Comic Book Beard: DC's Starman

Back from the future, bearded and bugnuts crazy... just how I
like Starman! From writer Geoff Johns and artist
Dale Eaglesham in Justice Society of America #2 (March 2007).

In the comic book universe of DC Comics, there have been many Starmen, but the one I am most familiar with is former Star Boy, Thom Kallor. Thom was part of the Justice Society of America during a fantastic run spanning the latter half of the 2000s, the time during which I followed the teams' adventures through a number of different volumes and line-ups.

From the back up to Magog #1 (2009), by writer Geoff Johns and artists Scott Kolins.

My own understanding of the character is limited to that period, though he does have a much lnger history as a member of the Legion of Superheroes. Fortunately "The Secret Origin of Starman" backup story appeared in the January 2009 one-shot, Kingdom Come Special: Magog #1, to bring readers such as myself up to speed. On a side note, reading back through the previous JSA runs, only makes me miss the inter-generational old school niche it so entertainingly filled before being replaced with Earth 2 as part of DC's ongoing New 52 initiative. But this post is about comic book beards...

Starman being all crazy and what-not, courtesy of writer Geoff Johns and
artist Dale Eaglesham in Justice Society of America #6 (July 2007).

A member of the Legion of Superheroes in the future, Thom was sent back in time for, as Braniac 5 puts it, "one unsettling, but vital task." Unfortunately, while the future, baby-faced Star Boy did make it back to the past, a price was paid. In the process, his brain had been scrambled. Upon removing his mask in the present, it was revealed in the full-page scene at the top of the post, that Starman had somehow grown a beard while on his time trip. Going slightly against type, when Thom did regain his sanity briefly during this run, it was the state of lucidity that troubled him. While the more common comic book trope is for characters to become disheveled (and for men, beared) as his or her super-sanity begins to crumble, Thom avoided shaving as an external manifestation of being coherent, Thom maintained his bearded look for the issues that followed.

I've lost track of Thom Kallor (as well as many DC characters) since the New 52. I do understand though that he is alive and well, though drastically different in his physical characetrization and, sadly, beard-free.

Comic Book Beard: Rick Grimes

Sporting his current comic book "look", The Walking Dead's Rick Grimes
in issue 127, with art by Charlie Adlard.

Electing to write daily posts about comic book characters with beards last November was much more challenging than I had anticipated.  After hitting five characters with varying degrees of recognizability (from DC Comic's Aquaman to Robert Crumb's Mr. Natural) to any but the most dedicated fanboy, things petered out.

From issue #1 of The Walking Dead (2003),
art by Tony Moore.

Rather than taking that as a hint to cease-and-desist, I've once again accepted the challenge to ferret out examples of comic book characters who have jumped headlong into beardedness, this time kicking Novembeard off with a very high Q rating. Though this character originated in Robert Kirtkman's successful comic book, he has reached an even greater degree of popularity on the small screen: Skybound Comics' The Walking Dead's Rick Grimes.

In an interview given by actor Andrew Lincoln prior to the start of the most recent season of AMC's The Walking Dead, the actor responded to a question regarding his character's progression in season five that, “I've been growing my beard. I decided this season we’re gonna need a bigger beard. It’s all about the beard this season. I’m just waiting for them to tell me to stop growing it.”

From The Walking Dead, Volume 7,
trade paperback by Adlard.

Of course, those of us who've been reading Robert Kirkman's comic book for the past 10 years already knew that it has always been about the beard. In fact, Rick's reoccurring facial hair (as illustrated by Tony Moore and especially, Charlie Adlard) can be tracked throughout the comic book series since it's first issue wa-a-a-ay back in 2013.

Issue #1 kicked of with 5 o'clock shadow Rick (above, left), recently awoken from a coma to a zombie apocalypse. Though he has lost the facial hair on occasion, Rick's look has lately evolved and developed into the "crew-cut wearing, thick, hillbilly bearded Rick" that stars in the most recent issues of the comic book. In a slight twist on the standard "character grows a beard when they go nuts" motif, this new Rick is living a fairly well-adjusted existence in as orderly a world as possible (heck, even Carl has achieved a level of normalcy!) given the cannibals, psychopaths and murderous zombies. But we all know that current state of affairs won't last long...

From The Walking Dead, Volume 12, trade paperback with art by Adlard.

As seen in The Walking Dead, Volume 12, even Rick occasionally goes clean shaven.

Of course, the beard is back for the showdown with Neegan in the final installment of
the "All Out War" arc in issue #126

Comic Book Beard: R. Crumbs' Mr. Natural

The one and only Mr. Natural... still truckin' after all these years.

For my previous Comic Book Beards post, I dug deep into my back issue long boxes and for today's, I had to go underground. Mr. Natural (Fred Natural) is a comic book character created and drawn by 1960s counterculture and underground comix artist icon Robert Crumb. As I very young comic book fan, I recall a friend of mine finding and sharing a collection Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers issues (with Fat Freddy's Cat, naturally) found in his father's closet beside nudie magazines. It's blend of "bad behavior" and stories (with drug and sexual references) satirizing the establishment appealed to my 14 year-old sensibilities. An added bonus was that the guy who owned the comic store I frequented at the time had the same aesthetic appearance.

The irony of my black boxing Mr.
Natural's book cover is not
lost to me.

My introduction to the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers underground peer, Mr. Natural (and what real fanboy doesn't at least have a passing awareness of R. Crumb?), came much later in life. A few years ago, while browsing graphic novels at a bookstore, I came across Fantagraphics' The Book of Mr. Natural collection (which was recently released as a hard cover). I bought an original print softcover from 1995 online soon thereafter, and was fortunately not too surprised at how relevant Crumb's underground anti-establishment humor still is. In adhering to that long time facial hair trope, the sagacious Mr. Natural is part prophet and part conman, and always depicted with an extremely long white beard.

