Ambush Bug

Publication history

Created by artist Keith Giffen as an intentionally silly character, Ambush Bug first appeared in DC Comics Presents #52 (Dec. 1982) and would make appearances in several other Superman-related comic books in the early 1980s. At first, Ambush Bug was a villain, named after a type of insect, and dressed in a green, skintight suit (with two orange antennae) that covered his whole body. Inside his hollow antennae, he carried miniature robot bugs that possessed the ability to teleport him around. He was little more than an annoyance (though he did murder a district attorney in an early appearance in DC Comics Presents.) After attacking Superman and other heroes, Ambush Bug decided instead to be a superhero as well. He also fancied himself Superman's friend, which only annoyed the hero even more. The costume apparently then became permanently affixed to his body, and he gained the power to teleport by himself. (Again, it is unknown if this is true or just another delusion of his, as he is seen removing the costume at the end of his second mini-series.) While trying to fix one of the miniature bugs, it exploded, causing a chain reaction and a blast that destroyed all of the bugs and tinted Ambush Bug's costume temporarily black in a nod to Spider-Man's costume change during Marvel Comics' "Secret Wars" crossover; he then became capable of teleporting even without the bugs (briefly considering changing his moniker to Black Beetle instead).

Ambush Bug became popular enough to be featured in two comic book miniseries and several specials, plotted and pencilled by Keith Giffen and scripted by Robert Loren Fleming. The series contains many comic book-enthusiast and DC in-jokes and satire; series editor Julius Schwartz is also a character in the book. Ambush Bug was even kicked out of the afterlife by Death of the Endless, after seeing his name did not appear in any list she carried for the summer crossover series. He also met with Dream of the Endless in the Dreaming, and he accused him of not having a sense of humor as to make a living for himself in Dream's series in that capacity. Dream promptly responded by returning him to the real world while dumping tar on him, covering him with feathers, and leaving him in a dumpyard.

During his own 4-part series in 1985, he picked up a doll and, thinking it was alive, "adopted" it as a partner called "Cheeks, The Toy Wonder", complete with its own costume. Also during this series, he fought a genuine bad guy named Scabbard (from Thriller, a title co-created by Fleming), who left the story midway through after realizing he was in the wrong comic book (Scabbard believed he was in an issue of Thriller).

In 2001, he made his first appearance as part of a superhero group (albeit a small one) as a member of the "Justice League of Anarchy", which also included Plastic Man, the Creeper, Harley Quinn, 'Mazing Man, and the Trickster. This group of DC Universe troublemakers made a one-panel cameo in a series exploring variations on the JLA acronym, the book in question being JLA: Justice League of Amazons.

Ambush Bug is largely considered an absurd character and is rarely used by other writers, though he still exists in the DC Universe and occasionally still appears in some DC Comics. His popularity amongst creators has led to many "cameos", sometimes with as little as his antennae being visible.

In the DC One Million series, Ambush Bug, or at least a version of him still sporting the same costume and mannerisms, appears of all places in Hong Kong, China, in the year 11021, working as a bartender, mentioning an attack by Lobo substantially increased his insurance fees. Also, in the same series in Chase One Million, an illegal user of superpower icons attempts to use Ambush Bug's Power Icon to teleport, and promptly ends up halfway through a wall.

In 2006, he appeared as part of Firestorm's short-lived Justice League of America in 52 #24. He quips "Hello, room service? Send up a plot and three pages of dialogue right away! The weekly grind is tearin' me apart! Fifty-two!!!" This version of the Justice League of America ends after several people are murdered during a mission.

His powers appeared in proxy in Countdown to Final Crisis #32. Jimmy Olsen briefly gains the appearance of Ambush Bug and subconsciously uses his power of "Dumb Luck" to locate Forager.

He also was referenced in Superman/Batman Annual #1 in a throwaway caption near the end: "Darkseid played chess with Ambush Bug. Ambush Bug accidentally destroyed the universe with the 'Ultimate Clapper.'"

After being championed by DC Coordinating Editor Jann Jones, a new six-issue Ambush Bug miniseries, Ambush Bug: Year None, debuted in 2008, plotted and pencilled by Giffen, and written by Fleming, with Jones herself serving as editor. The final issue was published almost a year after the rest of the series. Dan DiDio claims to have lost issue #6 and instead they skipped it to finish off with issue #7.

Ambush Bug was seen in the new Doom Patrol series in 2010 at the end of issue #9, arriving with his luggage and Cheeks. He appeared semi-regularly until the series ended.

Ambush Bug made another appearance, in issue #46 of the outside of regular DC continuity Tiny Titans series, cover date January 2012.

Ambush Bug is now a news reporter in the feature "Channel 52" that appears in the back of all New 52 publications, in which characters acting as correspondents summarize recent events in an in-universe style. Ambush Bug, however, is the only character who appears in costume and, as is typical for his appearances since his creation, appears to understand that he is in a comic book.

As a villain

As a hero

Powers and weapons

Ambush Bug's primary power is teleportation. At first, this was a function of his suit; he was limited to teleporting to where small receiver bugs were located. Later, after an explosion, Ambush Bug internalized this power. It became apparent, in DC Comics Presents #81, that the Bug used to have to say "Simon says" to teleport, but it is no longer necessary. Ambush Bug is also aware of his fictionality and aware of events in other publishers' comic books. He once was shown being able to follow the internal dialogue between Firestorm's component personalities. Ambush Bug also shows surprising agility and skill at unarmed combat, such as gouging the eyes of enemies attacking him from behind or knocking out members of the Legion of Substitute Heroes with a single blow. His unusual way of thinking is also a great advantage and often allows him to guess opponents' tactics and outmaneuver them, humiliating them in the process.

Despite all of this, Ambush Bug is simply a skinny man in the costume and can be defeated with surprising ease by more ridiculous characters. Serious foes, like Batman or Superman, have great difficulty dealing with him, but other lunatics can duel with him easily.

Amalgam Comics

In the continuity of Amalgam Comics, Ambush the Lunatik is a combination of Ambush Bug and Marvel Comics's Lunatik, an equally insane character, also created by Giffen. An intergalactic bounty hunter, his sole appearance is in Lobo the Duck #1 (April 1997).

Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl

In Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl, a heavily armored Ambush Bug is a member of a version of the Justice Society of America backed by Lex Luthor and led by Wonder Woman.

"Flashpoint"

In the alternate timeline of the 2011 "Flashpoint" storyline, the "Ambush Bugs" are a group of insect-themed heroes gathered together to fight the Amazons. Their members are Queen Bee, Blue Beetle, Firefly, Cockroach, and Canterbury Cricket. All but the Canterbury Cricket are killed in a confrontation with the Amazons.

Television

Ambush Bug appears in the series finale of Batman: The Brave and the Bold titled "Mitefall!" voiced by Henry Winkler. Here, he tries to thwart Bat-Mite's attempts to make the show jump the shark and force its cancellation while assisting Batman and Aquaman in fighting Gorilla Grodd. In the end, the executives do cancel the show. After Bat-Mite sees the trailer for the new Batman series, Ambush Bug appears next to Bat-Mite stating that because the upcoming series will be dark, Bat-Mite won't be in it. This causes this show's Bat-Mite to white out in the process. Ambush Bug helps organize a wrap party for the whole cast in the Bat Cave.

Video games

Action figures