Bozo the Iron Man

Last updated
Bozo the Iron Man
SmashComicsNumber05.jpg
Bozo on cover of Smash Comics #4 (Dec. 1939), art by Gill Fox.
Publication information
Publisher Quality Comics
First appearance Smash Comics #1 (Aug. 1939)
Created by George Brenner
In-story information
Full nameHugh Hazzard
AbilitiesFlight

Bozo the Iron Man is a fictional character, first appearing in Quality Comics series, Smash Comics #1 (Aug. 1939). The character's adventures were written and drawn by Quality Comics editor George Brenner, using the name "Wayne Reid". [1]

Contents

Publication history

The character was introduced in the story Hugh Hazzard and His Iron Man, and he appeared under that billing for the first 11 issues. Starting with issue #12 (July 1940), the cover billing changed to Bozo the Robot with Hugh Hazzard, and further stories were titled Bozo the Iron Man or Bozo the Robot for the remainder of his run.

Bozo and Hazzard made their last appearance in Smash Comics #41 (March 1943). [2]

Fictional character biography

In the first installment, Commissioner Hunt contacts Hugh Hazzard by signal flare and brings him into the investigation of crimes committed by a mysterious robot. Seeing the robot robbing a jewellery store, Hugh manages to temporarily deactivate it and climbs inside its hollow chest to hitch a ride to the robot's home base. This turns out to be the laboratory of an evil scientist, Dr Von Thorp who is taken to the police by his own robot and later declared insane. The robot is again deactivated, and placed on a garbage scow for disposal at sea, but Hugh Hazzard has ideas of using the robot as a crime-fighting tool. He saves the robot from its watery fate, then names the robot Bozo. [3]

In the next installment, Hazzard is shown examining the robot's blueprints, and stating that the robot can be modified to fly. The modified robot, shown flying with a tiny spinning propeller on its head, is again used to foil a crime. Flying would be a part of all subsequent appearances; at times, the robot could fly faster than 400 miles an hour. [3] The robot can also run at 70 miles an hour, and can walk on the bottom of the ocean floor. [4]

Hazzard's method of operating Bozo varied—in some appearances, Hazzard operates the robot remotely; in others, he travels inside the robot and controls it directly, or travels on the robot's back. [5]

After the pattern of the first adventure, Hugh Hazzard tended to encounter criminals committing crimes with scientific gadgetry, and these criminals tended to become the victims of their own weapons.

As World War II began, Quality Comics addressed the world situation by introducing villain surrogates into their fictional universe. Hugh and Bozo fought "Hitlin" and "the Batzis" in Smash Comics #8 (March 1940), and then ended the war the next month in #9 (April 1940) by traveling to "Hatvia" and defeating Dictator "Motler" and his associate, "Fritz Goeing". The wish-fulfillment story ends with a newspaper headline: "World Peace Proclaimed". [1]

The character's final story, in Smash Comics #41, was called "Collecting Scrap". At the end of the story, neighborhood kids collecting scrap metal for the war chase Bozo, intending to reduce him to scrap. [3]

In 1956, Quality Comics characters were sold to DC Comics. Quality's Blackhawk continued to be published without interruption, but most of their other characters languished. While most of the classic Quality superheroes have seen print again over the years, Hugh Hazzard has not, though a robot resembling Bozo did make a single-panel appearance in an issue of James Robinson's Starman (issue #64, April 2000), where the inactive robot was in a store-room among a Japanese collector's hoard of Golden Age superhero artifacts. [1]

In Robinson's Superman run, Bozo appears alongside other robots including Mekanique, Robotman and various GI Robot models. The robots are part of Sam Lane's Project 7734.

Influence

Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard, a robot supervillain created for DC's 2006 One Year Later event, was derived from a character proposal by Grant Morrison updating Bozo. [6] The final Gonzo character eventually became something very different: a psychotic android that can impersonate a world leader. [7]

Related Research Articles

Spider Widow is a fictional superhero character that was published by Quality Comics during the Golden Age of Comic Books. The character was created by writer and artist Frank Borth, and debuted in Feature Comics #57, which bore a cover date of June 1942. Borth continued to write and draw the Spider Widow feature until the end of its run in Feature Comics #72.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clock (character)</span> Hero from the Golden Age of Comics

The Clock is a fictional masked crime-fighter character created in 1936, during the Golden Age of Comic Books. He was the first fully-masked hero to appear in American comic books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Muscles</span> Comics character

Mr. Muscles is a fictional comic book superhero created in 1956 by writer Jerry Siegel for Charlton Comics, and drawn by Bill Fraccio for the first of two issues of his namesake comic, and by the team of penciler Charles Nicholas and inker Vince Alascia for the second. A young Dick Giordano provided the premiere issue's cover. Siegel, who co-created Superman, wrote both issues featuring Charlton's own muscleman.

<i>Smash Comics</i>

Smash Comics is the title of an American Golden Age comic book anthology series, published by Quality Comics for 85 issues between 1939 and 1949. It became the series Lady Luck for #86-90.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultra-Man</span> Comics character

Ultra-Man is the name of two fictional comic-book superheroes, father and son, that first appeared during the 1940s, the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books. Both were characters of All-American Publications, which merged, in 1946, with DC Comics-predecessor National Periodical Publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comet (Archie Comics)</span> Comics character

The Comet is a fictional character that first appeared in Pep Comics #1 in January 1940. A little over a year later, the Comet was the first superhero to be killed in the line of duty. He died in issue #17, which also introduced his brother, a brutal hero called the Hangman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invisible Hood</span> Fictional supuerhero in DC Comics

The Invisible Hood is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was originally owned by Quality Comics, but was later acquired by DC Comics, along with other Quality characters. He first appeared in Smash Comics #1, and was created by Art Pinajian, who illustrated the story under the pseudonym "Art Gordon".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midnight (DC Comics)</span> Comics character

Midnight is a fictional character owned by DC Comics. A masked detective, he was created by writer-artist Jack Cole for Quality Comics during the 1930s to 1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jester (Quality Comics)</span> Superhero in Quality / DC Comics

Jester is a fictional character, a Golden Age superhero created by Paul Gustavson and published by Quality Comics. He first appeared in Smash Comics #22. Like most of Quality's characters, the Jester was later purchased by DC Comics and incorporated into their universe. Though little used by the company, he appeared in All-Star Squadron #31 and #60 and Starman #46. The character's last Golden Age appearance was in Smash Comics #85.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jigsaw (Harvey Comics)</span> Comics character

Jigsaw is a Joe Simon-created character and two-issue comic series published by Harvey Comics from September to December 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildfire (Carol Vance Martin)</span> Comics character

Wildfire is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe. One of the first female superheroes, she was originally published by Quality Comics during what comics historians and fans called the Golden Age of comic books. With her luxurious mane of red hair and revealing costume, she has been called "the sexiest super-hero of 1941".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skyman (Columbia Comics)</span> Superhero

The Skyman is a fictional comic book superhero that appeared stories during the Golden Age of Comic Books. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Ogden Whitney, the character first appeared in the Columbia Comics omnibus title Big Shot Comics #1. He is unrelated to the DC Comics character.

The Green Mask is the name of two comic book superheroes, both published by Fox Feature Syndicate. Both are in the public domain with some of the original stories having been reprinted by AC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyroman</span> Comics character

Pyroman is a fictional superhero that appeared in comic books published by Nedor Comics. His first appearance was in Startling Comics #18, with art by Jack Binder. This character was later revived by both AC Comics and America's Best Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woman in Red (comics)</span> Fictional character

The Woman in Red is a fictional character that first appeared in the period known to comic book historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Created by writer Richard E. Hughes and artist George Mandel, she first appeared in Thrilling Comics #2, published by Nedor Comics. The character was later revived by writer Alan Moore for America's Best Comics. She would also be used by Dynamite Entertainment in Project Superpowers Chapter Two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Face (character)</span> Superhero from Columbia Comics

The Face is a fictional character, a comic book superhero that appeared in 1940s comics during what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books. He was created by artist Mart Bailey and an unknown writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Owl</span> Comics character

The Black Owl is the name of two fictional superhero characters. Both appeared in the Prize Publications title Prize Comics in the 1940s.

The Little Wise Guys is a group of fictional characters, created by Charles Biro, who first appeared in comic books from Lev Gleason Publications in the 1940s and Image Comics in the 2010s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crimebuster (Boy Comics)</span> Comic book hero

Crimebuster is a fictional boy hero, appearing as the lead feature in Boy Comics in the 1940s and 1950s. Dressed in a hockey uniform and cape, and accompanied by a performing monkey named Squeeks, he fights crime to avenge his parents' deaths. He is described by Joe Brancetelli in The World Encyclopedia of Comics as "a hero, yes, but first a boy... arguably the best-handled boy's adventure feature ever to appear in comics." Some sources credit the character solely to Charles Biro; others co-credit Bob Wood, co-credited on the first cover of the new Boy Comics title.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Koolman, Mike; Amash, Jim (2011). The Quality Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 107–108. ISBN   978-1605490373.
  2. Markstein, Don. "Bozo the Robot (aka Hugh Hazzard and His Iron Man)". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Morris, Jon (2015). The League of Regrettable Superheroes: Half Baked Heroes from Comic Book History. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Quirk Books. p. 23. ISBN   978-1-59474-763-2.
  4. Nevins, Jess (2013). Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes. High Rock Press. p. 36. ISBN   978-1-61318-023-5.
  5. Mitchell, Kurt; Thomas, Roy (2019). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 34. ISBN   978-1605490892.
  6. Williams, Paul (2010). The Rise of the American Comics Artist: Creators and Contexts. University Press of Mississippi. p. 66. ISBN   978-1604737929.
  7. "Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters Sketchbook". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2020.