Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Direct Currents: Brother Power The Geek

Created in 1968 for DC Comics by Joe Simon, Brother Power the Geek lasted only two short issues before its abrupt cancellation. An abandoned mannequin from a tailor's shop was rescued by two hippies who dressed the doll in some of their "hip threads" and was then forgotten for months. But once the doll was stuck by lightning, Brother Power was brought to life  and was endowed with super powers. Aiming for the college crowd, this wandering "monster philosopher" was kidnapped by the "Psychedelic Circus" before getting a new face and deciding to run for the United States Congress. He also had misadventures with biker Mad Dawg and his gang as they tampered with a rocket that inadvertently shot the Geek into space by then Governor Ronald Regan. Fighting the establishment with his hippie friends, Brother Power had a small fan following. Mort Weisinger however disliked the character and hippies in general pushed very hard for DC publisher Jack Liebowitz to cancel the title. Even with no use of drugs or alcohol in the stories, Weisinger thought the book was too soft on the hippie subculture. The book was cancelled as Simon plotted the third issue, which were "ghosted" by fellow artist Al Bare in his wild fun style.

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