Mitch Wacky

Wackyland? Wacky Wonders? This guy must have a huge ego.

I've mentioned characters that are stand-in for other characters (such as Captain Strong and the Guardians of the Globe). However, there have been comic characters based on real-life people. Mitch Wacky is an example of Walt Disney stand-in.
History
Mitch Wacky was a native from the planet Angor. There, he created theme park Wackyland. Mitch contracted influenza, which Angor lacked a cure for. He reprogrammed Wackyland to run itself while he when into suspended animation. A group of super villains, the Extremists, caused a nuclear holocaust. The theme park rebuild the world and tried to restore it to its former glory. However, it also created robot copies of the Extremists and their heroic archenemies Assemblers. The Extremists copies destroyed the Assemblers and took over. Dreamslayer (a member of the original Extremists) took over the team and convinced them to invade Earth. The Justice League of Europe ended up clashing the robots. The JLE awakened Mitch and cured his influenza. After being alerted about the situation, Mitch deactivated the Extremists robots. Mitch went on several adventures with the JLE. With the help of Kilowog, Mitch built a time machine and tried to the original Extremists. However, he accidentally detonated the bomb himself. Later, Dreamslayer kidnapped him and tried to force Mitch to repair the Extremists robots. Due to a lack sleep, he was only able to rebuild Lord Havok. Exhaustion eventually killed Wacky.
References:
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Mitch_Wacky_(New_Earth)
http://www.comicvine.com/mitch-wacky/4005-10192/

Vega: A Man's World

The first page of the comic

This is a weird comic I found. "Vega: A Man's World" was a story featured Omega Men issue 27. It was written by Alan Moore (writer of Watchmen, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, V for Vendetta and From Hell).
The story revolves around a female alien biologist (who is called "Leelyo" by the other characters, but it is unclear if that is her actual name or just an alien word). She is visiting the planet Culacao, whose natives are all male. Leelyo notices the natives have a strange ritual where they stab the purple membrane on giant mollusks with a spear. The story opens with her witnesses them performing the ritual. She notes how her translator, Mopi, has tried to explain the ritual, but the concepts are too alien for her to understand. She wonders show the all-male natives natives can reproduce. Leeylo reveals to Mopi that woman can reproduce. Mopi takes her to his hut so they can do so. The next day, Mopi talks to his fellow native Rudo and it is revealed that the natives stab the membrane to cause the mollusk to create more of themselves. It's revealed Mopi, misunderstanding what Leelyo was telling him, stabbed her unintentionally killing her although he fails to realize what he did.
References:
http://swords-and-veeblefetzers.blogspot.com/2010/11/omega-men-27-vega-mans-world-alan-moore.html

Oz Squad

The titular team

Frank Baum's Oz books (give yourself a pat on the back if you actually knew there was more than one) have fallen into public domain. Like anything in public domain that is even remotely famous, they have numerous adaptions and re-imaginings. Oz Squad is an obscure example I stumbled upon. It re-imagines the Oz original characters as a darker and edgier superhero team.
Premise
The story takes place after the original forty novels and World War II. The Land of Oz (which is now a parallel dimension as opposed to just being a country that hard to reach) is seeking diplomatic relations with Earth. The Oz Squad is a special task force that protects both Oz and America. This team consists of Dorothy, Scarecrow, the no longer cowardly Lion and the Tin Woodsman. However, they have undergone changes: Dorothy is a nearly century-old but retains the body of a young adult, the Scarecrow has become morose, the Lion has gained the ability to assume the form of a human and the Tin Man has been technological updated. All of them now live in America. They mainly battled Rebecca Eastwitch, who is actually the returned Wicked Witch of the East. However, they battle other foes such as Tik-Tok (whose spring now causes him to be moral when it is wind up and evil when its not).
References:
http://www.leftfield.org/~rawdon/comics/reviews/oz.squad.html
http://oz.wikia.com/wiki/Oz_Squad
http://wiki.dorothyandozma.com/index.php/Famous_Forty
http://oz.wikia.com/wiki/Copyright

Big Hero 6

The original line-up

At time of publication, Disney is planning to give the Big Hero 6 their own movie. However, the team is still fairly obscure. As such, I am doing a post on them.
History
The Japanese government wanted their own superhero team. As such, they formed the Giri, a secret group of business and political entities, to create this team. The Giri recruited Silver Samurai (who became the field leader), Honey Lemon and GoGo Tomago. Mr. Oshima, a "Machiavellian" bureaucrat, became the team's coordinator and spokesperson. Hiro Takachiho was asked to join, but he only did so after the team helped him save his mother from Everwraith, the spiritual embodiment of people killed during the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings. Hiro had Baymax join as well. During the clash with Everwraith, the team were joined by Sunfire. The team moved their base (which was originally just the Giri Office Building) to the Japan's Cool World Amusement Park. At said park, they were attacked by the villain X the Unknown (who is able to alter his atomic structure into any shape or form). Aided the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight, the Big Hero 6 used the fires of Mt. Fuji to destroy X. Later, the Big Hero 6 helped rescue people from a blizzard that was created by the Justine Hammer Crimson Cowl and her incarnation of the Masters of Evil. Sunfire quited the team in favor of joining the India branch of the X-Corporation. He was replaced by Sunpyre. Silver Samurai was seemingly killed and replaced by Ebon Samaurai. Hiro became the leader. The Big Hero 6 members were brainwashed to attack the Alpha Flight. During the fight, the device used to control them was short-circuited thus freeing them. The team later appeared in their own series. It focused on their adventures in America. Here Sunfire and Silver Samurai were replaced by Fredzilla and Wasabi No-Ginger.
Members

• Silver Samurai- Kenuichio Harada is a ronin that does freelance work. He used to be the bodyguard for the terrorist Viper. He could charge any object with energy make it so that object could cut through nearly anything. He prefers to use this on his katana. 
• Ebon Samurai- Kioshi Keishicho was a dead police officer brought back to life to kill Silver Samurai. However, he later gave up on his quest. He had a sword that could cut through almost anything.
• Sunpyre- She is from another dimension and was brought to ours by the Power Purse. She worshiped Honey Lemon as a god. She has powers similar to Sunfire.
• Wasabi No-Ginger- Wasabi No-Ginger (that's his real name) is a chef. He can generate telekinetic knives that can knock out people instead of cutting them.
• GoGo Tomago- Leiko Tanaka was released from prison in exchange for working on the team. By saying her code name, she turns into a force blast.
• Honey Lemon- Aiko Miyazaki is a secret agent. She invented the Power Purse, which can access another dimensions, which she uses for storage.  
• Baymax- Baymax is the artificial bodyguard created by Hiro. Its brain was modeled after Hiro's dead father. It could turn into a dragon.
• Fredzilla- Fred generates a kaiju-shaped aura. It becomes telekinetic armor when at full size. The armor has super strength and durability.
• Sunfire- Shiro Yoshida is a mutant and former X-Men member. He has flight, plasma blasts, infrared vision and radiation immunity.
• Hiro Takachiho- He is a 13-year old boy genius. He built Baymax.

