ComicWorm Speaks!- The League of Regrettable Superheroes

ComicWorm Speaks!

The League of Regrettable Superheroes

by Jon Morris

****

The Story: You know about Batman, Superman, and Spiderman, but have you heard of Doll Man, Doctor Hormone, or Spider Queen? In The League of Regrettable Superheroes, you’ll meet one hundred of the strangest superheroes ever to see print, complete with backstories, vintage art, and colorful commentary. So prepare yourself for such not-ready-for-prime-time heroes as Bee Man (Batman, but with bees), the Clown (circus-themed crimebuster), the Eye (a giant, floating eyeball; just accept it), and many other oddballs and oddities. Drawing on the entire history of the medium, The League of Regrettable Superheroes will appeal to die-hard comics fans, casual comics readers, and anyone who enjoys peering into the stranger corners of pop culture.

The Review: When the Worm was in High School, one of his favorite books from the library was the DC Comics Encyclopedia. He carried it around in his backpack for weeks at a time, for as long as the checkout time permitted, enjoying the rich mythology of comic books. Ever since those days, the Worm was more a less a comic book fan. While he enjoys the stories of Superman, The Hulk, and Wonder Woman, what was also a treat was looking into the more obscure corners of the comic book stands. The weird and colorful characters that had and have, a lot of potential. 

For those who love the more obscure facets of fandoms, this book is perfect for them. The characters described within are weird, wacky, and wonderful. Some are complete misfires such as Speed Centaur, some are just odd like the Iron Skull. There are also a few that are really bizarre but have a strange appeal i.e. The Eye. It would be an interesting journey to explore some of their adventures and maybe seem them again some time. 

Perhaps that could be a thing: Modern comic book artists take a half-baked hero from the past and put them in a modern story. Give them a chance at redemption in the eyes of the nerds and geeks. 

They say variety is the spice of life and this book follows this mantra well. As it says in one of the interludes, they were literally hundreds of costumed characters vying for the public attention. To sift through all of that history must have been hard work and it paid off, for the characters selected are each unique and present a unique diversity of Batman ripoffs, Superman knock-offs, magical heroes and super science subjects. While there are definitely common threads, each turn of the page is a new delight.

The text seems to largely focus on characters created during the Golden and Silver Ages of comic books, which can be a disappointment to younger readers. The Golden Age was back when comic books were still an experimental, niche industry, and not the multi-million dollar industry responsible for creating some of the most profitable films in movies history. Since it was an experimental medium, this is reflected in the nature of the characters. What it seems to forget is that the modern age is filled with misfires and mistakes. Perhaps not so much from Marvel and DC anymore, because again, they are in mainstream popular culture. But there are plenty of independent publications that portray superheroes that are not so super. There is an entire chapter dedicated to the Modern Age of comics but its only around a third of the book. Nostalgia is great but when it describes characters that went out of print decades before The Worm was born, its hard to relate to them. Just another collection of old things. 

Seeing characters that millennials may have passed during their prepubescent escapades to the comic book store, may make this book feel more relevant and not simply a journey into nostalgia. The Worm digresses. 

What could have made this book a little better was for it to be written in an ‘in-universe’ style. The reason that the DC Comics encyclopedia was so cool is that it was written in a way that made all of the characters feel real. This book is very aware of its medium, making references to the artists and publishers and their history. Their stories and abilities are told in a mocking manner. That may be the source of the humor in this book the characters do not feel real. That would have been a little nicer, bring some life back into the characters that have been consigned to the bargain bins of popular culture. 

Final Verdict: Even though this has been said by another reviewer, it is so perfect that it cannot be resisted: There is nothing regrettable about buying this book! It is a fun, entertaining read worthy to grace the shelves of any fan of comic books. 

Four out of Five Stars

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