BRUNO CAPER

Real Name: Bruno Caper

Identity/Class: Human technoloy user

Occupation: Crime boss, convict

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Elmo, Rocko, Tinkerer

Enemies: Hulk (Bruce Banner)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Boss (as called by Elmo and Rocko)

Base of Operations: Unidentified men's detention center on Manhattan's lower west side

First Appearance: Incredible Hulk II#208 (February, 1977)

Powers/Abilities: None, but he employed a "Concussion-Tank" in his prison escape.

History: (Incredible Hulk II#208 (fb) - BTS) - The criminal past of Bruno Caper is unknown, but "a few months back," he purchased the Concussion-Tank from the Tinkerer. Later, Bruno was incarcerated (under unknown circumstances), however he made arrangements for his escape.

(Incredible Hulk II#208) - Rocko and Elmo transported the tank in a moving van to the prison, then used it to blast a hole in the wall. They fired a "grapple gizmo" through the hole, and Bruno slid down the line to freedom. Climbing in the tank, the trio made their getaway in a hail of gunshots fired by the prison guards.

  As they sped down the street, the Hulk--lamenting the recent death of his beloved Jarella--unknowingly stepped into their path, and he was struck by the tank and knocked through a wall. Wrongfully thinking he was being attacked, the enraged Hulk climbed out of the rubble and leapt in front of the vehicle. Bruno and his men fired the cannon at the jade giant, to no avail. After tearing off the cannon barrel, the Hulk lifted the armored vehicle, then smashed it down to the ground. Stunned, Bruno and his men crawled out of the wreckage to face a very angry Hulk, who was about to make an example of them so as to keep others from ever bothering him again... but hearing the wail of approaching sirens made the Hulk decide that it wasn't worth the trouble, so he leapt off, having put a swift end to the run of Bruno Caper.

Comments: Created by Len Wein, Sal Buscema, and Joe Staton.

Bruno was presumably apprehended and returned to prison, probably with a few years added to his sentence.

("Bruno Caper"?! -- with a name like that, one can only conjecture that he was doing hard time for stealing Hostess Twinkies.)

NOTE: It was never actually referred to as a "Concussion-Tank," but since it had a "concussion-cannon," it's as good of a name for it as any...

Bruno's escape unintentionally resulted in the release of the Absorbing Man, who was also being held in that same detention center following his defeat at the hands of Thor (@ Thor I#236) -- y'see, Thor had tricked the Absorbing Man into turning himself into cardboard and sealed him in a cardboard box, which was locked in a nearby cell, and the vibrations caused by the blast of the concussion-cannon cracked a water-pipe, and... ah, go read it yourself!

Profile by John Kaminski

CLARIFICATIONS:
Bruno Caper has no known connections to:

• Cape of Mercury, worn by Angel (Halloway) @ Marvel Mystery Comics#?
• Cape Citadel, site of one of Magneto's first attacks @ X-Men I#1
• Cape-Killers, armored soldiers trained to apprehend super-powered beings @ Civil War#1

Elmo has no known connection to:

• Elmo, Calliope's Carnival and Circus @ Werewolf by Night I#6
• Saint Elmo, former Flight member @ Alpha Flight Special Edition II#1

Elmo & Rocko

Two of Bruno Caper's hired thugs, they used the "Concussion-Tank" to free their boss from prison.

--Incredible Hulk II#208

"Concussion-Tank"

Built by the Tinkerer, it was purchased by Bruno Caper and later used to break him out of prison.

Armed with a concussion-cannon, it was capable of traveling at rapid speeds. It was heavily armored and resistant to standard gunfire, but it couldn't stand up to the strength of the Hulk, who destroyed it after it ran him down.

--Incredible Hulk II#208

images:
Incredible Hulk II#208, p3, pan2 (main)