Captain Klutz is a comic strip character created in 1967 by Don Martin. He is a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

of superhero characters. The character originally saw print in a series of original paperback books done for the '' Mad'' magazine paperback line, not the magazine itself.

Backstory

The protagonist, Ringo Fonebone, is a hopelessly inept man utterly absorbed in reading comic books to the point that he was kicked out of his parents' house, a vocational school he tried to attend and a

flophouse A flophouse (American English) or dosshouse (British English) is a place that offers very low-cost lodging, providing space to sleep and minimal amenities. Characteristics Historically, flophouses, or British "doss-houses", have been used for ...

(the last expulsion left him in nothing but a set of red long johns and dotted

boxer shorts Boxer shorts (also known as loose boxers or as simply boxers) are a type of undergarment typically worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by boxers, for whom unhind ...

). Attempting to commit suicide by

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging ...

himself, the towel he used as a rope broke, inadvertently acquiring a mask (originally a woman's hat being thrown out by her irate husband), and finally crash-landed in the middle of a robbery, in long-johns, his "mask" and towel "cape", distracting the robber long enough for the police to capture him. The robber's angry exclamation, "Why, you klutz!," was taken by the dazed (and temporarily amnesiac) Ringo as his name, and he responded to the officers' questions regarding his identity with: "I'm...a klutz, captain." The police thought he had said he was "Captain Klutz".

Adventures

Captain Klutz did not lead a luxurious life, being reduced to homelessness at various times. (In one adventure, "my new airy apartment" was a park bench; in another, he hoped an invention would give him super-speed, so he could get a pizza delivery job.) He was also utterly inept at crime-fighting (apparent

clumsiness Clumsy or clumsiness may refer to: Behaviour * Accident-proneness *Developmental coordination disorder, a motor skills disorder which brings about chronic clumsiness Music * ''Clumsy'' (Our Lady Peace album), a 1997 album by Our Lady Peace ** "C ...

), being poor at deduction, easily misled, and naive. (An alleged "

kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to commo ...

master" easily conned Klutz for phony "training" in martial arts.) He usually succeeded in capturing the bad guy in spite of himself. His main ally was Police Chief O'Freenbean, and he fought a variety of enemies, including: * Sissyman (a villainous mama's boy whose secret headquarters was in his mother's house; his weapons included an ice-cream gun) * Comrade Stupidska * Mervin the Mad Bomber (Captain Klutz tries to lure Mervin out of hiding by calling on a bevy of his loved ones, including family, friends, and the entire

Norman Luboff Norman Luboff (May 14, 1917 – September 22, 1987) was an American music arranger, music publisher, and choir director. Early years Norman Luboff was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1917. He studied piano as a child and participated in his high s ...

Choir) * Gorgonzola (a giant mechanical spider; Klutz defeats him by grabbing a leg and sticking it into an electrical socket) * The Cackling Cockroach

Creators

Don Martin illustrated all the Captain Klutz stories. Numerous writers were credited for the stories. A listing of the stories, as well as the credited writers, follows. ''The MAD Adventures of Captain Klutz'' (1967) Stories below uncredited; credited writers

Dick DeBartolo Dick DeBartolo (born October 19, 1945) is an American writer, most famous for writing for '' Mad''. He is occasionally referred to as "''Mads Maddest Writer," this being a twist on Don Martin's former status as "''Mads Maddest Artist." De ...

, Phil Hahn, Jack Hanrahan, Don Martin * Prologue/Origin :''The genesis of Captain Klutz.'' * "Sissyman" :''No master of disguise, Klutz wears a rabbit costume while undercover as a high school football player.'' * "The Message" :''Klutz writes to Chief O'Freenbean in

invisible ink Invisible ink, also known as security ink or sympathetic ink, is a substance used for writing, which is invisible either on application or soon thereafter, and can later be made visible by some means, such as heat or ultraviolet light. Invisible ...

.'' * "Chicken Soup" :''A scheming matron builds an army of

zombie A zombie ( Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in w ...

s, by drugging the food at her soup kitchen.'' * "On The Elevator" * "Gorgonzola" :''A story of man versus spider.'' * "Mervin the Mad Bomber" :''Klutz learns to think twice, before calling out the

bomb squad Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milit ...

.'' ''MAD's Don Martin Carries On'' (1973) * "The Man of 1,000 Faces (Give or Take 900)" written by

''MAD's Don Martin Steps Further Out'' (1975) * "Kung Fu To You, Too!" written by Dick DeBartolo ''MAD's Don Martin Forges Ahead'' (1977) * "The Barfing Affair" written by

Don Edwing Don "Duck" Edwing (1934 – December 26, 2016) was an American gag cartoonist whose work has appeared for years in '' Mad''. His signature "Duck Edwing" was usually accompanied by a small picture of a duck, and duck calls were heard on his answer ...

''MAD's Don Martin Digs Deeper'' (1979) * "The Gravest Show on Earth" written by Dick DeBartolo ''MAD's Don Martin Grinds Ahead'' (1981) * "The Cackling Cockroach" written by Don Martin ''MAD's Don Martin Presents Captain Klutz II'' (1983) * "To Brusha with Love" written by

* "The Klutz File", uncredited * "Hollywood Whodunnit", written by

* "The Sounds of Captain Klutz" and "The Klutz File", uncredited * "Theme Song from Captain Klutz – The Book" written by Don Martin and

Nick Meglin Nick Meglin (July 30, 1935 – June 2, 2018) was an American writer, humorist, and artist. He was known for his work as a contributor, comics writer, illustrator and editor for the satirical magazine '' Mad''. He also scripted ''Superfan'', a 1 ...

, music by Norm Blagman * "The Klutz File", "Captain Klutz's Agendum for Secret Messages" and "Crimefighter's Corner" uncredited * "The Major Catastrophe" written by Don Edwing Additional writers: John Gibbons, Norma Martin, and Dick DeBartolo ''MAD's Don Martin Sails Ahead'' (1986) * "Klutzenstein" written by Don Edwing

Appearances

Captain Klutz's adventures were featured in the following volumes: * ''The MAD Adventures of Captain Klutz'' ( Signet, 1967) * ''MAD's Don Martin Presents Captain Klutz II'' (Warner Books, 1983) Captain Klutz stories also appeared in the following Don Martin anthologies: * ''MAD's Don Martin Carries On'' (

Warner Books Grand Central Publishing is a book publishing imprint of Hachette Book Group, originally established in 1970 as Warner Books when Warner Communications acquired the Paperback Library. When Time Warner sold their book publishing business to Hachet ...

, 1973) * ''MAD's Don Martin Steps Further Out'' (Warner Books, 1975) * ''MAD's Don Martin Forges Ahead'' (Warner Books, 1977) * ''MAD's Don Martin Digs Deeper'' (Warner Books, 1979) * ''MAD's Don Martin Grinds Ahead'' (Warner Books, 1981) * ''MAD's Don Martin Sails Ahead'' (Warner Books, 1986)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Captain Klutz
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archived
from the original on April 9, 2012. Mad (magazine) Parody superheroes 1967 comics debuts Comics characters introduced in 1967 1986 comics endings American comics characters Male characters in comics American superheroes Humor comics Parody comics