Grifter (Cole Cash) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Wildstorm Productions and DC Comics. Created by artist Jim Lee and writer Brandon Choi, he first appeared in WildC.A.T.s #1 (August 1992), as a member of that titular superhero team, during the period when Wildstorm and its properties were owned by Jim Lee. In that incarnation, Grifter is a former government operative and member of the military unit Team 7 and the espionage agency International Operations.
In 1999, Lee sold Wildstorm to DC Comics, and ownership of all Wildstorm characters, including Grifter, transferred to DC Comics. His history and continuity remained the same however, until DC's 2011 relaunch of their entire comics line, The New 52, which rebooted the continuity for most of its characters. Since then, the character has starred in his own DC series, and has also made appearances in numerous other DC titles, such as Voodoo, Legion Lost, Team 7, Animal Man and Deathstroke.
The character has been voiced by Colin O'Meara in Wild C.A.T.s, and Danny Jacobs in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.
Publication history The character debuted in WildC.A.T.S. #1 (August 1992). He was later a major character in the original Team 7 miniseries. In 1997, co-creator Brandon Choi picked this mini-series as his favorite Grifter story, explaining, "I really enjoyed [writer] Chuck Dixon's portrayal of the team members, especially Cole. He really wove Cole's background into the whole Team 7 story in a very believable fashion." *
In May 1995, the character starred in his own solo series, which was concluded in March 1996 with a total of ten issues. A second solo series ran from July 1996 to August 1997, with a total of 14 issues. The character also starred in the five-issue mini-series Point Blank.
In June 2011, DC Comics announced that Grifter would be incorporated into the DC Universe in a new ongoing series written by Nathan Edmondson and drawn by CAFU as part of its September 2011 relaunch of its comics properties. Beginning with Grifter #9 in May 2012, series writer Nathan Edmondson was replaced with Rob Liefeld.Renaud, Jeffrey (January 19, 2012). "Rob Liefeld Takes 'Deathstroke,' 'Grifter' & 'Hawkman' to the Extreme". Comic Book Resources. The title concluded in issue #16.Allen, Todd (October 15, 2012). "Liefeld Was Right: DC Cancels Blue Beetle, Legion Lost, Grifter, Frankenstein". Comics Beat.
Fictional character biography Team 7 From a young age, Cole Cash took part in his con man father Jacob Winston "Win" Cash's various grifts, until Cole witnessed his father's apparent murder at the hands of mobster Sam Del Gracci.Grifter (vol. 2) #2 (August 1996) Cole's mother went on to marry Del Gracci who regularly beat Cole,Grifter #1 (May 1995) while also doting on Cole's younger brother Max.Grifter (vol. 2) #4 (October 1996) As a teenager, Cole ran away from home and became the getaway driver for a crew of robbers. When his fellow criminals turned violent, Cole intervened, saving the life of F.B.I. agent Joseph Brockmeyer.Gen 12 #2 (March 1998) He was apprehended, and Brockmeyer gave him the choice of either joining the clandestine agency known as International Operations or go to jail. Cole joined I.O., and received training from future Team 7 teammate Marc SlaytonThe Kindred (vol. 2) #1 (March 2002) who would eventually become the hero known as Backlash, as well as former members of I.O.'s previous covert operations team, Team 6.Grifter (vol. 2) #1 (July 1996) At some point, Cole may have been a part of the Army's Special Forces.Team 7 #1 (October 1994)
Cole joined Team 7, being given the codename Deadeye.Team 7 #2 (November 1994) The group was deliberately exposed to an experimental chemical called the Gen Factor, which activated a variety of psi powers in them, but which also detrimentally affected their mental health. After the experiment the survivors were classified as Gen 12. Cole suspected that high-ranking I.O. officers were behind the experiment, while they claimed that it was an unknown chemical weapon. Cole grew more and more disgruntled with I.O.'s manipulations and secrecy and rebelled against teammates John Lynch and Slayton, particularly after Slayton killed an innocent scientist Cole had tried to rescue during a mission in Leningrad, which Slayton had done on their I.O. superiors' orders.Team 7: Dead Reckoning #1 (January 1996)
Most of Team 7 quit I.O. and went into hiding after they became aware that Craven was interested in using their children, the Gen13, who were believed to have inherited their fathers' powers, as weapons.Team 7: Dead Reckoning #4 (April 1996)
Cole struck out on his own, eventually crossing paths with the ancient Kherubim warrior Zealot. They fell in love, and she took the unprecedented measure of teaching him, a man, the ways of the Coda, the warrior order she had once belonged to. Her Coda-teachings stabilized Cole's sanity and removed what remained of his psionic powers. Cole and Zealot fought their own private war against members of the Daemonite race, as well as the Coda, Cole first taking the codename Grifter.
