Gambler (comics)
Encyclopedia
Gambler is the name of two fictional supervillains in the DC
Universe
. The original version first appeared in 1944 as a foe of the original Green Lantern
. He was also one of the founding members of the original Injustice Society
, which often combated the Justice Society of America
.
Convinced that the only thing that mattered in his life was luck, and that the lucky people were those who took chances, Steven drank a toast to his grandfather's memory—and to his own new life as the Gambler.
Over the next several years, Steven spent time with a travelling carnival, learning the art of makeup and becoming an expert with throwing knives and pistols. Embarking at last upon his new career of crime, the Gambler quickly became one of the most wanted men in the country.
Sharpe was immediately successful as a criminal. He started off robbing trains and small town banks. Growing bored, he moved East to the big cities. He was spotted in Gotham City
by Green Lantern
while standing next to his own wanted poster. The Gambler eluded Green Lantern twice using his special Derringer, which could fire ammonia or blackout gas in addition to real bullets. When he emerged again, he had adopted a new identity after his riverboat gambling grandfather: The Gambler. As the Gambler, he earned early fame by pulling off a small town bank robbery against heavy odds. At some point, Sharpe spent time with a carnival, learning a variety of knife throws and make-up techniques to complete his disguises. So effective were his disguises that Sharpe himself claims to have forgotten his original appearance and his age to this day remains unknown. Initially, Sharpe remained in the Mississippi Delta, robbing trains, small town banks and the like. One of the first true costumed criminals, he rapidly became one of the most successful criminals and developed a cult of personality reminiscent of the gangsters of the previous decade.
By 1944, the Gambler's ego was not satisfied with his Midwestern successes and took his operations to the larger cities of the East. He took the brazen task of hanging out in post offices next to his own "Wanted" poster to provoke passers-by, two of which were Alan Scott and Doiby Dickles. Realizing that the famous criminal was in Gotham City, Scott assumed his identity as Green Lantern and pursued the criminal. He caught up with the Gambler twice, only to be thwarted by the special derringer that the Gambler kept hidden in his sleeve, one which fired ammonia or blackout gas. Finally, at a horse race, the Gambler decided to shift the odds in his favor by provoking the horses to stampede into the crowds to cover his escape. Green Lantern rounded up the beasts, however, and after the capture of his henchmen, the Gambler himself was apprehended and sent to Gotham State Penitentiary as #131313 (Green Lantern vol. 1 #12).
Gambler, like most criminals in comics, was extremely adept at escaping from prison. In 1946 when he wrote a note to Green Lantern telling the hero that he would escape prison and then daring the hero to stop him. When the hero arrived to search the prison, he was surprised to see his friend Doiby Dickles
in a cell. The Gambler had used his mastery of disguise to confuse Green Lantern. In the confusion, Gambler managed to escape with Green Lantern's help, as well as to free all of the inmates of the prison. He used the real Dickles as a hostage to escape Green Lantern. In another escape, Gambler bribed the executioner at his own electrocution to rig the floor to be electrified instead of the chair. This incapacitated the crowd, which included Green Lantern, and allowed him to escape.
Gambler clashed with Green Lantern many more times over the years. At one time, he won a gambling vessel and armed it to the teeth. Another time he helped an art collector commit insurance fraud, coming into conflict with Starman
and Sandman
.
Gambler was one of the original members of the Injustice Society
, which planned to kill the Justice Society and control the United States using an army of escaped convicts. The Gambler was able to capture the Atom, and all the other mmebers save Green Lantern were imprisoned. This group failed miserably due to Green Lantern impersonating the Thinker
after faking his death, and Gambler returned to prison. He escaped from prison again and came into conflict with The Flash
and Green Lantern. He even teamed up with Icicle
and Fiddler
in an attempt to kill Starman.
At one point, Gambler married and had a son. He had two grandchildren to whom he imparted much of his criminal knowledge. The last time that Sharpe was paroled, he traveled to Las Vegas
. He fell in love with the gambling in the Taj Mahal Casino. What the Gambler did not know was that the games in this casino were rigged, and he soon lost every penny. This final defeat coupled with all of the defeats he had suffered at the hands of costumed heroes was too much for Sharpe. Using his famous Derringer
pistol, he shot himself in the head. His suicide was later avenged by his granddaughter, Rebecca, who became the villain known as Hazard
. His grandson, Steven V, also became a villain: the second Gambler.
Due to the irregularities of comic book time and the difficulty of merging Earth-2 (which was a "real" time comic) into a new Post-Crisis Earth, the year of the Gambler's suicide was either 1) a historical 1985 or 1986, or 2) a movable "one year before the debut of Injustice Unlimited" according to Hazard's background tale told in Infinity Inc #35 (1987)
As part of the Blackest Night event, Steven's III corpse is reanimated by a black power ring and recruited to the Black Lantern Corps
in Blackest Night #4.
