Real
Name: Unpronounceable by human standards.COBWEB
Real
Name: Unpronounceable by human standards.
Identity/Class: Extra-dimensional (Mindscape) demon
Occupation: Inapplicable
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Bad Ideas, Chain Gang, Mindspawn
Enemies: The Sleepwalkers, in particular Sleepwalker (host Rick Sheridan)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile throughout the Mindscape
First Appearance: Sleepwalker#3 (August, 1991)
Powers/Abilities: Cobweb has enhanced human agility, reflexes, stamina, speed, and superhuman strength (Class 10). His web-like body is extremely elastic and malleable, and he can manipulate it as he sees fit. This provides him with superhuman durability and the ability to elongate his body and limbs to an unknown degree. Using these abilities, Cobweb can form a duplicate of himself, which remains attached to him via a thread. This duplicate can then be extended via that thread in order to lure his opponents into a trap. Cobweb derives his power from the madness of others, and is able to control, detect, and feed upon mental energies. He can create illusions, and enjoys twisting and tearing at the thoughts of his victims until they cannot tell the truth from lies, and ultimately plunging them into madness. Cobwebs skill in this area is such that his victims take comfort in his presence even as he destroys them. Cobweb has vast years of experience, and is an expert in the combat application of his powers. Cobweb can also use his powers to tap into the minds of those in the physical plane in order to appear in their dreams, or mentally probe them for images, information, memories or thoughts. Cobweb also appears to have healing powers, though he claimed this was a side effect of one of his illusions see comments. Cobweb was able to alter the appearance of his Mindspawn minions and grant them with powers and abilities similar to those of the Sleepwalkers. Also, whilst in possession of Sleepwalkers Imaginator, Cobweb was able to teleport the Mindspawn to Earth. Although Cobweb wasn't capable of inter-dimensional travel independently, he was able to re-shape the Earth-born essence of a human mind within the Mindscape in order to create an inter-dimensional portal between the two dimensions. Although he failed to complete a portal using the mind of Rick Sheridan, he was able to watch events on Earth in the area of Rick's physical form.
History: (Sleepwalker
#3 (fb) - Cobweb has stalked the Mindscape since before recorded
time, preying on innocent, defenceless minds. Sleepwalker opposed
him many times, banishing him to the farthest reaches of the
Mindscape, but each time Cobweb returned.
(Sleepwalker#3 (fb) -BTS) - Cobweb located the mind of Rick Sheridan, knowing Sleepwalker would attempt to prevent any attack upon that mind. He hid in the back ground, and extended a duplicate of himself to lure Sleepwalker into a trap.
(Sleepwalker#3 (fb) - Sleepwalker attacked and became entangled in Cobweb's trap. Cobweb kicked Sleepwalker into Rick's mind.
(Sleepwalker#22 (fb) -BTS) - While Sleepwalker was trapped in Rick Sheridan's mind, Cobweb secretly observed him from afar.
(Sleepwalker#32 (fb) - BTS) - When Sleepwalker lost his Imaginator device, Cobweb hid it within himself.
(Sleepwalker#33 (fb) - BTS) - Cobweb planned to use the Mindspawn to spread madness on Earth by having them pose as an invasion force, and granted them the physical appearance and powers they would need to pose as members of the Sleepwalkers race. Ultimately, Cobweb hoped that once madness was widespread amongst the Earth's population his power would become absolute.
(Sleepwalker#19) - Cobweb found the Chain Gang, and tortured them until they were ready to do his bidding. He ordered them to destroy Sleepwalker by killing his human host, Rick Sheridan, and sent them to Earth via the mind of Rambo, Rick's pet dog.
(Sleepwalker#20) - The Chain Gang failed in their mission when Rambo was disturbed by Rick's landlady, and they returned to the Mindscape. Cobweb punished them for their failure, and threatened to kill them. Uplink complained that the failure of the mission was down to Cobweb placing them in the mind of a dog to begin with. Cobweb gave them a second chance and led them to the mind of Alyssa Conover. This attracted the attention of another Sleepwalker, but the Chain Gang defeated him and left for Earth via Alyssa's mind.
(Sleepwalker#22) - Rick Sheridan, who had exchanged minds with Sleepwalker, had been attacked and mortally wounded by Hobgoblin. As Rick lay dying inside of Sleepwalkers mind, Cobweb reached in and pulled him into the Mindscape. Cobweb appeared to be shocked to discover that it was Rick, and not the real Sleepwalker see comments. Rick explained that their minds had been switched, and that he was dying as a result of a neck wound.
(Sleepwalker#23 (fb) - BTS) - Cobweb cast an illusion, making it appear that Rick's neck had been removed completely.
(Sleepwalker#22) - Cobweb watched and laughed as Rick fell further into the Mindscape.
(Sleepwalker#23) - Rick was led back to Cobweb by a group of Mindspawn. Cobweb attacked them with the aid of the Bad Ideas, killing three of the Mindspawn and made the other two disappear, before returning Rick to Sleepwalkers mind.
