Gnome

GNOME

Real Name: Ali Fargham

Class: Human technology-user

Occupation: Freebooter

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: NYC, NY, formerly Tehran, Iran, Earth-50

First Appearance: WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams (Image) #1 (August, 1992)

Powers: Gnome was a little person who wore a suit of battle armor to assist his mobility. One of his suits had cables hooked up to computer networks and he had a cache of hi-tech weaponry.

History: (WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams (Image) #0-2) - Gnome was a freebooter who sought the Orb of Power and sold information about Kherubim gifted ones to Jacob Marlowe, who was assembling the WildC.A.T.S., a strikeforce to combat the Daemonite invasion of Earth. He employed Coda warriors and the Triad as his hired muscle. Daemonite Helspont and the Cabal were seeking out both gifted ones and the Orb of Power. Cabal member Alberto Cassini sold out his group, revealing the location of gifted one Priscilla Kitaen to Gnome in exchange for money. Grifter and Zealot were seeking the gifted one who had “the sight,” the ability to see and exorcise Daemonites, and were on Gnome’s trail. Gnome ordered the Triad to attack them, and Zealot insisted Grifter find Kitaen while she dealt with them. Priscilla was an exotic dancer working under the stage name of Voodoo, and Grifter found her at the Hot Spot. Gnome sold the information he had on Voodoo to Jacob Marlowe, saying he didn’t want money, but a favor with no questions asked. The WildC.A.T.S. saved Voodoo from the Cabal, and later confronted the Cabal at S.D.I. Astronomics, where they were attempting to use the Orb of Power to open a gateway to the Daemonite homeworld. Vice president Dan Quayle was possessed by a Daemonite, and he sicced the government superteam Youngblood on the WildC.A.T.S. Gnome was pleased the events he orchestrated went exactly as planned, and sent the Triad to retrieve the Orb of Power for him.

(WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams (Image) #3, 4) - The WildC.A.T.S. and Youngblood clashed, with Spartan trying to explain that Dan Quayle was possessed, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Pike noticed that some of the WildC.A.T.S. were absent from the fight and took coda warrior Devin to the Astronomics control center, where Helspont and M’koi were opening the gateway to the Daemonite homeworld with the Orb. The rest of the WildC.A.T.S. appeared and attacked them. Gnome, who’d been playing the WildC.A.T.S. and Cabal against each other, broke into the Orb’s containment facility with the help of the Triad. Youngblood beat their opponents, but knew something was wrong when Dan Quayle pulled a handgun and prepared to execute Voodoo. Shaft tried to stop him, but Quayle shot him, with the bullet grazing Shaft’s head. Voodoo exorcised B’lial from Dan Quayle. The Cabal fended off the WildC.A.T.S. long enough to open a stargate with the Orb, and an armada of Daemonite warships poured forth. Youngblood and the WildC.A.T.S. fought Helspont. Spartan, willing to fight to the end, removed the relay switch, causing an explosion that blew him up but shut down the main control system, shutting the stargate. Helspont was furious that 30 years of work and planning on his part came to nothing, but vowed to snatch victory from defeat by claiming possession of the Orb. He opened the reactor core to find the Orb missing. Gnome and the Triad revealed themselves, with Gnome showing that he had control of the Orb claiming to rightfully belonged to him, and him alone. He blasted Helspont, critically injuring him. Void warned him that the Orb’s powers had become unstable, but he simply blasted her with it. Jacob Marlowe ordered him to drop the Orb, and Gnome reminded him he owed him a favor, which was to stay out of his way. Marlowe was fine with breaking his promise, shooting off the arm Gnome was holding the Orb with. The arm and Orb fell into a reactor and Gnome dove in to try to save his precious Orb. The Orb caused the reactor to go critical, and Youngblood, the Cabal and Triad all fled the facility. Marlowe lent his power to the weakened Void, allowing her to teleport the WildC.A.T.S. to safety. They celebrated with champagne, but Voodoo said she wasn’t in the mood for a victory lap because Spartan had to sacrifice himself to save the day. Marlowe showed her one of Spartan’s cyber-synthetic bodies, and said his mind and memories were currently being downloaded into it.

(WildC.A.T.S Special (Image) #1) - A Daemonite possessing Hollywood actor William Desmond lost his host when he overdosed, and he took over his attending physician Dr. Heath. He contacted Gnome, looking for a more suitable host body. He learned about a gifted one born in Yugoslavia that would be a suitable host, and assigned Providence to guide the Daemonite there. Gnome knew the WildC.A.T.S. were after the gifted child and contacted Baroness Destine, the ruler of Yugoslavia, warning her about them in an attempt to get back at Lord Emp. Emp put Voodoo and Grifter on the ground, with the rest of the team ready to back them up in their MIIRV. By talking to a bartended he knew Grifter learned about Eliska the Witch, a woman who had precog abilities and had just given birth. They arrived at Eliska’s house to find Destine, Providence and the Daemonite, who’d taken possession of the child. Voodoo was troubled by Providence, saying she sensed no evil in her, and Providence responded that she simply ensured events came to pass as they were destined to. Voodoo exorcised the Daemonite, and when their teammates came in as backup Warblade slew him. Grifter shot Destine through the chest, and Zealot was troubled that she did not feel her die even though all Coda were bonded. The WildC.A.T.S. brought Eliska and the child back to their ship, saying the child had a lot to learn about their Kherubim heritage.

Comments: Created by Jim Lee & Brandon Choi.

Gnome was originally published by Wildstorm Comics, an imprint of Image Comics, which DC acquired the rights to in January, 1999.

Gnome's appearance in WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams (Image) #1 was reprinted in Millennium Edition: WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams #1. His appearance in WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams (Image) #1-4 was reprinted in Absolute WildC.A.T.S., WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams (Image) #0-4 and WildC.A.T.S Special (Image) #1 was republished by DC Comics in a digital format.