History:
SHRAPNEL
Real Name: Leland Sharp
Identity/Class: Alternate reality (New Universe) human paranormal
Occupation: Bounty hunter, former paper factory laborer
Group Membership: Formerly the Clinic for Paranormal Research's Therapy Group A (Bloodhound, Receptor, Regulator, Reinforcer, Vice Versa)
Affiliations: Bloodhound (Edward Zentner), Receptor, Regulator, Reinforcer, Vice Versa (Geraldine Rumlow), Philip Nolan Voigt
Enemies: Charlotte Beck, Lenore Fenzl, Stephanie Harrington, Lt. Hudson, Ivy, Dave Landers, Randy O'Brien, Rory Ramos, Scuzz, Jeff Walters
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile; formerly the Headhunter Agency's office, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA;
formerly the Clinic for Paranormal Research, south of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA
First Appearance: D.P.7 I#2 (December, 1986)
Powers/Abilities: Shrapnel can explode a corrosive psychoplasm from the outer layer of his skin. Discharging the psychoplasm causes some pain to Shrapnel.
While pursuing the former members of Therapy Group C, Shrapnel carried a rifle and pistol filled with tranquilizer darts, chloroform-filled bags for placing over his enemies' heads and a gas grenade launcher.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6'1")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 180 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
History:
(Official Timeline of the New Universe) - Following the White Event on July 22, 1986 caused by the Star Brand, Leland Sharp was one of many people who discovered they had paranormal abilities. On August 4, 1986, Leland was working at a paper factory when he discovered he had the parability to explode corrosive psychoplasm from his skin.
(D.P.7 I#6 (fb) - BTS/D.P.7 I#19 - the Clinic) - On August 19, 1986, Leland went to the newly-opened Clinic for Paranormal Research in Wisconsin, run by Philip Nolan Voigt. Leland was assigned to Therapy Group A to learn how to control his parability but Voigt soon removed him from the group along with Geraldine Rumlow and Edward Zentner. On September 12, 1986, Leland, Rumlow and Zentner went to work as headhunters for the Clinic in what Voigt dubbed his "outreach program". The team was based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and tasked with the job of forcibly recruiting paranormals for the Clinic. Leland took the codename "Shrapnel."
(D.P.7 I#2) - On October 20, 1986, Shrapnel, Bloodhound and Vice Versa were contacted by Voigt to assist him in recapturing the seven members of Therapy Group C, who had just fled the Clinic. The trio were outfitted with tranquilizer dart guns and chloroform-filled bags to place over their enemies' heads. Using an airplane they remained in radio contact with Tracey Speck, whose parability enabled her to see through the fugitives' eyes, giving them the approximate location of their targets. When the seven escapees left a commandeered bus to continue on foot, Bloodhound landed the airplane nearby to begin their ground pursuit. Shrapnel remarked he was hoping their assignment wouldn't be too easy. When Vice Versa reminded him Voigt wanted all seven of them alive, Shrapnel retorted, "If at all possible, he said. Well, it might just not be possible!"
The trio came upon the seven escapees in a clearing and opened fire on them, hitting Jeff Walters, Stephanie Harrington and Lenore Fenzl with their first shots. Shrapnel then hit Randy O'Brien with a dart just as Randy's Anti-Body emerged. Shrapnel fired a dart at the creature but it became intangible, avoiding the dart, then became solid again to punch Shrapnel. Annoyed, Shrapnel tore open his jacket and fired psychoplasm from his chest into the Anti-Body, damaging it. Jeff Walters revived and stole Shrapnel's rifle and sunglasses. Shrapnel prepared to fire another blast of psychoplasm at Jeff but the Anti-Body grabbed him by his legs, aiming his chest to the ground as the psychoplasm went off. Jeff punched out Shrapnel. With Bloodhound and Vice Versa similarly defeated, all three were stripped of their weapons and confined with the chloroform bags.
(D.P.7 I#3) - On October 21, 1986, Bloodhound, Shrapnel and Vice Versa revived, freed themselves and returned to their airplane to retrieve their spare arsenal. Heading to the trailer park where Dave Landers lived, they ambushed two police officers who had been investigating the unusual events that had been happening. Bloodhound determined the seven paranormals had fled and the three of them took the police officers' uniforms and squad car to continue their pursuit. They caught up to Dave's camper trailer on the highway and Jeff scouted their car, immediately recognizing them from the previous evening and alerting the others. Shrapnel fired a gas grenade into the camper trailer but Jeff caught the grenade and threw it back into the police car. Randy O'Brien sent his Anti-Body to attack them and it interfered with Bloodhound's driving, causing him to drive off the road and flip the car. Although Randy wanted to help the three hunters with their injuries, his allies voted against it. However, Randy's Anti-Body went to the police car's wreck and helped the three of them out of the wreckage.
That evening, Dave, Stephanie and Jeff went to Sheboygan, Wisconsin to see Stephanie's family but her husband, Chuck, immediately notified the Clinic, who informed Bloodhound, Shrapnel and Vice Versa where to find them. The three hunters switched to formal attire, intending to pass themselves off as concerned employees of the Clinic. Shrapnel considered it embarrassing that they'd been bested multiple times by amateurs. Shrapnel ambushed Dave outside the Harrington house, blasting him in the face with his psychoplasm, then firing three tranquilizer darts into him to knock him out. Shrapnel and Bloodhound entered the Harrington house but Stephanie immediately recognized them and attacked both men then fled the house. Outside, Vice Versa had been beaten by Jeff and he drove himself, Stephanie and the unconscious Dave away. Shrapnel declared, "we're in deep sweat now."
(D.P.7 I#6 (fb) - BTS) - Voigt ordered Bloodhound, Shrapnel and Vice Versa to relinquish the assignment to capture the escaped paranormals, turning the work over to a team of mercenaries.
(Star Brand I#15/2 (fb) - BTS) - After Voigt vanished from the Clinic, Leland made a living as a bounty hunter. When the draft was reinstated in response to the destruction of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Leland heard from Bloodhound that paranormals were being conscripted into the Paranormal Platoon. Leland was afraid World War III was coming and decided to flee the USA to avoid the draft and obtained a forged passport.
(Star Brand I#15/2) - Shrapnel went to the US-Canadian border but Lt. Hudson of the Border Patrol recognized his papers as forgeries. Shrapnel blasted Hudson in the face with his psychoplasm then tried to flee. Hudson's subordinate Ivy chased after him but Shrapnel blasted him then took his gun. Lt. Hudson and Rory Ramos wound up in a gunfight with Shrapnel. When Shrapnel held his gun to Ivy's head and threatened to shoot him unless they dropped their guns, Ramos revealed he was also a paranormal and used his parability to animate a "golem" (a being made of dirt), which attacked Shrapnel. Unable to injure the golem, Shrapnel was beaten and knocked out.
Comments: Created by Mark Gruenwald, Paul Ryan and Romeo Tanghal.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Shrapnel should not be confused with:
images: (without ads)
D.P.7 I#3, page 20, panel 7 (main)
D.P.7 I#3, page 20, panel 3 (face)
D.P.7 I#2, page 16, panel 7 (powers)
Appearances:
D.P.7 I#2-3 (December, 1986-January, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Romeo Tanghal (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
D.P.7 I#6 (April, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Romeo Tanghal (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Star Brand I#15/2 (September, 1988) - Eric Siry (writer), Rodney Ramos (penciler), Don Hudson (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
First posted: 10/23/2026
Last updated:
10/26/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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