Tattooed Man

TATTOOED MAN

Real Name: Abel Tarrant

Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Supervillain, formerly sailor

Group Affiliation: formerly Injustice Gang of the World, Suicide Squad

Known Relatives: unnamed parents

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Coast City, California

First Appearance: Green Lantern II #23 (September, 1963)

Powers: Tattooed Man's body was covered in tattoos that he could animate by touching them, and concentrating. Any break in his concentration caused the animated tattoo to disappear. Examples of his tattoos included a dragon, a serpent, a cannon, and a plane.

History: Tarrant was a sailor who turned to a life of crime, burglarizing a chemical concern. Security arrived during his looting, and he accidentally spilled a mystery chemical. It pooled into the shape of a bomb, and he touched it, wishing it was a real weapon. The chemical turned into a bomb, and Tarrant hurled it, effecting his escape. He later returned with a sponge to get a sample of the mystery compound, and used his proficiency in chemistry to replicate it. He found that by concentrating he could form the chemical into any object he thought of. To best use the chemical as a weapon, he transferred it into ink, and tattooed up his body with a number of offensive devices. Now dubbed the Tattooed Man, he became a supervillain, and clashed a number of times with Green lantern.

(Green Lantern III #2) - Tattooed Man survived Goldface’s attack and tried to forget his old life, finding work in a Manhattan tattoo parlor and occasionally unwinding by recreating his dream coastal cottage from a tattoo on his stomach. Guy Gardner came in for a tattoo and, recognizing him as one of Green Lantern's old foes, baited him into a fight. Their battle led to a small coastal town where Green Lantern Hal Jordan was working as a fisherman, and Hal and Guy defeated the Tattooed Man. The Tattooed Man liked the coastal town, and stuck around and took a job there.

(Green Lantern III #81) - Tattooed Man and a few of Green Lantern's other old enemies attended a memorial service for Hal, showing respect for their old foe.

(JLA #59) - Joker Jokerized a number of inmates at the Slab, including Tattooed Man. The insane Tattooed Man was captured, given an antidote to the Joker Venom, and put in a metahuman holding facility in Death Valley.

(Outsiders III #8) - Tattooed Man was contracted by Russian mobster Ishmael Gregor to steal several occult totems. Tattooed Man delivered the goods to Gregor, but was later captured by the Outsiders and put in Lockhaven prison. When Gregor used the totems in a blood sacrifice, Nightwing and Huntress of the Outsiders visited Tattooed Man in prison and forced him to reveal what he knew about Gregor.

(Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special #1) - The Society made plans for a worldwide prison break to free every incarcerated supervillain, and they sent Mammoth to free the Slab's inmates. Tattooed Man was one of the released inmates, but was defeated and sent back to his cell by Arsenal.

Comments: Created by Gardner Fox & Gil Kane.

Tattooed Man received a profile in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #23. He received an entry in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #11 under the Injustice Gang of the World entry.