JIGSAW MONSTERJIGSAW MONSTER
Real Name: None
Identity/Class: Artificial creation of terrestrial origin
Occupation: none
Affiliations: Janice and Steven Caccone (creators)
Enemies: Ralph Caccone, Frankenstein Monster, ICON
Known Relatives: Janice and Steven Caccone (creators)
Aliases: Clone Creature, Jigsaw Nightmare, Night Creature
Base of Operations: Los Angeles, California
First Appearance: Frankenstein Monster#13 (November, 1974)
Powers: The Jigsaw Monster had superhuman strength (enhanced human to Class 10) and durability. It had enhanced olfactory senses (sense of smell), and could track its quarry across a city. The creature had rudimentary intelligence and could feel emotions and form primitive thoughts. It had hard tusks on its face, and had a semi-prehensile tail which could be used to strike or wrap around others.
History: (FrankM#13,14)-Steven Caccone was a would-be geneticist. He was fired from his job under unknown circumstances, but continued his work at home. He preserved a mannikin in formaldehyde and amino acids (I'm pretty sure they stay fresh fairly well on their own), while he continued his attempts to create life. He succeeded in creating a badly deformed rat from a few cells, but all the time he was spending on his research was driving a wedge between he and his wife, Janice.
One night Steven
fell asleep at his desk, and Janice decided she had had enough.
She grabbed all of his cell samples (Alligator, Ape, Boar, Cat,
Chipmunk, Dog, Ferret, Lion, Mouse, Python, Shark, Tiger,
Wombat...(wait, sorry, no wombat)), and dumped them into the tank
with the mannikin. She hoped that destroying his work would
finally make him notice her again. Instead, in that crazy, kooky,
comic book world we all enjoy, the cell samples used the mannikin
as a template to form a monstrous creature.
Naturally, the creature was confused (and angry) upon gaining
consciousness, so it broke out of its tank and beat Steven
Caccone to death. About that time, Steven and Janice's son
(Ralph) came home, wishing to show off his new friend, the
Frankenstein Monster, to his dad. Janice came rushing in as well,
and crouched over Steven's body, wailed over her actions, and
presented a nice target for a crushing blow to the back of the
head from the creature. And that was the end of her, too.
Ralph yelled, "Noooo!!" a few times (well,
actually, the first time he yelled, "Noooo!!", and the
second time it was more of a "Nooooo!!", but you get
the point) and jumped on the creature, which quickly batted
him away. Realizing he brobably oughtta do something, the
Frankenstein Monster attacked the creature, and eventually drove
it off.
(FrankM#15)-The Jigsaw Monster eventually regained its composure
and decided to go after the one who had caused it pain. Ralph and
Frankie ended up getting captured by ICON and brought to a lab,
where agents of ICON planned to cut open the Frankenstein
Monster's brain. Before they could do this, the Jigsaw Monster
burst into the lab and attacked Frankie anew. The force of their
battle destroyed some equipment which set fire to the ICON lab,
while they knocked each other out onto a nearby pier. Frankie
eventually pummeled the Jigsaw Monster into unconsciousness and
into the water, where it was presumed to have drowned.
Comments: Created by Doug Moench and Val
Mayerik.
The creature received a different name almost
every time they mentioned it (see Aliases). However, the first
one used was in the Next issue blurb: "Fury of the Jigsaw
Monster" (even though the title of the next issue was
"Fury of the Night Creature"). In addition, when the
creature is referenced in the Marvel Team-Up Index (in a
flashback in MTU#37), it is named the Jigsaw Monster.
I, myself, might have chosen Crazy Pig-Alligator Guy, but that's
just me.
Hmmm...undead mannikin creature...brought to life by science gone awry...I wonder if it could have survived? All it needs is a little bit of interest from either the readers or a writer...so I'm guessing it will stay dead.
Clarifications: None. These issues are definitely the creature's only appearances, so don't confuse him with anyone else using the name Jigsaw, Clone, Night, Creature, Monster, etc.
Last updated: 08/02/02
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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