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Motormouth (comics)
Encyclopedia
Motormouth is a fictional character
created by Paul Neary
and developed by writer Graham Marks with initial designs by Gary Frank
(Supreme Power
, The Incredible Hulk
) as the titular character of her own series Motormouth (later Motormouth & Killpower
), was part of a line of original comics released in the early-to-mid 1990s
by Marvel UK
. She is a teenage street-rat from London
, England
with a fierce temper who curses constantly. She is 5'4" tall and weights roughly 105 lb (47.6 kg).
going to various alternate realities
from the regular Marvel Universe
.
. They survive by foraging and stealing. Her incredibly foul language earns her the nickname 'Motormouth'. When she is seventeen Harley is discovered by Laarson, an agent of Mys-Tech
, the shadowy organisation that featured in all of Marvel UK's 1990s titles. Harley is a candidate for his M.O.P.E.D (Mind Operated PErsonal Dematerialization) technology. This allows people to jump between alternate realities but will only operate on people with certain strands of DNA
. The unit is disguised a pair of MOPED units as training shoes, which Harley finds and tries on. At the same time Laarson is being executed by Mys-Tech's Techno-Wizards and agents were sent to find the MOPED units. In order to save her and the units, Laarson's subordinates activate the technology and sent her to another universe.
While still on the run from Mys-Tech, Harley is sent to a future in which the world was covered in shopping malls. It was here she purchases a Soni-Muta 500 Unit, a microchip
that allows her to mentally tune into any radio station she wanted. This would later give her her sonic scream. Harley returns to her own universe and is captured and put to work by Mys-Tech. She escapes after a mission to Tokyo, Japan.
, an agent of Mys-Tech is sent to find her. Unable to escape him, Harley reasons with the man instead. Mentally little more than a small child, Killpower becomes intrigued by Harley and joins her as her partner. Harley is then badly injured on Tekron when a stray bullet hit her in the throat. Killpower uses her Soni-Muta 500 and the MOPED technology to cure her. This not only gave her the aforementioned sonic scream, she could now travel between universes without the aid of technology. Both are then forced to flee from Mys-Tech's influence.
Motormouth and Killpower appeared in the Battletide mini-series. Death's Head
is hired by Mys-Tech to retrieve Killpower; while the two fought, Motormouth and Tuck
, Death's Head partner, went on a shopping spree on an alien planet. Motormouth and Killpower later plan an attack on Tyburn, a powerful Mys-Tech agent. Harley is able to steal their MOPED unit and neutralize the tracking devices Mys-Tech had implanted in the duo. Tyburn survives the attack.
The wizards fight back successfully, slaughtering most of the heroes. Death-Head kills them in return, unfortunately this endangers all of Earth. A fortunate fall from Killpower allows six heroes, Motormouth included, to break free of the melee and patch themselves into the required equipment so they can save the Earth from destruction. The others, such as Doctor Strange
and Professor X
, bring powerful forces to the mix...Motormouth ends up in a simply chair to fill out the required number of entities.
The earth is saved and time is reversed, undoing all the deaths that have occurred. Only the last six remember any of which had happened.
to smash him.
Motormouth and Killpower then guest-starred in an issue of Incredible Hulk
, illustrated by her co-creator Gary Frank. The Hulk literally falls onto their dinner table. This is after the Hulk fights the villain Madman
. Killpower and Hulk briefly fight. The Hulk proves himself more than a match for her obscene language. The trio then team up to rescue Prince Charles
from Madman, who had taken him up the side of Big Ben. Though he is dropped off the side, Charles escapes injury. In the ensuing battle, Harley accidentally brings down London Bridge
and Madman escapes.
Motormouth and Killpower came under the attention of Nigel Orpington-Smythe, leader of the R.C.X.
a villainous group from the comic book Excalibur
. Security footage stills of the two, plus other Marvel UK heroes were shown to Captain Britain as an example of the lawless vigilantism that Smythe sought to control. R.C.X was neutralized before they became a threat to Harley.
Issue #12, the last of the series, features Motormouth visiting a homeless encampment on the South Side of the River Thames in London, England. It's revealed she used to live here; though she did not enjoy it. The two heroes, along with Death's Head
, defeat and kill a murderous A.I.M
. construct that had taken on the mannerisms of the local homeless population. The second part of the issue features the two battling fanatical, naive worshippers of a lost alien being. In defeating the being, Killpower becomes the world's new god.
mini-series, and is set to appear, along with Killpower, in Paul Cornell
's Captain Britain and MI13 in 2009.
