Suddenly, I'm pretty sure next week's comic is going to make more sense than this!
As a Three Stooges fan, I would've called it a cute cameo especially that thankfully they put in my favorite Stooge Curly in there rather than friggin' Joe Besser. But then again, they are wasted in a parody comic that's for sure.
In regards to your comment about the spider man block in the corner. Way back when comics had two types...the ones you bought retail(pharmacy,convenience store, etc.) or the ones that were mailed to you. The printer or the comic company (I forget which, I assume marvel did theirs) would just print the upc for the retail stores in that space and the direct comics would get the little artbox instead. It also meant that the cover artists wouldn't acidentally put a detail in the upc space since this was back when most sales were through retail stores not comic shops or subscriptions.
They could've changed Electrolux from an Electra parody to a Jean Grey parody and they don't even need to change her name. Where am I going with this? I don't know.
Something I'm wondering while watching, how is Trunkolps even breathing with that noseplug in his trunk? Unless it specialized, though I don't think it was any thought put into it. And if so, does that imply that his lungs have concussive energy? And why the need for red glasses other than being an obvious take on Cyclops?
I know I'm thinking too deeply with this particular comic, but still.
The logo on the corner there was Stan Lee's way of saying "Ya this is what made Marvel Bitch, Excelsior." In other words they were bragging. But to us it says "Prepare for disappointment once Quesada is born."
Why do you hate humor and X-Men comics so much Mr. Lovhog. However you have shown me funny comics so many times I should thank you. After all if I did not like this type of humor I would not watch this show
Your lack of knowledge about the X-Men is as always surprising. Like the fact you seem unaware that the original reason given for the rise of mutants was atomic radiation (hints the nickname Children of the Adam). Or that you only knew one of their most important allies (not to mention wolverines brother-in-law) from a guest appearance in another comic. Then again you did seem perplexed about a reference to a well known SNL skit in this comics so your knowledge about that show is also probably minuscule
You are aware Rumbo was hitting Clarineto with his antamantium tusk in the cover. You can even see the impact they are having on his force field. Also the remark about people learning was about them not fearing them, not that they would stop protecting them.
I try to live by the philosophy if can not say something nice do not say anything at all but you have only reviewed one truly bad comic in the last 2 months (and that was a live show). Next week you will be doing a comic based on an underrated movie lets hope that is better.
That comic made me smile. No laugh, but a few smiles. The problem is it wouldn't appeal to kids, and contains mostly visual references : Cyclop moping on a dock in the first pages of X-Factor, Elektra ascending a mountain to rejoin the Chaste after her resurrection (which is probably the justification for her being in that comic)
I wonder why Marvel went through an origin story of new characters when they already had an animal parody (Spider Ham)
Rogue Elephant looking like an Ant-Eater might be on purpose (one of the following lines says "We're like ants to her.")
Meta-irony : Elektra ended up being shoehorned in the Wolverine comics to help him recover from a second Adamantium loss at the time of Onslaught, and was part of an alternate X-universe(from Mutant X.)
You know it's weird when Linkara calls it weird. I'm just saiyan.
When you asked "where did this thing get conceived? Why did someone want to do this?", I was thinking more along the lines of "lots and lots of drugs."
Holy crap, Meowth's voice actor died! You can't just DROP that on a guy! I gotta go rethink my life...
OH, and your closing question will be a mystery for the ages.
The Spider-Man face in the corner box identified comics as having been sold to the direct market (comic shops), as opposed to comics sold with a UPC code (gas stations, grocery stores, convenience stores). The practice began during the direct market rise of the 1980s, but was abandoned during the 1990s.
As a big Power Rangers fan, I feel embarrassed for not knowing the answer to this question, but what Power Ranger song were you referring to?
Also, I know the show ended in 1988, but given that Marvel is the one who made her, I was quite frankly shocked that one of the evil Musicians wasn't Jem or one of her foes from the show.
I'm very sorry, but I wish you hadn't done this. A good comedian can make anything funny, but I don't think the material lent itself to comedy at all, even though the backstory was kind of interesting to hear. Kind of makes me sad about the ideas you never get around to using until years later, when they no longer work. Just take the Nostalgia Critics Let's Play of Barts Nightmare. I hope I'm not sounding too ungrateful for my free entertainment, but where's the storyline? A zinger about what's up with Nimue and the Gunslinger etc., would really have saved this episode.
I'd argue that the early issues of TMNT had more substance than a mere parody. In a sense, they're a bit like Gremlins, poking fun at a genre while unironically celebrating it at the same time. And like TMNT, Gremlins also spawned a bunch of lesser-quality imitations that missed the point of the original.
Also note that Mirage (who at that point, hadn't yet entered into their licensing with Mark Freedman who landed the deals for the original cartoon and toyline) licensed the Turtles to Solson for a series of Martial Arts Training books and a "how-to-draw TMNT" book (I actually have a copy of the latter). In the book the Official TMNT Treasury, Eastman and Laird admit that Solson was a kinda shady operation, noting that they misspelled Raphael's name on one of the books' covers, and that they left town when they closed up shop.
I didn't think it was that bad, it was just... bland. Like they figured out they wanted to do a parody but had no clue as to how a parody is done.
Also, considering "Eletralux" is actually pretty well drawn considering other contemporary art, I get the feeling you just unleashed another plague of furry rule 34 on the internets Linkara. Yay...
You know, I don't get why so many comic parodies aren't funny. I mean I do, it's because their jokes suck and as you pointed out 'Just reference whatever's popular right now and it counts as humour' but how is it that people who are suppose to actually be good at making comics can miss the plot so badly? It just reeks of "Trying too hard".
It reminds me of the kind of schlock me and my friends would come up with in Junior High or something. It's can't be THAT hard to be funny can it? It completely baffles me.
This review was worth it if only for Cindi Lauper. Because I love me some 80s but good.
Whoa! So, Meowths orignial voice actor the Late Maddie Blustiem drew this parody? It's a strange weird sucky one, but thats really awesome I Never knew she did that. great fine lewis, aslo the pants and trunk I Think they go into there dicks.
What? Why? What the BLEEP did I just see? This is like the comic book version of towelie from south park. The comic got high and just kind of wandered around for a while. And really, a ruby quartz NOSEPLUG!? That was the best they could do!?