References:
http://marvel.com/universe/Big_Hero_6
http://www.comicvine.com/honey-lemon/4005-5024/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunfire_(comics)
http://www.comicvine.com/ebon-samurai/4005-35535/
http://www.comicvine.com/big-hero-6/4060-40484/
http://www.comicvine.com/silver-samurai/4005-3174/
http://marvel.wikia.com/Leiko_Tanaka_(Earth-616)
http://www.comicvine.com/fredzilla/4005-35427/

Eraser

Talk about being a
pencil neck

Batman has one of the biggest rogue's gallery of any superhero. As such, he is no stranger to villains with weird gimmicks. The Eraser is definitely one of them.
History
Leonard "Lenny" Fiasco was a college student and classmate of Bruce Wayne. Lenny was constantly mocked by his classmates for his mistakes. Leonard had a crush on his classmate Celia Smith. However when he was about to ask her to an ice carnival, she decided to go with Bruce Wayne. Angered, this led him to a life of crime. Leonard became a cleaner (a criminal that removes evidence from crime scenes) that charged 20% of the crime's profits for his services. He donned a pencil costume and dubbed himself "the Eraser". Baffled by the Eraser, the police has Batman faked a crime scene and "hire" the Eraser to remove the "evidence". When Batman confronted him, the Eraser (due to various minor details) figured out Batman is Bruce Wayne and explained his back story. Batman revealed he doesn't even remember Celia Smith. Enraged, Eraser used sleeping gas to knock Batman. He dragged Batman to a recreation of the ice carnival. Robin freed Batman and the duo defeat the Eraser. The Eraser has since appeared mainly in cameos most notably "Batman: RIP"  (in Bruce's imagination) and "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?".
Powers and Abilities
Like many Batman villains, the Eraser has no powers. However, he has gadgets instead. He wears pencil-point bladed shoes that can emit sleeping gas. He wears a helmet that has an eraser that he can use to erase things like fingerprints, footprints and so on.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/eraser/4005-38566/

Vault of Obscurity 5

For the unaware, the "Vault of Obscurity" segment of this blog has me talking about multiple characters that can't support their own post.
Doctor No-Face

His Batman: The Brave and the Bold appearance

Bartholomew Magan had a facial scar. As such, he tried to use a device to erase it . However, it work too well and erased his entire face. He decides to become a criminal for some reason. Taking the name "Dr. No-Face", Bart and his crime ring used the device to erase other people's faces. Batman and Robin stopped him. Doctor No-Face later had a cameo in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Iznogoud

Translation: "I want to be Caliph instead of the Caliph"

Iznogoud (pronounced "Is no good") is the Grand Vizier (a political adviser) to Haroun el-Poussah, the Caliph (ruler) of Bagdad. Despite pretending to be loyal to him, Iznogoud is actually trying to steal Haroun's position. Iznogoud is selfish, power-hungry and just generally a terrible person. He is aided by his lackey Dilat Laraht. Iznogoud's plan constantly fail and often leave him trapped in terrible fates (being a slave, transformed into a dog and etc.) that are ignored by the start of the next story.
The Black and White Bandit

Must be a fan of Sin City

Roscoe Chiara was an artist. Art lover and chemical company CEO Winsor Munsell hired Roscoe to make a painting of him with untested painting pigment. Naturally, Winsor didn't mention that the pigments were untested. Exposure to the pigments damaged Roscoe's vision causing him to see everything in black and white. The comic incorrectly calls this color blindness (which is actually an inability to distinguish certain colors such as red or green). As revenge, Roscoe became the super villain the Black and White Bandit and started stealing works of art from Munsell. Batman stopped him by luring him in a trap via a fake advertisement.
Roscoe is skilled at disguising himself. He has a gas mask and acess to chlorine gas. He has an escape zebra... seriously. At one point, BWB used black ink to blind Batman in order to distract him.
References:
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Bartholomew_Magan_(New_Earth)
http://www.comicvine.com/dr-no-face/4005-35260/images/
http://www.comicvine.com/iznogoud/4005-41429/
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicBook/Iznogoud
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Roscoe_Chiara_(New_Earth)

Living Eraser

Ant-Man has a rogues gallery full of laughable villains such as the Human Top, Egghead and Porcupine. Here is one of the more bizarre members of his rogue gallery: the Living Eraser.
History
The Living Eraser is from Dimension Z (no connection to Dimension X from TMNT), which occupies the same space as our dimension but in a different universe (lets pretend that makes sense). He was sent to Earth to "erase" several scientists. In reality, he was teleporting them to Dimension Z, where they were held prisioner. Among his victims was Henry Pym, the original Ant-Man. However, Henry secretly smuggled the Wasp with him. As such, she helped free Henry. The duo fought an army of Dimension Z aliens and found their chief sciencist. Eraser killed the alien sciencist to prevent the secret of the techology getting in the hands of humanity. However, Eraser revealed his power came from the gadgets on his palms. As such, the Wasp and Ant-Man stole them and took the sciencist home. The Living Eraser appeared time from time later on and fought foes such as She-Hulk, the Thing and Morbius.
Powers and Abilities
The Living Eraser's powers come from the "atomically printed circuit[s]" on his hands. This allows him to "erase" people. In reality, the "erased" people are being sent to Dimension Z.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/living-eraser/4005-12631/

The True Hero of Black Summer

There are suprising few pictures of Frank

Black Summer is a comic written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Juan José Ryp. The comic focuses on the Seven Guns, a government-created superhero team. John Horus (the most powerful of the Guns) kills the president, his advisers and some secret service agents. Because of this, the government has Frank Blacksmith (an unofficial eighth member that helped create the team) hunt down the Seven Guns. Despite the Seven Guns being the protagonists, I found myself sympathizing more with Frank. This article is explain why he is the true hero.
The Seven Guns are Unstable and Dangerous
First off, let us look at the Seven Guns themselves. John Horus is (according to Tom Noir) paranoid and prone to overacting. A flashback seems to suggest John thinks he is superior to humans and invincible (which seemed to be supported with some dialogue he shares with Frank where talks about how he is the "hero"). To top it off, he kills the president and expects everyone to be fine with it. Kathryn Artemis openly supports John's actions and convinces her teammates to kill the government agents who are trying arrest John for his crimes. In a flashback, Artemis throws a knife at Frank with little provocation. Zoe Jump and Angel One do whatever Artemis tell her to. Tom Noir and Laura Torch (who is otherwise a nonentity due to dying prior to the story) altered Laura's weapon without anyone's supervision or approval. Then, they hide the fact the weapon is now powerful enough to fight John. Dominic Atlas Hyde's motivation to join the team is that he wants to be important and NOT for doing good. All of them are willing to resort to murder as a first choice. Only Angel One expresses concern for human life and even then it only happens once. None of them seem to even attempt to incapacitate their enemies and go straight for the kill. Add to all of that the fact they have extremely rare powers that most of the military is improperly equipped to fight. So, they are not only unstable, but have superpowers that allow them to cause even more damage.
Frank is Trying to Maintain Order
Frank seems to be mainly concerned with maintaining order. He never defies his superiors when it would suit him. For example, he has a special task force for fighting the Guns and doesn't use them until he gets the approval. Frank gives a speech to a chauffeur about how he wants to protect people. Frank formed the Seven Guns to fight corrupt cops and security firms. So, he wasn't being blind in his desire for order. In his final confrontation with John, he (rightfully) points out how the government exists to enforce the law and that "one man wearing a ... bucket on his head does not get to decide what laws are".
He is not Remorseless
Frank actually shows several times that isn't an emotionless monster. While in a car, Frank gives a speech about how he is "trying to protect what [he] love". It is implied he is talking about the American public. When he thinks that John defiled Laura's grave, he is visibly upset and yells at John about how he cared about her.
References
Black Summer trade paperback

