Sleepwalker (comics)
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Sleepwalker is a fictional character appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. Created by
Bob Budiansky Bob Budiansky (; born March 15, 1954) is an American comic book writer, editor, and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel's '' Transformers'' comic. He also created the Marvel character Sleepwalker and wrote all 33 issues of that comic ...
and
Bret Blevins Bret Blevins (sometimes spelled Brett Blevins) (born August 13, 1960) is an American comics artist, animation storyboard artist, and painter. He is perhaps best known for his stint as the regular penciler of ''New Mutants'' for Marvel Comics. ...
, he first appeared in ''Sleepwalker'' #1 (June 1991). The character is named after his race and is the star of a self-titled comic book which ran for 33 issues, from June 1991 to February 1994, with one ''Holiday Special''. All but two of the issues were written by Budiansky, with
Tom Brevoort Tom Brevoort () is an American comic book editor, known for his work for Marvel Comics, where he has overseen titles such as '' New Avengers'', ''Civil War'', and ''Fantastic Four''. He became Executive Editor in 2007, and in January 2011, was pro ...
and Mike Kanterovich writing the ''Holiday Special'' and one fill-in issue.
Dan Slott Daniel "Dan" Slott (born July 3, 1967) is an American comic book writer, known for his work on Marvel Comics books such as ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', as well as ''The Superior Spider-Man'', ''She-Hulk'', ''Silver Surfer (comic book), Silver Surfe ...
also contributed a humorous side story in issue #25.


Creation

Bob Budiansky spoke on the creation of the character saying, "The idea what would become Sleepwalker first sparked within me during one of the weekly editorial meetings I attended when I was a Marvel editor and which were chaired by former Marvel Editor-in-Chief
Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor, and publisher in the comics industry. Beginning his career writing for DC Comics at the age of 14, he had a successful but controversial run as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comic ...
... Among the things talked about was how, in the real world,
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
would be treated by the nations of earth if he actually existed. He said that rather than being welcomed by most nations of the earth as a hero because of his good deeds and good looks, nations would instead unite to figure out how to defend themselves against and, if necessary, defeat this near-omnipotent alien being... And so the thought occurred to me that simply because Superman happens to look like the stereotypical all-American male of that era, people have no hesitation to accept him as the hero he is despite the fact that it's common knowledge he's an alien. But what if he is still heroic and looks like a true alien - a creature that doesn't look like us, and, in fact, appears repellant to us? How would humans react to him if that's how Superman looks? So Sleepwalker began as the anti-Superman, instead of an alien who just happens to look like the perfect human. I made him an alien who is a green-skinned bug-eyed monster, at least to our eyes. And he's heroic. At first, I wanted to name my character Alien. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Alien was a poor choice because it had already been used for the 1979 movie of the same name, which is probably the reason others mistakenly think I came up with the leepwalkeridea in the 1970s". In regard to his idea of the concept of Sleepwalker, Budiansky stated "I came up with the name Sleepwalker and tied his origin and abilities to dreams, which was an interest of mine. Instead of coming from an alien planet, like Superman, Sleepwalker would come from an alien dimension. I began writing the backstory for Sleepwalker and sketching out his look probably around 1989".


Publication history

A second Sleepwalker character was planned to receive a self-titled series by
Robert Kirkman Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for co-creat ...
in 2004, but instead debuted in the 2004 '' Epic Anthology'', which was cancelled after one issue. The original Sleepwalker's next appearance was in ''Marvel Team-Up'' vol. 3 #15, nearly a decade after his original cancellation. At the end of 2018, a four-issue Sleepwalker miniseries was released as a tie-in to the '' Infinity Wars'' event. The series is written by Chad Bowers and Chris Sims, with artwork by
Todd Nauck Todd Nauck ( ) is an American comic book creator, comic book artist and writer. Nauck is most notable for his work on ''Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,'' ''Young Justice'' and his own creation, ''Wildguard (comics), Wildguard''. Career Nauck's ...
. In 2017,
Rich Johnston Richard "Rich" Johnston is a British comics creator, columnist, and founder of the comics news site ''Bleeding Cool''. '' The Comics Journal'' described Johnston as having claimed to be "the oldest extant comics news reporter on the Internet. ...
of ''
Bleeding Cool ''Bleeding Cool'' is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston in 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, also called ''B ...
'' addressed persistent rumors that Marvel editor-in-chief
Tom DeFalco Tom DeFalco (born June 26, 1950) is an American comic book writer and editor well known for his association with Marvel Comics, with long runs on ''Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thor (comic book), Thor'', ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' ...
had described Sleepwalker as "'' Sandman'' done right". After researching the phrase, the most Johnston was able to find was "mention of a press release that described '' leepwalker' as ''Sandman'' done the Marvel way;'" however, this was "only a reference, never an actual quoted piece". Johnston posited that the rumor's source may have been a parody of earlier Marvel editor-in-chief
Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor, and publisher in the comics industry. Beginning his career writing for DC Comics at the age of 14, he had a successful but controversial run as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comic ...
.


