Mindgrabber Kid
Encyclopedia
The Mindgrabber Kid a.k.a. Lucian Crawley is a fictional comics
superhero
(and occasional supervillain
) in the DC Universe
. He was created by Dennis O'Neil
and Dick Dillin
and first appeared in Justice League of America (vol. 1) #70 (March 1969), published by DC Comics
.
s and comic relief
. One notable exception is his short career as the brainwashed supervillain called Mind-Eater.
mind powers to fight crime under the name of Mindgrabber Kid. Upon seeing himself being constantly outshined by the "A-list" heroes in the Justice League of America, he turns jealous and decides to discredit them.
Reaching out with the power of his mind, the Mindgrabber Kid makes contact with a group of alien
spacemen, convincing them that the Justice League is a tyrannical super-regime, holding the planet Earth
in an iron grip. The good-hearted aliens immediately heads for Earth, determined to save the Earthlings from their super-dictatorship. Mindgrabber Kid then manipulates the aliens and the League into fighting each other, also involving the hero known as the Creeper
in the battle. The Kid soon watches the situation grow out of proportions, and after the League has won the fight, he explains the situation and apologizes for his shameful behaviour. Though disturbed, the League and the alien crew both accept his apology.
#8 (Fall 1992), he appears applying for membership in the hero team known as the Conglomerate
. Having gained quite a bit of weight, his costume looks even less impressive than before, and team funder Claire Montgomery questions him still calling himself a "kid" at his age. Crawley is only seen in one panel before being dismissed.
#10-12 (August-October 1995), Lucian Crawley is fetched from a mental asylum by representatives of the villainous organization called The August
. Posing as Crawley's relatives, the August's Alger and Camille kidnap the boy, brainwash him and amplify his powers, making him a tool in their plans to re-shape the world. Now called the Mind-Eater, the former hero wannabee is manipulated to battle the group called the Leymen (a.k.a. the Primal Force
), and defeats them. After the Leymen escape imprisonment with the help of Nightmaster
, they destroy the August's new world order, and the Mindgrabber Kid is missing after the cataclysm.
brought Mindgrabber Kid back from obscurity in 2005 in his Seven Soldiers
project. In the Zatanna
and Bulleteer
installments, the Mindgrabber Kid is once again a hero wannabee, calling himself "Mind-Grabber Man"; he receives tutelage from World War Two heroine the Human Bullet while secretly visiting hero therapy, appears on superhero conventions to boost his career, and entertains dreams of being "more popular than Superman" or even just teaming up with another super-powered being. He has come to realize that he will never reach the A-league of superheroes he desired to be part of all his life. After an alcohol-affected pity rant in the superhero convention bathroom, he strikes up a friendly relationship with the female Bulleteer and a bullet-proof bodyguard also attending the convention. A confused assassination attempt by I, Spyder
has a diamon-tipped arrow passing within a few inches of his head.
During the storyline, Mindgrabber Kid reveals that despite public perception, he is not gay, he only pretends to be so to avoid the romantic attentions of an older benefactor.
In the series 52
(2006), he returns with a bunch of other less popular heroes to carry the coffin at the (fake) funeral
of Booster Gold
. There are also Yellow Peri
, Abraham Lincoln, the Blimp
, the Odd Man and The Beefeater
.
In all his recent appearances, he vainly tries to make contact with female superheroes. After the funeral, Yellow Peri refuses his offer of his agent's contact information
He returns in the sixth issue of Morrison's Final Crisis
as part of a group of telepaths (including Miss Martian
) attempting to purge Darkseid
from the consciousness of the human race. His last appearance was during the 2010 Superman Celebration.
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
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 —...
(and occasional supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
) in the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. He was created by Dennis O'Neil
Dennis O'Neil
Dennis J. "Denny" O'Neil is an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of books until his retirement....
and Dick Dillin
Dick Dillin
Richard Allen "Dick" Dillin was an American comic book artist best known for an extraordinarily long 12-year run as the penciler of the DC Comics superhero-team series Justice League of America. He drew 115 issues from 1968 up until his death, bridging the venerable title's Mike Sekowsky and...
and first appeared in Justice League of America (vol. 1) #70 (March 1969), published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.