US 1 #2 review after all one day? I hope so. Speaking of parody comics from marvel anyone remember What The? God I miss that as Marvel has become to serious at times. Original english voice actor of Meowth died? I didn't even know. :,( I didn't know the voice actor was a she or even that she worked on comics either. To the comic? Yeah I can't put into words how stupid this seems. Just forget about as linkara says. :)
I think the whole "you think they'd learn" thing was in reference to the world rather than the poorly perceived pachyderms. The way it's written does make it sound like it's talking about main characters though. I can only assume that the editor was too hopped up on coke (it was the 80's after all) to edit the writing so that it made sense.
Heh, I'll admit it, in spite of some bizarre jokes and stuff that fell flat, this dumb little thing did have a sort of charm to it. At least to me. And I think it does work as an Atop the Fourth Wall episode because I do like watching you squirm in confusion Lewis =P. I'm curious to how the Final Frontier comic will go, I've been waiting for it since the end of the Ginslingermarc (I figured you'd be doing that after Youngblood 5 before I saw Star Wars 3D). You HAVE had a track record thus far of considering odd numbered comics decent and disliking the even numbered ones, or at least finding them lackluster. If that trend by some miracle continues (and I don't anticipate it will), I want to see a GOOD Final Frontier.
Rogue Elephant, not Rouge. Rouge means unbound, wild, resisting society, ect. Rogue is makeup. That's the pun, using the common misspelling to make a joke about Rouge Elephants.
Dungeons and Dragons players everywhere are filled with hatred when people make this error.
Well, this was definitely different from what I was expecting. From the name, I was expecting it to be a Power Rangers spoof. This was funny too, though.
"I hope I'm not sounding too ungrateful for my free entertainment, but where's the storyline? A zinger about what's up with Nimue and the Gunslinger etc., would really have saved this episode."
The storyline, as I have stated in two update posts now, is on a break for at least another 2-3 months so I can play catch up on a number of other projects and ideas.
AH WAIT ANIMORPHS REFERENCE IT JUST GOT BETTER. :DDD
Best birthday ever. \o/
I think the best thing I can say about this comic is that Electralux doesn't fall into the standard fantastical sexual dimorphism of 'male nonhumans look nonhuman, female nonhuman looks just like sexy human woman'. I mean, she's got the whole sexy-superheroine thing going on, but she has about the same mix of human/elephant going on that the guys do. Other than her sad lack of ears (although she has mysteriously floating earrings?)
If I may, the name of "Elektralux" is not just a play on words in regards to the character Elektra, but also in regard to the Electrolux appliance company, which owns a huge chunk of the more commonly-seen brands out there (Eureka, Westinghouse, etc.) as well as their own label. I mostly knew about them because my Grandma has Electrolux vacuums from the 40s and 60s that absolutely refuse to die.
"Rogue Elephant, not Rouge. Rouge means unbound, wild, resisting society, ect. Rogue is makeup. That's the pun, using the common misspelling to make a joke about Rouge Elephants."
You, uh, have that backwards. Rouge is the makeup. It's from the French for 'red'. A 'Rogue Elephant' is specifically a 'vicious elephant that separates from the herd'.
Your joke would have been better on several levels.
i think the main problem with these poarody comics is that they do not get what a parody is. it is not necessarily mocking something, buty pocking fun at it yet respecting it.
hell some of the best parodies are ones that do not necessarily mock or try to humilaite theri subject, but just poke fun at it and not make the story revolve around it. that is what made teenage mutant ninja turtles so popular. indeed it is poking fun at ninjas and characters from comics, but it did nto spend its time just siting around throwing jokes at you the entire time. it actually did tell a story, and a fairly dark one at that. what with the ninja turtles impaling shredder with a katana, and shredder going and accidentalyl blowing himself up in an suicide bombing attempt. hell another good parody that is not a comedy is The Incredibles, which poked fun at the concept of heroes yet also focused more on the story of a ex superhero in a midlife crisis. mgamind is more of a comedic parody, but it focused less on the fact they are making fun of the tropes and focused on megamind's story.
.....you know that is kidna weird with ninja turtles. in the comics, they only fought shredder twice. the second time him being cloned, and soon after killed yet again. yet the shrdders of the recent times have been the main villains, and incredibly powerful threats to the turtles. though shrdder has gone through a lot of trial and error hismelf in creation. from the whiny, bitchy starscream esque shredder fo the first animated series, to the more serios and dangerous shredder of the animated series, although this shredder was disapointing as he turned out to just be a robot, meaning he was not a real martial artist.
the latest incarnation, in the latest tmnt series, i think is the shrdder perfected. he is human, and his skill and power is real and not from a robotic shell. so when he kicks the ass of the trutles you know it is because he is just that powerful. he is the contrast to the turtles, who are more pure in intent and comedic. but when shredder walks into the room, the jokes stop.
this is actually what i like about transformers and tmnt. both series started out pretyt light hearted and goofy. however people began to understand that they had more potential than jsut that. so a dash of tasteful dark has been added to the tmnt, no liefield esque thigns. and transformers has changed to a series about a race of living, sapient beings struggling to finally end a eon long war that has left everything in ruin. yet you also get some funny moments here and there too. such as one of the autobots getting caught on camera, in the Walking Bigfoot pose.
Couldn't this have had a better title? One thing I heard about the creation of the X-Men was that they wouldn't let Stan Lee call it 'the Mutants' because nobody would know what a mutant was (Lee's argument was that nobody would know what an X-Man was either!), so how many people know what a Pachyderm is? Maybe they could've gone with X-Mammoths.
Oh and I see they borrowed a joke from the Goodies
I believe the shadow was supposed to be the shadow of the lady on the bike who becomes the Wicked Witch, from the Wizard of Oz movie. Plus the mops were not mops, those were brooms.
Weirdly enough, I feel like Jean Gray would be easier to parody with an elephant than Electra; make some play on elephants already being /gray/ or something.
Loved the Animorphs reference! ...At least, I assume the z-space comment was an Animorphs reference.
And of course, the cybermat midroll bumper was /awesome/. Easily one of my favorites thus far ^^
I just realized the Wolverine expy is named Rumbo and not a single Jab from this comic at either Wolverine's stint as a former soldier nor a single Panel of him screaming like Stallone and firing an M-60.
