Bibbo Bibbowski

Bibbo Bibbowski

Bibbo (below) with Lobo on the cover of Showcase '95 #6.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Adventures of Superman #428 (May 1987)
Created by Jerry Ordway (art)
Marv Wolfman (script)
In-story information
Full name Bo Bibbowski
Team affiliations Ace o' Clubs
Supporting character of Superman
Abilities Skilled pugilist

Bo "Bibbo" Bibbowski is a supporting character in Superman comics.

Publication history

Bibbo Bibbowski first appeared in Adventures of Superman #428 (May 1987) and was created by Jerry Ordway and Marv Wolfman.[1] He is based on Jerry Ordway's real life friend, Jo Jo Kaminski, described as a 'hard as nails softie'.[2]

Fictional character biography

Bibbo first appears in a Suicide Slum bar called the Ace o' Clubs. When Superman comes in looking for information, Bibbo, thinking this is "some clown in a Superman suit", punches Superman, damaging his hand. He gains respect for the Man of Steel because "yer tough". He would later refer to Superman as his "fav'rit" hero.[1]

During the Eradicator saga, Bibbo teams up with Lobo and Raof, a teleporter and a tribute to Marvel's Nightcrawler, to see Lobo kill Superman. Lobo gives Bibbo a set of special goggles that will record the battle -or anything Bibbo is looking at. All three, however, are smashed on Okarran liquor. and thus suffer loss of all memory of the battle, which Superman won by a ruse, engineered by the Eradicator artifact. Also Bibbo's had worn the goggles backwards, and thus the entire recording was of his reactions and talking. Thus the aliens who retained Lobo to kill Superman have no proof that there even was a battle.Adventures of Superman 464

Bibbo becomes a more significant part of the comic when he finds a winning lottery ticket dropped by Gangbuster and uses the money to buy the Ace o' Clubs bar and help those living in the Slum.[1]

Bibbo as seen in the Reign of the Supermen story arc

Bibbo attempts assistance when Superman becomes involved in a drawn-out fight against the murderous Doomsday. Bibbo works with the genius Professor Hamilton in a plan to blast Doomsday with a large laser. They score a direct hit, but the monster is not affected.[3]

When Doomsday and Superman ultimately kill each other, Bibbo is on the scene and helps Hamilton use a device to try to perform CPR on Superman, despite the risk of the device killing Bibbo himself. The plan fails and Bibbo is injured. Hamilton takes over the CPR but he also fails.[4]

Shortly afterward, Bibbo encounters a young man who, his family rendered homeless by Doomsday's rampage, is blatantly selling "Death of Superman" commemorative souvenirs during a public commemoration honoring the Man of Steel. At first outraged at the man's crassness, Bibbo feels some sympathy for his losses and buys his entire souvenir stock to get him off the street, then offers him a job at the Ace O' Clubs.[5] While Superman is gone, Bibbo takes to putting on a 'disguise' of sorts and helping out on the streets. Around this time he saves a man from suicide. This is mostly through tall tales concerning various super-villains.[6]

Bibbo briefly takes care of a small white dog named Krypto which he had saved from drowning, not to be confused with the Kryptonian dog of the same name. The name was supposed to be "Krypton", but the engraver Bibbo hired to make a name tag made an intentional mistake, trying to extort more money from Bibbo (the price accorded was for six letters). Bibbo took the tag as it was.[7]

A poster seen by the hero Aztek indicates that at one point, Bibbo fought the hero Wildcat during a charity boxing event.[8] Later in the series, The Ace O' Clubs bar is the site of a battle between the life-force devouring Parasite and Aztek.[9] Bibbo and his friends purposely ignore the fight, playing cards instead and trusting others to handle the villain.

In The Power of Shazam!, Ordway introduces Professor Bibbowski, Bibbo's pacifist scientist brother.

Bibbo makes a reappearance in Superman #679, shown as one of the champions of Metropolis that the villainous Atlas defeated. He is established by then as having, or working, in the Ace of Clubs, even bringing himself to boldly menace Atom Smasher for "Talking trash about Sooperman".[10]

Other versions

The Dark Side

Bibbo plays an important part in the alternate universe story Superman: The Dark Side. He watches out for Jimmy Olsen, keeps an eye on Lois Lane and fights back against invading alien forces from Apokolips.

Convergence

The Pre-Zero-Hour version of Bibbo becomes friends with Steel's niece and nephew in the Convergence storyline. Despite their robotic disguises, he recognizes them instantly.[11]

In other media

Television

Film

References

  1. 1 2 3 Beatty, Scott (2008). "Bibbo". In Dougall, Alastair. The DC Comics Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 47. ISBN 0-7566-4119-5.
  2. ↑ Tye, Larry (1994). Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero. Random House. p. 264. ISBN 978-1-4000-6866-1.
  3. ↑ Bogdanove, Jon (p), Dennis Janke (i), Dennis Janke (col). "Doomsday Is Here!" Superman: The Man of Steel 19 (January 1993), DC Comics
  4. ↑ Adventures of Superman #498 (January 1993)
  5. ↑ Superman: The Man of Steel #20 (February 1993)
  6. ↑ Showcase '96 #10 (November 1996)
  7. ↑ Adventures of Superman #502 (July 1993)
  8. ↑ Aztek #4 (November 1996)
  9. ↑ Aztek #7 (February 1997)
  10. ↑ Justice Society of America #27 (July 2009)
  11. ↑ Convergence: Superman: Man of Steel #1-2 (April - May 2015)

External links

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