PAUL SAME

Real Name: Paul Same

Identity/Class: Human, somnambulist

Occupation: Artist, former vigilante

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Abu Ho Dadi, Ali Wazoo, Howard the Duck, Howard H. Howard, Iris Raritan, Carol Starkowitz, Claude Starkowitz, Beverly Switzler, Lee Switzler, Underground Railway, Winda Wester

Enemies: B.E.S.T., Doctor Bong, Xavier Couture, prince Hassim, Ignatz Hubley

Known Relatives: Parents (unnamed)

Aliases: the Winky-Man, the Nightshirt Guerilla; "Sleepy" (childhood nickname)

Base of Operations: Cleveland, Ohio

First Appearance: Howard the Duck I#4 (July, 1976)

Powers/Abilities: Paul Same is a somewhat talented painter and sculptor.

    He possesses some sort of sleep disorder, bordering on some sort of combination of narcolepsy and somnambulism. He responds to stress by entering a sleep-like trance. Initially, he used this state to act out his frustrations. His sole weapons were a roman candle, an unpredictable fighting style, and annoying rhyming speech pattern.

History:
(Howard the Duck I#4 (fb)) - Paul same was a minor league prodigy, learning to read by age three, and big things were expected of him. However, in school, he was forced to fit into a standardized mode, and both the pace and content of his studies left him daydreaming a lot. He soon earned a reputation as an underachiever, a problem learner with no attention span. With every report card, his privileges were further revoked at home.

    By age ten, bored, angry, and frustrated, but basically passive by nature, he began dozing off whenever the pressures started to build. He slept through roller coaster rides and his first kiss, all the while dreaming of himself as a giant, trampling anyone who stood in his way or tried to jack him around.

(Howard the Duck I#4) - A dozing Paul Same pounded endlessly on his floor, drawing the attention of his downstairs neighbors, Beverly and Howard, who roused him with a webbed foot to the butt. Shortly thereafter, asleep once more, Paul donned a nightgown and cap and some jammies, and took to the street as the Winky-Man, fighting criminal wherever he encountered them. He crossed paths with Howard once again, and the mallard recognized him and pulled him away from a dangerous bar fight.

    Nonetheless, while Paul's artistic skills blossomed while awake, he involved himself in progressively more hazardous acts while he slept. When art critic Xavier Couture panned his work, Paul went into a rage, fell asleep, and then assaulted Couture as the Winky-Man. Howard disarmed Paul, taking away his  Roman candle, which then went off in his hands and set off the sprinklers. The water woke up Paul, and Howard convinced him to stand up for himself. After telling off Couture, Paul gained the confidence to express himself in the waking world, thus ending his career as the Winky-Man.

(Howard the Duck I#14) - Paul painted a portrait of Beverly, consoling her over the apparent desertion of Howard. He was of no assistance when a Hellstrom darksoul possessed Howard flew through the window and abducted her.

(Howard the Duck Annual#1) - Paul sympathized with Howard when he had a blow-out over being cramped together like sardines (actually pickles are REALLY packed tightly) in the apartment complex. The two were then attacked by two men from Bagmom, seeking Wijid's Rug, which had just flown in and abducted Beverly and Winda. After fighting the two men off, they flew (by plane) to Bagmom to rescue their friends.

    In Bagmom, they enlisted the aid of Ali Wazoo and Abu Ho Dadi and the Underground Railway (seven generations of Bagmom's thieving class) to free the ladies from Prince Hassim and the Caliph, who were involved in a plot with Roxxon. Paul also utilized the genie in a magic lamp for assistance, but eventually drove off the genie when he offended it with his romantic notions towards Winda.

(Howard the Duck I#15) - Returning back to the US by luxury cruiser, the S.S. Damned, Paul and his friends were beset by monsters and other attacks from Dr. Bong, who abducted Howard and Beverly.

(Howard the Duck I#17) - When the attacks of Dr. Bong faded as if illusions, Paul tried to convince Beverly to row out to Bong Island with him to rescue the others, but the disappearance of the island as well rendered the point moot.

(Howard the Duck I#25 (fb)) - Paul's artistic talents attracted the attentions of several of the wealthy passengers of the S.S. Damned, and he made $2500 doing portraits.

(Howard the Duck I#24) - The S.S. Damned arrived in the US, and Paul and Winda were met by Howard.

(Howard the Duck I#25) - In New York, Paul shared his newfound money with his friends Howard and Winda. All three of them attended a party of Iris Raritan, heiress to the Raritan Recreation Reclamation Congregation Millions, one of the former passengers of the S. S. Damned. The party was interrupted by the Circus of Crime, who robbed the party-goers and abducted Howard.

