BRUCE
Real Name: Bruce
Identity/Class: Dog (1950s era)
Occupation: Pet, protector
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Harvey Colby,
Mrs. Colby (first name unrevealed), briefly Jovian emperor
Enemies: Jovians (Count Ryk, others)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unrevealed location the
USA, very briefly Jupiter
First Appearance: Uncanny Tales I#40/6
(February, 1956)
Powers/Abilities: Bruce is a loyal dog but
easily bribed with food. He does not engage in much exercise, largely
the fault of his owners, and sleeps a lot. He has the other usual
attributes
of a mastiff dog, such as heightened senses, limited communication
abilities and occasional curiosity.
Height: 30"
Weight: 180 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
History:
(Uncanny Tales I#40/6 (fb) - BTS) - Bruce was the
loyal dog of the young Colby couple, but his favored rest area was at
the front doorway. While his owners loved him, they were lax in
exercising him and expected him to wander off and play with other dogs.
Harvey Colby often stumbled over the dog when rushing off to work in
the mornings.
(Uncanny Tales I#40/6) - On another morning, Harvey
again tripped up on Bruce sleeping in the doorway. Harvey scolded Bruce
but the dog played nice, hoping for affection. Once Harvey had left,
Bruce wandered off into a field to sleep in the sun, but spotted a
flying saucer land nearby. Curiosity drove him to investigate; it was a
Jovian scout ship out to kidnap a typical Earth specimen to study to
determine the planet's suitability for invasion. Unafraid, Bruce
followed the Jovians back on board their spaceship and they quickly
zoomed to Jupiter. Bruce was presented before the emperor, who was
amused. Although concerned about the dog's teeth, the emperor threw him
meat and Bruce thankfully ate it. Thinking all Earthlings to be like
Bruce, the emperor ordered the invasion of Earth, but a coup led by
Count Ryk began. Ryk's men grabbed the emperor at which Bruce became
fiercely protective and the coup collapsed out of fear of the dog. The
emperor halted his invasion plans, thinking that all Earthlings may be
as tough and fearless as the dog, so Bruce was returned to Earth. The
dog went home, absent longer than usual. Harvey got home very soon
after and again tripped on Bruce, but gave much affection to Bruce
despite thinking him a nuisance. All were oblivious that a Jovian
invasion of Earth had been averted.
Comments: Created by Carl Wessler & Ed Winiarski.
He looks like a mastiff to me, so those are the average stats and characteristics I've taken.
Reasons for dogs lying in doorways include: social connection, guarding and protection, sensory entertainment, and comfort and temperature.
I can't help by feel that the character of Bruce,
like Kirby
of the Ultraverse, was based on a real-life dog.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Bruce has no known connections to:
Harvey Colby and his wife were the owners of Bruce the dog. Bruce would usually lie at the front doorway as his favorite resting spot, but the slightly forgetful Harvey would often trip over Bruce when rushing off to work in the mornings and then scold the dog. Both Harvey and his wife appeared to be lax in their responsibility to exercise their dog; Harvey expected Bruce to play with other dogs and not loaf around the house (unaware of a mastiff's general behavior). But Harvey was always fond of Bruce and cared for him deeply. Harvey completely underestimated Bruce's sense of adaptability and adventure when the dog unwittingly drove off an alien invasion from Jupiter, although the Colbys were oblivious to this feat.
--Uncanny Tales I#40/6
images:
(without ads)
Uncanny Tales I#40/6, p2, pan4 (main image)
p3, pan2 (headshot)
p4, pan7 (Harvey Colby)
Appearances:
Uncanny Tales I#40/6 (February, 1956) - Carl Wessler (writer), Ed
Winiarski (pencils & inks),
Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 07/15/2026
Last updated:
07/15/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™
and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com.
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix!