Captain Klutz is a

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

character created in 1967 by Don Martin. He is a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

characters. The character originally saw print in a series of original paperback books done for the '' Mad'' magazine paperback line, not the magazine itself.

Backstory

The protagonist, Ringo Fonebone, is a hopelessly inept man utterly absorbed in reading

comic books 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 ...

to the point that he was kicked out of his parents' house, a vocational school he tried to attend and a

flophouse A flophouse (American English) or doss-house (British English) is a place that has very low-cost lodging, providing space to sleep and minimal amenities. Characteristics Historically, flophouses, or British "doss-houses", have been used for ove ...

(the last expulsion left him in nothing but a set of red

long johns Long underwear, also called long johns or thermal underwear, is underwear with long legs and long sleeves that is normally worn during cold weather. It is commonly worn by people under their clothes in colder climates. In the United States, it ...

and dotted

boxer shorts Boxer shorts (also commonly known as simply boxers) are a type of undergarment typically worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by Boxing, boxers, for whom unhindered ...

). Attempting to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

himself, the towel he used as a rope broke, inadvertently acquiring a mask (originally a woman's hat being thrown out by her irate husband), and finally crash-landed in the middle of a

robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

, in long-johns, his "mask" and towel "cape", distracting the robber long enough for the police to capture him. The robber's angry exclamation, "Why, you klutz!," was taken by the dazed (and temporarily amnesiac) Ringo as his name, and he responded to the officers' questions regarding his identity with: "I'm...a klutz, captain." The police thought he had said he was "Captain Klutz".

Adventures

Captain Klutz did not lead a luxurious life, being reduced to

homelessness Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

at various times. (In one adventure, "my new airy apartment" was a park bench; in another, he hoped an invention would give him super-speed, so he could get a pizza delivery job.) He was also utterly inept at crime-fighting (apparent

clumsiness Clumsy or clumsiness may refer to: Behaviour *Accident-proneness *Developmental coordination disorder, a motor skills disorder which brings about chronic clumsiness Music * ''Clumsy'' (Our Lady Peace album), 1997 ** "Clumsy" (Our Lady Peace song ...

), being poor at deduction, easily misled, and naive. (An alleged "

kung fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

master" easily conned Klutz for phony "training" in

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

.) He usually succeeded in capturing the bad guy in spite of himself. His main ally was Police Chief O'Freenbean, and he fought a variety of enemies, including: * Sissyman (a villainous

mama's boy ''Mama's Boy'' is a 2007 American comedy-drama film starring Diane Keaton and Jon Heder, and features music by Mark Mothersbaugh. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures for a limited release to certain regions of the United States. ...

whose secret headquarters was in his mother's house; his weapons included an ice-cream gun) * Comrade Stupidska * Mervin the Mad Bomber (Captain Klutz tries to lure Mervin out of hiding by calling on a bevy of his loved ones, including family, friends, and the entire

Norman Luboff Choir Norman Luboff (May 14, 1917 – September 22, 1987) was an American choir director, music arranger, and music publisher. Luboff was the founder and conductor of the Norman Luboff Choir, one of the leading choral groups of the 1950s and '60s. H ...

) * Gorgonzola (a giant mechanical spider; Klutz defeats him by grabbing a leg and sticking it into an electrical socket) * The Cackling Cockroach

Creators

Don Martin illustrated all the Captain Klutz stories. Numerous writers were credited for the stories. A listing of the stories, as well as the credited writers, follows. ''The MAD Adventures of Captain Klutz'' (1967) Stories below uncredited; credited writers

Dick DeBartolo Dick DeBartolo (born October 19, 1940) is an American writer, most famous for writing for '' Mad''. He is occasionally referred to as "''Mads Maddest Writer", this being a twist on Don Martin's former status as "''Mads Maddest Artist". ...

