Origin
A whole bunch of years ago, Tripper found the Great Wanderin’ Eye of Lamlha in a smoking crater outside Palm Springs. Ever since he started wearing it as an amulet, he has been able to travel the highways of America without ever getting lost, helping people in need of his assistance along the way.
Creation
Tripper debuted in The Alternates #1 by Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, and Tess Fowler.
Major Story Arcs
In the Ledge
Tripper was one of six expendable heroes chosen by The Continuum to investigate The Ledge, a rip in space and time. Unfortunately, they ended up trapped for three years in a mirror world, creating by Ledgerstone, a reality warping god.
There, people were drawn to Tripper, as opposed to the other way around. His lonely life as a hard driving hero was gone, replaced with that of a spiritual guru, full of transcendental intimacy and cosmic-powered love.
Return from The Ledge
Having returned from The Ledge, Tripper no longer felt useful. While he was away, personal GPS had been invented, and everyone had access to his exact same power. For the good of his team, The Alternates, Tripper started group therapy sessions.
Soon, they would be pulled back into superhero duties when one of their members, The Divider, turned up dead at the same time The Continuum started tracking new Ledge energy signatures in the form of a designer drug called Prestige. Tripper would use his abilities to locate the drug-dealer, which led them to his supplier, an airship made of pure imagination. On board was Ledgerstone, who had been taken hostage by a version of The Alternates who claimed to be the originals.
The Alternates who returned to Twilight City were simply splinters of the Ledge with the original heroes’ memories. This is why they struggled so much to return to their normal lives. The original Alternates master plan was to flood the real world with Presitge, spiritually transforming everyone, and killing these false version of themselves. The Alternates couldn’t allow that to happen, but they were severely outmatched by their original versions. Instead, they decided to switch enemies so that they weren’t fighting themselves. They helped each other fight their darkest elements like a true support group.
With the original Alternates and Ledgerstone now dead, Kid Curious was able to access Ledgerstone’s power to become a god. Once his power was amplified, he was able to stop the Prestige from spreading, and then left this plane of existence. The Alternates returned to their lives with more closure and continued their support group, now joined by The Searcher, who had her own problems to work through.
Powers & Abilities
Great Wanderin’ Eye of Lamlha: Tripper has an amulet that allows him to never get lost and find lost people and items. It also allows him to find people who are in need of his assistance.
Expertise: Tripper is an above average driver. His car is called the Trip-Rod.