A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Flex Mentallo | |
---|---|
![]() Cover to Flex Mentallo #1. Art by Frank Quitely. | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Doom Patrol #35 (August 1990) |
Created by | Grant Morrison Richard Case |
In-story information | |
Full name | Flex Mentallo |
Species | Metahuman |
Team affiliations | Doom Patrol |
Abilities | Flexing muscles can alter reality |
Flex Mentallo is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Richard Case in 1990, during their run on Doom Patrol. Flex is in part a parody of Charles Atlas' long-running "The Insult that made a Man out of Mac" advertisements seen in American comics from the past.
In 1996, Flex Mentallo appeared in a self-titled, four-issue miniseries written by Morrison and illustrated by Frank Quitely. The miniseries forms part of what Morrison calls a thematic hypersigil trilogy along with The Invisibles and The Filth.[1]
Mentallo appears in his first live-action adaptation on the Doom Patrol television series for DC Universe and HBO Max, portrayed by Devan Chandler Long.
Publication history
Flex Mentallo first appeared in 1991 in issue #35 of Grant Morrison's run on Doom Patrol as a member of the audience for Danny the Street's Perpetual Cabaret. Later in the storyline, Flex reveals that he is actually "The Man of Muscle Mystery", and tidies his appearance. In issue #42, Flex is revealed to be not an entirely original creation, but rather a parody of the post-workout protagonist of Charles Atlas' long-running "The Insult that made a Man out of Mac" advertisements seen in American comics from the past.
Also parodied was My Greatest Adventure, the title in which the Doom Patrol originally appeared. Part of a long string of fictional characters "come to life" in Morrison's writing, Flex was apparently created by a psychic child with a green pen. The characters created in this child's youthful scrawlings, titled "My Greenest Adventure", apparently came to life. Amongst Flex's "Greenest Adventure" siblings were the villainous Waxworker and the heroic Fact.
In 1996, Flex Mentallo received his own four-issue mini-series written by Morrison and illustrated by Frank Quitely. Although ignored by the Charles Atlas company at the time, it was later brought to the company's attention by a fan of the comics. Charles Atlas company president Jeffrey C. Hogue was unhappy with its likeness being used this way, and filed a trademark infringement suit against DC Comics. DC submitted a motion for summary dismissal, which was granted on the basis of fair use using the parody defense.[2]
DC has reprinted Flex's initial appearances, including the Charles Atlas parody, in the third and fourth collections of the Morrison Doom Patrol stories, "'Down Paradise Way" and "Musclebound". In 2012, DC reprinted the miniseries in a hardcover edition with bonus material.[3] The miniseries had previously been reprinted in Italian by Italian publisher Magic Press.
Fictional character biography
Flex made his first appearance in Doom Patrol #36, where he appeared as a shaggy amnesiac on Danny the Street. When the false Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., controlled by a fanatic named Darren Jones, tried to destroy Danny the Street, the Doom Patrol came in to try and put a stop to it. Seeing them battle was what gave Flex his memory back. His origin story was given in Musclebound.
When Flex was still a "mac" instead of a "man", he was bullied a lot while on the beach. Tired of being scrawny, he was approached by a man who had a TV for a head and smoked three cigarinos at a time.[4] He gave Flex a coupon to fill out to get a body building book, "Muscle Mystery for You". The instructions in the book turned Flex into the muscled strongman he is now, and he learned that when he flexed one type of muscle, he could alter reality. As he did, his "Hero Halo" appeared over him, which read "Hero of the Beach". After this, he decided to become a crimefighter and dressed in wrestling boots and leopard-skin trunks.
Flex teamed up with a group of heroes, the Zipper, the Atomic Pile, Dr. 45 and his assistant Romantic Rick, and the Fact. Strangely enough, he hinted, all their adventures revolved around the color green.