, he reorganized and reoutfitted the Royal Flush Gang
. Under his leadership, the Gang battled the New Titans, but were defeated. (New Titans #68-69)
The Gambler teamed up with Amos Fortune
, the Wizard
(William Zard), and the second Sportsmaster
, created a super-powered "fight club" using members of the Justice Society as combatants. The fight club was broken up by Stargirl
, Gypsy
, and Vixen
.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. The original version first appeared in 1944 as a foe of the original Green Lantern
Alan Scott
Alan Scott is a fictional character, a superhero in the and the first superhero to bear the name Green Lantern.-Publication history:The original Green Lantern was created by young struggling artist Martin Nodell, who was inspired by the sight of a New York Subway employee waving a red lantern to...
. He was also one of the founding members of the original Injustice Society
Injustice Society
The Injustice Society is a group of fictional supervillains in the . They are the main antagonists of the Justice Society of America.-Original team:...
, which often combated the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
.
Steven Sharpe III
The day after high school graduation, young Steven Sharpe III asked his girlfriend, Helen, to marry him, but she refused until he could prove he was not a habitual gambler like his father and grandfather before him. When Helen ran off with a local boy who had won a fortune gambling on the sweepstakes, Steven quit his job and decided to make a new life for himself. When an armored car crashed right in front of him as a result of a freak accident that he had caused, Steven decided to help himself to the money that had spilled out of the back of the van, vowing that from then on he would take whatever he could get.Convinced that the only thing that mattered in his life was luck, and that the lucky people were those who took chances, Steven drank a toast to his grandfather's memory—and to his own new life as the Gambler.
Over the next several years, Steven spent time with a travelling carnival, learning the art of makeup and becoming an expert with throwing knives and pistols. Embarking at last upon his new career of crime, the Gambler quickly became one of the most wanted men in the country.
Sharpe was immediately successful as a criminal. He started off robbing trains and small town banks. Growing bored, he moved East to the big cities. He was spotted in Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
by Green Lantern
Alan Scott
Alan Scott is a fictional character, a superhero in the and the first superhero to bear the name Green Lantern.-Publication history:The original Green Lantern was created by young struggling artist Martin Nodell, who was inspired by the sight of a New York Subway employee waving a red lantern to...
while standing next to his own wanted poster. The Gambler eluded Green Lantern twice using his special Derringer, which could fire ammonia or blackout gas in addition to real bullets. When he emerged again, he had adopted a new identity after his riverboat gambling grandfather: The Gambler. As the Gambler, he earned early fame by pulling off a small town bank robbery against heavy odds. At some point, Sharpe spent time with a carnival, learning a variety of knife throws and make-up techniques to complete his disguises. So effective were his disguises that Sharpe himself claims to have forgotten his original appearance and his age to this day remains unknown. Initially, Sharpe remained in the Mississippi Delta, robbing trains, small town banks and the like. One of the first true costumed criminals, he rapidly became one of the most successful criminals and developed a cult of personality reminiscent of the gangsters of the previous decade.
By 1944, the Gambler's ego was not satisfied with his Midwestern successes and took his operations to the larger cities of the East. He took the brazen task of hanging out in post offices next to his own "Wanted" poster to provoke passers-by, two of which were Alan Scott and Doiby Dickles. Realizing that the famous criminal was in Gotham City, Scott assumed his identity as Green Lantern and pursued the criminal. He caught up with the Gambler twice, only to be thwarted by the special derringer that the Gambler kept hidden in his sleeve, one which fired ammonia or blackout gas. Finally, at a horse race, the Gambler decided to shift the odds in his favor by provoking the horses to stampede into the crowds to cover his escape. Green Lantern rounded up the beasts, however, and after the capture of his henchmen, the Gambler himself was apprehended and sent to Gotham State Penitentiary as #131313 (Green Lantern vol. 1 #12).
Gambler, like most criminals in comics, was extremely adept at escaping from prison. In 1946 when he wrote a note to Green Lantern telling the hero that he would escape prison and then daring the hero to stop him. When the hero arrived to search the prison, he was surprised to see his friend Doiby Dickles
Doiby Dickles
Charles "Doiby" Dickles is a fictional character from DC Comics. He was the sidekick for Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern. Doiby works as a taxi driver, mostly for the Apex Broadcasting company, where Alan Scott is employed.-Fictional character biography:Doiby's first adventure with Green...
in a cell. The Gambler had used his mastery of disguise to confuse Green Lantern. In the confusion, Gambler managed to escape with Green Lantern's help, as well as to free all of the inmates of the prison. He used the real Dickles as a hostage to escape Green Lantern. In another escape, Gambler bribed the executioner at his own electrocution to rig the floor to be electrified instead of the chair. This incapacitated the crowd, which included Green Lantern, and allowed him to escape.
Gambler clashed with Green Lantern many more times over the years. At one time, he won a gambling vessel and armed it to the teeth. Another time he helped an art collector commit insurance fraud, coming into conflict with Starman
Starman (Ted Knight)
Starman is a fictional comic book superhero in the , and a member of the Justice Society of America. Created by artist Jack Burnley and editors Whit Ellsworth, Murray Boltinoff, Jack Schiff, Mort Weisinger, and Bernie Breslauer, he first appeared in Adventure Comics #61 .-Fictional character...
and Sandman
Sandman (Wesley Dodds)
Sandman , is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first of several DC characters to bear the name, he was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Bert Christman....