Banshee
or DC Comics
' Black Canary
and by humming at a low pitch can use ultrasound
to see through solid objects. She can also jump between alternate universe
s using the MOPED technology built into her, this technology also allows her to sense threats outside her normal field or range of senses. She also seems to have some ability to sense various forms of energy.
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...
created by Paul Neary
Paul Neary
Paul Neary is a British comic book artist, writer and editor.His first work was for Warren Publishing in the 1970s before working with Dez Skinn at Marvel UK as well as work for 2000 AD...
and developed by writer Graham Marks with initial designs by Gary Frank
Gary Frank
Gary Frank is a British comic book artist, notable for pencilling on Midnight Nation and Supreme Power, both written by J. Michael Straczynski...
(Supreme Power
Supreme Power
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in publications under the mature-audience MAX imprint by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in Supreme Power #1 and was created by writer J...
, The Incredible Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
) as the titular character of her own series Motormouth (later Motormouth & Killpower
Killpower
Killpower is a fictional British comic book character from Marvel UK. He is the partner of Motormouth and first appeared in Motormouth #1. Killpower was created by Gary Frank and Graham Mark.-Publication history:...
), was part of a line of original comics released in the early-to-mid 1990s
1990s in comics
See also:1980s in comics,other events of the 1990s,2000s in comics and thelist of years in comicsPublications: 1990 - 1991 - 1992 - 1993 - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 1998 - 1999-1992:See also: 1992 in comics...
by Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
. She is a teenage street-rat from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with a fierce temper who curses constantly. She is 5'4" tall and weights roughly 105 lb (47.6 kg).
Publication history
Motormouth ran for twelve issues with the plot of having Harley, and later her partner KillpowerKillpower
Killpower is a fictional British comic book character from Marvel UK. He is the partner of Motormouth and first appeared in Motormouth #1. Killpower was created by Gary Frank and Graham Mark.-Publication history:...
going to various alternate realities
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
from the regular 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...
.
Fictional character biography
Harley is orphaned at age 11 and grows up as part of a gang that lives in the East End of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. They survive by foraging and stealing. Her incredibly foul language earns her the nickname 'Motormouth'. When she is seventeen Harley is discovered by Laarson, an agent of Mys-Tech
Mys-Tech
Mys-Tech were a shadowy Faustian organisation who acted as the main villains in a range of, initially successful but short-lived comics, launched in the US by Marvel UK in the 1990s...
, the shadowy organisation that featured in all of Marvel UK's 1990s titles. Harley is a candidate for his M.O.P.E.D (Mind Operated PErsonal Dematerialization) technology. This allows people to jump between alternate realities but will only operate on people with certain strands of DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
. The unit is disguised a pair of MOPED units as training shoes, which Harley finds and tries on. At the same time Laarson is being executed by Mys-Tech's Techno-Wizards and agents were sent to find the MOPED units. In order to save her and the units, Laarson's subordinates activate the technology and sent her to another universe.
While still on the run from Mys-Tech, Harley is sent to a future in which the world was covered in shopping malls. It was here she purchases a Soni-Muta 500 Unit, a microchip
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
that allows her to mentally tune into any radio station she wanted. This would later give her her sonic scream. Harley returns to her own universe and is captured and put to work by Mys-Tech. She escapes after a mission to Tokyo, Japan.
Killpower
She has to make a random jump in order to escape and ends up on a planet named Tekron. KillpowerKillpower
Killpower is a fictional British comic book character from Marvel UK. He is the partner of Motormouth and first appeared in Motormouth #1. Killpower was created by Gary Frank and Graham Mark.-Publication history:...
, an agent of Mys-Tech is sent to find her. Unable to escape him, Harley reasons with the man instead. Mentally little more than a small child, Killpower becomes intrigued by Harley and joins her as her partner. Harley is then badly injured on Tekron when a stray bullet hit her in the throat. Killpower uses her Soni-Muta 500 and the MOPED technology to cure her. This not only gave her the aforementioned sonic scream, she could now travel between universes without the aid of technology. Both are then forced to flee from Mys-Tech's influence.
Motormouth and Killpower appeared in the Battletide mini-series. Death's Head
Death's Head
Death's Head is a fictional comic book character, a robotic bounty hunter appearing in the books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Simon Furman and artist Geoff Senior for the company's Marvel UK imprint...
is hired by Mys-Tech to retrieve Killpower; while the two fought, Motormouth and Tuck
Tuck (comics)
Tuck is a character from Marvel UK comics. She is the partner of Death's Head, and first appeared in Death's Head vol. 2 #3. Tuck was created by Dan Abnett and Liam Sharp.-Fictional character biography:...
