Z-MAN

Real Name: Herschel "Heshie" Fleischmann

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-45828/Razorline) human mutate (WWII to modern era)

Occupation: Retiree;
formerly insurance sales agent;
formerly adventurer

Group Membership: None;
formerly unnamed insurance firm;
formerly Paxis (Clarion, Dreamdance, Eschbacher, Logicka, Tempest) (all Earth-45828)

Affiliations:  None;
formerly Paxis

Enemies: Communist agents, John Doore (Paragon John), Inextremis, Nazis, Trip Munroe, Solon Rey, courthouse judge, security and police (all Earth-45828)

Known Relatives: Father (name unrevealed, deceased), mother (name unrevealed, deceased), relatives (connections and names unrevealed, deceased)

Aliases: Scooter Jones

Base of Operations: Los Angeles, USA (Earth-45828)

First Appearance: Hokum & Hex#4 (December, 1993)

Powers/Abilities: Herschel Fleischmann has been bombarded with Z-particles, which allows him to make objects decay, inluding living matter, although he valiantly chooses to never use them on living persons unless survival demands it. This power also permits him to move atoms, but he usually uses the decaying properties. These manifest as beams from his eyes and mouth. At a youthful age, he was athletically fit, but retired at aged 65, he has become frail. He is bilingual in English and Hebrew.


Height: 5'9"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown (balding)

History:

(Hokum & Hex#4 (fb) - BTS) - In 1941, Herschel Fleischmann's father was a US Army rabbi while his mother was a Red Cross volunteer the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. The couple were killed in anti-Semitic riots in 1942. It became a newspaper scandal and the US Government made young Herschel a sidekick dubbed Scooter Jones to the Paxis group (made up of "hyperkind" super-powered persons), not to see action, but as a photo opportunity for the persecuted Jew protected by the USA in WWII. One day, quick thinking saw him save Paxis by stopping saboteurs at a bond rally.

(Hokum & Hex#4 (fb)) - Now owed a favor for saving them, Scooter accompanied Paxis in Europe, where they liberated a Nazi concentration camp. Of the Paxis, only Scooter spoke Hebrew. There, he saw the last of his relatives die.

(Hokum & Hex#4 (fb) - BTS) - Hardened by the experience, he threw himself into his Paxis duties stopping evil.

(Hokum & Hex#4 (fb)) - Post-WWII, Communist agents infiltrated an atomic energy facility; Scooter helped Paxis escape but was bombarded with dangerous Z-paricles, giving him the ability to separate an item at the atomic level or cause decay. [He took on the name Z-Man.]

(Hyperkind#5 (fb) - BTS) - Manipulative millionaire mastermind John Doore, who focused on turning the history of super-powered hyperkind into legend and folklore, including making them into films and comics, researched Z-Man, angered that he had become the latest popular hero on the scene. Doore targeted Paxis, convinced they were secretly villains, and carefully laid traps to eliminate them separately. He surreptiously informed Z-Man of the whereabouts of the dangerous villain Inextremis and the hero pursued him solo, unaware Paxis hero Tempest was also in pursuit. However, Doore had secretly triggered a device that caused Z-Men to lose control of his powers.

(Hokum & Hex#4 (fb)/Hyperkind#5 (fb)) - Inextremis captured Z-Man and began killing him for fun; Z-Man retaliated, unaware Paxis member Tempest had grabbed the villain. Z-Man inadvertently killed Tempest along with Inextremis.

(Hyperkind#5 (fb)) - Doore continued to eliminate the remining Paxis.

(Hokum & Hex#4 (fb) - BTS) - Fleischmann lived with the guilt of killing Tempest for decades.

(Hyperkind#5 (fb) - BTS) - During those decades, Doore's successful manipulation of the population made the people forget hyperkind or mythologize them, including hyperkind themselves. Fleischmannn became an insurance sales agent, but held onto Paxis comics. However, seeing news footage of enhanced mutator Trip Munroe triggered subconscious memories and he began having nightmares of Tempest's death.

(Hokum & Hex#4) - Aged 65 and newly retired, he again had a vision of Tempest's death and looked up the old Paxis comics, thinking them a retirement investment. But he rapidly recognized himself as the comic character and his suppressed powers remanifested. Seeing Munroe in trouble on a TV news report and wishing to be a hero once more, he rushed to save him, thinking Munroe a hyperkind due to his "super-magic" transmutation powers. Fleischmann blasted his way into the courtroom, but mentally unstable, he obliterated the security guard. Munroe quickly calmed him by transmuting a pen into a dove. However, police arrived to take down Fleischmann. Instead, Fleischmann blasted them back and insisted that it be publicly declared that the hyperkind were back. Fleischmann looked online and saw that the news (controlled by Doore) had the news suppress information about Z-Man, reporting only of the destruction and stand-off at the coutrooom. Fleischmann told those there of his newly recovered memories. However, his nemesis Inextremis, now super-enhanced by the Decamundi Timekeepers, had resurrected himself and pursued Fleischmann, and cursed him to die by massive attack. Munroe eliminated Inextremis, but Fleischmann soon died from the strain and the effects of the Z-particles were reversed by his death, restoring any injuries or deaths he had recently caused.

Comments: Created by Frank Lovece, Anthony Williams, Andy Lanning.

    This profile was completed on 09/13/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary's celebratory event to represent Hyperkind.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Z-Man should be distinguished from:

images: (without ads)
Hokum & Hex#4, p15, pan3 (main image)
Hyperkind#5, p14, pan3 (headshot, youth)

Appearances:

Hokum & Hex#4 (December, 1993) - Frank Lovece (writer), Anthony Williams (pencils), Andy Lanning (inks), Marc McLaurin (editor)
Hyperkind#5 (January, 1994) - Fred Burke (writer), Roger Cruz, Franchesco (pencils), Bob Petrecca, Jordi Ensign (inks), Marc McLaurin (editor)
Hyperkind#8 (April, 1994) - Fred Burke (writer), Roger Cruz (pencils), Bob Petrecca, Mike Halbleib (inks), Marc McLaurin (editor)

First posted: 09/19/2026
Last updated: 09/13/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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