Bozo and Iron Man

So I was reading a comic book the other day. Try to hold in your shock and surprise. At any rate, it was about this brilliant inventor who has a suit of armor that he uses to fight crime and preserve the American way of life.

Bozo the Robot.

I’m serious.

Stop laughing.


Okay, maybe some laughter is warranted.

I have no idea if Bozo played any role at all in the creation of the much more familiar Iron Man. But there are distinct similarities and it’s really really hard not to compare the two. Both star handsome, smart inventors that use metal suits to fight crime. And the 1940’s was no stranger to robot entertainment. So it’s kinda doubtful that Stan Lee and Don Heck had any recollection of Bozo the Robot in specific when they created the Armored Avenger.

Bozo the Robot was created for Quality comics title Smash Comics in 1939. It was originally called “Hugh Hazard and his Iron Man”. Iron Man was created by Marvel Comics and debuted in Tales of Suspense #39, 1963. There are a few, subtle differences that I can’t resist outlining.

Pretty early on for both Iron Man and Bozo the robot, the suits gain the ability to fly. Iron Man does this with repulsor rays; using science to create a ray blast that will ‘repulse’ things away from him. Including the ground. It’s pretty logical and has some neat story potential.












Hugh Hazard adds a propeller to Bozo’s head.





When it’s time for Tony Stark to iron up and swing into action, he uses complicated machinery to don the suit. As you all saw in the Avengers movie. It’s a neat concept and very visually interesting.


When I was most familiar with the character in the seventies, he carried the suit around in an ever-present briefcase. Which was… close to physically impossible. The weight of the suitcase alone would make it entirely unreasonable. HOWEVER, I loved the idea then and I love it now; especially since it was so smartly packed.






Hugh Hazard climbs into Bozo through a hatch in the back of the robot.






Which, c’mon… is really kind of awesome.

But if you’re a super-cool handsome inventor using technology to battle crime and get women, do you call yourself “Iron Man” or do you refer to your weapon as “Bozo the Robot”. Something is off with good ‘ol Hugh Hazard.

There are several things that make Iron Man a great character and give him that air of classic super-hero. But for me, it’s that the character is all about change. Tony Stark is actively shown as constantly improving his design and weapons. Constantly upgrading, changing, and improving for the better. He’s the comic book character equivalent of one of my theories that I hold close in my profession. Be ready to change, improve, stay relevant, and never stop learning.





This idea of change is not something most casual readers are willing to accept in their comic book characters. But with a little bit of analysis, we realize the most enternal characters change to meet the needs of the decade and their current readers. Tony Stark just does it in context of the story.

Sometimes we make a big deal about the way things are today and refer to things of yesteryear as far superior. But as the super-hero lover I know that you are would you rather follow the adventures of this:


Or this:



My answer is both. But… my perceptions are skewed.

I actually have a point to make! In college when I was trying to think of myself as a writer ‘for realsies’, I was really bothered by the cliche that “there’s nothing new under the sun”. That phrase really got into my head and demotivated me. However, I would use this example between Iron Man and Bozo as a life lesson for creators. Sure, it might be true that there’s nothing new under the sun. But no one’s seen YOUR take on it before, and maybe you can find that kernel in the concept that really speaks to people.

Nothing new under the sun might be true. But taking an old idea and turning it onto its head and making it appeal to modern audiences? That’s intriguing. Hollywood has been doing this for years and getting beat up about it. But there’s a difference between playing to audience nostalgia for a quick buck and salvaging an old idea and turning it into something great again. Some current day comic companies have been doing this with characters that are being dusted off from the 1940’s. I like that. In my 1940’s reading, I come across plenty of characters that I would like to see re-interpreted for today’s audiences. And I think judging a character as ‘too stupid’ to do anything with would be incredibly closed minded and short sighted.

They may not be directly related in any way. But you can’t help but look at this:


And think that it could have inspired this:



Thanks,
DCD