S.T.R.I.P.E. (
Special Tactics Robotic Integrated Power Enhancer) is a
fictionalA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
in the
DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
universeThe DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. S.T.R.I.P.E. is a powered armor suit invented and worn by
Patrick "Pat" Dugan, the former adult sidekick to teenage superhero Sylvester Pemberton, the
Star-Spangled KidStar-Spangled Kid is the name of several fictional superheroes in the DC Comics' main shared universe.-Sylvester Pemberton:The original Star-Spangled Kid is Sylvester Pemberton, a Golden Age character. He becomes the Star-Spangled Kid in order to battle Nazism during World War II. He is unique in...
. Stripesy is a gifted mechanic who built the Star Rocket Racer, a bubble-topped limousine with the functions of a rocket and helicopter.
S.T.R.I.P.E. (
Special Tactics Robotic Integrated Power Enhancer) is a
fictionalA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
in the
DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
universeThe DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. S.T.R.I.P.E. is a powered armor suit invented and worn by
Patrick "Pat" Dugan, the former adult sidekick to teenage superhero Sylvester Pemberton, the
Star-Spangled KidStar-Spangled Kid is the name of several fictional superheroes in the DC Comics' main shared universe.-Sylvester Pemberton:The original Star-Spangled Kid is Sylvester Pemberton, a Golden Age character. He becomes the Star-Spangled Kid in order to battle Nazism during World War II. He is unique in...
. Stripesy is a gifted mechanic who built the Star Rocket Racer, a bubble-topped limousine with the functions of a rocket and helicopter. Together, they were members of the
Seven Soldiers of VictoryThe Seven Soldiers of Victory is a fictional team of comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe...
and the
All-Star SquadronThe All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics fictional superhero team that debuted in Justice League of America #193 . Created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway.-The concept:...
. Stripesy was created by
Jerry SiegelJerome "Jerry" Siegel , who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S...
(co-creator of
SupermanSuperman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc...
) and Hal Sherman, and first appeared in
Action ComicsAction Comics is an American comic book series which introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#40 (September, 1941).
Fictional character biography
Pat Dugan became the costumed hero Stripesy after aiding a young Sylvester Pemberton III against Nazi spies posing as protestors at a movie on the 4th of July in 1941. The two teamed as embodiments of the American flag, Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, in order to track down and stop the spies.
When the Soldiers were lost in time during the late forties, they were rescued by the Justice League of America and returned to the present day. Upon his return, Dugan had married a woman named Maggie, who left him later to raise their son Michael on his own. Compounding his problems was the fact that Sylvester Pemberton's black sheep relative Arthur had stolen Dugan's patents during their disappearance. Upon hearing about this, Sylvester returned the patents to Pat, and the two reconciled. Dugan was later involved with Infinity, Inc. and their battle against the
Injustice SocietyThe Injustice Society is a group of fictional supervillains in the DC Comics universe. They are antagonists of the Justice Society of America.-Original team:...
(Infinity,Inc. #53). The group's first victim is
Sylvester PembertonSylvester Pemberton, alternately known as The Star-Spangled Kid and Skyman, is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe.-Star-Spangled Kid:...
. The villains Harlequin, the Dummy, and
HazardHazard is a fictional comic book character published by DC Comics. She was a member of the villainous group Injustice Society. Though she does not have a problem using her abilities for illegal gain, she has shown some apprehension at murder....
focus their attention on Dugan just days later. Their plan was to kill him at Stellar Studios, the headquarters of Infinity, Inc. When Pat's son became involved, Hazard exeperienced a change of heart and used her powers to save their lives. Dummy used the two as bait, but Hazard further threw the battle, and the group was defeated. Hazard willingly gave herself up to the police.
