Mr.
GalloRICOCHET
Real Name: Johnny Gallo
Identity/Class: Human mutant
Occupation: Adventurer;
formerly Empire State University student;
Flix! video store clerk; Hollywood stunt-man
Group Membership: Avengers Academy student body (Batwing/Jimmy
Santini, Butterball/Emery Schaub, Finesse/Jeanna Foucault, Hazmat/Jenny Takeda, Hollow, Lightspeed/Julie Power, Machine Teen,
Mettle/Ken Mack, Power Man/Victor Alvarez, Reptil/Humberto Lopez,
Rocket Racer/Robert Farrell, Juston Seyfert, She-Hulk/Llyra,
Spider-Girl/Anya Corazon, Striker/Brandon Sharpe, Turbo/Mickey Musashi,
White Tiger/Aya Ayala, Wiz Kid/Takashi Matsuya, X-23/Laura Kinney);
formerly the
Excelsior Outreach Program ("The Loners") (Darkhawk, Lightspeed, Red Ronin/Namie, Turbo/Mickey Musashi, unidentified others)
formerly the "Slingers" (Dusk
(St. Commons),
Hornet
(McDonough), Prodigy
(Gilmore)) (see comments)
Affiliations: Giant-Man (Hank Pym), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Rick Jones, Kathy, Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Tigra (Greer Nelson), X-Students (Crosta,
Dust/Sooraya Qadir, Loa/Alani Ryan, Primal/Teon Macik, Prodigy/David
Alleyne, Stepford Cuckoos/Celeste, Mindee & Phoebe Cuckoo,
Surge/Nori Ashida, Transonic/Laurie Tromette, Velocidad/Gabriel
Cohuelo);
formerly the Black Marvel (Lyons),
"Chamber" (Wilder), Hollow (Penance), Spider-Woman (Franklin), Phil
Urich
Enemies: Badoon (Brother Royal, others), Brood (Brood Imperiatrix, others), Delilah, Fuyumi Fujikawa, the Griz, Jimmy Eyes, Mephisto, Nanny and the Orphan Maker, Nekra, the New Warriors (Aegis (Rollins), Bolt (Bradley), Namorita, Nova (Rider), Speedball (Baldwin), Turbo (Musashi)), the "Runaways" (Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes, Victor Mancha, Nico Minoru, Old Lace, Chase Stein, Gertrude Yorkes), Ultron, Phil Urich
Known Relatives: Mr. Gallo (father), Mrs. Gallo (mother, deceased)
Aliases: "Cowboy", "Johnny-Boy", "Little Hero", "Mommy's Little Hero", "Rico"
Base of Operations: The basement of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Manhattan, New York;
formerly Los
Angeles, California, USA;
formerly Holy Trinity Church, Los
Angeles, California;
formerly a "Welcome to New York" billboard;
formerly Brooklyn, New York
First Appearance: Slingers#0 (December, 1998)
Powers/Abilities: Born a mutant, Ricochet has the ability to leap over long distances, and has enhanced agility and a "danger sense" capable of sensing trouble. The first Ricochet suit, a recreation of the suit briefly worn by Spider-Man, included discs that were able to bounce on any surface. When the suit was rebuilt, other discs, including an EMP disc and a blackout disc, were added.
History:
(Slingers#1 (Ricochet Variant) (fb) - BTS) - At age six, Johnny Gallo met Kathy. Growing up together, they became life-long friends, playing "house" and "doctor" as children, and dating as they entered their teens.
(Slingers#9 (fb)) - Leaving a supermarket with his mother on his father's birthday, Johnny, barely into puberty and already considered a natural athlete by his teachers, leapt over a car speeding toward him, confirming his mother's fears that Johnny was a mutant. While taking their shopping cart back to the store, Johnny heard a "bang" and returned to his mother's car, learning that his mother had been murdered.
(Slingers#6 (fb) - BTS) - Sometime prior to his freshman year at Empire State University, the aging superhero, the Black Marvel, took notice of Johnny and his gifts, and offered him the Ricochet costume and armaments. The first young hero to be taken under the Black Marvel's wing, Johnny began a rigorous training regimen with his new mentor.
(Slingers#6 (fb)) - Losing sleep due to his training, Johnny fell asleep during his ESU freshman orientation. Asked to partner up on a group project assignment by fellow freshman Cassie St. Commons, Johnny added Eddie McDonough to their group assuming his apparent intelligence would be an asset. Leaving to meet with the Black Marvel on the ESU campus, Johnny was introduced to another recruit, Ritchie Gilmore, who was training to become Prodigy. Unbeknownst to Johnny, he'd been followed by Cassie and Eddie, who would be taken under the Black Marvel's wing as well.
