| Karl von Kampen | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Real Name | Karl von Kampen |
| Gender | Male |
| Class | Joker-ace |
| Wild Card Traits | Telescopic vision |
| Social Information | |
| Place of Birth | Germany |
| Citizenship | United States resident |
| Occupation | Television producer |
| Base of Operations | California |
| Origin | |
| First Appearance | Wild Cards |
| Creator | Michael Cassutt |
Karl von Kampen is an ace with the ability to see clearly at incredibly long ranges.
History[]
Karl von Kampen was a German rocket engineer working at White Sands, New Mexico, when Dr. Tachyon made his first appearance and attempted to warn Earth's people of an impending biological threat. While Karl himself was not directly involved in the meeting with the alien, the object of Tachyon's warning had a lasting impact when Karl was infected by the very thing that the alien was so concerned about. The wild card gave the engineer a gift of telescopic vision and the corresponding curse of his eyes being a brilliant red because of it. This was a problem during the period of anti-wild card sentiment in the 1950's when aces either kept their talents a closely guarded secret, or disappeared after having been revealed.
Retiring from life as an engineer, Karl took on a career change in the film industry, quickly working his way up to a job as a television producer. In this role he headed up a wild card-themed show called "Captain Cathode" about a hero with a joker sidekick who frequently faced off against an evil Takisian nemesis. The show was a modest success, although was plagued with deadline and costing problems due to the consistently late appearance of the lead actor.
After an explosive encounter in 1956, with a murderer that the press had dubbed the "Medusa killer", Karl moved on to other projects. He abandoned Hollywood and its political games altogether, heading for Tomlin Air Force Base.
Wild Card Traits[]
Karl has acute vision that can be refocused on distant objects, to appear to him as if he were standing right next to them. His eyes blaze red as a side effect of his keen sight.
Appearance[]
Karl von Kampen has blazing red eyes which he keeps almost constantly hidden from the world behind dark sunglasses.
Personality[]
Karl von Kampen is a shrewd and thoughtful man, well accustomed to making decisions and acting upon them.
Trivia[]
- Karl refers to his ace as "fokus".
- He wears sunglasses, even inside, to maintain the secret that he is an ace.
Selected Reading[]
- Wild Cards Volume I: Wild Cards "Captain Cathode and the the Secret Ace"