Frog-Man (Ani-Men)
Encyclopedia
Frog-Man is the name of two fictional characters in Marvel Comics
. Both have been members of the Ani-Men
.
#10-11 (October, December 1965), and was created by Stan Lee
, Bob Powell
, and Wally Wood
. The character subsequently appears in Daredevil Annual #2 (1971), X-Men #94-95 (August-October 1975), and Iron Man #115-116 (October-November 1978), in which he dies. The character appears posthumously in Iron Man #139 (October 1980) and Classic X-Men #3 (November 1986). Frog-Man appeared as part of the "Ani-Men" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
#16, and in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #34.
Along with Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man, François "Frog" Leblanc was recruited for his leaping ability by a man named the Organizer to form the Ani-Men
. The Organizer was secretly Abner Jonas, a candidate for mayor of New York City, who sent the Ani-Men on missions to undermine the current administration. Daredevil defeated them, and the Ani-Men and Organizer all went to prison.
Later, the Ani-Men went to work for Count Nefaria
. Nefaria's scientists submitted the unwitting Ani-Men to processes that gave them superhuman powers and animal-like forms. The Ani-Men invaded the Cheyenne Mountain missile base for Count Nefaria, and fought the X-Men
.
The Ani-Men lost their superhuman powers and reverted back to normal. Nefaria sent the four original Ani-Men to kill Tony Stark
, however the Spymaster detonated a bomb with which he had intended to kill Stark, and the resulting explosion killed the Ani-Men instead.
storyline, a second Frog-Man alongside a third Ape-Man and a third Cat-Man went on a crime spree when the heroes were on Battleworld. They somehow got the equipment of the original Ani-Men and used it to rob a vault wagon only to be opposed by the NYPD.
(French kickboxing). Leblanc was later subjected to an unknown mutagenic process administered by Count Nefaria
's scientists which temporarily gave him frog-like legs that gave him superhuman leaping ability, as well as superhuman strength, stamina, and agility.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. Both have been members of the Ani-Men
Ani-Men
The Ani-Men is the name of several fictional teams within the Marvel Universe. Four of them are villain groups, while one of them was introduced as a team of agents serving the High Evolutionary.-Original Ani-Men:...
.
Publication history
Frog-Man first appeared in DaredevilDaredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
#10-11 (October, December 1965), and was created by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
, Bob Powell
Bob Powell (comics)
Bob Powell né Stanislav Robert Pawlowski was an American comic book artist known for his work during the 1930-40s Golden Age of comic books, including on the features "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle" and "Mr. Mystic". He received a belated credit in 1999 for co-writing the debut of the popular...
, and Wally Wood
Wally Wood
Wallace Allan Wood was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, best known for his work in EC Comics and Mad. He was one of Mads founding cartoonists in 1952. Although much of his early professional artwork is signed Wallace Wood, he became known as Wally Wood, a name he...
. The character subsequently appears in Daredevil Annual #2 (1971), X-Men #94-95 (August-October 1975), and Iron Man #115-116 (October-November 1978), in which he dies. The character appears posthumously in Iron Man #139 (October 1980) and Classic X-Men #3 (November 1986). Frog-Man appeared as part of the "Ani-Men" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#16, and in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #34.
François Leblanc
François LeBlanc was born in France, and later became a professional criminal.Along with Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man, François "Frog" Leblanc was recruited for his leaping ability by a man named the Organizer to form the Ani-Men
Ani-Men
The Ani-Men is the name of several fictional teams within the Marvel Universe. Four of them are villain groups, while one of them was introduced as a team of agents serving the High Evolutionary.-Original Ani-Men:...
. The Organizer was secretly Abner Jonas, a candidate for mayor of New York City, who sent the Ani-Men on missions to undermine the current administration. Daredevil defeated them, and the Ani-Men and Organizer all went to prison.
Later, the Ani-Men went to work for Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #13 and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.- Fictional character biography :...
. Nefaria's scientists submitted the unwitting Ani-Men to processes that gave them superhuman powers and animal-like forms. The Ani-Men invaded the Cheyenne Mountain missile base for Count Nefaria, and fought the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
.
The Ani-Men lost their superhuman powers and reverted back to normal. Nefaria sent the four original Ani-Men to kill Tony Stark
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, however the Spymaster detonated a bomb with which he had intended to kill Stark, and the resulting explosion killed the Ani-Men instead.
Frog-Man II
During the Secret WarsSecret Wars
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton...
storyline, a second Frog-Man alongside a third Ape-Man and a third Cat-Man went on a crime spree when the heroes were on Battleworld. They somehow got the equipment of the original Ani-Men and used it to rob a vault wagon only to be opposed by the NYPD.
Powers and abilities
Originally, Leblanc had no superhuman powers. He was an athletic man with Olympic-level leaping ability. He was an excellent hand-to-hand combatant, and an expert in la savateSavate
Savate , also known as boxe française, French boxing, French kickboxing or French footfighting, is a French martial art which uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of western boxing with graceful kicking techniques. Only foot kicks are allowed unlike some systems such as Muay...
(French kickboxing). Leblanc was later subjected to an unknown mutagenic process administered by Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #13 and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.- Fictional character biography :...
's scientists which temporarily gave him frog-like legs that gave him superhuman leaping ability, as well as superhuman strength, stamina, and agility.