OK, I know, he’s supposed to be a Batman rip-off, but seriously:

Cat-Man? Were Flat-Man, Fat-Man, Gnat-Man, Spat-Man, Hat-Man, and Rat-Man all taken by some other comics company and thus unavailable? I suspect this guy stole a Golden Age Batman mask and dyed it orange, because those ears look awfully similar, but the logo — well now, the logo must be 100% his own creation. The big ol’ C with the smaller M in the middle (his initials, get it? get it?) are the real stroke of genius that make it clear that this guy is no ordinary knockoff! I can’t wait till the issue where we go to his secret lair, “The Litterbox”. Or would that be the “Cat House”? I guess not, since he’s based in New York and we all know how the government there frowns on that sort of thing.

(Image and character ©1985, DC Comics, Inc., “Who’s Who” volume 4.)

I’m not the first person to notice that most African-American super-powered individuals have “Black” in their name somewhere (you never see “White Superman” or “White Flash” or “Pink Green Lantern”; for some reason it’s only dark-skinned people that need to have their melanin level slapped onto their super identity). But I do think I’ve found what is either the a) lamest b) most egregiously offensive or c) funniest example to date:

(more…)

I have uncovered the first hidden treasure in the Great Random Comic Book Pile — behold the insane awesomeness that is … Prince Chaos!

I’m tempted to love the mutton chops, or maybe the fur fringed, plummet-to-the-navel neckline, or even the strange hash marks all over the ruby red outfit. But I’m going to have to go with the tiny “Kilroy” type face peeking up from his crotch as my absolutely favorite bit of this ensemble. I like to think that in some future issue, this tiny man will get his own dialog, which, believe me, will rock.

The character is from issue number 13 of “E-Man”, by First Comics. The original run of the series was artist Joe Staton’s first big-time gig, and has a frenzied, crazy, “somebody’s high” vibe that’s hard to describe. For instance, the first few issues are narrated by a ghostly Albert Einstein. I am not making this up.

Staton later went on to work on Green Lantern during the years I was collecting it, and now that I have read E-Man I can see why they’d give him that assignment. GL’s crazy ring-inspired creations (giant irons swatting villains, enormous glowing jackhammers digging out a mine collapse, catcher’s mitts galore) are a lot like the various forms into which E-Man contorts his energy body. In just this one issue, for instance, he turns into a life-preserver with a duck head, a bouncing toaster, and a freeway overpass.

Again, I am not making this up.

In that kind of context, I suppose a mind-controlling, space-traveling, fur-clad, tiny-crotch-man-wearing lunatic actually seems pretty normal.

(Image and character © 1984, First Comics, Inc., E-Man, Volume 1, No. 13.)

I don’t know what Grodd’s been smoking there in Gorilla City, but he certainly doesn’t look like a mind-controlling, world-dominating super-intelligent ape to me in this picture:

But whatever it is, I bet he got it off of Angar the Screamer. That’s the kind of crossover I think any self-respecting love child can endorse. Peace, happiness, and evil; the sixties live again, my friends!

If I can take pride in one thing about this blog, it’s my documentation of the ability of comic book creators to find inspiration in the objects lying around their drawing tables, from Ramen to calculators. And also in showing how various characters are actually based on beer. And in my math skills, because that’s more than one thing, despite my opening sentence. I blame all the alcohol and Ramen on my desk.

Nonetheless, I think you’ll agree that “Captain Fear”:

is nothing more than the non-drunken brother of another, more famous Captain, who has been known to actually make people fearless in barrooms across this great nation:

Clones, twins, or just two guys who have the same tailor? I report, you decide!

(Captain Fear image and character ©1985, DC Comics, Inc. “Who’s Who” Volume 4. Captain Morgan image and character ©2007, Captain Morgan Rum Co.)