WALDO ROBERTS

Real Name: Waldo Roberts

Identity/Class: Human mutate (1950s)

Occupation: Aspiring magician

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Marko the Great (guardian, former employer)

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Waldo the Magnificent" (as called by himself)

Base of Operations: Mobile in Marko's lunchbox

First Appearance: Fear#9/2 (August, 1972)

Powers/Abilities: Following his ingestion of a mystic potion, Waldo was permanently reduced to a height of about 4 inches.

History: (Fear#9/2 (fb)) - "Back about fifty years," Marko the Great was the most astounding magician ever to grace the stage of the vaudeville theatre circuit. Wanting to outdo his past performances, Marko became obsessed with finding the greatest magic trick of all time; to this end, he spent every waking hour he wasn't on stage researching the dust-covered shelves of old libraries. Marko eventually found the mystic journal of Cagliostro. Needing time to study the pages of the arcane tome, Marko hired Waldo Roberts as his assistant, to take care of all the preparations for his act.

But as he saw the magician perform before the adoring crowds, Waldo grew to envy Marko's fame and wanted to learn his secrets. One night, Waldo espied Marko poring over the journal, and he overheard when Marko suddenly cried out that he had finally found the greatest trick ever... unfortunately, Waldo couldn't overhear Marko's private thoughts -- that it was a trick that he must never perform.

Determined to steal the trick before Marko could perform it on stage, Waldo stole Marko's notebook. Following the formulae step-by-step, Waldo concocted a mystic potion, and all he had to do was drink it the night of the performance.

A few nights later, before his employer's scheduled show, Waldo locked Marko in the dressing room. Billing himself as "Waldo the Magnificent," he took Marko's place on stage. Promising the audience a feat of pure magic, Waldo stepped inside a magic box. The cabinet's doors were closed, and when the doors were opened a moment later, Waldo had seemingly disappeared! But when the cabinet was once again closed, then reopened, Waldo had failed to reappear. As the seconds turned into uncomfortable minutes for the restless audience, the angry theatre manager found Marko locked in his dressing room and ordered every part of the theatre searched. Waldo was nowhere to be found (...but Marko had secretly found Waldo, and hid him away for safekeeping). Following the controversy caused by Waldo's disappearance, Marko was blacklisted from the theatre circuit, and his career as a stage magician was finished.

(Fear#9/2) - Years later, the elderly Marko was working as a night watchman at the very same theatre. One night, two reporters came by to do a feature story on the old theatre, and Marko told them the strange tale, but didn't reveal the full story of Waldo's mysterious disappearance. After the reporters left, Marko opened his lunch box, where he kept Waldo hidden -- the tiny Waldo could only complain about the smelly cheese sandwich locked inside with him. Marko told Waldo that he should be grateful that he had found him and picked him off the floor those many years ago, before someone had accidentally stepped on him. Marko further added that he could never reveal the truth about the events of that night without taking the chance that the potion might fall into the wrong hands... because there was no antidote!

Comments: Created by Mimi Gold and Bill Everett.

Maybe Waldo could have consulted with Henry Pym regarding his "little" problem.

Profile by John Kaminski

CLARIFICATIONS:
Waldo Roberts has no known connection to:

• Roberts, Hydropolis staff @ Namor I#57
• Roberts, Ryker's Island guard @ Daredevil II#87
• Bernard Roberts, summoned All-Devourer @ Iron Man I#130
• Billy Roberts, aka. Dr. Spectrum of the Squadron Sinister @ Avengers Annual#8
• Keith Roberts, Nightstalkers ally @ Nightstalkers#3
• any other character with a similar name

Marko the Great has no known connections to:

• Marko, Cessie Merrick's bodyguard @ X-51#10
• Professor Marko, original Human Torch foe @ Human Torch Comics I#38/1
• Stella Marko, Professor Marko's daughter @ Human Torch Comics I#38/1
• any other character with a similar name

Marko the Great

A famous stage magician, Marko was searching for the greatest magic trick of all time. He eventually discovered it in the journal of Cagliostro, but found it to be too dangerous to attempt -- Marko's foolish assistant Waldo would later perform the trick, but would be permanently reduced to a height of mere inches.

A half-century later, the aged Marko was employed as a watchman at the same theatre he once performed in. He was visited by two reporters working on an assignment, and told them the story of Waldo's disappearance.

--Fear#9/2

Jane Holt & Jeff Parness

Jane was a reporter, and Jeff was her photographer. They were working on an assignment for The Sunday Times, to do a feature story about the old Elysee Theatre. The elderly watchman told them the strange story of Waldo Roberts and his mysterious disappearance.

--Fear#9/2

images:
Fear#9/2, p5, pan3 (main image)