Wildcats and Grifter solo series Cole and Zealot's relationship eventually came to an end, though they remained partners. Both eventually joined the Daemonite-hunting team the WildC.A.T.s.WildC.A.T.s #1 (August 1992)WildC.A.T.s #2 (September 1992) Cole still loved Zealot, though he was unwilling to rekindle their relationship, since he thought doing so would only bring him pain.WildC.A.T.s #8 (February 1994) To stop two Daemonite lords from acquiring a spaceship which could be used to destroy or conquer Earth, the WildC.A.T.s allied themselves with Hightower, a Daemonite who had killed Grifter's friend Lonely.WildC.A.T.s Trilogy #1 (June 1993) Grifter voiced his objections and, once WildC.A.T.s founder Jacob Marlowe threatened to kick Grifter out of the team, Cole chose instead to quit on the spot.WildC.A.T.s #20 (May 1995) During the scramble for control of the spaceship, Grifter killed Hightower, avenging Lonely. The ship's self-destruct sequence was activated, however, and the other WildC.A.T.s were forced to enter it and try to defuse it. They succeeded, resulting in the ship entering warpspace, taking it and the WildC.A.T.s back to Khera, while Earth's post-human population, including Grifter, believed the team dead.Wildstorm Rising #2 (June 1995)
While another iteration of the WildC.A.T.s was created shortly thereafter, which included Cole's brother Max, operating under the codename Condition Red,WildC.A.T.s #21 (July 1995) Grifter opted to operate independently, eventually becoming a mercenary soldier once again. Cole, with help from special agent Brockmeyer and I.O. officer and friend Alicia Turner, managed to get Del Gracci on tape confessing to Cole's father's murder. Grifter eventually found out from Max that his father had faked his own death, and confronted Winston in New Orleans. Winston revealed that he had stolen money from the Mafia, and had faked his own death to escape retaliation from the mob.Grifter (vol. 2) #5 (November 1996) Win tried to manipulate Grifter into protecting him from a man he had partnered on a con with and had come to the conclusion that Win was exploiting him. Grifter realized that his father was did not love him, and was a psychopath who was trying to use him. Cole then unraveled Win's latest con, and threatened to kill him if he ever came to Cole's attention again. Ultimately, letting his father escape before the police arrived.
The WildC.A.T.s eventually returned from Khera, and Grifter rejoined the team.WildC.A.T.s #31 (September 1996) Cole still had feelings for Zealot, and was particularly hurt when Zealot and John Colt who had previously been Spartan until Colt's memories and personality implanted in him resurfaced, briefly rekindled their relationship. Cole and John Colt both insisted Zealot choose between them and, though she was initially unwilling to deal with the situation,WildC.A.T.s #36 (March 1997)WildC.A.T.s #37 (April 1997) she eventually decided she needed to choose to preserve the team's cohesion, and initially chose Colt out of a sense of loyalty as a Kherubim, eventually parting ways with him.WildC.A.T.s #40 (July 1997) Grifter began trying to seize the reins of the WildC.A.T.s and eventually became their leaderWildC.A.T.s #41 (August 1997) during a period of time in which the team gained new members, including Olympia Atreidae, and Max Cash rejoined. Max was eventually murdered by a Coda assassin, and Grifter considered killing her in revenge, though Olympia who had developed feelings for Max,WildC.A.T.s #46 (February 1998) murdered the assassin before the situation could come to a head.WildC.A.T.s #50 (June 1998)
After going their separate ways for a period of time, the Wildcats were reformed, only to disband once again after Zealot's apparent death during a mission.Wildcats #4 (September 1999) Grifter spent some time operating once more as a mercenary, before joining a new iteration of the Wildcats, formed to take down a mysterious figure with ties to the Kherubims and Daemonites called Kenyan.Wildcats #1 (March 1999) By this point, the John Colt identity had recededWildcats (vol. 3) #5 (January 2009) and Spartan's original personality had returned, and, as members of the new Wildcats team, Spartan and Grifter maintained a good working relationship, though Grifter seemed to hold some antipathy towards him.Wildcats #5 (November 1999) Around this time, Cole attended Team 7 member Alex Fairchild's funeral with other still living members of the team, Lynch and Jackson Dane, as well as the members of Gen13, which includes Fairchild's daughters Caitlin Fairchild and Roxanne Spaulding.Gen 13 (vol. 2) #41 (July 1999)
Grifter teamed-up with Backlash to help a group of animal-human hybrids called the Kindred. Tensions between the two remained high over what had occurred in Leningrad. Cole eventually came to the conclusion that Marc had changed, and opted to forgive him, and the two parted as friends.The Kindred (vol. 2) #4 (June 2002)
Cole went on to have an encounter with Zealot, discovering she was alive, and managed to attain some closure.Wildcats #27 (November 2001) Spartan, now calling himself Jack Marlowe, came to an understanding with Cole, the two realizing they were like family, and would continue to work together in the future.
Point Blank, Wildcats 3.0 and Sleeper After Team 7 field leader John Lynch was shot in the head, leaving him in a coma, Cole investigated the attack on Lynch,Point Blank #1 (October 2002) eventually coming to the conclusion that former WildC.A.T.S. member turned traitor Tao was involved in it.Point Blank #2 (November 2002) Cole discovered that Tao had created an organization made up of post-human criminals,Point Blank #3 (December 2002) and that Lynch had placed an undercover I.O. agent, Holden Carver in the organization, and vowed to help him leave the organization and clear his name.Point Blank #5 (February 2003) Tao eventually revealed that he had manipulated and brainwashed Cole into shooting Lynch, and then promptly forgetting about it. Tao then proceeded to erase this knowledge from Cole's mind once again, leaving him unaware of his role in Lynch's attack and Carver's status as an undercover agent.
During a mission for Jack Marlowe, Cole's legs were shattered by an FBI agent. Therefore, he could no longer operate as Marlowe's field agent. He trained accountant Edwin Dolby (Grifter) to take his place. Dolby turned out to be unsuitable for the violent life that Grifter planned for him and resigned from Halo. After Marlowe apologized to him, he rejoined, but strictly as an accountant. Grifter remodeled the robotic body of former teammate Ladytron as a remote-controlled body for himself.Wildcats 3.0. Wildstorm Productions.