History ComicBook / TheAwesomeSlapstick

After his original 1992 series, Slapstick briefly appeared with ComicBook/TheNewWarriors, appeared regularly as a recruit in ''ComicBook/AvengersTheInitiative,'' then was a regular member of ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'s Mercs for Money. In 2017, Slapstick appeared in ''Slapstick: Volume 2,'' a six-issue series created by Reilly Brown, Fred Van Lente, and Diego Olortegui.

!!The Awesome Slapstick provides examples of the following tropes:

[[folder: The Awesome Slapstick (1992)]]

--> ''Scientist Supreme'': "We have to <ACK!>"
--> ''Steve'': "You mean, we have to act?"
--> ''Scientist Supreme'': "No, we have to <ACK!>" (feigns heart attack. Badly.)

-->'''Mike:''' "How about 'Captain Clown'?"
-->'''Steve:''' "Dumb."
-->'''Mike:''' "'ComicBook/TheJoker'?"
-->'''Steve:''' "Taken."
-->'''Mike:''' "'The Jester'?"
-->'''Steve:''' "[[BreadEggsBreadedEggs Dumb and taken.]]"

Steve is rescued by the Scientist Supreme of Dimension X, who explains that the incident caused a freak accident which has turned his body into "electroplasm", an indestructible and infinitely malleable substance. Using his circus mallet and his indestructible body, Steve smashes the Overlord's Mediocritizer, rescues his schoolmates, and destroys the mirror portal. As the dust clears, Steve is found by his friend Mike Peterson, who notes that he obviously just had an origin and thus should [[ComesGreatResponsibility start fighting crime]]. Steve compromises by offering to play cruel tricks on it instead and dubs himself Slapstick.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5443547_slapstick2016001_cov.jpg]]

* AdultsAreUseless: Invoked in issue #4 by Slapstick after he dispatched the Neutron Bum while the other adult superheroes (including the Comicbook/FantasticFour and Comicbook/TheAvengers) were "sitting on [their] thumbs"... which promptly gets him booted into the next borough by Ben Grimm.

*** Also mentioned in passing was "[[Franchise/{{Batman}} Skulker-Arounder]], dark, gritty, realistic avenger of evil."

* EyePop / JawDrop: Done in issue #2 when Slapstick sees [[Franchise/SpiderMan Mary Jane Watson-Parker]].

* JustHitHim: During the Neutron Bum's explosive rampage in issue #4, The Comicbook/NewWarriors, Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}, Comicbook/GhostRider, the Comicbook/FantasticFour, and Comicbook/TheAvengers were trying to formulate a proper attack plan. Slapstick simply went to a coffee shop, bought a cup of coffee, gave it to the bum, then knocked him out in mid-sip.

* SolidGoldPoop: The Taurs defecate gold. Their golden excretions are coveted by their enemy Gorgonzola.
* StrawMisogynist: The Taurs have a blatantly sexist attitude toward Taurette, one of them even remarking that they need to be condescending toward her. Their leader is even named Patriarchy Taur.

Has a Character page [[Characters/MarvelComicsSlapstick here]].

After his original 1992 series, Slapstick briefly appeared with ComicBook/TheNewWarriors, appeared regularly as a recruit in ''ComicBook/AvengersTheInitiative,'' then was a regular member of ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'s ComicBook/MercsForMoney. In 2017, Slapstick appeared in ''Slapstick: Volume 2,'' a six-issue series created by Reilly Brown, Fred Van Lente, and Diego Olortegui.

!!Slapstick (the character) provides examples of:

* AmusingInjuries: Slapstick's electroplasm body is effectively immune to harm, but he can be given momentary pause by attacks in ways that play off of his ToonPhysics body.
* AnthropomorphicFood: As a ShoutOut to ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes

* BarbieDollAnatomy: He has no genitals and is depressed about the fact he'll never have sex.
* BerserkButton:
** During Civil War, insulting Slapstick's friends who were members of the New Warriors after their deaths is a good way to set him off. From 2015 on, reminding him that he has no genitalia also has this effect.
** In his 2016 series, NEVER threaten his niece or nephew. Making them cry will also net you one hammer to the skull.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: [[spoiler:While undergoing training at Camp Hammond with other former New Warriors, Steve took offense at an insult the [[DrillSergeantNasty drill instructor]] laid against his deceased friends [[note]]for their involvement in the accident that led to the Superhuman Registration Act[[/note]], so he attacked him when he was alone and savagely beat him into a coma. With his giant mallet.]]
** [[spoiler: Gets even worse after he joins Deadpool's Mercs for Money, where he gouges a man's eyes out while doing a 3 Stooges style eye poke and attempts to crush his skull in with a sledgehammer. It's heavily implied that the Stamford Incident, money troubles, and his inability to get laid have made Steve VERY jaded.]]
* BigBad: In the 2016 series, the main villain is [[spoiler:the Princess of Dimension Ecch, who has been manipulating the inhabitants of her home dimension by removing their genitalia and using Slapstick as a scapegoat]].

