Shaggy Man (comics)
Shaggy Man | |
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Justice League of America #45 (June 1966) | |
Created by | Gardner Fox (scripts) Mike Sekowsky (pencils) |
In-story information | |
Abilities |
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Shaggy Man is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.
Publication history
The Shaggy Man debuted in
The second character reappeared in a one-shot story in Justice League of America #186 (Jan. 1981) and in Crisis on Infinite Earths #9-10 (Dec. 1985-Jan. 1986).
A Shaggy Man created by Lex Luthor 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).
A Shaggy Man created by Professor Ivo debuted in Justice League of America Vol. 3 #4. He later returned as a tool of Black Manta and N.E.M.O. in Aquaman: Rebirth #8-9 (2016).
Writer Mike Conroy noted that the Shaggy Man was "a mountainous cross between Frankenstein's monster and the Sasquatch".[2]
Fictional character biographies
First Shaggy Man
The Shaggy Man is the creation of Professor Andrew Zagarian, a scientist who invented "plastalloy", a synthetic human tissue substitute similar to
Shaggy Man is eventually freed by villain Hector Hammond and transported to the JLA satellite; Green Lantern uses his power ring to shrink the monster to miniature size and imprison it.[6]
At the time when Professor Zagarian was imprisoned for causing the original Shaggy Man incident, Shaggy Man went on a rampage in Arizona. Professor Zagarian was visited by Flash and informs him that Shaggy Man's powers are tied to photosynthesis. As this came from Shaggy Man's fur, the Justice League shaved off Shaggy Man's fur and stranded Shaggy Man on the Dark Side of the Moon.[7]
At some point, Shaggy Man returned to Earth and was found to have been imprisoned in Atlantis by
Second Shaggy Man
At Flash's suggestion, Professor Andrew Zagarian created a second Shaggy Man to fight the first Shaggy Man. The Justice League sealed both Shaggy Men in a pit where they could fight each other. It was brought to life after it was placed in the pit. When the Shaggy Men defeated the moon creature that was sealed with it, they proceeded to fight each other.[4]
After getting free, Shaggy Man is later discovered to be rampaging across Russia and is finally tricked by Batman and, via a rocket, is sent into outer space.[9]
Shaggy Man eventually returns during the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" storyline where he is among the villains united under Brainiac. When on Earth-X, Shaggy Man fought Mento and Changeling. He is apparently destroyed by Green Arrow of Earth-Two with an explosive arrow as Green Arrow observed that since Shaggy Man isn't really alive, he has no problem using such otherwise lethal methods.[10]
Lex Luthor's Shaggy Man
A new version of Shaggy Man appears as a member of the
During the holiday season,
Java
During the "
Professor Ivo's Shaggy Man
In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC universe. A Shaggy Man appeared as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains. Created by Professor Ivo, this version battled the Justice League of America and helped capture them upon their defeat.[15] After it was revealed that Catwoman was actually Martian Manhunter in disguise, Shaggy Man fought the Justice League of America when they infiltrated the Secret Society of Super Villains' mansion where he was defeated by Stargirl.[16]
In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". This Shaggy Man reappears as a pawn of villain Black Manta. After a brutal battle, Aquaman finally defeats the creature by attaching his Justice League membership card to the Shaggy Man and ordering the Justice League satellite to transport it beyond Earth's orbit.[17]
In a flashback, Shaggy Man's rampage in St. Louis where it fought the Justice League led to an unnamed man getting paralyzed from the waist down. This led to the man becoming the obsessive supervillain Fan.[18]
Shaggy Man was later shown to be an inmate of Monster Rock which is inhabited by other monsters that resided there. He was among the monsters that fell under the control of the sorceress Echidna. Damage and Congorilla defeated Echidna enough to free the monsters from her control.[19]
During the "
Powers and abilities
The Shaggy Man is super strong and impervious to physical harm. In courtesy of retro-engineering with "plastalloy" and salamander DNA, the creature can regenerate itself almost spontaneously and does not need sustenance or rest.[4] Thanks to its synthetic physiology, the monster could adapt in harsh environments (such as both outer space and underwater). It was able to smell the adrenaline from its opponent's sweat. As a bio-organic lifeform, it no longer ages. Its mindlessness can be a disadvantage.[6]
Professor Ivo's Shaggy Man has adaptation abilities as seen when he developed fire-breathing abilities when fighting Martian Manhunter.
Other versions
In DC Super Friends #20 titled "A Hair Raising Tale", Dr. Andrew Zagarian creates the Shaggy Man, but he immediately breaks free from the lab and goes on a rampage. The Super Friends try to fight him, but find they are no match for his strength and resilience, not even Superman. Wonder Woman then realizes that the Shaggy Man is essentially a newborn who is lashing out, due to being frightened by his surroundings and constantly being attacked. She convinces the Shaggy Man to stand down by being nice to him. After letting the Shaggy Man enjoy a parade, the Super Friends send him to a wilderness area to live peacefully.
In other media
- Shaggy Man makes minor non-speaking appearances in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
- Shaggy Man appears in the DC Super Hero Girls episode "#FightAtTheMuseum", with his vocal effects provided by Jason Spisak.
References
- ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
- ^ Conroy, Mike. 500 Comicbook Villains, Collins & Brown, 2004.
- ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
- ^ a b c Justice League of America #45 (June 1966). DC Comics.
- ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^ a b Justice League of America #104 (Feb. 1973). DC Comics.
- ^ General Mills Presents: Justice League #1. DC Comics.
- ^ JLA #24 - 26 (Dec. 1998 - Feb. 1999). DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League of America #186 (Jan. 1981). DC Comics.
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #10 (Jan. 1986). DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League of America Wedding Special #1 (Nov. 2007). DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League of America (vol. 3) #14 (July 2014). DC Comics.
- ^ DC Universe Holiday Special #1. DC Comics.
- ^ Outsiders (vol. 4) #35 (Feb. 2011). DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League of America (vol. 3) #4 (July 2013). DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League of America (vol. 3) #5. (August 2013). DC Comics.
- ^ Aquaman (vol. 8) #7-9 (Sept.-Oct. 2016). DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League (vol. 3) #37 (May 2018). DC Comics.
- ^ Damage Vol. 2 #15-16. DC Comics.
- ^ Dark Crisis #1. DC Comics.
- ^ Dark Crisis #2-3. DC Comics.
- ^ Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6-7. DC Comics.