, Death's Head partner, went on a shopping spree on an alien planet. Motormouth and Killpower later plan an attack on Tyburn, a powerful Mys-Tech agent. Harley is able to steal their MOPED unit and neutralize the tracking devices Mys-Tech had implanted in the duo. Tyburn survives the attack.
Saving the world
Motormouth becomes an essential part of the Mys-Tech Wars mini-series. At first, she is just one of many superheros attacking the main Mys-Tech complex, hoping to take down the Techno-Wizards, the heads of Mys-Tech.The wizards fight back successfully, slaughtering most of the heroes. Death-Head kills them in return, unfortunately this endangers all of Earth. A fortunate fall from Killpower allows six heroes, Motormouth included, to break free of the melee and patch themselves into the required equipment so they can save the Earth from destruction. The others, such as Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
and Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
, bring powerful forces to the mix...Motormouth ends up in a simply chair to fill out the required number of entities.
The earth is saved and time is reversed, undoing all the deaths that have occurred. Only the last six remember any of which had happened.
Time Guardian and the Hulk
Both Motormouth and Killpower are recruited by the Time Guardian in the Dark Guard mini-series to help stop a war on the planet Eopia. The war had been caused by Tyburn and Mys-Tech agents have infiltrated both sides of the war. Motormouth is instrumental in stopping a powerful Mys-Tech agent called Collapser who had captured Killpower. Her extra-sensory vision allowed her to see microfractures in his torso which in turn allowed Death's HeadDeath's Head
Death's Head is a fictional comic book character, a robotic bounty hunter appearing in the books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Simon Furman and artist Geoff Senior for the company's Marvel UK imprint...
to smash him.
Motormouth and Killpower then guest-starred in an issue of Incredible Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
, illustrated by her co-creator Gary Frank. The Hulk literally falls onto their dinner table. This is after the Hulk fights the villain Madman
Madman (Marvel Comics)
Madman is a supervillain within the fictional Marvel Comics universe. The character is portrayed as one of the Hulk's enemies, and as the brother of Samuel Sterns, better known as The Leader...
. Killpower and Hulk briefly fight. The Hulk proves himself more than a match for her obscene language. The trio then team up to rescue Prince Charles
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
from Madman, who had taken him up the side of Big Ben. Though he is dropped off the side, Charles escapes injury. In the ensuing battle, Harley accidentally brings down London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
and Madman escapes.
Motormouth and Killpower came under the attention of Nigel Orpington-Smythe, leader of the R.C.X.
R.C.X.
The Resources Control Executive is a fictional British intelligence agency in the Marvel Comics universe. It first appeared in Captain Britain vol...
a villainous group from the comic book Excalibur
Excalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
. Security footage stills of the two, plus other Marvel UK heroes were shown to Captain Britain as an example of the lawless vigilantism that Smythe sought to control. R.C.X was neutralized before they became a threat to Harley.
Issue #12, the last of the series, features Motormouth visiting a homeless encampment on the South Side of the River Thames in London, England. It's revealed she used to live here; though she did not enjoy it. The two heroes, along with Death's Head
Death's Head
Death's Head is a fictional comic book character, a robotic bounty hunter appearing in the books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Simon Furman and artist Geoff Senior for the company's Marvel UK imprint...
, defeat and kill a murderous A.I.M
Advanced Idea Mechanics
A.I.M. is a fictional terrorist organization in the . The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #146 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
. construct that had taken on the mannerisms of the local homeless population. The second part of the issue features the two battling fanatical, naive worshippers of a lost alien being. In defeating the being, Killpower becomes the world's new god.
Post-series appearances
Harley has since had a cameo appearance in the Avengers ForeverAvengers Forever
Avengers Forever is a twelve-issue comic book limited series published from December 1998 to November 1999 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern and drawn by Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino.-Publication history:...
mini-series, and is set to appear, along with Killpower, in Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
's Captain Britain and MI13 in 2009.
Other versions
A future version of Harley appears in Excalibur Vol 1 #67, July 1993. Working with other heroes to protect an enclave of innocent people, she steps up to battle a wave of Sentinels. Both sides inflict heavy casualties, Harley is one of the many disintegrated by the robot's weapons.Powers and abilities
Harley can create deafening sounds and force blasts by screaming/shouting, similar to the X-Men'sX-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
Banshee
Banshee (comics)
Banshee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who operates as a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Werner Roth, Banshee first appeared in X-Men #28 ....
or DC Comics
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...
' Black Canary
Black Canary
Black Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures...
and by humming at a low pitch can use ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
to see through solid objects. She can also jump between alternate universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
s using the MOPED technology built into her, this technology also allows her to sense threats outside her normal field or range of senses. She also seems to have some ability to sense various forms of energy.