Superman Analogue: Radioactive Man
37In a world of three fingered, yellow skinned heroes, one stands out above the rest: Radioactive Man!
Master Thread: https://twitter.com/CaseAiken/status/1346189702580342785
Original Thread: https://twitter.com/CaseAiken/status/1082047605536968704
Original Text: Ah! There we go! This one is a fun character who both appeared in the background of episodes of the #Simpsons and as his own spinoff comic by #Bongo: Radioactive Man!
Let's get one thing straight: Radioactive Man is NOT a one to one Superman knock off, but rather a parody of popular superheroes in general. However, this mostly equates to a mash up of Batman and Superman references with a pinch of the Hulk, and that more than works here.
The character began in the Simpsons cartoon as a stand in for all comics. The two stand out episodes would be when Bart, Milhouse, and Martin get the first issue and go nuts with greed, and then when they make the movie with Rainier Wolfcastle.
However, there have been plenty of appearances and in universe iterations. Including an Adam West parody.
When Bongo launched their Simpsons line, it was a natural property to include. They set the book up as a retro parody book, publishing random "issues" from throughout the decades.
This is basically the same idea as the Alan Moore Supreme run, a metacommentary on the comic book industry itself. AND IT IS GREAT.
The character is set up as the classic "survived a nuclear blast" origin (Albeit with the odd lightning shrapnel wedged in his head) and from there gains exact Superman powers, a boy sidekick, and all of the absurdities of the comics industry.
There's no continuous "story" since each one is a spoof of a specific time and style of comic, but the series was great fun. I read to death the issue that ripped on Giant Size Annuals from the late 50s/early 60s.
Radioactive Man has also appeared in some video games as a spoof of superheroes, but my understanding is that those have either been bad or minor.
I think what the character shows is the effectiveness of the Superman type in storytelling and certainly speaks to how impactful comic books have been on pop culture (like, what are the comic books like in the world of the DC movies? Are there any?). A fun and maleable character.
Images
1 – Squadron Supreme: New World Order, Cover by Mike McKone
2 - Radioactive Man Radioactive Repository Vol 1 HC, Cover by Matt Groening
3 – Bartman #3, Cover by Bill Morrison
4 – Clip from “The Simpsons”
5 – Still from “The Simpsons”
6 – Clip from “The Simpsons”
7 – I think this is concept art from “The Simpsons”
8 – Clip from “The Simpsons”
9 – Still from “The Simpsons”
10 – Radioactive Man #216, Cover by Matt Groening and Steve Vance
11 – Radioactive Man #136, Cover by Batton Lash, Dan DeCarlo, and Bill Morrison
12 – Radioactive Man #1, Cover by Steve Vance & Bill Morrison
13 – Radioactive Man #679, Cover by Bill Morrison
14 – Radioactive Man #575, Cover by Batton Lash & Howard Chaykin
15 - Radioactive Man 80pg. #1, Cover by Bill Morrison
16 – Cover Art for “The Simpsons: Batman Meets Radioactive Man” for the Sega Game Gear
17 – Still from “The Simpsons”
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