Amos Fortune is a relic of a bygone age. It’s why people still have affection for the character. It’s also why he sucks.
The reason people still like Amos Fortune is because he’s got a very Silver-Agey quality to him. He’s an evil scientist obsessed with luck: there you go, Silver Age smacked up all over him. His evil robes can look quite distinctive when handled by the proper artist, and just because he’s not Lex Luthor doesn’t mean there isn’t room for him as a lesser scientist villain; there will always be room for the Mad Thinkers and IQs of the comics world, and so is there room for Amos Fortune.
This is not why Amos Fortune sucks. Amos Fortune sucks because rather than sticking with him being a master of evil luck-themed science, comic writers of the time used him in the other way emblematic of the Silver Age: as a catchall excuse for whatever mad science plot they felt like writing in any given issue. This is why Amos Fortune, the mad scientist obsessed with luck, invented a “de-memorizer” that could wipe out people’s memories: because. This is why Amos Fortune invented a “fortutron” which made people obsessed with gambling so they would lose all their money to him: because. And let’s not get started on the “Luck League,” wherein seven born-lucky people were given facsimiles of JLA members’ powers because… um… luck? This was just one of many stories where “luck” was a throwaway explanation for whatever the writer (usually Gardner Fox) felt like doing that month.
On top of that, Amos Fortune invented the Royal Flush Gang, who, like it or not, have staying power as a concept in the DC Universe. This effectively makes Amos Fortune the Pete Best of the DCU, except of course that the Royal Flush Gang aren’t exactly the Beatles of the DCU, so you need to find someone a little less impressive than Pete Best to analogize to Amos Fortune. Music nerds can do bit that for me. I’m sure you can find somebody appropriate who walked out on a third-tier band before they had a few hit records. Who was the guy who created, say, Boston and then quit before they hit it big? Amos Fortune is that guy.
Amos Fortune still makes the occasional appearance in modern DC comics, usually because Len Wein (who loves the character for reasons I’m sure I couldn’t explain if I tried) wants to use him in a story. In these comics, he’s always a behind-the-scenes mastermind, which also doesn’t work because Amos Fortune, while ideally suited to being a behind-the-scenes mastermind, has never been that guy. You don’t get fancy luck-themed robes if you want to be the guy working the levers on the Great and Powerful Oz.
Now, there’s certainly potential in Amos Fortune, even now. Probability is an interesting, amazing thing, and you can do really clever things with it as a villain if your writer is more ambitious than writing third-rate Black Cat stories. I’d really like to see somebody write those stories someday. But until then, Amos Fortune will always suck, because he’s just another megalomaniacal dude in some robes who makes shit, and that makes him kind of boring.
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Is he still alive? I’m sure he got half his face blown off in the Villains United mini-series, then thrown out of a helicopter in the following one-shot for insulting Scandal.
I’m waiting for the Geoff Johns Crisis Beyond Crisis crossover epic that reveals Amos Fortune is in fact Cthulu.
Fortune is still alive somehow despite Simone having Knockout throw him out of a helicopter in the VU one shot.
Wait, wait wait. Dude was part of a gang made up of three boys and a girl, and they called him “Pudge”, which is a synonym for “Tubby” — was Amos Fortune a Blue Boy?
Huh, I wonder why Morrison didn’t use this guy for the “Julian September” story. It would have been a natural fit.
Somebody should write a Manhunter arc where Amos Fortune legally changes his name to whatever so that a cowboy with luck based powers can be called “Amos Fortune” from here on out.
Cause that’s what i hear when i hear Amoos Fortune.
A cool cowboy with luck based powers. Its a really cool cowboy too.
Fortune is dead, as of a few months ago in JLA. Apparently the Royal Flush Gang has a *really* high turnover rate these days, and the wife of someone who died in the gang walks up to Amos and shoots him in the face.
The figure in pop history you’re reaching for is Syd Barrett.
Luck glands? Oh, Silver Age…
From his stance I can see he’s a master of Luck Fu
Grazzt: Mark Waid wrote that arc, and IIRC Waid does mention Amos Fortune in a text piece somewhere associated with the story arc – the letters page, I think? Although I don’t think he ever says why he didn’t use Fortune.
Most waffling comment ever.
@Myth So he’s dead until some other writer forgets he’s dead and has someone else kill him. His luck powers are amazing.
Clearly I work at the wrong college, because none of our professors dress that batshit awesomely. Also, once again, it is not very much of a surprise that dude man is single.
