SLYDE
Real Name: Jalome Beacher
Identity/Class: Human technology user
Occupation: Criminal, thief, "slippery urban commando";
formerly a chemical engineer with the design and development branch of Beemont Manufacturing
Group Membership: Formerly the Thunderbolts (Ajaxis, Aqueduct, Atlas (Josten), Batroc the Leaper, Beetle 1, Beetle 2, Beetle 3, Blacklash (unrevealed), Blizzard (Gill), Boomerang, Bushmaster (McIver), Doctor Octopus (Octavius), Eel (Lavell), Fixer (Ebersol), Joystick, Killer Shrike, King Cobra (Klaus Voorhees), MACH-4, "Snake" Marston, Over-Mind, Ox (Ronald Bloch), Porcupine, Pretty Persuasions, Quicksand, Radioactive Man, Rattler (Krueger), Smiling Tiger, Smuggler (Conrad Josten), Songbird, Swordsman (Andreas von Strucker), Tatterdemalion,
the U-Foes (Ironclad (Steel), Vapor (Darnell), Vector, X-Ray
(Darnell)), Unicorn (unrevealed), Vermin (Whelan), Whirlwind (Cannon),
Zaran (Maximilian Zaran), Baron Helmut Zemo);
formerly Masters of Evil (Aqueduct, Bison, Blackwing (Silvermane), Boomerang, Cardinal (Clendenon), Constrictor, Crimson Cowl (Hammer), Cyclone (Fresson), Dragonfly (Dultry), Eel (Lavell), Flying Tiger, Icemaster, Joystick, Klaw, Lodestone (Haggard), Man-Ape, Man-Killer (van Horne), Quicksand, Scorcher (Hudak), Shatterfist, Shockwave (Sneed), Sunstroke, Supercharger, Tiger Shark)
Affiliations: Black Talon (Barone), Dragonfly (Dultry), Gibbon, Mr. Pain, Nekra, Tony Reeves, Roughhouse, Scrier (unrevealed), Shocker (Schultz), Terraformer, Tiger Shark, Titania (MacPherran), Trapster (Petruski), White Rabbit, the law offices of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg, & Holliway, several unnamed friends, unidentified reporter with Channel 4 News;
formerly Luke Cage, Guardsman (unrevealed), Hammerhead (unrevealed), Blake Tower, several unnamed henchmen
Enemies: The Chicago Police Department, Hammerhead (unrevealed), Carl Jenkins, the Maggia (Max (last name unrevealed), Nautilus, Rockwall, Razorwire, Spider-Man (Parker), Spider-Man (Reilly), Thunderbolts (Atlas (Josten), Charcoal, Hawkeye (Barton), Jolt (Takahama), Moonstone (Sofen), Songbird), Underworld, X-Men (Archangel, Cyclops (Summers), Iceman (Drake), Storm (Munroe), Wolverine (Howlett)), several unnamed employees of Talmadge Investments;
Known Relatives: Matthew "Matt" Beacher (Slyde, step-brother, apparently deceased) (see comments)
Aliases: "Dark Figure Skater Man", "Hotshot", Jalome Beecher (see comments), "Laughing Boy", "Mr. Slyde", "Slip-Dude", "Slyyyde", "Speedy", "Sucker", "Teflon-Boy", "Ultimate Slyde"
Base of Operations: Mobile;
formerly the Folding Castle;
formerly a secret headquarters;
formerly Mount Charteris, in the Colorado Rockies;
formerly Beemont Manufacturing, New York;
formerly an apartment in New York City, New York
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man I#272 (January, 1986)
Powers/Abilities: A gifted chemical engineer, Jalome Beacher applied his frictionless chemical coating to a speed skaters outfit, giving him ability to "slide" over surfaces at speeds up to 30 mph. While designed for maneuverability, the suit had some offensive elements, including sharpened boot-tips. A sword, shuriken, and "hover-jet" boots were briefly among Slyde's arsenal.