Well, to say that was weird is an understatement. And I can't believe you didn't use a Dumbo reference at the beginning of the comic! Specially because they seemed to be doing so. Great review as always!
I think the Dumbo references in the comic (pink elephants, smiling train) is what 'justified' the Fantasia reference, both being from Disney. That being said, the Fantasia reference was just kind of there, whereas referencing Dumbo made sense because, you know, elephants.
I'm dissapointed Linkara with all the spoofs happening within spoofs spoofing spoofs you should have made a SPOOFCEPTION joke lol but any way WTF were them writers smoking to create this this ... nope I got nothing btw loved the bumper lol cybermat's FTW.
Tiny nitpick: Meowth's original English voice actor was Nathan Price. Maddie took over in episode 32.
On-topic: Hilarious review! This sure is one bizzare-looking comic... I'll admit though, one or two of the jokes in the comic made me crack a smile... Your jokes made me crack up though!
Wait, the "New Musicians"? And they included artists from the 70s (and in Willie's case, the 60s onwards?) Really, comic, can't you at least rip on some artists just from the 80s if you want to make the joke right?
This was weird but I did chuckle at some of the meta bits. Though if they wanted to make it Wolverine, why the heck did I see John Belushi as the samurai elephant? So then he became both Wolverine and John Belushi? And yeah, the bit with Magneto being a Nazi...bad taste there, really bad taste.
I just don't get this series, I come here to hear the latest in lamp reviews for my interior decorating fetish, but there is so much discussion of comic books you would think I was in another world.
A TMNT parody that was turned into an X-men parody, drawn by the woman who voiced Meowth...only you could find this sort of thing Linkara.
Maybe the Spiderman box is working in cahoots with the Magneto rip off!
Wolverine/Elephant could've meant "Eh?" as in "You know?"
I think Electra was Greek? Also I'm kinda surprised you didn't mention the "Cheeseburger" line in the panel it just further cements the connection to the Marvel Team Up with SNL.
If the blades were really flexible then they could fit inside his intestines, I actually looked it up, I feel sad for doing so but its 19 meters. And the mental image I just had is gross.
New lead in to the commercial! Cute!
This isn't the first time The Three Stooges (technically there were 6 of them) mentored a superhero team, few people recall the lost issue of Watchmen where they mentored Rorschach, or the X-men issue where Professor Xavier hired the Stooges to fix the Mansion's plumbing and in the process taught them the value of teamwork.
...Is Trunklops watching her shower...the hell?
That's the problem with buying old issues of comics, they don't come with the booze they were sold with to make them make sense.
Great job Linkara, while I too would like to see more of your storyline play out...I mean come on cliffhanger with the voice change!...I'm glad we've had the past few months to let you catch up on other work like HOPR, and Moment of Awesome and maybe possibly "That's All That I'm Saying"? Keep up the great work.
A third explanation about the lack of ads in the comic could be that Marvel truly believed in the artistic merit of the comic and decided against putting ads in it.
Dunno if anyone's pointed this out yet but the 1987 TMNT cartoon also worked in the Stooges-as-masters gag, complete with Splinter beating Shredder with the dreaded "Cur-Lee Maneuver".
FugueforFrog mentioned her, but to be explicit: the lyrics you didn't recognize are from Helen Reddy's "I am Woman". A quick YouTube search will find you several versions of the song if you're curious.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA ELEPHANTS! TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA ELEPHANTS! TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA ELEPHANTS! Heroes with half a brain cell, Pachyderm Power!
They're the world's most fearsome fighting team! They are radioactive pachyderms, and they're mean! When the evil Clarinetto attacks These elephant boys cut him no slack!
The Stooges taught them to be a ninja team! Trunklops leads, Mammoth can turn into steel! Rumbo is cool but rude, Elektrolux is the only who isn't a dude!
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA ELEPHANTS! TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA ELEPHANTS! Heroes with half a brain cell, Pachyderm Power!
I was trying to summarize my feelings in a meaningful way... I've tried to get into comics and I've had some issues with it. After I read Watchmen I wanted to read more but didn't know where to start. So I appreciate this recomendations. Being a fan of your series I recognize many of your recommendations from your videos but that gives me a reassurance on how good these comics are. So... I was trying to summarize my feelings in a meaningful way, but I came to the conclusion it was better just to say: Thanks, man.
Hey Linkara, figuring out how to build that sand castle in the dry desert climate took three years of the military's engineering budget! They got REALLY bored and decided to appropriate important government funds. Just like Richard Feynman learned how to crack safes during his time at the Manhattan Project. It was hilarious.
Carl: Actually Mad Whitaker pointed it out first. I just like Helen Reddy which this song is usually connected with. (she won a Grammy and everything) Though more a fan of "Angie Baby" honestly; yeah people ID "I Am Woman" with her but no other song out there is about a girl so obsessed with the radio that she literally sucks a guy into it.
Electralux working in a Greek family restaurant isn't just a reference to Elektra being Greek, but also a reference to Greek immigrants owning and operating a majority of the country's diners.
Maddie Blaustein was involved in this? Darn bad blemish on her record as a good comic writer (really, people should check out what she wrote for the Milestone imprint--I mentioned Deathwish in the comments of the previous post). This is not in the league of Power Ringers, but still not a good parody. It's just so lackluster.
Also, did Blaustein actually draw it? I thought she was a writer, not an artist. After all, the aforementioned Deathwish is one of the early works of JH Williams III, and you would assume its subject matter (a transsexual cop investigating a serial killer who goes after trans prostitutes) would have made it difficult to actually find an artist and that she might have tried to do it herself (this was the 90s, after all--much more repressed than now). Though, JH Williams does seem comfortable with LGBT characters, so it may have been that she had his support from the beginning.
When I was watching the review, at first I thought Mammoth on the cover was supposed to be Stryfe (confusing me, considering he's an X-Men villain). In-comic, Mammoth's non-steel form reminded me of Sasquatch, who may be Alpha Flight primarily, but at least he's a mutant (I think?). Elektra could make sense in another way than it originally being a TMNT parody, too, since Frank Miller was an impetus to this thing's existance and she was his creation.
