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Shaggy Man (comics)
Encyclopedia
Shaggy Man is the name of several fictional character
s that appear in comic book
s published by DC Comics
. The character was created by writer Gardner Fox
and artist Mike Sekowsky
.
#9-10 (Dec. 1985-Jan. 1986).
Another version, implied to be one of the versions from Justice League of America #186 (Jan. 1981) returned in JLA
#24 - 26 (Dec. 1998 - Feb. 1999) and was updated and rechristened "The General". The General reappeared in the "World War III" storyline JLA #36 - 41 (Dec. 1999 - May 2000). Another Shaggy Man was eventually created and debuted in Justice League of America Wedding Special (Nov. 2007), the first chapter of a storyline that continued in Justice League of America #13-15 (Nov. 2007 - Jan. 2008).
Writer Mike Conroy noted that the Shaggy Man was "A mountainous cross between Frankenstein's monster
and the Sasquatch".
finally came up with the idea of having Dr. Zagarian create a second Shaggy Man to fight the first. The JLA seals the two monsters inside a deep pit, where they can battle each other for all eternity.
The Shaggy Man is freed by Hector Hammond
and transported to the JLA satellite. This time he is defeated by Green Lantern
, who uses his power ring to shrink the monster to miniature size and imprison him.
Despite being freed again, Shaggy Man I was blown up by Speedy
during the Crisis on Infinite Earths
.
Shaggy Man I's inert body is eventually recovered by General Wade Eiling
and his Ultramarine Corps
, despite having been blow up by Speedy, in a possible continuity error. General Eiling (who has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor
) transplants his mind into the Shaggy Man's body, shaves off the Shaggy Man's hair, and calls himself The General. Although Batman attempted to defeat the General by attacking him psychologically, suggesting that the Shaggy Man's core personality was clouding his judgement, the General was defeated in their first encounter by being beamed into the asteroid belt, his return resulting in the General being trapped in the 'Ghost Zone' after a fight with Superman, Orion, and the Martian Manhunter.
. This time he was captured, lured onto a rocketship by Batman
and fired into space. Seeing as it was unable to die, this Shaggy Man is still out in space somewhere.
. This one was created by Lex Luthor
to strengthen up the Injustice League. He is later seen beating the imprisoned Geo-Force
. It was among the Injustice League members that were arrested by Amanda Waller
and the Suicide Squad
. His current status is unknown as he wasn't seen in Salvation Run
.
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...
s that appear in 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...
s published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. The character was created by writer Gardner Fox
Gardner Fox
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic-book historians estimate that he wrote over 4,000 comics stories....
and artist Mike Sekowsky
Mike Sekowsky
Michael Sekowsky was a Jewish American comic book artist best known as the exclusive penciler for DC Comics' Justice League of America during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on Wonder Woman during the late 1960s and early 1970s.-Early life and career:Mike Sekowsky began...
.
Publication history
The Shaggy Man debuted in Justice League of America #45 (June 1966) and returned in Justice League of America #104 (Feb. 1973). Another two versions appeared a one-shot story in Justice League of America #186 (Jan. 1981). The original Shaggy Man reappeared in Crisis on Infinite EarthsCrisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
#9-10 (Dec. 1985-Jan. 1986).
Another version, implied to be one of the versions from Justice League of America #186 (Jan. 1981) returned in JLA
JLA (comic book)
JLA was a monthly comic book published by DC Comics from January 1997 to April 2006 featuring the Justice League.-Publication history:The low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books by the mid-1990s prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team on a single title...
#24 - 26 (Dec. 1998 - Feb. 1999) and was updated and rechristened "The General". The General reappeared in the "World War III" storyline JLA #36 - 41 (Dec. 1999 - May 2000). Another Shaggy Man was eventually created and debuted in Justice League of America Wedding Special (Nov. 2007), the first chapter of a storyline that continued in Justice League of America #13-15 (Nov. 2007 - Jan. 2008).
Writer Mike Conroy noted that the Shaggy Man was "A mountainous cross between Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
and the Sasquatch".
Shaggy Man I
Shaggy Man is a creation of Dr. Andrew Zagarian, a scientist who invented "plastalloy", a synthetic human tissue substitute that can be used for organ transplants. Dr. Zagarian built the Shaggy Man by splicing his material with salamander genetic material, and accidentally created an artificial lifeform that can rapidly heal from any damage done to it. The Shaggy Man is essentially mindless, and attacks anything that moves. The Justice League is called in to deal with the menace, but is unable to stop the creature. The FlashBarry Allen
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics universe. He is the second character known as the Flash. The character first appeared in Showcase #4 , created by writers Robert Kanigher and John Broome and penciler Carmine Infantino. His name combines talk show hosts Barry Gray...
finally came up with the idea of having Dr. Zagarian create a second Shaggy Man to fight the first. The JLA seals the two monsters inside a deep pit, where they can battle each other for all eternity.
