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Digger (comics)
Encyclopedia
Digger is a fictional
comic book
character in the Marvel Comics
universe
. He first appeared as a story narrator/host in the horror
anthology
series Tower of Shadows
#1 (Sept. 1969), in the story "At the Stroke of Midnight" by writer-artist Jim Steranko
.
, both beginning in 1969, Digger played a role similar to that of Tales from the Crypt
's Crypt Keeper of the 1950s EC Comics
and later HBO television series. Providing a panel or two of introductory material leading into and usually closing the story itself, Digger appeared sporadically through the nine-issue run of Tower of Shadows and the eight-issue run of Chamber of Darkness.
Digger was worked into Marvel's main shared universe
, the Marvel Universe
in 1987, returning with other lesser-known characters in Captain America
#329 (May 1987). He appeared with these other characters as a member of the team the Night Shift
, supervillain antagonists who were then primarily used in the series Avengers West Coast
during the 1990s.
Digger appeared as part of the "Night Shift" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
#5.
After a long period in which the character had no appearances, a new version of Digger appeared in 2008. Returning to his roots, he was used as the narrator for Dead of Night Featuring Man-Thing, a four issue limited series
published by Marvel as a part of its mature content MAX
imprint
. In this series Digger tells his version of the Man-Thing
's origin as well as three other semi-connected tales starring the Man-Thing and other characters related to that protagonist. These Digger sequences in the comic series were painted by artist, Nick Percival
.
In 2009, the Marvel Universe version of Digger appeared in Marvel Zombies 4
. This series also featured the character's (very temporary) death and undead resurrection.
Roderick Krupp, a serial killer
who buried his victims alive while telling them macabre stories, became known as Digger for his modus operandi
. Living in a decrepit Los Angeles, California
mansion known as the Tower of Shadows, he was eventually contacted by the vigilante the Shroud
and recruited for the supervillain
team the Night Shift
. The team made the mansion its headquarters. Krupp was eventually apprehended by Mockingbird
of the superhero
team the Avengers
.
Digger appears with the Night Shift, as part of the Hood
's gang. They battle the Midnight Sons
, and Digger fights Morbius, the Living Vampire
who breaks Digger's shovel and buries it into his skull. He and the Night Shift are killed when the zombie virus from the Marvel Zombies
earth mutates and becomes airborne. The virus cloud begins to rain blood, and reanimates the Night Shift as zombies. Dormammu
assumes control of the Night Shift and uses them to fight the Midnight Sons. When Jennifer Kale
and the Black Talon
contain the virus within the Zombie
(Simon Garth), the Night Shift members, although still in an undead state of being, halt their rampage. The Hood teleports away with them.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He first appeared as a story narrator/host in the horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
series Tower of Shadows
Tower of Shadows
Tower of Shadows was a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by Marvel Comics under this and a subsequent name from 1969-1975. It featured work by such notable creators as writer-artists Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Johnny Craig, and Wally Wood, writer-editor Stan Lee, and artists including...
#1 (Sept. 1969), in the story "At the Stroke of Midnight" by writer-artist Jim Steranko
Jim Steranko
James F. Steranko is an American graphic artist, comic book writer-artist-historian, magician, publisher and film production illustrator....
.
Publication history
Originally designed as one of the hosts of Tower of Shadows and its sister title, Chamber of DarknessChamber of Darkness
Chamber of Darkness was a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published bi-monthly by Marvel Comics that under this and a subsequent name ran from 1969-1974...
, both beginning in 1969, Digger played a role similar to that of Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt (comic)
Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror are three bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics in the early 1950s...
's Crypt Keeper of the 1950s EC Comics
EC Comics
Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the Tales from the Crypt series...
and later HBO television series. Providing a panel or two of introductory material leading into and usually closing the story itself, Digger appeared sporadically through the nine-issue run of Tower of Shadows and the eight-issue run of Chamber of Darkness.
