Art by John Byrne
Contributed by Ronald Byrd
Flatman first came to attention as a member of the Great Lakes Avengers, a super-team operating out of the upper US; his origin, along with those of his teammates (Mister Immortal, Big Bertha, Dinah Soar, Doorman), is unknown. The team was led by genuine Avenger Hawkeye for a while; when he moved on to other projects, the Great Lakes Avengers renamed themselves the Lightning Rods and continued their crimefighting activities, appearing in “Deadpool” and “Thunderbolts.” Their effectiveness as super-heroes tends to depend upon the whim of the writer in question.
The question of Flatman’s sexual orientation arose during his appearance in a “Deadpool” storyline, when his uncanny ability to recognize a woman’s shoe sent forward in time (although he gives every appearance of understanding various aspects of the space-time continuum, perhaps his doctorate is in podiatry?) is viewed as somewhat odd by his teammates. He attributes this to having “studied fashion in college.” When he colloquially refers to a man he is rescuing as “sailor,” however, we are perhaps led, despite his denials, to wonder if more is (ahem) afoot here than it seems. These rather stereotypical traits are probably more indicative of the Deadpool creative staff’s tendency toward the offbeat and a disinterest in treating the Lightning Rods seriously than anything else, but they should still be kept in mind.
Flatman exists in a somewhat two-dimensional humanoid form, in which condition he can stretch his limbs and body to great lengths. This ability is somewhat similar to that of the Thin Man, member of the Liberty Legion in the 1940s, but no specific connection between the two has been established. It is possible that Flatman is in fact unable to return to normal human form, but this, too, has not been definitively established.
Flatman first appears in West Coast Avengers #46. Deadpool #11 (vol 1 likely) is the issue in which his possible homosexuality is construed by the writer.
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