But somebody mentioned Spider-Ham, and I would recommend people to pick up those old issues. That was Marvel actually doing a parody of their characters well (names like Peter Porker, J. Jonah Jackal, Batty Brant, Mary Jane Water-Buffalo, and the like do have some charm to me, plus the very different take on an origin). How I can miss Star Comics at times because of that.
I think the most interesting parts of this episode were the history of the comic and the new eye-catch.
I think you're right that it doesn't really work all that well when your critiquing a comedy comic, since you're just voicing your opinion on other people's jokes for the most part rather than making your own... and sometimes if the joke goes over your head then you might end up looking silly to someone who got it.
Still despite not being the funniest episode you've done recently, i thought the first two Marville ones worked much better in-spite of some minor quibbles, I really think if you were going to look at one more parody this is the one to do, just cause of the history bit.
Can't wait for next week's review... Your Star Trek movie comic reviews are some of your most insightful.
I dunno, maybe this would have been a good comic book to read while coming off a hangover or something. I've had one or two of them where I could have used something like it. Just enough of the sort of WTFery to keep me entertained and my mind off how miserable I was, but forgettable enough to be written off as not having made any sense because I was drunk when I read it. This did seem like the kind of bad parody that might have been half funny if read while under the influence of alcohol or some other drug.
On a somewhat related note, is it wrong for me to think that Eletralux was kinda hot for a poorly-conceved parody character? Just sayin', is all.
The tower that looked like an oil rig at the testing site is actually something that was used in real nuclear weapon tests. The weapon being tested is at the top of the tower, to simulate an air burst instead of a ground burst. So, astonishingly, that's something that this comic actually got right. I have no explanation for anything else in it.
Frank Miller had a point about tmnt's art. Ye Gods, it sucked, particularly in the first few issues. Seriously, April's body, skin color, facial features, and hair changed every issue! And the artist overdraws the people to a ludicrous degree. It's just ugly, even worse than some of millers later stuff.
When I saw the cover, I thought that Cyclops rip-off was supposed to be a Dazzler rip-off!
Colossus is often said to have the heart of a poet - so, yeah, that'd be him being parodied here. Ave - No, Sasquatch is not a mutant. He's an old college buddy of Bruce Banner, and got his powers trying to duplicate his accident (under controlled conditions). Good catch, though, Mammoth does look more like him!
samueljones - you refer to Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew, which other people have mentioned by name.
I think Linkara missed the joke when one of the Stooges said "It's all here in the script" - the proceding line was the last Stooge saying "Your arrival has been fortold" to which the first then quips bacl "Yeah, it's all here in the sript"
I think the placement of the balloons makes the order of the joke a little weird and possible to miss, but I got it even from the limited time the panel was onscreen.
Perhaps we do need Phealous to help us understand metahumour.
Wow. That was a weird comic. I'm not sure if I can call it that bad or that average.
I'm actually shocked that one of the guys who worked on this was the late Maddie Blaustein, the voice of Meowth on Pokemon (before they completely ditched the entire cast) among other anime roles. Somehow, I don't think her other work in comics could be as bad as this.
Say, Linkara, you planning on reviewing some of those awful TMNT rip-offs from Solson Publications soon?
Wow!, what a weird comic parody. It did had almost funny moments in it. It looked just Meh. Not God Awful and a good parody. Liked the new "We're back from commercials bit.
Dang! I was hoping this would be the Republican superhero team I'd been waiting for.
I did like the parody comic. I don't think every single gag in a parody comic has to directly be addressing something in the source material. You see that in the Tick comics. One of the classic ideas is renting a supervillain. There's nothing like that in any superhero universe, but they established its a parody, it's a comedy and we're gonna do some weird stuff.
It's the same thing here thought admittedly not near as brillaint.
Suddenly, I'm pretty sure next week's comic is going to make more sense than this!
ReplyDeleteAs a Three Stooges fan, I would've called it a cute cameo especially that thankfully they put in my favorite Stooge Curly in there rather than friggin' Joe Besser. But then again, they are wasted in a parody comic that's for sure.
Loved the review.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your comment about the spider man block in the corner.
Way back when comics had two types...the ones you bought retail(pharmacy,convenience store, etc.) or the ones that were mailed to you.
The printer or the comic company (I forget which, I assume marvel did theirs) would just print the upc for the retail stores in that space and the direct comics would get the little artbox instead. It also meant that the cover artists wouldn't acidentally put a detail in the upc space since this was back when most sales were through retail stores not comic shops or subscriptions.
"I am strong . . . I am invincible" . . . isn't that "I Am Woman (Hear Me Roar)"?
ReplyDeleteActually, not to split hairs, But I do believe it was also based on the run of the New Mutants as well
ReplyDeleteI'm a furry artist who draws a JLA parodies on DA and those titles even confuse me.
ReplyDeleteYou should also check out G.I. Jackrabbits or the newest series Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters.
PS. First post!
They could've changed Electrolux from an Electra parody to a Jean Grey parody and they don't even need to change her name. Where am I going with this? I don't know.
ReplyDeleteSomething I'm wondering while watching, how is Trunkolps even breathing with that noseplug in his trunk? Unless it specialized, though I don't think it was any thought put into it. And if so, does that imply that his lungs have concussive energy? And why the need for red glasses other than being an obvious take on Cyclops?
ReplyDeleteI know I'm thinking too deeply with this particular comic, but still.
The logo on the corner there was Stan Lee's way of saying "Ya this is what made Marvel Bitch, Excelsior." In other words they were bragging. But to us it says "Prepare for disappointment once Quesada is born."
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, one may also ask where exactly do Wolverine's claws fold
ReplyDeleteand at least 4 of the musicians are still remembered till this day
"What were we talking about?"
ReplyDeleteI think we were talking about the practical application of platypuses. Personally,, I use mine to fetch my keys when I drop them in a fountain.