I'll defer to online resource Wikipedia  for am articulation of Mr. Natural's origins: "At first appearance, Mr. Natural is a mystic guru who spouts aphorisms on the evils of the modern world and the salvation to be found in mysticism and natural living. He has renounced the material world and lives off anything he can get in exchange for his nuggets of wisdom. Usually depicted as slightly overweight (although his size varies), he is bald with a long white beard, and wears a gown which makes him resemble the Old Testament God or a prophet... Crumb's bearded guru is too unapologetic to be called a con man. Despite his renunciation of the material world, he's an unrepentant sybarite. His straight talk, while refreshing, can get him into trouble, as when he was kicked out of heaven for telling God it's "a little corny" in "Mr. Natural Meets God". But he may be the only Crumb creation who is genuinely likable.[2] Mr. Natural's aphorisms such as "Keep on Truckin'" are seemingly at odds with his image as a sage..."

The fact that one of Mr. Natural's most famous aphorisms, "Keep on Truckin'," is still so relevant should not be that surprising. Just as everything old can be new again, Mr. Natural's satirical message seems as fresh as ever in our world or Oprah-Dr. Phil-ized life coaching and mumbo-jumbo. Sometimes the call to just keep on truckin' is all that is necessary... well that, and a bada** beard.

Quest for Comic Book Beards

The first of November provides me with the quick opportunity to combine two of my favorite "activities" (or activity and non-activity) , collecting comic books and not shaving. With both No Shave November and Movember upon us, it is time to offer tribute to some comic book icons who (despite no longer living in a Sixties day-glow world) currently, or in the past, have rocked facial hair.

Based on this pic, the last 9 years have been
much harder on me than I thought!

My goal, in addition to this quickie intro, is to attempt to identify as many mustachioed or bearded characters from "mainstream" comic books  in my collection. Some choices may be sort of obvious (at least to comic book fans) such as Marvel's Thor or DC's Chief of Doom Patrol. Having never really given it much thought in the past, it occurs to me that there just may be 30 panels with (fairly) significant characters to choose from... though as evidenced by my most of my previous past truncated "count downs," whether I have the time is another matter.

In addition to simply digging through long boxes for epic facial hairiness, I continue my search for an alter-ego. There was a time when I fancied the idea of trying cosplay at comic conventions (very cool, I know), but despite occasionally dressing up in a homemade Mister Fantastic costume for some Halloween 5k fun runs, such as the 2006 Johnny's Run Like Hell (pictured above), I could not commit to a hero/persona because of my disdain for shaving--which often results in an on-again/off-again stated of beardedeness. (Note: In recent years, however, Reed Richards, a.k.a.Mister Fantastic, has been featured with  beard in the "regualr" Marvel comics universe. Let me further refine my previous statement  by suggesting that rather than hoping for an appropriate alter ego, I would like to find an accessible alter ego--is it really an alter ego if no one but the geekiest of fanboys can recognize who one is dressing as... even one as well known as a member of Marvel's First Family?

So it is with my razor firmly secured in the medicine cabinet, and my comic book long boxes at the ready, that I jump into Movember/No Shave November on a quest for Superfriends with a propensity for facial hair...

Comic Book Beard: Marvel Comics' Volstagg

"The Lion of Asgard" kicking butt (or chin) in Thor #608, drawn by Billy Tan and written by  Kieron Gillen.

In an effort to identify a fully bearded mainstream comic book characters who are not completely insane, I had to dig pretty deeply. While rereading Marvel's 2010 "event" miniseries Seige, I came across the ancillary mini-series Siege: Embedded starring a popular, though minor, Thor character. A member of Thor's Warriors Three, Volstagg (also known as Volstagg the Enormous, Volstagg the Voluminous, and the Lion of Asgard), though fun loving, is definitely not depicted as a nut job.

Painted by artist Stephanie Hans,
the cover to Journey Into Mystery #630
proves that even children dig
Volstagg's beard!

Easily recognizable to comic book fans by his large girth and immense red beard, and purple/gold clothing color scheme, in comic books, Volstagg is the most fun loving of the Asgardian trio of heroes known as The Warriors Three. The physical extension of the character's extremely healthy "appetites", Volstagg's girth and hairy countenance is also useful in lulling unsuspecting enemies and villains into a sense of ease, though he is both an Asgardian god and a skilled combatant with a quick wit.

Featured as key minor player in the the 2011 movie Thor, actor Ray Stevenson would appear to have more film time as Volstagg in the upcoming sequel, Thor: The Dark World. At least the inclusion of a character poster promoting the film would leave one to believe that. Immediately following Marvel's event series Seige: Embedded, Volstagg was part of the renamed Thor series Journey Into Mystery (which recently concluded after the Marevl NOW initiative). Issue #630 of Journey Into Mystery, was devoted to his whereabouts in that series during the following year's next event, Fear Itself. (If it seems like there are too many "events" in the Marvel 616 Universe, you are correct!)

Though I have periodically collected Thor comic books, primarily as a youngster during the Walter Simonson-Beta Ray Bill days, I regret that I have not followed the Warriors Three since then. Simonson's (then) definitive run included the Warriors Three to great effect and I recall those issues fondly. As a minor character, Volstagg is not featured enough in a single title that I have been able to plop down my limited comic funds for, but I have enjoyed reading a few books in doing some research on his Marvel character for this post. I also look forward to once again seeing Stevenson take the screen as Volsatgg in Thor: The Dark World later this week.

Actor Ray Stevenson as Volstagg in Thor: The Dark World (2013).