Weeper (Fawcett Comics character)

Mortimer Gloom (alias the Weeper) was an American criminal underworld figure of the 20th century, who was obsessed with bringing sadness to all he met. He was a recurring foe of the superheroes Bulletman and Bulletgirl.
Gloom first became known as a circus clown performing under various names, such as "the Crying Clown" or "Weeping Willie". After being fired, Gloom sought revenge and assumed the identity of the Weeper. After a series of public incidents calculated to incite sadness, the Weeper drew the attention of Bulletman and Bulletgirl. The two vigilantes overpowered his men, and Bulletman threw him in the river to drown. However, the Weeper survived and surfaced further down the river. He sought out his Bitter Men and pressed them back into his employ. He embarked on another high-profile crime spree and was narrowly prevented from killing them by a turncoat Bitter Man. He spent time in prison, before he found himself on the outside and united with the Black Rat and the Murder Prophet to commit crimes for profit, and eventually to try to assassinate Bulletman. Their schemes were unsuccessful, and the Weeper narrowly avoided burnt to death in a barn fire.
In his final campaign of crime, Gloom was upset by the concept of Thanksgiving. He engineered lies to horrify several citizens in the hopes of stealing their valuables and framing them for crimes, but was prevented from doing so by Bulletman, Bulletgirl, and Bulletdog. At some point after that occasion, he died, leading his son to become the next Weeper.
== Weapons and Abilities ==
=== Inherent Abilities ===
* Strength: The Weeper exhibited the strength of an average man.
** He could force a wad of bills down a man's throat to choke him to death. (COMIC: Return of the Weeper!)
** He could not lift a car pinning him to a river bed. (COMIC: The Revenge Syndicate)
** He could kick a small dog clear across a street. (COMIC: The Weeper)
** He could push over a steel cabinet that could knock Bulletman unconscious with its weight. (COMIC: The Weeper)
=== Armaments ===
* Tear Gas: The Weeper armed his Bitter Men with a large supply of tear gas. (COMIC: The Weeper- The Murderer Who Mourns his Victims!)
* Gas Gun: A handheld weapon that spread tear gas. (COMIC: The Weeper)
=== Concoctions ===
* Hypnotic Dope: The Weeper could lace letters with hypnotic marijuana that would force the reader to obey written instructions contained in the letter. (COMIC: The Weeper- The Murderer Who Mourns his Victims!)
** The effect would wear off after a not overly significant amount of time. (COMIC: The Weeper- The Murderer Who Mourns his Victims!)
* Pellets of Pity: Pellets that dissolve into laughing gas that can spread through a ventilation system. (COMIC: Return of the Weeper!)
=== Vehicles ===
* The Weeper's Hearse: A regular hearse with a secret trapdoor in the cab roof to allow anyone on top to fall inside and land inside a pre-prepared coffin. (COMIC: The Weeper- The Murderer Who Mourns his Victims!)
== Personality ==
The Weeper was obsessed with making the people around him sad, and would do so in whatever method he could such as by smashing dolls, pushing people to their deaths, gassing crowds with tear gas, unleashing wild animals into a crowd, arson, sabotage, and more. (COMIC: The Weeper- The Murderer Who Mourns his Victims!) He expected his Bitter Men to carry out similar tasks, like destroying passerby's meals, killing people and animals, and sabotaging hospital equipment. (COMIC: Return of the Weeper!)
The Weeper expected loyalty out of his men, at one point murdering a former Bitter Man who refused to return to his employ. (COMIC: Return of the Weeper!)
== Notes ==
=== Behind the Scenes ===
* The Weeper first appeared in Fawcett Comics's Master Comics Volume 1 #23, cover dated February 1942.Master Comics Volume 1 #23 - Fawcett Publications, Inc. - February 1942 - Retrieved 20 January 2021 While the Weeper's story was printed without crediting either the writer or artist, Will Murray cited an April 1943 issue of The Writer's Journal credited Brazilian-born English expatriate Henry Aveline Perkins for creating the character for Fawcett.Alter Ego #157 - Roy Thoms - TwoMorrows Publishing - Published 2019 - Page 88 - Retrieved 20 January 2021
* The Weeper was among the rogue's gallery of Bulletman and Bulletgirl, alongside fellow Revenge Syndicate alumni the Black Rat and the Murder Prophet, Dr. Mood, the Black Spider, Dr. Riddle, the Fat Fiend, the Headless Horror, and the Gorgon.The Steranko History of Comics, Volume 2 - Jim Steranko - Supergraphics - Published 1970 - Page 48 - Retrieved 20 January 2021
==Appearances==
*Master Comics
**The Weeper- The Murderer Who Mourns his Victims! (first appearance)
==Links==
*The Weeper on Wikipedia
*The Weeper on the Villains Wiki
*The Weeper on the Public Domain Super Heroes Wiki
*The Weeper on Comic Vine
==References==
Category:Humans
Category:Villains
Category:Criminals
Category:Murderers
Category:Mass Murderers
Category:Terrorists
Category:Serial Killers
Category:Clowns
Category:American characters
Category:Comic book characters
Category:Fawcett Comics characters
Category:Deceased Characters
Category:20th century deaths
Category:Foes of Bulletman