I’m sure you can find somebody appropriate who walked out on a third-tier band before they had a few hit records.
John Lombardo, 10,000 Maniacs.
(Matthew Johnson: Pink Floyd, “third tier”? I think not.)
@Matthew Johnson – No. Not even close.
(seriously, aside from Pink Floyd not being anywhere close to third tier, Syd was in on Piper at the Gates of Dawn.)
Matthew Johnson is WRONG.
I like the 10,000 Maniacs reference, though.
How about: he’s the Chad Allan of the DC Universe.
I don’t think the analogy totally works since Fortune never really walked away from the Royal Flush Gang. He often appears to be managing/manipulating them.
And I think the RFG at least deserve some props since they are like the go-to villains in the DCU when writers need a group of easily disposable baddies for the good guys to fight. They’re like what the Wrecking Crew has become over at Marvel.
Maybe Chad meant the schizophrenic doughiness of Syd Barrett?
“Who was the guy who created, say, Boston and then quit before they hit it big?”
Wolverine.
“Amos Fortune is that guy.”
Wow, I didn’t even see that one coming!
Not just luck glands, but twin luck glands (one for good, one for bad), like the twin lobes of the pituitary — real science mixed in with incredibly bogus science, that’s VERY Silver Age!
Also, we should never forget that Amos Fortune is more than just a mad scientist, he is also a free man: http://www.enotes.com/amos-fortune-free-man-qn/
Fine, y’all ignore my stunning revelations. In fifteen years when I’m penning Crisis on Infinite Blue Boys and that’s the central plot twist you’ll all be quoting that post like it’s Geoff Johns’ Superboy letter.
I’d bring him back anyway. The only story I’ve read with this dude was in Justice League Europe. He wore suits. And he’s fun.
He could actually still be alive. I don’t recall seeing any Black Lantern Amos Fortune during all this Blackest Night hubub and lord knows, the writers have been wheeling out every dead character imaginable (Airwave? Really????) during the event.
Or he could be dead and just sucks so much that even Nekron doesn’t want to see his gimmicky ass up and about again.
“Syd Barrett”
no, but Syd would make a fun villain. kinda like the Mad Mod meets Ditko’s psychedelic Dr Strange stuff. sucks people into his messed up dreamscapes
this reminds me of the stupid ending to Niven’s Ringworld books
er, book. the first one
The Justice League Europe story (#s 43-44) with him was probably the best story that he was in since he finally used his luck to do something smart. Instead of using his luck to fight guys in tights, he uses it to win at gambling. Plus, Hal Jordan gets an awesome scene at the end.
The Who’s Who doesn’t mention the time he somehow brought the Major Arcana to life and attacked the JLA with them. Only to wind up trapped in The Tower.
Weird, weird dude…
If Pete Best doesn’t work then maybe Jacques Morali?
The Royal Flush Gang could easily be seen as the Village People of the DCU.
Amos Fortune is Chevy Chase. In college he played with the guys who became Steely Dan.
Didn’t Marvel already try to tie their “superpowered luck” (Scarlet Witch and Domino) into some sort of half-assed quantum manipulation? Not suprisingly, I think Morrison had some hand in that.
I think that’s a nifty take on the character (that admittedly, I’ve never even seen before), but he even sort of looks like the thousander monks in Anathem so why not run with it? Hell, it even works with the newly restored multiversal aspects of DC.
How could this guy possibly be a bad character when he manages to look so badass despite being a fat man in a bathrobe decorated with hippie symbols?
He reminds me of Professor Desty Nova from Battle Angel Alita – another white-wearing mad scientist type with a silly name that ties into his obsession over some metaphysical concept. I say whatever this guy has been in so far, he’s one calculated revamp away from being a top tier villain.
Eh. I found his personality realistic. And his most recent death was hilarious. Not a great epic death..just the causal consequence of his crimes.
What do an omega and an ankh have to do with each other?
I agree with Lamashtar… In his last storyline, Amos’ personality was the best part of the arc. His death was quite funny and prompted me to make no less than four “not so lucky now” jokes. My wife just looked at me with her “Your such a nerd!” look and shook her head… Oh well I thought they were funny.
…nobody has had him make an Improbability Drive? Nobody?
29% is way too low. I’d give him at least 40% if I were the blog writer. Come on, the guy has “life” and “death” on his costume, that’s at least worth another 10 points…
Oh, Amos Fortune (dreamy sigh) …..