(Slingers#0 (fb) - BTS) - With Cassie, Eddie and Ritchie as Dusk, Hornet and Prodigy, respectively, they began training as a team.
(Slingers#0) - Ricochet joined the others for another training session. Trying to coax Dusk into leaping across a rooftop, Ricochet found himself at odds with Prodigy. Told by Prodigy that someone would have to die for him to take their positions seriously, Ricochet was stunned as Dusk stepped over the edge to her death.
(Slingers#1) - Johnny spoke to Hornet over the phone the next day, trying to calm him down. He told him not to tell anyone about what happened and that Dusk's death was not their fault.
(Slingers#1 (Ricochet Variant)) - Having to get off the phone to free the line up for his father, Johnny donned his Ricochet suit and set out to meet up with his partners. Seeing his girlfriend Kathy -- who had just tried to reach Johnny over the phone -- being mugged, Ricochet stopped to rescue her. Trying to disguise his voice to conceal his identity, Ricochet quickly left.
(Slingers#1) - Arriving at their superhero-themed "Welcome to New York" billboard hangout, Ricochet met up with Hornet, still distraught over Dusk, and Prodigy, whose stern detachment drove Ricochet to throw a disc at him. Stopped by Hornet, the three went their separate ways. The following day, after sleeping through a mid-term exam, Johnny and Eddie ran into Ritchie on the ESU campus and the three suited up.
(Slingers#1 (Ricochet Variant)) - Arriving at a nearby subway platform to stop a runaway train, Ricochet was able to divert it but it skidded into the platform and onto its side. Ricochet was barely able to rescue the passengers before the train fell over the edge of the tracks.
(Slingers#1) - Meeting at the billboard that night, a chill fell over Ricochet and Hornet, neither realizing that a resurrected Dusk was lurking nearby.
(Slingers#2) - Traveling through Manhattan atop a bus, Ricochet was spotted by Spider-Man and narrowly avoided a confrontation. Arriving at a tunnel below the Maggia-funded Grand Royale hotel construction site with Hornet and Prodigy, Ricochet was attacked by mutated rat creatures. Running away from the hoard, Ricochet barely escaped the collapsing tunnels, but Hornet was trapped beneath the rubble. Calling Prodigy for help, Ricochet failed to receive an answer.
(Slingers#3) - Doubting himself when he was unable to dig Hornet free, Ricochet was ecstatic to find his friend already mysteriously freed from the rubble. Leaving the tunnels, Ricochet noticed a spider-tracer affixed to him. Running from Spider-Man, Ricochet and Hornet were able to escape while he dealt with a downed traffic sign. Later, Johnny went to work at the Flix! video store in Brooklyn, falling asleep behind the counter. Johnny was awakened by his Kathy, who brought up her costumed rescuer from the other night, noting his similarities to Johnny. Taking his bag to look for a costume, Johnny pulled it away, telling Kathy to mind her own business. Stunned, Kathy left.
(Slingers#4) - Realizing the Black Marvel's plans for the Grand Royale, Ricochet and Hornet arrived on its grand opening night, confronting Prodigy on the roof. Outmatched, Prodigy threw Ricochet over to the railing. Caught by Dusk midair and teleported to safety, they met up with Hornet who had been left behind while Prodigy saw to other matters. Moments after their arrival, however, explosives set throughout the hotel detonated, setting the Grand Royale ablaze.
(Slingers#5) - Ricochet and Hornet were saved from a collapsing floor by Dusk. Teleporting to the Black Marvel and confronting him over his planned destruction of the Grand Royale hotel to rebuild his own superhero career, Ricochet left Prodigy to handle the Black Marvel and rescue the trapped civilians. Saving Kathy (and a crazed Black Marvel) from the disaster, Ricochet admitted his secret identity to her, noting he probably should have covered up his hair. Meeting Hornet and Dusk outside the hotel as it collapsed, Dusk told Ricochet that she was too weak to save Prodigy from the destruction.
(Slingers#6) - Waiting for Hornet at the billboard, Ricochet told Dusk about his frustration at being manipulated by the Black Marvel and his unease in dealing with her "undead" status. Following Hornet's arrival and a little more venting, Ricochet agreed to Dusk's suggestion of a game of "truth or dare", asking her bluntly what she had now become. Receiving a cryptic answer (and stunned that his turn was already over), Dusk dared Ricochet to step off the edge of the roof, telling him she'd save him. Caught by Hornet who doubted that Dusk would, the three agreed to trust each other more and stay together as a team. Before leaving, Ricochet was kissed by Dusk.
