Tombstone

Tombstone is a hard man – in every sense of the word. A lifetime of criminal activity had already hardened Lonnie Lincoln’s soul, before a freak scientific accident rendered his skin as cold, hard, and durable as… you guessed it, a tombstone.

Tombstone first appeared in a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #36 (March 1988), by writer Gerry Conway and artist Alex Saviuk. Conway teased a connection to the Daily Bugle's editor-in-chief, Robbie Robertson, which he went on to reveal in the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man #139 (June 1988), drawn by Sal Buscema. 

Growing up together in Harlem, Robbie discovered Lonnie's criminal activities and planned to expose them in the school newspaper, but the thuggish Lonnie intimidated him into silence, even after he witnessed Lonnie commit a murder. Thus, years later when Lonnie re-emerged as an underworld hitman, Robbie’s guilt over his past inaction led him to confront his old acquaintance—only to receive a broken back for his trouble. Inspired by Spider-Man, Robbie eventually found the courage to testify against Lonnie, even though it meant incriminating himself as a de facto accessory to Lonnie's crimes.

As a tall, albino Black man with a deathly pallor, disfigured nose, and raspy speaking voice (along with his penchant for murder!) Lonnie Lincoln had already earned the nickname Tombstone in his younger years. But it became even more appropriate when an accident at the Osborn Chemical Plant (depicted in 1990's Web of Spider-Man #66-67, by Gerry Conway and Alex Saviuk) hardened his skin to the consistency of stone, making him invulnerable to almost any attack. The accident also boosted his strength and stamina to superhuman levels.

Tired of being a mere enforcer, the newly powered up Tombstone immediately tried to shake up the underworld pecking order, gunning for major crime bosses like Hammerhead. Over the years, though, Tombstone has learned to play to his strengths, using his brutish street skills to run various businesses as fronts for illegal activities, while leaving the more grandiose, high-level operations to natural schemers like the Kingpin. Tombstone craves power, but the fact is, he never truly desired to replace the Kingpin. He enjoys getting his hands dirty too much.  

Tombstone’s personality and motivations have changed very little over three decades of continuity. He remains at heart a mobster: operating in the shadows, pulling strings through extortion and intimidation. And when problems arise, Tombstone knows the best way to deal with them is usually by throwing them through a window (though a good head butt usually works too).  

He has gone toe to toe with Spider-Man, Daredevil, Punisher, Luke Cage, Moon Knight, and nearly every other “street level” hero, and even when these heroes manage to take him down (it usually takes an explosion, electrocution, or a major blow to the head), they rarely escape such encounters unscathed.   

My custom Tombstone figurine was made by combining two Eaglemoss figurines, the Marvel Sabretooth figurine and the DC Metallo. I knew he would have to be tall and muscular, not too bulky, and I wanted to depict him angry and belligerent, stomping forward with his stone-hard fists ready to swing. The Marvel Sabretooth figurine was perfect for his torso and legs. 

But Sabretooth's head and arms were wrong for Tombstone, forcing me to look elsewhere. Luckily, Metallo provided exactly what I wanted on both counts. I was surprised at how perfectly Metallo’s head captured the angry, pug-nosed sneer of Tombstone. I only needed to add hair!

Tombstone basically has two looks—his “business” attire consisting of a tailored suit and tie, and his “street” clothes consisting of a skintight black leather vest, open at the chest with a stiff, high-backed collar, and steel-toed combat boots. I definitely wanted the latter look, to underline his ruthless brutality. Given the monochromatic design, painting Tombstone was pretty straightforward.

Despite Tombstone's many appearances I had a bit of trouble deciding on a good cover image, and ultimately the one I chose features his “business” look. But the shot is beautifully drawn and colored, and I think it perfectly conveys Tombstone’s intimidating, sinister, cold-blooded nature. It graces the cover of Daredevil (vol. 4) #24 from September 2017, drawn by David Lopez. The stony logotype was featured in several issues from the 1980s and 1990s, such as the cover of Web of Spider-Man #68.

* ESSENTIAL READING *

1. Spectacular Spider-Man #139 (June 1988). Tombstone makes his presence felt for the first time, breaking the back of his old high school acquaintance Robbie Robertson and setting up a brutal showdown with Spider-Man. 

2. Spectacular Spider-Man #206 (Nov 1993). Denied a spot on the NYC mobsters' crime council, Tombstone runs amok, decimating the other NYC mob bosses and very nearly killing Spider-Man and the Black Cat. Classic cover by Sal Buscema!

3. Daredevil (vol 2) #91 (Jan. 2007). In part 3 of the masterful noir arc "The Devil Takes a Ride," Daredevil follows the trail of a mob boss's daughter to Paris, where he finds himself face to face with Tombstone and a new Matador. 

Just temporarily, Tomby. See you next time!

Next up.... the interdimensional menace of the Living Eraser!