Mr. Muscles is a fictional comic book

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

created in 1956 by writer Jerry Siegel for Charlton Comics, and drawn by

Bill Fraccio William Fraccio (July 9, 1920 – October 24, 2005)William Fraccio
penciler A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...

Charles Nicholas "Charles Nicholas" is the pseudonymous house name of three early creators of American comic books for the Fox Feature Syndicate and Fox Comics: Chuck Cuidera (1915–2001), Jack Kirby (1917–1994), and Charles Wojtkoski (1921–1985). The name o ...

and inker Vince Alascia for the second. A young

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Early li ...

provided the premiere issue's cover. Siegel, who co-created

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

, wrote both issues featuring Charlton's own muscleman.

Fictional character biography

Wrestler Brett Carson obtained super strength in the process of fighting the paralysis of polio (and refusing to accept the doctors' prognosis of permanent paralysis) and used it to fight crime. He was assisted by sidekicks Kid Muscles and Miss Muscles, who appeared in backup stories. With a superhero costume consisting of red-and-black wrestling tights with a yellow "M" insignia, the blond-haired hero is one of few who did not wear a mask and whose identity is publicly known. An additional character,

Steeplejack A steeplejack is a craftsman who scales buildings, chimneys, and church steeples to carry out repairs or maintenance. Steeplejacks erect ladders on church spires, industrial chimneys, cooling towers, bell towers, clock towers, or any other hi ...

, starred in a backup feature in the second issue. The comic book ''Mr. Muscles'' ran two issues numbered #22–23 (March & Aug. 1956), the series having taken over the numbering of the comic '' Blue Beetle''. The sole other known appearance of a character by this name was alongside other guests in writer-artist Steve Ditko's Creeper backup story, "Beware Mr. Wrinkles", in

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

' ''

World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

'' #254 (Jan. 1979).

References

External links

International Catalog of Superheroes: Mr. Muscles
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 ...

Archived
from the original on March 10, 2016. Charlton Comics superheroes Charlton Comics titles Comics characters introduced in 1956 Characters created by Jerry Siegel {{comics-char-stub