Grasshopper (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Grasshopper is the name of multiple humorous Marvel Comics
superhero
es, all created by Dan Slott
. No Grasshopper to date has survived past the issue they first appeared in. The Grasshoppers are a simultaneous homage
to and satire
of stereotypical superheroes and Marvel's tendency towards animal-themed characters. They are also a lampoon of the tendency of superhero team books to introduce new, hastily developed characters only to dramatically kill them off within a few issues. The complicated romantic troubles of the first Grasshopper recall many characters with similar subplot
s (Spider-Man
, for instance), as does the unlikely family background of the second.
in the Marvel Comics
universe who first appeared in the pages of the "GLA: Misassembled
" miniseries of 2005. The character was created by Dan Slott
and Paul Pelletier
. He was a member of the Great Lakes Avengers
for 5.8 seconds.
breaking out-of-continuity prequel presented by Squirrel Girl
, he did not appear in continuity until the next issue.
It is revealed that Grasshopper is in fact Doug Taggert, an employee of Roxxon Oil who pines after fellow Roxxon researcher Cindy Shelton, who in turn only has eyes for the "ever-gregarious Grasshopper" (thus setting up a classic comic-book style love triangle
). Later it is clarified that Grasshopper is "part-time Roxxon security" who does "some super heroing on the side." Though it is never so stated, the implication is that Roxxon designed and built the gear which is the source of Grasshopper's powers. Soon Grasshopper meets up with the GLA as they both try to stop a robbery being committed by Batroc's Brigade
. During the course of the battle, Grasshopper agrees to join up with the GLA ... and then almost immediately is killed by a sai
thrown by supervillain Zaran
after it passed through fellow teammate Doorman
. As team sidekick Monkey Joe comments off-panel, "Five point eight seconds. A new record for shortest membership on ANY team."
Doug Taggert briefly appears, showing up in a limbo
-like afterlife hanging out with other deceased GLA'ers. Though not particularly cheery in demeanor, he didn't seem too upset about his unfortunate fate either.
in the Marvel Comics
universe who first appeared in the pages of the GLX-Mas Special #1, a Marvel Comics
title, in 2005. The character was created by Dan Slott and artist Ty Templeton
, who based his design on Paul Pelletier
's design for Grasshopper I.
It was not made clear if he was a member of the Great Lakes X-Men (as the GLA
were called at the time) before he, like Doug Taggart, was killed in action.
and Spider-Man
; borrowing many aspects of each's histories.
Like Taggart before him, Shelton didn't live more than one issue.
. The suit's primary ability is that of a fantastic vertical leap, which is powered by robotic grasshopper legs. Its secondary abilities include Insectroid Sensors, which work as an early warning system, and the suit's Zoom Lenses, which provide long range sight. Voice activated commands can be used to initiate some of the suit's powers.
While patrolling outside of Roxxon Labs on Christmas Day, Shelton defeated Killer Shrike
(himself a former employee of Roxxon) during the villain's attempt to steal "Project Z".
Dr. Cindy Shelton shows up to recover the "Project Z" device and, unaware that this is a new wearer of the suit, invites Grasshopper to dinner. Via thought balloon, Neil states that he is secretly Cindy's long lost brother and must deny her feelings. This revelation makes the previous Grasshopper/Cindy Shelton love triangle even more bizarre. To escape Cindy's amorous advances, Neil initiates a "Maximum Jump", rocketing heroically into the air. However, it is later revealed (when Doorman
in his new role as an angel of death shows up to pick up his spirit) that the jump propelled Grasshopper into space, killing him. His sacrifice was not completely in vain, as Grasshopper's body re-entered the Earth's atmosphere to become a beautiful Christmas shooting star
.
in the Marvel Comics
universe who first appeared in the pages of the Deadpool/GLI
Summer Fun Spectacular #1 in 2007. He was created by writer Dan Slott
and artist Kieron Dwyer
, who based his design on Paul Pelletier
's design for the original Grasshopper.
