Max Bubba

[Verence]

Has it ever been explained what this guy's mutation was??

[Richmond Clements]

Nah.
I'd go for funny shaped head and a generally grumpy disposition.

[Skullmo]

I thought his face was like a bubble gum bubble (as in Hubba Bubba).

[Dark Jimbo]

The point, of course, is that it doesn't matter. Given we've seen a chap whose mutation was handsomeness(!), and an ostensibly normal girl who simply had a 'rogue gene' revealed in a routine DNA test, it's been pretty well established that in Stront's world us scummy normos will jump on the smallest of genetic pretexts to ostracise, bully and villify mutants. In terms of Bubba's motivations it's enough that he has a mutation, regardless of whether we know what it is.

[Frank]

The point, of course, is that it doesn't matter. Given we've seen a chap whose mutation was handsomeness(!), and an ostensibly normal girl who simply had a 'rogue gene' revealed in a routine DNA test, it's been pretty well established that in Stront's world us scummy normos will jump on the smallest of genetic pretexts to ostracise, bully and villify mutants. In terms of Bubba's motivations it's enough that he has a mutation, regardless of whether we know what it is.

Good point, but I'm pretty sure it's what Skullmo said. The character looks as though he's suffered an explosion while blowing a particularly big (max) bubble, and Hubba Bubba were regular sponsors of the back page of the comic at that time, so I'm assuming the brand meme inspired the name and the name inspired the look of the character. That said, King Carlos has a track record of disregarding character descriptions; Alan Grant says their original instruction for Middenface was a guy with a coke can sticking out of his head, but Carlos thought that was stupid and went with his own idea.

(i) and every other comic Wagner and Grant were writing almost single-handed at that point

[Jim_Campbell]

The character looks as though he's suffered an explosion while blowing a particularly big (max) bubble, and Hubba Bubba were regular sponsors of the back page of the comic at that time, so I'm assuming the brand meme inspired the name and the name inspired the look of the character. That said, King Carlos has a track record of disregarding character descriptions;

I have a copy of the script where Bubba first appears* and there are a couple of photocopied pages of reference at the back including the famous image from Threads of the bandaged guy with the rifle to show what Impetigo Jones was supposed to look like, and a guy with a bubblegum bubble he's just blown to the size of his head in mid-collapse over his face, which is exactly what Max Bubba looks like...

Cheers

Jim

*I wrote to John c/o 2000AD when I was in my mid-teens looking for advice on becoming a comic writer — John wrote back with a lovely hand-written letter and a couple of scripts to show how they were laid out.

[Frank]

I have a copy of the script where Bubba first appears ... I wrote to John c/o 2000AD when I was in my mid-teens looking for advice on becoming a comic writer — John wrote back with a lovely hand-written letter and a couple of scripts to show how they were laid out.

That makes you the second coolest man on the planet, and Wagner the undisputed first.

[Skullmo]

The character looks as though he's suffered an explosion while blowing a particularly big (max) bubble, and Hubba Bubba were regular sponsors of the back page of the comic at that time, so I'm assuming the brand meme inspired the name and the name inspired the look of the character. That said, King Carlos has a track record of disregarding character descriptions;

I have a copy of the script where Bubba first appears* and there are a couple of photocopied pages of reference at the back including the famous image from Threads of the bandaged guy with the rifle to show what Impetigo Jones was supposed to look like, and a guy with a bubblegum bubble he's just blown to the size of his head in mid-collapse over his face, which is exactly what Max Bubba looks like...

Cheers

Jim

*I wrote to John c/o 2000AD when I was in my mid-teens looking for advice on becoming a comic writer — John wrote back with a lovely hand-written letter and a couple of scripts to show how they were laid out.

Wow! I would love to see some scans! I love the creative process

[Jim_Campbell]

Wow! I would love to see some scans! I love the creative process

I definitely still have the script (and letter) but they're in a box somewhere that's been through two house moves. If I happen across it, I'll get it scanned!

Cheers

Jim

[Dark Jimbo]

Ah - it's his actual head! I always thought he was supposed to be wearing a bag on it.

[The Bissler]

Alan Grant says their original instruction for Middenface was a guy with a coke can sticking out of his head, but Carlos thought that was stupid and went with his own idea.

I glad Carlos' went his own way on that one!  Dunno if anyone noticed, but I am a big fan of the man McNulty.  The coke can idea (while amusing) would have ruined what turned out to be my favourite 2000AD character.

[Dandontdare]

Ah - it's his actual head! I always thought he was supposed to be wearing a bag on it.

me too!

[Skullmo]

Alan Grant says their original instruction for Middenface was a guy with a coke can sticking out of his head, but Carlos thought that was stupid and went with his own idea.

I glad Carlos' went his own way on that one!  Dunno if anyone noticed, but I am a big fan of the man McNulty.  The coke can idea (while amusing) would have ruined what turned out to be my favourite 2000AD character.

Me too!

Carlos has to be one of the best character designers in comics. They should get him on some new series'

[JamesC]

I'd always assumed that he had a skin membrane over his head.

[Frank]

I'd always assumed that he had a skin membrane over his head.

Aye, it always looked like afterbirth to me - which freaked me right out as a wee boy. Obviously Bubba's mutation isn't that he has actual chewing gum all over his face - that would make no more sense than Middenface having an aluminium can poking out the top of his napper. I agree 100% that Bubba's a fantastic bit of character design; he's got an oddly tragic, agonised, wraith-like quality which reflects his despairing nihilism and contrasts well with the practical brutality of his methods.