Funnyman

History

Concept and Creation

Funnyman was the last creation of Superman creators Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster. Funnyman was their attempt to catch lightning in a bottle a second time, appearing both in a comic from Magazine Enterprises and as a newspaper strip.

Magazine Enterprises

Origin

Comedian Larry Davis thought he was taking part in a publicity stunt for his new TV show, little did he know that the crooks he was batting about were real criminals. Having taken them out he decided that fighting crime as a superhero in his spare time might be fun, so using a combination of comedy gags, such as squirting flowers and boxing gloves on springs, and disorienting the bad guys with stinging banter he kept at it as Funnyman. Since after his short lived comic book series, Funnyman entered the public domain.

Funnyman did make a surprise cameo at DC Comics in 1977 as his alter ego Larry Davis.

Gallant Comics

The Ever-Incredible Funnyman – Dave Keller

Funnyman returns in the pages of Gallant Comics in his own miniseries Funnyman: The Cult of Seth. Dave Keller was a standup comedian on the rise until his own frailties and poor decisions brought it all crashing down. Then, through mysterious circumstances, he gained the Jekyll-and-Hyde-like ability to transform into a wild, uncontrollable alter ego.

Funnyman intervenes to save an old man from what he perceives to be a mugging. Unbeknownst to him, however, Dave put himself in the middle of an attempt by inter-dimensional assassins to murder a powerful, but eccentric entity.

Trivia

Funnyman was based on movie star Danny Kaye.

Funnyman is said to be the first Jewish superhero.