The Hard Luck Superheroes of Skid Row
“Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?
People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?”
-Bob Dylan
Ah, nothing like Dylan’s scornful ode to a fallen snob to buzz-kill the bright, shiny optimism of a New Year, is there?
Yeah, while I don’t subscribe to that old “We’re all just two paychecks away from living on the streets, man!” canard, Dylan’s accusatory rant is certainly a sober warning to us all that stunning reversals of fortune can happen to anyone…even superheroes! One day they’re on top of the world as the idol of millions…the next, they’re a Super-Hobo sipping soup outside a humble wooden shack on the cover of Action Comics #337 (1966).
Just as the billboard on the cover of Whiz Comics #93 (1948) asks, what could possibly reduce these once-mighty champions to such a lowly state? Just as in the real world, the reasons are many….yet depressingly familiar!
For instance, the fabulously wealthy Bruce “Batman” Wayne fell victim to a corrupt treasurer who stole his family fortune in Detective Comics #105 (1945). Note Batman’s bindle, the bundled sack on a stick that's the universal symbol of hobo status!
Sometimes personal ruin can be caused through the treachery and manipulation of others, as Superman and Batman found out in World's Finest #169 (1967). Oh…and rest assured, it wasn’t really Supergirl and Batgirl ruining the lives of their mentors, but the magical (and gender-bending) mayhem of the impish Mr. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite!
Other times, the painful rejection of family and friends can send a life spiraling out of control, as demonstrated here by the pot, pan, and produce-chucking townsfolk of Smallville on the cover of Superboy #139 (1967).
Of course, this wasn't the first time Superboy turned his back on society. In Superboy #27 (1953), he joined his local community of stereotypical hobos as "Clark Kent, Runaway".
The loss of a job can also set a guy back, as the “employment challenged” Irwin Schwab learned the hard way in Ambush Bug (Nothing) Special #1 (1992).
Occasionally, just plain old bad luck can lead to life on the streets, such as when Wally West went from the Fastest Man Alive to the Most Desperate Man Alive in Flash #20 (1988). After losing his lottery winnings, getting evicted from his apartment and his credit cards getting canceled, Wally loses his (then) metabolism-based speed when hard-core hunger kicks in. Luckily, he’s scooped up by the JLA when nine alien races simultaneously invade Earth. Yay!
In the case of Tony Stark, it was the “Demon in a Bottle” that dragged his life into the gutter, becoming the "shame of the city" here in Iron-Man #178 (1984).
Even the blight of mental illness found its way into the catalog of causes for superhero hobos…affecting none other than the regal Sub-Mariner himself!
You see, way back in Fantastic Four #4 (1962), the young Human Torch came across a shaggy hobo in a New York City flophouse. After a quick flame shave, he discovered the blank-eyed loner was actually the long-lost Sub-Mariner…whose memory had been scrambled by the villainous Destiny years earlier.
Some explanations for superhero homelessness…well…defy explanation. Since I’ve never actually read the issue, the reason for Cap’s status as a rat buffet in Captain America #272 (1982) has to remain a mystery for now.
Maybe that’s for the best.
Gah! That last one barely gets Code Approval!
Posted by: Siskoid | January 18, 2008 at 07:00 AM
Ah, but that's the disgusting reality of homelessness, Siskoid...and it's my solemn duty to educate the public!
Posted by: Mark Engblom | January 18, 2008 at 07:22 AM
I realize it is a retelling of the events from FF #4, but is the actual page you show from Sub-Mariner #1 (1968)?
Interesting how the Big Three from Timely--Namor, Cap and the original Human Torch--made their Silver Age Marvel debuts in FF #4, Avengers #4 and FF Annual #4, respectively. (There was a "Cap" in an earlier Strange Tales Johnny Storm story... but that was a faux Cap so that doens't count!)
Posted by: Shar | January 19, 2008 at 09:37 PM
Duh...my question has been answered...you also show the cover to Subby #1 directly above the page I mentioned (I haven't actually read ever that issue so that's why I asked.) The Buscema (and Adkins?) art is gorgeous!
Posted by: Shar | January 19, 2008 at 09:49 PM
Hi Shar!
Yeah, I didn't really make it super clear where the Sub-Mariner flashback came from. Sorry about that. The panels are taken from Sub-Mariner #1, which I felt had the edge over Kirby's original sequence from FF #4.
Hey, that observation of yours about the "Big Three" returning in #4 issues is fascinating! I had never made the connection until now. Thanks for stopping by!
Posted by: Mark Engblom | January 19, 2008 at 09:59 PM
Interesting that most of those covers and stories seem to create a sense of homelessness through magic, imaginary stories, mytzlplick, etc. I haven't read them all, but it looks like only the Iron Man story makes homelessness an actual, ongoing state of being, and explicitly links it to the character and his disease. Then again, that's the genius of Denny O'Neill.
Posted by: cinephile | January 21, 2008 at 03:40 PM
Good observation, Cinephile. You're right, Tony Stark's fall seems to be the most authentic and close to reality as far as that downward spiral (often fueled by an addiction) that leads to homelessness.
However, a couple other covers DO come from stories that did present homelessness in a somewhat more realistic way. The story appearing in the Flash built up to it over a period of months, showing Wally West losing his money, then gradually losing more as a result of that loss of resources. Granted, he was scooped up by the JLA and helped out, but up until that point, things looked convincingly bleak for the Flash.
Similarly, the situation of Namor wandering the streets in the fog of amnesia closely approximates (at least in my mind) the plight of the homeless mentally ill. Sure, the cause of his mental illness was a sort of "magic", but the resulting decades of Namor's undignified wandering are surprisingly poignant when you think about it beyond the brief "set-up" sequence it was intended to be in Fantastic Four #4.
But, yeah, for the most part, you're right that most stories presented homeless heroes in the context of the old "look at the funny hobo!" paradigm of decades past.
Posted by: Mark Engblom | January 21, 2008 at 04:02 PM