Digger was worked into Marvel's main shared universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
, the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
in 1987, returning with other lesser-known characters in Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
#329 (May 1987). He appeared with these other characters as a member of the team the Night Shift
Night Shift (comics)
The Night Shift is a fictional group of criminals in the Marvel Comics universe that first appeared in Captain America #330 .-Publication history:...
, supervillain antagonists who were then primarily used in the series Avengers West Coast
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...
during the 1990s.
Digger appeared as part of the "Night Shift" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#5.
After a long period in which the character had no appearances, a new version of Digger appeared in 2008. Returning to his roots, he was used as the narrator for Dead of Night Featuring Man-Thing, a four issue limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published by Marvel as a part of its mature content MAX
MAX (comics)
MAX is an imprint of Marvel Comics aimed at a niche 'adults only' audience, launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
. In this series Digger tells his version of the Man-Thing
Man-Thing
The Man-Thing is a fictional character, a monster in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 , and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including...
's origin as well as three other semi-connected tales starring the Man-Thing and other characters related to that protagonist. These Digger sequences in the comic series were painted by artist, Nick Percival
Nick Percival
Nick Percival is a British graphic artist primarily known for his published comic book, concept artwork and career in computer animation.-Biography:...
.
In 2009, the Marvel Universe version of Digger appeared in Marvel Zombies 4
Marvel Zombies 4
Marvel Zombies 4 is a four-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics beginning in April 2009. It is part of the Marvel Zombies series...
. This series also featured the character's (very temporary) death and undead resurrection.
Fictional character biography
Digger generally is depicted with green skin, although in some instances it appears blue.Roderick Krupp, a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who buried his victims alive while telling them macabre stories, became known as Digger for his modus operandi
Modus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
. Living in a decrepit Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
mansion known as the Tower of Shadows, he was eventually contacted by the vigilante the Shroud
Shroud (comics)
Shroud is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Super-Villain Team-Up #5, , and was created by Steve Englehart and Herb Trimpe.-Conception:...
and recruited for the supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
team the Night Shift
Night Shift (comics)
The Night Shift is a fictional group of criminals in the Marvel Comics universe that first appeared in Captain America #330 .-Publication history:...
. The team made the mansion its headquarters. Krupp was eventually apprehended by Mockingbird
Mockingbird (Marvel Comics)
Mockingbird is a fictional character, a superhero in the who first appears in the Ka-Zar story in Astonishing Tales #6 written by Gerry Conway and pencilled by Barry Smith...
of the superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
team the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
.
Digger appears with the Night Shift, as part of the Hood
Hood (comics)
The Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss in the . Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 .-Publication history:...
's gang. They battle the Midnight Sons
Midnight Sons
The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional...
, and Digger fights Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire, is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, the character, a living human suffering from vampiric abilities resulting from scientific rather than supernatural means, first appeared as...
who breaks Digger's shovel and buries it into his skull. He and the Night Shift are killed when the zombie virus from the Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the Marvel Zombies series of related stories...
earth mutates and becomes airborne. The virus cloud begins to rain blood, and reanimates the Night Shift as zombies. Dormammu
Dormammu
Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a...
assumes control of the Night Shift and uses them to fight the Midnight Sons. When Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale is a fictional character, a sorceress in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jennifer Kale was created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik, and debuted in Adventure into Fear #11 . She is the cousin of Ghost Riders Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch, and a founding member of the...
and the Black Talon
Black Talon (comics)
The Black Talon is the name of a number of fictional characters, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.-Black Talon :The first Black Talon was Pascal Horta, a painter who lost his hand in an auto-accident. Undergoing experimental surgery, he was given the hand of an African-American serial...
contain the virus within the Zombie
Zombie (comics)
The Zombie is a fictional supernatural character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular starred in the black-and-white, horror-comic magazine series Tales of the Zombie , usually in stories by Steve Gerber and Pablo Marcos...
(Simon Garth), the Night Shift members, although still in an undead state of being, halt their rampage. The Hood teleports away with them.