Virtually no information was revealed about him other than his status as "The All-New Grasshopper" before a disgruntled Deadpool
killed him by snapping his neck after being kicked off the Great Lakes Initiative
.
in the Marvel Comics
universe who first appeared in the pages of the Avengers: The Initiative #19 in 2008. He was created by writers Dan Slott
and Christos Gage
.
This Grasshopper turned out to be a Skrull
impostor as part of the Secret Invasion
. While Mr Immortal was shocked to find that he was an imposter, Big Bertha thought it was ridiculously obvious. After the invasion is over, the real Grasshopper isn't shown in a support group meeting with the others that had been replaced by Skrulls.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es, all created by Dan Slott
Dan Slott
Dan Slott is an American comic book writer best known for The Amazing Spider-Man, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and She-Hulk. He is the current writer of the twice monthly The Amazing Spider-Man.-Early writing:...
. No Grasshopper to date has survived past the issue they first appeared in. The Grasshoppers are a simultaneous homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to and satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
of stereotypical superheroes and Marvel's tendency towards animal-themed characters. They are also a lampoon of the tendency of superhero team books to introduce new, hastily developed characters only to dramatically kill them off within a few issues. The complicated romantic troubles of the first Grasshopper recall many characters with similar subplot
Subplot
A subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
s (Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, for instance), as does the unlikely family background of the second.
Doug Taggert
Grasshopper is a fictional superheroSuperhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe who first appeared in the pages of the "GLA: Misassembled
Great Lakes Avengers
The Great Lakes Initiative, originally known as The Great Lakes Avengers , are a fictional superhero team that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters were first introduced in West Coast Avengers vol. 2, #46 , and were created by John Byrne.-Publication history:The team...
" miniseries of 2005. The character was created by Dan Slott
Dan Slott
Dan Slott is an American comic book writer best known for The Amazing Spider-Man, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and She-Hulk. He is the current writer of the twice monthly The Amazing Spider-Man.-Early writing:...
and Paul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier is an American comic book penciller.-Career:Pelletier began working as a professional comic artist in the late 1980s. His first work appeared in Zen: Intergalactic Ninja. He has worked for renowned comics publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics as well as for the now out of business...
. He was a member of the Great Lakes Avengers
Great Lakes Avengers
The Great Lakes Initiative, originally known as The Great Lakes Avengers , are a fictional superhero team that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters were first introduced in West Coast Avengers vol. 2, #46 , and were created by John Byrne.-Publication history:The team...
for 5.8 seconds.
Fictional character biography
Although first appearing when he joined in a fourth wallFourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
breaking out-of-continuity prequel presented by Squirrel Girl
Squirrel Girl
Squirrel Girl, real name Doreen Green, is a fictional character and superhero in the . Her first appearance was in Marvel Super-Heroes #8 , in a story plotted and drawn by Steve Ditko and scripted by Will Murray. Her ability to control squirrels is surprisingly powerful and has allowed her to...
, he did not appear in continuity until the next issue.
It is revealed that Grasshopper is in fact Doug Taggert, an employee of Roxxon Oil who pines after fellow Roxxon researcher Cindy Shelton, who in turn only has eyes for the "ever-gregarious Grasshopper" (thus setting up a classic comic-book style love triangle
Love triangle
A love triangle is usually a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two...
). Later it is clarified that Grasshopper is "part-time Roxxon security" who does "some super heroing on the side." Though it is never so stated, the implication is that Roxxon designed and built the gear which is the source of Grasshopper's powers. Soon Grasshopper meets up with the GLA as they both try to stop a robbery being committed by Batroc's Brigade
Batroc the Leaper
Batroc the Leaper is a fictional villain from Marvel Comics. His first appearance was in Tales of Suspense #75, 1966...
. During the course of the battle, Grasshopper agrees to join up with the GLA ... and then almost immediately is killed by a sai
Sai (weapon)
The sai is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon. The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, dagger-shaped metal truncheon, with two curved prongs called yoku projecting from the handle...
thrown by supervillain Zaran
Zaran
Zaran is a Marvel Comics super-villain, and is a codename carried by two characters related to another.-Maximillian Zaran:-Fictional character biography:...
after it passed through fellow teammate Doorman
Doorman (comics)
Doorman is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe that first appeared in the pages of the Avengers West Coast in 1989.-Fictional character biography:...
. As team sidekick Monkey Joe comments off-panel, "Five point eight seconds. A new record for shortest membership on ANY team."
Doug Taggert briefly appears, showing up in a limbo
Limbo
In the theology of the Catholic Church, Limbo is a speculative idea about the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the damned. Limbo is not an official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church or any other...
-like afterlife hanging out with other deceased GLA'ers. Though not particularly cheery in demeanor, he didn't seem too upset about his unfortunate fate either.
Powers and abilities
The first Grasshopper's powers are derived entirely from a powered suit, metallic green in color and with an appearance reminiscent of his namesake. The suit's primary ability is that of a fantastic vertical leap, powered by long, robotic hindlegs. These legs can also deliver devastating kicks. Its secondary abilities include "Insectroid Sensors", which work as an early warning system, and the suit's Zoom Lenses, which provide long range sight. Voice activated commands can be used to initiate some of the suit's powers. A notable fault of the suit seems to be that, despite its stiff and sturdy appearance, it offers little to no armor protection to the wearer (thus allowing a simple hand-thrown weapon to pierce the head, normally one of the most heavily defended areas on a suit of armor). It is unknown whether Taggart's suit had the "Maximum Jump" ability his successor Neil Shelton (unfortunately) had while using the suit.Significant Issues
- GLA: Misassembled #2
- GLX-Mas Special #1 - (Shelton becomes the Grasshopper)
Neil Shelton
The second Grasshopper is a fictional, corporate superheroSuperhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe who first appeared in the pages of the GLX-Mas Special #1, a Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
title, in 2005. The character was created by Dan Slott and artist Ty Templeton
Ty Templeton
Ty Templeton is a popular Canadian comic book artist and writer who has drawn a number of popular mainstream titles, TV-associated titles and his own series.-Biography:Templeton was born on May 9, 1962...
, who based his design on Paul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier is an American comic book penciller.-Career:Pelletier began working as a professional comic artist in the late 1980s. His first work appeared in Zen: Intergalactic Ninja. He has worked for renowned comics publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics as well as for the now out of business...
's design for Grasshopper I.
It was not made clear if he was a member of the Great Lakes X-Men (as the GLA
Great Lakes Avengers
The Great Lakes Initiative, originally known as The Great Lakes Avengers , are a fictional superhero team that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters were first introduced in West Coast Avengers vol. 2, #46 , and were created by John Byrne.-Publication history:The team...
were called at the time) before he, like Doug Taggart, was killed in action.
Publication history
The Grasshopper is a combined homage to Iron ManIron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
and Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
; borrowing many aspects of each's histories.
Like Taggart before him, Shelton didn't live more than one issue.
Fictional character biography
Neil Shelton was a security guard for Roxxon who gained use of the Grasshopper suit some time after Doug Taggert's death. As the second Grasshopper, he used a powered armor similar to that of Iron ManIron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
. The suit's primary ability is that of a fantastic vertical leap, which is powered by robotic grasshopper legs. Its secondary abilities include Insectroid Sensors, which work as an early warning system, and the suit's Zoom Lenses, which provide long range sight. Voice activated commands can be used to initiate some of the suit's powers.
While patrolling outside of Roxxon Labs on Christmas Day, Shelton defeated Killer Shrike
Killer Shrike
Killer Shrike is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain. He first appeared in Rampaging Hulk #1 and was created by John Warner and John Buscema-Fictional character biography:...
