First Adult Bizarro Day

Goodbye!

Today is a day to hang our heads in shame.

This is the day Luthor first created a Bizarro version of Superman (after Professor Dalton created the first Bizarro, a version of Superboy, in Superboy #68 of October, 1958 by Otto Binder and George Papp) with an imperfect duplicator ray.

First Bizarro  - Action Comics #254 (July, 1959)

First Bizarro Lois Lane - Action Comics #255 (August, 1959)

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First Bizarro World - Action Comics #263 (April, 1960)

First Bizarro Jr. - Superman #140 (October, 1960)

First Bizarro series - Adventure Comics #285 (June, 1961)

Bizarros vex the Legion - Adventure Comics #329 (February, 1965)

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Bizarro thinks Bizarro World destroyed, has powers slightly changed, getting ice vision and flame breath

Superman #305 and #306 (November and December, 1976)

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Read more about Bizarros, including Bizarro Batman...here, and more of the Bizzaro family here! 

Hello!

Happy Halloween Super Friends

Happy Halloween!

Ramona Fradon and Robert Allen Smith gave us the cover of Super Friends #28 (January, 1980) which teased a confrontation among DC's top heroes and most villainous monsters (but they were only magically transformed guests).

Here, a look at when these monsters first appeared, and when they met who they faced!

Bizarro

The first adult Bizarro version of Superman appeared in Action Comics #254 (July, 1959) by Otto Binder and Al Plastino as an imperfect duplicate of Superman created by Luthor, but, Superboy had faced an earlier Bizarro back in Superboy #68 (October, 1958), though that version was destroyed.

Swamp Thing

The Alec Holland version of Swamp Thing first appeared in Swamp Thing #1 (October-November, 1972) by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, a scientist burned in an accident and healed by the swamp.  He first met Batman in Swamp Thing #7 (November-December, 1973).

Demon

Etrigan the Demon first appeared in The Demon #1 (August-September, 1972) by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer, as an agent of Merlin, bonded to human Jason Blood during the fall of Camelot to fight evil.  He first met Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman #280 (June, 1981).

Man-Bat

Kirk Langstrom created a formula that turned him into a half-man, half-bat creature, called Man-Bat in Detective Comics #400 (June, 1970) by Frank Robbins, Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.  While Batman and Man-Bat faced off in that issue, Robin didn't meet Man-Bat until Power Records 30 in 1976 in the aptly titled "Robin Meets Man-Bat".

Solomon Grundy

Now, Solomon Grundy first appeared in All-American Comics #61 (October, 1944) by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman fighting the Golden Age Green Lantern as the animated corpse of Cyrus Gold, but, even with multiple encounters with the JLA...never really ran into Aquaman before the Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Though, well after, Aquaman and Solomon Grundy were in JLA: Year One #2 (February, 1998) in a retroactive retelling of the JLA's first year (which, itself, was a story of how five heroes became...super friends!).

How's that for a tricky treat?

Bizarro Meets Frankenstein

The title of Superman #143's cover story (drawn by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye) seems simple enough..."Bizarro Meets Frankenstein".  But the February, 1961 story by Otto Binder, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye has a little more of twist to it.

True, the cover tells you it isn't Frankenstein's Monster that Bizarro is crashing in on, but instead an actor playing the monster.  Bizarro is upset that the actor is getting more attention than him, so he continues to hang around, but gets laughter instead of fear.  Superman helps his imperfect duplicate get fear, so #1 will go home to Bizarro World.

There, Bizarro acts like any father, presenting his kids with a gift, a puppet of Superman, which scares them!  Perfect logic for the Bizarro family!

Giant Superman Alien Invasion

Looking back, Superman faced many an alien invasion himself, all without help....

....and DC had dedicated an 80-Page Giant to that fact.

 
It was Superman vs. the aliens in 80 Page Giant Magazine #6 of January, 1965....

...and here are the menaces the Man of Steel faced!


 

Action Comics #234

"The Creature of 1,000 Disguises" is first up, from Action Comics #234 (November, 1957) by Edmond Hamilton, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye, under a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.