Stardust the Super Wizard

Overview
Stardust the Super Wizard is alien crime fighter that lives on a "private star". For some reason, he spends a disproportional time on Earth (which discovered via radio signals). On Earth, Stardust uses his powers to fight enemies of the U.S. usually terrorists and crimelords.
Stardust's stories had the same format. Stardust uses his alien techology to discover the villains' plan. The villains run amok leading Stardust to rush to Earth. Stardust arrives just before the villain's plan can be completed. He then uses his powers to the stop the plan (often using a new power that near-instantly solves the problem). Stardust would use his powers to unleash some horrific fate upon the villains ranging from turning them into rat-monsters to trapping them on an alien planet to simply giving them to the police.
Powers
Stardust has vast knoweldge of alien sciences. He seems to virtually omnipotent since he constantly display new powers. Among the more common powers are interplanetary travel, flight, invulerability, ray beams with different effects, teleportion (which usually generate a bright, star-shaped brust of light) and some form of matter manipulation.
Copyright Status
Stardust the Super Wizard is in public domain. However, AC Comics have a trademarked character called "Stardust". As such, the name can't be used in ways that could cause trademark confusion. Despite this, the interior pages can still use the name. This is similar to how the DC Comics Captain Marvel can't be a comic called "Captain Marvel" due to Marvel Comics copyrighting the name.
References:
http://pdsh.wikia.com/wiki/Stardust
The Comics of Fletcher Hanks: I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets

Geist

History
Going to work, Dwayne Geyer was attacked by an alien that tried to drink Geyer's spinal fluid. The alien flew into air while trying to suck his fuild. However, the alien accidentally released Dwayne when it got distracted causing Geyer to fall onto the ground. When he woke him up, Geyer discovered he was invisible and his powers. He decided to become a vigilante and took the name "Geist". At work, he was attacked by the alien. However, he, Batman and Azrael stopped the alien. Geist started his superhero carrer. He met several "New Bloods" (heroes that gained their powers the same way Dwayne did) and helped the Justice League. Geist joined Blood Pack, a superhero team / reality show. He tampered with a camera and discovered the security team killed one of the Blood Pack member. Geist revealed this to his teammate. They plotted to do something about this. What happened is never revealed. Later, Superboy-Prime killed Geist during Infinite Crisis. Geist was brought back as one of Alex Luthor's undead Black Lantern with the purpose to kill SP. Prime got his hand on one of the black rings, which his extreme emotion morphed into a Red Lantern ring. The enegry released by this killed Geist.
Powers and Abilities
When in direct light, Geist becomes invisible. However, he cannot his sight in this state. In dark, he gains enchanced eyesight. As such, he wears dark goggles so his enchanced vision can combat his blindness. With enough concetration, he can turn other objects invisible.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/geist/4005-32657/
Atop the Fourth Wall "Blood Pack # 1"

U-Foes

Ironclad (bottom left), Vapor (top left), Vector and X-Ray

What would the Fantastic Four be like if they were evil?
History
Millionaire Simon Utrecht launched himself with his crew into space in the hopes of recreating the accident that gave the Fantastic Four their power. Bruce Banner (not realizing what is going on) used the flight computer to send them back to save them from the threat of the cosmic radiation poisoning. Simon and the crew were exposed to enough radiation to turn them into super humans. Blaming Bruce for "robbing" them of even more power, they tried to kill Banner. During the ensuring battle, they decided on the name "U-Foes". However when they tried to increase their powers, the U-Foes lost controls of them causing them to lose.
Despite this, they returned to menaced the Hulk. While the U-Foes have parallels to the Fantastic Four (both in origin and team dynamic), the U-Foes tends to be dysfunctional and negative. The latter often leads to their disaster. The U-Foes registered for the Superhuman Registration Act and joined the Thunderbolts (who hunted down rogue heroes and villains). When Norman took over S.H.I.E.L.D., the U-Foes become members of North Carolina's superhero team. They also joined the Hood (who turned out to be working with Norman). The U-Foes fought the Avengers several times.
Members

• Vector / Simon Utrecht- He can repel or vector (hence his name) objects regardless of density, size, weight or etc.
• X-Ray / Jimmy Darnell- He is a being of radiation. He can manipulate radiation, fly and become invisible.
• Ironclad / Mike Steel- He has a metallic hide. He has strength and the power to manipulate density.
• Vapor / Ann Darnell- She can turn into any gaseous mixture she can think of.

References:
http://www.comicvine.com/u-foes/4060-3238/
http://www.comicvine.com/x-ray/4005-6822/

Angel and the Ape

A beautiful weapon master. A cartoonist ape. They fight crime.
History
Angel (a woman) and Sam (a gorilla) ran a detective agency. Sam was also a cartoonist. He originally worked for Brainpix Comix editor Stan Bragg (an egomaniac and crude parody of Stan Lee) and later DZ Comics editor Morton I. Stoop (under whom Sam was more successful). Later, Stan was locked up in a madhouse Mildew Asylum for Sprung Brains. A recurring joke was that no one noticed Sam is an ape. However, Angel ended up becoming more prominent than Sam. They remained in comic book limbo until a 1991 miniseries. Sam turned out to be Gorilla Grodd's grandson. Angel was the half-sister Dumb Bunny (the female member of the Inferior Five). Even later, they got a 2001 to 2002 miniseries for DC Comics' imprint Vertigo Comics.
Powers and Abilities
Angel has hand-to-hand training (in various martial arts such as karate and judo). Angel also is skilled with various weapons. She once hit flies with a bullwhip. Sam has physical traits of a gorilla (such as strength) and human-level intelligence (along with detective skills) although he has trouble speaking due to non-human larynx.
References:
http://www.webcitation.org/mainframe.php

First of the Fallen

The Lord of Evil ladies and gentlemen

This character has interesting story about his creation. The First of the Fallen was intended to be the comic Hellblazer's version of the devil. However, it was revealed in Sandman (which is in the same universe) that Lucifer was the Devil. So, Hellblazer creator Garth Ennis established the First as another character. Despite this, he still managed to screw up continuity.
History
God created the First of the Fallen before life and the Heavens. The First was made to be God's conscience and confidant. However when First discovered God's mental state was worsening, God sent the First to Hell. The Second and Third of the Fallen were banished to Hell soon after. Assuming they had equal power, the First had them become the ruling trinity of Hell. However, Lucifer took over Hell, but later left. As such, the trio returned to power. However, this seems to contradict was established with Sandman (since, in that comic, Remiel and Duma were given control over Hell). John Constantine first met the First in Ireland. It turned John's friend, Brenden, sold his soul to the First of the Fallen. John tricked the First into drinking holy water, which caused him to puke blood and distracted him long enough to let Brenden's soul go to Heaven. The First tried to steal John's soul when he died so the First could torture him. However, Constantine made a Faustian deal with both the Second and Third. To avoid a war over John's soul, the trio was forced to bring John back to life. First became an enemy of Constantine and his friends. The First discovered the Third and Second weren't as strong as him. He killed both of them, but only to be seemingly killed by the succubus Ellie with a knife that made out of the Second and Third's remains. In reality, the First was reborn as a fisherman with the memories of his past. Despite this, he managed to regain his former position. However, he didn't get John's soul, but parts of it that Constantine discarded. The First still constantly fights John.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/first-of-the-fallen/4005-27431/

Super-Sons

If you hate them so much, why do dress like them?

