Spider-Tracer: Whatever Happened to the Outlaws?

Wait, who? While at first glance this may seem like another revenge-oriented group out to get Spider-Man, this grouping actually consisted of reformed Spider-Man villains. That’s right, they were heroes! For this month’s Spider-Tracer, we’ll be taking a look at this team’s origins and history, as well as finding out just what happened to its members since the team folded.

 

 

In “Web of Spider-Man” #50, when slimy photographer Nick Katzenberg (Remember him? No? Perhaps I’ll need to do an article on him sometime, too) turned in photos of Spider-Man seemingly robbing Winston Walker, J. Jonah Jameson published the photos in his newspaper, “The Daily Bugle”. Several of Spider-Man’s former foes read the headline and set out to get to the bottom of the newspaper’s claims, and they include: The Sandman, Puma, Rocket Racer, Will o’ the Wisp, and the Prowler.

 

After several Spidey had several encounters with the individual members (except for Rocket Racer and Prowler, both of whom briefly fought before teaming up to help clear Spidey’s name after realizing the misunderstanding), the entire grouping wound up in a final confrontation in an old warehouse. Wanting to end the fight, Spider-Man revealed what was truly going on: Spidey was working for Silver Sable the entire time in an effort to get Winston Walker to reveal the location of certain documents proving he laundered money for the Maggia. After clearing up the confusion, Silver Sable offered the others a chance to work for her, leaving them with her business card.

 

Oddly enough, this little grouping of former Spider-Man villains weren’t called the Outlaws in this outing. There would also only be a passing remark referring to the group as “outlaws” and a few cover mentions in their next few appearances.

 

 

The Outlaws next turned up in a three part storyline in “Spectacular Spider-Man” #’s 168-170. After the Kingpin comes to own an old boarded up building, She-Hulk brings Spider-Man there to free a deadly object in a sealed up crypt so as to not let Fisk get his hands on it. Spider-Man helps She-Hulk free the chest and its contents; with his role at an end, She-Hulk abandons Spidey in the crypt, letting the seal fall on top of him. Fortunately, a little spider-strength helps free our hero, and he hightails it over to Avengers HQ. He decks She-Hulk and after their little tussle is broken up, the Avengers prove She-Hulk never left the building that day. Spidey begrudgingly leaves, not believing a word of it. Unbeknownst to any of the heroes, the old Avengers foe, the Space Phantom, impersonated She-Hulk, and it was he who truly tried to finish off Spider-Man earlier, not the Hulk’s emerald cousin.

 

I know what you’re thinking. Where exactly do the Outlaws fit into this? Well, in issue #169, Spider-Man calls together the Outlaws (sans Will o’ the Wisp) in hopes that they’ll go up against the Avengers with him should the need arise. The Outlaws agree and split up to find more information on just what exactly was in that chest and possibly why “She-Hulk” (really Space Phantom, remember?) wanted that chest opened in the first place.

 

Puma and Prowler steal some information on the old building from Kingpin’s computer files while Sandman and Rocket Racer take microfilm of the building’s basement from the New York Department of Building and Safety. Suddenly, Sandman tries to attack Rocket Racer, but he manages to give his sandy pursuer the slip. Turns out the Space Phantom was impersonating Sandman, just as he had She-Hulk. When Rocket Racer tries to attack Sandman later at the rendezvous for what he did earlier, Spider-Man and the others realize something is wrong, and that She-Hulk might not have been lying.

 

 

In issue #170, Spider-Man calls the Avengers to meet with him and the Outlaws in order to tell them what they’ve discovered in regards to the odd, random attacks by fellow team members… and then Spider-Man attacks Captain America! If you guessed it was the Space Phantom, you get the kewpie! So, as one might expect, a huge fight breaks out between the real Spider-Man, his questionable allies, and the Avengers! That is, until Puma finds the Space Phantom skulking about and brings him to the others, with the Avengers immediately recognizing him. Space Phantom reveals all he knows, including that much of his actions were orchestrated by someone else. Spidey, the Outlaws, and the Avengers team up and hunt down the mysterious contents of the chest, a black cloud which consumes the flesh of its victims. Fortunately, with a little teamwork, the heroes get the carnivorous being back into the chest, which Thor promptly sends away by the power of Mjolnir. Once everyone leaves, Spider-Man senses he is not alone, and Calculus of the Young Gods reveals himself as the one who caused all of this. It turns out that as a Young God, he is forbidden from interfering in the lives of humans. However, had the Kingpin gotten ahold of the chest, it would have spelled doom for the world, which is why he sent the Space Phantom in the first place to start this whole mess. Crazy, right?

 

 

What’s even crazier is that the Outlaws next show up in Excalibur #36 of all books. This one’s a bit weirder than usual, so I’ll try and sum it up as much as possible without it getting too confusing. Basically Silver Sable reassembles the Outlaws (sans Puma) and Paladin to help her track down a bio-nuclear simulator which was stolen from her native Symkaria; she tracks it down to England. After another classic misunderstanding (and fight, of course) a defective Arnim Zola construct is revealed to have stolen the device in order to try and produce humans that could withstand a nuclear holocaust. Kitty Pryde of Excalibur accidentally sets loose one defective Zola construct’s genetic creations, prompting a team up between Excalibur and the Outlaws to stop it. With the creature and several of the other genetic creations defeated, the Outlaws take the bio-nuclear simulator back with them and leave on good terms with Excalibur.

 

In their next and final story-line (“Amazing Spider-Man Annual” #25, “Spectacular Spider-Man Annual” #11, and “Web of Spider-Man Annual” #7, the Outlaws finally get named in the book, thanks to Silver Sable herself picking the name. She gathers Rocket Racer, Prowler and Will o’ the Wisp for a mission to save a political prisoner from an extremist group; she put this group together for missions she felt her Wild Pack would not be able to handle. Turns out they’ll be going up against their old ally, the Sandman in order to save the young girl. It’s soon revealed that Sandman had actually seemingly joined the extremists in order to infiltrate them and save the girl in hopes of gaining favor with the Avengers, but in failing, Silver Sable said she herself wanted him for the Outlaws, even offering him a contract.

 

 

And that was it. The beginning of the team as an actual, well, team, was the end for them… literally!

 

And what of the team since then? Sandman has since returned to crime as a result of the Fantastic Four villain, the Wizard, tampering with his mind. Will o’ the Wisp also returned to crime eventually, even joining the Exterminators, a Spider-Man revenge squad of sorts, lead by the villainous Chameleon after Spider-Man unmasked during “Civil War”. Puma has walked the line of villainy and heroism, as he always has, so nothing has changed there. Rocker Racer has stayed a hero, even helping SHIELD out and joining the Avengers Academy of young heroes for a time. Prowler has stayed heroic as well, even helping Spider-Man out during his Parker Industry days; he was cloned during “The Clone Conspiracy”, the clone died, and he came back (sounds familiar, no?).

 

And there you have it. The Outlaws finally form as an official team with an actual name, and then disband, it would seem. Here’s hoping we one day see Hasbro complete this team in the Marvel Legends toy-line (we only need Rocket Racer and Will o’ the Wisp with Puma coming).

 

Would you like to see this team regroup? Who’s your favorite member? Be sure to sound off in the comments section below!