SECOND-STORY SAMMY

Real Name: Sam (last name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Burglar, professional thief

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Giant-Man (Henry Pym), Wasp (Janet Van Dyne)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Impersonated Giant-Man

Base of Operations: New York City

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#62/1 (December, 1964)

Powers/Abilities: Sam was empowered by Pym Particles while wearing Giant-Man's costume, and he could use its cybernetic helmet to alter his size at will. Even at only one inch of height, he possessed his normal human-level strength. While giant-sized at 25 feet, he had superhuman strength (Class 10) and durability.

Height: 5'10" (by approximation)
Weight: 160 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red

 

History:
(Tales to Astonish I#62) - "Second-Story Sammy" was ransacking a high-rise apartment for valuables, but all he found was worthless costume jewelry. His burglary was suddenly interrupted when the apartment's residents unexpectedly returned, so Sam climbed out the window and hid on the building's ledge (see comments); but he was knocked off when the leaves of a rapidly-growing mutated plant cracked the ledge. Sam fell and landed on a giant leaf, then slid down until he was ultimately deposited on the ledge of the nearby apartment building where Giant-Man lived and worked.

   After going inside and finding Giant-Man unconscious, Sam learned the hero's true identity was that of Dr. Henry Pym, so he figured he would sell that information to criminals and make a fortune. But then Sam reconsidered because that idea was just "small potatoes," and he decided to think BIG, so he removed Pym's Giant-Man costume and donned it himself so that he could become Giant-Man! First, Sam thought to make himself grow, which activated the costume's cybernetic helmet, but found he was barely able to control that power, as he smashed through the ceiling of the building. Desiring to be small again, Sam immediately shrank back down to ant-size in Pym's lab. After putting the still-unconscious Pym in a closet, Sam was about to lock the closet door when he was interrupted by Janet Van Dyne, who mistook him for the real Giant-Man. The costumed Sam dashed past her and fled out of the building.

   On his way through the streets, Sam found a jewelry store displaying the valuable "K Diamond" and decided to steal it with his newfound powers. Shrinking through a crack in the window, he got inside the store and tried to return to normal size, but re-grew too quickly and set off the burglar alarm! Panicking at the sound of approaching police sirens, Sam shrank back to ant-size and hid among the jewels.

   Sam was found there by the Wasp, who again mistook him for Pym; but she quickly realized he was an imposter, and the two scuffled. When Wasp was distracted by a cybernetic-communication from the real Pym, Sam took the opportunity to enclose her in a jewelry case, and then fled.

   But Sam didn't make it very far before a flying ant, summoned by Pym, captured him, and flew him back to Pym's lab. Sam increased his size to normal, and was about to enlarge himself further to defeat Pym, but Pym knocked him unconscious with a single blow before he could do so.

   Pym quickly put on his costume, and the real Giant-Man turned his attention to saving the city from the fast-growing plant; afterward, Pym used a "memory loss serum" he just happened to have lying around to wipe Sam's memory of Pym's double identity, as well as his criminal inclinations. Pym hoped that now Sam would go straight. Yes, that sounds likely...

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Carl Burgos

Second-Story Sam was sadly neglected in the plot of the Creatures from Kosmos that was supposed to effect all of those exposed to the Pym Particles. Maybe the writers of that plot drank some of Pym's memory-wiping serum as well.--Snood.

In the vernacular of the criminal underworld, a "second-story man" is a burglar adept at entering through upstairs windows -- since he had no qualms about going out on that ledge, I think it's probably a safe bet to say Sammy didn't suffer from acrophobia.--Ron Fredricks

Profile by Prime Eternal. Expansion by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Second-Story Sammy has no known connection to:

The rapidly-growing mutated plant has no known connection to:

mutated plant

In an effort to solve the problem of world hunger, biochemist Henry Pym (aka Giant-Man) developed a serum to speed up the growth of plants. As a test, Pym sprayed the serum on an unspecified variety of plant; but he had unwittingly made the serum too effective, for in less than twenty seconds, the plant began to grow out of control, and it soon overwhelmed the building where he had his lab.

Shrinking down to ant-size, Pym delivered a blow which (he thought) severed the plant's vital tap root, then returned to his experiment. But when Pym added a too-potent of an additive to the serum, it caused the mixture to explode -- hurled across the room by the force of the blast, Pym was knocked out when his head struck a lab apparatus. While Pym was unconscious, his costume--including the size-altering cybernetic helmet--was stolen by burglar Second-Story Sammy, who used it for criminal purposes.

Meanwhile, the gigantic ever-spreading plant continued its awesome rate of growth and began to engulf the city, and the police were about to declare martial law. But after Pym revived, he managed to get his costume back from the burglar; then the hero increased his height to giant-size, tore the main root of the plant from the ground, and ended its menace.

--Tales to Astonish I#62/1

images: (without ads)
Tales to Astonish I#62/1, p3, pan3 (main image - Second-Story Sammy on apartment ledge, as mutated plant leaf cracks ledge)
Tales to Astonish I#62/1, p3, pan2 (headshot - Second-Story Sammy)
Tales to Astonish I#62/1, p5, pan5 (Sammy in Giant-Man's costume, growing to giant-size)
Tales to Astonish I#62/1, p10, pan1 (Sammy in Giant-Man's costume, shrunken to ant-size, captured by flying ant)
Tales to Astonish I#62/1, p2, pan1 (Giant Man/Henry Pym sprays plant growth serum on plant)
Tales to Astonish I#62/1, p2, pan4 (rapidly growing plant overwhelms building)
Tales to Astonish I#62/1, p9, pan2 (Giant-Man/Henry Pym watches plant engulf city)

Appearances:
Tales to Astonish I#62/1 (December, 1964) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Carl Burgos (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks), Artie Simek (letters)

First posted: 04/22/2002
Last updated: 01/06/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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