Prankster

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).