MIKE TUCKER
MIKE TUCKER
Real Name: Michael Tucker
Identity/Class: Human adult male
Occupation: Business owner/operator (Tucker's Gym) (see comments)
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Solarman
Enemies: Protection racket thugs
Known Relatives: Ben Tucker (son)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Westwood, California coast, U.S.A., especially Tucker's Gym
First Appearance: Solarman#1 (January, 1989)
Powers/Abilities: Mike Tucker stood at about 6'1", had brown eyes and receding chestnut brown hair. He was sports-focused, very fit and exercised regularly, so his strength and stamina would have been close to athlete level, as shown by his muscular frame (in Solarman#2), yet he displayed no fighting skills. He appeared to be in his upper 30s.
He exhibited stubbornness and a lack of imagination, although he did run a business. He cared deeply for his son, but, like many fathers, wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and focus on physical sports to display his skills. It could also be that he wanted his son to enter into more team-based sports than the presented loner lifestyle of a comic book artist.
History:(Solarman#1) - Mike Tucker drove back home and found his son apparently using the Power Plus exerciser he had bought for his son, Ben Tucker. Indeed, Mike wanted his son to focus on exercise and expressed concern over the time he spent on "useless comic strips".
(Solarman#1 - BTS) - He followed his son down to the nearby pier when his son went to investigate Sha-Han's space ship, which had crashed in the vicinity, around nightfall.
(Solarman#1) - Ben bumped into his father and tried to explain what had happened, but Mike thought that comics had driven him "bonkers". The alien Sha-Han had disappeared upon dying and his damaged spaceship was underwater, which left Ben with no evidence to show his father (apart from the golden Circlet of Power that Sha-Han had given Ben that gave the wearer access to the powers of Solarman, but this was forgotten for the moment). Mike dismissed his son's claims and recommended more fresh air and exercise. The next morning, Mike Tucker left for a five-mile jog.
That day, Ben Tucker was pursued by Kraal's killer robots, which damaged his motor scooter with a blast. Ben was more concerned with his father's reprisal than his own safety.
(Solarman#2) - Mike Tucker was being threatened by three protection racket thugs at his upstairs gym, when his son turned up to drop off an advert he'd drawn for his father's beachside gym. Mike Tucker refused to pay the racketeers, but said nothing when he saw his son. Ben thought his father looked disappointed when he quickly left, but he had instead run into a nearby alley to transform into Solarman. The solar hero then rescued Mike Tucker, declaring himself to be the new bouncer, and easily defeated the three thugs, who then retreated. Mike asked Solarman who he was, and Solarman claimed to be nearby, and defended Ben (his alter-ego). Unfortunately, Mike then considered Solarman to be someone's ideal son. After the solar hero flew away, Mike began to clean his gym up; Ben transformed and reappeared. Ben tried to explain to his father the truth about Solarman, but Mike instead thought his son had lost touch with reality (the sun was blocked by clouds, which blocked Ben's access to the Circlet's power that could've proved Ben's claim).
On his way home, Ben Tucker was concerned about his father's lack of faith in him. Mike Tucker later secretly called a doctor for advice because he though his son was hallucinating, but was overheard by Ben, who then resolved not to tell his father anything more about Solarman. Ben later left the house while his father was reading the sports section of the newspaper to battle the Dr. Doom Hologram.
Ben later tried to patch things up with his father by giving him a picture he had drawn of his father as "Super Dad", complete with Solarman costume. Indeed, Mike Tucker was so happy with his son that he decided that they both go for a night workout at Tucker's Gym.
Comments: Stan Lee (script), Jim Mooney (penciler) & Dennis Janke (inker); original Solarman created by David Oliphant.
It could be that Mike Tucker changed career between issues, although he may have been initially shown in a suit to settle some banking/accounting issues.
Interestingly, in the time taken between Ben Tucker going up the stairs to his father's gym and running out to change into Solarman, the shop on the ground floor beneath Tucker's Gym had changed its signage from Pet Supplies to Pet Shop, and an alley seemed to have formed between this building and the one next door that Ben used to secretly turn into Solarman.
Clarifications:
Mike Tucker has no known connections to:
"Protection racket thugs"
The three protection racket thugs threatened Mike Tucker at his business, Tucker's Gym. Ben Tucker interrupted the bullying of his father, then left quickly to transform into Solarman in a nearby alley. Solarman then surprised the thugs from behind, declaring himself the new bouncer, then trounced the two hired muscle before throwing a loaded barbell at the main criminal. The three criminals departed nursing their wounds.
Interestingly, these had a similar appearance to Charlie Carcrash and his two thugs, except that these three were based on the West Coast (perhaps they moved to escape the hero-filled New York?).
--Solarman#2images:
Solarman#2, p13, pan3 (body)
Solarman#1, p10, pan1 (head)
Solarman#2, p6, pan3 (thugs)
other appearances:
Solarman#2 (May, 1990)
Last updated: 10/16/05
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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