In 1956, while judging a swimsuit competition, Flex fell in love with and later married a woman named Dolores Watson. He was then approached by a reporter named Norman Grindstone, who was investigating the disappearance of detective Harry Christmas. Harry was "on to something big", as Norman put it, involving the Pentagon, a rash of 32 mysterious disappearances since 1949, silver sugar tongs, and an Ant Farm. Norman found Harry's conclusion about what was going on, and showed it to Flex. Both were horrified by Harry's discoveries. Soon after, Norman Grindstone was seemingly erased from existence. For two months Flex flexed about every muscle in his body trying to turn the Pentagon into a circle. Dolores left him in this time because he wouldn't stop flexing. He failed, and investigated the Pentagon up close. He was captured, however, by the (real) Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and placed inside the Tearoom of Despair. Once there, he lost his powers and his memory, and was left to wander, homeless and crazy, until he found Danny the Street.
Flex eventually remembered the 32 disappearances; their number, he said, was 5, the number of sides of the Pentagon: "3+2=5 and that is their number. It is the number of anguish". After regaining his memory, he was reunited with Dolores, who returned his costume but then withered away; her parting words were "I love you. They made me". As she said this, the Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. suddenly stood in her place. They kidnapped Flex and young psychic Dorothy Spinner, bringing the two to the sub-sub basement of the Pentagon, to power the mechanical monstrosity Flex had discovered all those years ago: The Ant Farm.
While given a tour of the Ant Farm by the demented Major Honey, Flex learned that he was created by a psychic named Wallace Sage inside a comic book Sage created with green ink when he was a child called "My Greenest Adventure". Sage, along with Dorothy, was kidnapped as a means to summon the Telephone Avatar, a being that has enslaved the dead and haunted the telephone system for 50 years. The Doom Patrol soon invaded the Pentagon in an attempt to rescue Flex and Dorothy; in the confusion, Flex freed Wallace, who died within minutes. Upon Wallace's death, Flex regained his powers and successfully transformed the Pentagon into a circle, but he couldn't destroy the Avatar. The Avatar was eventually destroyed by The Candlemaker, an entity that had been imprisoned within Dorothy's mind.
Flex went on to star in a four-issue miniseries in its own continuity.
Flex Mentallo joins up with Doom Patrol later, helping them solve problems in the realm that is deep inside Danny. In return, the Patrol helps him with Muscle Beach, which had been over-run by bullies.
Powers and abilities
As The Man of Muscle Mystery, Flex Mentallo's powers are apparently vast but ill-defined. In a general sense, Flex can affect reality by flexing his muscles, in a reverse form of mind over matter. In the most extreme exertion of his power, he was able to transform the Pentagon into a circular building for a brief moment.
When Flex uses his power, his "Hero Halo", a shimmering projection of the words "Hero of the Beach", appears above his head.
In other media
Television
- Flex Mentallo makes a cameo appearance on a poster in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "The Last Patrol!".
- A magazine depiction of Flex Mentallo appears in the Young Justice episode "Away Mission".
- Flex Mentallo appears in Doom Patrol, portrayed by Devan Chandler Long.[5] This version was previously captured by the Bureau of Normalcy in 1964 before being rescued by the Doom Patrol in the present day.
Footnotes
- ^ Brown, M. (May 18, 2004). "The New Age of Morrison". ComiX-Fan. Archived from the original on 2005-12-08.
- ^ Sullivan, J. (August 31, 2000). "Charles Atlas Complaint Held As Legal Weakling". New York Times.
- ^ Mullin, P. (January 4, 2011). "Flex Mentallo is back!". Graphic Content. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012.
- ^ "Flex Mentallo" Doom Patrol, no. 42, p. 7/3 (1987).
- ^ Polito, T. (April 29, 2019). "DC's 'Doom Patrol' Adds Devan Chandler Long as Flex Mentallo". Geeks Worldwide. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
References
- Brooker, Will (June 2011). "Hero of the beach: Flex Mentallo at the end of the worlds". Journal of Graphic Novels & Comics. 2 (#1): 25–37. doi:10.1080/21504857.2011.578406. S2CID 194954361.
