Mazing Man is the title character of a

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

series created by

Bob Rozakis Robert "Bob" Rozakis (; born April 4, 1951) is an American comic book writer and editor known mainly for his work in the 1970s and 1980s at DC Comics, as the writer of '' 'Mazing Man'' and in his capacity as DC's "Answer Man". Career Bob Rozakis ...

and

Stephen DeStefano Stephen DeStefano (born 1966) is an American comics artist, animator and storyboard artist best known as the co-creator of 'Mazing Man and Hero Hotline with writer Bob Rozakis. Early life DeStefano was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York and atten ...

and published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. The series ran for twelve issues in 1986, with additional special issues in 1987, 1988, and 1990. Additionally, a 'Mazing Man origin story was featured in ''

Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...

'' #16, and an original one-page story that appeared as an ad in ''

Comics Buyer's Guide ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG''; ), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1983 to circa 2010. The publ ...

''.

Series overview

''Mazing Man'' depicts the misadventures of Sigfried Horatio Hunch III, a civilian from

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

who dresses in a homemade costume and performs local good deeds. Viewed as a harmless kook by his neighbors, he saves a child from being hit by a truck in the first issue, earning him some respect and attention. Hunch also happens to be a millionaire after winning a magazine subscription company's

sweepstakes In the United States, a sweepstake is a type of contest where a prize or prizes may be awarded to a winner or winners. Sweepstakes began as a form of lottery that were tied to products sold. In response, the FCC and FTC refined U.S. broadcast ...

, but does not flaunt his wealth or live an opulent lifestyle. The series also has a backup feature, "Zoot Sputnik", drawn by

Fred Hembeck Fred Hembeck (born January 30, 1953) 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 ...

, that serves as a parody of

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...

comics. In '' Ambush Bug: Year None'', 'Mazing Man is revealed to be on

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...

Reception

The original series was acclaimed, but short-lived. Comics artist

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book artist, comic book writer, and screenwriter known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'', for which he created the character Elektra, and ...

contributed a cover with the lead characters of ''

The Dark Knight Returns ''The Dark Knight Returns'' (alternatively titled ''Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'' but originally titled ''Batman: The Dark Knight'') is a 1986 four-issue comic book miniseries starring Batman, written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Miller ...

'', which created enough interest for three subsequent one-shot issues.

Other characters

;Denton Fixx: 'Maze's best friend and writer for BC Comics. Although human, he resembles a dog. ;Brenda Valentine: A rising star at a local advertising agency. She is married to Eddie Valentine. ;Eddie Valentine: The assistant manager of the South Richmond Bank. Eddie is married to Brenda. He plays baseball recreationally and is a Gold Glove winner at John Quincy High School. ;K.P. Watson: Denton's half-sister. ;Guido Garibaldi: A 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: The landlady of Maze, Denton, and K.P., Costinas. She is most often seen sweeping the front steps of their building. She never smiles and usually grunts at 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. He is more than a bit of a stuffed shirt.

In other media

'Mazing Man appears in the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' episode "Four Star Spectacular!", voiced by

Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version idolizes Batman and derives his costume from his.

References

External links

'Mazing Man
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...