under Lady Eve's control. As of thefourth season,Lala has assumed leadership of the 100.

Film

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Video games

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The Abel Tarrant incarnation of Tattooed Man appears as a character summon inScribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[34]

Miscellaneous

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  • The Abel Tarrant incarnation of Tattooed Man appears in issue #4 of theGreen Lantern: The Animated Seriestie-in comic.[35]This version's tattoos were created from radioactive ink.
  • The Mark Richards incarnation of Tattooed Man appears inDC Super Hero Girlsas a background student of Super Hero High.

References

[edit]
  1. ^Wells, John (2015).American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64.TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 125.ISBN978-1605490458.
  2. ^Rovin, Jeff (1987).The Encyclopedia of Supervillains.New York: Facts on File. p. 337.ISBN0-8160-1356-X.
  3. ^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019).DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle.DK Publishing. p. 154.ISBN978-1-4654-8578-6.
  4. ^Green Lantern(vol. 3) #2. DC Comics.
  5. ^Green Lantern(vol. 3) #81. DC Comics.
  6. ^Chronos#6. DC Comics.
  7. ^Infinite Crisis Special#1. DC Comics.
  8. ^Checkmate#6. DC Comics.
  9. ^"Doomsday Clock #2 Reviews".ComicBookRoundup.RetrievedJuly 29,2018.
  10. ^abDoomsday Clock#6. DC Comics.
  11. ^Cohen, Jason (June 10, 2009)."Skin Graft: The Adventures of a Tattooed Man #1-4".Vertigo Spotlight.Comics Bulletin.Retrieved2009-07-25.
  12. ^Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special#1. DC Comics.
  13. ^Justice League of America(vol. 2) #17. DC Comics.
  14. ^"Get a first look at Fabrizio Fiorentino's TITANS artwork".Dccomics.23 April 2010.Retrieved28 November2021.
  15. ^Titans: Villains for Hireone-shot (May 2010), DC Comics.
  16. ^Titans(vol. 2) #30 (December 2010). DC Comics.
  17. ^Titans(vol. 2) #31 (January 2011). DC Comics.
  18. ^Titans(vol. 2) #32 (February 2011). DC Comics.
  19. ^Titans(vol. 2) #35 (May 2011). DC Comics.
  20. ^Titans(vol. 2) #36 (June 2011). DC Comics.
  21. ^Titans(vol. 2) Annual 2011 (July 2011). DC Comics.
  22. ^Titans(vol. 2) #37 (July 2011). DC Comics.
  23. ^Titans(vol. 2) #38 (August 2011). DC Comics.
  24. ^Justice League(vol. 2) #30. DC Comics.
  25. ^Heroes in Crisis#3. DC Comics.
  26. ^Heroes in Crisis#8. DC Comics.
  27. ^Flashpoint: Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager#2 (July 2011). DC Comics.
  28. ^Batman#484
  29. ^Worlds' Finest#16
  30. ^"Tattooed Man Voice - Batman: The Brave and the Bold (TV Show)".Behind The Voice Actors.RetrievedJune 15,2024.A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
  31. ^"Black Lightning - Netflix".web.archive.org.January 19, 2019.RetrievedJune 15,2024.
  32. ^Mayimbe, El (May 19, 2008)."Supermax: Green Arrow Story Details + Villains/Inmates Gallery - Movie News - Latest Movie Reviews and trailers".Latino Review.Archived fromthe originalon October 13, 2008.RetrievedJune 1,2008.
  33. ^Kit, Borys (April 22, 2015)."Common Joins 'Suicide Squad' (Exclusive)".The Wrap.RetrievedApril 27,2015.
  34. ^Eisen, Andrew (October 4, 2013)."DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide".IGN.RetrievedJune 15,2024.
  35. ^Harvey, James (9 April 2012).""Young Justice", "Green Lantern: The Animated Series" July 2012 Comic Solicitations, More ".The World's Finest.Retrieved2 December2018.
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