Larcen Tyler (mispelled Larson in the title of his final adventure) is a member of the Eternal Champions and star of his own story.
Previous Life and Death[]
Living in an era of organised crime and gangland bosses, Larcen learnt his trade - a cat burglar and petty criminal - under one of the most influential crime syndicate bosses in 1920s Chicago, Mr Tagliani. However, Larcen's one "flaw" is that he would not take up any job offers that would involve him killing anyone. Instead, he used martial arts to immoblise his enemies. When asked to take a package of treats to a rival syndicate, supposedly recovering in hospital,he actually discovered the incorruptible police chief waiting for him. Realising he had been set up, Larcen attempted to throw the package out of the window, but too late, as most of the people in the hospital were killed.
Eternal Champions[]
Tyler was saved by The Eternal Champion, requiring one of nine superb fighters to help him save the world from The Overlord. Larcen took the news well, commenting that death didn't seem all that bad. After a swift lesson from Midknight and Shadow Yamoto, Larcen began training for the tournament that would determine his fate. His first bout was against Jonathan Blade, easily outmanoeuvring his foe and planting a winning blow on his neck. After the fight, Tyler made a pact with his former two aggressors, agreeing to stand together and oppose the Eternal Champion's plans. Yamoto won in her fight against Trident and things looked good, until the bloodlust awoke inside Midknight and forced him to fight Tyler. Larcen was easily disposed of by the vampire's rage and was returned to die before Midknight could drink his blood.
He was later rescued by Midknight and Shadow confirming their pact, leading to him joining in the fight against Nakano Industries and the Bio-Key. The "private eye" (an error in the first story) leapt in to save Jetta Maxx when she paid too much attention to the fleeing Nakano and none to an approaching guard. Against the second wave of defences, Larcen showed off his martial arts prowess to Blade, leaping on a giant mecha and launching a kick to weaken it. Upon discovering that three Champions had been lost by deviating from the battle plan, Larcen stopped RAX Coswell from going it alone and was about to use a teleporter to take them back to Fortress Eternity but RAX instead took them straight to The Cyberdome.
Unfortunately, Larcen was forced into another deadly tournament, this time fighting Jetta for a chance to survive. The fight went well for the thief, overpowering the revolutionary. However, a sexist remark towards Maxx empowered her enough to fight back and completely turn the match in her favour. Later, Larcen furiously tried to find a way out of his cage, unhappy about losing and not looking forward to dying again. After escaping, Larcen was then forced to fight rookie Cyber-Fighters, wary about their "fancy ray guns". Larcen returned with the rest to 1994 Tokyo, wondering whether the Bio-Key was really dangerous enough to go back into Nakano Industries for. He was quickly defeated in the ensuing fight.
Outlaw[]
After the final battle, Larcen was returned to his own time, ready for whenever The Eternal Champion needed him again. In order to hide from Tagliani, Tyler hid out in a tiny apartment and cursed his rotten life until an anonymous letter requested his help on a job. The mission saw him infilitrate the offices of new crime boss White Orchid, but was forced to surrender when it was revealed to be Yamoto on an Eternal Champion mission. Stopping Tyler from stealing her paperwork, she revealed why she was there but forbade Tyler from getting involved. Following her to Simpson Quarry, he escaped when the police ambushed them but was confused as to why Shadow allowed herself to be caught. Eager to break her out of prison, Larcen climbed to the 15th floor of the precinct and fought the officers on guard, freeing his friend.
It transpired that Yamoto did not want to be saved, so Tyler offered Yamoto a place to stay in his apartment. The marked man angrily yelled at her when she showed a lack of respect for the home, but mellowed soon after. The rage built up once more when he believed that he was being burgled, only to discover Mr Tagliani in his seat. It was revealed that Tagliani had hired him to collect the documents and was not going to kill him for the second time. Along with Shadow, Larcen was tied up in the back of a car filled with dynamite and pushed towards White Orchid's building. Intense fear broke upon the thief and it was only with Shadow's words and help the pair escaped alive. Shadow was distraught that her work here was completely ruined, only for Larcen to pull out the documents he was hired to steal, ending organised crime's grip on Chicago.
Special Moves[]
Larcen is proficient in the art of Preying Mantis Kung Fu, utilising it in the 20th century for the majority of his crimes. He combines this with cat-like agility to fight his enemies:
- Ceiling Crawl
- Ceiling Drop
- Air Sweep - used against Jetta in their fight
- Long Distance Sweep
- Power Sweep
- Reflect Back
- Sai Throw
- Swinging Hammer Fist
Character[]
Despite being a petty criminal, Larcen dressed much like the common private eye detective of the era - despite having "cat's claw" hand weapons, a grappling hook and shoe blades. While chewing gum and watching everything like a hawk, Tyler has an intense liking for Jetta, who likewise admires him for his un-swerving refusal to kill and his ideals. He admires her for her revolutionary beliefs and hatred of tyranny. Apart from this, Larcen keeps himself to himself most of the time, being neither liked or disliked by the Champions.
Tyler irrationally hates all types of pasta, particularly tagliatelle, since it reminds him of his old boss. Usually calm and unflappable, he has developed a neurosis about sudden loud bangs or explosions - it sets him trembling every time. He often mutters 'I got blown to *@?% once' when asked about it.
Appearances[]
- Issue 19 - cover
- Issue 39 - cover
- Eternal Champions Special - cover and "Champ Stats"