Grifter
Encyclopedia
Grifter is a fictional comic book
character from in the Wildstorm Universe
. He is best known as a member of Jim Lee
's WildC.A.T.S. and has since been revived as part of the DC Universe
.
, Philip "Bulleteer" Chang, Stephen "Wraparound" Callahan, Alex "Slaphammer" Fairchild and Michael "Deathblow" Cray
). Cash's codename during these operations was Deadeye. The group was deliberately exposed to an experimental chemical called the Gen Factor, which activated a variety of psi powers in them, but which also detrimentally affected their sense of morality and mental health. After the experiment the survivors were classified as Gen 12. Some of their teammates went mad or committed suicide. One had to be put down by his friends. Cole suspects that in fact their own superiors, International Operations (I.O.), were behind the experiment, while their superiors claimed that it was an unknown chemical weapon. Cole grew more and more disgruntled with I.O.'s manipulations and secrecy and rebelled against team-leader John Lynch. Cash took charge and united the team's mental powers against a nuclear weapon that I.O. team-leader Miles Craven fired at Team 7 as a test. Team 7 went into hiding, but was eventually forced to return to I.O. One of the many missions Team 7 performed was destroying the dictatorship of a small African country. Andrew Johnson, one of the members, goes mad and glories in his ability to make people commit suicide. Disgusted, Cole kills Johnson. (Team 7 #1-4)
, who should have inherited their fathers' powers. Most of the team went into hiding again, while others stayed with I.O. The team finally fell apart and Cole came to work as an assassin for International Operations (I.O.), but he soon became disenchanted with them too. He went freelance, and it was during this period of his life he encountered the ancient Kherubim
warrior Zealot (Wildstorm)
. They fell in love, and she took the unprecedented measure of teaching him, a male, the ways of the Coda, the warrior order she had once belonged to. Her Coda-teachings stabilized Cole's sanity and locked away what remained of his psionic powers.
's Daemonite hunting team, the WildC.A.T.s
. Grifter later quit the team when they had to ally with Hightower, a Daemonite
who had killed Grifter's friend Lonely. He rejoined when the team came back from Khera, even being the team's leader for some time. During this time Max Cash
, his younger brother, was killed, came back as a zombie and was killed again by Grifter himself. He left the team again after Zealot's apparent death. At this point most of his teammates left as well and the WildC.A.T.s were disbanded. (WildC.A.T.s volume 1 and Grifter)
, Cole's legs were shattered by Agent Orange. Therefore he could no longer operate as Marlowe's field agent. He trained accountant Edwin Dolby (Grifter) to take his place. Dolby turned out to be unsuitable for the violent life that Grifter planned for him and resigned from Halo. After Marlowe apologized to him, he rejoined, but strictly as an accountant. Grifter remodeled the robotic body of former teammate Ladytron
as a remote-controlled body for himself. (Wildcats 3.0)
, Tao's organisation was completely dismantled and Tao was imprisoned. (Sleeper Volume 2)
Since then he has joined a make-shift team of former Wildcats to take down the assassin Nemesis. (Wildcats: Nemesis)
and Midnighter of The Authority, but was revived along with the rest of the WildStorm universe in the event dubbed WorldStorm.
, written by Chuck Dixon, with art by Ryan Benjamin.
Grifter kills Midnighter at the end, although Midnighter was with the Alien Forces (Damocles).
in a new ongoing series written by Nathan Edmondson
and drawn by CAFU as part of its September 2011 relaunch
of its comics properties.
. These powers began to burn out over the years and by the time of the Dead Reckoning mission, his telepathic assault was only enough to give an enemy agent a bloody nose. His Coda-training sealed his powers away, but he can still use them under certain circumstances (usually the presence of another Team 7 member so that they can combine their powers). A side effect of his Gen-factor exposure seems to be accelerated healing. This healing factor
also appears to have slowed his aging. He was the youngest member of Team 7, and though over 20 years have passed since his exposure to the Gen-Factor, he still has the appearance and vitality of a man in his mid-to late 20s.
