| Wonder Man | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Fred Carson |
|
First Appearance |
Wonder Comics #1 (May 1939) |
|
Original Publisher |
Fox Features |
|
Created by |
Will Eisner |
Origin[]
Fred Carson was a radio engineer who enjoyed traveling. While on a trip to Tibet, he met a yogi who put him through a series of rigorous tests. Fred passed, proving that he had the physical and moral strength to do good. As a reward, the yogi gave him a magic ring. Fred used it to fight for humanity and justice as Wonder Man.
In his only appearance, Wonder Man delivered aid to Tarovania that was suffering under the occupation by an unnamed invader. In the context of the time, this was most likely meant to be the Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.
Wonder Man rips through steel.
Powers and Abilities[]
With the magical ring, Wonder Man was given super strength, the ability to leap at least 100 yards at a time, and resistance to bullets and explosions.
Public Domain Appearances[]
- Wonder Comics #1
Notes[]
- Wonder Man was created because Victor Fox commissioned Will Eisner and his Iger Studio to create a virtual copy of Superman. DC, which at the time was housed in the same building as Fox, immediately protested in court. Fox stopped publishing Wonder Man adventures, but fought in court against the charge. Eisner testified that he had, indeed, been asked to copy Superman. However, a recently discovered trial transcript shows that, while on the stand, Eisner actually insisted that he based Wonder Man on the Phantom, and that he created Wonder Man months before the first issue of Action Comics hit the newsstands.
- Nevertheless, the court ruled in DC's favor, and Fox refused to pay Eisner for his services. As a result, Wonder Man only appeared once, and Wonder Comics was renamed Wonderworld Comics with issue #3, which introduced another Eisner creation - The Flame.