''Cigarman'' is the name of both a comic strip and the hero of the strip. It was published on the back page of '' Smoke Magazine'' from 1997 to 1998. ''Cigarman'' was written by

Sam Gross Sam Gross (born August 7, 1933) is an American cartoonist, specializing in single-panel cartoons. History Born in Bronx, New York City, Gross was the son of Max and Sophie, who were Jewish immigrants to America. His mother was born in Iași, ...

, and drawn by Randy Jones.

Origin

Bitten by a radioactive hornworm ('' Manduca sexta''), wealthy Durham Lonsdale becomes able to transform himself into a gigantic flying cigar, simply by saying Havana backwards (Anavah). Lonsdale lives in Megaburgh, as a "fabulously wealthy"

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

(a parody of

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

Other characters

* Commissioner McGraft * Fenster, McGraft's nephew * Clipperlips * Holly Honeybreath, Mayor of San Franallison * Carlos the Old Cigarmaker * Manuelo, Carlos' crossdressing nephew * George Steinblunder, owner of the Megaburgh Puff Adders

Stories

Part I

Appeared in ''Smoke'', Spring 1997 issue Origin story

Part II

Appeared in ''Smoke'', Summer 1997 issue Cigarman's

arch-nemesis In literature, an archenemy (sometimes spelled as arch-enemy) is the main enemy of someone. In fiction, it is a character who is the protagonist's, commonly a hero's, most prominent and most-known enemy. Etymology The word ''archenemy'' sometim ...

, Clipperlips, appears for the first time. He nearly defeats Cigarman, with the help of liquified blue mold, but Carlos 'the old cigarmaker' saves him.

Part III

Appeared in ''Smoke'', Fall 1997 issue Bank robbers flee to San Franallison, where Cigarman is unwelcome. He disguises himself as "Vibrator Girl" and lures them back into Megaburgh.

Part IV

Appeared in ''Smoke'', Winter 1997 issue Colonel Kootz and the

Heart of Darkness ''Heart of Darkness'' (1899) is a novella by Polish-English novelist Joseph Conrad in which the sailor Charles Marlow tells his listeners the story of his assignment as steamer captain for a Belgian company in the African interior. The novel ...

Militia steal all of the Pentagon's cigars and declare independence. Cigarman regains the cigars with the help of the AFT ( American Federation of Teachers).

Part V

Appeared in ''Smoke'', Spring 1998 issue Cigarman's arch-nemesis, Clipperlips, returns to threaten Megaburgh's ballpark, Puff Adder Stadium. Cigarman defeats him with a clever subterfuge and his secret Oriental training.

References

American comic strips 1997 comics debuts 1998 comics endings Parody superheroes Parody comics Comic strips set in the United States {{comic-strip-stub