The Maniaks
Encyclopedia
The Maniaks are a fictional rock band
published by DC Comics
. They first appeared in issue Showcase
#68 (May 1967), and were created by E. Nelson Bridwell
and Mike Sekowsky
.
--a band that would also get involved in wild adventures, often on the way to their gigs. The band would meet fictionalized versions of famous celebrities, such as "Jeannette Punchinello" (Annette Funicello
), "Rock Hutsut" (Rock Hudson
), and "Twiggly" (Twiggy
). An exception was comedian Woody Allen
, who appeared in an unfictionalized form in Showcase #71.
.
In The Power of Shazam #48, a one-issue revival that tied into the Blackest Night event, Amon Tomaz
makes a brief reference to the Maniaks.
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
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...
. They first appeared in issue Showcase
Showcase (comics)
Showcase has been the title of several comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing...
#68 (May 1967), and were created by E. Nelson Bridwell
E. Nelson Bridwell
Edward Nelson Bridwell was a writer for Mad magazine and various comic books published by DC Comics. One of the writers for the Batman comic strip and Super Friends, he also wrote The Inferior Five, among other comics...
and 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...
.
History
The Maniaks were created in the mold of TV's the MonkeesThe Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
--a band that would also get involved in wild adventures, often on the way to their gigs. The band would meet fictionalized versions of famous celebrities, such as "Jeannette Punchinello" (Annette Funicello
Annette Funicello
Annette Joanne Funicello is an American singer and actress. She was Walt Disney's most popular cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club, and went on to appear in a series of beach party films.-Early life and early stardom:...
), "Rock Hutsut" (Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson
Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
), and "Twiggly" (Twiggy
Twiggy
Lesley Lawson née Hornby known as Twiggy is an English model, actress, and singer. In the early-1960s she became a prominent British teenage model of swinging sixties London with others such as Penelope Tree....
). An exception was comedian Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
, who appeared in an unfictionalized form in Showcase #71.
Power Company
The Maniaks as a band made no further appearances after Showcase #71. Silver Shannon later appeared in The Power Company limited series, where she worked as a personal assistant to Josiah PowerJosiah Power
Josiah Power is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appears in JLA #61 , but his origin is told in Power Company: Josiah Power #1,...
.
In The Power of Shazam #48, a one-issue revival that tied into the Blackest Night event, Amon Tomaz
Osiris (comics)
Osiris is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, based loosely on the Osiris of Egyptian mythology.-Fictional character biography:...
makes a brief reference to the Maniaks.
Membership
- Silver Shannon - lead vocals, manager
- Philip "Flip" Folger - guitars, contortionist
- Gilbert "Jangle" Jeffries - guitars, ventriloquist
- Byron "Pack Rat" Williams - drums
External links
- Showcase #68 in the Big Database of Comic Books
- Showcase #68 at the Grand Comics Database
- DCU Guide: Silver Shannon
- Archive of Shaw, ScottScott Shaw (artist)Scott Shaw is a United States cartoonist and animator, and is also an esteemed conductor of the concert band at Mary Institute and Country Day School...
, "Showcase/The Maniaks No. 71", "Oddball Comics" (column) #1157, May 21, 2007