B'wana Beast

Mike Maxwell, an American who traveled to Africa, gained extraordinary powers from a mystical helmet and a special serum — allowing him to communicate with animals and temporarily merge two creatures into a powerful hybrid beast, making him a formidable jungle champion.

Born in the pages of Blackhawk #228 in 1967, B'wana Beast is a Silver Age original from DC Comics — a wild, distinctive figure conjured by the creative team of Bob Haney and Dick Dillin at the height of that era's imaginative experimentation. Over a publishing history that stretches a remarkable 46 years, this character has turned up in some genuinely prestigious company, sharing adventures with the likes of Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Hawkman, and leaving enough of an impression to rack up collector-significant key issues along the way. Most associated with Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Animal Man, B'wana Beast occupies that beloved corner of the DC universe where the strange and the heroic meet — a cult figure whose longevity proves that the Silver Age's boldest swings have a way of enduring.