Why do you hate humor and X-Men comics so much Mr. Lovhog. However you have shown me funny comics so many times I should thank you. After all if I did not like this type of humor I would not watch this show
ReplyDeleteYour lack of knowledge about the X-Men is as always surprising. Like the fact you seem unaware that the original reason given for the rise of mutants was atomic radiation (hints the nickname Children of the Adam). Or that you only knew one of their most important allies (not to mention wolverines brother-in-law) from a guest appearance in another comic. Then again you did seem perplexed about a reference to a well known SNL skit in this comics so your knowledge about that show is also probably minuscule
You are aware Rumbo was hitting Clarineto with his antamantium tusk in the cover. You can even see the impact they are having on his force field. Also the remark about people learning was about them not fearing them, not that they would stop protecting them.
I try to live by the philosophy if can not say something nice do not say anything at all but you have only reviewed one truly bad comic in the last 2 months (and that was a live show). Next week you will be doing a comic based on an underrated movie lets hope that is better.
That comic made me smile. No laugh, but a few smiles. The problem is it wouldn't appeal to kids, and contains mostly visual references : Cyclop moping on a dock in the first pages of X-Factor, Elektra ascending a mountain to rejoin the Chaste after her resurrection (which is probably the justification for her being in that comic)
ReplyDeleteI wonder why Marvel went through an origin story of new characters when they already had an animal parody (Spider Ham)
Rogue Elephant looking like an Ant-Eater might be on purpose (one of the following lines says "We're like ants to her.")
Meta-irony : Elektra ended up being shoehorned in the Wolverine comics to help him recover from a second Adamantium loss at the time of Onslaught, and was part of an alternate X-universe(from Mutant X.)
FIRST!
ReplyDeleteAnd wow look at that cover.
You know it's weird when Linkara calls it weird. I'm just saiyan.
ReplyDeleteWhen you asked "where did this thing get conceived? Why did someone want to do this?", I was thinking more along the lines of "lots and lots of drugs."
Holy crap, Meowth's voice actor died! You can't just DROP that on a guy! I gotta go rethink my life...
OH, and your closing question will be a mystery for the ages.
Now that was...odd...
ReplyDeleteIt was a parody yea, but still...o_o
Nice review btw
I just...I don't even...
ReplyDeleteThe Spider-Man face in the corner box identified comics as having been sold to the direct market (comic shops), as opposed to comics sold with a UPC code (gas stations, grocery stores, convenience stores). The practice began during the direct market rise of the 1980s, but was abandoned during the 1990s.
ReplyDeleteAs a big Power Rangers fan, I feel embarrassed for not knowing the answer to this question, but what Power Ranger song were you referring to?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know the show ended in 1988, but given that Marvel is the one who made her, I was quite frankly shocked that one of the evil Musicians wasn't Jem or one of her foes from the show.
I'm very sorry, but I wish you hadn't done this. A good comedian can make anything funny, but I don't think the material lent itself to comedy at all, even though the backstory was kind of interesting to hear. Kind of makes me sad about the ideas you never get around to using until years later, when they no longer work. Just take the Nostalgia Critics Let's Play of Barts Nightmare.
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm not sounding too ungrateful for my free entertainment, but where's the storyline? A zinger about what's up with Nimue and the Gunslinger etc., would really have saved this episode.
I'd argue that the early issues of TMNT had more substance than a mere parody. In a sense, they're a bit like Gremlins, poking fun at a genre while unironically celebrating it at the same time. And like TMNT, Gremlins also spawned a bunch of lesser-quality imitations that missed the point of the original.
ReplyDeleteAlso note that Mirage (who at that point, hadn't yet entered into their licensing with Mark Freedman who landed the deals for the original cartoon and toyline) licensed the Turtles to Solson for a series of Martial Arts Training books and a "how-to-draw TMNT" book (I actually have a copy of the latter). In the book the Official TMNT Treasury, Eastman and Laird admit that Solson was a kinda shady operation, noting that they misspelled Raphael's name on one of the books' covers, and that they left town when they closed up shop.
I didn't think it was that bad, it was just... bland. Like they figured out they wanted to do a parody but had no clue as to how a parody is done.
ReplyDeleteAlso, considering "Eletralux" is actually pretty well drawn considering other contemporary art, I get the feeling you just unleashed another plague of furry rule 34 on the internets Linkara. Yay...
now I'm left wondering whatever happened to the spy
ReplyDeleteI think "meh" is the best way to summarize this comic.
ReplyDeleteWell... that sure was a thing that happened.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I don't get why so many comic parodies aren't funny. I mean I do, it's because their jokes suck and as you pointed out 'Just reference whatever's popular right now and it counts as humour' but how is it that people who are suppose to actually be good at making comics can miss the plot so badly? It just reeks of "Trying too hard".
It reminds me of the kind of schlock me and my friends would come up with in Junior High or something. It's can't be THAT hard to be funny can it? It completely baffles me.
This review was worth it if only for Cindi Lauper. Because I love me some 80s but good.
Also, shame on your Marvel! TMNT is king.
Whoa! So, Meowths orignial voice actor the Late Maddie Blustiem drew this parody? It's a strange weird sucky one, but thats really awesome I Never knew she did that. great fine lewis, aslo the pants and trunk I Think they go into there dicks.
ReplyDeleteWhat? Why? What the BLEEP did I just see? This is like the comic book version of towelie from south park. The comic got high and just kind of wandered around for a while. And really, a ruby quartz NOSEPLUG!? That was the best they could do!?
ReplyDeleteUS 1 #2 review after all one day? I hope so.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of parody comics from marvel anyone remember What The? God I miss that as Marvel has become to serious at times.
Original english voice actor of Meowth died? I didn't even know. :,( I didn't know the voice actor was a she or even that she worked on comics either.
To the comic? Yeah I can't put into words how stupid this seems. Just forget about as linkara says. :)
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ReplyDeleteI think the whole "you think they'd learn" thing was in reference to the world rather than the poorly perceived pachyderms. The way it's written does make it sound like it's talking about main characters though. I can only assume that the editor was too hopped up on coke (it was the 80's after all) to edit the writing so that it made sense.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of reminds me of the dc comics universe wher all the characters are basically animal parodies of mainstream heroes and villains.
ReplyDeleteHeh, I'll admit it, in spite of some bizarre jokes and stuff that fell flat, this dumb little thing did have a sort of charm to it. At least to me. And I think it does work as an Atop the Fourth Wall episode because I do like watching you squirm in confusion Lewis =P.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to how the Final Frontier comic will go, I've been waiting for it since the end of the Ginslingermarc (I figured you'd be doing that after Youngblood 5 before I saw Star Wars 3D). You HAVE had a track record thus far of considering odd numbered comics decent and disliking the even numbered ones, or at least finding them lackluster.
