Forbush Man

Superherobox


caption = Panel from "The Origin of Forbush Man"
character_name = Forbush Man
publisher = Marvel Comics
debut = "Not Brand Echh" #1 (cover), #5 (major debut)
creators = Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
alter_ego = Irving Forbush
full_name =
species =
homeworld = Earth-665
alliances = The New Paramounts
aliases =
supports=
powers = Forbush vision (shows the recipient a hell of their own creation)

Forbush Man, (spelt Forbush-Man in his early appearances), was the mascot of Marvel Comics' "Not Brand Echh", a 1960s comic book that spoofed other comic books, including Marvel's own line of superhero titles. According to "Alternate Universes 2005", Forbush Man is a native to Earth 665, as opposed to Marvel's regular Earth-616.

Fictional character biography

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" (August 1967), 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 (December 1967): "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 (here referred to as 'Marble Comics').

The character was supplied with a backstory, including a shrewish maiden aunt (Auntie Mayhem) who was indirectly responsible for her nephew becoming a superhero (in a fit of pique, she slams the fabled cooking pot over Irving's head, inadvertently providing him with the disguise he'd been looking for). Numerous in-jokes peppered throughout the dialogue suggested that Irving and his aunt were both Jewish (a schtick repeated in at least two subsequent storylines).

Like his better known Marvel contemporaries, Forbush-Man went on to triumph over a number of super powered adversaries (starting with 'The Juggernut' in Not Brand Echh number five). All of his victories were purely accidental; lacking superhuman powers, dumb luck necessarily played a major role in all of the character's adventures.

Forbush-Man's next 'canon' appearance came in Not Brand Echh issue eight (June 1968), when he applies for membership with 'The Revengers' (The Avengers), 'S.H.E.E.S.H' (SHIELD) and finally 'The Echhs-Men' (X-Men). After each attempt ends in disaster for the group concerned, Forbush is offered a position in 'Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band,' which he declines, believing it better to 'quit while I'm still behind'.

Forbush-Man's third major appearance came in Not Brand Ecch number 13 (May 1969, coincidentally the comic's final issue), where he fights 'The Strangie' in a loose parody of Silver Surfer number five (April 1969). The story, once again rife with Jewish references, featured caricatures of various Marvel characters (including Spidey-Man, The Thung, The Human Scorch and The Simple Surfer). Stan Lee himself put in an appearance as Marble Comics' 'Fearless Leader' in the final two panels.

The name "Irving Forbush" was made up by Stan Lee as far back as 1955 to refer to an imaginary low-grade colleague who became the butt of many of Lee's jokes. Irving was introduced in Snafu magazine, a clone of Mad Magazine and Irving was a clone of their mascot Alfred E. Newman. During Snafu's three issue run, starting November 1955, the actual face of Irving was often shown. However, when Stan Lee began to use the character again the 1960s, part of the joke was that you never saw his face. 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. The Bullpen Bulletins page often promised to answer the question "Is Irving Forbush a real person?", but the following month's column would not mention him. Eventually, Lee gave the above explanation in the March 1979 column. In the early 1990s, when "Comics Buyer's Guide" had their fan awards, Marvel came up with its own award for assistant editors who had been left out. Some ballots (which appeared on letters pages) listed Irving Forbush as a choice, others did not.

Other media

*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.
*Forbush Man makes an unnamed appearance in the second and third books of the "Time's Arrow" trilogy of Spider-Man and X-Men novels.

Other versions

What The--?!

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 and beyond.

Nextwave

Forbush Man appeared in "" 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).

Lobo the Duck

During the DC/Marvel Amalgam Universe crossover, Irving Forbush was fused with DC's AL to form Al Forbush, proprietor of Lobo the Duck's favourite diner in the series' parody instalment. He wears Forbush Man's trademark cooking pot with eye holes on his head.

Powers

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. He also purports to be "mighty with women," though whether this is one of his many powers is debatable. 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, and Tabitha Smith defeated him with apparently very little effort.

Note: Despite the appearance of Nextwave characters in other Marvel titles, in 2006 Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada stated that Nextwave's setting was in a universe separate from the main Marvel continuity. ^[1]

External links

* [http://www.toonopedia.com/echh.htm Forbush Man at Toonopedia]
* (Marvel Database Project)

References

1. # ^ Wade Gum (2006-07-01). "Heros Con: Joe Quesada Panel", http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/000765389.cfm