(Howard the Duck I#26) - Iris drove Paul and Winda towards Skudge, Pennsylvania, on a hunch to rescue Howard. Paul, however, had no interest in a manhunt and had her drop him off after he learned what she was trying to do. Nonetheless, he ended up running into Howard at the same time Iris did. Well, actually, Iris ran into Ignatz Hubley, an irate drunkard who had just shot the Ringmaster's hat. However, Hubley's gun when off, wounding Paul.

(Howard the Duck I#27 - BTS) - Paul was placed in Skudge hospital, in critical condition.

(Howard the Duck I#30) - Paul's condition was upgraded to stable, though he remained in an nearly comatose state, not evening waking to the tintinnabulations of Dr. Bong, who arrived to challenge Howard to mortal combat.

(Howard the Duck I#31) - Paul's condition remained static as all of his friends visited him

(Howard the Duck II#1) - As Winda sat by Paul's bedside, his eyes popped open, and he began repeating over and over in his mind, "I am the paraclete of Kabourka--The Angel of the Lord."

(Howard the Duck II#1/3) - Paul was released from the hospital and returned to Cleveland by bus with Winda, though he remained in a trance-like state, thinking, "I am the Avenging Angel--The Light of the Lord!"

(Howard the Duck II#2/2) - Paul remained in a trance.

(Howard the Duck II#3) - Still in a trance, arms outstretched, Paul served as a good rack on which Winda could sew popcorn strings to decorate their Christmas tree. Paul remained out of it as all of their friends came to visit.

(Howard the Duck II#4/2) - Still entranced, Paul sleepwalked to a vacation at Dreadcliff Manor, alongside Howard, Beverly, and Winda. As the others fell prey to various traps of the organization B.E.S.T., Paul stood there snoring. However, he then covered himself in a bed sheet and impersonated a ghost, spooking the minions of BEST, until Nurse Barbara cracked him over the head with a spiked mace. However, as BEST met their defeat, Paul finally woke up--though he said he didn't feel any differently.

(Howard the Duck II#5) - Paul painted a topless Beverly, though his picture was that of a bowl of fruit--although those two grapefruits looked about right. Shortly thereafter, they were assaulted by Howard, who had been bitten (but not transformed) by Dracula. After Howard was driven off, Paul comforted the distraught Beverly, and then accompanied her, Winda, and vampire-groupie Howard H. Howard to save Howard the Duck from the Lord of the Undead.

(Howard the Duck II#5/2, 6) - Paul was present as Winda conducted a pseudo-séance, sending Howard and Beverly to Duckworld with her mental powers.

(Civil War: Battle Damage Report) - Tony Stark considered Paul as a potential Initiative recruit.

Comments: Created by Steve Gerber and Gene Colan.

Paul Same was intended partly as a self-parody by Steve Gerber. Gerber physically resembles Paul, was artistically frustrated, and at least in the 1970s, suffered from sleep apnea or some other disorder (which was originally misdiagnosed as narcolepsy). The art critic "Xavier Couture" was a parody of Stan Lee.

An alternate timeline version of Paul Same also has a small appearance in the Howard the Duck story in Bizarre Adventures#34, where he is much happier as a result of never knowing Howard.
--Continental Op

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to

 

Appearances:
Howard the Duck I#4 (July, 1976) - Steve Gerber (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Steve Leialoha (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Howard the Duck I#14 (July, 1977) - Steve Gerber (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Steve Gerber (editor)
Howard the Duck Annual#1 (May, 1977) - Steve Gerber (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils/inks), Steve Gerber (editor)
Howard the Duck I#15 (August, 1977) - Steve Gerber (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Steve Gerber (editor)
Howard the Duck I#17 (October, 1977) - Steve Gerber (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Steve Gerber (editor)
Howard the Duck I#24-26 (May-July, 1978) - Steve Gerber (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Tom Palmer (#24) & Klaus Janson (#25-26) (inks), Steve Gerber (editor)
Howard the Duck I#30-31 (March-May, 1979) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Howard the Duck II#1 (October, 1979) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Bob McLeod & Dave Simons (inks), Rick Marshall (editor)
Howard the Duck II#2 (December, 1979) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Dave Simons (inks), Rick Marshall (editor)
Howard the Duck II#3 (February, 1980) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Dave Simons (inks), Lynn Graeme (editor)
Howard the Duck II#4 (March, 1980) - Bill Mantlo (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Lynn Graeme (editor)
Howard the Duck II#5 (May, 1980) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Michael Golden & Gene Colan (pencils), Bob McLeod & Dave Simons (inks), Lynn Graeme (editor)
Howard the Duck II#6 (July, 1980) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Michael Golden (pencils), Bob McLeod (inks), Lynn Graeme (editor)
Civil War: Battle Damage Report (2007)

First Posted: 05/08/2003
Last updated: 05/12/2012

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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