DUNCAN SLOAN

Real Name: Duncan Sloan

Identity/Class: Human mutate technology user (1957 to 1967)

Occupation: Inventor

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "The Changing Man" (in story title); "future big shot" (as referred to by himself); Emerich Fabius, Vincent Stalwart, Alfonso Galvez (while he possessed their bodies)

Base of Operations: Mobile throughout Earth

First Appearance: Strange Worlds#4/4 (June, 1959)

Powers/Abilities: Sloan was an inventive genius who built a dematerializing machine--when he stood before this device and activated it, he was transformed to an invisible and ethereal state, which allowed him to possess the bodies of others and dominate their wills (see comments).

Height: 5'10" (by approximation)
Weight: 160 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Brown

History:
(Strange Worlds#4/4 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Duncan Sloan is largely unrevealed, but at some point in 1957, he began to work on his dematerializing machine.

(Strange Worlds#4/4) - In 1967, after ten years of work, Sloan completed the device. When he activated the dematerializing machine, he was rendered incorporeal--his physical being was gone, and only his invisible essence remained. After this initial test of the device, Sloan returned himself to normal, and devised his great scheme. Dissatisfied with his own life, Duncan Sloan decided he could use the machine to become other men--the wealthiest, or the handsomest, or the most powerful--and make their lives his own!

   Sloan flew to Cannes and checked into a hotel room, then transformed himself with the machine. As his unseen essence drifted out to the beach, Sloan came upon multimillionaire Emerich Fabius, who was laying in the sun and enjoying the company of two beautiful women. Taking possession of Fabius' body, Sloan figured he'd spend a few weeks just lolling on the beach, then he'd visit the other rich tourist spots of the world! But just as he was ready to have the time of his life, two of Fabius' accountants came running up and told him that he was on the verge of financial ruin--upon hearing this, the two women immediately left. Deciding that Fabius would have too much trouble ahead of him, Sloan left the multimillionaire's body and returned himself to normal.

   Sloan next flew to Hollywood, where he dematerialized himself and took possession of movie-star Vincent Stalwart, because he was handsome and rich enough for Sloan. But when he was nearly killed by one of Stalwart's jealous ex-lovers, Sloan decided that the life of a movie-star wasn't exactly what he wanted, so his essence left Stalwart's body.

   After transforming back to normal, Sloan thought up a new plan ("This time I'll pick a guy too influential to go bankrupt, and too smart to be shot by a jealous dame!"); he boarded a plane bound for South America, and when he arrived, Sloan activated the machine again and took over the life of dictator Alfonso Galvez, his third victim. But before Sloan had a chance to do anything in his new identity, a revolution began which overthrew Galvez , and he was forced to flee from the dictator's body ("Again I picked the wrong guy!!").

   As he returned home aboard a plane, Sloan decided that three failures were enough for him.

   When he got back to his workshop, Sloan smashed the dematerializing machine and threw it in a wastebasket--compared with the troubles he'd experienced in the other three identities, he thought that maybe his own life wasn't so bad after all ("From now on, I'll be content to remain just plain Duncan Sloan!").

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Al Williamson.

This story--I Was the Changing Man!--was only 4 pages long, and when you consider that he spent most of the time in other identities, there weren't many good images of Sloan to choose from.

It was never explained exactly what happened to the three other men while Sloan possessed their bodies--my guess is that their minds shut down and they entered a sleep-like state while Sloan was in control.--Ron Fredricks

In a narrative caption, Sloan mentioned that the year was 1967--I didn't see any reason why this story was set in that "future" year--probably just to give it a "futuristic" kind of feel.

And a big THANK YOU to Dennis Giansante for originally scanning this story for me!

Profile by John Kaminski. Expansion by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Duncan Sloan has no known connections to:

Emerich Fabius has no known connections to:

Vincent Stalwart has no known connections to:

Alfonso Galvez has no known connections to:

Duncan Sloan's dematerializing machine

A device created by Sloan, it apparently emitted "infragamma rays" that transformed his physical being (along with his clothing and glasses) into a ghostly, ethereal state, leaving only his invisible essence behind--while in this energy form, Sloan could possess the bodies of others and dominate their wills.

The machine apparently had sensors that could detect the radiation of Sloan's essence when he came within a set distance from it--the device would then automatically activate and re-materialize Sloan  back to his normal physical body.

It was unrevealed if this device worked on people other than Sloan, or if it was attuned to only operate for him.

--Strange Worlds#4/4

Emerich Fabius

The wealthiest man in the world, he was vacationing on the beaches of Cannes with two beautiful women. He became the first victim of Duncan Sloan when Sloan possessed his body.

But shortly after Sloan took control of Fabius, he received news that the multimillionaire was financially ruined; realizing that Fabius had too much trouble ahead, Sloan willingly left his body for his next victim.

--Strange Worlds#4/4

Vincent Stalwart

A rich and handsome movie-star, Stalwart was enjoying a romantic interlude with one of his girlfriends when he became the second victim possessed by Duncan Sloan.

But things went awry when "Stalwart" was shot by another jealous girlfriend who didn't like the idea of him "two-timing" her. Sustaining only a flesh wound to his arm, Sloan decided that the life of a movie-star was not for him, so he moved on to his next victim

--Strange Worlds#4/4

Alfonso Galvez

President Alfonso Galvez was the powerful dictator of an unidentified South American country, so Duncan Sloan made him his third victim.

But shortly after taking over Galvez's life, rebels attacked the dictator's regime, forcing Sloan to abandon Galvez to save his own life.

--Strange Worlds#4/4

images: (without ads)
Strange Worlds#4/4, p1, pan4 (Main Image - Duncan Sloan, being re-materialized by his machine)
Strange Worlds#4/4, p3, pan3 (Headshot - Duncan Sloan, exposed to energy of dematerializing machine)
Strange Worlds#4/4, p1, pan3 (Duncan Sloan's essence, after being rendered incorporeal by dematerializing machine (He's invisible...that's why you can't see him!))
Strange Worlds#4/4, p4, pan7 (Duncan Sloan disposes of dematerializing machine)
Strange Worlds#4/4, p1, pan1 (Duncan Sloan activates dematerializing machine)
Strange Worlds#4/4, p1, pan2 (dematerializing machine causes Duncan Sloan's body to fade away)
Strange Worlds#4/4, p2, pan4 (Emerich Fabius on beach, being possessed by Duncan Sloan)
Strange Worlds#4/4, p2, pan5 (unidentified woman; body of Emerich Fabius, possessed by Duncan Sloan)
Strange Worlds#4/4, p3, pan4 (Vincent Stalwart)
Strange Worlds#4/4, p4, pan1 (wounded body of Vincent Stalwart, possessed by Duncan Sloan; Stalwart's unidentified girl-friend; Stalwart's unidentified jilted ex-lover (background))
Strange Worlds#4/4, p4, pan4 (Alfonso Galvez, possessed by Duncan Sloan)

Appearances:
Strange Worlds#4/4 (June, 1959) - Stan Lee (plot/editor), Larry Lieber (script), Al Williamson (pencils and inks)

First Posted: 11/17/2006
Last updated: 07/07/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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