BOBSTER
Real Name: Sturdevant E. "Bob" Robbins
Identity/Class: Human technology user
Occupation: Public relations guy, talk show host
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Sally, Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
Enemies: Free Access, Hypertron 1.0, Myron, Naguro, Timmy
Known Relatives: Mrs. Robbins (wife), unidentified brother
Aliases: "Bob-Man", "Captain Bob", "Fightster", "Bobtron 4000"
Base of Operations: New York City
First Appearance: Web of Spider-Man#83 (December, 1991)
Powers/Abilities: The Bobster's original armor was capable of firing electric "volt-bolts" and laser beams, and could use a sophisticated computer targeting system to aim them. The suit also granted its wearer enhanced strength, and could use wrist-mounted air-jets to enhance the power of punches. It also incorporated a flight pack. With the use of removable hard disks, including Aerobatics and Battle Mode, he could run various combat programs; however, he could only use one at once. The suit's on-board voice-activated computer included an interactive help program. The suit's most powerful weapon was the Negative Vortex, an expanding sphere of ionically-charged dust particles capable of destroying time-locks and force-fields.
The second set of Bobster armor, designed by Robbins and his
brother, retained the flight pack, the volt-bolts, the lasers, the targeting
system, and the Negative Vortex. It also included a number of new
features, including a jet punch, an energy-grapple, a helmet radio, motion sensors,
a vibration microphone, a magnetic attractor beam, and a helmet-mounted camera.
The Bobster can select features by moving his eyebrows.
Bob is also skilled in the arts of public relations and self-promotion.
History: (Web of Spider-Man#83 (fb)) - Bob Robbins' PR firm was successful for a time, but once a recession hit, it fell on hard times.
(Web of Spider-Man#83) - Robbins saw Spider-Man swinging
outside his office window, and was inspired. Determined to take on the
web-slinger as a client to boost his sagging fortunes, he followed him across
town, where he tried to make his pitch to the wallcrawler in the middle of a
battle with the armored Hypertron 1.0. He was unable to do so, due to the
pitched battle, so he followed them once more, and knocked Hypertron flat with a
punch to the jaw. He finally made his pitch to the grateful Spider-Man,
but was turned down. Disappointed, but armed with a new plan, he stole
Hypertron's power harness. Taking it back to his Westchester County home,
he modified the armor and took to the skies. As he considered a few
potential names for himself, he was attacked by the now-unarmored Hypertron and
his associates Myron and Timmy - all three armed with high-tech weapons.
As he attempted to flee, he was pounced on by Spider-Man, who had mistaken him
for Hypertron. After explaining himself, the two teamed up to battle
Hypertron and his friends - as they overwhelmed Spider-Man, Bob activated the
Negative Vortex, unaware that it could rupture the criminals' power packs,
creating a devastating explosion. Unable to shut it down, Bob was helpless
to prevent the explosion, but Spider-Man managed to rescue all three of the
criminals. Later, Spider-Man, unimpressed by Bob's performance or his
plans to attain fame and fortune, convinced Bob to hand the suit over to the
police. Forced to call his wife to pick him up, the downtrodden Bob still
had another trick up his sleeve - he'd saved a copy of the suit's schematics....
(Spider-Man Unlimted I#5/2 (fb) ) - Bob and his engineer brother used to schematics to build a new, improved suit. Bob also settled on "The Bobster" as his superheroic alias.
(Spider-Man Unlimted I#5/2) - The Bobster crashed a warehouse where Spider-Man was battling Free Access, a group that had stolen two dozen nuclear triggers. The Bobster made short work of Free Access, but his untested suit failed at a critical moment, sending him toppling onto Spider-Man and letting the last member of Free Access, Naguro, escape with the triggers. Undaunted, the Bobster asked to become Spider-Man's sidekick - in return for a 15% cut of the Bobster's licensing profits. Spider-Man, unsurprisingly, refused. Later, he was interviewed by TV reporter Marcy Embry.
The following evening, the Bobster set up motion sensors on the fifth storey of the warehouse to find Spider-Man - which he did, after first finding Nova, Speedball, and Quasar. Using his vibration mic to hear what was going on inside Naguro's tenement hideout, the Bobster and Spider-Man learned that they were being sold at that very moment. The two heroes defeated Naguro's customers, but he escaped to take an infant hostage. The Bobster used his magnetic attractor beam to disarm Naguro, who accidentally dropped his hostage out the window. Luckily, Spider-Man saved the child, and the Bobster was only momentarily fazed by the near-disaster. Later, having provided a TV network with footage of the battle captured by his helmet-cam, the Bobster announced that he'd been given his own superhero-themed talk show, Flyin' With the Bobster. His first guest was to be the mother of the baby Spider-Man saved - and he hoped to have Spider-Man himself on the show real soon.
(Civil War: Battle Damage Report) - Tony Stark considered the Bobster as a potential Initiative recruit.
Comments: Created by Kurt Busiek, Chris Marrinan, & Don Hudson.
I think the Initiative could use this guy. With all of the calamities that have befallen the various teams of the 50-State Initiative, they need a good PR guy.
The hard disks used for the Bobster's first suit alternated between standard three-and-a-half inch floppies and, hilariously, cassettes. Oh, 1991.
Profile by Minor Irritant.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Bobster has no known connection to:
(Web of Spider-Man#83) - Bob Robbins' secretary, she asked Bob about her paycheck as he left to chase down Spider-Man.
--Web of Spider-Man#83
(Web of Spider-Man#83) - When he arrived home from swiping Hypertron's armor, Bob's wife greeted him with news that the bank had called about their mortgage. Later, she came to pick him up after he surrendered his armor to the police.
--Web of Spider-Man#83
(Spider-Man Unlimited I#5/2) - A group of believers in the "liberation of technology", they stole two dozen nuclear triggers - first smuggling them out to Japan, but them bringing them to their base in a warehouse in New York City's garment district. They were eventually tracked down and subdued by Spider-Man and the Bobster, although one of their number, Naguro, escaped with the triggers.
--Spider-Man Unlimted I#5/2
(Spider-Man Unlimited I#5/2) - Naguro, a member of Free Access, managed to escape from Spider-Man and the Bobster with the case of nuclear triggers - plus a Spider-Tracer. He later tried to sell the triggers in a tenement, but was again foiled by Spider-Man and the Bobster, who made short work of his potential buyers. Escaping, he took a small child hostage, but was disarmed by the Bobster and defeated.
--Spider-Man Unlimted I#5/2
images: (without ads)
Spider-Man Unlimited III#4/2, p40, pan3 (main image - 2nd armor)
Web of Spider-Man#83, p7, pan4 (headshot)
Web of Spider-Man#83, p11, pan1 (1st armor)
Web of Spider-Man#83, p2, pan3 (Sally)
Web of Spider-Man#83, p22, pan4 (Bob's wife)
Spider-Man Unlimted I#5/2, p26, pan1 (Free Access)
Spider-Man Unlimted I#5/2, p42, pan2 (Naguro)
Appearances:
Web of Spider-Man (December, 1991) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Chris Marrinan (pencils),
Don Hudson (inker), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Spider-Man Unlimited I#5/2 (May, 1994) - Kurt Busiek (writer),
Jan Duursema (artist), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Last updated: 07/12/08
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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