It’s Trivia Tuesday! Tell us, which of the below characters did Stan Lee have a hand in co-creating?
A. Ziggy Pig
B. Zarrko
C. Zom
D. Zzzax
And the answers are…
B. Zarrko and C. Zom!
But before we dive into their tales, let’s hear it for the other Z characters!
Ziggy Pig
Ziggy Pig appeared in several titles in Timely Comics, Marvel’s predecessor, during the Golden Age of Comic Books. Conceived by legendary cartoonist Al Jaffee, the talking pig debuted in Krazy Komics #1 way back in July 1942.
Zzzax
Steve Englehart and Herb Trimpe brought this accidental humanoid to life. (We know, that name sounds like it could be a Stan creation, doesn’t it?) This pure electrical creature first zapped into existence in The Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #166 in August 1973.
And now, onto the Stan co-creations!
Zarrko
The renowned team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby crafted this villain, a noted Thor foe. Zarrko first landed in the pages of Journey into Mystery #86 in November 1962. This evil scientist hails from the future, and yes, that means he crafted his own time machine. He chooses to travel to – where else? – 1960s USA, where he pinched things like an experimental bomb. His highly developed tech and science abilities aided in the creation of various time control and travel devices, including time missiles, the time cube, and the time-scope. Not to mention, Zarrko also constructed an ultra-strong robot that can emit concussive energy called Servitor. Imagine what he could do if he used his powers for good!
Zom
We present yet another villain! Stan Lee and Marie Severin brought this huge, part-humanoid demon to life in Strange Tales #156 in May 1967. Put simply, this Doctor Strange foe exists solely to destroy Earth. His immense evil energy makes him one of the most fearsome beings in the Marvel universe. In fact, the extensive magical power and knowledge Zom possesses are great enough that at one time, both Dormammu AND Eternity had to work together to imprison him. That didn’t stick, though, and eventually the Living Tribunal had to intervene. Yeah, Zom is really that dangerous!
For the last few years, we’ve put the spotlight on some of Stan’s most obscure co-creations, starting with A and ending with Z. Check out the Comics section of therealstanlee.com to catch up on any entries you may have missed!