Carl Draper
Encyclopedia
Carl Draper is a fictional character in DC Comics
, an enemy of Superman
. He has gone by the names Kator, Master Jailer, and Deathtrap. Draper made his first appearance in Superman Vol 1 #331 (Jan 1979), written by Martin Pasko
and drawn by Curt Swan
and Frank Chiaramonte
.
, who had eyes only for Superboy
, much to Draper's resentment. As an adult, Draper became an expert locksmith and architect, designing an inescapable prison for super-villains. Impressed by the achievement, Superman augmented the prison's security by placing it on an antigravity platform. Initially dubbed "Draper's Island," it was informally renamed "Superman Island" by the adult Lana – with whom Draper remained smitten, just as she remained lovestruck by Superman – and it was the latter name, plus the novelty of the floating platform, that caught public attention, diverting recognition from Draper himself. This proved the final straw for Draper, who snapped and became the costumed super-villain Master Jailer. He attacked Superman and kidnapped Lana under the name the Master Jailer. Superman defeated him, and he was sent to his own prison.
, and almost killed the Boy of Steel before being destroyed (in the New Adventures of Superboy #18). However, the robot apparently gave Draper its identity and powers before being destroyed. Draper (the new Kator) then engages Superboy in combat. However, Jonathan Kent presses the safety switch on the "cutoff" device, which removes "Kator's" super-powers from Draper, and Superboy removes the memory of Draper ever being Kator.
comics, Carl Draper first appeared in Adventures of Superman #517 (Nov 1994). This was during the Dead Again storyline, when Superman was suspected of being an imposter after his body was found still in his tomb (from The Death of Superman
). Draper was hired by S.T.A.R. Labs
to design a holding cell for Conduit
, when his daughter, Carla, asked him if he could build a prison that could hold Superman. Draper initially designed a trap that only the real Superman could escape from, explaining this to Superman by way of a hologram of a costumed figure named Deathtrap. However, when Superman escaped the trap, Draper became obsessed with proving he could capture the real thing.
Draper made several other attempts to capture Superman, often programming the Deathtrap hologram in advance so he could be publicly elsewhere. On one occasion, in Superman: The Man of Steel
#43 (Apr 1995), he programmed Deathtrap to appear during a Draper Security press conference, and display how Draper's devices were being "subverted", this both removing suspicion and acting as an advertisement.
, who was on the run with a misguided Superboy in tow. Snare, aware of her father's obsession, tried to prove she could do something he could not by capturing Superboy. This led to a fight with the SCU, during which Superboy and Knockout escaped.
In Action Comics
#739, Superman (in his blue energy form) was captured in an "energy hobble" by Deathtrap, now calling himself Locksmith. At the end of the story, it was revealed to the reader that Carla Draper was running the hologram this time, and her father was unaware of this.
The Master Jailer was one of the villains controlled by Manchester Black
in the 2002 storyline "Ending Battle".
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...
, an enemy of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. He has gone by the names Kator, Master Jailer, and Deathtrap. Draper made his first appearance in Superman Vol 1 #331 (Jan 1979), written by Martin Pasko
Martin Pasko
Martin Pasko is a writer and editor in a diverse array of media, including comic books and television.Pasko has worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his work with DC Comics over three decades. He has written Superman in many media, including television animation, webisodes, and...
and drawn by Curt Swan
Curt Swan
Douglas Curtis Swan was an American comic book artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans and historians call the Silver Age of comic books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 1950s through the 1980s.-Early life and career:Curt Swan, whose Swedish...
and Frank Chiaramonte
Frank Chiaramonte
Francisco "Frank" Chiaramonte was a Cuban-American comic book artist best known as an inker for DC Comics and Marvel Comics from 1972 to 1982.-Biography:...
.
Pre-Crisis
In Pre-Crisis comics, Carl Draper grew up in Smallville (see Kator below). He was in love with Lana LangLana Lang
Lana Lang is a fictional supporting character in DC Comics' Superman series. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela, the character first appears in Superboy #10...
, who had eyes only for Superboy
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional characters that have been published by DC Comics, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman. These characters have also been the main characters of four ongoing Superboy comic book series published by DC....
