GANTRY
SPACEMEN
Membership: Gantry, Orbit, Satellite, Vacuum
Purpose: To profit while posing as heroes
Affiliations: When believed to be heroes, supported by J. Jonah Jameson and many others
Enemies: Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York
First Appearance: Untold Tales of Spider-Man#4 (December, 1995)
History: (Untold Tales of Spider-Man#4 (fb) - BTS) - The Spacemen were four ex-space program trainees; the quartet of washouts used their insider knowledge to steal some meteor samples that astronaut John Jameson had brought back from a space mission. When they unsealed the sterile containers, the meteors cracked, giving off an alien gas that granted them superhuman powers.
(Untold Tales of Spider-Man#4) - Claiming to be astronauts from a secret government task-force who had deliberately exposed themselves to a cosmic ray storm, the Spacemen appeared in New York, where they acted as heroes and vowed to apprehend the notorious Spider-Man. However, all of their fights and missions were actually covers, where they robbed banks, Wall Street, and art galleries, blaming the missing money or valuables on Spider-Man. But Spider-Man eventually managed to develop a device that tapped into the Spacemen's scrambled radio signals, and he uncovered their true nature. Spider-Man exposed the Spacemen at a ticker-tape parade given in their honor, and--with the help of the New York Police Department--the hero defeated them.
COMMENTS: Created by Kurt Busiek (writer) and Pat Olliffe (artist).
All of the Spacemen had oxygen masks equipped with communication devices, which they could use to exist within Vacuum's void for a length of time.
Good ol' J. Jonah Jameson was right behind the Spacemen, declaring them to be great heroes as he spoke out against Spidey in the same article. Jonah's son, astronaut John Jameson, was a little more skeptical, as he was at the time investigating Spider-Man for potential use as an astronaut for NASA.
The good news is that between the Appendix, the Amazing Spider-Man Gallery, and Spider-Fan, all of the characters from both the Untold Tales of Spider-Man and from Amazing Fantasy#16-18 now have profiles available! But only a small few of these guys have made further appearances--I'd like to see any or all of the Spacemen again.
The Meteor
Man (Looter) got his powers from gases from a meteor rock as
well. Could there be a connection between his and the Spacemen's
powers?
--John Kaminski
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Spacemen have no known connection to:
Gantry has no known connection to:
Orbit has no known connection to:
Satellite has no known connection to:
Vacuum has no known connection to:
(Name unrevealed)
Standing perhaps 9 feet tall, he was the apparent leader of the group. He had superhuman strength (Class 10?) and durability--he took his name from the support apparatus specifically used for rocket launches.
--Untold Tales of Spider-Man#4
(Name unrevealed)
She could fly by creating an orbital relationship between herself and any object she chose--in effect, orbiting like a spacecraft; she could also project her power on other people and objects (...such as when she caused Spider-Man to spin around Satellite).
--Untold Tales of Spider-Man#4
(Name unrevealed)
He could generate rocket thrusts or blasts from his hands and feet; he wore some sort of armor.
--Untold Tales of Spider-Man#4
(Name unrevealed)
His entire body was a portal to a dark, airless void,
allowing him to trap others within said void. The nature of his power
gave him immunity to attacks aimed at his intangible body, however his
head apparently retained its normal density and vulnerability.
(Much like Smuggler,
Vacuum was able to elongate his body--maybe Vacuum's powers were
also connected to the Darkforce Dimension.--Ron Fredricks)
--Untold Tales of Spider-Man#4
images:
Untold Tales of Spider-Man#4, p14, pan1 (Spacemen in
ticker-tape parade)
Untold Tales of Spider-Man#4, p9, pan5 (before gaining powers)
Untold Tales of
Spider-Man#4, p1, pan1 (Gantry)
Untold Tales of
Spider-Man#4, p1, pan1 (Orbit)
Untold Tales of
Spider-Man#4, p19, pan1 (Satellite)
Untold Tales of
Spider-Man#4, p1, pan1 (Bodyshot - Vacuum)
Untold Tales of
Spider-Man#4, p19, pan4
(Headshot - Vacuum)
Appearances:
Untold Tales of Spider-Man#4 (December, 1995) - Kurt Busiek
(writer), Pat Olliffe (pencils), Al Vey w/Pam Eklund (inks), Richard
Starkings and Comicraft (letters), Steve Mattsson (colors), Tom Brevoort
(editor)
First Posted: 05/26/2003
Last updated: 02/08/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099
Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
