Shaggy Man (comics)

Shaggy Man is the name of several fictional characters that appear in comic books published by DC Comics.

Publication history

The Shaggy Man debuted in Justice League of America #45 (June 1966) and was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky. Shaggy Man returned in Justice League of America #104 (Feb. 1973). The character reappeared in a one-shot story in Justice League of America #186 (Jan. 1981). The original Shaggy Man reappeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths #9-10 (Dec. 1985-Jan. 1986).

Another version returned in JLA #24 - 26 (Dec. 1998 - Feb. 1999) and was updated and rechristened "The General". The General reappeared in the "World War III" storyline JLA #36 - 41 (Dec. 1999 - May 2000). Another Shaggy Man was created and debuted in Justice League of America Wedding Special (Nov. 2007), the first chapter of a storyline that continued in Justice League of America #13-15 (Nov. 2007 - Jan. 2008).

Shaggy Man returned as a tool of Black Manta and N.E.M.O. in Aquaman Rebirth #8-9 (2016).

Writer Mike Conroy noted that the Shaggy Man was "A mountainous cross between Frankenstein's monster and the Sasquatch".^[1]

Fictional character biographies

First Shaggy Man and clone

The Shaggy Man is the creation of Dr. Andrew Zagarian, a scientist who invented "plastalloy", a synthetic human tissue substitute that can be used for organ transplants. Dr. Zagarian built the Shaggy Man by splicing his material with salamander DNA and as a result accidentally created an artificial lifeform that can rapidly regenerate. Essentially mindless, the creature then attacked anything that moved. The Justice League attempt to stop the creature, but the Shaggy Man holds them all off until the Flash suggests Zagarian create a second creature to fight the first. The League then seals the two monsters inside a deep pit, where they can battle each other indefinitely.^[2]

One Shaggy Man is eventually freed by villain Hector Hammond and transported to the JLA satellite, Green Lantern uses his power ring to shrink the monster to miniature size and imprison it and is defeated.^[3] The second is later discovered to be rampaging across Russia and is finally tricked by Batman and via a rocket is sent into outer space.^[4] The creature eventually returns but is apparently destroyed by hero Speedy.^[5]

A Shaggy Man's inert body is eventually recovered by General Wade Eiling and his Ultramarine Corps. Eiling, diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, transfers his mind into the creature's body, shaves off the body hair, and refers to himself as the General. After a battle with the JLA and Ultramarines, the General is teleported into the solar system's asteroid belt.^[6] Marooned in space, the General is eventually rescued by Lex Luthor's new Injustice League and they again battle the JLA. After a skirmish with Superman, Orion and the Martian Manhunter, the General falls into the "Ghost Zone", a void which the villain Prometheus uses as a hideout.^[7]

Second Shaggy Man

A new version of Shaggy Man appears as a member of the Injustice League. This version was created by Lex Luthor to strengthen the ranks of the Injustice League.^[8] Shaggy Man later assaults the hero Geo-Force.^[9]

Third Shaggy Man

During the Brightest Day storyline, Simon Stagg performed a similar procedure to transfer the mind of his henchman Java into the body of a Shaggy Man. Java's Shaggy Man form is defeated by Freight Train.^[10]

Fourth Shaggy Man

In The New 52 (a reboot of the DC Comics universe), a Shaggy Man appeared as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains. Created by Professor Ivo, this version battled the Justice League of America.^[11]

This Shaggy Man reappears in DC Rebirth. When Black Manta assumes control of N.E.M.O. as their new Fisher King, he has them activate one of their weapons from the Atlantic seabed. The weapon, a hulking seaweed covered creature heads straight to Atlantis.^[12] Aquaman and the Atlantean forces try to stop it but find it can regenerate quickly after each of their attacks. After firing a focused Plasmit Cannon on it, the seaweed covering the creature disappears as Aquaman discovers that it is the Shaggy Man and realize that it is headed straight for Arthur Curry's home of Amnesty Bay.^[13] Aquaman fights with the Shaggy Man in Amnesty Bay. After being heavily beaten, Aquaman defeats him by attaching his Justice League membership card to the Shaggy Man and having the Justice League satellite transport him outside of Earth's orbit.^[14]

Powers and abilities

The Shaggy Man is a super-strong, nigh-impervious creature that courtesy of retro-engineering with salamander DNA is capable of almost instantaneous regeneration, and does not require food or rest. Eiling as The General while in the Shaggy Man's body christened it as Immortal, Invulnerable and Unstoppable as it had enough raw might to outclass even the silver age Superman and the entire justice league while still being mindless. This doubled as a weakness as Shaggy Man was more instinctual and territorial than a cognitive entity making his limited mental capacity vulnerable to hypnotic suggestion.

In other media

Television

• In the Challenge of the Super Friends episode "Terror From the Phantom Zone," a Phantom Zone criminal named Rom-Lok is mutated into a Shaggy Man look-alike by Red Kryptonite.

• Shaggy Man appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episodes "Legends of the Dark Mite" and "Long Arm of the Law". In "Legends of the Dark Mite," Shaggy Man was one of the villains that he wanted Batman to fight. Shaggy Man disappears when Batman suggests that he uses Calendar Man. In "Long of the Law," Batman and Plastic Man work silently to save captive boy scouts from a group of sleeping Shaggy Men. Even though the Shaggy Men were accidentally disturbed, they were defeated by Batman and Plastic Man.

References

External links

• Shaggy Man I's bio
• Shaggy Man II's bio
• Shaggy Man I at DC Comics Wiki
• Shaggy Man II at DC Comics Wiki
• Shaggy Man III at DC Comics Wiki
• Shaggy Man at Comic Vine