Pineapple Man
Encyclopedia
Pineapple Man is a fictional independent comic book superhero
created by Sam Campos and published under the SoloGraphics imprint
, formed both by himself and his (now ex) wife Genesis. The character made his debut appearance in a two-part story arc titled Pineapple Man #0: The Hunt in 1994.
Pineapple Man's secret identity
is that of Isamu Pohoa, a young Hawaiian man who turned to a life of crime after graduating from High School. After falling out of favor with the crime lord Kawafuchi, Sam is shot and left for dead atop an ancient heiau
dedicated to Kukailimoku, the Hawaiian god of war. Instead of dying however, Isamu metamorphosed into the frightful form of Kukailimoku, having both superhuman strength and agility. Learning to control his new-found powers, he reluctantly decides to use them for good, and dons the alter ego of Pineapple Man due to his pineapple-like appearance. The series ran four successful issues, locally outselling Batman
and X-Men
comics. Currently the comic is on hiatus, with no word of continuation.
While attending Kahuku High School
, Sam Campos was caught reading comics in his art class. His teacher gave him an ultimatum
: create his own comic book character over the following weekend or fail the class. The end result was Pineapple Man, a character that drew upon the rich local mythology and celebrated Sam's own Hawaiian culture.
Several years later, Sam and his (now ex) wife Genesis attended a comic convention where they met Richard Dominguez
, an independent creator and publisher. After having an in-depth discussion on Dominguez's own creation, El Gato Negro
, the couple were inspired to create their own independent comic book. They established the SoloGraphics imprint, and working as a husband-and-wife team, revived Sam's Pineapple Man character in the two-part story arc The Hunt published in 1994.
Four successful self-titled issues appeared shortly after, including a special Christmas issue. At the peak of its run, Pineapple Man locally outsold both Batman and X-Men comics, and was distributed internationally. A fifth issue was to be published online in a web comic format but nothing has since materialized. The comic is currently on hiatus with no official word of continuation.
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 Sam Campos and published under the SoloGraphics imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
, formed both by himself and his (now ex) wife Genesis. The character made his debut appearance in a two-part story arc titled Pineapple Man #0: The Hunt in 1994.
Pineapple Man's secret identity
Secret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
is that of Isamu Pohoa, a young Hawaiian man who turned to a life of crime after graduating from High School. After falling out of favor with the crime lord Kawafuchi, Sam is shot and left for dead atop an ancient heiau
Heiau
A heiau is a Hawaiian temple. Many types of heiau existed, including heiau to treat the sick , offer first fruits, offer first catch, start rain, stop rain, increase the population, ensure health of the nation, achieve success in distant voyaging, reach peace, and achieve success in war . Only the...
dedicated to Kukailimoku, the Hawaiian god of war. Instead of dying however, Isamu metamorphosed into the frightful form of Kukailimoku, having both superhuman strength and agility. Learning to control his new-found powers, he reluctantly decides to use them for good, and dons the alter ego of Pineapple Man due to his pineapple-like appearance. The series ran four successful issues, locally outselling Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and 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...
comics. Currently the comic is on hiatus, with no word of continuation.
Publication history
Kahuku High School
Kahuku High & Intermediate School, located in Kahuku CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii on the island of Oahu, serves approximately 1,850 students in grades seven through twelve and is part of the Windward District on the island of Oahu. It is a part of the Hawaii Department of Education...
, Sam Campos was caught reading comics in his art class. His teacher gave him an ultimatum
Ultimatum
An ultimatum is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series of requests...
: create his own comic book character over the following weekend or fail the class. The end result was Pineapple Man, a character that drew upon the rich local mythology and celebrated Sam's own Hawaiian culture.
Several years later, Sam and his (now ex) wife Genesis attended a comic convention where they met Richard Dominguez
Richard Dominguez
Richard Dominguez is an American comic book artist and freelance storyboard illustrator. Best known for creating the popular series El Gato Negro, Dominguez publishes his comics through his imprint and art studio, Azteca Productions...
, an independent creator and publisher. After having an in-depth discussion on Dominguez's own creation, El Gato Negro
El Gato Negro
El Gato Negro is the name of two fictional American comic book superheroes created by Richard Dominguez and featured in the Azteca Productions' Universe...
, the couple were inspired to create their own independent comic book. They established the SoloGraphics imprint, and working as a husband-and-wife team, revived Sam's Pineapple Man character in the two-part story arc The Hunt published in 1994.
Four successful self-titled issues appeared shortly after, including a special Christmas issue. At the peak of its run, Pineapple Man locally outsold both Batman and X-Men comics, and was distributed internationally. A fifth issue was to be published online in a web comic format but nothing has since materialized. The comic is currently on hiatus with no official word of continuation.