History: (Amazing Spider-Man I#272/Web of Spider-Man I#23/Spider-Man Unlimited III#1/2 (fb)) - A chemical engineer in Beemont Manufacturing's design and development branch, Jalome Beacher developed a frictionless chemical coating that he hoped would revolutionize the non-stick frying pan industry and make him very wealthy.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#272/Web of Spider-Man I#23 (fb)) - Before he was able to reveal his creation, Beemont was taken over by new management headed by Rockwall; within months the company was in ruins, the design and development branch dissolved, and Beacher let go. Wanting to show up his former employer by taking his chemical coating and starting his own company, Beacher was unable to secure a bank loan without first providing a down payment. Desperate, Beacher decided that if the banks wouldn't give him the money he'd take it from Rockwall as payback. Coating a speed skater's costume with his formula and designing boots able to glide over any surface, Beacher became Slyde, "The slipperiest dude of them all!". (Amazing Spider-Man I#272 (fb) - BTS) - Beacher began a strict diet to stay in peak physical condition while acting as Slyde. (Code of Honor I#3) - Slyde took advantage of the disappearance of most of New York's superhero community to pursure his plans unopposed. (see comments) (Amazing Spider-Man I#272) - Armed with a toy gun, Slyde held up a bank teller for a small stack of bills and made a clean getaway. Followed by a police car, Slyde made a fast u-turn that it was unable to duplicate and the officers crashed into a parked car. Relieved that the officers were uninjured by the crash, Slyde was soon startled when Spider-Man, alerted by the police siren, began tailing him. Shaking off Spider-Man's webbing, Slyde made a quick turn using a lamppost and successfully escaped.(Wolverine III#26/Wolverine III#27/Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man: Back in Black I#1 (Slyde) - BTS) - While in prison, Slyde's equipment and costume were appropriated by Matthew whose short-lived stint as Slyde ended with his death and resurrection by ninja cult, the Hand. As a brainwashed agent of the Hand, Matthew was badly injured by Wolverine and he is presumed deceased.
(She-Hulk II#6) - Slyde was one of several costumed criminals who approached the law firm of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg, & Holliway to represent him. (see comments) (Underworld I#4) - Slyde was one of a dozen supervillains sent to a prison hospital by Mr. Pain to take out Jackie Dio (later known as Underworld). (Underworld I#5) - Getting past the prison guards, Slyde and the others found Dio waiting for them. Dio escaped by shooting a row of oxygen tanks that went up in a massive explosion, incapacitating the villains. (Thunderbolts II#104 (fb) - BTS) - Surviving the explosion in the prison hospital, Slyde was one of themany costumed criminals captured by the Thunderbolts and drafted into Operation: Justice Like Lightning. (Thunderbolts II#104) - Slyde was present when Baron Zemo addressed the Thunderbolts army at their training area in New Mexico. (Thunderbolts II#107 (fb) - BTS) - Slyde was assigned to the Thunderbolts Omega Squad (alongside Aqueduct, "Snake" Marston, and Killer Shrike) and sent to Sydney, Australia to handle the threat caused by the thousands empowered by the Wellspring of Power. (Thunderbolts II#107) - Omega Squad found themselves facing defeat as tidal waves poured into Sydney. Eventually they were taken down by energy harnessing superhumans. (Civil War Files - BTS) - Tony Stark mistakenly believed that Jalome was active as Slyde during Matthew's ill-fated stint in the role. (Civil War: War Crimes) - Slyde and Trapster met with Hammerhead to discuss uniting supervillains to oppose the pro and anti sides of Superhuman Registration Act. While Trapster agreed with Hammerhead's assessment that costumed criminals would lose all personal freedoms by registering, Slyde believed that at worst registration would mean the government knowing their secret identities, which they would already have access to if the criminal in question had ever been imprisoned. Telling Hammerhead that he could see organizing under Wilson Fisk but not under him, Slyde began questioning whether the Kingpin knew about Hammerhead's plans and his ercoachment on his territories. Before he could question Hammerhead further, Slyde was shot in the back of the head by Hammerhead's associate Underworld. Hammerhead told his men to dump Slyde's body in the middle of a street in Hell's Kitchen as a message to Fisk. (Amazing Spider-Man II#602 (fb) - BTS) - The New York City Police Department found Slyde's corpse and placed his costume and equipment into evidence storage.Comments: Created by Tom DeFalco and Sal Buscema
The alternate spelling of "Beecher" is used during Matthew Beacher's appearance in Wolverine III#27.