What would it be like if Batman and Superman started their own families and had sons? Well, DC Comics decided to answer that with the Super-Sons saga.
History
Superman and Batman Jr. grew up in the shadow of their namesake. The two fought crime despite lacking the recognition of their fathers. While fighting crime, they went through a journey of self-discovery that led them to become comfortable as the successors to their fathers. They also fought their universe's version of Robin, who wanted to become Batman's successor over Batman Jr. However, the stories never revealed if the duo actually replaced their father. On Earth-One (one of the main realities), a Kryptonian computer accidentally created two copies of the Super-Sons. The copies willingly allowed themselves be destroyed because they "were a threat to the stability of Earth-One" (DC Wiki). It turned out that the "real" Super-Sons were nothing more than simulations created by the actual Superman and Batman to see what their kids would be like.
References:
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Super-Sons
http://bronzeageofblogs.blogspot.com/2009/02/its-super-sons.html

Phil the Prince of Insufficient Light

It has been awhile since I talked about a comic strip character. So, I decided to talk about Dilbert character Phil the Prince of Insufficient Light.
Overview
Phil is the devil-like ruler of Heck.  Heck is a lesser Hell that punishes people for minor sins (such as taking a chair that you don't own) with mildly annoying punishments (such as forcing someone to write "I proactively leverage my synergies" over and over again or having to "endure the stale wit of your co-workers"). Phil carries around a giant spoon as oppose to a pitchfork. He is also the brother of the Pointy-Haired Boss, who Phil claims was their mother's favorite.
References:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/Dilbert
http://search.dilbert.com/search?p=Q&srid=S3-USWSD01&lbc=dilbert&ts=custom&w=Phil%20Prince%20Of%20Insufficient%20Light&uid=42185853&method=and&isort=date&view=list&filter=type%3acomic&srt=6

Super-Soldier

Super-Soldier in the foreground

DC Comics and Marvel Comic had an event where their universes combined into one (under the name Amalgam Comics). As such, many of the resulting characters were combinations of one character from each universe (for example, Wolverine + Batman = Dark Claw). Super-Soldier is a combination of Superman and Captain America.
History
The U.S. army made a "Super-Soldier" formula from the cells of a dead alien found in a crashed spaceship. During World War II, volunteer Clark Kent was injected with the formula. After being exposed to solar radiation, Clark Kent gained super powers. Clark Kent became the superhero Super-Soldier. Reporter Jimmy Olsen, who found out about the project, decided to keep quiet in exchange for the government giving him exclusive infomation for his news stories. Super-Soldier got the sidekick, American Girl, and became an All-Star Winners Squadron member. Clark Kent was in love with Lois Lane, who married the cold-hearted billionaire Lex Luthor, much to Clark's chargin. Super-S fought Major Zemo (a member of the Nazi organization HYDRA) with Segerant Rock and his Howling Commandos. However, they didn't know that Lex Luthor was the real leader of HYDRA. In 1942, Super-Soldier was seemly killed by the robot Ultra-Metallo, but actually frozen in icy water. After fifty years, the JLA found a frozen Super-Solider. They thawed him out. Super-Solider joined the team and started to work at the Daily Planet in his Clark Kent guise. However, it turned out Lex Luthor was still alive. He used Green K (part of a meteor found near the spaceship) to extent his lifespan (although it turned his skin green). Aided by HYDRA, Lex kidnapped an older Jimmy. Having been beaten and released by Luthor, Jimmy revealed to Super-Soldier that HYDRA was in Washington D.C. Super-Solider went to D.C. to find Lex Luthor, HYDRA and a now-Green K-powered Ultra-Metallo. Super-Soldier used a lead pipe (which could block the radiation of the Green K) to beat Ultra-Metallo up. Soldier exposed Lex Luthor's crimes, which got Lex imprisioned. Super-Soldier laater revealed the fallout of Green K weakened his powers.
Powers and Abilities
Super-Soldier has a variety powers derived from the "Super-Soldier" formula. He has invulernability, x-ray vision, flight, super-strength and heat-ray vision. Green K weakens him.
References:
http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Claw
http://www.comicvine.com/super-soldier/4005-47079/
http://amalgam.wikia.com/wiki/Super-Soldier

Guardians of the Galaxy (Earth-691)

Vance Astro, Charlie-27, Matrinex and Yondu

The Guardians of the Galaxy have been given a movie. As such, I am going to talk about the original verison of the team, whom the movie isn't based on. This version is from the parrallel reality Earth-691.
History
In the 31st century, the Badoon aliens took over all of Alpha Centaury and the Sol system. The Badoon soldiers oppressed their occupied planets. Charlie-27, Vance Astro / Major Victory, Matrinex and Yondu formed the Guardians of the Galaxy to fight the Badoon. They staged an Earth rebellion with the aid of a time-travelling Captain America and Thing. The Guardians later went to the Thing's time to learn about an earlier failed Badoon invasion. After fighting a mutant eel with the Defenders, the Guardians went home. The GoG was joined by Starhawk. They defeated the Badoon Empire with the aid of the Defendeers. After the Defenders returned home, the Guardians decided become space explorers and helped various former occupied planets rebuild. They learned Silver Surfer stopped the original Badoon invasion of Earth. The Guardians of the Galaxy helped Thor and the Avengers fight Korvac in the 20th century thus earning honory Avengers membership. They stayed in the 20th century for a while and had various adventures. During this, the Guardians accidentally caused Vance's younger counterpart (who is later revealed to a parallel counterpart) to gain the powers of his future self. This caused the young Vance to become a superhero that joined the Avengers. The Guardians returned to their time. The group gained new member Yellowjacket (this universe's version of Rita DeMara) and Talon. Martinex left the team to get new members: Phoenix IX, Spirit of Vengeance, Replica Hollywood (this world's Wonder Man), Firelord and Mainframe (Earth-691 Vision).
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/guardians-of-the-galaxy/4060-25956/

Captain Tootsie

Captain Tootsie is on the right

As I mentioned in my "NFL Superpro" post, a common tactic to advertise a product is to have a superhero based around the product. One of the oldest example of this is today's subject: Captain Tootsie. Created by C. C. Beck (creator of the original Captain Marvel), Captain Tootsie appeared in 1940s ads that told one-page stories similar to the later Hostess ads.
Captain Tootsie was a superhero. He was assisted by the Secret Legion (who consisted of three young boys: Rollo, Fisty and Fasto). The quartet would go on adventures do feats such as fighting villains and daring rescues. CT would eat Tootsie rolls to get the energy boost he needed. As such, he would carry a yellow man bag full of them.
These ads were distinctive due to his creator's use of clean and open line work. Tootsie got a two-issued comic book in the 1950s. However, the ads disappeared during this era (due to changing taste in comic books at the time). In 1997, Toby Press featured Captain Tootsie on a phone card. However, he was incorrectly colored.
References:
http://www.toonopedia.com/tootsie.htm
http://pdsh.wikia.com/wiki/Captain_Tootsie

Run, Daihatsu Tanto!

