Prankster

Revision as of 05:30, 17 June 2008

The so-called "clown king of the underworld" (S No. 69/1, Mar/Apr 1951: "The Prankster's Apprentice!"), a "cunning" and "ruthless" criminal with "a dangerous sense of humor" (S No. 50/2, Jan/Feb 1948: "The Slogans that Came Too True!") who is forever playing pranks on people, including his own henchmen (Act No. 104, Jan 1947: "Candytown, USA"; and others), and who likes nothing better than to pull an uproarious prank-filled crime while at the same time making a monkey out of Superman (S No. 55/1, Nov/Dec 1948: "Prankster's Second Childhood"; and others).

Lois Lane has described the Prankster as “the most dangerous of all practical jokers” (S No. 37/2, Nov/Dec ‘45: “Pranks for Profit!”), while Superman has referred to him as an “addle-brained foul ball” (S No. 50/2, Jan/Feb 1948: “The Slogans That Came Too True!”) and Clark Kent has called him an “overgrown juvenile delinquent” (S No. 61/1, Nov/Dec 1949: “The Prankster’s Radio Program!”). Even the underworld is wary of the Prankster, for in the words of gangster “Bugs” Halloway, “He’s got a reputation for making saps outa smart guys” (S No. 22/3, May/Jun 1943: “The Great ABC Panic!”).

By his own, somewhat less modest account, however, the Prankster is “the funniest man in the world” (Act No. 95, Apr 1946: “The Laughing Stock of Metropolis!”) and the greatest criminal of all (S No. 52/1, May/Jun 1948: “Preview of Plunder”; and others). “What makes me so world-famous?” asks the Prankster rhetorically in March-April 1952. “It’s my sense of humor! Larceny with laughs has been my motto!” (S No. 75/1: “The Prankster’s Star Pupil!”).

Described as “Superman’s most fiendish foe” (Act No. 109, Jun 1947: “The Man Who Robbed the Mint!”), the Prankster is a man in his middle 30s, five feet tall, weighing approximately 125 pounds (S No. 41/1, Jul/Aug 1946: “Too Many Pranksters!”). He has slicked-down red hair and a narrow moustache, a pointy nose, and large “cup-shaped ears [that] begin wiggling like mad” whenever he is struck by an evil inspiration (S No. 22/3, May/Jun 1943: “The Great ABC Panic!”). He speaks in a bombastic, highfalutin manner, often saying “Aye and verily,” for example, instead of “yes” (Act No. 51, Aug 1942: “The Case of the Crimeless Crimes”; and others). His laughter has been described as “sinister” (Act No. 109, Jun 1947: “The Man Who Robbed the Mint!”), and he is often portrayed as having wide gaps between several of his front teeth, giving him the appearance of a fiendish jack-o’-lantern (Act No, 51, Aug 1942: “The Case of the Crimeless Crimes”; and many others).

The Prankster is immensely egotistical. In May- June 1948, for example, after reading press accounts of Superman’s recent capture of the Toyman and thwarting of Lex Luthor's latest “gigantic scientific hoax,” the Prankster reacts contemptuously. “Bah!” he exclaims. “If that fool Luthor could think up something gigantic, swiping a library book would be a sensation! And what’s clever about the Toyman? Why—compared to me, he’s just a third-rate petty- larceny punk who made the big time on lucky breaks!”

“What’s eatin’ ya, Prankster?” interjects one of the Prankster’s henchmen. “With them guys in jail, you got less competition!”

“That’s not the point!” retorts the Prankster. “Those punks are getting all the publicity! —While my great criminal talents are being forgotten!” (S No. 52/1: “Preview of Plunder”).

The Prankster is the “prince of practical jokers” (Act No. 151, Dec 1950: “Superman’s Super-Magic Show!”), and his penchant for prankishness is exhibited repeatedly in the chronicles. On one occasion, he frightens the wits out of a Metropolis policeman with a gun that fires little toy parachutes instead of bullets, and on another he and his henchmen invade a bank armed with pistols and machine guns that shoot fireworks, corks, and streams of water (Act No. 51, Aug 1942: “The Case of the Crimeless Crimes”).

Particularly in his early appearances, however, the Prankster is fiendish as well as mirthful— carrying a deadly “miniature gun” concealed inside a playful-looking flute, attempting to annihilate his own henchmen with poison gas so that he can keep their share of the loot for himself (Act No.51, Aug 1542: “The Case of the Crimeless Crimes”; and others).

In the course of more than twenty separate encounters with Superman, the Prankster has employed a number of ingenious aliases and alternate identities to help him carry out his nefarious schemes, including P.R. Ankster and Ajax Wilde (S No. 37/2, Nov/Dec 1945: “Pranks for Profit!”); Mr. Van Prank, Colonel P.R. Ankster, Mr. Frank Ster, and Professor Smythe (S No. 61/1, Nov/Dec 1949: “The Prankster’s Radio Program!”); and DR. Dawson (S No. 70/3, May/Jun 1951: “The Pied Piper Prankster!”).