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| Abel Tarrant, ex-seaman, embarked on a career as a burglar and cracked the safe of a large chemical concern; but he set of a burglar alarm, bringing the armed watchman. In his haste, Tarrant knocked over some chemicals, which ran together. When he ran out of bullets in the ensuing shootout, Tarrant noticed some of the chemicals seemed to form a bomb shape. As he touched it, he wished it were a real bomb and suddenly, it was. Yet he had to concentrate to explode it and open a breach in the wall through which he could escape. |
| Next day, posing as a reporter, Tarrant returned and used a sponge to get a sample of the mystery compound. He was good enough at chemistry to analyse it and discover how to produce more. He found that to make things materialise, he had to draw exact outlines, then concentrate. This gave him complete control of the object. |
| Tarrant then decided the easiest way to use his power was to make tattoos on his arm with the chemical; then, as the Tattooed Man he set out on his life of crime. |