Akito proposing the series to Moritaka

I am a fan of the manga series Bakuman. The series is about two teenagers, Akito Takagi and Moritaka Mashiro, trying to get a successful manga published and then have be adapted into an anime. The series features many fictional manga series. Among them is today's subject Run, Daihatsu Tanto!.
Premise
The titular Daihatsu Tanto is an elementary school boy. His grandfather, Daihatsu Meijin, is a crazy inventor that creates bizarre machines. Each story revolves around Tanto using one of his grandpa's inventions (usually for some form of mischief). This leads something going bad which, in turn, leads Tanto's teacher (who Meijin has a crush on) taking away the invention. The premise is oddly similar to the popular series Doraemon (which is about an elementary school boy that abuses his robot cat's inventions only for it go badly usually end with him learning a moral in the end).
Context in Bakuman
Run, Daihatsu Tanto! is second series created by the Akito and Mashiro. It was often ranked as number 12th in popularity (although one chapter managed to reach 11th). Because the series was unable to compete with their rival Eiji Nizuma, the duo ended the series much to the chargin of Editor-and-Chief Hisashi Sasaki.
References:
http://bakuman.wikia.com/wiki/Run,_Daihatsu_Tanto!
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Anime/Doraemon
http://bakuman.wikia.com/wiki/Muto_Ashirogi
http://bakuman.wikia.com/wiki/Hisashi_Sasaki

Crimson Commando

The Red Guy of Marvel

History
Frank Bohannon / Crimson Commando was a World War II superhero that worked with Stonewall and Super Sabre. Later on, the tiro mistook the X-Men leader Storm as a criminal and attempted to arrest her. They were defeated by her and Wolverine. This somehow made the tiro confess their viglantism to the authority (which makes no sense since superheroes are clearly legal since no bat an eye at most superheroes). In the 1980s, he joined the government-funded superhero team Freedom Force along with Super Sabre and Stonewall. The group Desert Sword wounded Frank. The government (via Care Labs) turned Frank into a cyborg. They renamed him "Cyborg X" and later "Commando". Due to a glitch that made him unable to disern the present from his memories of the past, Cyborg X went on a rampage until Spider-Man and Ghost Rider stopped him. Spider-Man took him back to Care Labs to be fixed. However, the Lab was attacked by Sinister Six (who was missing a member). However, he was later just fine so we can assume he was repaired off-panel. Commando and his former Freedom Force teammate Avalanche were ordered to attack Empyrean and stop his operations. A rogue government agent told them to kill X-Factor member Polaris. This was never brought up again. Frank lost his powers due to the events of M-Day. Dying without his powers, he kidnapped Hope Summers hoping she could save him with her powers. Instead, Wolverine decapitated him.
Powers and Abilities
Crimison Commando was a mutant. His powers made him the peek of physical pefection, age slower and immune to telepathy. He is trained in hand-to-hand combat.
When he was turned into a cyborg, Frank Bohannon gained new powers. He gained super strength and speed. His body could repair itself to a limited extent. His arms could be transformed into projectile weapons. He has tentacles (that act as more limbs) and rocket boosters in his legs.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/crimson-commando/4005-14906/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Commando

C'mon Digimon

Clockwise: Deathmon (top left), Shinichiro Josaki,
Makoto Abe, Kentaro Kamon and Bun

I am big fan of Digimon. For those not in the know, Digimon was a series of virtual pet toys that got adapted into an excellent anime series that ultimately ended up becoming more popular than the toys. Digimon has a long history of manga.The first Digimon manga was "C'mon Digimon", which even managed to predate the anime series.  I am basing this post on an English translation of the comic. So if I get something wrong, that is probably why.
Plot
After winning a battle with 3D Digimon battle with his Deathmon Digimon, an unnamed kid smashes his opponent's dock. Makoto Abe, the narrator, explains Digimon are virtual pets that can fight each other and evolve into new form depending on how they are raised, and that the actual device is called a "dock". Makoto tries to befriend Kentaro Kamon, the only kid not interested in Digimon. He attempts to get Kamon interested in Digimon and fails. A classmate reveals Kamon seems to hate animals because he was bitten by a dog. After school, Kamon finds a Digimon Dock  and has every intent to just give it to Makoto. For some reason, Makoto decides to show Kamon a machine that temporarily turns Digimon into real creatures, which he demonstrates with "Kamon's" Digimon Bun. Yes, he has a machine that turns Digimon into living beings. This is not explained beyond his brother (a college graduate) being the one who made it. The next day, Makoto loses to the Deathmon-using kid, Shinichiro Josaki, in a battle using the 3-D Coliseum, a table that turns Digimon real so that they can fight (similar to Makoto's machine except the Digimon are smaller). Shinichiro is a rich kid that smashes the docks of people that lose against him because he is a jerk. As such, he smashes Makoto's dock. Seeing Makoto emotionally distressed about a toy he could probably easily replace, Kamon agrees to fight Josaki in 10 days. Kamon and Makoto use this time and their machine to train Bun. During this, Kamon bonds with Bun, who doesn't evolve even though he should. Before he fights Deathmon, Kamon learns from Shinichiro that Bun is actually "Badmon" (a rare glitch Digimon, that appears once per every 100,000, that is unable to evolve). During the fight, Shinichiro uses Deathmon's ability to change into forms (which are fusions of Deathmon and one Digimon he defeated) to toy with Kamon. Shinichiro finally uses a fire form to remind Kamon of his dog dying in a fire. Yes, Shinichiro is so much of a jerk that he did research on Kamon and decided to torment him with this traumatic memory.  However, Kamon reveals the dog died saving him. The memory of this allows Kamon to gain a second wind. This allows him to win. Namon is now interested in Digimon despite the fact Bun isn't useful in normal 2D battles (for some reason).
Influence 

Greymon

"C'mon Digimon" managed to leave its mark on the franchise. Namon was the inspiration for Taichi Yagami (the protagonist of the other pre-anime Digimon manga Digimon V-Tamer 01), who was the inspiration the lead character (of the same name) of the first anime series Digimon Adventure, who influenced every other Digimon anime lead character. Greymon was drawn in a way that wouldn't used again (since the Digimon didn't have official designs yet). This appearance of Greyman was used as the basis for Veedramon (the lead Digimon from Digimon V-Tamer 01).
References:
http://manga.animea.net/c-mon-digimon-chapter-1%20[Oneshot].html (click on the image to see more)
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/CMonDigimon

The Word

Several comic book characters have used the name "The Word".
America's Best Comics

Hostage negotiator

The Word is a hostage negotiator for Precinct 10. He helped stop an insane man dressed as Santa Claus. He later helped arrest the Seven Sentinels after it turned out they faked their heroics and had been abusing their sidekicks. The Word has the ability to make people do what he says he wants them to do.
DC Comics
DC Comic has two characters called "the Word". One is a mystic being that serves God. The other is a mercenary.

