E-Man
Encyclopedia
E-Man is a fictional
comic book
superhero
created by writer
Nicola Cuti and artist
Joe Staton
for Charlton Comics
in 1973. Though the character's original series was short-lived, the lightly humorous hero has become a cult-classic
sporadically revived by various independent comics publishers.
, Connecticut
-based Charlton Comics. For the last four, artist Staton created painted covers, a comics rarity at the time.
The stories were humorous and lighthearted, in the style of Plastic Man
, especially as E-Man could form himself into anything he wanted.
Backup features were Cuti and Tom Sutton
's "The Knight", starring a superspy
agent of C.H.E.S.S.; Joe Gill
and Steve Ditko
's "Liberty Belle
"; two stories of writer-artist Ditko's superhero "Killjoy"; the time-traveling "Travis", by Cuti and Wayne Howard; and, in the color-comics debut of John Byrne, three stories of "Rog-2000
", written by Cuti and starring a wiseacre, cigar-smoking robot Byrne had created in his fan-artist days.
A supporting character, the grubby but right-hearted detective Mike Mauser, got his own backup series in Charlton's Vengeance Squad. An additional E-Man story, which introduced his energy-being "sister", Vamfire, appeared in the company's in-house fan magazine, Charlton Bullseye
#4.
In 1977, six issues were reprinted under the Modern Comics label for sale as bagged sets in discount department stores such as North America
.
the rights to E-Man. First's E-Man ran 25 issues (April 1983 - Aug. 1985), with the company also publishing a seven-issue miniseries
, The Original E-Man and Michael Mauser, that reprinted those characters' Charlton stories.
Staton did the artwork, with stories written by Martin Pasko
, Paul Kupperberg
, Cuti, and Staton himself. In the course of the run, Staton acquired the copyright to the character from First, although First Comics retained ownership of those stories that had been published by them.
series, Comico
published an E-Man one-shot (Sept. 1989) by Cuti & Staton, followed by a three-issue miniseries
(Jan.-March 1990). After Comico's demise, Alpha Productions did a one-shot in (Sept. 1993), as well as three ashcan
previews of that issue.
E-Man appeared in the two-page story "Come and Grow Old With Me", by Cuti and Staton, published in the magazine Comic Book Artist
#12 (March 2001).
Cuti & Station reteamed for two one-shots by Digital Webbing Press
published the one-shots E-Man: Recharged (Oct. 2006) and E-Man: Dolly (Sept. 2007), each with Cuti & Staton as the creative team. The indicia for each listed E-Man as copyright
ed by "Joe Staton/First Comics".
A previously unpublished E-Man story (done originally for Alpha Productions) by Cuti & Staton, saw print in Charlton Spotlight #6 (2008), along with an unpublished Mike Mauser story.
. Traveling the galaxy he learned about life, how to duplicate the appearance of life, and good and evil. Reaching Earth, he met exotic dancer
/grad student Katrinka Colchnzski (who attended Xanadu University), also known as Nova Kane (novocaine), and formed himself into a superhero dubbed E-Man, with a civilian identity dubbed "Alec Tronn" (electron
). His emblem was the famous mass-energy equivalence
formula "E=mc2", and his powers included firing energy blasts from his hands, changing his appearance, and transforming part or all of his body into anything he could envision (e.g., turning his feet into jet engine
s so he could fly).
Nova would later be caught in a nuclear explosion and gain the same powers as E-Man and become his partner; later still, she would lose her powers and become a normal human being again, only to regain her powers sometime afterward. During their early adventures they picked up a pet koala
named Teddy Q, whose intelligence grew to the point where he had a job waiting tables in a cafe.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
created by writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Nicola Cuti and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Joe Staton
Joe Staton
Joe Staton is an American illustrator and writer of comic books.-Career:Staton started his work with Charlton Comics in 1971 and gained notability as the artist of the super-hero book E-Man...
for Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1946 to 1985, having begun under a different name in 1944. It was based in Derby, Connecticut...
in 1973. Though the character's original series was short-lived, the lightly humorous hero has become a cult-classic
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
sporadically revived by various independent comics publishers.
Charlton Comics
The character premiered in E-Man #1, the first of ten issues (Oct. 1973 - Sept. 1975) published by the DerbyDerby, Connecticut
Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,391 at the 2000 census. With of land area, Derby is Connecticut's smallest municipality.The city has a Metro-North railroad station called Derby – Shelton.-History:...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
-based Charlton Comics. For the last four, artist Staton created painted covers, a comics rarity at the time.
The stories were humorous and lighthearted, in the style of Plastic Man
Plastic Man
Plastic Man is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1 ....
, especially as E-Man could form himself into anything he wanted.
Tom Sutton
Tom Sutton was an American comic book artist who sometimes used the pseudonyms Sean Todd and Dementia...
's "The Knight", starring a superspy
Spy fiction
Spy fiction, literature concerning the forms of espionage, was a sub-genre derived from the novel during the nineteenth century, which then evolved into a discrete genre before the First World War , when governments established modern intelligence agencies in the early twentieth century...
agent of C.H.E.S.S.; Joe Gill
Joe Gill
Joseph Gill was an American magazine writer and highly prolific comic book scripter. Most of his work was for Charlton Comics, where he co-created the superheroes Captain Atom, Peacemaker, and Judomaster, among others. Comics historians consider Gill a top contender as the comic-book field's most...
and Steve Ditko
Steve Ditko
Stephen J. "Steve" Ditko is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the artist co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange....
's "Liberty Belle
Liberty Belle (comics)
Liberty Belle is the name of three fictional superheroes. Two are from DC Comics: Libby Lawrence and Jesse Chambers, the other is from Charlton Comics: Caroline Dean.-Libby Lawrence:...
