Gold Nuggets: The ORIGINAL Iron-Man!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

It's not a stretch to say that a huge chunk of comic book fans will be streaming into stores today to pick up a copy of the new Iron-Man DVD. However, in addition to the teeming hordes of Comicdom, the high-tech hero seems to have hit a chord with the general public as well, making Iron-Man not only one of the best comic book adaptations but also one of the most successful. With that popularity comes the question a curious public might ask: Where did the concept of Iron-Man come from in the first place? Well, the oldest and most obvious sources of inspiration are the armored warriors of antiquity and the knights of the Middle Ages....but in the context of the 20th century comic book, the first armored superhero was none other than...

BOZO THE ROBOT!

Making his debut in Quality's Smash Comics #1 (1939), Bozo the Robot was invented by the evil Dr. Van Thorp, who...like many mad scientists...wanted to rule and/or destroy the world. After overhearing Van Thorp's ranting monologue, a dashing passer-by named Hugh Hazzard rushed in, gave Van Thorp a well-deserved thrashing, then "resuced" Bozo the Robot. Discovering the robot could be controlled from the inside, Hugh decided to wear the "Iron-Man' suit to fight crime. Let's join Hugh as he listens to an urgent news update on the radio (click on the panels for a larger view)...

Note the dish-like propeller spinning atop Bozo's helmet, which (somehow) allowed him to fly in an awkward verticle position. Of course, this story took place before the standard horizontal flying positions of superheroes were worked out (even Superman was still kinda-sorta leaping), so I guess we can cut Hugh/Bozo some slack. Essentially just a sheet metal shell, there's no indication as to what sort of technology or power source ran the Bozo suit...since this was long before the day of miniturized transistors or microcircuits. But...that was the simple thrill of early science fiction.  It just somehow worked. No questions asked.

But I digress.  Let's rejoin Hugh/Bozo as he tracks down the elusive green sedan and employs the armor's "telescopic eye" to scope out the gang's getaway car...

As the word "ain't" confirms the low-brow criminality of the passengers (since it's a fact that bad guys have poor grammar), Bozo administers some harsh Golden Age justice to the carload of escaping felons...

By the way...what is it with late 1930's superheroes and green sedans? Were they the vehicle of choice for the criminal class? Did their undercarriage design make them easier to deadlift? Was it part of a primitive product placement/viral marketing campaign?  What?

Oh, and that goofy, grinning face design on Bozo's helmet? 

Scary enough to kill a guy!

 

Comments

[Ivan Wolfe]

Well, unlike Batman, at least Bozo shows some sympathy. (Batman = "a fitting end for his kind"; Bozo = "Poor fellow!")

[Mark Engblom]

True, yet how sympathetic does it come across with that goofy perma-smile on his helmet's "face"? It gives this sort of vibe to the comment: "Poor fellow. Heh."

[John Nowak]

Wow -- pretty amazing stuff. A pre-Heinlein battlesuit...

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, despite the name, Bozo is quite the trailblazer. Other sources I was looking at claimed that Bozo was the first robot to appear on a comic book cover. That sounds like a stretch....but it's an intriguing claim nonetheless.

[Pat Curley]

I believe the claim that Bozo was the first robot to appear on a cover is correct; he was featured on the cover of Smash #1, August 1939, billed as "Hugh Hazzard and his Iron Man". That's the 494th earliest comic listed in the GCD.

[Mark Engblom]

Thanks, Pat! As usual, your insights are appreciated!

[John Nowak]

Well, the disk and the flight position actually make a fair amount of sense. You need to have a fair amount of power before you fly fast enough that you generate enough lift with your body to make horizontal flight work, unless you have wings or weird antigravity powers. It looks way too much like a propellor beanie to take seriously, though.