THE IMP

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Magical creature (era uncertain, see comments)

Occupation: Adventurer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Sir Reginald Lamp O'Lime, Jefferson Vandermeer

Enemies: Doctor Sinn, Gruesome Gus, Morpheus, an unidentified dragon

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Demon of the Lake"

Base of Operations: An unidentified village in Europe

First Appearance: Captain America Comics I#12 (March, 1942)

Powers/Abilities: For a miniature creature, the Imp possessed strength far beyond his stature. He had the proportionate strength of a human-sized imp and that ain't hay. He could also leap tremendous distances -- that is to say, "tremendous" from his perspective.

Height: 1.96" (by approximation)
Weight: 1 lb.. (by approximation)
Eyes: Green
Hair: Bald

History: (Captain America Comics I#12/3) - Three thieves unleashed a dragon to attack a town so they could loot it while the residents fled in terror. The Imp emerged from his best friend Jefferson Vandermeer's ear and wrestled the flying monster. Although the Imp was quite tiny compared to the dragon, he yanked on the creature's ear, steering it down into a river. The Imp then rounded up the police to catch the three thieves. With the crisis done, the Imp returned to Jefferson's ear.

(Captain America Comics I#13/5) - When the super strong Doctor Sinn went on a crime spree, the Imp emerged from Jefferson's ear to battle him but the tiny hero was quickly overwhelmed. Doctor Sinn imprisoned the Imp by stuffing him under his belt and carried him back to his laboratory. Doctor Sinn intended to cast a spell which would make the Imp dissolve into nothingness but the Imp found a mirror so that when Doctor Sinn spoke the spell it reflected back upon him; Doctor Sinn dissolved in a puff of smoke. His job done, the Imp returned to Jefferson's ear.

(Captain America Comics I#14/3) - While outside of Jefferson's ear for a drink of water, the Imp was kidnapped by Gruesome Gus and tied to a leash so that he could be used to elicit donations from sympathetic townsfolk. The Imp seemed to be powerless until the leash snapped; fleeing Gus, he returned to Jefferson's ear. Jefferson tried to fight off Gus but Gus overpowered him and went to hurl Jefferson into a lake. Fortunately, the Imp built a dummy out of leaves and, claiming to be "The Demon of the Lake," he terrified Gruesome Gus into leaving Jefferson alone. Gus ran to the nearest police precinct and turned himself in. The Imp returned to Jefferson's ear (and promoted war stamps and bonds).

(Captain America Comics I#15/2) - The Imp was taking a nap inside Jefferson's ear one night when the god of sleep, Morpheus, inflicted a nightmare upon Jefferson, which somehow brought the furniture in the room to life. Roused by Jefferson's restlessness, the Imp exited the ear in time to see the animated lamp Sir Reginald Lamp O'Lime force the furniture into submission. The Imp was miffed that Reginald had saved Jefferson in his stead but when Morpheus sent a monster after them, the Imp came to Reginald's rescue. Morpheus next sent gnomes to bedevil them; the gnomes began to boil the Imp in a pot but Jefferson forced the nightmare to change, sending himself and the Imp into an ocean full of sharks. As Morpheus watched from his cloud above, he laughed at their plight but accidentally fell from the cloud, ending the nightmare for good. Morpheus conceded he had learned a lesson not to pick on the Imp.

(Captain America Comics I#16/2) - Jefferson and the Imp went hunting for treasure, unaware that a crew of pirates were following them. Once Jefferson had dug up the hidden treasure, the pirates took him and the load aboard their ship but the Imp fought back against the pirates and regained control of the treasure. When Jefferson asked what the Imp would buy with his share he replied he could buy defense stamps to fight the Axis.

Comments: He was created by Stan "the Man" Lee and artist Chad Grothkopf, as you can see!

After leaving the employ of his editor Stan Lee, Chad Grothkopf created Hoppy, Fawcett's Marvel Bunny!

The Imp also appears on the cover of Captain America Comics I#14. On the Captain America Secret Club News page of Captain America Comics I#15, Bucky asks readers what they thought of the Imp. Perhaps Stan didn't like the answers because the next issue was the Imp's farewell appearance.

Every Imp story was written in rhyme. So were these comments, written by Prime!

Each story included "© Comedy Features Syndicate, Inc." 'Twas a Martin Goodman company, is what I think.