(Slingers#7) - Poking around his garage with Kathy, Johnny discovered a go-kart buggy he had built years ago with his father. After offering Johnny tips on how to improve his Ricochet suit, Kathy left. Arriving moments later, Dusk told Johnny that something was wrong with Hornet. Suiting up, Ricochet accompanied Dusk to Hornet's dorm room. Activating Hornet's backpack, Ricochet was flung across the room. The hum of the backpack's engine drew several rat creatures out of hiding, and Ricochet and Dusk followed them into a sewer. Finding Hornet and his kidnapper, a humanoid rat creature called "the Griz", Ricochet gave Hornet his suit and gauntlets. Flung around the sewers by Hornet's backpack, Ricochet was taken back to his bedroom by Dusk.
(Slingers#8) - Recovering, Ricochet went down to the garage and began repairing the go-kart, customizing it with his insignia and calling it the Ricochet Mobile. Teleported by Dusk to the sewer treatment plant that Hornet was being held in, they flung the Ricochet Mobile at the Griz, knocking him into a treatment tank to his seeming demise. Leaving, Ricochet tried to explain the Ricochet Mobile to Hornet.
(Slingers#9) - After visiting his mother's grave on the anniversary of her death, Ricochet joined Hornet and Dusk for a training session in Central Park. Disinterested, Ricochet left, but was ambushed and rendered unconscious by the Orphan Maker. Waking bound and unmasked on the Orphan Maker and Nanny's shuttle, Ricochet learned of Nanny's plan to de-age him and finish the job they started years earlier by murdering Ricochet's father. Using a disc to cut the ropes holding him and to send the shuttle off-course, Ricochet raced home, finding his father unconscious on the couch. Confronting the Orphan Maker, Ricochet got him to believe that with his father dead, he had become Nanny's new favorite, asking the Orphan Maker if Nanny would have gone to all this trouble for him. The Orphan Maker left, telling Ricochet he wasn't good enough for them and that he was Nanny's special boy. His father waking, Ricochet told him that Orphan Maker killed his mother and he blamed himself for her death. His father remaining cold and dismissive of the fact that his son was a superhero, Ricochet packed a bag and prepared to leave his father's house when Prodigy appeared at his bedroom window.
(Slingers#10) - Arriving at the Black Marvel's hospital to ask why he chose him to be Ricochet, Johnny was surprised to learn of the Black Marvel's death earlier that day. Meeting with Hornet and Dusk at the billboard, Ricochet told them of the Black Marvel's demise and of Prodigy's survival.
(New Warriors II#1) - Ricochet and the others turned down Speedball's offer to join a relaunched New Warriors. Ricochet and Hornet laughed in his face at the offer.
(Slingers#10) - As they prepared to gather as a team, the superhero billboard came to life, the various heroes adorning it emerging and attacking Ricochet and the others. Holding his own against "Captain America" and "Spider-Man", Ricochet was grabbed by "the Silver Surfer" and pulled through the billboard with the others, arriving before an imprisoned Black Marvel and Mephisto.
(Slingers#11) - Mephisto trapped Ricochet and the others and told them about the deal he made with an ailing Dan Lyons to reclaim his heroic identity of the Black Marvel. Offering to free the Black Marvel's soul if the four could forgive him for using them to further his own ambitions, Ricochet and the others argued over what to do. Sent to face separate trials, Ricochet was forced to maneuver through death-traps in front of a crowd, first cheering him on then pelting him with stones for being a mutant. Recovering and rejoining the others, the four arrived before Mephisto just as he called for his horde to test them as a team.
(Slingers#12) - Dusk cleared the battlefield, and Ricochet and the others were given the opportunity to leave Mephisto's realm. Arguing in favor of leaving the Black Marvel to his fate, Ricochet entered the fray to help Hornet who tried to save the Black Marvel. Failing to free the Black Marvel, Ricochet removed his jacket and armaments, telling Mephisto that he'd given up on his hatred. Confronted by a vision of his late mother, Ricochet was shaken out of it by Prodigy and joined the others in their stand for the Black Marvel. With his soul saved, Ricochet and the others returned to New York. Parting ways with Prodigy and Dusk amicably, Ricochet and Hornet decided to look forward to what the future held.
(Contest of Champions II#1/All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #10 (Slingers)) - Ricochet was among the group of heroes teleported off Earth to compete in a "contest of champions".
(Contest of Champions II#3) - Ricochet, Dusk, Hornet, and Prodigy, collectively referred to as the "Slingers", competed in the contest against the New Warriors in a game of basketball. After a heated match, the Warriors were crowned the victors and the "Slingers" were teleported away.
