History[]
Stickleback is the main character of the 2000 AD series Stickleback, a 'Pope of Crime' who takes his name from his exposed spine (which turns out to be artificial), presiding over a Victorian London peopled by gods, ghosts and freaks. He died at one point after being fatally stabbed and then falling into the Thames from a burning airship. (He doesn't do things by halves.) Doctor Orlando Doyle resurrected him five years later in a slightly younger but otherwise identical body, in exchange for the thirty pieces of silver for which Judas repaid Jesus. Doyle was at pains to state that he did this out of respect for the person Stickleback used to be before he adopted the persona of the Pope of Crime.
Stickleback's son was in the custody of the White Lotus Empress, the child's mother, until she died, and she permitted Stickleback to see their child for one day per year. Despite his deliberately eccentric appearance, Stickleback is a quintessentially English person who enjoys nothing more than a cup of tea and a hot buttered muffin.
When the three daughters of Lilith killed the White Lotus Empress (a cousin of theirs) and transformed London and its people into some sort of weird gestalt host or vessel for their demonic father (one of those eldritch abominations from before the dawn of time with which Ampney Crucis is familiar), Stickleback was reality's last hope. He then revealed his true identity to his companion Miss Scarlet: he was none other than the doyen of detectives, the suzerain of sleuths, the prince of private eyes.... Mr Sherlock Holmes! Not surprising he was resurrected by somebody called Doyle, really.
The series exists in the same continuity as The Red Seas, Ampney Crucis Investigates, Leviathan and Helium. The character of Doctor Orlando Doyle has crossed over between some of the strips, and an adult version of Stickleback's son appears in the fourth Ampney Crucis Investigates story.
Powers and abilities[]
Abilities
Cunning; leadership skills; deduction; master of disguise.
Strength level
Elderly human male.
Paraphernalia[]
Equipment
Artificial protruding spine; artificial eyebrows; fez.
Transportation
Hansom cab drawn by bipedal robot.
Weapons
Grenades; guns.
Notes[]
- The first series was published in 2000 AD progs 1518 to 1525; the second in progs 1567 to 1577; the third in progs 1666 to 1676; and the fourth in progs 1824 to 1835. The fifth series started in prog 1900, and there was also an episode in prog 2009 (published Christmas 2008).
- Recurring characters include Stickleback's assistants Black Bob (a zombie, not the sheepdog from The Dandy), Little Tonga (a pygmy with a blowpipe), Fiery Jack (a human torch), Mr Peepers and Mr Lug (Siamese twins), Miss Scarlet (a tattooed lady), Gay John (a flamboyant drug baron) and Miss Moody Various. Stickleback's enemies include Detective Valentine Bey, his assistant Sgt. Leonard Chipps, Chief Constable Delius Lime, and government agent Alexander Ashton.
- The series contains numerous pop culture, historical and literary Easter eggs, some of which are explored on D'Israeli's blog here.
- Ian Edginton talks to Bleeding Cool about Stickleback here.
- Stickleback had a cameo in 2000 AD prog 2000 (published September 2016) which was drawn by Boo Cook. He was shown playing cards with Aimee Nixon, holding the ace of spades.
Trivia[]
In the real world, a stickleback is a type of fish. According to Wikipedia, "the males construct a nest from vegetation held together by secretions from their kidneys, then attract females to the nest. The female lays her eggs inside the nest where the male can fertilise them. The male then guards the eggs until they hatch." Isn't Nature wonderful?
Links[]
- Appearances of Stickleback
- Character Gallery: Stickleback
- Images that feature Stickleback
- Fan-Art Gallery: Stickleback
- Stickleback quotations
Discover and Discuss[]
- Search News for: Stickleback · Sherlock Holmes · Stickleback