Friday, October 1, 2010

Forbush Man

History
Not Brand Echh
Forbush Man was a revamp for Irving Forbush, the mascot for a Mad-like comic called Snafu. Like his predecessor, he was a mascot for a comic. In FM's case, it was Not Brand Echh, Marvel's silver age parody comic. Although appearing on the cover of issue one, he doesn't get a story 'till issue five. In The Origin of Forbush-Man, it's revealed he was Irving Forbush, a fictional gofer for Marble Comics. His Auntie Mayhem was responsible (albeit indirectly) for his costume. She slammed a pot on his head (when she was mad at him) and gave him the disguise he wanted so he could be a hero. He later cut two holes in it and put on red long johns (with the letter F on the front). Numerous in-jokes imply Forbush might be Jewish. When he went to fight crime, (having no powers) his dumb luck was necessary to defeat his foes (such as the Juggernut (Juggernaut)). In his next appearance, he tried (and failed) to join the Revengers (Avengers), S.H.E.E.S.H. (S.H.I.E.L.D.) and the Echhs-Men (X-Men). However, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band invited him, but he decided to "quit while I'm still behind". In issue 13, in a loose parody of Silver Surfer # 5, he battled the Strangie (the Stranger). There was more Jewish references and superhero parodies (Spidey-Man (Spider-Man), The Thung (The Thing), The Human Scorch (The Human Torch) and The Simple Surfer (Silver Surfer)) appear.
What The--?!
He became one of the staple characters of What The--?!, which poked fun at the Marvel Universe and beyond. He died in a parody of the Death of Superman at the hands of Dumsday (Doomsday).
Nextwave
Please note the Nextwave series may or not be part of the Marvel main continuity. He is a member of the New Paramounts (funded by the Beyond Corporation©, yes the "©" is part of the name), whose members are former Not Brand Echh characters. Here, he has an illusion casting ability called Forbush-Vision and is a villain (and possibly a Broccoli Man robot). Tabitha Smith (who was unaffected because apparently she has no mind) managed to kill him.

Powers
In Not Brand Echh and What The--?!, he had no powers, but lots of dumb luck. In the Nextwave, he has Forbush Vision, where the victims are exposed to hallucinations that make them think they're in a hellish (from their point of view) reality and slowly die, while trying to resist. Despite claiming he is "the greatest power in human history", he is easily defeated by Tabitha Smith.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbush_Man
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Forbush

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