Forbush Man
| Forbush Man | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Irving Forbush: Snafu (1955) Forbush Man: Not Brand Echh #1 (cover) (Aug. 1967), #5 (major debut) (Dec. 1967) |
| Created by |
Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist) |
| 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 (spelled Forbush-Man in his early appearances), is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally the mascot of Marvel's Not Brand Echh, he is the alter-ego of Irving Forbush, a fictional employee of "Marble Comics" (a parody of Marvel). Forbush was dreamed up in 1955 by Marvel editor Stan 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.
According to Marvel Comics' Alternate Universes 2005, Forbush Man is a native of Earth 665, as opposed to Marvel's regular Earth-616.
Irving Forbush was introduced in Marvel's short-lived satirical comic book Snafu as a mascot. Forbush was given a line in the magazine's content page where he was credited as Snafu's founder. Another Forbush family member, Melvin, was mentioned in the letters column reference, "Losted [sic] by his cousin, Melvin Forbush." During Snafu'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.
Forbush-Man first appeared on the cover of the first issue of the satirical Not Brand Echh (cover-dated Aug. 1967), drawn by Jack Kirby and featuring Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer cowering in fear as Forbush Man approaches. Forbush-Man is a wannabe superhero with no superpowers who wears 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 first major appearance was in the lead story of Not Brand Echh #5 (Dec. 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 the Daily 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 'The Juggernut' in Not Brand Echh #5. All of his victories are purely accidental; lacking superhuman powers, dumb luck plays a major role in all his adventures.
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