Flashback Friday: Sleepwalker #5 & #6

      This Friday we look at one of the weirdest characters from Marvel Comics Group ever.  It was early 1991 and someone thought up a character named Sleepwalker.  I have these issues because they were a part of two different "3 for a Buck" bagged comicbooks at a local just a dollar store.  I wanted the other books you could see and got these as part of the bargain.  This creepy guy was only able to appear when his host was asleep.  I I know is the guy.s name, Rick Sheridan, and that he had a dog named Rambo.  Sleepwalker apparently would seek out evil and fight it.

     In the 90's the deal was that a non-mutant book had the required appearance by Spider-Man within the first seven issues.  Mutant books it was a Wolverine appearance.  So, this is the time for Spidey to team up with Sleepwalker.  It is at first the standard fight because we don't understand who were are plot.  It has the major mob wannabe Crimewave.  By the time we get into part two of the story in Issue #6 we will have the Kingpin making an appearance.  It is a good story and has an added heavy dose of Spider-Man snark.

     Sleepwalker has some interesting powers.  He has a sort of telekinetic eye beam power.  He even sews a faux Spidey suit to use as a misdirection near the end of the tale.  Spidey getting constantly blown up, dropped in the river, shot at, or knocked out adds a flavor of humor that just highlights how wacky Sleepwalker is in terms of a superhero.  There is a good deal of action in the book as well.

     This is a great two part story that holds up as a stand alone tale for those who love Spider-Man.  One thing that the creators did well was use the Spider-Man team up to have a hook that might gain some new readers.  The last part of the story has Sleepwalker returning to the apartment of his host and finding an empty bed.  This was a great way to make the most of possible readers that bought the book because Spidey was in it.  They have a way to try and keep these people.  It also was good because at the time the back issues were probably easy to find.  Sleepwalker is one you see around in long boxes at cons and flea markets.  Those that like the odd books might want to seek them out.

BDS