"; two stories of writer-artist Ditko's superhero "Killjoy"; the time-traveling "Travis", by Cuti and Wayne Howard; and, in the color-comics debut of John Byrne, three stories of "Rog-2000
Rog-2000
Rog-2000 is a fictional robot that was the first professional creation of comic book artist-writer John Byrne. Rog-2000 serves as the mascot of Byrne Robotics.-Publication history:...
", written by Cuti and starring a wiseacre, cigar-smoking robot Byrne had created in his fan-artist days.
A supporting character, the grubby but right-hearted detective Mike Mauser, got his own backup series in Charlton's Vengeance Squad. An additional E-Man story, which introduced his energy-being "sister", Vamfire, appeared in the company's in-house fan magazine, Charlton Bullseye
Charlton Bullseye (fanzine)
Charton Bullseye was a fanzine published from 1975-76 by the CPL Gang highlighting Charlton Comics. It was a large format publication, with color covers on card stock and black & white interiors...
#4.
In 1977, six issues were reprinted under the Modern Comics label for sale as bagged sets in discount department stores such as North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
First Comics
In 1983, during a period of financial uncertainty for Charlton, the company sold independent publisher First ComicsFirst Comics
First Comics was an American comic-book publisher that was active from 1983–1991, known for titles like American Flagg!, Grimjack, Nexus, Badger, Dreadstar, and Jon Sable...
the rights to E-Man. First's E-Man ran 25 issues (April 1983 - Aug. 1985), with the company also publishing a seven-issue miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, The Original E-Man and Michael Mauser, that reprinted those characters' Charlton stories.
Staton did the artwork, with stories written by Martin Pasko
Martin Pasko
Martin Pasko is a writer and editor in a diverse array of media, including comic books and television.Pasko has worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his work with DC Comics over three decades. He has written Superman in many media, including television animation, webisodes, and...
, Paul Kupperberg
Paul Kupperberg
Paul Kupperberg is a former editor for DC Comics, and a prolific writer of comic books and newspaper strips.-Biography:Kupperberg entered the comics field from comics fandom, as had his brother, writer/artist Alan Kupperberg...
, Cuti, and Staton himself. In the course of the run, Staton acquired the copyright to the character from First, although First Comics retained ownership of those stories that had been published by them.
Later publications
Several years after the cancellation of the First ComicsFirst Comics
First Comics was an American comic-book publisher that was active from 1983–1991, known for titles like American Flagg!, Grimjack, Nexus, Badger, Dreadstar, and Jon Sable...
series, Comico
Comicó
Comicó is a village and municipality in Río Negro Province in Argentina....
published an E-Man one-shot (Sept. 1989) by Cuti & Staton, followed by a three-issue miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
(Jan.-March 1990). After Comico's demise, Alpha Productions did a one-shot in (Sept. 1993), as well as three ashcan
Ashcan copy
An ashcan copy is a term that originated in the Golden Age of Comic Books, meant to describe a publication produced solely for legal purposes , and not normally intended for distribution.-Origins:...
previews of that issue.
E-Man appeared in the two-page story "Come and Grow Old With Me", by Cuti and Staton, published in the magazine Comic Book Artist
Comic Book Artist
Comic Book Artist was an American magazine founded by Jon B. Cooke devoted to anecdotal histories of American comic books, with emphasis on comics published since the 1960s...
#12 (March 2001).
Cuti & Station reteamed for two one-shots by Digital Webbing Press
Digital Webbing
Digital Webbing is an American comic book publishing company founded by Ed Dukeshire.-History:Digital Webbing's core publication, Digital Webbing Presents, begun in 2001, is a 32- to 56-page anthology title featuring stories from new creators generally culled from Digital Webbing's website community...
published the one-shots E-Man: Recharged (Oct. 2006) and E-Man: Dolly (Sept. 2007), each with Cuti & Staton as the creative team. The indicia for each listed E-Man as copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
ed by "Joe Staton/First Comics".
A previously unpublished E-Man story (done originally for Alpha Productions) by Cuti & Staton, saw print in Charlton Spotlight #6 (2008), along with an unpublished Mike Mauser story.
Fictional character biography
E-Man is a sentient packet of energy thrown off by a novaNova
A nova is a cataclysmic nuclear explosion in a star caused by the accretion of hydrogen on to the surface of a white dwarf star, which ignites and starts nuclear fusion in a runaway manner...
. Traveling the galaxy he learned about life, how to duplicate the appearance of life, and good and evil. Reaching Earth, he met exotic dancer
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
/grad student Katrinka Colchnzski (who attended Xanadu University), also known as Nova Kane (novocaine), and formed himself into a superhero dubbed E-Man, with a civilian identity dubbed "Alec Tronn" (electron
Electron
The electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
). His emblem was the famous mass-energy equivalence
Mass-energy equivalence
In physics, mass–energy equivalence is the concept that the mass of a body is a measure of its energy content. In this concept, mass is a property of all energy, and energy is a property of all mass, and the two properties are connected by a constant...
formula "E=mc2", and his powers included firing energy blasts from his hands, changing his appearance, and transforming part or all of his body into anything he could envision (e.g., turning his feet into jet engine
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
s so he could fly).
Nova would later be caught in a nuclear explosion and gain the same powers as E-Man and become his partner; later still, she would lose her powers and become a normal human being again, only to regain her powers sometime afterward. During their early adventures they picked up a pet koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
named Teddy Q, whose intelligence grew to the point where he had a job waiting tables in a cafe.