'Mazing Man is the title character of a
comic bookA comic book is a magazine made up of narrative artwork, often accompanied by dialog and often including brief descriptive prose...
series created by
Bob RozakisRobert "Bob" Rozakis is a comic book writer and editor known mainly for his work in the 1970s and 1980's at DC Comics, as the writer of Mazing Man and in his capacity as DC's "Answer Man."-Biography:...
and Stephen DeStefano and published by
DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
. The series ran for twelve issues in 1986, with additional special issues in 1987, 1988, and 1990. In addition, 'Mazing Man had an origin story in
Secret OriginsSecret Origins was an American comic book series published by DC Comics. Although the title had existed in several prototype forms in the 1960s and 1970s published under the title Secret Origins of Super Heroes , its most well-known incarnation was a 50-issue series Secret Origins was an American...
#16, and an original one-page story that appeared in an ad in Comic Buyer's Guide.
The
'Mazing Man series depicted the misadventures of
Sigfried Horatio Hunch III, a benignly deranged little man in Queens,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
who dresses in a homemade costume and performs deeds like unclogging drains and watching out for local children.
'Mazing Man is the title character of a
comic bookA comic book is a magazine made up of narrative artwork, often accompanied by dialog and often including brief descriptive prose...
series created by
Bob RozakisRobert "Bob" Rozakis is a comic book writer and editor known mainly for his work in the 1970s and 1980's at DC Comics, as the writer of Mazing Man and in his capacity as DC's "Answer Man."-Biography:...
and Stephen DeStefano and published by
DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
. The series ran for twelve issues in 1986, with additional special issues in 1987, 1988, and 1990. In addition, 'Mazing Man had an origin story in
Secret OriginsSecret Origins was an American comic book series published by DC Comics. Although the title had existed in several prototype forms in the 1960s and 1970s published under the title Secret Origins of Super Heroes , its most well-known incarnation was a 50-issue series Secret Origins was an American...
#16, and an original one-page story that appeared in an ad in Comic Buyer's Guide.
Series overview
The
'Mazing Man series depicted the misadventures of
Sigfried Horatio Hunch III, a benignly deranged little man in Queens,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
who dresses in a homemade costume and performs deeds like unclogging drains and watching out for local children. Viewed as a kook by his neighbors, he saved a child from being hit by a truck in the first issue, earning him some respect and notoriety, not to mention a steady stream of appreciation (and food) from the mother in subsequent issues.
"'Maze" tends to sing
Simon and GarfunkelSimon & Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter duo consisting of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. They formed the group "Tom and Jerry" in 1957, and had their first taste of success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon and Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, backed by the hit single...
songs when struck on the head.
Hunch is a millionaire, having won first place in a magazine subscription company's sweepstakes. After winning the prize, he felt obligated to subscribe to all of the company's magazines. As a result, he receives a staggering load of publications daily, including the
pornographic magazinePornographic magazines, sometimes known as adult magazines, sex magazines or top-shelf magazines are pornographic magazines that contain content of a sexual nature. Adult magazines are mainly aimed towards men, indeed many men's first sight of a naked woman is in a pornographic magazine...
s that he genuinely reads only for the articles. He does not keep his wealth a secret per se, he simply does not mention it and does not live an opulent lifestyle; his friends are unaware of his financial success.
The original series, although highly acclaimed, was short lived. However,
Frank MillerFrank Miller is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
, who admired the series himself and eager to help the property survive, contributed a cover with the lead characters of the extremely popular mini-series,
Batman: The Dark Knight ReturnsBatman: The Dark Knight Returns is a four-issue comic book limited series written and drawn by Frank Miller, originally published by DC Comics in 1986...
for the last issue. The resulting exposure created enough interest for the one-shot issues.
A back-up feature, "Zoot Sputnik", appeared for several issues, drawn by
Fred HembeckFred Hembeck is an American cartoonist best known for his parodies of characters from major American comic book publishers. His work has frequently been published by the firms whose characters he spoofs. His characters are always drawn with curlicues at the elbows and knees...
and (ostensibly) written by Denton Fixx; it was supposed to be the book Fixx wrote for BC comics. It was a parody of the Golden age narrative style where stories had no between-issue continuity — Zoot and his team were space adventurers in one issue and cowboys in the next. The team's dog received a shock of energy and gained the ability to remember their disparate adventures. This was Denton's attempt to introduce continuity to the book, but it was met with disapproval by his editor.
Mazing Man is one of a handful of DC titles to publish an issue not featuring the
Comics Code AuthorityThe Comics Code Authority is part of the Comics Magazine Association of America , and was created to regulate the content of comic books in the United States. Member publishers submit comic books to the CCA, which screens them for conformance to its Comics Code, and authorizes the use of their...
stamp of approval. In one issue titled "Writer's Block", Denton is stuck for a story, and all his friends give their ideas. One of them dealt with an army of zombies. Although there was no gore or violence, any mention of the Living Dead (specifically the use of the word "zombie") is forbidden by the Comics Code. The issue was released without the stamp, with no publicity, positive or negative.
Much later, in the Ambush Bug: Year None miniseries, 'Mazing Man (in the same nonsensical way of the series) is revealed to be in death row.
Other characters
Denton Fixx : 'Maze's best friend. Writer for BC Comics. Looks like a beagle.
Brenda Valentine : a rising star at a local advertising agency. She is married to Eddie Valentine. The characters of Brenda and Eddie are arguably based on similarly named characters in the song
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" is a song from Billy Joel's 1977 album The Stranger.Although never released as a single, it has become one of Joel's most celebrated compositions among fans, appearing on most of his compilation albums. The song is effectively a medley of three individual songs...
by
Billy JoelBilly Joel is an American rock musician, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist in the United States, according to the RIAA....
.
Eddie Valentine : Assistant to the Assistant Manager at the South Richmond Bank. (Promoted to Assistant Manager in issue #9 [September 1986, "The Bank Job, or '
By Hook Or By Crook"By hook or by crook" is an English phrase meaning "by any means necessary", suggesting that one need not be concerned with morality or other considerations when accomplishing some goal....
'"]) Married to Brenda.
Golden GlovesFor the honor in Major League Baseball, see Gold Glove.The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States...
winner at John Quincy High School.
K.P. Watson : Denton's human-looking half sister.
Guido Garibaldi : The jock simpleton who lives in the same building as Denton, 'Maze, Eddie and Brenda. He works in three shoe stores and spends most of his time wondering which one he's called in sick at, drinking beer and hopelessly pursuing women.
Sgt. Muldavey : a local police officer who is plagued by 'Maze's "heroics".
Mrs. Costinas : Landlady of Maze, Denton and K.P. Most often seen sweeping the front steps of their building. Never smiles and usually grunts at all passersby.
Helenita Trialdo : a baby whose appearances revolve around her lack of hair.
Senora Tiraldo : Helenita's mother.
Walter Vanderplatz : Eddie's supervisor at the South Richmond Bank. More than a bit of a stuffed shirt.
External links