Bizarro World

February 21, 2005 | Trades

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Bizarro World
DC Comics
$45.95 (Hardcover)
**** (out of five)

There is an inherent level of silliness to the idea of superheroes — people who crash land from an alien world or get bitten by something radioactive and decide to strap on some tights, put their underwear on the outside of their clothes and fight crime.
Unlike most books, especially those by DC and Marvel, Bizarro World is all about embracing that, well, bizarre idea, and having a little fun.
Brought forth from some of the top talents in alternative comics today — creators such as Harvey Pekar (American Splendor), Tony Millionaire (Maakies), Eddie Campbell (From Hell), Evan Dorkin (Milk And Cheese) and Craig Thompson (Blankets), to name a few — the nostalgic love for DC’s classic characters is evident in this original collection of illustrated short stories.
From Superman crash landing at the North Pole instead of Kansas and the origin of the Batman Christmas song (Jingle Bells, Batman smells…), to Aquaman seeking catharsis as a folk musician and Justice League starring in Bring Your Kids To Work Day and even appearances by Krypto The Super-Dog and Beppo The Super-Monkey, this book is uproarious.
Perhaps the best two, however, are the brilliant Batman Operetta by Paul Grist and Hunter Emerson and the perfectly paced how to shop for Batman by Kyle Baker.

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