| Character Name: | Fatman the Human Flying Saucer |
| Real Name: | Van Crawford |
| Publisher: | Lightning Comics |
| Debut: | Fatman, the Human Flying Saucer #1 (April 1967) |
| Creators: | C. C. Beck and Otto Binder. |
| Powers: | Able to turn into a flying saucer Fire energy beams while in this form |
Fatman the Human Flying Saucer is a fictional character, a comic book superhero created by artist C. C. Beck and writer Otto Binder in the 1960s.[1] [2]
Beck and Binder created Fatman long after Beck's popular creation Captain Marvel was canceled partly due to a copyright infringement suit with DC Comics.[3]
Fatman's costume was green and yellow with a yellow flying saucer emblem on the chest.[4] Fatman was fat and could change into a human flying saucer.[5] His comic ran for only three issues and was published by Lightning Comics, an almost equally short-lived company.[6] Fatman comics were produced in small numbers and are considered valuable because of Beck's artwork and their rarity.
Van Crawford became Fatman after coming to the aid of an alien flying saucer. The saucer itself turned out to be a shapeshifting alien, who rewarded Crawford by giving him a chocolate drink with the ability to transform him into a human flying saucer. Being a wealthy man, like many superheroes of the era, Crawford decided to use this newfound power to become a superhero. He teamed up with a teenage sidekick, Tin Man, who could turn into a robot.[7]
Fatman was also mentioned on the second episode of series 2 of the British panel show Question Time in 2022.