Sidearm

Sidearm is a fictional cyborg and a recurring antagonist featured in comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Superboy, Volume 4 #1 in February, 1994.

Biography
A man known only as Sidearm employed the services of a mysterious inventor named the Technician. The Technician outiftted Sidearm with a special cybernetic vest equipped with modular appendages capable of increasing his strength to superhuman levels.

With his new techno-vest, Sidearm attempted to begin a citywide crime spree in Metropolis. His perennial efforts failed however as the young hero known as Superboy foiled his attempts to vanadalize an automatic teller machine.

Sidearm crossed swords with Superboy a second time in Hawaii. He battled the boy of steel at Waikiki Beach and created an uproar by abducting Superboy's friend, Roxy Leech. Superboy arrived and the two embroiled in a savage fight that took them away from the beach and into the more populated downtown district. Once again, Superboy defeated Sidearm by literally disarming him with his tactile telekinesis.

Sidearm stayed in Hawaii for several weeks until encountering Superboy yet again at Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii. He attacked a scientist named Professor Emil Hamilton and viciously ripped off the Professor's prosthetic limb. Adding it to his own arsenal, the villain attempted to attack Superboy until he discovered that his newly acquired prosthetic was nothing more than a suntan lotion dispenser. Superboy easily disrupted Sidarm's alternative cybernetics with a destructive display of tactile telekinesis. Superboy recounted to Doctor Hamilton later the story of how he first battled Sidearm in Metropolis, which was also the first battle the Kid ever engaged in.

Sidearm was compelled to join the Suicide Squad in exchange for a promise of amnesty. Much to his chagrin, Superboy was also on the team. The objective of the mission was to destroy the lair of the Silicon Dragons. After the initial incursion went bad and the teams were split up, Sidearm attempted to force the team leader, Sam Makoa, into abandoning the mission and fleeing. For this betrayal, he was murdered by King Shark. Superboy Vol 4 14

Equipment

 * Techno-Vest: The Techno-Vest was invented by a mysterious scientist known only as the Technician. The Techno-Vest is a mechanical harness that is worn strapped about a user's mid-section. It contains several flexible connector housings on each side, which allows for the installation of a wide variety of modular, mechanical prosthetics. The vest itself can automatically adapt to accommodate different appendages, including those not initially compatible with the vest's design structure. Through a means that has never been revealed, a user wearing the vest can manipulate several prosthetics of varying mass without undue physical strain on his or her person. The prosthetic obeys the commands of the user through a cybernetic connection with the vest itself.

Notes & Trivia



 * The visual design of Sidearm's mechanical arms is reminiscent of two pre-existing comic book characters; one is the Marvel Comics villain, Doctor Octopus, and the other is Morgan Stryker from Top Cow's Cyberforce.


 * Superboy first learned how to use his tactile telekinesis while fighting Sidearm.


 * Superboy enjoyed tormenting Sidearm by mocking his name.