Terra-Man
Terra-Man
The super-scientific cowboy who is Superman's sworn enemy.
Terra-Man was "born on Earth 100 years ago, but raised on a faraway world where he learned science far beyond what we know here. He uses this alien science to do evil" (Act No. 468, Feb 1977: "Terra at Nine O'Clock!").
This mustachioed "souped-up Westerner" (Act No. 468) has used a variety of futuristic tools, disguised as 19th-Century weapons, in his many crime-sprees and bids to destroy or humiliate Superman. Among these are his remote control lariat and his twin revolvers --in reality technologically sophisticated, multi-use pistols. Every inch a dude, Terra-Man wears a cowboy hat and boots, yellow shirt, green cape, and brown trousers with chaps. For transportation he uses the space-born Nova, a winged horse.
Terra-Man has the ability to withstand the rigours of outer-space without apparent protection or breathing apparatus. He is fond of enacting crimes with an Old-West theme and speaks in a Cowboy dialect.
In the texts, Terra-Man is alternately referred to as the Crooked Cowboy, the Buckaroo Bandit, and the Cosmic Cowboy. In addition, he has been described as a "juiced-up Jesse James" (Act No. 469, Mar 1977: "The Night Superman was Buried on Boot Hill!").
Superman first battles Terra-Man in March 1972 while undergoing the peak of a 6-year-long Kryptonian emotional cycle. It is revealed that Terra-Man is in reality Toby Manning, an Earth human from the late 1800s. When Manning's bandit father Jess Manning was killed by an alien, the alien abducted the boy and raised him as a thief on his spaceship, giving him special abilities and weapons. Upon reaching adulthood, Manning (dubbed Terra-Man by the alien because of his Earth origins) kills the alien and returns to Earth (S No. 249, Mar 1972: "The Challenge of Terra-Man!").