Superman faces off against Gollo, an alien from the planet Zar who can shape change, and befriends a young boy named Johnny Miles.  Gollo finds Johnny, but become separated, as Superman returns the runaway Johnny to his family.  While searching for Johnny, Gollo comes to Metropolis and runs into Superman.  Superman realizes Gollo is also a young runaway, and reunites the lonely alien with his family, who shows them all of the new shapes he has learned, including that of Superman!

Adventure Comics #274

Stepping even further back in time, it's an adventure with Superboy (Superman as a boy) from Adventure Comics #274 (July, 1960), where the Boy of Steel faces "The Monster That Stalked Smallville" by Robert Bernstein and George Papp, and cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.

Superboy brings an alien into Smallville that starts turning its citizens to stone, even a couple that try to leave, for a total of ten people turned to stone.  This upsets the law in Smallville who question Superboy, finding out the alien, 6-3kx, was from Zaron, and assigned to find ten criminal alien scientists that nearly destroyed Zaron, who were hiding in Smallville.  The ten scientists were also telepathic, being able to read the minds of everyone but Superboy, thus the reason he didn't explain his actions.

Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #43

"Jimmy Olsen's Private Monster" came from Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #43 (March, 1960) by Jerry Siegel, Curt Swan and John Forte, with a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.


Jimmy Olsen gets a new pal after the energy of an explosion and Jimmy's signal watch brings an alien from another dimension to Jimmy.  The monster appears twice and leaves, then, appears a third time with a deal for the young reporter...to come back to his dimension for a time, after which, the alien will leave Jimmy alone.  Jimmy agrees, and once on the alien's planet, finds out the alien wanted him for a horror movie, with Jimmy as the lead monster!  After filming, the alien returns Jimmy to Earth.

Action Comics #216

When this story by Bill Finger, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye (the last two doing the original cover) was featured in Action Comics #216 (May, 1956), it was called "The Super-Menace Of Metropolis", but was reprinted as "The Hyper-Menace From Krypton".


Alien machines attack on Earth, with Superman to stop them.  Tracing their path backwards, Superman finds that the machines were constructed by someone who had super powers.  While investigating leads on that (mostly other men who Lois Lane thought were Superman), Superman finds a rocket in the forest, with a robot in control of these machines.  The robot was made by Jor-El, Superman's father, to make machines to show Kryptonians the harshness of war.  Superman destroys the robot and machines to prevent them from menacing the people of Earth.

Action Comics #254

Bizarro wasn't an alien from another world when he first appeared in adult form thanks to Lex Luthor in Action Comics #254 (July, 1959) and Action Comics #255 (August, 1959) by Otto Binder and Al Plastino (under covesr by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye), but it still lead Superman to "The Battle With Bizarro" (combined with "The Bride Of Bizarro"). 

Bizarro wasn't even the first bizarre duplicate of Kal-El (there had been one earlier, when Superman was Superboy, but it was destroyed).  Bizarro had all of Superman's memories, though distorted, and was as powerful as Superman, without the weakness to green Kryptonite. 


This was only the first two tales of Bizarro (where the monster added a Bizarro Lois), but later tales established a world where many Bizarros lived (not on Earth), making a Bizarro family, so, Bizarro later became an alien from another world (the planet htraE), using Bizarro backward logic! 

Adventure Comics #245

Last, but not least, Superboy faced "The Mystery Of Monster X" in Adventure Comics #245 (February, 1958) by Otto Binder and Al Plastino (with the original cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye).



With a giant flying centipede being released from the Earth by a volcanic eruption, Superboy had to fight it to keep Smallville safe (even though the creature could manifest Kryptonite as well).  Realizing it was a mother looking for its egg, Superboy helped her find her young, and resettled them safely on another planet.

This collection of fantastic things and creatures is but one of 15 80 Page Giants, and not the only one to feature Superman...

....or a collection of aliens!

The Superman Family of Bizarros

You'd think it would be easy to track the many Bizarros of Superman's life, as Luthor used a duplicate of an imperfect duplicator machine to make Bizarro No. 1 in Action Comics #254 (July, 1959 by Otto Binder and Al Plastino), with Lois Lane making a Bizarro Lois Lane in Action Comics #255 (August, 1959, also by Binder and Plastino), to stop Bizarro from fighting Superman....but, you'd be wrong.

