B'wana Beast
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| B'wana Beast | |
 art by Mike Sekowsky |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Showcase #66 (January 1967) |
| Created by | Bob Haney (writer) Mike Sekowsky (artist) |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Mike Payson Maxwell |
| Abilities | Mind control, able to fuse two animals into a chimera. |
B'wana Beast is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe. He first appeared in Showcase #66 (January 1967), and was created by Bob Haney and Mike Sekowsky.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
In his most well-known incarnation, his given name is Mike Maxwell. Maxwell possesses a helmet and elixir which confer on him his powers. These powers are mind control and the ability to fuse together two living animals to make one powerful entity under B'wana Beast's control.
With the help of his gorilla companion, Djuba, in a secret hideout at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, ranger Mike Maxwell drinks the aforementioned elixir and dons the helmet to become B'wana Beast. In the origin issue, he fights Hamid Ali, "He Who Never Dies."
In Animal Man #13 (July 1989), written by Grant Morrison, Maxwell performs a ceremony to find a successor, and he passes the helmet and elixir on to a South African named Dominic Mndawe, who assumes the more politically correct name Freedom Beast.
Mike Maxwell returns in Animal Man #47 (May 1992), corrupted and possessed by the destructive force called the Antagon and transformed into the evil Shining Man. In the ensuing battle, Maxwell is killed.
[edit] Other media
B'wana Beast was featured in the Justice League Unlimited episode "This Little Piggy" (voiced by Peter Onorati). He was recruited by Batman for his superior tracking skills in the search for Wonder Woman, who had been mystically transformed into a pig by Circe. In this incarnation, B'wana Beast was given a thick New York accent and blue collar personality to match, and his abilities were presented as animalistic feats of agility and the ability to communicate with animals.
[edit] Brief bibliography
B'wana Beast would appear in Showcase #66–67. He would not appear again until an issue of DC Challenge, in which he and Djuba teamed up with Congo Bill. This was non-canonical however. His next appearance, around the same time was in Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985. He then showed up in Swamp Thing Annual #3 in 1987. After that, he appeared in Animal Man #1, 3, 4, and 13 in 1988.
He also makes an appearance in the cartoon tie-in series Justice League Unlimited, in issue #29. There he assists Animal Man in defeating the Queen Bee.