The character has been updated for a new audience: In the
Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E was the title of an American comic book published by DC Comics, featuring the second Star-Spangled Kid and her stepfather, the original version's sidekick Stripesy. It was first published in July 1999 and ran for fourteen issues...
series Dugan had gotten married (for the second time) and settled in
Blue ValleyBlue Valley is a fictional city in the DC Comics universe. It was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino as the home town of the original Kid Flash. It was first mentioned in The Flash #110 .-Location:...
. His stepdaughter, Courtney Whitmore, became the second
Star-Spangled KidStar-Spangled Kid is the name of several fictional superheroes in the DC Comics' main shared universe.-Sylvester Pemberton:The original Star-Spangled Kid is Sylvester Pemberton, a Golden Age character. He becomes the Star-Spangled Kid in order to battle Nazism during World War II. He is unique in...
, partly in order to annoy him. This led Dugan to develop a robotic suit of power armor and assume the identity of S.T.R.I.P.E. so as to accompany and protect her.
Dugan also has gone on missions without Courtney. During the Day of Judgement incident, he travels into space with
Captain MarvelCaptain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
and
StarfireStarfire is the name of several fictional comic book characters published by DC Comics. The most prominent Starfire is Koriand'r, the third character to use that name...
. Their goal was to retrieve the Spear of Destiny to use against the fallen angel
AsmodelAsmodel is a fictional fallen angel, a comic book character published by DC Comics. He first appeared in JLA #7, and was created by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter. -Fictional character biography:...
, who had led a demonic invasion of Earth. The trio of heroes battle reanimated corpses of abandoned Russian cosmonauts and the corrupting influence of the Spear itself. Dugan is forced to subdue Starfire and the Spear is brought back to Earth and successfully used.
Following the events of the series, Dugan and his family moved to
MetropolisMetropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16, in 1939....
, where he has assisted
SupermanSuperman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc...
's comrade
SteelSteel, in comics, may refer to one of several DC Comics characters:*Commander Steel, a World War II hero and his grandsons, also known as simply "Steel" and "Citizen Steel"....
. Since then, they have moved back to Blue Valley.
Like the rest of the Seven Soldiers, Dugan is younger than he should be, owing to
time travelTime travel is the concept of moving between different moments in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space, either sending objects backwards in time to a moment before the present, or sending objects forward from the present to the future without the need to...
. For a time, Dugan would become even younger, aged to pre-adolescence with many other heroes due to
Klarion the Witch BoyKlarion the Witch Boy is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe character first seen in the pages of The Demon in 1973.- Kirby's Klarion:...
. He joins in on at least one battle while armorless (presumably because his armor is now too big), tackling a mystically created monster with his bare hands. Pat, along with most everyone affected, turns back to normal when Klarion is blackmailed into reversing the effects.
Pat has also worked with the Justice Society of America for a time, mostly in a support role. He retooled one of Ted Knight's old designs and created the 'Steel Eagle', a new aircraft for the team.
Recently Pat has completely re-engineered S.T.R.I.P.E., changing its appearance.
Other versions of Stripesy
In
Kingdom ComeKingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Alex Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea...
,
Alex RossNelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter, acclaimed for the photorealism of his work. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson...
portrays Stripesy as a black adult, renamed "Stripes," and is equipped with various military acoutrements such as automatic weaponry, knives and kevlar padding.
Appearances in other media
The new versions of Stripesy and the Star-Spangled Kid have been seen in the animated
Justice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
television series, called by their modern names of S.T.R.I.P.E. and
StargirlCourtney Whitmore is a fictional character, a superheroine known as Stargirl in the DC Comics Universe. Originally known as the second Star-Spangled Kid, she uses the identity of Stargirl since she was presented with the Cosmic Staff by Jack Knight...
respectively. Stripesy was voiced by
Phil LaMarrPhillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his voice acting on the animated series Futurama, Static Shock, Samurai Jack, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Star Wars: Knights...
, who, because of his primary credit for his leading role as
Green LanternJohn Stewart is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 2 #87 , and was created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams.-Publication history:...
, often went uncredited for several roles.