The trend really took off during the 1950's with the arrival of EC Comics' "Mad" comic book. "Mad" featured excellent take-offs of Superman, Batman & Robin, Wonder Woman, Prince Valiant, Sherlock Holmes, and many more! In the 60's, "Mad" became a slick magazine with 'Black & White' comics, which continued their spoofs & satires of nearly every comic book (DC & Marvel), TV show, Movie or Trend that was popular at all (which they continue to do, to current day!). The writers and artists of "Mad Magazine" were (and are) no slouch at doing superhero parodies (from the 60's "Batman" TV show to the current 'Marvel' & DC' Blockbuster movies). Renderings of nearly every DC & Marvel hero and heroine, done with zany style by greats like---Sergio Aragones; Don Martin; Jack Davis; Wally Wood; and countless other totally 'mad' artists. There have been two hardcover editions of their superhero work (so far), as well as countless paperbacks.
During the 1960's, Marvel published a comic book series called "Not Brand Ecch". In this 13 issue series, Marvel spoofed all of their very own superheroes (with examples like---Spidey-Man; Ecchs Men, The Mighty Sore; and The Inedible Bulk; along with countless others).DC, Gold Key & Tower Comics heroes were also spoofed! They also created a wannabe hero named "Forbush Man", who wore a cooking pot (with eye-holes) helmet, red long-johns, a rag cape, and sloppy galoshes; with an 'F' stitched to his chest. The series was written & drawn by the 'classic' Marvel legends like---Stan Lee; Jack Kirby; Gene Colan; Bill Everett; John & Marie Severin; Roy Thomas; and many more. What a line-up!!!
DC Comics came up with their own spoofy superheroes in 1967. They were called the "Inferior Five", who were sons & daughter of parodies of DC's own "Justice League of America" The series was created by E. Nelson Bridwell (writer), with Joe Orlando & Mike Esposito (artists), which ran in 3 issues of "Showcase", as well as 12 issues of "Inferior Five" (in which they also spoofed rival Marvel superheroes, like the "Fantastic Four" & others).
"The Inferior Five" consisted of "Merryman" (extremely intelligent, but also extremely weak); "Awkwardman" (super-strong, could breathe underwater, but very clumsy); "Dumb Bunny" (totally stupid, but super-strong); "White Feather" (a shy, but very good archer, if nobody was watching him); and "The Blimp" (who could fly at a 'snail's pace').
DC & Marvel should be proud having "Superhero Characters" who are so popular that they can be effectively spoofed (and they definitely were)!!!
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