** The 2016 series includes a series of antagonists from Dimension X who are all blatantly based on cartoon characters from the 1970s through the 1990s, including Bro-Man (He-Man), the Taurs (Smurf/My Little Pony centaur hybrids), and the War D.O.G.s (cross between G.I. Joe and Road Rovers). The Sorcerer Supreme of Dimension X/Ecch is a copy of [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs Gargamel]] dressed in Mickey Mouse's hat and robes from ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice''.
* ChangingClothesIsAFreeAction: When Steve turns into Slapstick, his clothes disappear into an interdimensional pocket.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Steve was always a prankster. When he's turned into Slapstick, he upgrades into a ''superpowered'' prankster.
* CoolLoser: Slapstick gets no respect, but is still a powerful superhuman capable of besting many a foe.
* DarkerAndEdgier: After his return in Initiative, he starts showing elements of MonsterClown in his personality.

* DreamSequence: Steve's frequent daydreams.
* DropTheHammer: Steve's primary offensive attack. How his hammer stays intact is never explained.

* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:The Princess of Ecch at first appears to be an ally in the 2016 series, but she turns out to be the real reason the inhabitants of Dimension Ecch lost their genitals and tries to get Slapstick and Mike to kill each other.]]
* EvilLaugh: In the original series, Slapstick would sometimes laugh evilly before messing with someone.

* FunPersonified: Slapstick is a goofy and fun-loving hero.
* FourFingeredHands: Happens to Steve when he's in his Slapstick form since he was wearing his oversized four-fingered toon gloves when he got his powers.
* GenreSavvy: "You've just had an origin."
* {{Hammerspace}}: Slapstick's giant hammer mentioned above can be conjured to his hand at any time.
* HyperspaceMallet: Slapstick's primary method of attack is to hit people with his mallet being pulled from nowhere.
* ICallItVera: Slapstick calls his mallet Gertie.

* KryptoniteFactor: The only thing that can hurt him is a specific frequency of energy that disrupts the molecular bonds of his electroplasm body, and that only works temporarily.
* LosingYourHead: In the 2016 series, the Scientist Supreme of Dimension Ecch, his proper name revealed to be Julius T. Flakfyser, is shown to have been reduced to a disembodied head ever since the Overlord's lair was blown up in the first issue of the original series.
* MadScientist:
** Oliver Denton is a little boy with a genius intellect who creates a giant robot minion named Teddy.
** Quasimodo from the 2016 series. Slapstick himself tries to replicate his dimensional portal technology after he is caught and pardoned by ARMOR.

* MoralityPet: His niece and nephew in the 2016 series. Between this and his attempts to be their cool uncle, a slight amount of prodding from them is enough for him to get off his ass and help people.

* NighInvulnerability: Slapstick has been shot with bazookas, burned with fire, zapped with electricity, twisted into a knot, and kicked across New York City with no ill effects. The only thing that can hurt him is a specific frequency of energy that disrupts the molecular bonds of his electroplasm body, and that only works temporarily.

** The 2016 series reveals that when Slapstick defeated the Overlord of Dimension X/Ecch in his very first appearance, he ended up triggering a device that caused this same effect on the entire population of the Dimension. They were less than pleased with their "savior" when he returned. [[spoiler:The princess of Dimension Ecch was actually behind everyone losing their genitals, but after she is defeated, the inhabitants become anatomically correct again. Unfortunately for Slapstick, he's still smooth.]]
* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Steve Harmon was just another teenager before he became Slapstick.

* RummageFail: Done with "infinite pockets" in ''ComicBook/AvengersTheInitiative'' #10. Rage specifically told him not to fool around, but...
* SelfDeprecation:
** The 2016 series features a dig toward the original 1992 miniseries where Slapstick chides his friend Mike for retelling his origins in his planned graphic novel because gaining his powers to fight clowns from another dimension is too goofy for anyone to believe. Quite tellingly, the art style of Mike's graphic novel matches that of said miniseries.
** The third issue has Mike being told that his graphic novel probably won't last six issues. The 2016 series ended up ending at the sixth issue.
* ShapeshifterBaggage: Slapstick becomes stronger and larger when he gets zapped with electricity, with no explanation for the extra mass. Of course, he's [[JustifiedTrope based on Saturday-morning cartoons]], which are equally guilty of abusing physics. Plus, he has the power to store mass in another dimension, so it's not implausible for him to take some into himself.
* ShapeshifterModeLock: As of ''Avengers: The Initiative'', Slapstick is unable to return to his human form.

* {{Slapstick}}: True to the hero's name, Slapstick often fights criminals by inflicting humiliating injuries upon them.

* SomethingWeForgot: The 2016 series ends with Slapstick remarking that all the loose ends have been tied and that everyone got what they wanted. We then see Quasimodo held prisoner by A.R.M.O.R., who vows to get even with Slapstick for failing to prevent him from falling into A.R.M.O.R. custody as he promised.