External links
>Text je dostupný pod licencí Creative Commons Uveďte autora – Zachovejte licenci, případně za dalších podmínek. Podrobnosti naleznete na stránce Podmínky užití.
Frank Quitely
List of comics publishing companies
DC Comics
First appearance
Doom Patrol
1990 in comics
Grant Morrison
Richard Case
Doom Patrol
American comic books
DC Comics
Grant Morrison
Richard Case
Doom Patrol
Parody
Charles Atlas
1996 in comics
Frank Quitely
Sigil (magic)#Hypersigils
The Invisibles
The Filth (comics)
Doom Patrol (TV series)
DC Universe (streaming service)
HBO Max
Devan Chandler Long
1991 in comics
Danny the Street
My Greatest Adventure
1996 in comics
Jeffrey C. Hogue
DC Comics
Fair use
Italian language
Danny the Street
Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E.
Doom Patrol
The Pentagon
Sugar tongs
Danny the Street
Dorothy Spinner
Mind over matter
The Pentagon
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Young Justice (TV series)
Doom Patrol (TV series)
Devan Chandler Long
Doi (identifier)
S2CID (identifier)
Template:Doom Patrol
Template talk:Doom Patrol
Special:EditPage/Template:Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
Arnold Drake
Bruno Premiani
Murray Boltinoff
Bob Haney
Grant Morrison
Rachel Pollack
Gerard Way
List of Doom Patrol members
Negative Man
Robotman (Cliff Steele)
Danny the Street
Crazy Jane
Elasti-Girl
List of Doom Patrol members
Ambush Bug
Beast Boy
Bumblebee (DC Comics)
Chief (DC Comics)
Celsius (character)
Joshua Clay
Coagula
Danny the Street
Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi)
Element Girl
Elongated Man
Mento (character)
Valentina Vostok
Dorothy Spinner
Mal Duncan
Animal Man
Aquaman
Ted Kord
Booster Gold
Justice League
Power Girl
Superman
Teen Titans
Willoughby Kipling
Will Magnus
List of Doom Patrol enemies
Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man
Brain (DC Comics)
General Immortus
General Zahl
Madame Rouge
Monsieur Mallah
Mr. Nobody (comics)
Shrapnel (DC Comics)
List of Doom Patrol enemies
Brotherhood of Dada
Brotherhood of Evil
Teen Titans
Teen Titans (TV series)
Titans (2018 TV series)
Doom Patrol (TV series)
Template:Grant Morrison
Template talk:Grant Morrison
Special:EditPage/Template:Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison bibliography
Big Dave (comics)
Future Shocks
Really & Truly
Zenith (comics)
Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd: Inferno
52 (comics)
Action Comics#The New 52
All-Star Superman
Animal Man (comic book)
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
The Authority (comics)
Aztek (character)
Batman
Batman: Gothic
Batman and Son
The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul
Batman R.I.P.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
Batman and Robin (comic book)
Batman Incorporated
DC One Million
Doom Patrol
Final Crisis
Zauriel
JLA (comic book)
JLA: Earth 2
The Multiversity
Seven Soldiers
Wonder Woman: Earth One
Fantastic Four: 1234
Noh-Varr
New X-Men (2001 series)
E Is for Extinction
Imperial (comics)
New Worlds (comics)
Riot at Xavier's
Murder at the Mansion
Assault on Weapon Plus
Planet X (comics)
Here Comes Tomorrow
Skrull Kill Krew
Nick's World
The Filth (comics)
Hellblazer
The Invisibles
Joe the Barbarian
Kid Eternity
Kill Your Boyfriend
The Mystery Play
Sebastian O
Seaguy
Vimanarama
We3
Klaus (comics)
Dare (comic strip)