, much to Draper's resentment. As an adult, Draper became an expert locksmith and architect, designing an inescapable prison for super-villains. Impressed by the achievement, Superman augmented the prison's security by placing it on an antigravity platform. Initially dubbed "Draper's Island," it was informally renamed "Superman Island" by the adult Lana – with whom Draper remained smitten, just as she remained lovestruck by Superman – and it was the latter name, plus the novelty of the floating platform, that caught public attention, diverting recognition from Draper himself. This proved the final straw for Draper, who snapped and became the costumed super-villain Master Jailer. He attacked Superman and kidnapped Lana under the name the Master Jailer. Superman defeated him, and he was sent to his own prison.
Kator
In New Adventures of Superboy #17 (May 1981), at the prodding of Carl "Moosie" Draper, Superboy creates a robot named Kator as a sparring adversary (and gives the "safety cutoff switch" to Jonathan Kent). Kator, however, developed an artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, and almost killed the Boy of Steel before being destroyed (in the New Adventures of Superboy #18). However, the robot apparently gave Draper its identity and powers before being destroyed. Draper (the new Kator) then engages Superboy in combat. However, Jonathan Kent presses the safety switch on the "cutoff" device, which removes "Kator's" super-powers from Draper, and Superboy removes the memory of Draper ever being Kator.
Post-Crisis
In Post-CrisisCrisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
comics, Carl Draper first appeared in Adventures of Superman #517 (Nov 1994). This was during the Dead Again storyline, when Superman was suspected of being an imposter after his body was found still in his tomb (from The Death of Superman
The Death of Superman
"The Death of Superman" is a 1992 comic book storyline that occurred in DC Comics' Superman titles. The completed multi-issue story arc was given the title The Death and Return of Superman....
). Draper was hired by S.T.A.R. Labs
S.T.A.R. Labs
S.T.A.R. Labs, is a fictional research facility, and comic book organization appearing in titles published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Superman vol. 1 #246 , and was created by Cary Bates and Rich Buckler.-Publication history:...
to design a holding cell for Conduit
Conduit (comics)
Conduit is a DC Comics supervillain, and primarily an enemy of Superman.-Fictional character biography:On the night Kenny's mother gave birth to him, a powerful snowstorm made the roads icy and slick. On the way to the hospital, the car Mr. Braverman was driving skidded on ice...
, when his daughter, Carla, asked him if he could build a prison that could hold Superman. Draper initially designed a trap that only the real Superman could escape from, explaining this to Superman by way of a hologram of a costumed figure named Deathtrap. However, when Superman escaped the trap, Draper became obsessed with proving he could capture the real thing.
Draper made several other attempts to capture Superman, often programming the Deathtrap hologram in advance so he could be publicly elsewhere. On one occasion, in Superman: The Man of Steel
Superman: The Man of Steel
Superman: The Man of Steel is the title of a monthly American comic book series that ran 136 issues from 1991 to 2003. published by DC Comics, featuring Superman. As a consequence of introducing this series alongside its already existing titles, DC Comics was able to publish a new Superman comic...
#43 (Apr 1995), he programmed Deathtrap to appear during a Draper Security press conference, and display how Draper's devices were being "subverted", this both removing suspicion and acting as an advertisement.
Carla Draper
Carla Draper made an appearance in Superboy #26 (May 1996), under the name Snare. She responded to a request from the Hawaiian Special Crimes Unit to Draper Security for assistance in capturing the supervillain KnockoutKnockout (comics)
Knockout is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the DC Comics universe. She first appeared in Superboy vol. 2 #1 , and was created by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett.-Fictional character biography:...
, who was on the run with a misguided Superboy in tow. Snare, aware of her father's obsession, tried to prove she could do something he could not by capturing Superboy. This led to a fight with the SCU, during which Superboy and Knockout escaped.
In Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#739, Superman (in his blue energy form) was captured in an "energy hobble" by Deathtrap, now calling himself Locksmith. At the end of the story, it was revealed to the reader that Carla Draper was running the hologram this time, and her father was unaware of this.
The Master Jailer was one of the villains controlled by Manchester Black
Manchester Black
Manchester Black is a fictional character, and an antihero in the DC Comics universe. He was created by Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke in Action Comics #775, .-Fictional character biography:...
in the 2002 storyline "Ending Battle".