Tar Pit

TAR PIT

Real Name: Joseph V. Monteleone

Class: Human mutant

Occupation: Criminal

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: Jack Monteleone (brother)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Keystone City

First Appearance: Flash II #174 (July, 2001)

Powers: Joey could project his astral spirit and have it inhabit inanimate objects. His spirit is currently stuck in the form of animated tar, and in this form he possessed superhuman durability, the power to regenerate damage and could fling globs of tar at opponents.

History: (Flash II #174, Flash Secret Files #3) - Joey's older brother Jack was a drug kingpin in Keystone City, and tried to give Joey work in trafficking. Joey never took his job seriously and soon ended up in Iron Heights penitentiary. When it finally occurred to him that his brother couldn't get him out of this mess Joey took to meditation to relax. He discovered he had the mutant ability to project his astral form into inanimate objects and animate them. He spent his nights animating objects outside of prison and causing havoc. One day his astral self got stuck in an animated vat of tar, but Joey didn't mind. Naming himself Tar Pit he forgot about his old body that had fallen into a coma in Iron Heights. Tar Pit crashed a Keystone Combines hockey play-off game, attacking the players and antagonizing the crowd. The unlikely team of Captain Cold and Flash III defeated him and sent him to Iron Heights.

(Flash: Iron Heights #1) - Iron Heights; Flash III and Pied Piper walked past Tar Pit’s cell but Tar Pit was feeling too miserable to notice.

(Flash II #192, 193) - Gorilla Grodd mentally possessed a number of Gorilla City inhabitants to have them bust him out of Iron Heights. Along the way they released numerous other criminals, including Tar Pit.

(Flash II #207, 208) - Tar Pit, Abra Kadabra, Plunder and Trickster II disrupted a parade honoring Flash III. They were defeated by Flash I, Flash III and Kid Flash.

(Flash II #217) - Tar Pit and the Rogues held a funeral for Captain Boomerang in Avernus.

(Flash II #222-225) - Top mind-controlled Tar Pit, Girder, Double Down, Murmur and Plunder to act as his Rogues, and then challenged Captain Cold for the leadership of the Rogues. Cold killed Top for causing dissent among the Rogues while Top’s flunkies attacked Flash. Flash fought them off and knocked them out, but didn’t apprehend them because he had to deal with Zoom. Tar Pit and the others were saved from capture by Mirror Master, who opened mirror portals to provide an escape route.

Comments: Created by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins.

Tar Pit was profiled in Flash Secret Files #3.

Flash II #190 showed a photo of Tarpit in Rogue profile Hunter Zoloman’s office.

Flash II #195 showed pictures of at-large Rogues, including Tar Pit, in the KCPD squadroom. Flash II #204 showed a picture of Tar Pit and other Rogues in the KCPD squadroom.