Jack Ryder (New Earth)

The world has more than its share of troublemakers, tormentors and terrorists! And perhaps not quite enough forces of courage, strength and justice to combat them. But now -- a new force against evil is about to make its presence felt. A unique power, embodied in a remarkable character, and dedicated to the defeat of the destroyers. A man thrust accidentally into a dynamic destiny -- and who accepts the explosive challenge. For it is he who will defy those destroyers, and make them Beware the Creeper!!!

History

Overview

Jack Ryder, the Creeper is an outspoken television newscaster who moonlights as a seemingly out of control vigilante, an extreme personality that can go where the public figure can't. He operates out of Gotham City, and is currently a member of the Outsiders.

Origins

Jack Ryder has had several origins explaining his identity of the Creeper, each exclusive and different from the others.

Originally, Jack Ryder became the Creeper when he was powered with a serum given to him by Doctor Vincent Yatz, a scientist being hunted by the mob. The serum gave him enhanced strength and agility, and a second mechanical device allowed him to phase his costume in and out from his surroundings, so he could become the Creeper almost at will. Ryder chose a cackling and maniacal facade to frighten criminals.^[1]
After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Creeper's origins were different.^[2] While Ryder had been on the trail of a local mob boss at a masquerade party, he was captured, beaten, and injected with hallucinogens. Shot and left for dead, he was rescued by Doctor Yatz who implanted him with a device to keep him alive. The device meant to keep Jack Ryder separate from the Creeper accidentally imprinted the drugs in his system, causing the Creeper's activity to be genuinely psychotic. His garrish costumed disguise was also imprinted with him, as the Doctor had no time to remove it. In this form, Ryder eventually began to believe that he and the Creeper were two completely separate people.^[3]
After the Infinite Crisis, the Creeper appeared with a new origin once more.^[4] Ryder was accidentally injected with experimental nanocell technology, which additionally gave him regenerative capabilities. He found himself able to switch back and forth between being the Creeper at will.^[5] The Creeper entity has been revealed to be demonic in nature, and was called to fight during Reign in Hell.^[6]

Heroic Career

Fresh from his origins, the Creeper began fighting crime in Gotham City.^[7] His first nemesis was the supervillain Proteus, who met a violent demise during their encounters.^[8] Eventually, he would encounter Batman for his first superhero team-up.^[9] He met the rest of the Justice League of America when Batman asked them to help determine whether or not he was an outlaw.^[10] Although he was apparently forced to abandon his career when the device inside of him began malfunctioning,^[11] and spent some time as a News Anchor,^[12] he was later able to return to his double identity with Batman's help.^[13] An early meeting with the Joker caused confusion due to the similar appearances of the two.^[14]

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Creeper met the newly formed Justice League International during their fight with the Gray Man.^[15] Later, during a recruitment drive, he was deemed more suitable for Justice League reserve status rather than as a regular team member.^[16]

During The Darkness Within, the Creeper was tricked into taking up one of Eclipso's dark crystals, putting him under Eclipso's control.^[17] He was later freed by Bruce Gordon along with all the other enslaved superheroes.^[18] The Creeper and Gordon teamed up again to try and defeat Eclipso (The Creeper was chosen to join the Shadow Fighters team because of his dislike for Eclipso following his possession and also because he was mad enough to agree). Despite being caught and escaping once, the Creeper was eventually killed by Eclipso,^[19], when the team re-invaded the country Eclipso was ruling. The manner of his death was ironic as he was torn to shreds by laughing Eclipsed hyenas in the building in which the chemicals he was created by were manufactured.

The remains were recovered and there must have been enough left to regenerate, when it was strongly indicated that the convoluted Dr. Yatz origin of the Creeper was an implanted memory (or otherwise false), and that the Creeper's actual origins were somehow related to his longtime villain, Proteus.

Jack Ryder recently took over the demoted Clark Kent's beat.

He also shows up as a reporter for a Gotham City television station. Ryder is the anchorman of a show in which he deliberately antagonizes his guests to raise attentions on hot tematics, like stem cells theraphy and medical nanotech. While searching a scoop on the revolutionary "nanocells" therapy of Doctor Vincent Yatz, a mixture of nanotech and stem cell therapy able to enhance the body regenation at the point of giving a new skin to a badly scarred burn victim, he was caught in an attempt to steal Yatz his newly discovered tech. Unable to escape, Yatz injected into his body the last sample of nanocells, still unstable, in an attempt to keep it safe from the villains. But when they shot Ryder into his head, the regenerative substance interacted with his body chemistry resurrecting him as the Creeper. Ryder dispatched his opponents, discovering that now he's able to call forth his bestial alter-ego at will.

