If you've been following along (and if you haven't, what's the matter with you?), you may remember some mention of the Human Fly's failed attempt to jump 26 buses in Montreal using a rocket-powered motorcycle, and you might have even caught the subtle hint that the Fly might have been considering a musical career.
But "subtle" was never the Human Fly's bag, so even though Marvel had helpfully announced his rock 'n' roll plans and dramatized the fallout from the bus jump, the Canadian stuntman thought the fans should hear it straight from the Fly himself. After all, he was the wildest superhero ever — "because he was real!"
It's an interesting bit of cross-promotion, further blurring the lines between the real-life Human Fly and his comic book counterpart. Marvel would do it again in a later issue when it turned the Fly's visit to the company offices into a two-page photo spread (complete with added word balloons and running commentary). First, though, came this letter, purportedly written by the daredevil after he found himself back in the hospital after the disastrous Montreal stunt.
Sorry about the scan quality; this comic's more than 30 years old, y'know! But click the image for a bigger version, and then tell me — does anyone else find the Fly's writing style oddly formal? Who knew he was such a man of letters?
Letter from The Human Fly #13
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Monday Fly: 'I found myself once again in a hospital bed, from where I am writing this letter."
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2 comments:
Hmmm...I used to think the Human Fly was secretly Evil Knieval, but now I'm not so sure.
Apparently, the real Human Fly was a guy named Rick Rojatt and he actually saw Knievel as a rival. The bus jump itself was in response to Knievel holding the record at 13 buses; Rojatt basically wanted to double that by jumping 26.
Unfortunately for Rojatt, everyone knows who Evel Knievel is and very few people remember the Human Fly.
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