Here's a few of the most notable other Bizarro creations!

Bizarro Supergirl

Supergirl had her first Bizarro version created in Superman #140 (October, 1960 by Otto Binder and Wayne Boring), along with "The Son of Bizarro"!  Bizarro No. 1 and Bizarro Lois Lane have a child, who originally doesn't look like a Bizarro, and he ends up on Earth, at the Midvale Orphanage that raised Supergirl, no less!  This baby accidentally creates the Bizarro Supergirl (and Superman creates blue Kryptonite by using the duplicator machine on green Kryptonite, to stop an army of Bizarros from invading Earth to get the baby back).  Sadly, the Bizarro Supergirl dies being near some blue Kryptonite.  This tale is also reprinted in Action Comics #347, with Bizarro Supergirl's only Silver Age cover appearance on this giant Supergirl reprint!

Bizarro Superboy

Superboy also got the Bizarro treatment, as he faced the first Bizarro back in Superboy #68 (October, 1958, by Otto Binder and George Papp) with "The Boy Of Steel Versus The Thing of Steel".  Professor Dalton created the original duplicator machine that he used on Superboy, creating the original Bizarro, an imperfect duplicate of Superboy.  This Bizarro was just a little slow, and tried to be helpful, but people were scared by his bizarre appearance.  His only friend came with a blind girl, Melissa, whom he sacrificed his life to restore her site.  Bizarro No. 1 likely has the memories of this Bizarro, as he has the memories of Superman (who was Superboy grown into a man), and this story found its way into Superman Annual #2 of January, 1961 and The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told of 1987.

Bizarro Krypto

Superboy faced the menace of a Bizarro again, but this time it was a duplicate of his best friend, his super-dog, Krypto in Superboy #82 (July, 1960 by Jerry Siegel and John Sikela), created by two new villains, the Brain and the General in their "War Against Superboy!" with Bizarro Krypto created by the Brain to distract Krypto, and his robots lured away, Superboy had no help against these fiendish foes..

...but got lucky and was able to beat them anyway, and this Bizarro Krypto was destroyed, but there would be more versions in the future.



This story was also reprinted in Superboy #138 (May-June, 1967).  

Bizarro Legion of Super-Heroes

Speaking of the future, there were Bizarros there as well.  Superboy traveled through time to join a group of 30th Century kids called the Legion of the Super-Heroes, who all had powers of their own and counted him as an inspiration.  A new Bizarro Superboy showed up at one of their meetings, trying to join, but the Legionnaires wouldn't accept him.



This Bizarro Superboy created his own Legion of Stupor-Bizarros, making imperfect duplicates of Brainiac 5, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy and Invisible Kid...

...and then added versions of Cosmic Boy, Mon-El and Ultra Boy, all doing the opposite of the Legion of Super-Heroes, creating menaces instead of solving problems.


Thankfully, this team only appeared once, in Adventure Comics #329 (February, 1965 by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney) in "The Bizarro Legion", though the story was reprinted in Best of DC #57 of February, 1985 and in the Legion of Super-Heroes Archive #4 of 1994.

It's only fair that the Legion featured Bizarros in an issue, as they took over the spot Bizarros held there from Adventure Comics #285 of June, 1961 to Adventure Comics #299 of August, 1962. 

Bizarro Enemies

A few of Superman's friends introduced with Bizarro versions were introduced during the Bizarro Adventure Comics run of the early 1960s, including a modern Bizarro Krypto in Adventure Comics #285 (June, 1961 by Jerry Siegel and Wayne Boring, who also appeared in #287, #288, #289, #290, #291, #293, #294, #295, #296, Superman #150 and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #80).

Jimmy Olsen got his own Bizarro, starting with Adventure Comics #287 (August, 1961 by Jerry Siegel and John Forte), along with Perry White.  Bizarro Jimmy Olsen also appeared in Adventure Comics #288, #290, #295, #296, #298, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #80 and #87 and DC Comics Presents #97 and Bizarro Perry White also appeared in Adventure Comics #288, #290, #295, #296, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #80 and #87 and DC Comics Presents #97.