If that trend by some miracle continues (and I don't anticipate it will), I want to see a GOOD Final Frontier.
22.50. Guitar chord? Its a string. You are wrong. Don't be wrong.
ReplyDeleteBut great review, loved it.
Rogue Elephant, not Rouge. Rouge means unbound, wild, resisting society, ect. Rogue is makeup. That's the pun, using the common misspelling to make a joke about Rouge Elephants.
ReplyDeleteDungeons and Dragons players everywhere are filled with hatred when people make this error.
Well, this was definitely different from what I was expecting. From the name, I was expecting it to be a Power Rangers spoof. This was funny too, though.
ReplyDelete"As a big Power Rangers fan, I feel embarrassed for not knowing the answer to this question, but what Power Ranger song were you referring to?"
ReplyDeleteInvincible, from the Turbo soundtrack.
However, as someone has pointed out, it was probably "I am Woman (Hear me Roar)" that she was referencing.
"I hope I'm not sounding too ungrateful for my free entertainment, but where's the storyline? A zinger about what's up with Nimue and the Gunslinger etc., would really have saved this episode."
ReplyDeleteThe storyline, as I have stated in two update posts now, is on a break for at least another 2-3 months so I can play catch up on a number of other projects and ideas.
CYBERMAT COMMERCIAL BUMP! SQUEEE~!
ReplyDeleteOh, right, the review was good, too.
(...squeeee~)
AH WAIT ANIMORPHS REFERENCE IT JUST GOT BETTER. :DDD
Best birthday ever. \o/
I think the best thing I can say about this comic is that Electralux doesn't fall into the standard fantastical sexual dimorphism of 'male nonhumans look nonhuman, female nonhuman looks just like sexy human woman'. I mean, she's got the whole sexy-superheroine thing going on, but she has about the same mix of human/elephant going on that the guys do. Other than her sad lack of ears (although she has mysteriously floating earrings?)
"US 1 #2 review after all one day? I hope so."
ReplyDeleteYou mean US-1 #3. I already reviewed US-1 #2.
If I may, the name of "Elektralux" is not just a play on words in regards to the character Elektra, but also in regard to the Electrolux appliance company, which owns a huge chunk of the more commonly-seen brands out there (Eureka, Westinghouse, etc.) as well as their own label. I mostly knew about them because my Grandma has Electrolux vacuums from the 40s and 60s that absolutely refuse to die.
ReplyDelete"Rogue Elephant, not Rouge. Rouge means unbound, wild, resisting society, ect. Rogue is makeup. That's the pun, using the common misspelling to make a joke about Rouge Elephants."
ReplyDeleteYou, uh, have that backwards. Rouge is the makeup. It's from the French for 'red'. A 'Rogue Elephant' is specifically a 'vicious elephant that separates from the herd'.
Your joke would have been better on several levels.
Pffft, Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew would kick the crap out of the Power Pachyderms.
ReplyDeletei think the main problem with these poarody comics is that they do not get what a parody is. it is not necessarily mocking something, buty pocking fun at it yet respecting it.
ReplyDeletehell some of the best parodies are ones that do not necessarily mock or try to humilaite theri subject, but just poke fun at it and not make the story revolve around it.
that is what made teenage mutant ninja turtles so popular. indeed it is poking fun at ninjas and characters from comics, but it did nto spend its time just siting around throwing jokes at you the entire time. it actually did tell a story, and a fairly dark one at that. what with the ninja turtles impaling shredder with a katana, and shredder going and accidentalyl blowing himself up in an suicide bombing attempt. hell another good parody that is not a comedy is The Incredibles, which poked fun at the concept of heroes yet also focused more on the story of a ex superhero in a midlife crisis. mgamind is more of a comedic parody, but it focused less on the fact they are making fun of the tropes and focused on megamind's story.
.....you know that is kidna weird with ninja turtles. in the comics, they only fought shredder twice. the second time him being cloned, and soon after killed yet again. yet the shrdders of the recent times have been the main villains, and incredibly powerful threats to the turtles. though shrdder has gone through a lot of trial and error hismelf in creation. from the whiny, bitchy starscream esque shredder fo the first animated series, to the more serios and dangerous shredder of the animated series, although this shredder was disapointing as he turned out to just be a robot, meaning he was not a real martial artist.
the latest incarnation, in the latest tmnt series, i think is the shrdder perfected. he is human, and his skill and power is real and not from a robotic shell. so when he kicks the ass of the trutles you know it is because he is just that powerful. he is the contrast to the turtles, who are more pure in intent and comedic. but when shredder walks into the room, the jokes stop.
this is actually what i like about transformers and tmnt. both series started out pretyt light hearted and goofy. however people began to understand that they had more potential than jsut that. so a dash of tasteful dark has been added to the tmnt, no liefield esque thigns. and transformers has changed to a series about a race of living, sapient beings struggling to finally end a eon long war that has left everything in ruin. yet you also get some funny moments here and there too. such as one of the autobots getting caught on camera, in the Walking Bigfoot pose.
Couldn't this have had a better title? One thing I heard about the creation of the X-Men was that they wouldn't let Stan Lee call it 'the Mutants' because nobody would know what a mutant was (Lee's argument was that nobody would know what an X-Man was either!), so how many people know what a Pachyderm is? Maybe they could've gone with X-Mammoths.
ReplyDeleteOh and I see they borrowed a joke from the Goodies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbVklX9BqGY&feature=player_detailpage#t=334s
I believe the shadow was supposed to be the shadow of the lady on the bike who becomes the Wicked Witch, from the Wizard of Oz movie. Plus the mops were not mops, those were brooms.
ReplyDeleteNice review but when are you gonna get back to the storyline with Nimue?
ReplyDelete"Nice review but when are you gonna get back to the storyline with Nimue?"
ReplyDeleteWe're on a break from storylines, as I said in the last two update posts. We won't resume for another 2-3 months so I can catch up on stuff.