Fictional character biography

The Sleepwalkers are entities from the Mindscape, a dimension that borders on the minds of all living things, and work to protect the world from the dangerous creatures that inhabit it. One Sleepwalker was trapped in the mind of college student Rick Sheridan by his archenemy Cobweb.''Sleepwalker'' #3 (August 1991) He is able to communicate with Rick via dreams and can manifest in the real world while he sleeps. Furthermore, his real name is unpronounceable by humans, so he is simply known as Sleepwalker to avoid confusion. Rick and Sleepwalker eventually worked out an understanding, allowing the latter to fight crime and various injustices. This was not easy, as Sleepwalker's appearance caused fear among regular people.''Sleepwalker'' #2 (July 1991) With
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
, Sleepwalker battled Kingpin and Crimewave.''Sleepwalker'' #5-6 (October - November 1991) With
Darkhawk Darkhawk (Christopher Powell) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Darkhawk'' #1 (March 1991), and was created by writer Tom DeFalco and artist Mike Manley. The character a ...
, Deathlok,
Moon Knight Moon Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975). The son of a rabbi, Marc S ...
, and the
Squadron Supreme The Squadron Supreme is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, of which there are several notable alternate versions. The original team was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, derived from the previous ...
, he attempted to stop Eon's body from invading Earth's Universe. He also battled the Chain Gang.''Sleepwalker'' #7 (December 1991) With Deathlok's help, he rescued Alyssa Conover and a number of other innocent people from being experimented on by the mysterious Mr. FX.''Sleepwalker'' #8 (January 1992) He fought
Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...
,''Sleepwalker'' #12 (May 1992) and then battled Spectra. Alongside
Mister Fantastic Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character is a founding member and the leader of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mast ...
and the Thing, he battled the Thought Police.''Sleepwalker'' #13-16 (June - September 1992) Alongside Darkhawk and Spider-Man, Sleepwalker saved Portal from the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. He also battled various supernatural menaces, including a demonic genie known as Mr. Jyn and the spirit of a traumatized young man that had gained superhuman powers and became obsessed with recreating the scene of his mother's murder.''Sleepwalker Holiday Special'' (January 1993)''Sleepwalker'' #30 (November 1993) Sleepwalker is one of the few entities who remember the events of ''
The Infinity Gauntlet ''The Infinity Gauntlet'' is an American comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. In addition to an eponymous, six-issue limited series (comics), limited series written by Jim Starlin and Penciller, pencilled by George Pérez and Ron ...
'' storyline. Sleepwalker spent most of it fighting the villains called the Chain Gang and rescuing people from natural disasters. However,
Nebula A nebula (; or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral, or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regions, such as in the Pillars of Creation in ...
turned back time, neutralizing what he had gone through. He considers his vague memories to be just a dream. Sleepwalker played an important role in the '' Infinity War'', helping to defeat the
Magus Magi (), or magus (), is the term for priests in Zoroastrianism and earlier Iranian religions. The earliest known use of the word ''magi'' is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius the Great, known as the Behistun Inscription. Old Per ...
by channeling mental powers from
Professor X Professor X (Prof. Charles Francis Xavier) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 ( ...
,
Jean Grey Jean Elaine Grey-Summers is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Uncanny X-Men, The X-Men'' #1 ...
,
Psylocke Psylocke is the name of two connected characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Both characters are portrayed as Mutant (Marvel Comics), mutants, a subspecies of humans born w ...
and Moondragon through Rick Sheridan's mind. He also contributed to the battle against the evil clones of the superheroes Beast, Firestar and Daredevil. Part of the fight against the evil doubles involved Sleepwalker impersonating his own evil clone. In the "
Infinity Crusade ''The Infinity Crusade'' is a six-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 1993. The series was written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Ron Lim, Ian Laughlin, Al Milgrom and Jack Morelli and also the third and final chapte ...
" storyline, Sleepwalker is brainwashed by the
Goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...
and taken to her version of
Counter-Earth The Counter-Earth is a : Hypothetical bodies of the Solar System, hypothetical body of the Solar System that orbits on the other side of the Solar System from Earth. A Counter-Earth or ''Antichthon'' () was hypothesized by the pre-Socratic philoso ...
. During the battle between the Goddess's forces and the rest of Earth's heroes, Sleepwalker subdues
Darkhawk Darkhawk (Christopher Powell) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Darkhawk'' #1 (March 1991), and was created by writer Tom DeFalco and artist Mike Manley. The character a ...