These adventures seemed to be set in old "storybook" times where our hero is the champ. And yet the Imp invokes the Axis and means to buy war bonds and stamp(s).

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
And now that I've told you all about his myth; remember the Imp should not be confused with:

Doctor Sinn

Doctor Sinn discovered a book of black magic, which contained a spell to grant the one who read it superhuman strength. By speaking the rhyme "Abra Cad Abra-Ump Uporlo," he gained vast superhuman strength and went on a crime spree, robbing banks. When the Imp intervened, the tiny hero was quickly overwhelmed. Doctor Sinn imprisoned the Imp by stuffing him under his belt and carried him back to his laboratory. Doctor Sinn intended to cast another spell: "Abracadabra! Boom Tee Ay! Make this creature Dissolve away!" but the Imp found a mirror so that when Doctor Sinn spoke the spell it reflected back upon him; Doctor Sinn dissolved in a puff of smoke.









--Captain America Comics I#13/5

Say 'hi' to Oblivion, Doc.

Gruesome Gus

Gruesome Gus was a mean man who kidnapped the Imp and tied him on a leash so that he could elicit donations from sympathetic townsfolk. When the leash broke, the Imp fled, returning to his friend Jefferson. Jefferson tried to defend the Imp but Gus easily overpowered him and prepared to throw Jefferson into a lake to be drowned. The Imp stopped Gus by building a dummy out of leaves and claiming to be "The Demon of the Lake." Terrified, Gus ran to the nearest police precinct and turned himself in for protection.










--Captain America Comics I#14/3
Sir Reginald Lamp O'Lime

Sir Reginald Lamp O'Lime was Jefferson Vandermeer's table lamp. When Morpheus sent nightmares to plague Jefferson which animated his furniture, Reginald came to life and put the other furniture items in their place. The Imp was somewhat miffed that Reginald was playing at being Jefferson's hero in his stead. Morpheus sent a monster after them next and the creature caught Reginald in its massive hands but the Imp guided Reginald into summoning Jefferson's furniture to defend himself.

Sir Reginald seemed to have been animated by Morpheus' spell like the other furniture pieces in Jefferson's home, but he remained loyal to Jefferson (likely because as a lamp he was accustomed to driving away nightmares). By cracking his electrical cable like a whip, he could force other animated objects into submission.









--Captain America Comics I#15/2

Jefferson Vandermeer

Jefferson Vandermeer was an average man who happened to be the best friend of the Imp, who lived inside his ear. How he happened to first meet the Imp and offer his ear as a flophouse remains unrevealed. Throughout the Imp's adventures, Jefferson would provide cover for his tiny friend, helping the Imp to exit scenes unnoticed by riding inside Jefferson's ear. Jefferson joined the Imp's adventures himself at times, as when he tried to fight Gruesome Gus to defend his friend; Gus nearly had Jefferson drowned in a lake, but the Imp saved Jefferson. Later, Morpheus unleashed a series of terrible nightmares upon Jefferson. Jefferson and the Imp also went hunting for buried treasure together and fought a band of pirates.










--Captain America Comics I#12/3 (#13/5, 14/3, 15/2, 16/2,

images: (without ads, as reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Captain America Vol. 4, 2010)
Captain America Comics I#13/5, p2, pan6 (Imp, main)
Captain America Comics I#16/2, p2, pan2 (Imp, closeup)
Captain America Comics I#14/3, p2, pan2 (Jefferson)
Captain America Comics I#13/5, p1, pan3 (Doctor Sinn)
Captain America Comics I#14/3, p2, pan3 (Gruesome Gus)
Captain America Comics I#15/2, p4, pan4 (Sir Reginald)

Appearances:
Captain America Comics I#12/3 (March, 1942) - Stan Lee (writer, editor), Chad Grothkopf (pencils, inks)
Captain America Comics I#13/5 (April, 1942) - Stan Lee (writer, editor), Chad Grothkopf (pencils, inks)
Captain America Comics I#14/3 (May, 1942) - Stan Lee (writer, editor), Chad Grothkopf (pencils, inks)
Captain America Comics I#15/2 (June, 1942) - Stan Lee (writer, editor), Chad Grothkopf (pencils, inks)
Captain America Comics I#16/2 (July, 1942) - Stan Lee (writer, editor), Chad Grothkopf (pencils, inks)

First posted: 07/29/2020
Last updated: 07/29/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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