Apart from these superhuman powers, Cole is a talented marksman with both firearms and thrown weapons. He has single-handedly taken down large groups of armed opponents. These abilities are the only remained in DC's The New 52 storyline, where Cash was trained by U.S. Army as part of Special-Ops team.
, a precursor of Team 7, was formed. This team had a member codenamed Grifter and a member codenamed Deadeye. Team Zero's Grifter, William S. Miller, is a gambler and a corporal, formerly a 1st lieutenant, formerly a tech sergeant and formerly a 2nd lieutenant. His specialty is requisitions and as his demotions hint at, most of those requisitions are illegal.
Team Zero's Deadeye is Sergeant Samuel (Saito) Nakadai. He is the team's sniper. There has been some tension in the group because of Nakadai's Japanese origin. Neither Miller nor Nakadai seems to be related to Cole Cash in any way. (Team Zero)
timeline, Grifter is the leader of the United Kingdom
's resistance movement against the Amazons. In a flashback, Grifter assembles Team 7
to battle against Muslim extremists
in the Middle East
, until they were killed. Grifter was saved by Penny Black (Britannia) and escapes from the Middle East. While Grifter was recovering, the United Kingdom is invaded by the Amazons. Grifter assembles the Resistance to fight against the Amazons. In the present, Lois Lane
is rescued by the Resistance from a camp just before she is converted into an Amazon. It is revealed that the Resistance were helping to find Penny's armor prototype at Westminster
, as it could turn the war around. While the Resistance are headed towards Westminster, Resistance member Miss Hyde betrays them and contacts the Furies
. She then tries to make the Resistance surrender by holding a knife to the throat of Lois. However, Miss Hyde regains control of the body and fights the Amazons, allowing the Resistance to gain the upper hand. After they escape the Westminster Palace, Grifter gathers with Britannia, who has then recovered her armor and found a group of released prisoners. The two then lead the Resistance in an all-out battle against the Amazons. Grifter and the Resistance arrive to attack in the Atlantean/Amazon war, and Grifter herals their arrival by shooting an Atlantean twice in the head.
timeline, Grifter was a former soldier from U.S. Army's Special-Ops who deserted and become a con-artist. During one of his latest con, Cole Cash is assaulted and abducted by Daemonite
s, aliens who can "possess" human bodies. Cash is held for 17 days, during which time his body is used by a Daemonite to commit terrorist acts. Cash is now wanted by several intelligence agencies and his brother Max, also a military special operative, is tasked with apprehending him. Further, the Daemonites also wish to retrieve Cash. On the run from his many pursers, Cash dons a costume from a costume shop in order to conceal his identity.
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 from in the Wildstorm Universe
Wildstorm Universe
The Wildstorm Universe is a fictional shared universe where the comic books published by Wildstorm take place. It represents an alternate history of the real world where ideas such as interstellar travel and superhuman abilities are commonplace...
. He is best known as a member of Jim Lee
Jim Lee
Jim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
's WildC.A.T.S. and has since been revived as part of the DC 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...
.
Team 7
Cole Cash's natural talent for combat landed him in black ops, taking the dirtiest jobs as part of a squad known as Team 7 (which also included John "Topkick" Lynch, Marc "Backlash" Slayton, Jackson "Arclight" DaneDane (Wildstorm)
Dane is a fictional character from DC Comics/Wildstorm. Created by Whilce Portacio.-History:In the 1970s Jackson Dane was a Detachment Delta who was recruited into a special ops team known as Team-7. During one of their missions the group was deliberately exposed to a mutagenic substance known as...
, Philip "Bulleteer" Chang, Stephen "Wraparound" Callahan, Alex "Slaphammer" Fairchild and Michael "Deathblow" Cray
Deathblow
Deathblow is a fictional character in the . He first appears in Darker Image #1 was created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi.-Fictional character biography:...