* ThatsAllFolks: The sixth issue of the 2016 series has Slapstick remark "That's all, Folks" after [[spoiler:the Princess of Ecch is killed by an anvil]] and ends with a box reading "That's All, Folks" on the last page.
* ToonPhysics: Slapstick can freely abuse ToonPhysics, making him a NighInvulnerable minor RealityWarper, and can bounce back from any injuries almost instantly. He's also performed otherwise impossible feats, such as swallowing a box of bullets and rapidly firing them by spitting them out like a machine gun.

* YouNeedToGetLaid: Frustration at getting no sexual release is heavily implied to be the reason for Slapstick's more violent personality in Deadpool's 2015 series.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Awesome_Slapstick_1_3711.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:He doesn't fight evil.[softreturn]He plays cruel tricks on it.]]

After his original 1992 series, Slapstick briefly appeared with ComicBook/TheNewWarriors, appeared regularly as a recruit in ''ComicBook/AvengersTheInitiative,'' then was a regular member of ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'s Mercs for Money. In 2017, Slapstick appeared in ''Slapstick: Volume 2,'' a six-issue series created by Reilly Brown, Fred Van Lente, and Diego Olortegui.

---

-->'''Mike:''' "'SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker'?"

!!Slapstick (the character) and the limited series provide examples of:

Slapstick is a SuperHero character created by Len Kaminski and James Fry III, who first appeared in a four-issue limited series (November, 1992-February, 1993) by Creator/MarvelComics. Despite being voted by Marvel readers as the best new character of 1992, Slapstick was left in obscurity until his appearance in ''ComicBook/AvengersTheInitiative''. His first ongoing series was announced as part of [[ComicBook/MarvelNow2016 2016's Marvel NOW! relaunch]], starting in December 2016.

Steve is rescued by the Scientist Supreme of Dimension X, who explains that the incident caused a freak accident which has turned his body into "electroplasm", an indestructible and infinitely malleable substance. Using his circus mallet and his indestructible body, Steve smashes the Overlord's Mediocritizer, rescues his schoolmates, and destroys the mirror portal. As the dust clears, Steve is found by his friend Mike Peterson, who notes that he obviously just had an origin and thus should [[ComesGreatResponsibility start fighting crime]]. Steve compromises by offering to play cruel tricks on it instead, and dubs himself Slapstick.

* AmusementParkOfDoom: The original series started with Steve Harmon sneaking into a carnival actually being a front for kidnappings by the clowns from Dimension X.

** The 2016 series includes a series of antagonists from Dimension X who are all blatantly based on cartoon characters from the 1970s through the 1990s, including Bro-Man (He-Man), the Taurs (Smurf/My Little Pony centaur hybrids), and the War D.O.G.s (cross between G.I. Joe and Road Rovers). The Sorcerer Supreme of Dimension X/Ecch is an copy of [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs Gargamel]] dressed in Mickey Mouse's hat and robes from ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice''.

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Steve was apparently always a prankster. When he's turned into Slapstick, he upgrades into a ''superpowered'' prankster.

* FourFingeredHands: Happens to Steve when he's in his Slapstick form, since he was wearing his oversized four-fingered toon gloves when he got his powers.

* NighInvulnerability: Slapstick has been shot with bazookas, burned with fire, zapped with electricity, twisted into a knot, and kicked across New York City with no ill effects. The only thing that can really hurt him is a specific frequency of energy that disrupts the molecular bonds of his electroplasm body, and that only works temporarily.

** The 2016 series reveals that when Slapstick defeated the Overlord of Dimension X/Ecch in his very first appearance, he ended up triggering a device which caused this same effect on the entire population of the Dimension. They were less than pleased with their "savior" when he returned. [[spoiler:The princess of Dimension Ecch was actually behind everyone losing their genitals, but after she is defeated, the inhabitants become anatomically correct again. Unfortunately for Slapstick, he's still smooth.]]

** The 2016 series features a dig toward the original 1992 miniseries where Slapstick chides his friend Mike for retelling his origins in his planned graphic novel on the grounds that gaining his powers to fight clowns from another dimension is too goofy for anyone to believe. Quite tellingly, the art style of Mike's graphic novel matches that of said miniseries.

* SolidGoldPoop: The Taurs apparently defecate gold. Their golden excretions are coveted by their enemy Gorgonzola.
* SomethingWeForgot: The 2016 series ends with Slapstick remarking that all the lose ends have been tied and that everyone got what they wanted. We then see Quasimodo held prisoner by A.R.M.O.R., who vows to get even with Slapstick for failing to prevent him from falling into A.R.M.O.R. custody like he promised.

* TakeThat: A major source of comedy, especially at ComicBook super heroes. Such as when Steve and Mike were pondering super-names...

* ToonPhysics: Slapstick is able to freely abuse ToonPhysics, making him a NighInvulnerable minor RealityWarper, and can bounce back from any and all injuries almost instantly. He's also performed otherwise impossible feats, such as swallowing a box of bullets and rapidly firing them by spitting them out like a machine gun.

** Issue #2 featured The Overkiller, an obvious take on ThePunisher. HilarityEnsues.

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Steve was apparently always a prankster. When he's turned into Slapstick, he upgrades into a superpowered ScrewySquirrel.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Scientist Supreme looks suspiciously like [[Film/TheMarxBrothers Groucho.]]