FLYING MENACE

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Possibly extraterrestrial insectoid (fringe character)

Occupation: Menace

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Possibly "Gargoylee"

Enemies: Spider-Man (Peter Parker)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Presumably mobile

First Appearance: A U.S. Department of Agriculture television commercial (1980)

Powers/Abilities: The Flying Menace has giant insect-like wings capable of flight and it presumably has other superhuman abilities similar to that of a fly. It also has superhuman strength capable of breaking apart large buildings with minimal effort.

    The Flying Menace possibly also possesses the ability to alter its size at will (see comments).

Height: Possibly various (see comments)
Weight: Possibly various (see comments)
Eyes: Red
Hair: Black

History:
(U.S. Department of Agriculture television commercial) - The Flying Menace flew into New York City and perched atop of a large skyscraper before flying away, knocking off the top of the skyscraper as it flew off. Flying past the heroic Spider-Man, who was surprised at the size and potential destructive capabilities of the insectoid, the Flying Menace next perched atop a bridge. When Spider-Man followed the Flying Menace to the bridge, the Flying Menace flew from the bridge, carrying a chunk of the bridge with it.

(U.S. Deparment of Agriculture television commercial / Spider-Man leather belt comic story) - With the Flying Menace disrupting day-to-day activities in the city, Spider-Man captured the Menace in his web.

(U.S. Department of Agriculture television commercial) - The webbed-up Flying Menace fell from the air onto a river barge that happened to be passing by.

(Spider-Man leather belt comic story) - Barely having time to recover from the battle with the Flying Menace, Spider-Man was met with an unidentified gargoyle-like creature that projected flames at the hero but Spider-Man managed to defeat the creature using a web slingshot.



(U.S. Department of Agriculture television commercial / Spider-Man leather belt comic story) - For saving the city against the Flying Menace, Spider-Man was given a medal for his heroism and when he was about to be given a cash reward, Spider-Man interrupted, proudly proclaimed that he would rather have an orange and reminded everyone to eat fruit because it was good for them. He then leaped and swung away on a web line.

Comments: Created by an uncredited writer and artist.

    The Flying Menace was seen only in the comic strip printed on the 1981 Lee's leather belt. While there is nothing to specifically say it was not on Earth-616, it was odd to see Spider-Man so furiously promoting fruit.
    Update 12/9/2024: It has come to my attention that the Flying Menace actually first appeared in a 1980 television commercial for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which was made in partnership with Marvel Comics. The "story" on the Lee's belt essentially adapts that television (though, frankly, what a strange thing to adapt onto a belt...like, why a TV commercial & not an ACTUAL comic story? But I digress...), though the Lee's belt does add in the addition of "Gargoylee," whereas in the commercial, it's just the Flying Menace. Perhaps, the various U.S. departments that created various commercials starring Marvel characters circa 1980 each partnered with various corporate sponsors which later adapted the stories in some form of another? I mean, the Captain America commercial featuring the Energy Drainers was adapted into a comic book by Marvel/the Campbell's soup company...

    For the purposes of this profile, I chose to name the orange gargoyle-like creature "Gargoylee," considering he looks like a gargoyle & he was on a Lee's belt.

   The television commercial featuring the Flying Menace had a copyright of 1980 by Marvel Comics Group and the Lee's belt had a 1981 copyright by Marvel Comics Group, meaning that Marvel owns the characters in both the commercial and on the belt, not that they are likely to use them anytime soon.

    In the television commercial, the Flying Menace appears at a large enough size to destroy buildings and Spider-Man even remarks that the insect is the "size of a battleship." However, on the Lee's belt, the Flying Menace appears only slightly bigger than Spider-Man (see above image on brown background). This likely just due to the limited printed space on the belt but it could also be argued as evidence that the Flying Menace had the ability to alter its size at will.
   
    The coloring of the Flying Menace differed from the commercial and the belt stories. In the commercial, the Flying Menace mostly black and gray with pale green eyes whereas in the belt story, it black with red eyes, red wings, red patterns on its body and blue legs. The coloring of the belt likely was due to a limited color pallet that could be printed on the leather belt.

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Flying Menace has no known connections to

"Gargoylee""Gargoylee"

"Gargoylee" was a creature who attacked the city, possibly in conjunction with the Flying Menace. After defeating the Flying Menace, Spider-Man was attacked by "Gargoylee," who hurled a fireball at the hero. Deflecting the fireball back at "Gargoylee" and defeating him, Spider-Man was given a medal for his heroism.

--Spider-Man leather belt, printed comic story
images: (without ads)
U.S. Department of Agriculture televison commercial (Flying Menace main image, headshot & perched atop building images)
Spider-Man leather belt, pan1 (Flying Menace battling Spider-Man)
Spider-Man leather belt, pan3 ("Gargoylee")

Appearances:
U.S. Department of Agriculture television commercial (1980) - uncredited writer and artist
Spider-Man leather belt, printed comic story (1981) - uncredited writer and artist

First posted: 11/08/2012
Last updated: 12/09/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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