The servent of God

The Word was brought into existence when God said the first word. The Word became the executioner for God. In attempt to stop Swamp Thing from becoming all-powerful, he ended up destroying the Parliament of Trees, Stone and Vapors (Elemental gods) and Lady Jane. The Word was defeated Tefe, the Swamp Thing's daughter. Despite seemingly being killed, the Spectre implied that the Word is alive.

The hired gun

The Word is a mercenary that specializes in intelligence gathering. He worked for Vandal Savage and fought Cameron Chase (who was working the DEO). The Word has no mouth. As such, he cannot speak and communicates through writing. He can remove printed words then transfer it to his skin and cling to surfaces.
Marvel Comics
Marvel has two character called "the Word". One was enemy of She-Hulk. The other was a Daredevil foe.

Jack Wordman

Jack Wordman / the Word was a dictionary editor-turned-cult leader. His cult was devoted to the pursuit of knowledge. His daughter, Ultima, fell in love with a follower Randolph Harrison. Fearing the cult, Randolph hired the lawyer Jennifer Walters (the human identity of She-Hulk). When Wordman insulted Walters (thus turning her into the She-Hulk), Ultima (to prove herself) tried to fight She-Hulk, but ended up being fatally crippled by accident. Since he encouraged her, the Word felt guilty and took a vow of silence. Despite this, he later attempted to recreate his cult, but was stopped by SHIELD and the Thing. The Word's only skill is having an amazing vocabulary.

Unnamed woman

An unnamed woman took the name "the Word". She first appeared as a representive of Red Skull when the Kingpin's crime empite was dividing. She attempted to stop the criminals from bickering. Regardless, the criminal began to fight. Daredevil and Punisher attacked the meeting. However, members of the Hand killed the Word with several arrows.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/the-word/4005-13515/
http://www.comicvine.com/the-word/4005-23852/
http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/wordsheh.htm
http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix6/wordredskull.htm
http://www.comicvine.com/the-word/4005-68223/
Top 10 comic

Gay Guy

An example of his abilities

John Byrne has written many great works. He has written the Fantastic Four, a Superman reboot, the X-Men, the Next-Men the IDW Star Trek comics and the start of the Hellboy series. However, his incipient work, Gay Guy, is (to put it politely) political incorrect.
History
As a kid, Gaylord Le Guye had his lollipop stolen by the villainess Ruby the Dyke. Somehow, this made him think all women are evil. He swore "by the spirit of my poor lollipop that I shall spend my life fighting evil!" Years later, he used his inheritance (from his now-dead parents) to become a superhero modeling his costume after a butterfly. He worked with Police Chief Znurn.
Powers
Gay Guy uses his wits and gadgets to fight crime. He knows that he is in a comic strip. As such, he can use this to his advantage such as attack someone in the next panel. He has secret base under a beauty salon and a "Homobile".
References:
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/g/gayguy.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Byrne_(comics)

Angle Man

History
Angle Man is a con man and master thief from Italy. He uses the Angler device. This allowed him to confuse or avoid would be-capturers. He used a gimmick where he tries use "as many angles as" (Comicvine) possible. He was a minor villain to Wonder Woman during the Gold and Silver Ages even joining the Secret Society of Super-Villains and Academy of Arch-Villains. He was killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths. However, he was brought back. This version had an version of the Angler device that was a Penrose Triangle. In the New 52 event "Forever Evil", he was a member of the Crime Syndicate.
Powers and Abilities
Angle Man is a master thief. His main tool is the Angler, a device with various abilities. This allow him to teleport; bend perspective, space and perceptions; and alter gravity.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/angle-man/4005-10886/
http://www.comicvine.com/angler/4055-57183/

Daredevil

This is not the Marvel character. There was a World War II-era character of the same name. However, the character (due to his revision of origin) is basically two different characters. Like many Golden Age superheroes, he is public domain.
History
Daredevil had two origins and costumes related to the origins.

His original costume

Originally, Daredevil had a Batman-like origin. Bart Hill witnessed his parents being killed. The trauma led him to become mute and a superhero. He trained himself to become a boomerang marksman. He used this to aid his crime fighting.

His normal costume

Due to Bart speaking in his second appearance, his origin was changed to a more Tarzan-like origin. Bart's parents died in Australia. An aboriginal tribe raised him and taught Bart how to use boomerangs. Inexplicably, he became a superhero when he returned to America and can speak perfect English.

Regardless of origin, Daredevil fought in World War II. He teamed up with fellow heroes Dickie Dean, Pirate Prince, Cloud Curtis, Lance Hale and Silver Streak. He fought villains such as the Claw, Adolf Hilter, Wolf Carson, the Scarlet Skull (not to be confused with the Red Skull), Deadly Dozen and the Bolt.
References:
http://pdsh.wikia.com/wiki/Daredevil

Element 152

The scene in question

In Adventure Comics issue 305, Marvel Lad (actually Mon-El in disguise) creates Element 152 by vibrating iron, gold and silver at superhuman speed so to make them into a new element. There are several things wrong with this. First off, vibrating a substance cannot alter the molecular structure of an object. Mon-El probably should have just shattered the brick or heated it up. Second, "Element 152" seems to be an iron-gold-silver alloy as oppose to an element (which has to be pure) since he is combining them. Lastly, Mon-El explains the name saying that "152" refers to the atomic weight. This would seem to imply it is an isotope of either Hafnium (which has atomic weight of 178.49) or Tantalum (189.94788).
The above image is a cropped version of this image. My source of this issue was Showcase Presents Legion of Superheroes volume 1.

White Rabbit

From Marvel Team-Up issue 131

Charles Dodgson (probably best known by his pseudonym "Lewis Carroll") created the timeless classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. His works influenced numerous works ranging from entire stories to individual characters. White Rabbit is an example of the latter.
History
Lorina Dodson was the trophy wife to an elderly man, Lewis Dodgson. Bored, she killed him and used his money to funded a life of crime. She took the alias "White Rabbit". She started robbing fast-food restaurants. However, Frog-Man and Spider-Man stopped her and her minions. Frog-Man stopped her when she tried to rob a book fair. White Rabbit attempted to get other villains to help her, but only Walrus agreed. The duo were defeated by Spider-Man, Frog-Man and Leapfrog (Frog-Man's father). White Rabbit reappeared with two "minions" (actually actors since no real criminal would work for her) Dormouse and Mad Hatter. She captured Grizzly and Gibbon then demanded a ransom (which she increased when the mayor rejected her original offer). Bag-Man (Spider-Man) defeated White Rabbit allowing Grizzly and Gibbon to escape. White Rabbit started to date the X-Men villain Arcade. After a failed attempt to kill Wolverine and Black Cat, the Arcade and White Rabbit on the Savage Island with a goat by their would-be victims. Arcade abandoned her. A group of cannibals worshiped the goat and made White Rabbit their queen. Upon finding Arcade, White Rabbit refused to save him from the cannibals. Later, White Rabbit was a member of Hood's Gang. She was sent to prison after failing to kill Bobby Carr.
Equipment
Since Lorina has no powers, she uses an array of equipment and weapons. These include killer bunnies, explosive-firing umbrella, rocket boots and razor-tipped carrots. She travels via "the Flying Hare".
References:
http://marvel.wikia.com/Lorina_Dodson_(Earth-616)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_based_on_Alice_in_Wonderland