Even Superman's ex and Jimmy's girlfriend had duplicates, with Bizarro Lana Lang appearing in Adventure Comics #292, #294, #295, #296 and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #80  Bizarro Lucy Lane appearing in Adventure Comics #292 and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #80 and Bizarro Morgan Edge making a solo shot in Superman #333.

Best of all, the Bizarro Adventures series can be found in Superman: Tales of Bizarro World tradepaperback of 2000, with the Bizarro story from Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #80 being in the Superman: The Amazing Transformation of Jimmy Olsen tradepaperback of 2007.

Bizarro Friends

But, Krypto, Jimmy, Perry were Superman's friends (thus, by Bizarro logic, they'd be Bizarro's enemies).  So, what of Superman's enemies (who, would be Bizarro's friends?).


Well, Mr. Mxyzptlk got the treatment, with Bizarro Kltpzyxm, who first appeared in Adventure Comics #286 (July, 1961 by Jerry Siegel and John Forte), who would say his name forward to go away (since he does the opposite of his doppleganger, and wants to go away, by saying his name forwards instead of backwards).  He also appeared in Adventure Comics #287, #288, #292 and #294. 

Titano got the Bizarro treatment, with Adventure Comics #295 (April, 1962 by Jerry Siegel and John Forte) in the story of "The Kookie Super-Ape", where Bizarro No. 1 created Bizarro Titano to wrestle with Bizarro Lois Lane so she could be defeated and not become wrestling champion (and thus, by winning, be exiled from Bizarro World....).



Bizarro Titano won the match by running away!


Ah, the wonderful Bizarro logic....in Bizarro Titano's only appearance.

Luthor, who started Superman's Bizarro menace also got a Bizarro version of himself, with "The Good Deeds of Bizarro-Luthor" in Adventure Comics #293 (February, 1962 by Jerry Siegel and John Forte), with Bizarro Luthor going good deeds on Earth (or what he thinks are good, but aren't as much), and returns home to Bizarro World and gives the Bizarro Supermen reverse "S" symbols to make up for his crimes of doing good.  Bizarro Luthor returns in Adventure Comics #294, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #80, and in Superman #379.

Bizarro Justice League of America

Superman's fellow super-heroes even got the Bizarro treatment, with the Bizarro Justice League, who appeared in Superman #379 (January, 1983 by Cary Bates, Curt Swan and Dave Hunt) and DC Comics Presents #71 (July, 1984).  Superman #379's "The Bizarrobuster Is Loose" introduced the world to the Bizarro Justice League and members Bizarro Yellow Lantern (the Green Lantern duplicate, whose weakness is also green, and can't charge from his green battery), Bizarro Aquaman and Bizarro Hawkman, as well as members Bizarro Batman and Bizarro Flash. 

DC Comics Presents #71's story of "The Mark of Bizarro" by E. Nelson Bridwell, Curt Swan and Dave Hunt also introduces a Bizarro Wonder Woman to the BJL (and reveals that Bizarro Batman left the team to join the Insiders, the Bizarro Outsiders), as well as Bizarro versions of the Joker (the only sad, sane person on an insane world), another Bizarro Supergirl, a Bizarro Shaggy Man (who only sits and thinks), and a Bizarro Amazo (who gives people super-powers instead of taking them).

But, Bizarro Batman and Bizarro Flash have a bit of history before this, with their first appearances being in World's Finest Comics #156 of March, 1966 and in Superman's Girlfriend. Lois Lane #74 of May, 1967.  But, in true Bizarro logic, if you want to know about them, go backwards and read here! 

The World's Biggest Fool...Bizarro Batman

So, you probably know Batman, the World’s Greatest Detective, but how about the World’s Biggest Fool?

Well, that wouldn’t be Bizarro Batman…which means it likely is, in Bizarro speak!


Bizarro first came to be in Superboy #68 (October, 1958), with Professor Dalton’s duplicator ray, but the bizarre duplicate of Superboy didn’t stick around long. Lex Luthor, using Professor Dalton’s ray in Action Comics #254 (July, 1959) created a more long lasting version of Superman (and, in the next issue, Lois Lane as well…and eventually, a whole world of Bizarros!).