(Sleepwalker#25) - Cobweb appeared to Rick Sheridan, whose mind was now back in his own body, in his dreams. He prompted Rick to recall what he had overheard regarding the Mindspawn (whom Rick assumed to be Sleepwalkers) and their plans of invasion.
(Sleepwalker#33 (fb) - BTS) - Cobweb soon learned that the Mindspawns direct approach had its drawbacks, so instead gave them the ability to take over peoples minds.
(Sleepwalker#31) - Cobweb had his minions take Rick to his lair.
(Sleepwalker#33 (fb) - BTS) - Cobweb began re-shaping Rick's Earth-born essence to his own design, hoping for him to serve as a perfect inter-dimensional portal between the Mindscape and Earth.
(Sleepwalker#32) - Cobweb told Rick that he was dead, and that he was being converted into the unliving material that was part of his realm. Furthermore, he went on to claim that Sleepwalker was the leader of the Mindspawn. Rick was reluctant to believe Cobweb, so the villain showed him some of Rambo's memories. Rick watched as Cobweb replayed images of Sleepwalker striking his body with a Mindrake.
(Sleepwalker#33) - Rick assumed that the Mindrake had indeed killed him. However, Sleepwalker attempted to use the Mindrake to return Rick's mind to his body. Cobweb sent his Mindspawn to Earth, where they possessed a group of humans in order to deal with Sleepwalker. Alyssa Conover thought Sleepwalker was attacking innocent people and struck him with the Mindrake. Sleepwalker found himself in the Mindscape, and was taken to Cobweb by his minions. Cobweb gloated on about his plans, and showed Sleepwalker what has happening on Earth as Alyssa tried to fight the Mindspawn away from Rick's coffin. Sleepwalker explained to Rick that he had not used the Mindrake to kill him, but rather to store his mind safely away in order to prevent the Mindspawn killing him. Rick looked at the image of his body and saw it had no signs of decay, enabling him to reject Cobweb's lies and resist his power. Sleepwalker retrieved the Imaginator from Cobweb's chest and banished him to a far away location somewhere in the Mindscape.
(Dark Reign Files) - Quasimodo researched Cobweb for Norman Osborn.
Comments: Created by Bob Budiansky, and Bret Blevins.
Throughout Cobweb's various appearances, much of what he says or does is either lies or illusion. He had obviously planned the Mindspawn invasion for some time, and the first hint of it is actually in Sleepwalker#20 when he mentions to the Chain Gang that by destroying Sleepwalker he is giving them a chance to 'save Earth'. However, he also ordered the Chain Gang to kill Sleepwalker at this point. This would seem to be at odds with his plan to frame the Sleepwalkers for the invasion, as I would've thought Cobweb would wanted to see his enemy suffering at his peoples disgrace. I personally don't think Cobweb expected the Chain Gang to succeed in killing Sleepwalker (they are extremely lame villains, it has to be said). Instead, he may have used them for any of the following reasons:
Admittedly, Cobweb seems shocked to discover that Rick and Sleepwalker have exchanged bodies, despite the fact that in virtually the same breath he claims to have been observing Sleepwalkers progress from afar. There are couple of distinct possibilities here:
It was during this encounter that Cobweb cast an illusion that Rick's wounded neck (slashed in combat with Hobgoblin, aka Jason Macendale) had disappeared. When he dropped the illusion, Rick's wound had healed and Cobweb claimed it was a side effect of the illusion. This seems like a strange side effect for his illusion to have, and as Rick's death at that point wouldn't have suited Cobweb's purposes I suspect Cobweb purposely healed him. Furthermore, if Cobweb really had though that Rick was the real Sleepwalker then that might have been his true motivation for pulling him into the Mindscape; in order to keep Sleepwalker alive long enough to witness the Mindspawn invasion.
Profile by Changeling
Clarifications:
Cobweb has no known connections to
images: (not including advertisements)
Sleepwalker#3, p10, pan2
Sleepwalker#22, p14, pan3
Appearances:
Sleepwalker#19 (December, 1992) - Bob Budiansky (writer), Kelly Krantz (pencils), Denis Rodier & John Lowe (inks), Don Daley (editor)
Sleepwalker#20 (January, 1993) - Bob Budiansky (writer), Kelly Krantz (pencils), John Lowe (inks), Don Daley (editor)
Sleepwalker#22-23 (March-April, 1993) - Bob Budiansky (writer), Kelly Krantz (pencils), John Lowe (inks), Don Daley (editor)
Sleepwalker#25 (June, 1993) - Bob Budiansky (writer), Kelly Krantz (pencils), Frank Percy (inks), Don Daley (editor)
Sleepwalker#31-33 (December, 1993 - February, 1994) - Bob Budiansky (writer), Kelly Krantz (pencils), Don Lomax (inks), Don Daley (editor)
Dark Reign Files (February, 2009) - Michael Hoskin & various others (writer), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Last updated: 10/07/05
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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