.
Gambler was one of the original members of the Injustice Society
Injustice Society
The Injustice Society is a group of fictional supervillains in the . They are the main antagonists of the Justice Society of America.-Original team:...
, which planned to kill the Justice Society and control the United States using an army of escaped convicts. The Gambler was able to capture the Atom, and all the other mmebers save Green Lantern were imprisoned. This group failed miserably due to Green Lantern impersonating the Thinker
Thinker
Thinker may refer to:*Intellectual, one who tries to use his or her intellect to work, study, reflect, speculate on, or ask and answer questions with regard to a variety of different ideas...
after faking his death, and Gambler returned to prison. He escaped from prison again and came into conflict with The Flash
Jay Garrick
Jay Garrick is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe and the first to use the name Flash.-The Flash:...
and Green Lantern. He even teamed up with Icicle
Icicle (comics)
Icicle is the name of two fictional DC Comics supervillains.-Dr. Joar Mahkent:When noted European physicist Dr. Joar Mahkent arrived in America with his latest scientific discovery, spectators at dockside were astonished to witness the luxury liner upon which Mahkent was traveling suddenly frozen...
and Fiddler
Fiddler (comics)
The Fiddler is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain and a recurring foe of the first Flash . He first appeared in All-Flash #32 .-Fictional character biography:...
in an attempt to kill Starman.
At one point, Gambler married and had a son. He had two grandchildren to whom he imparted much of his criminal knowledge. The last time that Sharpe was paroled, he traveled to Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. He fell in love with the gambling in the Taj Mahal Casino. What the Gambler did not know was that the games in this casino were rigged, and he soon lost every penny. This final defeat coupled with all of the defeats he had suffered at the hands of costumed heroes was too much for Sharpe. Using his famous Derringer
Derringer
The term derringer is a genericized misspelling of the last name of Henry Deringer, a famous 19th-century maker of small pocket pistols. Many copies of the original Philadelphia Deringer pistol were made by other gun makers worldwide, and the name was often misspelled; this misspelling soon became...
pistol, he shot himself in the head. His suicide was later avenged by his granddaughter, Rebecca, who became the villain known as Hazard
Hazard (DC Comics)
Hazard is a fictional comic book character published by DC Comics. She was a member of the villainous group Injustice Society. Though she does not have a problem using her abilities for illegal gain, she has shown some apprehension at murder....
. His grandson, Steven V, also became a villain: the second Gambler.
Due to the irregularities of comic book time and the difficulty of merging Earth-2 (which was a "real" time comic) into a new Post-Crisis Earth, the year of the Gambler's suicide was either 1) a historical 1985 or 1986, or 2) a movable "one year before the debut of Injustice Unlimited" according to Hazard's background tale told in Infinity Inc #35 (1987)
As part of the Blackest Night event, Steven's III corpse is reanimated by a black power ring and recruited to the Black Lantern Corps
Black Lantern Corps
The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of revenants appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The group is composed of deceased fictional characters that seek to eliminate all life from the DC Universe.-Publication history:...
in Blackest Night #4.
Steven Sharpe V
After the death of Steven III, Steven Sharpe V took over his grandfather's mantle as the Gambler. While keeping his identity as the Gambler hidden and masquerading as the JokerJoker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
, he reorganized and reoutfitted the Royal Flush Gang
Royal Flush Gang
The Royal Flush Gang or RFG are fictional characters in DC Comics. They first appeared in Justice League of America #43 in March 1966 under the leadership of Professor Amos Fortune.-History:...
. Under his leadership, the Gang battled the New Titans, but were defeated. (New Titans #68-69)
The Gambler teamed up with Amos Fortune
Amos Fortune (comics)
Amos Fortune is a DC Comics supervillain who first appeared in Justice League of America #6 .-Fictional character biography:...
, the Wizard
Wizard (DC Comics)
The Wizard is a fictional DC Comics Golden Age supervillain.-Fictional character biography:Born approximately 1913, William I. Zard grew up living a life of crime. As a gun man for various crime bosses, he ultimately ended up in jail. With the passage of time, he formulated a strategy to become a...
(William Zard), and the second Sportsmaster
Sportsmaster
The Sportsmaster is the name used by two DC Comics villains who used their sports skills for criminal purposes. The original Sportsmaster first appeared in All-American Comics #85 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Irwin Hasen....
, created a super-powered "fight club" using members of the Justice Society as combatants. The fight club was broken up by Stargirl
Stargirl
Courtney Whitmore is a superheroine known as Stargirl in the DC Comics Universe. Originally known as the second Star-Spangled Kid, she began using the name "Stargirl" after she was presented with the Cosmic Staff by Jack Knight...
, Gypsy
Gypsy (comics)
Gypsy is a fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine. She first appeared in Justice League Annual #2 and was created by Gerry Conway and Chuck Patton. She is a member of the Birds of Prey and has been a member of the Justice League.-Fictional character biography:Cindy Reynolds is born to...
, and Vixen
Vixen (comics)
Vixen is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics universe. She debuted in Action Comics #521 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Bob Oksner.-Publication history:...
.