PRINTOUT MAN

Printout Man's greed revealed

Real Name: Windsor Babbage

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Prisoner;

formerly criminal

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Big Wheel, Chairman, Demolition Derby, Elektro, Fly, Home Wrecker, Hotshot, Human Computer, Hypno-Hustler, June Jitsui, Larcenous Lil, Legal Eagle, Photoman, Simon the Evil Swami

Enemies: Spider-Man

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Printout Punk (nickname given by Spider-Man)

Base of Operations: S-Wing, unnamed prison in New York state, USA

First Appearance: Hostess Advertisement: Spider-Man in "Break the Bank" featured in various Marvel Comics (October, 1977)

Powers/Abilities: Printout Man showed no superhuman abilities, but was highly skilled in computers, mathematics and banking. He created a computer or reprogrammed computers, using these "Mad Computers" to break into banking systems and steal money and account information.

Printout Man in retirement prison

History:

("Break the Bank") - Printout Man began to steal account information using his "Mad Computer" in an attempt to take over a bank, using it to also jam the bank's computer systems. Watching from around a corner, the Printout Man began to gloat that soon the angry bank customers would cancel their accounts and he would be closer to fulfilling his evil plan.

   Peter Parker, while standing in the line with Mary Jane, had his spider-sense kick in and he realized that something was not right in the bank. He quickly changed into his Spider-Man costume and started chasing Printout Man around the bank.  Making his way to the vault, the Printout Man’s true motive was revealed as the massive door opened. Spider-Man quickly realized that all he really wanted to do was steal all the Hostess cupcakes that the bank had been safekeeping. The Printout Man was soon taken away by the police.

(New Avengers Most Wanted Files) - The Printout Man was mentioned to be still in prison serving out the remainder of his sentence as a model prisoner.

(Fin Fang Four Return!#1/5) - The robot Elektro, mistakenly identified as a villain and arrested, was ushered into the prison's S-Wing where he met various past Spider-Man villains, including Printout Man. Later, inspired by Elektro's defiance, he and the other inmates of S-Wing smashed their way out only to be subdued by the prison guards using sedation foam.

Comments: Created by an unidentified writer, penciler and inker.

Of all the Hostess villains, only Icemaster has shown up in an Earth-616 title. He could have crossed over to Earth-616 from "Earth-Hostess," but I say leave them on Earth-616 until proven otherwise. Nonetheless, until they do show up in regular continuity, they remain outside regular canon. Surely someone will write a story teaming them all together.--- Snood.

This is not true anymore as some Hostess ad villains were mentioned in the Fantastic Four Encyclopedia as natives of Earth-616. And now we have Printout Man cited in the New Avengers Most Wanted Files.

And now they've been found! ... in a dark corner of an ignored prison...

I wonder if Printout Man has some connection to the Human Computer? They'd make a perfect team -- that is, if they're not the same person.
--John Kaminski

You can get the whole story, and some clever commentary from Seanbaby's The Hostess Page. It might not meet with the Comics Code Authority's approval, so kids, ask your parents before checking that out!

His real name was revealed in Elektro's profile in OHotMU A-Z Update 2010#2.

Profile by AvatarWarlord72.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Printout Man has no known connections to:


Printout Man with his Mad Computer

Mad Computers

Printout Man reprogrammed a series of banking super-computers to hack into the bank’s data and steal information on accounts, financial transactions and security codes to unlock the vault. These were large and bulky machines that were operated in a nearby room in the bank. They also seemed to subdue the bank's customers into a mild stupor that was soon broken with Hostess cupcakes.

--Hostess Advertisement: Spider-Man in "Break the Bank"


images: (without ads)
Hostess Advertisement: Spider-Man in "Break the Bank", panel 4 (main image)
Fin Fang Four Return!#1/5, p3, panel 1
Hostess Advertisement: Spider-Man in "Break the Bank", panel 2 (with Mad Computer)


Appearances:
Hostess ad: Spider-Man in "Break the Bank" (October, 1977)
Fin Fang Four Return!#1/5 (July, 2009) - Scott Gray (writer), Roger Langridge (artist), John Barber (editor)


First Posted: 09/13/2007
Last updated: 05/09/2009

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

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