Cronin - Why does Batman carry shark repellent?: and other amazing comic book trivia!

A PLUME BOOK

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First published by Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First Printing, June 2012

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Cronin, Brian.

Why does Batman carry shark repellent? : and other amazing comic book trivia! / Brian Cronin.

p. cm.

ISBN: 978-1-101-58544-3

1. Comic books, strips, etc.Miscellanea. I. Title.

PN6725.C765 2012

741.5973dc23 2011045699

Printed in the United States of America

Set in Chaparral Pro with Cartoon Com and Aptifer Sans LT Pro

Designed by Daniel Lagin

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ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

FOR MY PARENTS, EUGENE AND KATHLEEN,
WHO BOUGHT ME MY FIRST COMIC BOOKS,
AND FOR MY WIFE, MEREDITH, WHO KEEPS
READING THEM WITH ME

L ove and thanks to Meredith, my parents, and my siblings for their love and support.

Thanks to my agent, Rick Broadhead, and my editor at Plume, Kate Napolitano. Thanks to Jonah Weiland and Comic Book Resources (particularly Stephen and Kiel) and the rest of my gang at Comics Should Be Good (the Gregs, Bill, Mark, Scott, Chad, Kelly, Sonia, and Megan), plus Joe, Alex, Tadhg, and the Pauls for starting the whole thing with me!

Gigantic thanks, of course, to all the comic book writers and artists who provided lists for the book. You folks went above and beyond the call of duty and Im awfully grateful!

Thanks also to the following people who helped with the information provided on some of the lists in the book: Mark Engblom, H, Robby Reed, DSK, Kurt Mitchell, Ed Bosnar, Kris Withak, Mark Evanier, Matchstick, Pat Curley, Steven Thompson, Vinnie Bartilucci, and Len Callo. Plus, general thanks to Wayne Hotu, Rob Williams, and Jeremy Goldstone.

Finally, I wish to give thanks to Mrs. Eleanor Spillett and Ms. Virginia Courtney for being the first teachers to make comic book reading seem more than just tolerated, and thanks to Professor Richard Hamm for demonstrating the fascinating aspect of mixing popular culture with history.

IVE GOT THE STRANGEST FEELING
IM BEING TURNED INTO A PUPPET.

The Flash, from the cover of 1962s The Flash #133

T here is a kind of delightful absurdity that you can only find in comic booksa world where a character can say, in all sincerity, that he has the feeling he is turning into a puppet and the audience just keeps reading on as if that statement makes perfect sense. This book is a celebration of that special absurdity, as we dissect the history of comic books with a series of lists. The lists are based on the various features that I have been doing at my comic book blog, Comics Should Be Good, for the past seven years. A number of the lists feature the results of popularity polls voted on by readers of Comic Book Resources (the largest online comic book community in North America) while others detail strange pieces of comic book history, like the craziest items Batman has carried in his utility belt (including, as you might have guessed, a particular type of aquatic animal repellent).

The lists are grouped into six parts. One for lists about comic book characters, one for lists about comic book creators, one for lists about comic book storylines, one for lists that go beyond the panels (like comic book covers and strange comic book ads, like ones for X-ray glasses), one for lists about the crossover between comic books and pop culture (like notable rock bands that have taken their names from comic books), and finally, one for lists about movies and television shows based on comic books. Intermixed among my lists are a number of lists from various notable comic book writers and artists, including Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, cocreator of Watchmen.

Something youll likely realize after you are finished reading is that while, yes, comic books do enjoy that special kind of absurdity I mentioned before, there is a certain nobility to them as well. After all, one of the most famous comic book quotes is the mantra Peter Parker lives his life by: With great power comes great responsibility (a quote, by the way, that Peter credits to his uncle Ben even though we never actually see Uncle Ben say it in the comicssee, youre learning stuff already!).