THE ACROBAT

Real Name: Joe Clanton

Identity/Class: Human, (Old West Era), Canadian

Occupation: Lumberjack, criminal

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Sgt. Jonah (RCMP), Rawhide Kid

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Dirk"

Base of Operations: A lumberjack camp near Boissevale, Canada

First Appearance: Rawhide Kid I#53 (August, 1966)

Powers/Abilities: The Acrobat is a skilled gymnast and tumbler, able to balance himself effortlessly on logs, survive leaps from great heights, and even dodge bullets. He also wielded a pistol.

History: (Rawhide Kid I#53)- Joe Clanton was a skilled gymnast whose talents came in handy in his profession as a lumberjack, but he had grander designs in mind. He decided to steal from the lumberjack camp, as there weren't any lawmen in the area, and created the colorful identity of the Acrobat to perform the crimes.

As he robbed the safe, he was confronted by the Rawhide Kid, who had been working at the camp. The two of them scuffled, but the Acrobat led him out to the river, where he rolled the Kid into the water using his logriding abilities. The Acrobat then fled, and the Kid was mistakenly blamed by the camp for the robberies.

The Acrobat rode on to Boissevale and robbed the local bank, despite the best efforts of local gunmen. He followed this up by robbing a stage.

To clear his name, the Rawhide Kid set up at a hotel, and claimed to own a valuable ruby to ensnare the greedy Acrobat. The two of them grappled again, but the Acrobat made the mistake of attempting to draw against the Rawhide Kid-- who swiftly shot the gun from his hand. The Acrobat was turned over to RCMP officer Sgt. Jonah, and the Rawhide Kid was allowed to roam free.

Comments: Created by Larry Lieber and Carl Hubbell.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Acrobat should not be confused with:

• Acrobat, Carl Zante, criminal gymnast, impersonated Captain America, @ Strange Tales I#106
• Acrobat, member of the Spider-Squad, @ Amazing Spider-Man Annual#11

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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