). Cash's codename during these operations was Deadeye. The group was deliberately exposed to an experimental chemical called the Gen Factor, which activated a variety of psi powers in them, but which also detrimentally affected their sense of morality and mental health. After the experiment the survivors were classified as Gen 12. Some of their teammates went mad or committed suicide. One had to be put down by his friends. Cole suspects that in fact their own superiors, International Operations (I.O.), were behind the experiment, while their superiors claimed that it was an unknown chemical weapon. Cole grew more and more disgruntled with I.O.'s manipulations and secrecy and rebelled against team-leader John Lynch. Cash took charge and united the team's mental powers against a nuclear weapon that I.O. team-leader Miles Craven fired at Team 7 as a test. Team 7 went into hiding, but was eventually forced to return to I.O. One of the many missions Team 7 performed was destroying the dictatorship of a small African country. Andrew Johnson, one of the members, goes mad and glories in his ability to make people commit suicide. Disgusted, Cole kills Johnson. (Team 7 #1-4)
The Coda
When the powers of many of Team 7's members started to wane, Craven became interested in their children, the Gen¹³Gen¹³
Gen¹³ is a fictional superhero team and comic book series originally written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi and illustrated by J. Scott Campbell. It was originally published by Image Comics under the banner Wildstorm, which went on to become an imprint for DC Comics, who continued publishing the Gen¹³...
, who should have inherited their fathers' powers. Most of the team went into hiding again, while others stayed with I.O. The team finally fell apart and Cole came to work as an assassin for International Operations (I.O.), but he soon became disenchanted with them too. He went freelance, and it was during this period of his life he encountered the ancient Kherubim
Kherubim
The Kherubim or Kherans are an alien race in the fictional Wildstorm Universe. They were created by Jim Lee and first appeared in WildC.A.Ts #1 .-Biology:...
warrior Zealot (Wildstorm)
Zealot (Wildstorm)
Zealot is a comic book character from DC Comics/Wildstorm.Artist Mike Deodato loves the character of Zealot so much that when he took over as artist of the comic book Wonder Woman he used Zealot's physical appearance as a template for the then new character Artemis of...
. They fell in love, and she took the unprecedented measure of teaching him, a male, the ways of the Coda, the warrior order she had once belonged to. Her Coda-teachings stabilized Cole's sanity and locked away what remained of his psionic powers.
The Wild C.A.T.s
Some time later Cole and Zealot broke up; for Zealot it was just another relationship, but Cole had become devoted to her, being eternally grateful to her for restoring his sanity. However they remained on good terms, and both were recruited to become part of Lord EmpLord Emp
Lord Emp is a comic book character from DC Comics/Wildstorm.-History:Like the other Kherubim on Earth, Emp arrived on the planet when the Explorer ship he was travelling on crash-landed thousands of years ago, following an orbital battle with a Daemonite vessel...
's Daemonite hunting team, the WildC.A.T.s
Wildcats (comics)
Wildcats, sometimes rendered WildCats or WildC.A.T.s, is a fictional superhero team created by the American comic book artist Jim Lee and writer Brandon Choi.-Publication history:...
. Grifter later quit the team when they had to ally with Hightower, a Daemonite
Daemonite
The Daemonites are a fictional alien race in the . They were created by Jim Lee and first appeared in WildC.A.T.s. #1 .-Biology:Daemonites are reptilian aliens from the planet Daemon, who are capable of possessing host bodies...
who had killed Grifter's friend Lonely. He rejoined when the team came back from Khera, even being the team's leader for some time. During this time Max Cash
Condition Red (comics)
Condition Red is the name of two different fictional American comic book characters who exist in the Wildstorm Universe: Max Cash from WildC.A.T.s and Caleb from the Monarchy.-Max Cash :...
, his younger brother, was killed, came back as a zombie and was killed again by Grifter himself. He left the team again after Zealot's apparent death. At this point most of his teammates left as well and the WildC.A.T.s were disbanded. (WildC.A.T.s volume 1 and Grifter)
Edwin Dolby
During a mission for Jack Marlowe - SpartanSpartan (comics)
Spartan is a fictional character in the American comic Wildstorm universe and one of the central characters and current leader of Jim Lee's superhero team WildC.A.T.s.-Yohn Kohl:...