(Contest of Champions II#5/All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #10 (Slingers)) - The heroes, including the Slingers returned to Earth.
(The Loners#2 (fb) - BTS) - Ricochet broke up with Kathy. (see comments)
(The Loners#2 (fb)) - Ricochet's discs were rebuilt by Hornet, and they resumed their super-heroic activities as partners and best friends. Unlike Hornet, who took his responsibility seriously and had grown to love being a superhero, Ricochet was more interested in seeing his name in the press and using his identity to meet girls. Falling out of the spotlight, Ricochet wore his suit less and less, despite Hornet asking him to rejoin him in the field.
(Wolverine III#23 (fb) - BTS/Loners#2 (fb)) - Ricochet turned down Hornet's urgings to don his suit, laughing at the offer. Ricochet later learned that Hornet died defending Stark Industries from Wolverine and HYDRA.
(Runaways II#1 (fb) - BTS) - After Hornet's death, Ricochet looked at ways to change his life, first trying to contact the X-Men, but failed to receive an answer. He finally moved to Los Angeles and joined the Excelsior support group for former teenage superheroes run by Mickey Musashi, formerly Turbo of the New Warriors, and Phil Urich, formerly the heroic Green Goblin.
(Runaways II#1) - Joined at Excelsior's first meeting in the Holy Trinity church by Chris Powell, formerly Darkhawk, Julie Power, formerly Lightspeed of the Power Pack, and Jonothan Starsmore, formerly Chamber of the X-Men and Generation X, Johnny explained the circumstances of his arrival in L.A., telling the others of his feelings of uselessness in New York.
(Runaways II#2) - Excelsior was contacted and hired to track down the runaway children of the Pride, an underworld syndicate formerly in control of the US west coast. Briefed on the runaways and their abilities, Ricochet suggested that their recent activities might be to make up for the crimes of their parents. Regardless, Excelsior decided the children should be brought in and they would need to wear their costumes one last time to do that. Following up on a lead, Excelsior confronted the runaways on a high school football field.
(Runaways II#3) - Hit by a laser from the Leap-Frog, the runaways' ship, Excelsior was fazed long enough for the children to escape. Tracking them, Darkhawk hit the Leap-Frog with a blast from his amulet causing the ship to crash into a film set. Following them into the set, a fight broke out between the two sides. Ricochet stopped Gertrude Yorkes of the runaways with one of his discs and tied up the mouth of her dinosaur, Old Lace. Noticing Darkhawk's aggressiveness with Nico Minoru, Ricochet tried to get him to stand down, threatening to use a blackout disc when Darkhawk and Turbo began fighting. As Excelsior calmed down, they realized the runaways were gone.
(Runaways II#4) - Excelsior met with Phil Urich atop the roof of the L.A. Times. Ricochet made a joke about Darkhawk going crazy and was thrown off the roof. Caught by Lightspeed, Ricochet struck up a conversation with her about the Lord of the Rings movies, which he noted he'd seen 23 times.
(Runaways II#5) - Excelsior went to a warehouse containing a ship, courtesy of their anonymous benefactor. Calling it the Excel, the ship was offered to the team to help track down the runaways.
(Runaways II#6) - Excelsior followed a blast through the roof of an abandoned warehouse, and found the runaways fighting Ultron. Ricochet and Turbo hit Ultron with an EMP disc, Ultron shrugging it off as a "flesh wound". Ultron was destroyed when Darkhawk, who stayed behind fearing he'd lose control again, arrived and dismantled him with his amulet. Recovering and learning that the runaways had escaped again, Excelsior was joined by Rick Jones, revealing himself as the group's mysterious benefactor. Recognizing Jones, Ricochet felt old when Lightspeed had no idea who he was. Asked by Jones if they would continue to look for the Runaways while getting back into superheroics full-time to take care of the increasing superhuman activity in California, the group considered the offer.
(Avengers Academy#26 (fb) - BTS) - Ricochet attended the funeral of his former teammate Eddie McDonough aka. Hornet. It made him think about how egoistical he was.
(X-Men: The 198 Files) - Ricochet was known to O.N.E. (Office of National Emergency) to have retained his mutant powers after M-Day.
(Loners#1 (fb) - BTS) - Following the superhuman "civil war", Excelsior returned to being a support group for former teenage superheroes, taking on new member Mattie Franklin, formerly Spider-Woman, who left New York after being kidnapped and "used" as a source of the Mutant Growth Hormone drug.
(The Loners#1) - Excelsior resumed meeting in the Holy Trinity church, although the tension gradually increased between its members. Following Spider-Woman and Darkhawk after they left the group to track down MGH dealers, Ricochet helped them stop Nekra, who had been selling herself as an MGH source. The three decided to continue their investigation into the MGH operation, opting not to tell the others about it.
