Who's This? A synthetic man.
The facts: The only character from the Kamandi timeline to get his own Who's Who entry aside from the Last Boy on Earth, Ben Boxer is one of three synthetically produced people made to survive the Great Disaster thanks to their cyclo-hearts which can turn them into metal men. He first appeared in Kamandi #1 (November 1972) where he more or less acted in a big brother capacity, present in 32 of the series' issues, 33 if you count Canceled Comics Cavalcade. A revamp version would show up in Kamandi at Earth's End (and Superman at Earth's End).
How you could have heard of him: When Kamandi has shown in later DC continuity (or non-continuity), Ben hasn't been far behind. He can be seen in Convergence, in Kamandi's Coutdown Special, and most recently in Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium, though none are majot appearances. Notably, Multiversity combined him with OMAC on the Earth of the Great Disaster, as BiO.M.A.C.
Example story: Kamandi the Last Boy on Earth (January 1975) "Freak Show!!" by Jack Kirby, with D. Bruce Berry
An issue picked at random because he actually turns to metal, this one catches up to Kamandi and his friends stranded on one of the thousand islands that used to be the U.S.A. A couple issues earlier, Ben Boxer and his mutant pals, Steve and Renzi, were sunk and seemingly drowned, but their metal forms allow them to recycle oxygen, and so they walked along the sea floor to Kamandi's location.
I agree. It's great to unbend. Flim-Flam, the ape "animal trainer" (i.e. human trainer) is amazed at their abilities, and that like Kamandi, they can speak so well. And maybe they all want to join his traveling show? Nobody here's interested in being part of a freak show, man. And anyway, we gotta run from these weird Kirby monsters coming out of the water.
It becomes imperative they all get off this island. Kamandi searches the ruins for a vehicle to salvage, and finds a usable hovercraft, but he's jumped by a beast that requires Ben's help! And it shows that metal or not, the Last Boy's "big brother" has strength enough to handle the world of the Great Disaster.
They jump aboard the hovercraft, a big sea serpent attacks, they manage to get it running and slip away - it's one damn thing after another in this probable future (I wouldn't have used that epithet if I'd written this four years ago, but...) - and rejoin the rest of the castaways. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of gas in the thing to begin with.
Remember what I said about one damn thing after another? Well that's when flying sharks decide to attack. Can Ben get the motor running in time to avoid getting Jawsed?
And of course he does. Where would Kamandi be without Ben Boxer? The hovercraft bounces away then flies to the next shore where further adventures await!
Who's Next? A Female Fury.
How you could have heard of him: When Kamandi has shown in later DC continuity (or non-continuity), Ben hasn't been far behind. He can be seen in Convergence, in Kamandi's Coutdown Special, and most recently in Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium, though none are majot appearances. Notably, Multiversity combined him with OMAC on the Earth of the Great Disaster, as BiO.M.A.C.
Example story: Kamandi the Last Boy on Earth (January 1975) "Freak Show!!" by Jack Kirby, with D. Bruce Berry
Who's Next? A Female Fury.
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