As with the Ani-Men and the Brothers Grimm, Slyde's appearance in Code of Honor (which is set between Amazing Spider-Man I#251 and I#252) poses a continuity issue. Luckily there's enough of a gap between his firing and debut appearance that he could have been active during the Secret War.
The story featuring Slyde in Spider-Man Unlimited I#6 is noted to have occurred prior to Amazing Spider-Man I#390.
It's unclear why Slyde joined the Masters of Evil when his whole reason for donning his costume was to acquire the capital to start his own business, and then to rescue his kidnapped brother. Not that Slyde wasn't likely being paid for his services, but it's odd he'd be party to such widespread destruction when all he wanted was to market his coating (although if I had to wager a guess, maybe he was recruited by Crimson Cowl out of jail or joined up fearful of the scope and implications of her plans).
Additional members of the Thunderbolts army not seen in Slyde's company include Asylum (Gallant), Bloodstike, Coronary, Mongoose, Moonstone (Sofen), Primus (artificial lifeform), Red Ronin (SJ3 RX), Texas Twister.
Slyde appeared to have survived the shooting from Underworld when he began making appearances in the criminal Bar-with-no-Name wearing his Midlife Crisis costume with the padding and satchel of his original costume (beginning with the Free Comic Book Day 2007 Spider-Man title, later re-released as the in-continuity Spider-Man: Swing Shift). It was eventually revealed in Amazing Spider-Man II#602 that the costume was being worn by an officer with the New York Police Department for undercover operations, setting up the capture of Spider-Man.
Main image scan by MarvellousLuke.
Profile by G Morrow.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Slyde should not be confused with
(Spider-Man Unlimited I#6/2/Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man: Back in Black I#1 (Slyde) (fb) - BTS) - Matthew Beacher is the step-brother of Jalome Beacher, also known as the criminal thief Slyde.
(Spider-Man Unlimited I#6/2 (fb) - BTS) - Matt was kidnapped by the Chicago Maggia and ransomed off to Jalome for the return of the cash he stole from them as Slyde.
(Spider-Man Unlimited I#6/2) - Held in the far southeast side of Chicago by Hammerhead family enforcers Nautilus and Razorwire, Matthew was freed by Daily Bugle reporter Tony Reeves while Slyde, Luke Cage, and Spider-Man took down the Maggia muscle.
(Wolverine III#26/Official Handbook of
the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man: Back in Black I#1 (Slyde) (fb) - BTS)
- After Jalome was arrested following an attempt at reinventing his
alter-ego, Matthew "borrowed" his Slyde equipment, slightly altering
Slyde's mask to expose the lower half of his face.
When costumed heroes and villains were being murdered
and resurrected as brainwashed thralls of the Hand, Slyde contacted the
Spot and told him to meet behind St. Mary's Church as part of an
unrevealed plan. Before the meeting took place, Slyde was ambushed by
Elektra and the Hand.
(Wolverine III#26) - The Spot arrived just as Slyde was stabbed through the heart with a sai.
(Wolverine III#26/Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man: Back in Black I#1 (Slyde) (fb) - BTS) - The Hand resurrected Slyde and added him to their brainwashed superhuman army.
(Wolverine III#26) - Slyde and an army of sixty to seventy brainwashed superhumans attacked the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier while it hovered file miles over Arkansas.