Bizarro Team-Up

That brings us to Bizarro-Batman, with his first appearance in “The Federation of Bizarro Idiots” in World’s Finest Comics #156 (March, 1966, with story by Edmond Hamilton and art by Curt Swan).
Bizarro need a buddy (or wouldn’t that be an enemy to him) and created Bizarro-Batman, and the odd pair went around Earth creating trouble (and being shadowed by Jimmy Olsen and Robin, to prevent the Bizarros from revealing the heroes alter egos!). Along the way, we found out about Bizarro-Batman’s Bat-Jalopy, his Useless Belt (full of cigar ashes, old cigarette butts, used bottlecaps and rusty nails), and of course, the Bat-Tower, Bizzaro-Batman’s “secret headquarters” (that had signs pointing the way!).


The villains even freed the Joker along the way, apparently to help him (but they just handed him over to Superman and Batman when they got back). The heroes had to work hard to get the Bizarro duo to leave Earth and go back to Bizarro World but they did, eventually.

Bizarro-Batman (as well as Bizarro) next appeared in Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane #74 (May, 1967 in a story by Leo Dorfman and Kurt Schaffenberger).

Won’t say much about this one, but, sadly, it hasn’t been reprinted yet (the first Bizarro-Batman tale was, in Showcase Presents: World’s Finest #3!


The original Superboy tale with Bizarro was reprinted in the first Superman Annual #2 in the 1960s, as well in the 1987 version of the Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told).

It also signaled the end of Bizarro stories at DC Comics, for at least a time (even if Bizarro made it into the Super Friends cartoon as a member of the Legion of Doom along with Luthor, Brainiac and Toyman!).

Bizarro-Batman sat out the 1970s (even though Bizarro made a few stops in Superman and the Secret Society of Super-Villains), but did return with Superman #379 (January, 1983, by Cary Bates and Curt Swan) with “The Bizarro-Buster is Loose”…and was he ever!


This time around, there was a whole Bizarro Justice League, including Bizarro-Flash, Bizarro-Aquaman, Bizarro-Yellow Lantern (the reverse of Green Lantern) and Bizarro-Hawkman…and that group needed help from Bizarro-Luthor (who had appeared before, back in Bizarro’s own series in Adventure Comics!).


Still, the menace the Bizarros faced was looming…and it was that comics were getting a little more serious, and such foolishness as a “Bizarro Batman” wouldn’t be allowed for a while…

That issue was the last appearance of Bizarro-Batman, but the Bizarro Justice League popped up again in DC Comics Presents #71 (July, 1984), adding a Bizarro-Wonder Woman to the roster, as well as Bizarro-Amazo, Bizarro-Shaggy Man and Bizarro-Joker, all in the last pre-Crisis appearance of the Bizarros!

Still, even a Crisis couldn’t hold Bizarro down, as John Byrne did include a more scientific version of a bizarre duplicate of Superman in Man of Steel #5 (December, 1986), and another who came back later for a time, before a more mystic version of Bizarro came back during the Emperor Joker storyline.

That storyline proved important, as it gave rise to Batzarro, who appeared in Superman/Batman #20-25 by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness in 2005…proving that there was still a place for a little Silver Age foolishness even in the modern age!

Superman Retro Action Figures Series 1

Look...up in the sky!

It's not a bird, nor a plane...it's a line of Superman Action Figures from Figures Toy Company!

Superman Retro Figures Series 1

 

Superman and Supergirl are exact replicas of the original action figures that were released by Mego.

Mr. Mxyzptlk is also a replica, but is on the 6 inch teen body...so he's lost some weight!

Bizarro No. 1 is a Figures Toy Company original, all for the Superman Retro 8 Inch Action Figures.

The estimated release date for these is late November, 2014...but, as always, subject to change!

More exciting is what is to come in series 2...Superboy!  Lois Lane!  Clark Kent!  Jimmy Olsen!

Great Krypton and Great Caesar's Ghost!