, Cole's legs were shattered by Agent Orange. Therefore he could no longer operate as Marlowe's field agent. He trained accountant Edwin Dolby (Grifter) to take his place. Dolby turned out to be unsuitable for the violent life that Grifter planned for him and resigned from Halo. After Marlowe apologized to him, he rejoined, but strictly as an accountant. Grifter remodeled the robotic body of former teammate Ladytron
Ladytron (comics)
Ladytron is a fictional character in the Wildstorm universe. In addition to her character appearances, Ladytron's likeness was used in-universe by Jack Marlowe's Halo Corporation as a mascot in various commercials.-History:...
as a remote-controlled body for himself. (Wildcats 3.0)
Sleeper
Several months later, Grifter's legs were healed, a side effect of the dormant Gen-factor according to I.O. scientists. John Lynch, who had woken from his coma, restored Cole's memory. Cole was sent to take down Tao and working together with double-agent Holden CarverHolden Carver
Holden Carver is the protagonist of the DC Comics/Wildstorm comic book series Sleeper written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Sean Phillips.- Early years :...
, Tao's organisation was completely dismantled and Tao was imprisoned. (Sleeper Volume 2)
Since then he has joined a make-shift team of former Wildcats to take down the assassin Nemesis. (Wildcats: Nemesis)
Worldstorm
In the series Captain Atom: Armageddon, Jack Marlowe has died and Cole has taken control of Halo Corporation and all its assets. In issue #8 of the series Cole was killed by ApolloApollo (comics)
Apollo is a fictional character, a comic book superhero who first appeared in the Stormwatch series, but is best known for his role in The Authority. While visually distinct, Apollo is cast in the mold of the Superman archetype....
and Midnighter of The Authority, but was revived along with the rest of the WildStorm universe in the event dubbed WorldStorm.
WildCats vol. 4
The new WildCats series has shown Cole to be a man who has attempted to change himself, but keeps getting sucked back in to the hero lifestyle. He appears to be an employee of Hadrian as a core member of the new WildCats team that he is assembling.Grifter & Midnighter
In March 2007 a mini-series, Grifter & Midnighter was launched, charting the team up between Grifter and MidnighterMidnighter
Midnighter is a fictional comic book superhero, best known as a member of the rogue superhero team The Authority. Created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch, he first appeared in Stormwatch #4, before appearing in various Authority books and series and his own eponymous ongoing series...
, written by Chuck Dixon, with art by Ryan Benjamin.
Grifter kills Midnighter at the end, although Midnighter was with the Alien Forces (Damocles).
Ongoing series (2011)
In June 2011, DC Comics announced that Grifter would be incorporated into the DC UniverseDC 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...
in a new ongoing series written by Nathan Edmondson
Nathan Edmondson
Nathan Edmondson is an American writer, best known for the comic series Olympus.-Career:Nathan Edmondson is an American fiction author whose work includes the titles Olympus, The Light and Who Is Jake Ellis?, all three of which are published by Image Comics. He also contributed to the Image Comics...
and drawn by CAFU as part of its September 2011 relaunch
The New 52
The New 52 is a 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero books, in which all of its existing titles were cancelled, and 52 new series debuted in September 2011 with new #1 issues. Among the series being renumbered are Action Comics and Detective Comics,...
of its comics properties.
Powers and abilities
As a result of the Gen-factor exposure, Grifter had strong powers of telekinesis and telepathyTelepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
. These powers began to burn out over the years and by the time of the Dead Reckoning mission, his telepathic assault was only enough to give an enemy agent a bloody nose. His Coda-training sealed his powers away, but he can still use them under certain circumstances (usually the presence of another Team 7 member so that they can combine their powers). A side effect of his Gen-factor exposure seems to be accelerated healing. This healing factor
Healing factor
A healing factor is a term used to describe the ability of some characters in fiction to recover from bodily injuries or disease at a superhuman rate...
also appears to have slowed his aging. He was the youngest member of Team 7, and though over 20 years have passed since his exposure to the Gen-Factor, he still has the appearance and vitality of a man in his mid-to late 20s.
