| Forbush Man | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | As Irving Forbush: Snafu #1 (November 1955) As Forbush Man: Not Brand Echh #1 (August 1967) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Irving Forbush |
| Place of origin | Earth-665 |
| Team affiliations | The New Paramounts |
| Abilities | Forbush vision (shows the recipient a hell of their own creation) |
Forbush Man (spelledForbush-Man in his early appearances) is a character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Originally themascot of Marvel'sNot Brand Echh, he is the alter-ego ofIrving Forbush, a fictional employee of "Marble Comics" (a parody of Marvel). Forbush was devised in 1955 by Marvel editorStan Lee to refer to an imaginary low-grade colleague who was often the butt of Lee's jokes. In his guise of Forbush-Man, he first appeared in 1967.[1]
According to Marvel Comics'Alternate Universes 2005, Forbush Man is a native of Earth-665 as opposed to Marvel's regularEarth-616.
Irving Forbush was introduced in Marvel's short-lived satirical comic bookSnafu as a mascot.[2] Forbush was given a line in the magazine's content page where he was credited asSnafu's founder.[3] Another Forbush family member, Melvin, was mentioned in the letters column reference, "Losted [sic] by his cousin, Melvin Forbush".[3] DuringSnafu's three-issue run, starting in November 1955, the "actual face" of Irving Forbush was often shown, though this face was of someone not named Irving Forbush.[vague]
Forbush-Man first appeared on the cover of the first issue of the satiricalNot Brand Echh (cover-dated Aug. 1967), drawn byJack Kirby and featuringDoctor Doom, theFantastic Four and theSilver Surfer cowering in fear as Forbush Man approaches. Forbush-Man is a wannabe superhero with no superpowers who wears a costume comprising redlong johns with the letter F on the front, black galoshes and a cooking pot with eye-holes on his head.[4]
Forbush-Man's first major appearance was in the lead story ofNot Brand Echh #5 (December 1967): "The Origin of Forbush-Man", which was "conceived, created and cluttered-up" by Lee and Kirby. In this story, Forbush-Man's secret identity is revealed as Irving Forbush, the fictitious office gofer at Marble Comics. The character has a shrewish maiden aunt (Auntie Mayhem) who is 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. The fictional October 13, 1939, edition of theDaily Bugle claims an "Irving Forbush" was born on Friday the 13th, his parents Stan and Jacqueline wanting a daughter instead. Like his better-known Marvel contemporaries, Forbush-Man triumphs over a number of super powered adversaries, starting with 'TheJuggernut' inNot Brand Echh #5. All of his victories are purely accidental; lacking superhuman powers, dumb luck plays a major role in all his adventures.
Forbush-Man's next appearance came inNot Brand Echh #8 (June 1968), when he applies for membership with theAvengers parody the Revengers, theS.H.I.E.L.D. parody S.H.E.E.S.H, and finally theX-Men parody The Echhs-Men. His third major appearance came inNot Brand Echh #13 (May 1969, the comic's final issue), which finds him in a loose parody ofSilver Surfer #5 (April 1969). Writer Lee himself puts in an appearance as Marble Comics' "Fearless Leader" in the final two panels.
On page 3 ofFantastic Four Annual #3 (1965) as the crowd gathers for the wedding ofReed Richards andSue Storm, chants of "We Want Irving Forbush, We Want Irving Forbush" are seen in the background.
He is mentioned bySpider-Man inThe Amazing Spider-Man #35 (April 1966) as what Spider-Man calls an in-joke.[clarification needed] WhenMolten Man tells Spider-Man that when he[clarification needed] beats him,[clarification needed] nobody would stop him,[clarification needed] Spider-Man remarks, "There's always Irving Forbush."
In the 1978 instructional paperbackHow To Draw Comics The Marvel Way, Chapter Five focuses on drawing a humanoid figure. The introduction states, "...Most anyone can draw a stick figure. (Even Irving Forbush!)"[5]
In the early 1990s, whenComics Buyer's Guide begin their annual fan awards, Marvel came up with its own award for assistant editors as they were ineligible for the CBG awards. Some ballots, which appeared on Marvel's letters pages, listed Forbush as a choice for top assistant editor.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Forbush Man became the mascot of theMarvel Age news magazine. He also was a main cast member inWhat The--?!, a satirical ensemble book. In 1993, Forbush Man was killed fightingDumsday in a parody ofDC Comics' "The Death of Superman".
Forbush Man appears in the 2006 seriesNextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. as a member of "The New Paramounts", a team consisting ofNot Brand Echh characters. He is later killed byTabitha Smith after failing to control her mind.[6]
Forbush Man later appeared in the 2010 one-shotCaptain America: Who Won't Wield the Shield. He is killed while defending Marvel Comics employees from critics who believe that they have made comics too dark, but soon returns as a zombie.
The original Forbush Man had no superpowers. The Forbush Man who appeared inNextwave can project deadly hallucinations into the minds of others, with this power normally being blocked by his helmet.[6]
During the DC/MarvelAmalgam Universecrossover, Irving Forbush was fused with DC's AL to form Al Forbush, proprietor of Lobo the Duck's favorite diner in the series' parody installment. He wears Forbush Man's trademark cooking pot with eye holes on his head.[citation needed]
InInfinity Wars, Forbush Man is fused withEternity and temporarily gains cosmic powers.[7]
Irving Forbush makes non-speaking cameo appearances in photographs depicted in theMarvel Cinematic Universe seriesDaredevil,Jessica Jones,Luke Cage,Iron Fist,The Defenders, andThe Punisher. This version is a police captain and attorney portrayed byStan Lee.[8][9][7]
Forbush Man appears as a playable character inLego Marvel Super Heroes 2.[10]
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