Captain Klutz


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

Origins

Ringo Fonebone was a hopelessly inept boy. He was utterly absorbed in reading comic books, to the point that he was kicked out of his parents' house, as well as a vocational school he tried to attend and a flophouse. He realized what a mess his life was, and he tried to commit suicide by hanging himself. The towel he used as a rope broke. He fell to earth, inadvertently acquiring a mask, 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 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. He was also utterly inept at crime-fighting, being poor at deduction, easily misled, and naive. 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:
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
Stories below uncredited; credited writers Dick DeBartolo, Phil Hahn, Jack Hanrahan, Don Martin
MAD's Don Martin Carries On
MAD's Don Martin Steps Further Out
MAD's Don Martin Forges Ahead
MAD's Don Martin Digs Deeper
MAD's Don Martin Grinds Ahead
MAD's Don Martin Presents Captain Klutz II
Additional writers: John Gibbons, Norma Martin, and Dick DeBartolo
MAD's Don Martin Sails Ahead
Captain Klutz's adventures were featured in the following volumes:
Captain Klutz stories also appeared in the following Don Martin anthologies: