Funnyman (comics)

Funnyman is a fictional comic book character whose adventures were published in 1948 by Magazine Enterprises.[1]

Funnyman
Funnyman #1 (Jan. 1948). Cover art by Joe Shuster.
Publication information
PublisherMagazine Enterprises
First appearanceFunnyman #1 (Jan. 1948)
Created byJerry Siegel (writer)
Joe Shuster (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoLarry Davis
PartnershipsJune Farrell
Happy
Sgt. Harrigan
Notable aliasesComic Crimebuster

Publication history

After leaving DC Comics and suing that company in a dispute over the rights to their character Superman, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster rejoined their former DC editor Vin Sullivan — who had edited the earliest Superman adventures — at his new company, Magazine Enterprises.[2]

Siegel and Shuster's new creation, Funnyman, starred in a series that ran six issues (cover-dated Jan.–Aug. 1948).[3]

In the first issue, Siegel and Shuster mocked what they saw as the rush of Superman clones in a story called "Funman, Comicman and Laffman".[4] In the story, TV comedian Larry Davis dresses up in a costume to catch a fake criminal for a publicity stunt, but he catches a real criminal instead, and decides to become a superhero.

Funnyman's enemies include Doc Gimmick, a criminal robot, and the crime team of Schemer Beamer, Bug-Eyes, Crusher, Rockjaw and the Curve.[5]

A newspaper comic strip debuted in October 1948, but Funnyman also failed to find an audience in this format, and the strip was soon dropped.[6]

References

  1. Yoe, Craig (2016). Super Weird Heroes:Outrageous But Real!. Yoe Books/IDW. p. 147. ISBN 978-1631407451.
  2. Morris, Jon (2015). The League of Regrettable Superheroes: Half Baked Heroes from Comic Book History. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Quirk Books. pp. 54–57. ISBN 978-1-59474-763-2.
  3. Funnyman at the Grand Comics Database
  4. Andrae, Tom; Gordon, Mel (2010). Siegel and Shuster's Funnyman: The First Jewish Superhero, from the Creators of Superman. Feral House. p. 72. ISBN 9781932595789. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  5. Nevins, Jess (2013). Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes. High Rock Press. p. 107. ISBN 978-1-61318-023-5.
  6. Funnyman at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016.

Further reading

  • Gordon, Mel; Andrae, Thomas (2010). Siegel and Shuster's Funnyman: The First Jewish Superhero from the Creators of Superman. Feral House. p. 240. ISBN 1-932595-78-3.


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