(The Loners#2) - After playing Guitar Hero, Ricochet thought about his current situation and his responsibilities as a hero. Meeting Darkhawk and Spider-Woman for lunch, Ricochet explained that he had decided to tell the others about the MGH dealers. He reluctantly agreed to hold off while Spider-Woman continued her investigation. During a meeting later that night, Ricochet told the others about Hornet's death, the real reason he left New York, and his guilt over being a hero for the wrong reasons. He left, explaining that being a hero now meant be could honor Hornet's memory, and went after the MGH dealers. Arriving in a Fujikawa Industries lab full of tubes containing imprisoned superhuman females, Ricochet was confronted by Delilah, who had previously worked with Spider-Man when he used the Ricochet identity, and assumed Ricochet to have been her one-time partner who ultimately betrayed her. Unable to convince Delilah he was a different Ricochet, they fought. Defeating Delilah, Ricochet ruptured one of the tubes, freeing a prisoners.
(The Loners#3 (fb)) - Joined by Lightspeed, Ricochet stood back while she confronted Penance, the freed prisoner. Unable to stop Penance from spearing Lightspeed with her razor-sharp claws, Ricochet rushed her to a nearby hospital and called the other members of Excelsior.
(The Loners#3) - Learning that Lightspeed was in stable condition, Ricochet left to rescue the other imprisoned women. While the group argued over what to do, they noticed Penance followed them to the hospital. Soon joined by Fuyumi Fujikawa, Delilah, and several armed men, Fujikawa called Penance "Hollow" and explained that although she released the other imprisoned women, she wanted Hollow back. Turbo talked Fujikawa into leaving, failing to elaborate on how she was able to do that.
(The Loners#4) - Ricochet took Lightspeed to lunch and drove her to an audition at Marvel Studios. Failing to book the acting job, Lightspeed and Ricochet were offered jobs as stunt-people. Reluctantly accepting, Ricochet dressed as Iron Fist to Lightspeed's Black Cat, both using their powers to enhance a chase scene. Ricochet later attended an Excelsior meeting, soon crashed by Nekra.
(The Loners#5) - The group fought Nekra, but were outmatched and the church was destroyed in the fight. Saved by Namie, who Ricochet recognized from the tubes at Fujikawa, he and Spider-Woman went back to his apartment and he challenged her to a game of Guitar Hero after a quick shower. Catching Spider-Woman going through his things, she explained she was looking for "protection". Later that night, Spider-Woman called Cassie St. Commons' father to tell him that she had found no evidence that Ricochet had been in contact with his missing daughter.
(The Loners#6) - Arriving at Turbo's demolished apartment, Ricochet and Spider-Woman suited up to take on Phil Urich, crazed and in possession of the Darkhawk amulet. Stopping Urich, the group fell into disarray, with Spider-Woman leaving and telling the others that she'd slept with Ricochet, Urich taking Hollow back to Fujikawa, and the news that Namie was a new Red Ronin model. The remaining members of the group held a meeting a week later in Johnny's apartment, deciding, in spite of all they'd been through, to pick up the pieces and carry on.
(Marvel Holiday Special 2007#1/3) - Ricochet spent Christmas with the other members of Excelsior, exchanging presents as part of a "Secret Santa". Still dealing with the fallout of recent events, Ricochet gave Lightspeed an olive branch, their friendship returning to normal, and he received a New York Mets hat from Namie. Ricochet later joined the others at a holiday gathering, dressing as an elf with the others in costume as well.
(War of Kings: Darkhawk#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Excelsior support group flourished, gaining three new members.
(War of Kings: Darkhawk#1 (fb) - BTS) - After losing Darkhawk's participation in the group when he chose to assume his heroic identity full-time and serve as the security director for Project: PEGASUS, Excelsior chose to relocate to New York.
(War of Kings: Darkhawk#1) - Attending the first meeting of the newly relocated Excelsior in the basement of Manhattan's Holy Trinity Church, Ricochet's mood turned when Darkhawk entered. Angry that Darkhawk turned his back on them, the group came around when Darkhawk explained that he came to the group for help after losing control against a villain at Project: PEGASUS.
(War of Kings: Darkhawk#2) - Ricochet was Called into an emergency Excelsior meeting after Darkhawk's mother had been injured and hospitalized. Learning that his friend's mother was improving, Ricochet and the others listened while Darkhawk apologized for prioritizing any superheroic activity over the group and that to better understand his amulet and armor he would be leaving Earth for a while. As he left, Ricochet and the others agreed to look after Darkhawk's family in his absence.
