GRIPS
Real Name: Morgan Jones
Aliases: None
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Vigilante, Former Martial Arts Instructor
Citizenship: United States
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California
Known Relatives: None known
Group Affiliation: None
First Appearance: Grips #1 (1986, SilverWolf Comics)
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 210 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Strength Level: Grips possesses peak human strength for a man of his age, height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise.
Powers and Abilities:
Grips has no superhuman powers but is a world-class athlete and martial artist. His reflexes, agility, and endurance are at the pinnacle of human capability. He is an expert in multiple forms of hand-to-hand combat, including a personalized hybrid style emphasizing speed, brutal efficiency, and lethal targeting. His most iconic ability is his use of twin retractable claws housed in his gloves, which he employs with devastating precision.
Grips also possesses a high pain threshold, tactical combat instincts, and exceptional stealth skills. He is a skilled acrobat and urban climber, capable of traversing rooftops and tight urban spaces with ease.
Weapons and Paraphernalia:
Grips wears a tight, form-fitting combat suit reinforced with light armor padding. His signature weapons are twin forearm-mounted claws—razor-sharp blades capable of slicing through flesh, bone, and even light body armor. The claws can be manually retracted and extended with hand gestures.
He carries various throwing weapons and gadgets, including smoke pellets, flashbangs, and climbing gear. He also utilizes a motorcycle customized for speed and maneuverability in urban environments.
History:
Morgan Jones was a respected martial arts instructor in Los Angeles who became disillusioned with the justice system after a brutal gang assault on a loved one went unpunished. Stricken by grief and rage, he faked his death and vanished from society. Re-emerging months later as the masked vigilante Grips, he launched a personal war against the criminal underworld of California.
Unlike other masked heroes, Grips does not adhere to a code against killing—he believes lethal force is justified to protect the innocent and ensure justice where the law fails. His brutal, take-no-prisoners approach has made him both feared and controversial.
Operating mainly in the gritty, crime-ridden streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco, Grips has clashed with street gangs, corporate enforcers, and mutant criminals. He has few allies and often works alone, though he occasionally crosses paths with other vigilantes and antiheroes in the SilverWolf Comics universe.
Enemies:
- Scum (serial killer and crime boss)
- Razorface
- The Syndicate
- BioKill
- Lita Hawkes (sometimes adversary, sometimes uneasy ally)
Notable Appearances:
- Grips #1–4 (SilverWolf Comics)
- Grips Premiere #1 (SilverWolf Comics)
- Grips #1–12 (Greater Mercury Comics)
- Grips Adventures #1–8 (Greater Mercury Comics)
- Grips Special #1 (Greater Mercury Comics)
Comments:
Grips was created by Kristoffer A. Silver and Tim Vigil and became one of the most iconic underground vigilante characters of the 1980s indie comics boom. Known for its raw violence, edgy themes, and gritty art, Grips gained a cult following and is remembered as a pioneering figure of the ultraviolent antihero archetype.
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