Woozy Winks
Encyclopedia
Wolfgang "Woozy" Winks is a fictional supporting character in comic books published by Quality Comics
, and later DC Comics
. He is the comic relief
sidekick
to the superhero Plastic Man
, and first appeared in Police Comics #13 (November 1942).
. In his first appearance, Woozy is a small time crook with a unique superpower. After saving a wizard from drowning, he is rewarded via a spell that causes the forces of nature to protect him whenever he is in danger. Later stories would ignore this ability (one story attempted to explain it by saying that the spell wore off after a while), and Woozy simply became Plastic Man's inept assistant. His personality was based on the comedy of Lou Costello
while his appearance was based on Hugh Herbert
.
Although a comic figure in both appearance and aptitude, Woozy does have his heroic moments. Thanks to his own dabbling in illegal activity, he can recognize perpetrators on sight and recall their arrest history; he also offers sage opinion (occasionally by accident) on finding and trapping criminals, such as noticing a scene's tire track resembles a suspect's tread design. Winks also is able to hold his own in a fist fight, sometimes taking on several opponents.
One history of Woozy, which appeared in the Plastic Man Special in 1999, gave him an alternative origin. In this tale he was an extremely competent and intelligent agent known as “Green Cobra” whose only oddities were his dress-sense and a tendency to steal office supplies. After being paired together for the first time, he was trapped in a poorly ventilated locker with a wounded Plastic Man. The fumes from Plastic Man's blood, which was similar in composition to airplane glue, damaged Winks's brain, making him “Woozy” forevermore. This is contradicted both by his Golden Age and modern origins, in which he is depicted as having always been dimwitted.
-corrupted Plastic Man in committing crimes. He seems to have gone back to his original origin, and mentions that he never really gave up being a criminal.
Quality Comics
Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
, and later DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. He is the comic relief
Comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
to the superhero Plastic Man
Plastic Man
Plastic Man is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1 ....
, and first appeared in Police Comics #13 (November 1942).
Fictional character biography
Woozy Winks is a bumbling, inept, overweight and slobbish man who served primarily as a comic relief, much like other golden age sidekicks such as Doiby DicklesDoiby Dickles
Charles "Doiby" Dickles is a fictional character from DC Comics. He was the sidekick for Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern. Doiby works as a taxi driver, mostly for the Apex Broadcasting company, where Alan Scott is employed.-Fictional character biography:Doiby's first adventure with Green...
. In his first appearance, Woozy is a small time crook with a unique superpower. After saving a wizard from drowning, he is rewarded via a spell that causes the forces of nature to protect him whenever he is in danger. Later stories would ignore this ability (one story attempted to explain it by saying that the spell wore off after a while), and Woozy simply became Plastic Man's inept assistant. His personality was based on the comedy of Lou Costello
Lou Costello
Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...
while his appearance was based on Hugh Herbert
Hugh Herbert
Hugh Herbert was a motion picture comedian. He began his career in vaudeville, and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches.-Career:...
.
Although a comic figure in both appearance and aptitude, Woozy does have his heroic moments. Thanks to his own dabbling in illegal activity, he can recognize perpetrators on sight and recall their arrest history; he also offers sage opinion (occasionally by accident) on finding and trapping criminals, such as noticing a scene's tire track resembles a suspect's tread design. Winks also is able to hold his own in a fist fight, sometimes taking on several opponents.
One history of Woozy, which appeared in the Plastic Man Special in 1999, gave him an alternative origin. In this tale he was an extremely competent and intelligent agent known as “Green Cobra” whose only oddities were his dress-sense and a tendency to steal office supplies. After being paired together for the first time, he was trapped in a poorly ventilated locker with a wounded Plastic Man. The fumes from Plastic Man's blood, which was similar in composition to airplane glue, damaged Winks's brain, making him “Woozy” forevermore. This is contradicted both by his Golden Age and modern origins, in which he is depicted as having always been dimwitted.
Countdown
Woozy features in Countdown to Mystery, assisting the EclipsoEclipso
Eclipso is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. The character is the incarnation of the Wrath of God and the Angel of Vengeance that turned evil and was replaced by the Spectre...
-corrupted Plastic Man in committing crimes. He seems to have gone back to his original origin, and mentions that he never really gave up being a criminal.
Television
- Woozy Winks appears in the Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode "Death Race to Oblivion" voiced by Stephen RootStephen RootStephen Root is an American actor. He is best known for his comedic work on the TV sitcom NewsRadio, in the film Office Space and as the voice of Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland in the animated series King of the Hill...
. He appears in MongulMongulMongul is the name of two fictional characters that appear in comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the character debuted in DC Comics Presents #27 and was created by writer Len Wein and artist Jim Starlin. The second version first appears in Showcase '95 #85 and was created by...
's race with Plastic Man as the race car. Both he and Plastic Man are the first to be eliminated. He is also shown to have a crush on CatwomanCatwomanCatwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
. In the episode "Long Arm of the Law", he appeared again with Plastic Man and his family, including Baby Plas from the old series The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show. In this episode, Plastic Man formally swears him in as a sidekick.