DISHMAN
“I never exactly thought of Dishman as a superhero satire. I felt like it wasn’t so much that I was satirizing superheroes, but more like by treating them as rigidly realistic as I could, I gave them the opportunity to satirize themselves if people wanted to read it that way. I wasn’t trying to say that superheroes are ridiculous. I just wanted to say they weren’t realistic”
From a Mel Taylor interview.
John MacLeod’s creation “Dishman” was inspired by a dream he had about creating a superhero who could clean dishes. He decided to do a mini-comic series which began in August 1985 and ended in December 1990. The print run for each Dishman was about a thousand copies although issues 1 & 2 were more. The “Dishman” episodes from issues 1-6 were collected into an Eclipse publication in 1988. As the “Dishman” series was coming to a close, John co-wrote a story “I came I Saw I Did The Dishes” with Jeff Nicholson. John did the art. It was published in Ultra Klutz 28, April 1990. “Dishman” continued in a guest appearance in Nick Craine’s The Cheese Heads in 1992. It was a collaboration in which John drew his character and wrote the character’s dialogue and Nick drew the other characters and background. “Dishman” appeared again in Topps Comics Satan Six, 3, June 1993 in a story “Coffee”. Two digital episodes appeared in February 2018 and July 2018. The latter episode indicated future episodes were planned. None have yet appeared. In 2022 Black Eye Books collected into a hardcover edition all the “Dishman” mini-comic episodes plus the two episodes released digitally and the one that appeared in Topps Comics June 1993.
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“Paul Mahler” teaches history at Leo Gorcey High School and is engaged to fellow teacher “Joy”. Over the years he has unknowingly used radioactive Fiesta Tableware*. In issue 1 he discovers that because of this radioactive dinnerware he can now telekinetically clean dishes. “Paul’s” reaction to this ability is guided by the comic books he has read. “Spiderman” is guided by: “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”. Paul now feels the weight of a great responsibility. How will he fulfill it? First, he must select a pseudonym. All superheroes have pseudonyms. He choses “Dishman”. Next, he must have a costume. All superheroes have costumes. He designs one and has it made by a tailor. Finally, after struggling to get into his new outfit he is ready. Ready to do what?
How does a person fit the fantasy world of the superhero into the real world in which he lives? How does he cope with such mundane issues as the cost of his costume, the difficulty of donning it, the discomfort of wearing it under ordinary clothes, where do you put your wallet and keys in a skin-tight costume – add a pouch. How does acquiring a superpower affect more serious matters like fulfilling your teaching duties when you are up most of the night. How does it affect your relationships? In the case of “Paul” and “Joy” it destroys theirs. “Joy” is upset with “Paul” for using $400 of their honeymoon money to pay the tailor. “Paul is upset with “Joy” for leaking information about his new ability to her friends which starts a rumour in his school. The reaction of his colleagues to this rumour raises the issue how will it affect his status in school and his career? The “Dishman” identity initiates a new relationship between “Paul” and “Helen” who is sympathetic, but defines his persona in terms of theatre theory making one ask how well grounded is she? Unfortunately John ceased doing the serial before we could see where this relationship was going.
How does “Dishman” behave in this real world? Throughout the entire series of thirteen episodes what “Dishman” does mostly is simply walk the streets. There is only one act of violence – against a homeless man – depicted. Is John telling us that the type of crime that requires costumed heroes simply doesn’t exist in reality; that a costumed hero requires a fantastical world of crime in order to exist? How do individuals who come in contact with “Dishman” on the street react to him? The children range from seeing him as an extension of their comic book heroes to insulting him. The adults range from tolerance to bewilderment to hostility. Notably the street people are the ones who most sympathize with and accept him. These include the prostitute who listens to his problems with “Joy”, and a thank you from the friend of the homeless man “Dishman” saved from a beating. Contrast this with the already mentioned threat of contempt from “Paul’s” colleagues should they discover his hidden activity. The last episode leaves us with the expectation that Paul’s hidden identity is about to be exposed by a high school student who recognizes him. This story arch has yet to be completed.
“Dishman” remains a work in progress. After issue 6 the length of time between issues lengthened. After issue10 there was a hiatus for 28 years before the digital episodes appeared. There were the appearances in Cheese Head (1992) and Topp Comics, (1993) but these appear to have been responses to requests from others rather than an effort to advance the story. The two digital episodes appeared in February and July 2018 after John retired. Since then he has been working on a webcomic “Not That Magic”
To further explore the theme of an ordinary guy imitating a comic book superhero look at Bernie Mireault’s “The Jammer” where he takes a different approach.
*This idea is based on an actual situation. One of the ingredients in the manufacture of Fiesta Tableware was uranium which gave rise to the fear it was radioactive.
MEDIUM:
BOOK GRAPHIC COLLECTION:
Content story & Cover book front:
The Mundane Adventures of Dishman. 1, September 1988. Eclipse Comics. A collection of Minicomics 1-6.
The Mundane Adventures of Dishman. Black Eye Books, 2022. A complete collection of Dishman.
PERIODICAL GRAPHIC MINICOMIC: All self-published by John MacLeod.
Content story & Cover front & back:
The Mundane Adventures Of Dishman, …. Contents and cover black & white. | ||||
1, Aug. 1985.
2, Apr. 1986. |
3, Sept. 1986.
4, Mar. 1987. |
5, July 1987.
6, Dec. 1987. |
7, Nov. 1988.
8, Dec. 1989. |
9, Mar. 1990.
10, Dec. 1990 |
Content story & Cover wraparound:
The Cheese Heads. 5, October 1992. “The Second Coming of Officer Jerry, pt. 3”: 1-29.
SOURCE:
Article book:
The Mundane Adventures of Dishman. Black Eye Books, 2022: “Introduction”: 5 & Back cover.
Correspondence:
Emails between John MacLeod and Robert MacMillan 24 January 2023 to 24 February 2023.
Interview:
A telephone interview by Mel Taylor (not published) 31 March 2018.
GALLERY:
The Mundane Adventures of Dishman, 1, August 1985. Front cover.
The Mundane Adventures of Dishman, 1, August 1985: 5
The Mundane Adventures of Dishman, 2, 4, March 1987. Front cover.
The Mundane Adventures of Dishman, 7, November 1988: Front cover & 7.
The Mundane Adventures of Dishman, 8, December 1989: 1&2.
The Mundane Adventures of Dishman, 9, March 1990: Front cover & 7.
The Mundane Adventures of Dishman, 1, September 1988: Front cover.