Weirdly enough, I feel like Jean Gray would be easier to parody with an elephant than Electra; make some play on elephants already being /gray/ or something.
ReplyDeleteLoved the Animorphs reference! ...At least, I assume the z-space comment was an Animorphs reference.
And of course, the cybermat midroll bumper was /awesome/. Easily one of my favorites thus far ^^
I just realized the Wolverine expy is named Rumbo and not a single Jab from this comic at either Wolverine's stint as a former soldier nor a single Panel of him screaming like Stallone and firing an M-60.
ReplyDeleteWell, to say that was weird is an understatement. And I can't believe you didn't use a Dumbo reference at the beginning of the comic! Specially because they seemed to be doing so.
ReplyDeleteGreat review as always!
I think the Dumbo references in the comic (pink elephants, smiling train) is what 'justified' the Fantasia reference, both being from Disney. That being said, the Fantasia reference was just kind of there, whereas referencing Dumbo made sense because, you know, elephants.
ReplyDeleteI think that was a Charlie Tuna "cameo" in the base cutaway panel, too.
ReplyDeleteI'm dissapointed Linkara with all the spoofs happening within spoofs spoofing spoofs you should have made a SPOOFCEPTION joke lol but any way WTF were them writers smoking to create this this ... nope I got nothing btw loved the bumper lol cybermat's FTW.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you went ahead with this because I've been so damn curious ever since I saw it on the 'upcoming reviews list'.
ReplyDeleteno idea what to make of it but the Cybermat commercial bumps were very damn awesome, and cute.
Tiny nitpick: Meowth's original English voice actor was Nathan Price. Maddie took over in episode 32.
ReplyDeleteOn-topic: Hilarious review! This sure is one bizzare-looking comic...
I'll admit though, one or two of the jokes in the comic made me crack a smile...
Your jokes made me crack up though!
I heard you mention Z-Space,are you an Animorphs fan?
ReplyDeleteWait, the "New Musicians"? And they included artists from the 70s (and in Willie's case, the 60s onwards?) Really, comic, can't you at least rip on some artists just from the 80s if you want to make the joke right?
ReplyDeleteThis was weird but I did chuckle at some of the meta bits. Though if they wanted to make it Wolverine, why the heck did I see John Belushi as the samurai elephant? So then he became both Wolverine and John Belushi? And yeah, the bit with Magneto being a Nazi...bad taste there, really bad taste.
BTW: Helen Reddy is awesome...just because.
Ultimatum
ReplyDeleteI just don't get this series, I come here to hear the latest in lamp reviews for my interior decorating fetish, but there is so much discussion of comic books you would think I was in another world.
ReplyDeleteA TMNT parody that was turned into an X-men parody, drawn by the woman who voiced Meowth...only you could find this sort of thing Linkara.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the Spiderman box is working in cahoots with the Magneto rip off!
Wolverine/Elephant could've meant "Eh?" as in "You know?"
I think Electra was Greek? Also I'm kinda surprised you didn't mention the "Cheeseburger" line in the panel it just further cements the connection to the Marvel Team Up with SNL.
If the blades were really flexible then they could fit inside his intestines, I actually looked it up, I feel sad for doing so but its 19 meters. And the mental image I just had is gross.
New lead in to the commercial! Cute!
This isn't the first time The Three Stooges (technically there were 6 of them) mentored a superhero team, few people recall the lost issue of Watchmen where they mentored Rorschach, or the X-men issue where Professor Xavier hired the Stooges to fix the Mansion's plumbing and in the process taught them the value of teamwork.
...Is Trunklops watching her shower...the hell?
That's the problem with buying old issues of comics, they don't come with the booze they were sold with to make them make sense.
Great job Linkara, while I too would like to see more of your storyline play out...I mean come on cliffhanger with the voice change!...I'm glad we've had the past few months to let you catch up on other work like HOPR, and Moment of Awesome and maybe possibly "That's All That I'm Saying"? Keep up the great work.
There's nothing worse than an attempt at parody that doesn't have a built-in joke.
ReplyDeleteWithout a joke it's not parody, it's just fan-art.
A third explanation about the lack of ads in the comic could be that Marvel truly believed in the artistic merit of the comic and decided against putting ads in it.
ReplyDeleteDunno if anyone's pointed this out yet but the 1987 TMNT cartoon also worked in the Stooges-as-masters gag, complete with Splinter beating Shredder with the dreaded "Cur-Lee Maneuver".
ReplyDeleteProps to anyone who remembers this. :)
FugueforFrog mentioned her, but to be explicit: the lyrics you didn't recognize are from Helen Reddy's "I am Woman". A quick YouTube search will find you several versions of the song if you're curious.
ReplyDeleteDang Lewis, that cybermat looks great!
ReplyDeleteTEENAGE MUTANT NINJA ELEPHANTS!
ReplyDeleteTEENAGE MUTANT NINJA ELEPHANTS!
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA ELEPHANTS!
Heroes with half a brain cell, Pachyderm Power!
They're the world's most fearsome fighting team!
They are radioactive pachyderms, and they're mean!
When the evil Clarinetto attacks
These elephant boys cut him no slack!
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA ELEPHANTS!
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA ELEPHANTS!
The Stooges taught them to be a ninja team!
Trunklops leads, Mammoth can turn into steel!
Rumbo is cool but rude, Elektrolux is the only who isn't a dude!
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA ELEPHANTS!
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA ELEPHANTS!
Heroes with half a brain cell, Pachyderm Power!
I was really hoping this was another Power Rangers parody because those have been hilarious so far. The episodes, not the comics.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when is Romp Rangers going to get reviewed
Wow just Wow this comic was Weirder than all hell, the only think could made it weirder if it involved Rob Liefield somehow.
ReplyDeleteI was trying to summarize my feelings in a meaningful way...
ReplyDeleteI've tried to get into comics and I've had some issues with it. After I read Watchmen I wanted to read more but didn't know where to start. So I appreciate this recomendations. Being a fan of your series I recognize many of your recommendations from your videos but that gives me a reassurance on how good these comics are.
So... I was trying to summarize my feelings in a meaningful way, but I came to the conclusion it was better just to say: Thanks, man.
Just out of curiosity, as this episode had stuff about Roger Stern, have u ever considered discussing what happend to his creation, the hobgoblin?
