Reversing the Numbness: More Watterson Wisdom

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

More Watterson Wisdom

7 comments:

SleekPelt said...: Speaking of comics, did anyone here ever read Groo the Wanderer? I used to crack up at that book when I was a kid.; April 10, 2007 at 10:59 PM
josh williams said...: Never read Groo, but I do wonder what Calvin is watching, must be some top notch cartoon stuff.; April 10, 2007 at 11:15 PM
josh williams said...: My latest post, who is the person in the photo? Three dollars to the first person to guess, it is right in front of you...; April 10, 2007 at 11:17 PM
Mom! Toilets blogged! said...: Does any one remember Forbish Man? Home made super hero who wore a pop corn bowl on his head?

Maybe I'll google it, you guy's are too busy ruling the world to answer my petty questions.

Mom; April 10, 2007 at 11:45 PM
Mom! Toilets blogged! said...: Forbush Man was a wannabe superhero (albeit one with no superpowers), with a costume comprising red long johns with the letter F on the front and a cooking pot with eye-holes on his head. Forbush Man's appearance may be a tribute to the Golden Age Red Tornado character.

Forbush Man appeared on the cover of the first issue of Not Brand Echh, which was drawn by Jack Kirby and features Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer cowering in fear as Forbush Man approaches. However, Forbush Man's first major appearance was in the lead story of Not Brand Echh's fifth issue: The Origin of Forbush Man, which was "conceived, created and cluttered-up" by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In this story, Forbush Man's secret identity is revealed as Irving Forbush, the fictitious office gofer at Marvel Comics.

The name "Irving Forbush" was made up by Stan Lee as far back as 1956 to refer to an imaginary low-grade colleague who became the butt of many of Lee's jokes. The name cropped up repeatedly in the credit panels, Bullpen Bulletins and letters sections of Marvel comics during the 1960s. It soon became an in-joke between Lee and his readers.

* During the 1980s Forbush Man became a staple cast member in the satirical Marvel Comics title What The--?! an ensemble book that encompassed and poked fun at the entirety of the canon Marvel Universe.

* Forbush Man recently appeared in Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. as a member of 'The New Paramounts', a team consisting of Not Brand Echh characters including The Inedible Bulk. This Forbush man was apparently killed by Tabitha Smith after he failed to mind control her (she apparently had no mind).

* Forbush man is a Bystander Token in the Supernova series of the game Heroclix. The token has a low attack power, but high defense value.

[edit] Powers
Forbush Man (possibly an imitation) realizes why he cannot defeat Tabitha Smith in Nextwave #10. Art by Stuart Immonen, text by Warren Ellis.
Forbush Man (possibly an imitation) realizes why he cannot defeat Tabitha Smith in Nextwave #10. Art by Stuart Immonen, text by Warren Ellis.

While the original Forbush Man had no superpowers, the Forbush Man who appeared in Nextwave (who may or may not have been a Broccoli Man) had the power to project utterly realistic visions into the minds of others when he removed the cast-iron pot on his head. The hallucinations typically depicted a reality that was hellish to each victim, slowly killing them as they struggled against it. This power had no effect on Tabitha Smith as, in Nextwave, she has no apparent mind at all. It is also possible that he has powers far beyond this: he cites during his recruitment to the New Paramounts several occasions on which he claims to have saved the Earth from certain doom so quickly and efficiently that nobody realized he'd done anything. Forbush Man even goes so far as to purport that he is "the greatest power in human history," although the veracity of these claims is unverified.

Can I ask my self any more questions? You are welcome.

Mom; April 10, 2007 at 11:52 PM
josh williams said...: ignatious, great question and answer, you should run for president. Oh and sleekpelt the $3.00 check is in the mail. Kudos!; April 11, 2007 at 10:11 AM
Zee said...: Mom, as a comic geek myself, I can honeslty say that I was unaware of the rich history involving Forbush. Pretty interesting stuff. I think maybe that deserved a blog post all its own instead of a comment.

And Hells Yeah I remember Groo the Wanderer.; April 13, 2007 at 10:17 AM

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