LUMP
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Vagrant; former circus clown
Group Membership: None; formerly Scott & Finch Circus
Affiliations: Bearded Lady, Werewolf (Jack Russell)
Enemies: Children of the Night
Known Relatives: Unidentified parents
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Scott & Finch Circus in Central Park, New York City
First Appearance: Werewolf by Night II#1 (February, 1998)
Powers/Abilities: Due to heavily deformed legs Lump is incapable of walking. He uses a four-wheeled board as his means of transportation and has a lamp attached to his back. He was capable of working with a hammer and possibly other tools.
Height: 4'3" (by approximation)
Weight: 90 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Gray
Hair: Gray (earlier in life blonde)
History:
(Werewolf by Night II#5 (fb) ) - The son of two acrobats working at Scott & Finch Circus flopped headfirst into the world landing heavily on the makeshift delivery table inside the clown Binky's wagon. His mother died giving birth to him and seeing his deformed son his father refused to even look at his son, who in his opinion should've died alongside his mother. Lump was taken in by the circus' Bearded Lady, who called him Lump, and hoped that he would one day be worth something to the sideshow area.
As Lump grew older the Bearded Lady became bored of him and would leave him outside for weeks on end where he was kept in a cage along with the animals. His father despised Lump and didn't consider him his son. Throwing a bottle at Lump he told him that his mother deserved to die for giving birth to a joke such as Lump.
Neither clever nor gifted in anything Lump helped out a bit at the circus doing whatever he could by wielding a hammer and frightening people with his alarming singing voice. Eventually the circus owner insisted Lump had to earn his daily bread and made him part of the clown act. Rolling out in front of the audience other clowns tossed cakes in his face. Lump never understood the performance and knew the people were laughing at him.
When the circus closed down on a cool spring in Central Park when the owner was arrested for non-payment of taxes the performers, including Lump, lost their jobs. Lump became homeless and during his first night of the street was beaten up by two other vagrants. Ready to die than to continue living like this Lump stopped crying when he heard the Werewolf's howl. Following the howl to the sewer at the docks Lump found the cage Russell had set up for himself. Seeing the monster Lump stayed there to watch over the Werewolf.
(Werewolf by Night II#5 (fb) - BTS) - Lump had been watching over the Werewolf during the three nights each month when Jack locked himself up in a cage in the sewers at the dock.
(Werewolf by Night II#1) - Lump rolled to a street grate on the docks when he heard the Werewolf growling down in the sewers. While Lump was looking down the Werewolf tried to grab him. Lump rolled away.
(Werewolf by Night II#5) - After gaining control over his Werewolf-form again Jack went to visit Lump at the docks. Scared of Jack Lump rolled away at first, but when Jack transformed into the Werewolf Lump recognized him and stopped rolling away. Jack asked Lump why Lump had been watching over the Werewolf and listened to Lump's sad life story. Telling the story gave Lump a headache. Jack left, but promised to Lump that he would come back to see Lump soon as regular as the moon.
(Strange Tales IV#1/2 - BTS) - After reverting to human form and seeing a corpse next to him Jack screamed for Lump for help, but he nor anybody else could hear him.
(Strange Tales IV#2/2 (fb) - BTS) - Lump was attacked and apparently murdered as part of a plot by the vampiric Children of the Night to frame the Werewolf Jack Russell for a series of murders.
(Strange Tales IV#1/2 - BTS) - The other vagrants from the area including Old Eloise hadn't seen Lump for some time. When Detectives Len & Phil came to the docks to ask questions Eloise told them that Lump was the only one ever going to the dark side of the docks where the monster lived and that he wasn't seen for some time. She seemed to indicate that Lump was in cahoots with the monster.
(Strange Tales IV#2/2 - BTS) - Detectives Len & Phil found Lump's destroyed wheeled board and a trail of his blood leading to the sewers. With Lump gone Len & Phil had another missing person on their hands.
Comments: Created by Paul Jenkins (writer) & Leonard Manco (artist).
The birth defect of Lump could've been the result of a Thalidomide-based medication used during the late 1950s and early 1960s as a drug for insomnia, coughs, colds, headaches and morning sickness. Used by many pregnant women the results were disastrous. The disaster caused changes in drug regulations in many countries. Nowadays the drug is mostly used as cancer and leprosy treatment and is kept away from pregnant women.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Lump has no known connection to:
The Bearded Lady has no known connection to:
Bearded Lady
(Werewolf by Night II#5 (fb) ) - The Bearded Lady worked at Scott & Finch Circus and was present at Lump's shocking birth. After his father cast him out she took in the body, named him Lump and raised him. She hoped Lump would one day be worth something in the sideshow area. She eventually lost interest when Lump grew older and left him outside in the cages with the animals for weeks on end.
Note: It is unknown whether the Bearded Lady stayed with the circus until it closed down and lost her job then or if she left the circus earlier.
--Werewolf by Night II#5 (fb)
Lump's parents
They were a pair of acrobats working at Scott & Finch Circus. The father was a Victorian-stern acrobat and the mother a queen of the high wire. Lump's mother died during childbirth and the father, at first hoping his son would one day become an acrobat like him, lost all hope when he saw the deformed lump that was his son. Refusing to even look at him the father cast out his son, who was raised by the circus' Bearded Lady.
Years later the father had become an alcoholic. He looked at his son in a cage and cussed at him for even existing. Throwing a bottle at his son the father told him that Lump's mother had deserved to die for giving birth to a joke like Lump.
He lost his job and chose early retirement when the circus' owner was arrested for non-payment of taxes. Addicted to alcohol and pills Lump's father continued to squander his life.
--Werewolf by Night II#5 (fb)
images (without ads)
Werewolf by Night II#5, p17, pan5 (main image)
Werewolf by Night II#5, p12, pan2 (head shot)
Werewolf by Night II#5, p14, pan2 (Bearded Lady holding baby Lump)
Werewolf by Night II#5, p13, pan2 (parents photograph)
Werewolf by Night II#5, p17, pan3 (Lump's drunk father)
Appearances:
Werewolf by Night II#1 (February, 1998) - Paul Jenkins (writer), Leonardo Manco (artist), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Werewolf by Night II#5 (June, 1998) - Paul Jenkins (writer), Leonardo Manco (artist), Joe Andreani (editor)
Strange Tales IV#1-2 (September-October, 1998) - Paul Jenkins (writer), Leonardo Manco (artist), Joe Andreani (editor)
Last updated: 01/04/16
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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