and the
Human Torch The Human Torch (Jonathan Lowell Spencer "Johnny" Storm) is a fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and ar ...
by dragging them into the water with his shape-changing powers. Sleepwalker exchanged bodies with Rick Sheridan and battled Cobweb, the Chain Gang,
8-Ball Eight-ball (also spelled 8-ball or eightball, and sometimes called solids and stripes, spots and stripes, bigs and smalls, big ones and little ones, or rarely highs and lows) is a discipline of pool played on a billiard table with six pocket ...
, and
Hobgoblin A hobgoblin is a household spirit, appearing in English folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his '' A Midsummer Nigh ...
. Later in the series, Sleepwalker is revealed to supposedly be the lead scout for the Mindspawn, an invading force from the Mindscape. However, in actuality, Cobweb had put in motion a complicated plot to invade the Earth and disrupt Rick's relationship with Sleepwalker. This involves disguising his minions as members of Sleepwalker's race and framing his archenemy as their leader. The plot is only partially successful; Sleepwalker and the Avengers thwart the initial attack, although Sleepwalker's reputation was ruined in the process. Many people still mistakenly believe that Sleepwalker's race planned to invade and conquer the Earth and that Sleepwalker was a scout for them. During the confrontation, Sleepwalker pretended to destroy Rick's mind as a means of protecting him from Cobweb's minions. Unfortunately, the authorities retrieved the "mindrake" weapon Sleepwalker had used to store Rick's mind, preventing the alien from recovering it, also gathering up one of Cobweb's demons that was left behind after the Avengers drove them away. The demon and the mindrake were both taken to a federal prison and research facility where serial killer Jeremy Roscoe was also being held as part of a psychiatric experiment. Roscoe escaped from the prison hospital and fused with the demon, transforming into a nightmarish creature called Psyko. The monster began spreading mass insanity across New York, until Sleepwalker managed to defeat him and retrieve the mindrake Psyko had taken with him. Later, Sleepwalker thwarts Cobweb's second attack and banishes his archenemy once and for all, before seemingly dying to save Rick Sheridan's life. However, Sleepwalker would later turn up alive and still trapped in Rick's mind. Sleepwalker eventually gains the ability to interact with the real world again. He is seen investigating the after-effects of an explosion caused by the villainous Ringmaster. He had attempted to become more involved in the situation but was foiled by Rick's sleeping schedule. Sleepwalker is seen as having become a registered superhuman under the ''
Initiative Popular initiative A popular initiative (also citizens' initiative) is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition. In direct initiative, the proposition is put direct ...
'' after Alyssa Conover's death in an auto accident. He then appears alongside
Machine Man Machine Man (also known as Aaron Stack, Mister Machine and serial number Z2P45-9-X-51 or X-51 for short) is an android superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Jack Kirby for '' 2001: A ...
and Agent Sum as a member of Ms. Marvel's Operation: Lightning Storm. During the
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
's confrontation with the Quiet Man, they recruited Sleepwalker's assistance to neutralize the threat posed by the heroes from Counter-Earth, reasoning that Sleepwalker was particularly suited to advise them on it, since Counter-Earth was Franklin Richards' dream. During his time on Counter-Earth, Sleepwalker noted that none of its inhabitants had souls, allowing the FF to freely kill them. Sleepwalker had made limited appearances in modern comics. He received a self-titled miniseries that was a tie-in to the '' Infinity Wars'' event, and has had supporting roles in '' Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur'' and '' Hellcat''.


Powers and abilities

Sleepwalker possesses superhuman physical abilities and flight, as well as a "warp gaze" that enables him to modify the shape and physical characteristics of other objects in his line of sight. He avoids using it on living beings as it would cause immense pain. As an alien resident of the Mindscape, Sleepwalker has exceptional visual abilities, being able to see over a much farther distance than an average human and sense energy trails. Due to his bond with Rick Sheridan, Sleepwalker shares a mental link with him and must periodically return to his mind to survive. He can also enhance psychic abilities and possesses a limited resistance to them. Sleepwalker used the Imaginator, an amulet-like device that can teleport himself and others, before it was stolen by Cobweb. After recovering the Imaginator, Sleepwalker was forced to use it to exile him far from Earth. In '' Infinity Wars'', Sleepwalker discovers that he can harness the power of the
Infinity Gems The Infinity Gems (originally referred to as Soul Gems and later as Infinity Stones) are six fictional gems appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, named after and embodying various aspects of existence. The gems can grant ...
without having to use them directly.


