Odd Man (comics)

Odd Man
The Odd Man in Detective Comics #487
Publication information
First appearance	Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2 (1978) / Detective Comics #487 (1979)
Created by	Steve Ditko
In-story information
Alter ego	Clayton "Clay" Stoner
Abilities	Low-tech gadgets

The Odd Man is a fictional comic book hero created by Steve Ditko. The character was intended to first appear in Shade, the Changing Man #9 but instead first appeared in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2 (September 1978) in a story that was later reprinted in Detective Comics #487 (December 1979). ^[1]

Fictional character biography

Clay Stoner is a private detective living in River City. He has blue eyes and blond hair which changes to black hair when he acts as a vigilante wearing mismatched clothing under the name the Odd Man. He uses his wits and an elaborate series of gadgets to disorient and confuse his opponents. These include a weighted extended tie, a spray he developed which melts certain plastics, gloves that emit powder or smoke when he claps his hands together, and a slippery oil spray. He also has the ability to make his enemies black out, presumably through the use of one of his sprays or concoctions. ^[2]

Origin

"He came from nowhere, garbed in a confused costume that would make a carnival clown blush with embarassment[sic]. His weapons were absurd -- impossible! But somehow he became the terror of criminals, and everyone began to wonder ... who is the Odd Man?" (from "The Odd Man" by Steve Ditko, published in Detective Comics #487).

Publication history

• Detective Comics #487 (the Odd Man—debut, originally intended for Shade, the Changing Man #9 ^[3] ) (December 1979 – January 1980) The Odd Man was introduced in an eponymous story that had him pitted against the supposed reincarnation of the first Nile Queen and her Pharaoh consort.
• Superboy (vol. 4) #65 (August 1999) ^[4]
• Mother Panic #3 – 6 (2016–2017)

References

1. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 352. ISBN   978-1-4654-5357-0.
2. "Obscure DC Comics Characters: O". cosmicteams.com. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
3. "Detective Comics #487". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
4. "The Odd Man". thrillingdetective.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14.

External links

• Clay Stoner (New Earth) at the DC Comics Database