ReplyDeleteHey Linkara, figuring out how to build that sand castle in the dry desert climate took three years of the military's engineering budget! They got REALLY bored and decided to appropriate important government funds. Just like Richard Feynman learned how to crack safes during his time at the Manhattan Project. It was hilarious.
ReplyDeleteCarl: Actually Mad Whitaker pointed it out first. I just like Helen Reddy which this song is usually connected with. (she won a Grammy and everything) Though more a fan of "Angie Baby" honestly; yeah people ID "I Am Woman" with her but no other song out there is about a girl so obsessed with the radio that she literally sucks a guy into it.
ReplyDeleteWait, Maddie Blaustein wrote this? No wonder why the jokes remind me of 4Kids' dub of One Piece.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you should've used the song Pink Elephants On Parade. Or would that have been a case of "too obvious" w/ you?
Hey Linkara:
ReplyDeleteElectralux working in a Greek family restaurant isn't just a reference to Elektra being Greek, but also a reference to Greek immigrants owning and operating a majority of the country's diners.
So yes, not only unfunny, but RACIST too! :D
Maddie Blaustein was involved in this? Darn bad blemish on her record as a good comic writer (really, people should check out what she wrote for the Milestone imprint--I mentioned Deathwish in the comments of the previous post). This is not in the league of Power Ringers, but still not a good parody. It's just so lackluster.
ReplyDeleteAlso, did Blaustein actually draw it? I thought she was a writer, not an artist. After all, the aforementioned Deathwish is one of the early works of JH Williams III, and you would assume its subject matter (a transsexual cop investigating a serial killer who goes after trans prostitutes) would have made it difficult to actually find an artist and that she might have tried to do it herself (this was the 90s, after all--much more repressed than now). Though, JH Williams does seem comfortable with LGBT characters, so it may have been that she had his support from the beginning.
When I was watching the review, at first I thought Mammoth on the cover was supposed to be Stryfe (confusing me, considering he's an X-Men villain). In-comic, Mammoth's non-steel form reminded me of Sasquatch, who may be Alpha Flight primarily, but at least he's a mutant (I think?). Elektra could make sense in another way than it originally being a TMNT parody, too, since Frank Miller was an impetus to this thing's existance and she was his creation.
But somebody mentioned Spider-Ham, and I would recommend people to pick up those old issues. That was Marvel actually doing a parody of their characters well (names like Peter Porker, J. Jonah Jackal, Batty Brant, Mary Jane Water-Buffalo, and the like do have some charm to me, plus the very different take on an origin). How I can miss Star Comics at times because of that.
I think the most interesting parts of this episode were the history of the comic and the new eye-catch.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right that it doesn't really work all that well when your critiquing a comedy comic, since you're just voicing your opinion on other people's jokes for the most part rather than making your own... and sometimes if the joke goes over your head then you might end up looking silly to someone who got it.
Still despite not being the funniest episode you've done recently, i thought the first two Marville ones worked much better in-spite of some minor quibbles, I really think if you were going to look at one more parody this is the one to do, just cause of the history bit.
Can't wait for next week's review... Your Star Trek movie comic reviews are some of your most insightful.
I dunno, maybe this would have been a good comic book to read while coming off a hangover or something. I've had one or two of them where I could have used something like it. Just enough of the sort of WTFery to keep me entertained and my mind off how miserable I was, but forgettable enough to be written off as not having made any sense because I was drunk when I read it. This did seem like the kind of bad parody that might have been half funny if read while under the influence of alcohol or some other drug.
ReplyDeleteOn a somewhat related note, is it wrong for me to think that Eletralux was kinda hot for a poorly-conceved parody character? Just sayin', is all.
The tower that looked like an oil rig at the testing site is actually something that was used in real nuclear weapon tests. The weapon being tested is at the top of the tower, to simulate an air burst instead of a ground burst. So, astonishingly, that's something that this comic actually got right. I have no explanation for anything else in it.
ReplyDeleteFrank Miller had a point about tmnt's art. Ye Gods, it sucked, particularly in the first few issues. Seriously, April's body, skin color, facial features, and hair changed every issue! And the artist overdraws the people to a ludicrous degree. It's just ugly, even worse than some of millers later stuff.
ReplyDeleteGeriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils
ReplyDeleteWe had a rock 'n' roll plot, and not one mention of Batman. I am disappoint.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the cover, I thought that Cyclops rip-off was supposed to be a Dazzler rip-off!
ReplyDeleteColossus is often said to have the heart of a poet - so, yeah, that'd be him being parodied here.
Ave - No, Sasquatch is not a mutant. He's an old college buddy of Bruce Banner, and got his powers trying to duplicate his accident (under controlled conditions).
Good catch, though, Mammoth does look more like him!
samueljones - you refer to Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew, which other people have mentioned by name.
~ Mik
I think Linkara missed the joke when one of the Stooges said "It's all here in the script" - the proceding line was the last Stooge saying "Your arrival has been fortold" to which the first then quips bacl "Yeah, it's all here in the sript"
ReplyDeleteI think the placement of the balloons makes the order of the joke a little weird and possible to miss, but I got it even from the limited time the panel was onscreen.
Perhaps we do need Phealous to help us understand metahumour.
Wow. That was a weird comic. I'm not sure if I can call it that bad or that average.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually shocked that one of the guys who worked on this was the late Maddie Blaustein, the voice of Meowth on Pokemon (before they completely ditched the entire cast) among other anime roles. Somehow, I don't think her other work in comics could be as bad as this.
Say, Linkara, you planning on reviewing some of those awful TMNT rip-offs from Solson Publications soon?
Wow!, what a weird comic parody. It did had almost funny moments in it. It looked just Meh. Not God Awful and a good parody. Liked the new "We're back from commercials bit.
ReplyDeleteDang! I was hoping this would be the Republican superhero team I'd been waiting for.
ReplyDeleteI did like the parody comic. I don't think every single gag in a parody comic has to directly be addressing something in the source material. You see that in the Tick comics. One of the classic ideas is renting a supervillain. There's nothing like that in any superhero universe, but they established its a parody, it's a comedy and we're gonna do some weird stuff.
It's the same thing here thought admittedly not near as brillaint.