WANTED: Earth-Two's Most Dangerous Super-Villains

The Juggler

Personal information

Character History

Real Name: Lazaro Cordani

 

Residence: Mobile 
Occupation: Criminal
First Appearance (Golden Age):Green Lantern #32 (May 1948)
First Appearance (Post-Golden Age): None 

    The early career of the Juggler is shrouded in mystery.  By the time of his first documented case, he had already developed an extensive artillery of criminal accoutrements, the origins of which are unclear.  His first documented case was in the spring of 1948 when Winnie King, daughter of wealthy philanthropist Amos King, threw a gala at their estate.  She had hired Cordani as entertainment for her guests but what she really wanted was an appearance by Green Lantern.  When the hero passed on the offer, she convinced Cordani to fake a crime at the party in an effort to lure the hero into her home.  Cordani was eager to oblige.

    Unknown to the criminal, the invitees to the party include Alan Scott, broadcaster at WXYZ to which Amos King was a generous sponsor.  After an initial performance, the Juggler followed Amos King to his private office and used bowling pins containing hidden knives to pin the older man to his chair.  He then set about cracking the safe, conveniently witnessed by Winnie King who shouts for help.   Doiby runs in to engage the Juggler while Alan Scott ducks out to charge his ring.  The Juggler makes short work of Dickles and the Green Lantern arrives as the Juggler claims to rob the guests of their valuables as part of the act.  As Green Lantern claims the upper hand, Winnie King stops the fight and tells Green Lantern this has been staged to get him to show up.  While the perplexed hero absorbs this, the Juggler clubs him with a pin and escapes out the window into his Indian club shaped car, kidnapping Winnie as he goes.  Plumes of sand released from the rear of the vehicle cover his escape.

   In the aftermath, a note is found demanding $5000 in random for King's daughter, delivered by him alone.  Green Lantern, having been revived, concocts a plan to disguise him as Amos King and ambush the Juggler.  Meeting the criminal in a dead end alley, the ruse is initially successful but the Juggler quickly slips free and using trick clubs to escape.   Green Lantern gives chase and Doiby Dickles arrives from a different entrance but the two are subdued by the the criminal and tied to a giant slot machine, rigged too explode when Dickles, Winnie and the Green Lantern aligned.

As the Juggler heads off to more crimes, the machine rotates furiously until the three align, starting off the explosion.  A shield from the Lantern's ring protect them but the police arrive to assist, alerted by an anonymous tip.  Suspicious, Green Lantern flies to the opposite side of town where a gala and auction were taking place at Gotham Gardens.   There, the Juggler had already arrived and inserted himself into the entertainment schedule.  Using a classic plate spinning routine, the Juggler manages to break the lights and plunge the house into darkness, allowing him to steal the largest prize, a collection of rare ivory.  The darkness is suddenly dispelled by the arrival of Green Lantern, who captured the suprised Juggler easily.  The villain is promptly carted off to jail and Winnie King swears to never engage in her schemes in the future.

The further activities of the Juggler on Earth-Two are unrecorded.

juggler inks color resize

Powers and Abilities

The Juggler was an outstanding athlete with particular skill at manipulating and throwing projectiles based on the equipment of his field.  His notably was at the upper end of human strength, speed and accuracy with his weapons of choice. He had some success as a criminal prior to his encounter with Green Lantern, enough to build up his weapons and acquire a car shaped like an Indian club. The full extent of his resources are unclear.

Weaknesses and Limitations

The Juggler  was an ordinary human and confronted with sufficiently overwhelming force, could be captured as such.
Multiversity Villains

Multiversity

No version of the Juggler  have emerged in any continuity other than Earth-Two.

Appearances

Issue

Comment

Reprinted in

Green Lantern #32

First Appearance , vs. Green Lantern