TAR BABY
TAR BABY
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human mutant
Occupation: None
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: Unrevealed
Group Membership: The Morlocks/Drain Dwellers
Affiliations: Boom-Boom, Rusty Collins, The Drain Dwellers (Annalee, Ape, Beautiful Dreamer, Erg, Leech, Piper), Artie Maddicks, the mutants incarcerated in the Neverland camp (Siena Blaze, Bulwark, Diamond Lil, Maggott, Random, Reaper, Dr. Cecelia Reyes, Mr. Taylor, Mrs. Taylor, Billy Taylor, Wendy Taylor, Wildside, numerous other unnamed mutants), Nightcrawler, Power Pack (Energizer, Gee, Lightspeed, Mass Master), Kitty Pryde, Skids, X-Factor (Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, Marvel Girl); indirectly Storm, the X-Men
Enemies: Boxbots, Marauders (Blockbuster, Vertigo),
the Weapon X Program (The Director, Madison Jeffries, Garrison Kane, Marrow, Mesmero,
Sabretooth, Sauron, Washout, Wild Child);
formerly Power Pack (Energizer, Gee, Lightspeed, Mass Master)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 155 lbs.
Eyes: White, no visible pupils or irises
Hair: Presumably black
Base of Operations: The Alley, beneath Manhattan, New York
First Appearance: Power Pack I#12 (July, 1985)
Powers/Abilities: Tar Baby's body resembled a tar-like substance that could stick to anything that comes into contact with it. He was often covered in papers and trash due to the stickiness of his skin.
History:
(Power Pack I#12) - Feeling that they owed it to Annalee for the death of
her children, Tar Baby and the other members of the Morlock Drain Dwellers
battled the Power Pack, who had wandered into the sewer drain looking for
their lost school books. Power Pack was quickly captured by the Drain Dwellers
and brought to Annalee, who tried to have the Morlock Beautiful Dreamer alter
their memories. An investigating Nightcrawler and Kitty Pryde soon arrived
and discovered the captive children, who made a break for it. During the
scuffle that ensued, Tar Baby attempted to grab Mass Master but was tricked
by Kitty Pryde into sticking himself to a nearby wall. Eventually, Power
Pack's Lightspeed suggested that Annalee take care of the Morlock Leech instead
of mourning over her deceased children, but Annalee declined. With the battle
calmed, the Drain Dwellers apologized to Power Pack, claiming that they were
affected by Annalee's empathic abilities, and the children returned home.
(Uncanny X-Men#195) - While Callisto was away from the Alley, Masque took charge of another attempt at forcing the members of Power Pack to become Annalee's children. After Beautiful Dreamer had altered their parents memories, the Power children returned to the Alley to investigate why the Morlocks had turned on them again, but Masque, Tar Baby, Erg, and Ape jumped them, and Tar Baby caught Mass Master and Lightspeed by sticking them to his body. Energizer escaped, but the other three had their memories altered to believe they were Annalee's children. The X-Men intervened to aid Energizer, and when Callisto returned she forced Beautiful Dreamer to undo the effects of her powers.
(X-Factor I#10) - When the Marauders invaded the Alley and began to massacre its population, Tar Baby and Ape found themselves assaulted by Blockbuster and Vertigo. They tried to fight back, but Blockbuster hurled Tar Baby at Ape, taking them both out of the fight. They were rescued by Iceman, Beast and Cyclops of X-Factor, who provided protection from the Marauders as they continued to search for survivors.
(Power Pack I#27) - Tar Baby, Ape, Erg, and Beautiful Dreamer were escorted to X-Factor's headquarters where they found Skids was already in residence, and she helped them settle into the base while X-Factor returned to the Alley to find more survivors.
(X-Factor I#11) - Tar Baby witnessed the arrival of the Tunnelers (Berzerker, Blow-Hard, Masque, and Scaleface) to X-Factor's base, and was disappointed to see they had survived, as Drain Dwellers and Tunnelers had a long-standing dislike of each other. The Tunnelers were almost all wiped out in an ill-advised attempt at leaving X-Factor.
(X-Factor I#12) - Tar Baby and the other mutants living with X-Factor gathered for breakfast, and Tar Baby helped serve food by temporarily sticking plates all over his body. However, when Leech arrived for breakfast his power was nullified, and the plates fell everywhere.
(X-Factor I#15) - Tar Baby, Erg, Ape, Masque and Beautiful Dreamer ultimately decided to leave X-Factor and return to the Alley in the hopes of rebuilding their society and locating more survivors.
(Weapon X II#5) - Tar Baby was eventually rounded up by the Weapon X Program and placed in their internment camp called Neverland. He, along with numerous other mutants, was branded with a red letter "M" and lead to his presumed extermination.
Comments: Created by Louise Simonson, June Brigman, and Bob Wiacek.
Tar Baby is sometimes depicted as an African-American.
In Cable/Deadpool#9, Deadpool quips: "Us muties gotta stick together, right? Sometimes literally. I ever tell you 'bout the time I ran into Tar Baby in the sewer system?"
Clarifications:
Tar Baby has no known connection to:
images:
Power Pack I#12, p7, pan2 (Tar Baby headshot)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition#9, p18, Tar Baby
profile (Tar Baby fullbody shot)
Power Pack#12 (July, 1985) - Louise Simonson (writer), June Brigman (penciler),
Bob Wiacek (inker)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition#9 (August, 1985)
- "Morlocks" entry - Mark Gruenwald, Peter Sanderson (writers), Russ Stefans
(artist), Eliot Brown (technical illustrator), Josef Rubinstein
(inker)
Uncanny X-Men#195 (July, 1985) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Ann Nocenti (editor)
X-Factor I#10-11 (November-December, 1986) - Louise Simonson (writer),
Walter Simonson (penciler), Bob Wiacek (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
Power Pack I#27 (December, 1986) - Louise Simonson (writer), Jon Bogdanove (penciler), Al Gordon (inker), Carl Potts (editor)
X-Factor I#12 (January, 1987) - Louise Simonson (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Bob Wiacek (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#15 (April, 1987) - Louise Simonson (writer), Walter Simonson (penciler), Bob Wiacek (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
Weapon X II#5 (March, 2003) - Frank Tieri (writer), Georges Jeanty (penciler),
Dexter Vines (inker)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z#7 (2006) - "Morlocks"
entry - unknown writer, Russ Stefans (art on the Tar Baby inset), Pond Scum
(art reconstruction)
First Posted: 09/05/2006
Last updated: 11/14/2010
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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