Scourge the Hedgehog

Scourge post-transformation

History
Scourge was an evil version of Sonic the Hedgehog. He attempted to switch places with Sonic but was defeated by him. Scourge was sent back to his home dimension. Scourge was exposed the Master Emerald, which made him green fur and super strength. Scourge took over his own world. He attempted to use his "Suppression Squad" to take over Mobius (Sonic's homeland). The Freedom Fighters (Sonic's posse) attempted to stop him, but he seemed to be too powerful in his Super Form. Sonic tricked him into returning to normal state thus allowing Sonic to defeat them. Scourge attempted to escape, but failed. Scourge was imprisoned the No Zone Prison.
Powers
Scourge has Sonic's powers. As such, he can use super speed and the spin dash move. His transformation seemed to give super stamina and strength. With the Chaos Control, he can teleport. Like Sonic, he can change into a super form.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/scourge/4005-45337/
http://sonic.wikia.com/wiki/Scourge_the_Hedgehog

Dirk Drain-Head

Truly the most noble of heroes

Dirk Drain-Head was a fictional superhero comic that appeared in Valiant Comics' Super Mario Bros comic (as part of their Nintendo Comics System).
Content
The series focuses on the titular hero Dirk Drain-Head. He uses an array of plumber-related weapons. He has stereotypical superhero traits like being virtuous, having a sidekick and so on. Dirk resembles Luigi (which was probably intentional). He has a sidekick named "Snakey". His villains include Dark Dirk (Dirk's evil twin), Muck and Pipe Ooze. Oddly, the comic is said to released quarterly yet it has 658 issues. Assuming that were no publication delays or schedule changes and Super Mario Bros. takes place in 1990 (when the comic was made), this would mean Dirk Drain-Head would have been published since 1825.
History
Dirk was originally mentioned in "A Mouser in the Houser". However, he didn't have a prominent role until "The Adventures of Dirk Drain-Head". Here, Mario tells Luigi about how much he loves Dirk and later attempts to find a place to read the comic. Luigi claims he and several other characters hate Dirk. During a fight with a Birdo, Mario loses an issue of the comic, which some enemies (who also fans of series) find and read. In "Bedtime for Drain-Head", Mario's obsessive reading of the comic causes him to sleepwalk (during which, he thinks he is Dirk) and tries to find "Snakey". Oddly, Mario is shown to be more competent in this state since he managed to subdue Bowser without help. The story "The Revenge of Pipe Ooze!" shows there is an annual Dirk Drain-Head fan convention and role playing game.
References:
http://www.mariowiki.com/Dirk_Drain-Head
http://www.mariowiki.com/Dark_Dirk#Dark_Dirk

Reuben Flagg

History
Born on Mars in 2000 A.D., Reuben Flagg was the lead actor in Mark Thrust: Sexus Ranger. However after the first season, the show's producers replaced him with digital effects. Mark became a member of the Plexus Rangers, the law enforcement of Plex. He proved himself streetwise, tough and morally flexible enough for the job. Flagg discovered Plex's plan to sterilize the US citizens as part of a plan to sell the land via the testament of the late Hilton Krieger. After a series of misadventures, Reuben Flagg became the president of the USA and started social reform. However as soon as he quit and returned to the now-free Illinois, things basically went back to how they were before due to everyone's apathy.
Setting
American Flagg takes place in a future where the America collapsed to by crop failure and nuclear meltdown while the U.S.S.R. was destroyed by Islamic efforts. This led to mass chaos and destruction. U.S. President Silver and the remaining leaders of big industries and banking fled to Mars and created Plex. Plex started as a broadcast company, but a megacorp that effectively took over the world. They use public relation campaigns, drugs and entertainment to maintain control.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/reuben-flagg/4005-51241/
http://www.comicvine.com/the-plex/4060-59975/
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BreadAndCircuses

The Last Generation

I mentioned Jack Chick, the writer of the Chick Tract, which are insane comics preaching his evangelical fundamentalism. However, I felt like I needed to elaborate. So, I decided to so something unusual. I will do a text recap / commentary in the style of the early Atop of the Fourth Wall posts (before it was turned into a video show). Although I originally was going to the role playing-themed Dark Dungeon tract, I decided to his dystopia comic The Last Generation. I will be talking about the newest version (since the original version isn't on his website). Click here to see the entire story for yourself.

In the not-too-distant future, Next Sunday, A.D.

The comic takes place in the "near future". The world is controlled by Rome. Keep in mind in the Jack Chick universe, the Roman Catholic Church is an evil Babylonian religion ran by the Devil. No seriously. The comic starts with a news report that states it has been declared illegal to believing Jesus Christ is the only way into Heaven and punishable by being sent to a "mental camp" or execution. The nameless dad of a Christian family claims this will be the last generation and the Bible says they still have hope. 

Bobby in action

The dad-guy's grandson, Bobby, comes back from school. Bobby, who for some reason dresses like a Hitler Youth member, talks about how the school taught him about sacrificing animals (the justification being that animals are reincarnations of people that were jerks in their previous life). When the dad tells Bobby go to bed, Bobby says "Larry's mom said that to him now she's in a concentration camp for... CHILD ABUSE!". Why in the heck would telling someone to go to bed be abuse? I know this is a dystopia, but there has to be some logic behind it.

So, New Age Healers are rejected Venture Bros. villains?

Later, Dad-Guy talks about the Christians will be saved by the Rapture. Bobby the Brat overhears this. At school the next day, the teacher introduces the class to a "New Age Healer", who looks like a mix of a superhero and the Grinch. The Healer says the government is looking for "sickos... who hate [the] blessed Mother Goddess". After returning home, Bobby leaves and turns in his family to the Healer. Charles, Paul (Dad-Guy's son) and Charles (their other Christian friend) flee. 

The torturer on the left looks like a mustache-less Doctor Zin

The dad is captured and is tortured a la Nineteen Eighty Four in what I assume is the before-mentioned "mental camp". Why does the "mental camp" look like a museum? The two torturers use a vaguely electric chair-like machine to torture dad-guy and enhance the pain with microchips (even though that is not how microchips work). However when they discover they can't get him to crack, one of them orders dad guy (who they call "it") to be taken away and "dispose of it, or use it for food." Wait, "use it for food"? Soylent Green is people!

Jesus has good timing.

Paul, Charles and Connie reach a log cabin, where they plan to hide. Paul, fearing the consequences of his actions,  leaves and tell one of the torturers where to find Charles and Connie. Oddly, the desk the torturer is at says "Free Drugs". So, do government agents give out crack like banks do lollipops? The police (one of whom seems to be the Grinch Healer from before) attacks the cabin only to find Connie and Charles have been raptured. How convenient. 

References:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0094/0094_01.asp

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Narm/JackChick

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicBook/ChickTracts?from=Creator.JackChick

Emerald Twilight

That's not a good attitude...

