MARZIPAN THE JUNGLE MAN
Real Name: Marzipan
Identity/Class: Alternate Reality (Earth-85481)
normal human
Occupation: Adventurer, protector of the Jade
Jungle
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Heathcliff, Iggy Nutmeg, Scales,
feline animals in the Jade Jungle (loose) (all Earth-85481)
Enemies: Quigley, Tarkus, other thieves (all
Earth-85481)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Jade Jungle, African coast (see
comments) (Earth-85481)
First Appearance: Heathcliff Annual#1/1 (October,
1987)
Powers/Abilities: Marzipan is a tall muscular man
of athlete-level fitness. He has excellent gymnastic skills, nimbly
swinging from jungles and quickly climbing high trees. He takes his role
as protector of the Jade Jungle very seriously, including its hoard of
treasure, and bravely rushes to tackle any threat. A little
simple-minded, he knows the hypnotic chant that calls all feline
creatures within earshot to him. He can speak Felingo, the universal
language of all felines, and can apparently communicate with other
animals too, such as crocodiles.
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Eyes: Dark brown
Hair: Black
History:
(Heathcliff Annual#1/1 (fb) - BTS) - Through unrevealed
means, Marzipan became the protector of the Jade Jungle and developed a
reasonable relationship with the indigenous people. He learned the
hypnotic chant to call all feline creatures within earshot to him, and
spoke Felingo, the universal language of all felines, often using the
local lions, leopards, etc. to help him in his adventures. However, the
jungle cats began to grow tired of helping him. He also watched over the
treasure chest of jewels and befriended a local crocodile called Scales.
Together, they generated a fearsome legend that the coastal jungle was
guarded by a beast-man.
(Heathcliff Annual#1/1 (fb)) - One day, two thieves
Quigley and Tarkus found the treasure chest while Marzipan slept, but
accidentally crashed their small plane while trying to escape, stranding
them. Unable to locate the treasure, Marzipan turned to the locals for
help but with no success.
(Heathcliff Annual#1/1) - Marzipan used his hypnotic
chant to call close-by jungle cats to him. Coincidentally, the
adventuring housecat Heathcliff, who was on a nearby cruise ship with
his Nutmeg family owners, heard the call and rushed to meet Marzipan as
well. Marzipan spoke Felingo to ask for the jungle cats' help, but they
refused and ambled away, leaving only Heathcliff. Marzipan was overjoyed
to see Heathcliff as a would-be supporter and quickly took the confused
cat to his treetop abode, where the jungle man became distracted showing
off photos of animals. Meanwhile, Heathcliff's buddy Iggy Nutmeg had
panicked and followed Heathcliff in a rowboat, but got himself kidnapped
by the thieves. Heathcliff heard Iggy's cries for help and rushed to
help, but Marzipan took the lead, swinging on vines and spotted the
thieves and the bound Iggy already in the rowboat heading to the cruise
ship (where the thieves hoped for more plunder). Marzipan called on his
friend Scales the crocodile, and the heroic trio secretly pursued the
rowboat and overpowered the thieves, apparently losing the oars in the
process, before returning to the island with Scales' help. Back on land,
the thieves were tied up and Marzipan called out for a kangaroo judge
(for a kangaroo court trial). Marzipan gifted an emerald ring to
Heathcliff for helping to recover the treasure (and agreed to
Heathcliff's question if he could swap it for a necklace later). They
waved farewell as Scales guided the rowboat back to the cruise ship.
Comments: Created by Michael Gallagher and Warren
Kremer.
At one point, we see Marzipan clutching a "Jungle Stories"
magazine/comic. In real life, Jungle
Stories was an American pulp magazine published from 1938 to 1954,
and featured the adventures of Ki-Gor, a white man raised in the jungle
like Tarzan (and with a similar look and adventures).
So where could the fictional coastal Jade Jungle be? The
felines who respond to his call are all African (except one wayward
tiger, which did seem the most puffed out from running). Marzipan calls
his treetop home his "Congo condo" and the DR Congo has a small western
coastline. Marzipan also gifts an emerald ring and Zambia is the second
largest source of emeralds; landlocked Zambia sits at Congo's southern
border. That central part of Africa is also the main habitat of African
crocodiles. So that's my bet for what's probably a coincidence.
Marzipan the Jungle Man is a pun reference to the classic
fictional Edgar Rice Burroughs character Tarzan,
Lord of the Jungle. Writer Michael Gallagher was also the scribe
of ALF stories, and this tale has the same pun-filled pedigree.
Fun fact: writer Michael Gallagher is the nephew of
Heathcliff creator George Gately.
This profile was completed on 12/31/2024,
but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th
anniversary's celebratory event to represent Heathcliff.
Profile by Grendel
Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS :
Marzipan has no known connections to:
- any other "Marzipan" characters
Scales
Scales the crocodile was a friend of Marzipan the Jungle
Man and together they helped protect the Jade Jungle. When the jungle's
treasure chest was stolen by two thieves and the tourist boy Iggy Nutmeg
kidnapped, Marzipan asked Scales for help. Together with Iggy's pet
Heathcliff the cat, they secretly went after the thieves, who were
absconding in a rowboat with Iggy, and stopped them. Scales guided the
boat back to shore where the thieves were tied up and the boy freed.
Marzipan thanked them and then Scales guided the rowboat carrying Iggy
and Heathcliff back to the cruise ship.
--Heathcliff Annual#1/1
images: (without ads)
Heathcliff Annual#1/1, p4, pan4 (main image)
p8, pan2 (headshot, bellowing)
p7, pan5 (vine swinging with Heathcliff)
p8, pan3 (Scales)
Appearances:
Heathcliff Annual#1/1 (October, 1987) - Michael Gallagher (writer),
Warren Kremer (pencils), Jacqueline Roettcher (inks), Sid Jacobson
(editor)
First posted: 09/19/2026
Last updated: 09/19/2026
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
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