Fictional character biography
Mindgrabber Kid is a powerful mind-controller, but is more often than not portrayed as a nuisance rather than a hero. Except for his original adventure, his role has mostly been reduced to cameo appearanceCameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
s and comic relief
Comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
. One notable exception is his short career as the brainwashed supervillain called Mind-Eater.
Origin
When he first appears in the JLA comic book, Lucian Crawley enters the scene in a flashy costume, and displays his formidable mutantMutant
In biology and especially genetics, a mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character, arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not...
mind powers to fight crime under the name of Mindgrabber Kid. Upon seeing himself being constantly outshined by the "A-list" heroes in the Justice League of America, he turns jealous and decides to discredit them.
Reaching out with the power of his mind, the Mindgrabber Kid makes contact with a group of alien
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
spacemen, convincing them that the Justice League is a tyrannical super-regime, holding the planet Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
in an iron grip. The good-hearted aliens immediately heads for Earth, determined to save the Earthlings from their super-dictatorship. Mindgrabber Kid then manipulates the aliens and the League into fighting each other, also involving the hero known as the Creeper
Creeper (comics)
The Creeper is a fictional comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. Created by Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Showcase #73 .-Publication history:...
in the battle. The Kid soon watches the situation grow out of proportions, and after the League has won the fight, he explains the situation and apologizes for his shameful behaviour. Though disturbed, the League and the alien crew both accept his apology.
Conglomerate cameo
Mindgrabber Kid was obviously created as a one-story character, and was not seen again until more than twenty years later. In Justice League QuarterlyJustice League Quarterly
Justice League Quarterly was a quarterly American comic book series published by DC Comics from Winter 1990 to Winter 1994; it lasted 17 issues. It had a variable cast, pulling from the Justice League membership...
#8 (Fall 1992), he appears applying for membership in the hero team known as the Conglomerate
The Conglomerate (comics)
The Conglomerate is a fictional DC Comics superhero team. They first appeared in Justice League Quarterly #1 .-Fictional background:...
. Having gained quite a bit of weight, his costume looks even less impressive than before, and team funder Claire Montgomery questions him still calling himself a "kid" at his age. Crawley is only seen in one panel before being dismissed.
Becoming the Mind-Eater
In Primal ForcePrimal Force
Primal Force is a comic book series which was published by DC Comics from October 1994 to December 1995 and ran fifteen issues, including a zero numbered issue. The series starred The Leymen, a magic-themed superhero team in the fictional DC Universe...
#10-12 (August-October 1995), Lucian Crawley is fetched from a mental asylum by representatives of the villainous organization called The August
The August
the august is a country rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 2005 now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Members include Jacky Dustin, Wojtek Krupka, Tim Good and Cameron Clarke...
. Posing as Crawley's relatives, the August's Alger and Camille kidnap the boy, brainwash him and amplify his powers, making him a tool in their plans to re-shape the world. Now called the Mind-Eater, the former hero wannabee is manipulated to battle the group called the Leymen (a.k.a. the Primal Force
Primal Force
Primal Force is a comic book series which was published by DC Comics from October 1994 to December 1995 and ran fifteen issues, including a zero numbered issue. The series starred The Leymen, a magic-themed superhero team in the fictional DC Universe...
), and defeats them. After the Leymen escape imprisonment with the help of Nightmaster
Nightmaster
The Nightmaster is a fictional character, a sword and sorcery hero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Showcase #82 , and was created by Denny O'Neil and Jerry Grandenetti.-Publication history:...
, they destroy the August's new world order, and the Mindgrabber Kid is missing after the cataclysm.