Gideon Stargrave
The Liberators (comic)
Near Myths
The New Adventures of Hitler
Bible John-A Forensic Meditation
St. Swithin's Day (comics)
Zoids (comics)
Isis (DC Comics)
Angel Salvadore
Asmodel
Atom (Ryan Choi)
Azrael (comics)
Aztek (character)
Barnell Bohusk
Batwing (DC Comics)
Batwoman
Squire (identity)
Big Science Action
Black Flash
Bulleteer
Cassandra Nova
Circus of Strange
Crazy Jane
Damian Wayne
Danny the Street
Dust (comics)
Everyman (DC Comics)
Fantomex
Father Time (DC Comics)
Flamingo (comics)
Freedom Beast
Gideon Stargrave
Merry Pemberton
Glob Herman
Great Ten
Hourman (android)
Huntsman (Weapon XII)
International Ultramarine Corps
Jakeem Thunder
Superman (Kal Kent)
Kid Eternity
Impala (DC Comics)
King Mob (comics)
Knight (DC Comics)
Kryptonite Man
Lady Styx
Leviathan (DC Comics)
Lord Fanny
Manhattan Guardian
Many-angled ones
Basilisk (comics)
Mirror Master
Negasonic Teenage Warhead
Osiris (DC Comics)
Phaser (comics)
Professor Pyg
Prometheus (DC Comics)
Quentin Quire
Red Volcano
Redneck (comics)
Sheeda
Simon Hurt
Sobek (comics)
Spider (DC Comics)
Stepford Cuckoos
Sublime (Marvel Comics)
Super-Chief
Super Young Team
Supernova (DC Comics)
Swagman (comics)
Tomorrow Woman
Vyndktvx
Weasel (DC Comics)
Whip (comics)
White Martian
Willoughby Kipling
Xorn
Shining Knight (Ystina)
Zauriel
Zenith (comics)
Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods
Flex Mentallo
Flex Mentallo
Main Page
Wikipedia:Contents
Portal:Current events
Special:Random
Wikipedia:About
Wikipedia:Contact us
Special:FundraiserRedirector?utm source=donate&utm medium=sidebar&utm campaign=C13 en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en
Help:Contents
Help:Introduction
Wikipedia:Community portal
Special:RecentChanges
Wikipedia:File upload wizard
Main Page
Special:Search
Help:Introduction
Special:MyContributions
Special:MyTalk
Flex Mentallo
Special:EntityPage/Q3746593#sitelinks-wikipedia
Flex Mentallo
Talk:Flex Mentallo
Flex Mentallo
Flex Mentallo
Special:WhatLinksHere/Flex Mentallo
Special:RecentChangesLinked/Flex Mentallo
Wikipedia:File Upload Wizard
Special:SpecialPages
Special:EntityPage/Q3746593
Flex Mentallo
Flex Mentallo
Main Page
Wikipedia:Contents
Portal:Current events
Special:Random
Wikipedia:About
Wikipedia:Contact us
Special:FundraiserRedirector?utm source=donate&utm medium=sidebar&utm campaign=C13 en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en
Help:Contents
Help:Introduction
Wikipedia:Community portal
Special:RecentChanges
Wikipedia:File upload wizard
Main Page
Special:Search
Help:Introduction
Special:MyContributions
Special:MyTalk
Flex Mentallo
Special:EntityPage/Q3746593#sitelinks-wikipedia
Flex Mentallo
Talk:Flex Mentallo
Flex Mentallo
Flex Mentallo
Special:WhatLinksHere/Flex Mentallo
Special:RecentChangesLinked/Flex Mentallo
Wikipedia:File Upload Wizard
Special:SpecialPages
Special:EntityPage/Q3746593
Flex Mentallo
Flex Mentallo
Main Page
Wikipedia:Contents
Portal:Current events
Special:Random
Wikipedia:About
Wikipedia:Contact us
Special:FundraiserRedirector?utm source=donate&utm medium=sidebar&utm campaign=C13 en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en
Updating...x
Text je dostupný za podmienok Creative
Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 3.0 Unported; prípadne za ďalších
podmienok.
Podrobnejšie informácie nájdete na stránke Podmienky
použitia.