If you’re a Superman fan and you don’t mind a few jokes made at the Big Blue Boy Scout’s expense, I can’t tell you how much you need to check out DC Comics’ latest April Fool’s special. Unlike the previous couple of specials, which focused on apes and Harley Quinn’s love of farts, DC Comics put out a special edition in the vein of its sister publication, MAD Magazine. MAD About DC #1, spearheaded by Chip Zdarsky, brings together dozens of talented writers and artists to do what MAD does best: Skewer the things we love with hilarious riffs.
This special was chock full of killer jokes and strips, lampooning DC Comics’ various trends or jokes about the histories of its biggest characters. As one of the publisher’s biggest icons, Superman was no exception, and he and his extended cast were the subject of quite a few barbs. From riffs about how many damn shades of kryptonite there are to a satirical mock-up of The Daily Planet, MAD About DC #1 had plenty of great Superman jokes. Read on to discover 5 of the funniest gags focused on Superman and those closest to him.
5. “Know Your Kryptonite”
As the mind behind MAD About DC #1, Chip Zdarsky couldn’t just sit on the sidelines, so one of his contributions to the special is “Know Your Kryponite”. This section is presented as a definitive guide to every kryptonite variant. But in true Zdarsky fashion, this section takes the piss out of the irradiated rocks’ different impacts on Superman by coming up with incredibly specific and just plain silly effects. From white kryptonite giving Superman incredible privilege to various brown kryptonites giving him diarrhea, one has to wonder how in the hell Zdarsky managed to come up with these ideas.
4. “Superman’s Ex-Girlfriend Lana Lang”
Colleen Coover shines a spotlight not on the Man of Steel, but his old flame in “Superman’s Ex-Girlfriend Lana Lang”. Lana’s back in the dating world and has a bunch of dates lined up. Unfortunately, they all go south when Lana can’t seem to get through one without Superman being brought up to Lana’s chagrin. It’s a silly little story, but it’s got a funny earnestness to it. Honestly, it’s a good enough premise that it could have lasted longer than one page. But its charming slice-of-life humor really does balance out the more outlandish jokes from MAD About DC.
3. “Daily Planet”
Ever wonder what it’s like to read The Daily Planet? Well, Ben Errett and Chip Zdarsky don’t give you a serious answer with their mock-up. That being said, it’s chock full of hilarious jokes. From Superman having to make up for constructing the Fortress of Solitude on Inuit land to an analytical piece that reveals areas in Metropolis with phone booths have lower crime rates, every part of this page hits. Truth be told, it kind of makes me hope next year’s April Fool’s Day joke is a full-length Daily Planet (but one that reads more like The Onion).
2. “Power Girl Action Figure Ad”
Power Girl writer Leah Williams gets a chance to write even more jokes regarding the Super-Family’s boldest and brashest member. Williams, Isaac Goodhart, and John Kalisz whip up a fake ad marketing a new line of Power Girl toys. One gives Peej a ‘modesty curtain’ to hide her infamous chest window, while another toy goes the opposite way with Power Girl’s chest fully exposed. But most diabolically, the ad mentioned the toys will come ‘pre-jarred’. It’s a joke only the terminally online will get, and as one such person, I cannot believe this made it in (and I love it).
1. “Humanity is the Real Kryptonite”
Former Deadpool collaborators Gerry Dugan and Tony Moore come together once more for possibly MAD About DC’s best Superman riff, “Humanity is the Real Kryptonite”. This three-page comic sees Superman give us an overview of who he is and the struggles he faces. Every panel has some kind of amazing joke in it, whether it’s Superman acknowledging the strange trend of him having bald writers or how bad an investment buying the “Death of Superman” comics was. You can tell these two were having fun here, and honestly, it’s incredibly funny to see a more deprecating side of Superman.
What was your favorite Superman parody from MAD About DC #1? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!