Plot
Due to events in "Reign of the Supermen", Coast City, the home of the Hal Jordan Green Lantern, was destroyed. Hal attempted to use his powers to recreate Coast City, but this upset the Guardians of the Universe (his bosses) since he was doing this for personal gain. As such, the Guardians ordered Hal to give up his ring. He flew off to the planet Oa (the base of the Green Lanterns and Guardians). On his way there, several Lanterns attempted to stop Hal. However, Hal killed them and stole their rings to make himself more powerful. Desperate to stop Hal, the Guardians gave Sinestro, a former rogue Green Lantern, his ring to stop Hal. Hal killed Sinestro and Hal's old pal Kilowog. Hal absorbed all of the power in the Central Power Battery (the source of the Green Lantern's powers) and destroyed it. Hal became the villain Parallax. All the Guardians, except Ganthet, are killed by the explosion caused by the battery's destruction. Ganthet went to Earth and gave the last Green Lantern ring and battery to Kyle Rayner (who became the then-new Green Lantern).
Original Story
The original script of "Emerald Twilight", written by Gerard Jones, was vastly different than the final product. Originally, a new group of altruistic aliens appear and declare themselves the Guardians of the Universe and tried to take power away from the pre-existing Guardians. The Green Lanterns would have choose which were the true Guardians of the Universe. DC Editorial supposedly thought it wasn't interesting enough. As such, various editors came up with a basic outline for a new story and Ron Marz wrote the draft that got published.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/emerald-twilight/4045-41289/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Twilight
http://www.webcitation.org/5wCg3Qel3

Printout Man

Icemaster is not the only Hostess ad villain to return after their Hostess ad. Printout Man is also example.
History

His original appearance

Printout Man originally appeared in the Hostess ad "Break the Break", which was featured in multiple comics. Printout Man used a "Mad Computer" to jam a bank's computer and take over the accounts of the costumers. Peter Parker realized something and investigated as Spider-Man. The Printout Man tried to steal from the bank's vault when everyone has distracted. Spider-Man discovered Printout Man was actually stealing Hostess cup cakes as oppose to the blocks of money. The police managed to capture him.

As he appeared later on

In New Avengers Most Wanted Files, it was mentioned Printout Man was still in prison. He later appeared in Fin Fang Four Return issue 1/5. The robot Elektro was mistaken for the villain of the same name. He was sent to the "S-Wing" of a prison full of Spider-Man foes, who Printout Man was among. Printout Man and the other villains attempted to escape, but were hit by "sedation foam" that subdued them.

Powers and Abilities

Printout Man has no powers. However, he is skilled at banking, math and computers. He managed to use his "Mad Computers" (the origin which is never revealed) to break into a bank's computer system.

References

http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/printoutmanh.htm
http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11/114254/2246695-v2spiderman14.jpg

Superman 64

Box Art

Officially called both Superman and The New Superman Aventures (that's how its spelled), "Superman 64" is a video game staring the famous superhero of its namesake (hence why I am talking about). It is also infamous for being one of the worst games ever. The game is based on animated series more than the comics.
Story
Lex Luthor captured by Jimmy Olsen, Doctor Emil Hamilton (this was before he was revealed to be part of Project Cadmus) and Lois Lane. The trio are placed in a "virtual" version of Metropolis. Superman enters the game to save them. During the game, he has to fight Metallo, Parasite, Brainiac, Darkseid and Mala (who is oddly without her boss Jax-Ur). If the player wins the game, the game tells you that Lex Luthor is still on the loose.
Gameplay

A "Ride Level"

Superman starts off with flight and super strength. He can gain ice breathe, x-ray vision and super speed via power ups. The explanation for Superman's lack of powers is that "kryptonite fog" (which is actually uses to hide the poor draw distance) is weakening his powers.
The actual game levels are separated in two types: ride and maze levels. The ride levels have Superman flying through color rings. After completing this, they have a timed object to complete (such as protecting a woman from goons or throwing a car). If the player misses three rings, runs out time or fails the time objective, the player has to restart the ring segment. The "Maze levels" have Superman travel through one of Luthor's outposts. After doing some task, Superman has to fight a boss.
The game engine is known for its terribleness. It has many glitches. These include (but are not limited to) walking through walls and floor, causing objects to fly, dying in cut scenes and characters disappearing (including some bosses).
History
YouTuber ProtonJon interviewed the producer of Superman 64. He claims that (after producing a beta game) DC Comics and Warner Bros interfered with the game's production. They forced the virtual reality plot onto the game (since they didn't want Superman killing "real" people) and messed with the game in various ways. As such, the final result wasn't even 10% of their original plan (although he admitted that he may have been too ambitious).
Reception
Reception of the game was extremely negative. GameSpot's Joe Fielder gave it 1.3 out of 10. YouTube star ProtoJon claimed he liked the game for its so bad, its good quality. GameRankings gave it an overall score of 22.9 out of 100.
References:
http://www.giantbomb.com/superman/3030-20702/
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/Superman64?from=Main.Superman64
ProtoJon's multi-part Let's Play of game
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_(1999_video_game)

Particle Man is about Watchmen

The cast of Watchmen

Something that I have rarely mentioned on this blog are fan theories. Most fan theories tend to be nonsensical and worthless. However, I have heard one theory I believe is worthy enough for this blog: They Might Be Giant's famous song Particle Man is actually about Alan Moore's magnum opus Watchmen. I will both state arguments made by the source I heard this from and ones I thought of. Warning, this will have spoilers for Watchmen.
Universe Man is Doctor Manhattan. In Particle Man, Universe Man is called "size of the entire universe man". This could be saying Doctor Manhattan has powers that can operate on the level on the universe or he is the most powerful man in the universe. This seem supported by Doctor Manhattan repeated godlike acts such as ending the Vietnam War single handily, creating matter out of nothing and surviving being killed several times. Universe Man's "watch with a minute hand, millennium hand and an eon hand" might be a metaphor for Doctor Manhattan losing his humanity and becoming  apathetic to human suffering.
Triangle Man is Ozymandias. Triangle Man is constantly described as winning in the song. Ozymandias ultimately wins in the end. He is also described as beating Particle Man and Person Man, but I'll get to that later on.
Particle Man is the Comedian. In the song, narrator (when referring to Particle Man) says "What's he like? It's not important". This could being referring to the government ignoring the fact the Comedian is a ruthless psychopath since he gets the job done. Also the song, asks "When he's underwater, does he get wet? Or does the water get him instead?" In the context of the theory, this question asks if the society made the Comedian worse or did the Comedian make society worse? Finally, it is mentioned in Particle Man "Triangle man hates Particle Man. They have a fight, Triangle wins." and the Comedian is revealed to have been killed by Ozymandias.
Person Man is Rorschach. The song asks if Person Man "is ... depressed or ... a mess?" referencing his mental illness. Person Man is called "degraded man" and Rorschach is repeatedly contempt and disrespect by others (especially Sally Jupiter). Triangle Man is described as defeating Person Man. Ozymandias defeats Rorschach two times: in an actual fight and in the fact Rorschach is killed to help Ozymandias' plans.
References:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WMG/TheyMightBeGiants