| Prankster | |
|---|---|
.png) The Prankster on the cover ofSuperman #660 (March 2007). Art by James Fry. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Action Comics #51 (August 1942) |
| Created by | Jerry Siegel(writer) John Sikela(artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Oswald Hubert Loomis |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Intergang Injustice League Underground Society |
| Notable aliases | Doctor Loomis The Pranksta The Exorsist Prisoner K1287931 |
| Abilities |
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The Prankster (Oswald Hubert Loomis) is asupervillain appearing in media published byDC Comics, primarily as an enemy ofSuperman. The Prankster's particular gimmick is the use of variouspractical jokes and gags in committing his crimes.[1]
The Prankster first appeared inAction Comics #51 (August 1942) and was created byJerry Siegel and John Sikela.[2]
The original Prankster is Oswald Loomis, a criminal andconman who uses elaborate practical jokes and publicity campaigns to commit crimes.[3] In his debut inAction 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 takes all the money, also takingLois 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 Superman throughout theGolden 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 filescopyright 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]
The Prankster's history on Earth-One was still the same as his Earth-Two counterpart.[5] The Prankster collaborates with theToyman where they plotted to drive Superman crazy by committing crimes, breaking ridiculous obsolete laws like putting pennies in ears inHonolulu.[9][10]
The Prankster later collaborated withJoker on different heists. Then the Prankster betrayed Joker when he capturedPerry White and held him for ransom. Superman received help from Joker in taking down the Prankster. Then Superman took down Joker and rescued White.[11]
In theAlan Moore-scripted story,Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, the Prankster and the Toyman are unwittingly manipulated byMister Mxyzptlk to discover Superman's secret identity. They succeed after kidnappingPete Ross and torturing the information out of him, then killing him. After managing to unmaskClark Kent in front ofLana Lang and others by machine-gunning him and revealing his costume beneath his clothes, the Prankster and Toyman are captured by Superman.[12]
The first appearance of the modern age Prankster was inSuperman (vol. 2) #16 (April 1988), in a story written and drawn byJohn Byrne.[13] Comedian Oswald Loomis is the host of the children's variety seriesThe 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 (includingMorgan 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.
InThe Adventures of Superman #579 (June 2000), Loomis reappears with a younger, more athletic body. He is presumed to have been empowered byLord Satanus, but claims to have undergone expensive plastic surgery and dieting. 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 byBrainiac 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 infected with akryptonite-infusednanotechnology virus and brought toS.T.A.R. Labs, whereSteel,Superboy, andSupergirl shrink to microscopic size to destroy the virus.[14][15]
In theOne Year Later storyline,Lex Luthor hires the Prankster to wreak havoc in Metropolis. WhileGreen Lantern andHawkgirl bring down Loomis and his army of traffic-light-men, his rampage is just a distraction while Luthor breaksKryptonite Man out of prison.[16]
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 Superman'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'. 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".[17]
He was seen in the new Injustice League and is one of the villains featured inSalvation Run.
Prankster was among the many of Superman's villains who were rounded up and placed in thePhantom Zone by the people ofKandor. Superman freed Prankster to be taken toBelle Reve.[18]
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 William Cole.[19]
Prankster is one of the criminals that is plaguingChicago. He has disabled New Western Station which William Cole's brother, Chicago mayor Wallace Cole, was about to reopen. Wallace later learned from the police that Prankster was behind the disabling of New Western Station.[20] Prankster gathers an army of followers who are sympathetic to his cause and broadcasts across Chicago, stating that Wallace is not what he claims to be and has been harboringTony Zucco.[21] Zucco shoots Prankster in the shoulder, but he survives. Nightwing is relieved to see that the bullets went clean through and Prankster will survive. As police arrive, Nightwing swings away leaving Zucco and Prankster to face justice.[19]
During theForever Evil storyline, Prankster is among the villains recruited by theCrime Syndicate of America to join theSecret Society of Super Villains.[22]
The Prankster has an arsenal oftrick 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.[14]
The Prankster appears as a character summon inScribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[23]
The Prankster appears inSmallville Season 11 #8. This version is a member ofIntergang partnered withMr. Freeze and a formerQueen Industries R&D developer who turned to crime after being inspired by his former coworkerToyman.[24]
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