Mad About Super Heroes [Paperback]

The Usual Gang of Super-Idiots (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2002

Continuing their attack on pop culture, the warped minds of MAD tackle the world's greatest super-heroes in this satirical look at the men and women of the Spandex and cape world. Featuring an introduction by Adam West, MAD ABOUT THE SUPER-HEROES has the Usual Gang of Idiots mocking the heroic legends of comic books, television shows, and movies. Including amusing and irreverent parodies of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this black and white compilation is a must-have for every hero worshipper out there.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: MAD; 1 edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563898861
• ISBN-13: 978-1563898860
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,167,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mad takes on Superduperman, Battyman and their friends, November 28, 2002

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mad About Super Heroes (Paperback)

Superman and Batman appear on the cover of "Mad About Super Heroes," along with Alfred E. Newman, because most of the parodies found within have to do with those two comic book icons. For the Man of Steel the fun goes all the way back to Harvey Kurtzman's classic "Superduperman!" from "Mad" #4 (back when it was still a comic book) to "Smellville" from Mad #415. However, "Superduperman!", the parody of the comic book, is not to be confused with "Superduperman" the take off on the first movie, which were followed by "Spuerduperman II" and "Stuporman ZZZ," which is not to be confused with the television series "Lotus & Cluck: The New Misadventures of Stuporman." One of the things I found interesting reading through these stories was how hard it must be after several decades to come up with a new name for Superman's secret identity, from Clark Bent to Cluck Camp.

The Caped Crusader receives similar treatment, from the classic Wally Wood drawn "Bat Boy and Rubin!" to "Bats-Man" the television show to the blockbuster "Battyman" movie and its "Buttman Returns" and "Buttman and Rubbin'" sequels. This collection comes courtesy of "the usual gang of super-idiots," and includes classic artwork by Mort Drucker, Sergio Aragones, Al Jafee, Angelo Torres, and Don Martin (these guys must have worked for nothing because this book is, by its own admission, priced "Cheap!). There are two sections in the volume that offer up the stories in full-color, but, of course, these are restricted to offerings from the comic book days of "Mad" (e.g., "Plastic Sam" and "Woman Wonder") and back covers (e.g, "Famous Artists' Paintings of Comic Book Characters").

There are other full-length movie parodies as well of the "X-Men" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movies, although I liked the "Upcoming Movies Based on Comic Books," which simply offered up quickies on "Human Torch Song Triology," "Hulk Fiction" and "JLA Confidential." Another favorite is the "Real-Life Superhoeres at Comic Book Conventions," which uses the names of familiar heroes from "The Amazing Spider-Man" to "Wonder Woman" to describe the fans who read such literature. So there is a nice mix of formats to these comic looks at the comic books as the world's greatest super heroes are "mercilessly mocked and ridiculed by the world's dumbest artists and writers." Of course, if you did not read the original comics or see these movies, then you will never ever get all of the jokes. But then that is the whole point of satire, right?

5 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book of parodies, August 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Mad About Super Heroes (Paperback)

This was a great book to just laugh at.