By now any thinking person understands that comics, as a form, can reach heights of expression, creativity, and artistry as profound as any other narrative form.
Then there are these.
At the Emerald City Comicon this past weekend, Randall Cleveland and I challenged each other to see who could find the weirdest comics in the many and voluminous 25-cent, 50-cent, and one-dollar bins in the Dealer's Den. We didn't have much time, but we didn't need much. If only we'd known how rich the pickings were, we would have made it an all-day mission. Read on for the most ridiculous covers we picked up at the show. Click to embiggen. WARNING: the following images are not for the artistically squeamish...
Paging Dr. Freud! Hey, if you were being cosmically emasculated, you'd look pretty agonized yourself. Incidentally, we flipped through this issue and astro-beardo does not seem to appear anywhere inside. It's the old comics-publisher trick: entice the rubes with some eye candy on the cover.
I've seen the future, and it's a big white box with a sign on it that says .50 EACH OR 3/$1.
If the 2002 Seattle Mariners were bad-ass enough to repel a full-scale Sasquatch invasion, how come they only finished third in the AL West?
"If you can draw me, you may qualify for a lowly-paid career on the fringes of the comics industry!"
Jim Lee has a lot to answer for. But we can't blame him for that corny thrash-metal logo.
Something tells me this artist has spent a lot of time with his extensive collection of bodybuilding magazines. Hard to believe a hero with an irresistible name like "Ruck Bud" didn't immediately ascend to the pantheon alongside Superman and Spider-Man.
How will the Narcissitic League of Baby-Boomers evade the evil intellectual-property lawyers? With their secret weapon: total obscurity!
This was Airwave Comics' plan B after they lost the million-dollar bidding war for the comic rights to My Three Sons.
Finally, a comic that combines deeply felt spirituality and protruding nipples.
All I can say is, I've found my full-back tattoo.
The insides of these comics are every bit as ridiculous as the covers, but I didn't want to dump too much awesome on yas all at once. Would you read a series of posts showing more detail about the contents of these books? Let me know in the comments and maybe we can make it happen. And if you've got some ludicrous comics of your own to share, please do.
We've got more Emerald City Comicon coverage if you want it. And you might also like The 12 Most Eighties-Style Superheroes and Skeletons In The Longbox: Action Comics 48 (1942).
