History:
FREEFALL
Real Name: Arthur "Art" Benway
Identity/Class: Alternate reality (New Universe) human paranormal
Occupation: Security guard, patient, former stock person
Group Membership: Formerly the Clinic for Paranormal Research's Therapy Group B (Dementia, Interface, Shock, Stalagmite, Tangler, Wormhole)
Affiliations: Stalagmite (Curtis Smith), Tangler (Rodney Weigand), Wormhole (Martin Murken)
Enemies: The Black Powers (Bazooka, Charlotte Beck, Blindspot, Chill, Indigo, Squirm), Randy O'Brien
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile; formerly the Clinic for Paranormal Research, south of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA
First Appearance: (in dream) D.P.7 I#9 (July, 1987)
(real) D.P.7 I#14 (December, 1987)
Powers/Abilities: Freefall has the parability to negate gravity anwywhere within ten feet of his person. By doing so, he can cause people to hover in mid-air. By using his parability upon himself he can hover on air.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'11")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 175 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond (with green highlights)
History:
(Official Timeline of the New Universe) - Following the White Event on July 22, 1986 caused by the Star Brand, stock person Arthur Benway was one of many people who discovered they had paranormal abilities. On August 1, 1986, Arthur was driving home from work when he discovered he had the parability to negate gravity.
(D.P.7. I#19 - the Clinic) - On September 3, 1986, Arthur went to the newly-opened Clinic for Paranormal Research in Wisconsin, where he was assigned to Therapy Group B. He often used the alias "Freefall."
(D.P.7. I#9 - BTS) - As the Clinic's staff Regulator, Receptor and Reinforcer reconditioned Randy O'Brien so that he would remain passive at the Clinic, Reinforcer gave him a dream in which Randy's Therapy Group C was competing in volleyball against Therapy Group B, including Arthur.
(D.P.7. I#14) - On July 19, 1987, the Clinic began giving staff positions to many of the patients to help make up for staffing shortcomings. Freefall and his friend Tangler were both chosen for the security force. Encountering Randy O'Brien in a hallway, the two of them jeered at him, saying as security guards, "it's our job to protect wimps like you." That night, Freefall and Tangler were hanging out in a stairwell when Charlotte Beck came by. When she tried to pass them, Freefall used his parability to make her float in the air, claiming he was going to look up her skirt to find out if she wore underwear. Charlotte used her parability to make both men slip on the stairs. Dave Landers arrived then and Charlotte claimed Freefall and Tangler had been "clumsy."
The next day, Freefall and Tangler donned their security uniforms. They hassled the Black patient Blindspot twice, who informed the other paranormals in his gang the Black Powers. While they were touring the parking lot, Freefall and Tangler were confronted by Blindspot who warned them if they messed with again, they'd be in trouble. Ignoring his threat, both men used their parabilities on Blindspot, causing him to float in the air while Tangler surrounded him with psychoplasmic tanglewire. However, the other Black Powers (Charlotte, Chill, Indigo and Squirm) ambushed them from behind. Charlotte used her parability to stick Freefall and Tangler in one place, making it easy for Chill, Blindspot and Indigo to beat them. The Black Powers left both men the parking lot, badly beaten. They were taken to the Clinic's intensive care unit.
(D.P.7. I#15) - Randy O'Brien visited Freefall and Tangler in the intensive care unit. Frefall demanded to know how much longer they'd be under intensive care and Randy believed it would be a few more weeks. Although they had refused to identify their attackers, Randy observed their frostbite injuries poined to Chill's involvement. Tangler retorted, "we fell down while eatin' popsickles." Randy insisted they could take disciplinary action against their attackers if they pressed charges but both men still refused to implicate the Black Powers. Freefall used his parability to make Randy float to the ceiling but one of his Anti-Bodies emerged and threatened Freefall. Freefall stopped using his parability and Randy made his Anti-Body stand down. Freefall accused Randy of using his Anti-Body to attack him and threatened to tell his boss.
(D.P.7. I#17) - Freefall and Tangler finished their recuperation and left intensive care. The two of them ambushed Blindspot and murdered him. That night, Freefall used his parability to hover himself and Tangler outside Chill's window; Tangler used his tanglewire to drag Chill through the window then cover his mouth. Freefall released Chill from his parability's effects while he was mid-air; Chill fell three stories to the pavement below, dying instantly. The next day, Freefall and Tangler ambushed Squirm while he was alone in the gym; Freefall made Squirm hover in the air while Tangler shoved tanglewire down his throat (however, Squirm survived their assault). Soon after, Tangler and Freefall joined Wormhole and Stalagmite from their therapy group to attend an assembly at the Clinic led by director Newhouse. When director Newhouse ordered all the special interest groups at the Clinic to close a riot broke out. Bazooka and Indigo attempted to kill Tangler and Freefall; Bazooka blasted Tangler, knocking him through a window; Freefall used his parability to assist his friend's fall but wasn't certain if he reached in time. With the chaos of the riot unfolding around them, Freefall avoided further injury and started to hover away when Lenore Fenzl entered and used her parability to paralyze everyone in the room, ending the riot.
(D.P.7. I#19 - the Clinic) - Following the riot, Freefall and Tangler fled the Clinic together.
Comments: Created by Mark Gruenwald, Paul Ryan and Al Williamson.
Freefall and the rest of Therapy Group B first appeared in D.P.7 I#9 as characters in a dream forced upon Randy O'Brien as part of the reconditioning Regulator, Reinforcer and Receptor were putting him through. The dream suggests Randy was familiar with all the Therapy Group B members, who would have all been at the Clinic behind-the-scenes during the events of D.P.7 I#1.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Freefall should not be confused with:
images: (without ads)
D.P.7 I#14, page 17, panel 4 (main)
D.P.7 I#19, Clinic profile (face)
D.P.7 I#14, page 12, panel 8 (powers)
Appearances:
D.P.7 I#9 (July, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Al Williamson (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
D.P.7 I#14-15 (December, 1987-January, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
D.P.7 I#17 (March, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
First posted: 10/27/2026
Last updated:
10/26/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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