(Wolverine III#27) - As part of a group of brainwashed superhumans (including Poison, Shoc, and Vibro, among others), Slyde tore through the Helicarrier, eventually reaching a lab holding Wolverine. Slyde was the first of the group to fall when he was slashed across his back by Wolverine's claws.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man: Back in Black I#1 (Slyde) (fb) - BTS) - Matthew Beacher is apparently deceased.
--Spider-Man Unlimited I#6 (Wolverine III#26,27, Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man: Back in Black I#1
(Web of Spider-Man I#23 (fb) - BTS) - A reporter with the Daily Bugle, Carl Jenkins is allegedly the top financial reporter on the East coast.
(Web of Spider-Man I#23) - Returning to his office after an over-priced lunch, Jenkins found Slyde rooting through his desk. Jenkins tried to grab him as he fled, but was unable to grip his coated suit; he alerted security to the theft of his confidential and encrypted files.
--Web of Spider-Man I#23
(Amazing Spider-Man I#272/Web of Spider-Man I#23 (fb)) - Max was present while his boss, Rockwall, took control of Beemont Manufacturing, and later when he fired chemical engineer Jalome Beacher.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#272) - Discussing
Rockwall's pleasant mood over Beemont's profitability, Max was sent to
investigate a sound from the defunct design and development department.
Discovering the lab was being thrashed by Slyde, Max fired at him,
forcing Slyde to flee.
After Rockwall got a phone call demanding $25,000 for
the return of notes detailing Beemont's money laundering practices, Max
was sent to recruit men to participate in an ambush on Slyde during the
transfer. Stationing the men on surrounding rooftops, Max and Rockwall
attended the exchange. Fleeing when the men opened fire, the arrival of
Spider-Man led to Max and Rockwall's capture and arrest.
--Amazing Spider-Man I#272
(Spider-Man Unlimited I#6/2 (fb) - BTS) - Rockwall had ties to the Maggia, and the Hammerhead crime family.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#272 (fb) - BTS) - D.A. Blake Tower and his commission on organized crime was after Rockwall for years.
(Web of Spider-Man I#23 (fb) - BTS) - Rockwall used Talmadge Investments as a front for a Maggia money laundering organization.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#272/Web of Spider-Man I#23 (fb)) - Rockwall oversaw the takeover of Beemont Manufacturing as a front for further money laundering. Within months the company was in shambles and the design and development branch was disbanded.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#272) - Looking
over a financial report with his right-hand man, Max, Rockwell mused
over how profitable Beemont was for him and his associates. Hearing a
sound from the design and development labs, Rockwell sent Max to
investigate. Gathering his papers, Rockwell made a quick dash to his
car, but was intercepted en route by Slyde, who stole his briefcase.
Expecting that his thief would be intelligent enough
to realize the value of what he'd taken, Rockwall waited by the phone,
eventually hearing from Slyde who demanded $25,000 in exchange for the
briefcase. Setting a time and place for the transfer, Rockwall sent Max
to hire men to take out Slyde after retrieving the briefcase. Arriving
at the location the following evening, Rockwall gave Slyde his cash
and, retrieving his notes, returned to his car. Making a quick getaway
while his hirings shot at Slyde, Rockwall's car was stopped by
Spider-Man and it's tires blown out by Slyde. Rockwall and Max where
arrested by Tower and the NYPD soon after.
(Web of Spider-Man I#23 (fb) - BTS) - Rockwall continued to control Talmadge Investments from prison. Following a robbery by Slyde, Talmadge's criminal practices were exposed.
--Amazing Spider-Man I#272 (Web of Spider-Man I#23, Spider-Man Unlimited I#6
(Spider-Man Unlimited III#1/2) - Hired to accompany Slyde during a bank robbery, his henchmen were ordered back to his secret headquarters when Spider-Man arrived on the scene, but they were arrested by police officers upon leaving the bank.
--Spider-Man Unlimited III#1
(Spider-Man Unlimited III#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Slyde's unnamed friends approached age forty by listening to the same music as their children, dating younger women, and buying expensive sports cars.