(Avengers Academy#21) - Hanging out with the other new students at the Avengers Academy Campus Ricochet joined forces with Power Man, Turbo and Hollow in a rope pulling contest against She-Hulk (Lyra).
(Avengers Academy#23) - Ricochet played frisbee with Power Man, Lyra and Rocket Racer at Avengers Academy.
(Avengers Academy#26) - Ricochet declined Jeremy Briggs' offer to join his company because his former teammate Prodigy's pitch sounded like the time they abandoned and let their former friend Hornet die. Ricochet decided to stay at Avengers Academy.
(Avengers Academy#30) - Wiz Kid talked with Ricochet, X-23 and Hazmat about guarding Wolverine's mutant students like they were prisoners. He tried to convince his fellow mutants at Avengers Academy and Hazmat (due to her Japanese background....she didn't like it either) to not go along with the imprisonment of mutants. Though Ricochet realized it they were prisoners he wasn't so sure if they should do anything against it because the X-Men's scientists Jeffries and Rao went along with it as well.
When the X-Students tried to flee from Avengers Academy Ricochet, Wiz Kid and Hollow came to their aid against the other students of Avengers Academy, who tried to prevent their escape.
(Avengers Academy#31) - Ricochet was present, but didn't participate in the fight between the students. When the situation calmed down the mutants left to find Emma Frost.
Comments: Created by Joseph Harris (writer), Adam Pollina (pencils) and Jimmy Palmiotti (inks).
Slingers#0 was released as an insert in Wizard Magazine#88.
Slingers#1 shipped with four different covers, each spotlighting one of the four leads. More than just a cover gimmick, each variant included different story pages, eight near the beginning of the issue giving a different interlude with each character, eight near the end of the issue with a different view of their actions during the train disaster. The pages specific to the Ricochet variant are noted as they appeared along the pages carried in each version.
Ricochet received a brief profile in the X-Men: The 198 Files handbook, and as a member of the "Slingers" in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #10.
Johnny's mother was buried in the same cemetery as Ben Parker.
It's not concretely stated that Ricochet and Kathy broke up between the events of Slingers#12 and Runaways II#1, but given Ricochet's interest in Lightspeed in the latter series and his numerous amorous liasons shown in the flashback in Loners#2, it's pretty clear they split up at some point.
One final note about "The Slingers": Although the team has been referred to as "The Slingers" in several Marvel titles (including both Civil War handbooks) and by several Marvel characters, at no point in the actual Slingers comic did Dusk or the others refer to themselves by this name. Johnny Gallo (Ricochet) affirmed this in Runaways II#1. It's obvious why the name is used for the characters (writers mistakingly assuming it was the group name), but there's been no in-story explanation for its use. The only incident where the name was used as a title for Dusk and company in their presence was in Contest of Champions (as noted in the Group Membership listing), and since the characters did not refer to themselves as such, it is used loosely as a name for the group (at least by those of us who remember it was never supposed to be the team name and stubbornly hold to that).
Profile by G Morrow.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Ricochet has no known connections to
Ricochet should not be mistaken for:
(Slingers#4 (fb) - BTS) - As a child, Mr. Gallo enjoyed the film "The Black Marvel Strikes".
(Slingers#4/Slingers#9 (fb) - BTS) - Mr. Gallo's wife was killed on his birthday. Her death shook him up, making him withdraw from their son, Johnny.
(Slingers#1) - Asking Johnny to free up the phone, Mr. Gallo returned to his son's room to tell him there was a call for him and was surprised that Johnny was gone.
(Slingers#4) - Going into Johnny's bedroom to turn off a light, Mr. Gallo stopped to look at a picture of his wife and son. Finding a copy of "The Black Marvel Strikes", Mr. Gallo sat down to watch it, noting to himself that his son was a good kid.
(Slingers#7) - Hearing a noise from his son's room, Mr. Gallo checked on it.
(Slingers#8) - Hearing another noise from the garage, Mr. Gallo opened the door just as Johnny was teleported away by Dusk. Mr. Gallo was stunned by what he saw.
(Slingers#9) - On the anniversary of his wife's death, Mr. Gallo was knocked unconscious by the Orphan Maker, there to kill him and finish the job he'd started years earlier. Waking after the Orphan Maker had been stopped by Ricochet, Mr. Gallo remained distant toward his son, telling him that although he was a superhero, there were still others stronger than him.
--Slingers#1 (Slingers#4,7-9
(Slingers#4/Slingers #9 (fb) - BTS) - Born a mutant, Johnny's mother married Mr. Gallo and had a son, Johnny.
