While I do enjoy superhero comics, I’ve always preferred levity to gritty drama. I used to read Shazam! back in elementary school and have recently been introduced to the pleasures of Plastic Man thanks to the book Jack Cole and Plastic Man: Forms Stretched to Their Limits.
What I’m looking for, I guess, are available series in a similar vein, i.e. whimsical or genuinely humorous as opposed to the standard wisecracking found in any major hero comic. Old and modern titles are welcome, though I don’t have a collector’s budget.
The Tick, 'Mazing Man(DC), Boris the Bear(Dark Horse), Damage Control(Marvel), Blue Devil(DC), and Ambush Bug(DC) are the main titles I can think of at the moment.
If you can find it in the quarter bins, I’ve got a fond spot in my heart for Marvel’s four-issue Slapstick! series.
Premise: Teen kid gets the ability to turn into an indestructible cartoon character and faces off against an assortment of characters, including a way-out *Punisher-*wanna-be, an eight-year-old mad scientist, and a pissed-off nuclear-irradiated bum. Heck, any comic that results in Ghost Rider getting a bucket of water dumped on his head gets props in my book!
And I second the vote for Damage Control, though I think the last limited series really went downhill. First one was the best.
Groo character is as super as they come (even if he is a Conan clone).
Then there is the What The…? series spoofing the supers.
Also, if you like corn in your meal, try some of the Harley Quinn-focused comics. If only she gets rid of Jokey-poo she would be my favorite character ever in DC.
And, if you can find it, Giffen’s “The Heckler.” Very funny and weird (which is probably why there were only six issues). The issue with Bushwack’r was worth it all. Think supervillain as Wile E. Coyote.
Phil Foglio’s stuff is pretty good. I loved the four-issue mini-series a decade or so ago that brought back Angel and the Ape (along with the Inferior Five). His Jack Godot – Zap Gun for Hire books (two books and a 12-issue comic that I know of) are great, too. I didn’t read enough of his take on Stanley and his Monster to tell how good it was. His Girl Genius and XXXenophile series don’t quite match the “Superhero” label.
Greetings, everyone. I just wanted to thank you for your suggestions. Payday is tomorrow, so I’m going to set aside a small chunk and head over to Ye Olde Internette Comic Shoppe. Many of the titles are available for reasonable prices, which means I can stock up YAY. It’ll be refreshing. With the exception of Gaiman’s Sandman, it’s been manga, manga, manga, for me for the past ten years.
Thanks again!
I checked out some cover scans of Slapstick!, and I’m getting a definite Freakazoid vibe from it.