(himself a former employee of Roxxon) during the villain's attempt to steal "Project Z".
Dr. Cindy Shelton shows up to recover the "Project Z" device and, unaware that this is a new wearer of the suit, invites Grasshopper to dinner. Via thought balloon, Neil states that he is secretly Cindy's long lost brother and must deny her feelings. This revelation makes the previous Grasshopper/Cindy Shelton love triangle even more bizarre. To escape Cindy's amorous advances, Neil initiates a "Maximum Jump", rocketing heroically into the air. However, it is later revealed (when Doorman
Doorman (comics)
Doorman is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe that first appeared in the pages of the Avengers West Coast in 1989.-Fictional character biography:...
in his new role as an angel of death shows up to pick up his spirit) that the jump propelled Grasshopper into space, killing him. His sacrifice was not completely in vain, as Grasshopper's body re-entered the Earth's atmosphere to become a beautiful Christmas shooting star
METEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
.
Grasshopper III
The third Grasshopper is a fictional superheroSuperhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe who first appeared in the pages of the Deadpool/GLI
Great Lakes Avengers
The Great Lakes Initiative, originally known as The Great Lakes Avengers , are a fictional superhero team that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters were first introduced in West Coast Avengers vol. 2, #46 , and were created by John Byrne.-Publication history:The team...
Summer Fun Spectacular #1 in 2007. He was created by writer Dan Slott
Dan Slott
Dan Slott is an American comic book writer best known for The Amazing Spider-Man, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and She-Hulk. He is the current writer of the twice monthly The Amazing Spider-Man.-Early writing:...
and artist Kieron Dwyer
Kieron Dwyer
Kieron Dwyer is an American comic book artist and penciller.-Biography:Dwyer is best known for his work on Captain America vol. 1 , Danger Unlimited , Action Comics , Avengers Kieron Dwyer (born March 6, 1967) is an American comic book artist and penciller.-Biography:Dwyer is best known for his...
, who based his design on Paul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier is an American comic book penciller.-Career:Pelletier began working as a professional comic artist in the late 1980s. His first work appeared in Zen: Intergalactic Ninja. He has worked for renowned comics publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics as well as for the now out of business...
's design for the original Grasshopper.
Virtually no information was revealed about him other than his status as "The All-New Grasshopper" before a disgruntled Deadpool
Deadpool (comics)
Deadpool is a fictional character, a mercenary and anti-hero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool first appeared in The New Mutants #98 Deadpool (Wade Winston Wilson) is a fictional character, a mercenary and...
killed him by snapping his neck after being kicked off the Great Lakes Initiative
Great Lakes Avengers
The Great Lakes Initiative, originally known as The Great Lakes Avengers , are a fictional superhero team that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters were first introduced in West Coast Avengers vol. 2, #46 , and were created by John Byrne.-Publication history:The team...
.
Grasshopper IV
The fourth Grasshopper is a fictional characterFictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe who first appeared in the pages of the Avengers: The Initiative #19 in 2008. He was created by writers Dan Slott
Dan Slott
Dan Slott is an American comic book writer best known for The Amazing Spider-Man, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and She-Hulk. He is the current writer of the twice monthly The Amazing Spider-Man.-Early writing:...
and Christos Gage
Christos Gage
Christos N. "Chris" Gage is an American comic book writer and screenwriter.-Early life:Gage is the son of author and journalist Nicholas Gage. He was born in New York, and grew up in Athens, Greece, and then North Grafton, Massachusetts...
.
This Grasshopper turned out to be a Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
impostor as part of the Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
. While Mr Immortal was shocked to find that he was an imposter, Big Bertha thought it was ridiculously obvious. After the invasion is over, the real Grasshopper isn't shown in a support group meeting with the others that had been replaced by Skrulls.
External links
- Great Lakes Avengers
- MDP: Grasshopper (Doug Taggert) (Marvel Database Project)
- http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/grasshoppergladp.htm