(Slingers#9 (fb)) - Leaving the grocery store with Johnny, Mrs. Gallo became alarmed when Johnny leapt over a speeding car, her fears confirmed that Johnny was born a mutant. Mrs. Gallo continued to her car with the groceries but was gunned down by Nanny and the Orphan Maker.
(Slingers#9 - BTS) - Johnny visited his mother's grave on the anniversary of her death.
(Slingers#12) - Johnny was confronted by a vision of his mother in Mephisto's realm.
--Slingers#4 (Slingers#9,12
(Slingers #1 (Ricochet Variant) (fb) - BTS) - At age six, Kathy met Johnny Gallo. Growing up together, they became life-long friends, playing "house" and "doctor" as children, and dating as they entered their teens.>
(Slingers #1 (Ricochet Variant) (fb) - BTS) - Kathy was stood up by Johnny on several occasions as he began training as Ricochet.
(Slingers #1 (Ricochet Variant)) - Kathy tried to reach Johnny. Unsuccessful, she considered trying again, but was confronted by a mugger. Saved by Ricochet, Kathy noticed something familiar about him and vowed to find out who he was.
(Slingers #3) - Kathy went to see Johnny at the Flix! video store. Waking him, Kathy noted her suspicion that Johnny was Ricochet and began looking through his backpack for a mask. Finding a copy of "The Black Marvel Strikes" instead, Johnny tore the backpack away from her, telling her to mind her own business. Stunned and saddened, Kathy left.
(Slingers #4) - Kathy and two friends went to the reopening of the Grand Royale hotel, Kathy remembering its significance in "The Black Marvel Strikes" and hoping to find Johnny.
(Slingers #5) - Separated from her friends, Kathy was stuck in the Grand Royale, now ablaze following several explosions. Confronted by the Black Marvel who was there to try to save Kathy in a last ditch attempt to be a hero, Ricochet stopped him and saved them both from the flames. She thanked Johnny for saving her, surprising him with the news she'd figured out his secret identity. They embraced as the Grand Royale collapsed.
(Slingers #7) - While Johnny rooted around his garage, Kathy offered suggestions on how to improve the Ricochet suit. Deciding to leave the suit as it was -- believing that groupies would be unlikely to flock to Ricochet looking as he did -- Kathy left, telling Johnny she'd call him the next day.
(The Loners#2 (fb) - BTS) - Kathy and Johnny broke up some time after he returned from Mephisto's realm.
--Slingers#1 (Slingers#3-5,7
images:
(without ads)
Runaways II#3, Cover by Jo Chen (main image)
Slingers#9, p1, pan1 (as a child)
The Loners#4, p7, pan3 (Johnny Gallo)
Slingers#9, p18, pan4 (Ricochet in action)
Runaways II#6, p13, pan3 (throwing a disc)
Slingers#4, p2, pan3 (Mr. Gallo)
Slingers#9, p4, pan2 (Mrs. Gallo)
Slingers#7, p9, pan2 (Kathy)
Appearances:
Slingers#0 (December, 1998) - Joseph Harris (writer), Adam Pollina
(pencils), Jimmy Palmiotti (inks), Ruben Diaz (editor)
Slingers#1 (December, 1998) - Joseph
Harris (writer), Chris Cross (pencils), Rob Stull (inks), Ruben Diaz
(editor)
Slingers#2 (January, 1999) - Joseph Harris
(writer), Chris Cross (pencils), Rob Stull (inks), Ruben Diaz (editor)
Slingers#3 (February, 1999) - Joseph
Harris (writer), Chris Cross (pencils), Rob Stull (inks), Ruben Diaz
(editor)
Slingers#4 (March, 1999) - Joseph Harris
(writer), Oscar Jimenez (pencils), Felix Alpuente (inks), Ruben Diaz
(editor)
Slingers#5 (April, 1999) - Joseph Harris
(writer), Chris Cross (pencils), Rob Stull (inks), Ruben Diaz (editor)
Slingers#6 (May, 1999) - Joseph Harris
(writer), Chris Cross (pencils), Rob Stull (inks), Ruben Diaz (editor)
Slingers#7 (June, 1999) - Joseph Harris
(writer), Greg Luzniak (pencils), Bob Almond with Jimmy & Peter
Palmiotti (inks), Ruben Diaz (editor)
Slingers#8 (July, 1999) - Joseph Harris
(writer), Greg Luzniak (pencils), Bob Almond with Candelario &
Minor (inks), Ruben Diaz (editor)
New Warriors II#1 (October, 1999) - Jay
Faerber (writer), Steve Scott (pencils), Walden Wong (inks), Bobbie
Chase (editor)
Contest of Champions II#1 (September, 1999)
- Chris Claremont (writer), Oscar Jimenez (pencils), Eduardo Alpuente
(inks), Ruben Diaz (editor)
Contest of Champions II#3 (October, 1999) -
Chris Claremont (writer), Oscar Jimenez (pencils), Eduardo Alpuente
(inks), Ruben Diaz (editor)
Contest of Champions II#5 (November, 1999)
- Chris Claremont (writer), Oscar Jimenez & Michael Ryan
(pencils), Eduardo Alpuente & Livesay (inks), Ruben Diaz
(editor)
Slingers#9 (August, 1999) - Joseph Harris
(writer), Chris Cross (pencils), Rob Stull (inks), Ruben Diaz (editor)
Slingers#10 (September, 1999) - Joseph
Harris (writer), Chris Cross (pencils), Rob Stull (inks), Ruben Diaz
(editor)
Slingers#11 (October, 1999) - Joseph
Harris (writer), Javier Saltares (pencils), Perrotta, Mahlstedt (inks),
Ruben Diaz (editor)
Slingers#12 (November, 1999) - Joseph
Harris (writer), Javier Saltares (pencils), Minor, Perrotta, Ramos and
Rubenstein (inks), Ruben Diaz (editor)
Runaways II#1 (April, 2005) - Brian K.
