espite the title and despite the Jaime Hernandez cover, which features Bizarro playing puppeteer with DC's most famous superheroes, Bizarro World is not a book about Superman's notorious "imperfect duplicate" who speak English that am also imperfect and who lives following a, well, bizarre reverse logic. No, this book is a sequel to the 2001 anthology Bizarro Comics (also not about Bizarro). These "Bizarro" anthologies unleash a legion of writers and cartoonists not usually associated with superhero comics and let them play in the DC Universe, unrestrained and unconcerned by continuity or the usual tropes and expectations of the superhero genre, with an emphasis on humor.
Dozens of creators collaborated on the 35 stories collected in Bizarro World. Chris Duffy and Scott Morse take a family on a vacation to an amusement park run by Bizarro. Chip Kidd and Tony Millionaire pastiche a golden-age adventure of Batman and Robin. Andy Merrill and Roger Landridge crash-land Kal-El's spaceship at the mythical North Pole. Mo Willems and Ellen Forney plunge Wonder Woman into the world of teen angst. Abe Foreu and James Kochalka have Chameleon Boy search for his pet. Patton Oswalt and Bob Fingerman reveal why "Batman Smells."
Chris Duffy and Craig Thompson show what a day at the office is like for the Spectre. Jason Yungbluth and Jason Paulos prove that "It's Not Easy Being Green" Lantern. Aaron Bergeron and John Kerschbaum cure Bruce Wayne of the need to be Batman. Mike Doughty and Danny Hellman put Aquaman in front of an open mike. Peter Murrieta, Dean Haglund and Don Simpson upgrade the Batcomputer. Johnny Ryan and Dave Cooper reveal how unwise it might be for superheroines to date nerds. Evan Dorkin and M. Wartella give Batman a monkey sidekick. Harvey Pekar and Dean Haspiel reverse Bizarro's condition. Dylan Horrocks and Farel Dalrymple send a letter to Superman. Peter Bagge and Gilbert Hernandez subject the Red Bee to a focus group. Eric Drysdale and Tim Lane give the Justice League a break.
Evan Dorkin and Andi Watson reject the Legion of Super-Heroes. Todd Alcott and Michael Kupperman detail the "Ultimate Crisis of the Justice League." The Hanuka brothers send Batman into the mind of a scared young girl. Paul Dini and Carol Lay play fetch with Krypto. Ariel Bordeaux and Rick Altergott manage the budget for the Legion of Super-Heroes. Evan Dorkin and Ivan Brunetti flip Two-Face's coin. Maggie Estep and Dylan Horrocks evict Supergirl. Leela Corman and Tom Hart take Batgirl, Supergirl and Wonder Woman on a "Power Trip." Eddie Campbell and Paul Grist speed through "A Day in the Life of the Flash." Paul Grist and Hunt Emerson sing "The Batman Operetta."
Evan Dorkin and R. Sikoryak report for the "Daily Htrae." The Borden brothers and Ben Dunn imagine a manga version of the Green Lantern Corps. Philippe Dupuy and Charles Berberian wonder if superheroism runs in Bruce Wayne's family. Kurt Wolfgang and Brian Ralph change the Demon's image. John Krewson and Evan Dorkin let Kamandi goof off. Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier unite the children of both the Justice League and its enemies. Kyle Baker and Elizabeth Glass take Alfred shopping. And Paul Di Filippo and Derek Kirk Kim inform Deadman that "Good Girls Go to Heaven, Bad Girls Go Everywhere."
Pastiching the classic heroes
Bizarro is a creation of the so-called "silver age" of comics, the Cold War era, during which DC's superheroes developed their classic iterations: the all-powerful Superman and insecure Clark Kent; the fearless Hal Jordan as Green Lantern; Barry Allen, whose intelligence matches his speed as the Flash; the deadpan absurdity of the Legion of Super-Heroes; the cheerful camaraderie of the Justice League.
Over the decades these characters have changed in the monthly comics, yet in the popular imagination they remain as they were in their heyday, the 1960s and '70s. It is these classic versions of the DC pantheon that readers will encounter in the stories presented in Bizarro World. These classic interpretations speak more directly to the essence of these characters, and the writers and cartoonists who contributed to this anthology tapped into this archetypal power of these icons.
Mostly, these stories poke loving fun at the absurdity of the basic concepts, gently and wryly juxtaposing real-world concerns with those of DC's superhero universe. But not all the stories are humorous; some are surprisingly tender, even moving.
The writers and cartoonists contributing to Bizarro World do not subsume their styles to the demands of the DC Universe; rather, they let their idiosyncrasies collide with their subject matter. There's a palpable joy to the storytelling in this book, as if the creators involved were playing with their favorite toys, inviting readers to share in the fun.