Enemies

Sleepwalker possessed a colorful gallery of mostly original villains, with a new one introduced each issue during the title's beginnings. They include: * Jeff Hagees / 8-Ball: A criminal who based his costume and equipment on the game of
pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...
. * Nelson Gruber / Bookworm: An angry social misfit who, after an encounter with Sleepwalker, gained the ability to channel energy from the Mindscape into creations of whatever he read. He used his abilities to get revenge on his tormentors. * Chain Gang: Four convicted felons linked together in a chain gang who escaped during the upheavals caused by the Infinity Gauntlet, gaining superhuman powers that lasted only as long as they stayed chained together. It consists of Master Link (Willis Hayworth), Missing Link (Ray Morgan), Uplink (Hector Fuentes), and Weak Link (Ernest Mills). * Mr. FX: A mysterious special effects designer who was known for his stunningly lifelike displays, which he achieved by kidnapping people and imprisoning them within specially designed costumes. *
Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...
: Sleepwalker faced off against this living embodiment of bad dreams, usually a
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
villain. Nightmare promised the reward of sending Sleepwalker back to his home realm, but Sleepwalker fought back when Nightmare threatened Rick Sheridan. * Selena Slate / Spectra: The assistant of a scientist who was studying the properties of a strange diamond, and planned to steal it and split the proceeds with her junkie boyfriend. After being imbued with the diamond's powers, she gained the ability to manipulate multicolored lights with various effects. * Mr. Jyn: A demonic genie who tricked humans into letting him manifest on Earth by pretending to serve them, even as he manipulated them into letting him cause mayhem until he would be released. * Edward "Eddie" Cicala: A young boy traumatized by his father murdering his mother, who became catatonic before his mind made contact with a malign energy force from the Mindscape, which allowed him to possess others. * Cobweb: Sleepwalker's nemesis, a demon of the Mindscape who can cause madness in others. Cobweb trapped Sleepwalker in Rick Sheridan's mind as part of a plot to invade Earth without being thwarted by his enemy. * Felicity Hopkins / Lullaby: A teenage
mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It i ...
who can place others in zombie-like trances through song. * Carl Wilkinson / Crimewave: A crime boss who plotted to embarrass the Kingpin and replace him as the top crime lord on the East Coast, by capturing
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
. * Thought Police: A special team of government agents assembled to capture Sleepwalker, led by the obsessed Agent Tolliver Smith. * Jeremy Roscoe / Psyko: A human
serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
who became fused with a monster from the Mindscape and transformed into a hideous creature with warping powers similar to Sleepwalker's and the additional power to cause insanity.


Other versions


''Marvel Team-Up: League of Losers''

An alternate universe variant of Sleepwalker appears in '' Marvel Team-Up'' (vol. 3) as a member of the "League of Losers" alongside
Darkhawk Darkhawk (Christopher Powell) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Darkhawk'' #1 (March 1991), and was created by writer Tom DeFalco and artist Mike Manley. The character a ...
,
Dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually one or two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a cutting or stabbing, thrusting weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or ...
, Araña, X-23,
Gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
, and Terror.


''Marvel Zombies: Dead Days''

An alternate universe variant of Sleepwalker from Earth-2149 makes a cameo appearance in '' Marvel Zombies: Dead Days''.


''Ultimate Sleepwalker''

An alternate universe variant of the Sleepwalkers from Earth-1610 appear in ''
Ultimate X-Men ''Ultimate X-Men'' is a superhero comic book series, which was published by Marvel Comics, from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of the Ultimate Marvel imprint. The ...
'' #89.


In other media

Sleepwalker appears in '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' #11.


Collected editions


References


External links


Sleepwalker
at the Marvel Universe

at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe * {{Marveldatabase, Sleepwalker 1991 comics debuts Characters created by Bob Budiansky Comics characters introduced in 1991 Fictional characters displaced in other dimensions Fictional characters who can teleport Fictional characters with elemental transmutation abilities Fictional extraterrestrial characters Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics male superheroes Marvel Comics titles