Character Reclamations and the Trapster

I firmly believe that there is no such thing as a bad comic book character. A comic book character is only as good as the person writing her or him.

As a prime example, let's take a look at the Flash's Rogues, specifically, Captain Cold, the Top, Heatwave, the Trickster, Mirror Master, Captain Boomerang, Weather Wizard, and the Turtle. In the 50's, and 60's, these characters were treated seriously by the people writing them, and in turn by their superhero adversary, the Flash. The 80's however, were not kind to the Rogues. In the 80's, comics took a darker turn as "Watchmen" and Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" amongst other works made the comic stories of days past, and their colorful villains seem....quaint.

What place did Captain Cold, a guy in a parka with a cold gun, have in the gritty, dirty world of comics in the 80's? Didn't the Top, a villain with a theme based on a child's toy, seem silly in a world upended by "Watchmen"? And geez, how did we ever think these guys could fight a hero like the Flash who can move at the speed of light?

The Rogues didn't go away, they just got sillier. The Flash would take them out with ease when they tried to rob a bank. As we moved into the 90's, the Flash took on all kinds of new enemies with wonky speed and energy manipulating powers.

Then, a funny thing happened.

A writer came along who took the Rogues seriously. He made them interesting personalities. Geoff Johns looked at Captain Cold, silly parka and all, and made him a bad ass. He went from being an also ran to an old bastard with a cold gun who would kill when he needed to.

He realized that most of the Flash's enemies had powers that, while they seemed silly, were perfect for fighting a superhero who's powers were based on speed. How is the Flash supposed to run if Heatwave melts the ground out from under him? Or if the Trickster litters the road with exploding, incendiary jacks?

Geoff Johns took the Rogues, and made them cool for the first time in decades, and by making the Flash's foes better, the Flash himself became better, more interesting than he had been in years.

Since the late nineties, reclamation projects like the one that Johns did for the Rogues have become very commonplace in comics. Old Golden Age and Silver Age characters have been dusted off, and made relevant again by the writers of today.

There is one character though, who I think still needs to get his due.

The Trapster, otherwise known as Paste Pot Pete.

But isn't he that lame Frightful Four member who shoots glue? Isn't glue lame?

Well, sure at first glance, but let's really think about the Trapster's glue guns, and other weapons for a minute. The Trapster has stopped the Thing in his tracks, walked up and down walls (like Spider Man!) and rendered the stretchy cells of Mr. Fantastic's body inert. The Trapster is an expert chemist who has been fighting superheroes for YEARS, and he knows how to stop them. Think of what this guy could do with all of his crazy glues! Maybe he could create a solvent that made Spider Man's webbing fall apart. Maybe he could create an oxidizing glue that caused Colossus's steel skin to rust. Maybe he could make a glue that got stronger as the Hulk struggled more against it! The possibilities are endless.

And what about his personality? Well how does ol' Pete feel about being an also-ran? Does he like kowtowing to the Wizard on all of those Frightful Four missions? Does he have a blue collar work ethic? Or the keen mind of a scientist?

See? There's a ton to work with there. I think the Trapster, or any "Lame" character can be made better with just a little TLC from a talented writer.