--Spider-Man Unlimited III#1
images: (without ads)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man: Back in Black#1, p25, pan1 (main image)
Amazing Spider-Man I#272, p10, pan1 (Jalome Beacher)
X-Men and Spider-Man I#3, p4, pan1 (in action)
Spider-Man Unlimited III#1, p22, pan5 (Midlife Crisis Costume)
Spider-Man Unlimited III#1, p21, pan7 (Jalome Beacher at age 40)
Spider-Man Unlimited I#6, p40, pan1 (Matt Beacher)
Wolverine III#26, p22-33, pan1 (Matt Beacher as Slyde)
Web of Spider-Man I#23, p7, pan3 (Carl Jenkins)
Amazing Spider-Man I#272, p12, pan4 (Max)
Amazing Spider-Man I#272, p15, pan1 (Rockwall)
Spider-Man Unlimited III#1, p14, pan5 (henchmen)
Other Appearances:
Amazing Spider-Man I#272 (January, 1986) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Kyle Baker (inks), Jim Owsley (editor)
Web of Spider-Man I#23 (February, 1987) - David
Michelinie (plot), Len Kaminsky (script), Jim Fern (pencils), Vince
Colletta (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Spider-Man Unlimited I#6 (August, 1994) - Tom DeFalco,
and Marc McLaurin (writers), Tom Brevoort & Mike Kanterovich (play
by play), Ron Lim, and Scott Kolins (pencils), Sanders III, Williams,
Mahlstedt, Florimonte, & Fredericks, and John L. Holdredge &
Keith Williams (inks), Scott Kolins & Keith Williams (linemen),
Danny Fingeroth (editor-coach)
Code of Honor I#3 (April, 1997) - Chuck Dixon (story),
Bob Wakelin, Derick Gross, and Paul Lee (painting), Kelly Corvese
(editor)
Thunderbolts I#24 (March, 1999) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#25 (April, 1999) - Kurt Busiek & Mark
Bagley (masters of menace), Bob Wiacek & Al Vey (guest masters),
Tom Brevoort (lethal legion)
Spider-Man Unlimited II#1/2 (March, 2004) - Joseph
Goodrich and Brian Lynch (writers), Takeshi Miyazawa (artist), Sean
Chen (pencils), Sandu Florea (inks), Teresa Focarile, Marc Sumerak,
& Tom Brevoort (editors)
Wolverine III#26 (May, 2005) - Mark Millar (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Jennifer Lee (editor)
Wolverine III#27 (June, 2005) - Mark Millar (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Jennifer Lee (editor)
She-Hulk II#6 (May, 2006) - Dan Slott (writer), Will Conrad (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Underworld#4 (July, 2006) - Frank Tieri (writer), Staz Johnson (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Axel Alonso (editor)
Underworld#5 (August, 2006) - Frank Tieri (writer), Staz Johnson (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Axel Alonso (editor)
Thunderbolts II#104 (September, 2006) - Fabian Nicieza
(writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Gary Erskine (inks), Molly Lazer
(editor)
Thunderbolts II#107 (December, 2006) - Fabian Nicieza
(writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Gary Erskine (inks), Molly Lazer
(editor)
Civil War: War Crimes (February, 2007) - Frank Tieri
(writer), Staz Johnson (pencils), Tom Palmer & Robin Riggs (inks),
Tom Brevoort (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man:
Back in Black I#1 (April, 2007) - Mike Fichera (head
writer/coordinator), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Grünwald (editors)
X-Men and Spider-Man I#3 (March, 2009) - Christos Gage (writer), Mario Alberti (artist), Stephen Wacker (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man II#602 (October, 2009) - Fred Van
Lente (writer), Barry Kitson (pencils), Rick Ketcham and Barry Kitson
(inks), Stephen Wacker (editor)
First Posted: 12/09/2009
Last updated: 11/13/2013
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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