The Shaggy Man is freed by Hector Hammond
Hector Hammond
Hector Hammond is a DC Universe supervillain who is primarily an enemy of Green Lantern. The character was created by John Broome and Gil Kane, and originally appeared in Green Lantern # 5...
and transported to the JLA satellite. This time he is defeated by Green Lantern
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
, who uses his power ring to shrink the monster to miniature size and imprison him.
Despite being freed again, Shaggy Man I was blown up by Speedy
Roy Harper (comics)
Roy Harper is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was known for over fifty years as Green Arrow's teenage sidekick Speedy. He first appeared alongside his mentor in More Fun Comics #73...
during the Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
.
Shaggy Man I's inert body is eventually recovered by General Wade Eiling
General Wade Eiling
General Wade Eiling, sometimes known as The General, is a fictional character published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Captain Atom #1 , and was created by Cary Bates and Pat Broderick.-Captain Atom:...
and his Ultramarine Corps
Ultramarine Corps
The International Ultramarine Corps, formerly the Ultramarine Corps, is a fictional team of superheroes published by DC Comics. They first appeared in DC One Million #2 , and were created by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter....
, despite having been blow up by Speedy, in a possible continuity error. General Eiling (who has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
) transplants his mind into the Shaggy Man's body, shaves off the Shaggy Man's hair, and calls himself The General. Although Batman attempted to defeat the General by attacking him psychologically, suggesting that the Shaggy Man's core personality was clouding his judgement, the General was defeated in their first encounter by being beamed into the asteroid belt, his return resulting in the General being trapped in the 'Ghost Zone' after a fight with Superman, Orion, and the Martian Manhunter.
Shaggy Man II
Besides the history above, the second Shaggy Man broke free and rampaged through RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. This time he was captured, lured onto a rocketship by 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 fired into space. Seeing as it was unable to die, this Shaggy Man is still out in space somewhere.
Shaggy Man III
In the Justice League of America Wedding Special, a new version of the Shaggy Man is seen as a member of the Injustice LeagueInjustice League
The Injustice League is the name of two fictional teams of supervillains in the .-Original League :The original Injustice League was the brainchild of the interplanetary conqueror Agamemno. Bored of his dominion, he set out to conquer Earth and their champions, the Justice League...
. This one was created by Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
to strengthen up the Injustice League. He is later seen beating the imprisoned Geo-Force
Geo-Force
Geo-Force is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Markov is Prince of Markovia and the half-brother of Terra. Geo-Force is one of the founding members of the superhero group the Outsiders. He first appeared in a special insert in The Brave and the...
. It was among the Injustice League members that were arrested by Amanda Waller
Amanda Waller
Dr. Amanda Blake Waller is a character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne...
and the Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X , is a name for two fictional organizations in the DC Comics Universe. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 , and the second in Legends #3...
. His current status is unknown as he wasn't seen in Salvation Run
Salvation Run
Salvation Run is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie in to the company's major event series Final Crisis in 2008.-Premise:The premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R...
.
Powers and abilities
The Shaggy Man is indestructible. He has survived a small tactical nuclear explosion, reincorporating himself almost instantly. If his head were severed, it would still regenerate very quickly, the only symptoms being disorientation and short memory loss. He does not need to eat, sleep or breathe, and can easily withstand the rigors of space. The Shaggy Man's size, dense muscle mass and accelerated metabolism grant him immense strength and endurance. The limits of these abilities are unknown.Television
- While the Shaggy Man has no direct appearances in the DC Animated UniverseDC animated universeThe DC Animated Universe is a fan term that refers to a series of popular animated television series and related spin-offs produced by Warner Bros. Animation which share the same continuity. Most of these series are adapted from DC Comics properties...
series, the Justice League UnlimitedJustice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
episode "Patriot Act" is clearly inspired by the second version of the character. In the episode, General Wade EilingGeneral Wade EilingGeneral Wade Eiling, sometimes known as The General, is a fictional character published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Captain Atom #1 , and was created by Cary Bates and Pat Broderick.-Captain Atom:...
uses an unstable 'super soldier serum' developed by the Nazis during World War II. The resulting transformation is similar in concept, and particularly appearance, to that of the Shaggy Man's body when Eiling inhabited it in the JLA run of the 1990's and 2000's. He seems to possess similar powers, particularly the Shaggy Man's indestructibility.
- Shaggy Man appears in the Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode "Legends of the Dark Mite!". As Batman's self-appointed "biggest fan," Bat-Mite pits Batman against Shaggy Man as one of the recommended super villains that he wishes to see engage Batman in battle. In "Long Arm of the Law!", Batman and Plastic ManPlastic ManPlastic 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 ....
silently fight a tribe of Shaggy Men when it came to rescuing a group of boyscouts that the Shaggy Men captured.