TARTAN

Real Name: Tartan

Class: Extraterrestrial

Occupation: Ringleader

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile across galaxies

First Appearance: Challengers of the Unknown #6 (February-March, 1959)

Powers: Tartan led an intergalactic circus, and had access to numerous exotic lifeforms.

History: (Challengers of the Unknown #6) - The Challengers of the Unknown received an SOS from a sinking vessel, but when they arrived on the scene the ship disappeared, turning out to be an illusion, and a gravity-ray took the Challengers to a spaceship. They were locked in cages by Tartan and the Stupendous Interplanetary Circus, who told them they were to be star performers, whether they wished it or not. In front of an alien crowd the Challs were dumped into a tank of water and forced to battle Quadro, the Four-Finned Demon of the Deep. Afterwards Tartan and his men loaded the Challs into their cages and flew to the next performance in their galaxy-spanning tour. They landed at the meteor arena, and the opening act was the round men of Zaka and the bird-men of Taka. The Taka had hoops around their neck, and had to catch the Zaka, who were fired from a giant sling. The Challs learned they were being forced to perform against their will too, and teamed up to attack the circus guards, escape the arena, and fly off in the circus' spaceship. Tartan and his guards pursued them in warships, and the Challs, knowing they'd be cut to ribbons, landed on an asteroid. The asteroid's gravity gave them superhuman strength, so they ripped up crystal boulders to ward off the guards before hurling projectiles at the warships, disabling them. Tartan surrendered, and the Challs took him back to meteor arena, where the law arrested him for pressing sentient beings into service.

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby.