Gibbon (comics)

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caption=Cover art for "Punisher War Journal (vol 2)" #16.
Art by Alex Maleev.
Gibbon in the background.
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Gibbon
real_name=Martin Blank
species=Human Mutant
status = Active
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="Amazing Spider-Man" #110 (July, 1972)
creators=Stan Lee
John Romita Sr.
alliance_color=background:#cccccc
affiliations=
aliases=
powers=Superhuman strength, speed, agility, dexterity, reflexes, coordination, balance, endurance|

Gibbon (Martin Blank), is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics mutant, associated with Spider-Man.

Publication history

Created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., the Gibbon first appeared in "Amazing Spider-Man" #110 (July 1972).

The character subsequently appears in "The Spectacular Spider-Man" #60 (November 1981), #245-246 (April-May 1997), #253 (January 1998), #256 (June 1998), "She-Hulk" #6 (May 2006), "Punisher War Journal" #4 (April 2007), #16 (April 2008), and "Marvel Apes" #1 (November 2008).

The Gibbon received an entry in the "All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe" A-Z #4 (2006)

Fictional character biography

Seemingly born a mutant with an apelike build and agility, The Gibbon later joins a circus where he does well as an acrobat. His powers are later enhanced by a potion given to him by Kraven the Hunter to "Unleash the Beast within". Martin Blank begins his career out as a friend of Spider-Man's. He even wants to be his partner, but Spider-Man laughs at him. Sick of being seen as a freak Martin cannot take further ridicule and lashes out. He then catches the eye of Kraven the Hunter who enhances the Gibbon's powers with a herb broth, also giving him a great animal rage. After being defeated by Spider-Man, Martin wasn't seen for a while.

Later, Gibbon seeks revenge on Spider-Man, trying to prove himself as good as his foe. He is caught in the middle of a fight with Spider-Man and the Beetle. Eventually Gibbon helps Spider-Man by punching out the Beetle. Gibbon later joins up with other "has-beens" the Kangaroo, Grizzly and the Spot to form the Legion of Losers.

This team falls apart when Spider-Man carted the Spot and the Kangaroo to jail for bank robbery. He and the Grizzly would later attempt to go hero, helping Spider-Man thwart a bank robbery by the White Rabbit and eventually getting an action figure deal.

The Gibbon has been shown as retaining his physical mutation, but showed no sign of his former mutant abilities.

Gibbon is seen as a client for the law offices that employ She-Hulk. He steals her tuna melt lunch out of the fridge. ["She-Hulk" vol. 2 #6]

Civil War/The Initiative

The Gibbon is a self-confessed loser at the wake of Stilt-Man. Almost all of the supervillains at the wake were the victims of murder/attempted murder. The Punisher disguised himself as a barman, poisoned drinks, and then blew up the bar. ["The Punisher War Journal" vol. 2 #4] It was later mentioned that "they all had to get their stomachs pumped and be treated for third-degree burns." ["She-Hulk" vol. 2 #17]

Martin is being considered as a "potential recruit" for the program. ["Civil War: Battle Damage Report" #1]

Martin, now nearly hairless, has spent his time since the bar attack plotting vengence on the Punisher, against the wishes of his wife, Princess Python, who was apparently blinded in the explosion. When he finally found the Punisher, however, he decided his revenge wasn't worth throwing his life away, and handed his gun over to the Punisher, returning home.

Marvel Apes

Gibbon returns as the lead character in the Marvel Apes storyline, as the perfect choice for a protagonist in a monkey universe. [ [http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=154341; NYCC '08: Marvel Apes] , Newsarama, April 20, 2008

the Gibbon wasn’t the perfect choice just because he’s a mainstream Marvel character who can easily “pass” in an ape-filled monkeyverse, but because he’s such a lovable loser. Nothing ever goes right for him— he never gets a break, the girl, or the glory— and suddenly he finds the fate of an entire universe in his hands. In some ways, "Marvel Apes" is a sprawling epic like Lord of the Rings, and the Gibbon is our Frodo— one small person dwarfed by the overwhelming forces that stand between him and his goal. He even has his own Samwise— a spunky gal-scientist (human) named Fiona Fitzhugh who literally gets sucked into this adventure along with him.

]

Gibbon, apparently restored to his simian appearance with the related abilities, is left with his personal life in shambles. His attempts to side with the heroes are frustrated by his ineptitude, and even Princess Python, previously a caring and deeply in love wife, has now fed up with the meek loser Gibbon is reverting to. Out of boredom and depression, he replies to an ad posted on the DB by Fiona Fitzhug, a spunky and cheery young scientist hoping to study the nature of superpowered individuals. Her experiments fling both of them into a reality populated by simian version of the Marvel Heroes, and destroy the machines that could have been used to bring Gibbon back.

While Fiona asks for help from the simian version of the Fantastic Four, Gibbon is inducted by Spider-Monkey into the Ape-Vengers. Despite their friendly facade, the Ape-Vengers are far more ruthless and bestial than their human counterparts.

Fiona supposes, due to Gibbon having his powers since birth, instead of gaining them in puberty as the majority of the mutants (thus making Gibbon more similar to mutants like Multiple Man and Nightcrawler), and being "drawn" to that particular reality, that Gibbon may be connected somehow to the Simian World.

Powers and abilities

Blank had a gibbon-like appearance, with superhuman strength, speed, agility, dexterity, reflexes, coordination, balance, and endurance. He was depowered after M-Day.

Notes

References

*comicbookdb|type=character|id=8593|title=Gibbon

External links

* [http://www.marvel.com/universe/Gibbon Gibbon] at Marvel Universe
* [http://en.marveldatabase.com/Martin_Blank_%28Earth-616%29 Martin Blank (Earth-626)] at the Marvel Database Project