Real Name:
Unrevealed
Joyride
Real Name:
Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human mutate
Occupation: Professional car thief
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Static
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Greater City of Dakota Area
First Appearance: Static #16 (Milestone, September 1993)
Powers/Abilities: Joyride's power enables him to perform superhuman feats in any car he is driving. His simplest trick is steering a car with no hands, presumably through mental control. But Joyride is capable of more amazing feats like driving cars up walls, on ceilings, and even on narrow telephone lines. These gravity defying feats aren't dependent on momentum. For example, Joyride can keep a car firmly attached to a ceiling when he comes to a complete stop. When he wants to get off the ceiling, the vehicle will safely float to the ground.
Joyride also can also make a car move as if it were alive. He can cause it to buck like a bronco, rear up on its bumper to do a pirouette, or ensnare people with its seat belts. Because of the feats he can perform, it is suspected that Joyride's power may be a form of telekinesis. Joyride must be inside a car to affect it with his powers.
History: Little is known about the past of the car thief called Joyride. He somehow wound up in the middle of the Big Bang, a turf war on Paris Island (Dakota's poorest neighborhood) that would determine which gang was the city's most powerful. The situation worsened with the arrival of Dakota police officers, who deployed a special tear gas to help them more easily capture all the gang members. Unknown to the officers, the gas had been secretly laced with "quantum juice," a bizarre mutagenic substance that killed 90 percent of those at the Bang while the survivors known as "Bang Babies" became genetic freaks. In Joyride's case, he was now able to mentally control any car so he could drive them up walls, travel on ceilings and other amazing feats.
Joyride immediately realized the potential of his superhuman abilities and offered his services to Dakota's chop shops. He soon became the shops' favorite booster since his powers and reckless behavior made it impossible for the police to positively identify him, much less catch him. Joyride soon began to buy into his own hype, to the point than he began wearing a flashy racing suit during his crimes.
Eventually, Joyride's criminal career brought him into conflict with the teen superhero Static. Despite his best efforts, Static could not capture the wily car thief. Static had to end his pursuit to aid drivers injured in an accident caused by Joyride. Joyride unwittingly added insult to injury a few days later when he stole the car of Larry Wade, a friend of Virgil Hawkins, a.k.a. Static.
Static was even more determined to capture Joyride. He got his chance at the Dakota Auto Show, a showcase for some of the most luxurious, expensive cars in the world. Joyride couldn't resist such a tempting target and showed up at the show in full costume. As Virgil, Static shadowed Joyride until the thief decided to steal a prototype Lamborghini Countach. Static then sprang his trap by covering the show floor with nails to block Joyride's escape. Unfortunately, the Lamborghini prototype's tires, like the rest of car ,were bulletproof, rendering the trap useless.
Thinking quickly, Static challenged Joyride to a race on the auto show's ceiling, the winner of which would be free to go his own way. The teen hero sweetened the deal by picking an even sleeker sports car to drive in the race.
Joyride agreed to Static's terms, and one of the strangest car races ever was on. Static allowed the thief to win, figuring the latter would be greedy enough to ditch the Lamborghini prototype in favor of his car. When the proud Joyride got out of the prototype, Static electromagnetically locked the doors on both cars and then pinned the thief between them. Static reminded Joyride how he earlier boasted that his powers worked on any car as long as he was inside it.
Static then turned over the beaten Joyride to Dakota police officers, who walked him to jail.
Comments: Profile provided by Fred Weaver.
CLARIFICATIONS: None.
Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.
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