Peter Porkchops

Peter Porkchops, also known as the superhero Pig-Iron, is a fictional funny animal pig who appeared in stories published by DC Comics. Peter was created by Otto Feuer, and first appeared in Leading Comics #23 (February/March 1947).

Fictional character biography

Golden and Silver Ages

Peter's adventures mostly consisted of light-hearted fare, usually involving his neighbor A. Wolf (or "Wolfie" as Peter called him). The stories consisted mainly of Wolfie getting up to crafty get-rich-quick schemes with Peter thwarting him at every turn. In spite of this, it was an essentially friendly relationship.

Peter became one of DC's most successful funny animal characters, gaining his own comic in December 1949. Peter appeared throughout the 1950s, with Leading Comics canceled with its 77th issue in 1955; Peter's own comic was canceled with Peter Porkchops #62 in December 1960. He then ceased to appear (except for a few reprints) for the next several decades.

Bronze Age

In 1982, Peter was brought back in a special insert in New Teen Titans #16 (February 1982). In this incarnation he is a steel mill worker in the Earth-C city of Piggsburg. While working one day over a vat, an irradiated meteor fragment slams into Peter, knocking them both into the molten steel; when he emerges, Peter finds himself transformed into a super-strong being of living metal, and soon becomes a superhero named Pig-Iron (a reference to the word "pig iron", a part of the steel making process).

As Pig-Iron, Peter joins the Zoo Crew in Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew, and embarks on various adventures, including facing off against his former neighbor Wolfie, who has been transformed into a "Wuz-Wolf" (Earth-C's version of a werewolf; in this case, a wolf who turned into a monstrous human).^[1] Pig-Iron's personality, unlike Peter's, tended to be much more aggressive and abrasive, similar to that of the Fantastic Four's Thing, although unlike the Thing, Peter finds his metal form more to his liking.

With Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew canceled after its 20th issue in 1983, Peter (as either Pig-Iron or his normal self) once more fell into disuse, and didn't appear in a DC comic for many years.

Modern Age

Peter appears in the miniseries Captain Carrot and the Final Ark. During a battle with the villain Starro, Pig-Iron falls into the flooded world of Earth-26. The Zoo Crew, in the midst of leaving the planet, are unable to go back for him. However, he is next seen in Final Crisis #7, alive and well and participating in the climatic battle.

Powers and abilities

In his Pig-Iron form, Peter is encased in a metallic skin that gives him superhuman strength and endurance, and invulnerability. His major weakness is that he is constantly hungry. Fortunately, he can eat almost anything.

See also

• Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew

External links

• Toonopedia entry on Peter Porkchops

References