, Phil Hahn, Jack Hanrahan, Don Martin * Prologue/Origin :''The genesis of Captain Klutz.'' * "Sissyman" :''No master of disguise, Klutz wears a rabbit costume while undercover as a high school football player.'' * "The Message" :''Klutz writes to Chief O'Freenbean in

invisible ink Invisible ink, also known as security ink or sympathetic ink, is a substance used for writing, which is invisible either on application or soon thereafter, and can later be made visible by some means, such as heat or ultraviolet light. Invisibl ...

.'' * "Chicken Soup" :''A scheming matron builds an army of

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...

s, by drugging the food at her

soup kitchen A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center is a place where food is offered to Hunger, hungry and homeless people, usually for no price, cost, or sometimes at a below-market price (such as coin Donation, donations). Frequently located in Low i ...

.'' * "On The Elevator" * "Gorgonzola" :''A story of man versus spider.'' * "Mervin the Mad Bomber" :''Klutz learns to think twice, before calling out the

bomb squad Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are disabled or otherwise rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated fun ...

.'' ''MAD's Don Martin Carries On'' (1973) * "The Man of 1,000 Faces (Give or Take 900)" written by

''MAD's Don Martin Steps Further Out'' (1975) * "Kung Fu To You, Too!" written by Dick DeBartolo ''MAD's Don Martin Forges Ahead'' (1977) * "The Barfing Affair" written by Don Edwing ''MAD's Don Martin Digs Deeper'' (1979) * "The Gravest Show on Earth" written by Dick DeBartolo ''MAD's Don Martin Grinds Ahead'' (1981) * "The Cackling Cockroach" written by Don Martin ''MAD's Don Martin Presents Captain Klutz II'' (1983) * "To Brusha with Love" written by Don Edwing * "The Klutz File", uncredited * "Hollywood Whodunnit", written by

* "The Sounds of Captain Klutz" and "The Klutz File", uncredited * "Theme Song from Captain Klutz – The Book" written by Don Martin and

Nick Meglin Nick Meglin (July 30, 1935 – June 2, 2018) was an American writer, humorist, and artist. He was known for his work as a contributor, comics writer, illustrator and editor for the satirical magazine '' Mad''. He also scripted ''Superfan'', a 1 ...

, music by Norm Blagman * "The Klutz File", "Captain Klutz's Agendum for Secret Messages" and "Crimefighter's Corner" uncredited * "The Major Catastrophe" written by Don Edwing Additional writers: John Gibbons, Norma Martin, and Dick DeBartolo ''MAD's Don Martin Sails Ahead'' (1986) * "Klutzenstein" written by Don Edwing

Appearances

Captain Klutz's adventures were featured in the following volumes: * ''The MAD Adventures of Captain Klutz'' (

Signet Signet may refer to: *Signet, Kenya, A subsidiary of the Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), specifically set up to broadcast and distribute the DTT signals * Signet ring, a ring with a seal set into it, typically by leaving an impression in sea ...

, 1967) * ''MAD's Don Martin Presents Captain Klutz II'' (Warner Books, 1983) Captain Klutz stories also appeared in the following Don Martin anthologies: * ''MAD's Don Martin Carries On'' (

Warner Books Grand Central Publishing is a book publishing imprint of Hachette Book Group, originally established in 1970 as Warner Books when Kinney National Company acquired the New York City-based Paperback Library. When Time Warner sold their book publis ...

, 1973) * ''MAD's Don Martin Steps Further Out'' (Warner Books, 1975) * ''MAD's Don Martin Forges Ahead'' (Warner Books, 1977) * ''MAD's Don Martin Digs Deeper'' (Warner Books, 1979) * ''MAD's Don Martin Grinds Ahead'' (Warner Books, 1981) * ''MAD's Don Martin Sails Ahead'' (Warner Books, 1986)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Captain Klutz
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 ...

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from the original on April 9, 2012. Mad (magazine) Parody superheroes 1967 comics debuts Comics characters introduced in 1967 1986 comics endings American comics characters Male characters in comics American superheroes Humor comics Parody comics Slapstick comedy