Apart from these superhuman powers, Cole is a talented marksman with both firearms and thrown weapons. He has single-handedly taken down large groups of armed opponents. These abilities are the only remained in DC's The New 52 storyline, where Cash was trained by U.S. Army as part of Special-Ops team.
Team Zero
During World War II, Team ZeroTeam Zero
Team Zero is a comic book team from DC Comics/Wildstorm. It was featured in a comic book series of the same name which was released from February 2006 through July 2006...
, a precursor of Team 7, was formed. This team had a member codenamed Grifter and a member codenamed Deadeye. Team Zero's Grifter, William S. Miller, is a gambler and a corporal, formerly a 1st lieutenant, formerly a tech sergeant and formerly a 2nd lieutenant. His specialty is requisitions and as his demotions hint at, most of those requisitions are illegal.
Team Zero's Deadeye is Sergeant Samuel (Saito) Nakadai. He is the team's sniper. There has been some tension in the group because of Nakadai's Japanese origin. Neither Miller nor Nakadai seems to be related to Cole Cash in any way. (Team Zero)
Flashpoint
In the FlashpointFlashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...
timeline, Grifter is the leader of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's resistance movement against the Amazons. In a flashback, Grifter assembles Team 7
Team 7 (comics)
Team 7 is a comic book superhero team appearing in titles published by Wildstorm Productions. The team has appeared in 3 self-titled miniseries: Team 7, Team 7: Objective Hell and Team 7: Dead Reckoning. The first 5-issue Gen¹³ limited series also involved members of Team 7...
to battle against Muslim extremists
Extremism
Extremism is any ideology or political act far outside the perceived political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common moral standards...
in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, until they were killed. Grifter was saved by Penny Black (Britannia) and escapes from the Middle East. While Grifter was recovering, the United Kingdom is invaded by the Amazons. Grifter assembles the Resistance to fight against the Amazons. In the present, Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
is rescued by the Resistance from a camp just before she is converted into an Amazon. It is revealed that the Resistance were helping to find Penny's armor prototype at Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, as it could turn the war around. While the Resistance are headed towards Westminster, Resistance member Miss Hyde betrays them and contacts the Furies
Female Furies
The Female Furies are a group of fictional women warriors appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Mister Miracle #6 , and were created by Jack Kirby.-Team history:...
. She then tries to make the Resistance surrender by holding a knife to the throat of Lois. However, Miss Hyde regains control of the body and fights the Amazons, allowing the Resistance to gain the upper hand. After they escape the Westminster Palace, Grifter gathers with Britannia, who has then recovered her armor and found a group of released prisoners. The two then lead the Resistance in an all-out battle against the Amazons. Grifter and the Resistance arrive to attack in the Atlantean/Amazon war, and Grifter herals their arrival by shooting an Atlantean twice in the head.
DC's The New 52
In the DC's The New 52The New 52
The New 52 is a 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero books, in which all of its existing titles were cancelled, and 52 new series debuted in September 2011 with new #1 issues. Among the series being renumbered are Action Comics and Detective Comics,...
timeline, Grifter was a former soldier from U.S. Army's Special-Ops who deserted and become a con-artist. During one of his latest con, Cole Cash is assaulted and abducted by Daemonite
Daemonite
The Daemonites are a fictional alien race in the . They were created by Jim Lee and first appeared in WildC.A.T.s. #1 .-Biology:Daemonites are reptilian aliens from the planet Daemon, who are capable of possessing host bodies...
s, aliens who can "possess" human bodies. Cash is held for 17 days, during which time his body is used by a Daemonite to commit terrorist acts. Cash is now wanted by several intelligence agencies and his brother Max, also a military special operative, is tasked with apprehending him. Further, the Daemonites also wish to retrieve Cash. On the run from his many pursers, Cash dons a costume from a costume shop in order to conceal his identity.
External links
- TALKING GRIFTER & MIDNIGHTER WITH CHUCK DIXON, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...