Return to not-so-greatness
Writer Grant MorrisonGrant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
brought Mindgrabber Kid back from obscurity in 2005 in his Seven Soldiers
Seven Soldiers
Seven Soldiers is a comic book metaseries written by Grant Morrison and published by DC Comics. It was published as seven interrelated mini-series and two bookend issues. The series features a new version of the Seven Soldiers of Victory fighting to save Earth from the Sheeda.-Publication...
project. In the Zatanna
Zatanna
Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...
and Bulleteer
Bulleteer
Bulleteer is a fictional character and DC Comics superheroine, a member of the Seven Soldiers. She debuted in Seven Soldiers: The Bulleteer #1 , and was created by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette...
installments, the Mindgrabber Kid is once again a hero wannabee, calling himself "Mind-Grabber Man"; he receives tutelage from World War Two heroine the Human Bullet while secretly visiting hero therapy, appears on superhero conventions to boost his career, and entertains dreams of being "more popular than Superman" or even just teaming up with another super-powered being. He has come to realize that he will never reach the A-league of superheroes he desired to be part of all his life. After an alcohol-affected pity rant in the superhero convention bathroom, he strikes up a friendly relationship with the female Bulleteer and a bullet-proof bodyguard also attending the convention. A confused assassination attempt by I, Spyder
Alias the Spider
Alias the Spider was a fairly obscure comic book feature from the Golden Age of Comic Books that appeared in Crack Comics for nearly three years...
has a diamon-tipped arrow passing within a few inches of his head.
During the storyline, Mindgrabber Kid reveals that despite public perception, he is not gay, he only pretends to be so to avoid the romantic attentions of an older benefactor.
In the series 52
52 (comics)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
(2006), he returns with a bunch of other less popular heroes to carry the coffin at the (fake) funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
of Booster Gold
Booster Gold
Booster Gold is a fictional DC Comics superhero. Created by Dan Jurgens, he first appeared in Booster Gold #1 and has been a member of the Justice League, DC Comics' all-star team of heroes. The character is initially depicted as a glory-seeking showboat from the future, using knowledge of...
. There are also Yellow Peri
Yellow Peri
The Yellow Peri is a fictional character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The New Adventures of Superboy #34 , and was created by Bob Rozakis and Kurt Schaffenberger.-Fictional character biography:...
, Abraham Lincoln, the Blimp
Inferior Five
The Inferior Five are a parody superhero team that premiered in the DC Comics title Showcase #62 . Created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Joe Orlando and Mike Esposito , the group was intended as a parody not only of the Fantastic Four, but of all the superhero teams whose members had such great...
, the Odd Man and The Beefeater
The Beefeater
The Beefeater is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He appeared in his civilian identity as Michael Morice in Justice League International Annual #3 , and debuted as Beefeater in Justice League Europe #20 in a story by Keith Giffen, Gerard Jones and Marshall...
.
In all his recent appearances, he vainly tries to make contact with female superheroes. After the funeral, Yellow Peri refuses his offer of his agent's contact information
He returns in the sixth issue of Morrison's Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
as part of a group of telepaths (including Miss Martian
Miss Martian
Miss Martian is a superhero in the . Miss Martian was created by Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel and first appeared in Teen Titans #37 . Miss Martian is named "Megan Morse" after Marvel Comics associate editor Ben Morse's wife, Megan...
) attempting to purge Darkseid
Darkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
from the consciousness of the human race. His last appearance was during the 2010 Superman Celebration.
Appearances
- Justice League of America #70 (March 1969): "Versus the Creeper"
- Justice League Quarterly #8 (fall 1992): "Double Trouble!"
- Primal Force #10 (August 1995): "The Inside"
- Primal Force #11 (September 1995): "Siege"
- Primal Force #12 (October 1995): "Virtues"
- Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #1 (June 2005): "Talking Backwards Sdrawkcab Gniklat"
- Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #3 (April 2006): "21st Century Schizoid Supermen"
- 52 #18 (September 2006): "Dismantled"
- Final Crisis #6 (January 2009): "How to Murder the Earth"
- Super Friends #19 (November 2009): "Head of the Class"