Typeface (comics)
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Typeface (Gordon Thomas) is a fictional Marvel Comics antihero. He first appeared in Peter Parker: Spider-Man v2, #23, (November 2000), and was created by Paul Jenkins and Mark Buckingham.
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[edit] History
What little is known about Typeface's past is seen in flashback. In his civilian life as Gordon Thomas, he fights in an unknown war for the US Army in which he loses his brother Joey. Upon his return to America, Gordon's wife leaves him and takes their son with her.[1]
Feeling outcast, Gordon becomes a signsmith. He is happy for a time until a man named George Finch buys the company he is working for, Ace Signs, and Gordon is laid off. Gordon starts to hate everything that went wrong in his life and decides to become a super-villain, calling himself Typeface. He uses a grease pencil to write letters on his face, including a large, red "R" on his forehead, for "retribution". He begins committing vandalism throughout the city, and while attacking local thugs, he catches the attention of Spider-Man. Typeface uses his giant letters as weapons and manages to defeat the webslinger. After successfully escaping and returning to his apartment, he replaces the "R" letter on his head with an "A" for "Annihilation".[2]
Thomas later seeks revenge against George Finch, but is stopped by Spider-Man. Typeface wants to kill Spider-Man for intervening, but when he sees the webslinger being attacked by the Spider-Hybrid, he has a flashback to the words his brother Joey once gave him: "Just live, man." Typeface decides to help Spider-Man defeat the Spider-Hybrid, and renounces his desire to kill Finch. However, Finch decides to exact revenge on Typeface for humiliating him, and finds the bombs Gordon would have used to kill Finch. Finch sets them off and demolishes an entire building, killing himself, and for a time it was believed that Typeface died in the explosion.[1] When the police arrive, they declare Typeface responsible for the explosion.[3]
[edit] Mysterious reappearance
Having survived the explosion, Typeface becomes a vigilante. He wages war against a gang called the "Penny-Ante Brigade." After taking out the gang (and another vigilante, Spellcheck, inspired by Typeface), Typeface mimics Spider-Man's note to police, left when he apprehends criminals: "Compliments from your friendly neighborhood Typeface."[4] After that, Typeface is not seen for many months.
[edit] Civil War
Returning in Marvel's Civil War: Front Line, Typeface has chosen to side against the Superhuman Registration Act. Upon his arrest, Typeface and other arrested superheroes are transported to a maximum security prison built in the Negative Zone called "Fantasy Island." According to writer Paul Jenkins, he "may not survive the series," but when he dies his eyes will be covered by "little X's"[5]. Indeed, this seems confirmed in Civil War: Frontline #10 when he is slammed into a bus by Venom during the final battle shown in Civil War #7. A quick examination of Typeface by a fleeing Ben Urich leads the Daily Bugle reporter to believe he is dead.
[edit] Bibliography
- Peter Parker: Spider-Man #23-24
- Tangled Web of Spider-Man #18
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b Paul Jenkins (w), Mark Buckingham (p), Tom Palmer, Rodney Ramos (i). "Maximum Security: Warning Signs" Peter Parker: Spider-Man 2 #24 December 2000 Marvel Comics.
- ^ Paul Jenkins (w), Mark Buckingham (p), Tom Palmer, Rodney Ramos (i). "Read 'Em and Weep" Peter Parker: Spider-Man 2 #23 November 2000 Marvel Comics.
- ^ Paul Jenkins (w), Mark Buckingham (p), Tom Palmer, Rodney Ramos (i). "Trick of the Light" Peter Parker: Spider-Man 2 #25 January 2001 Marvel Comics.
- ^ Ted McKeever (w), Ted McKeever (p,i). "Alphabet City" Spider-Man's Tangled Web #18 November 2002 Marvel Comics.
- ^ Newsarama story on Civil War
