546 SATIRE
In fact, parodies of superhero comics have provided a major vehicle for satire in
comics—with varying attitudes toward the superheroes being parodied. For all their
idiosyncrasies, at the heart of Supersnipe, Captain Klutz, Forbush-Man and ‘Mazing
Man lay an appreciation, a reverence and love for the superhero form and for the ideals
that form represented at its best. Jim Valentino’s Normalman, created in 1983, is the only
normal person on a planet of superheroes. As such, Normalman is a satiric vehicle for
the celebration of the ordinary as special, but one that still treats the superhero genre
respectfully. Other superhero satires lacked the same reverence for their inspirations.
In the latter categories are Th e Badger, Ambush Bug, or Lobo. All three were mentally
ill caricatures of the notion of hero. Th e Badger and Lobo were psychopathic and ex-
cessively violent. Ambush Bug was also criminally insane, but became a hero, albeit an
unpredictable one. In fairness, all three can be seen partially as responses to the gritti-
ness of some of the 1970s and 1980s dark heroes, including Th e Punisher , Th e Butcher,
Alan Moore’s Watchmen, and Frank Miller’s Batman in Th e Dark Knight Returns,
and, all of which recast the role of the superhero into one of aggression, amorality, and
cynicism. Th us, the satire of this trend took its subject to ludicrous extremes.
Moore and Miller, in revamping the superhero narrative, also themselves parodied it
and infused it with satirical elements. Moore’s Top 10: Th e Forty-Niners serves as parody
of numerous superhero conventions and characters, as does Rick Veitch’s 1990 Brat
Pack, a scathing commentary on the nature of the superhero and the pathos of the kid
sidekick. Both works use the often cited gay subtext of the superhero/sidekick relation-
ship as an element of parody. Miller’s Dark Knight books contain numerous characters
intended to off end or provoke, but who also serve as satiric devices on social trends and
human weaknesses. Th e character of Bruno from Th e Dark Knight Returns and the
anime-inspired vacuous newsgirls in Dark Knight Strikes Back serve as prime examples.
Dark Knight Strikes Back is notorious in this regard, as almost every character, major or
minor, is an example of self-parody. However, Miller achieves a measure of balance with
the eff ective use of Plastic Man as a vehicle to siphon attention from the antics of the
other characters.
Another example of the insane superhero is gentler in its approach: Ben Edlund’s Th e
Tick, debuting in 1988, portrays an immensely powerful, slightly disturbed (issue #1
opens with Th e Tick in an asylum), very aggressive, but still lovable hero. Another dim-
witted heroic parodic superhero character, Don Simpson’s Megaton Man, appeared the
same year. Megaton Man’s primary satire related to the structure of superhero narrative
and the extended superhero family.
Another variation of this form of parodic satire appears in the context of Dave Sim’s
Cerebus the Aardvark. Originally a parody of the Barry Smith/Roy Th omas Conan the
Barbarian run, the series quickly became a vehicle for the creator’s views on politics,
religion, comics, popular culture, and women. Using his central character Cerebus the
Aardvark as a foil, Sim expanded the scope of the narrative into parody of any social or
cultural issue that vexed him. Th e primary results of this were twofold. First, his peers
questioned his mental health, often in print. Second, Marvel Comics threatened suit
