Who is THE HUMAN FLY?  A comic book hero?  An insect-like, "b-list" Spider-Man villain?  Simply a death defying thrill-seeker?  Perhaps even an actual stuntman?  Though the name "The Human Fly" can identify numerous adventure-seekers and villains, both real-life and fictional - we're looking to further identify only one here.  This guide will hopefully take us through the finer points of the 1977 Marvel, Bronze-Age comic book series "The Human Fly" that ran for 19 issues from September 1977 until it's untimely cancellation in March 1979.

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THE "REAL" MAN BEHIND THE MASK:

Billed as Marvel Comic's "real hero", the comic book Human Fly was of course actually based on a real person.  In this case, the book is known to be based on a Canadian daredevil named Rick Rojatt.  After surviving a near fatal car crash in 1971, Rojatt fought back to survive and later hold a similar, yet not as well-known career to the legendary Evel Knievel during the mid to late 1970's.  Rojatt was known to have never been photographed without his "Human Fly" costume, as seen in the comic title of the same name.  No one seems to know what happened to this masked enigma as the popularity of stunt-showmen waned as we entered the 1980's.  By most accounts, Rojatt seemed to simply disappear into virtual obscurity; only finding limited information on-line and elsewhere about him even today.

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THE COMIC BOOK:

This particular Marvel Bronze-Age title is arguably one of the more intriguing comic book creations towards the later 1970's.  It has been speculated that we can owe the existence of this title to the fact that Evel Knievel simply refused to grant Marvel the property license to do so.  Sharing a similar origin to the "real" Human Fly, the comic book takes it a step further by having our hero's skeletal structure almost entirely replaced with steel after his near fatal car accident in 1971.  This medical augmentation, coupled with The Fly's extensive physical conditioning, acrobatic training and various stunt-gadgets were what granted him the abilities to perform his near superhuman feats of  heroism.  The somewhat campy stories tend to revolve around the general criminal tomfoolery and opression that seemed to permeate The Human Fly's for-charity stuntwork.  Often refenencing real events, issue #11 in particular features Rojatt's actual failed attempt to jump over 27 buses at the Montreal Olympic Stadium in 1977 on a rocket-cycle (pictured in the photo above)!   Though occasionally featuring other Marvel co-stars like: Spider-Man, Daredevil, Ghost Rider and The White Tiger the main focus of these stories was on The Human Fly, his rag-tag stunt crew and the everyday folks they help along the way.  Most issues are simply stand-alone stories, only #3-4, #8-9 and #18-19 are true continuation tales.  Also of note, most of the great artwork in this series was created by Golden-Age legends: Lee Elias, Bob Lubbers and Frank Robbins!

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FEATURED ISSUES AND SUMMARIES:

#1   1st Appearance and Origin of our "real hero", The Human Fly; also features an appearance by Peter Parker, The Amazing Spider-Man!

#2   Johnny Blaze, The Ghost Rider co-stars in a sinister "Race to Destruction!"

#3   The Fly looks to rescue a kidnapped girl from a "Castle in the Clouds".

#4   Our hero finds himself caught in a "Rocky Mountain Nightmare!" as he faces two warring armies during the conclusion of his daring rescue.

#5   In this issue we get an additional piece of The Fly's origin when we meet someone from his past in, "Fire in the Night!"

#6   In this tale, we face "Fear in Funland" as nefarious criminals hide behind a carnival facade.

#7   A stunning cover by Golden-Age great, Lee Elias leaves our hero "Snow Blind" in this snowmobile-stunt feature.

#8   The Human Fly teams-up with The White Tiger as both "The Tiger and the Fly" attempt to foil the villainous Copperhead during a daring museum heist.

#9   This time, the Daredevil also joins the fray to conclude our museum caper in, "And Daredevil Makes Three".

#10  The Human Fly learns that it's "Dark as a Dungeon Down in the Mine" as he risks life and limb to rescue some trapped miners.

#11  This issue briefly recounts the "real" Human Fly's actual failed attempt to jump over 27 buses at the Montreal Olympic Stadium in 1977 on a rocket-cycle in, "Silver Charity, Sudden Death".

#12  We learn the origin of our stunt-hero's Public Relations man in, "Arnie's Story".

#13  The Fly stares down a "Slope of Death" in this fast paced, ski-stunt spectactular!

#14  Some unexpected passengers get caught up in an airship stunt over NYC that goes awry in, "Death Rides the Big Balloons".

#15  The Fly finds that a "War in the Washington Monument" is not quite as it seems.

#16  A personal favorite, as a Niagara Falls stunt is attempted, but turns into a "Niagara Nightmare"!

#17  The Human Fly faces murder on the midway during this issue's charity stunt as it comes right down to a "Photo Finish".

#18  Part 1 of the Fly's final adventure as he finds a "Gathering of Vultures" in a small town in New Mexico.

#19  The untimely, last issue and part 2 of the Fly's final adventure as he heads along a "Highwire to Heaven!"

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COST OF OWNERSHIP AND VALUES:

Though true value can be terribly subjective given condition, it shouldn't be an overly expensive venture collecting "The Human Fly" series.  This is a fun series that you can regularly score on a bargain budget for some entertaining, if not kitchy reading.  You may find that individual, lower to mid-grade copies can become too costly when considering separate S/H charges.  You can expect to find a complete run of nice, reader copies for perhaps only $9-$15, while a high-quality run could easily reach $25-$40 or more while still managing to keep your overall S/H costs to a minimum.  Certain in-demand & key issues (ie. #'s 1, 2, 8, 9 and #19) may run at a premium, expect to pay perhaps $2-$6 for individual choice copies.  Though more elusive and costly, discerning collectors can also look for professionally graded, CGC "slabbed" copies.  Expect to find high-grade 9.6 copies of regular issues in the $15-$30 range and 9.8 copies usually falling between $30-$60, depending on the issue.  You may even break $100 for a premium, NM/M 9.8 graded #1!

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Enjoy the comic collecting hobby and happy hunting!

Thank you for looking and allowing me to share my Human Fly addiction with you.  Should you have any additional "Rick Rojatt" information, please feel free to send me an e-mail message.  I'm hopeful that this guide was helpful, informative and worth your time.  If you believe that it was, please take a moment and click "YES" to rate it accordingly.  Take care and be fair out there... Thanks again!