Vaughn (writer), Adrian Alphona (pencils), Craig Yeung (inks), C.B.
Cebulski (editor)
Runaways II#2 (May, 2005) - Brian K. Vaughn
(writer), Adrian Alphona (pencils), Craig Yeung (inks), C.B. Cebulski
(editor)
Runaways II#3 (June, 2005) - Brian K.
Vaughn (writer), Adrian Alphona (pencils), Craig Yeung (inks), C.B.
Cebulski (editor)
Runaways II#4 (July, 2005) - Brian K.
Vaughn (writer), Adrian Alphona (pencils), Craig Yeung (inks), C.B.
Cebulski (editor)
Runaways II#5 (August, 2005) - Brian K.
Vaughn (writer), Adrian Alphona (pencils), Craig Yeung (inks), C.B.
Cebulski (editor)
Runaways II#6 (September, 2005) - Brian K.
Vaughn (writer), Adrian Alphona (pencils), Craig Yeung (inks),
MacKenzie Cadenhead & C.B. Cebulski (editor)
X-Men: The 198 Files (January, 2006) - Eric J.
Moreels, Marc-Oliver Frisch & Brian E. Wilkinson (writers),
Jeff Youngquist (editor)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #10 (October, 2006) - Jeff Christiansen (head writer/coordinator)
The Loners#1 (June, 2007) - C.B. Cebulski
(writer), Karl Moline (artist), Bill Rosemann (editor)
The Loners#2 (July, 2007) - C.B. Cebulski
(writer), Karl Moline (artist), Bill Rosemann (editor)
The Loners#3 (August, 2007) - C.B. Cebulski
(writer), Karl Moline (artist), Bill Rosemann (editor)
The Loners#4 (September, 2007) - C.B.
Cebulski
(writer), Karl Moline (artist), Bill Rosemann (editor)
The Loners#5 (October, 2007) - C.B.
Cebulski
(writer), Karl Moline (artist), Mark Pennington (ink assists), Bill
Rosemann (editor)
The Loners#6 (January, 2008) - C.B.
Cebulski
(writer), Karl Moline (pencils), Mark Pennington (inks), Bill Rosemann
(editor)
Marvel Holiday Special 2007#1 (February,
2008) - C.B. Cebulski (writer), Alina Urusov (artist), John Barber
(editor)
War of Kings: Darkhawk#1 (April,
2009) - C.B. Cebulski (writer), Harvey Tolibao & Bong Dazo
(pencils), Harvey Tolibao & Joe Pimentel (inks), Bill Rosemann
(editor)
War of Kings: Darkhawk#2 (May,
2009) - C.B. Cebulski, Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (writers), Harvey
Tolibao & Paolo Pantalena (artists), Bill Rosemann (editor)
Avengers Academy#21 (January, 2011) - Christos Gage (writer), Sean Chen (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Bill Rosemann (editor)
Avengers Academy#23 (February, 2011) - Christos Gage (writer), Tom Raney (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Bill Rosemann (editor)
Avengers Academy#26 (April, 2012) - Christos Gage (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Cory Hamscher (inks), Bill Rosemann (editor)
Avengers Academy#30-31 (July-August, 2012) - Christos Gage (writer),
Tom Grummett (pencils), Cory Hamscher (inks), Bill Rosemann (editor)
First Posted: 02/19/2008
Last Updated: 06/09/2016
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.!