During Reign in Hell, Neron told the Lilith, the Mother of All Monsters, to call her children home. Among those who responded was the Creeper, who was physically Jack Ryder during one of his shows. He was shocked by this news.

After spending time alone traveling in Kahndaq, he was approached by Alfred Pennyworth.^[20] Pennyworth, reforming the Outsiders after the death of Batman,^[21] invited the Creeper to join his new team, an offer which Creeper accepted.^[22] In the new Outsiders, he is supposed to represent the terrifying and unpredictable quality of Batman.^[23]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Creeper Form: The Creeper's powers are physical in nature, as a result of Yatz's invention. Jack Ryder can transform into the Creeper virtually instantaneously, and vice versa.

Superhuman Agility: This enables him to perform amazing feats of acrobatics and leaping. He also seems able to climb walls with little or no difficulty.

Superhuman Stamina

Superhuman Strength: His strength is enough to enable him with one punch send grown men flying and jump high enough to scale buildings.

Enhanced Speed

Enhanced Reflexes

Superhuman Healing Factor: which enables him to heal from virtually any wound. Indeed, gunshots and stab wounds have healed in a matter of minutes. It even allowed him to return from death when his body regenerated after being torn apart by Eclipsed hyenas.

Hypnotic Intimidation: apparent intimidation/hypnosis ability as one of the thugs seems to be mesmerized after an encounter with the Creeper.

Pain Induced Laugh: his laugh is depicted as being physically painful to the ears of his victims.
Abilities

Expert Combatant: These combined abilities make Creeper a formidable fighter, incorporating brawling techniques with his physical prowess. A signature move is jumping onto the backs of his opponents and throwing them off balance.

Notes

Showcase #73

Following his debut in Showcase, the Creeper was given his own series Beware the Creeper, written by Dennis O'Neil (and plotted by Ditko for the first issue only), which lasted only six issues. (The storyline begun would be concluded in Super-Team Family #2 in 1975/76).

Apart from issue First Issue Special #7 (in 1975), and back-up series in Adventure Comics #445-447 (in 1976), World's Finest Comics #249-255 (in 1978-79) and The Flash #318-323 (in 1983), all the Creeper's subsequent appearances have been guest roles. Over the years, the Creeper's personality underwent changes by different writers; at times his deranged behavior was depicted as only an act to frighten criminals, while at other times he seemed genuinely psychotic. DC gave the Creeper another chance in a solo entitled The Creeper, lasting 12 issues including the one millionth, Len Kaminski focused on the break down of Jack Ryder's sanity as influenced by the Creeper and making many references to the previous continuity.

Trivia

Jack Ryder was born to the publisher of a successful Union Dispatch. His father's history would influence Jack's own future — but so would his mother's. She was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia while Jack was still a child and died in an institution.^[24]
A Creeper action figure was introduced by DC Direct in 2009 as part of their The History of the DC Universe line.

Creeper Action Figure

Links and References

Footnotes

Outsiders member

This character is or was primarily a member of the super-hero team known as the Outsiders, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Outsiders members" category.

[0] Showcase #73

[1] DC Comics Presents #88

[2] Secret Origins (Volume 2) #18

[3] Brave New World #1

[4] Creeper (Volume 2) #1-6

[5] Reign in Hell #1

[6] Beware the Creeper #1

[7] Beware the Creeper #6

[8] Brave and the Bold #80

[9] Justice League of America #70

[10] Detective Comics #418

[11] Detective Comics #445

[12] Detective Comics #447-448

[13] Joker #3

[14] Justice League #5-7

[15] Justice League International #24

[16] Eclipso: The Darkness Within #1

[17] Eclipso: The Darkness Within #2

[18] Eclipso #13

[19] Batman and the Outsiders Special #1

[20] Final Crisis #6

[21] Outsiders (Volume 4) #15

[22] Outsiders (Volume 4) #16

[23] Creeper #1

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Jack Ryder (New Earth)

From DC Database

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