Forbush Man

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Forbush Man was the mascot of Marvel Comics' Not Brand Echh, a 1960's comic book that spoofed other comic books, including Marvel's own line of superhero titles.

Forbush Man was a wannabe superhero (albeit one with no superpowers), with 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 appearance may be a tribute to the Golden Age Red Tornado character.

Forbush Man appeared on the cover of the first issue of Not Brand Echh, which was drawn by Jack Kirby and features Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer cowering in fear as Forbush Man approaches. However, Forbush Man's first major appearance was in the lead story of Not Brand Echh's fifth issue: The Origin of Forbush Man, which was "conceived, created and cluttered-up" by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In this story, Forbush Man's secret identity is revealed as Irving Forbush, the fictitious office gofer at Marvel Comics.

The name "Irving Forbush" was made up by Stan Lee as far back as 1956 to refer to an imaginary low-grade colleague who became the butt of many of Lee's jokes. The name cropped up repeatedly in the credit panels, Bullpen Bulletins and letters sections of Marvel comics during the 1960s. It soon became an in-joke between Lee and his readers.

• During the 1980s Forbush Man became a staple cast member in the satirical Marvel Comics title "What The..?!" an ensemble book that encompassed and poked fun at the entirety of the canon Marvel Universe.

• Forbush Man recently appeared in Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. as a member of 'The New Paramounts', a team consisting of Not Brand Echh characters including The Inedible Bulk.

• Forbush man is a Bystander Token in the Supernova series of the game Heroclix. The token has no attack power, but high defense value.

[edit] Powers

While the original Forbush Man had no superpowers, the Forbush Man who appeared in Nextwave (who may or may not have been a Broccoli Man) had the power to project utterly realistic visions into the minds of others when he removed the cast-iron pot on his head. The hallucinations typically depicted a reality that was hellish to the individual, slowly killing them as they struggled. This power had no effect on Tabitha Smith as, in Nextwave, she has no apparent mind at all.

[edit] External links

• Forbush Man at Toonopedia
• MDP: Forbush Man (Marvel Database Project)