Friday, March 26, 2010

Even in the Eighties, DC Comics had Standards Friday!

I'm almost wondering if I'm just being lazy, but can you really have a comics blog and not talk about..... Nature Boy???

Behold the power of.... Nature Boy!:



I wish I could say that was just an unfortunate one-time utterance, but he said "Let 'er rip!" more than once, so I presume he thought that was some kind of battle cry. Yes, I know. Let's just try to move on.

Nature Boy had powers that were extremely passive in that he didn't actually do anything himself. Like Johnny Thunder and Kid Eternity, he just kind of wished for things to happen:



Yes, he was calling on "King Gusto." I'm beginning to see why DC didn't revive Nature Boy in the 1980's, even though they were willing to take a shot with Peacemaker. Maybe Nature Boy was disemboweled in the Crisis on Infinite Earths and I've just forgotten about it.

The obvious problem with having to ask for stuff to happen from King Gusto and his pals is that he tended to telegraph his moves. Thusly:



Now, it seems to me that if you know what you're doing, you can either (a) simply punch Nature Boy in the clavicle and render him unable to speak or (b) pay close attention to what he is saying and react accordingly. Either way, I don't see him taking down Dr. Doom anytime soon.

Near as I can tell, Nature Boy didn't have any super-powered opponents, which was probably for the best, as I think the only villain he might actually beat would be Kite-Man from Batman. King Gusto, blow Kite-Man into a tree as if he were being flown by Charlie Brown!

But, just as you think you've wasted your life reading comics, you find a Moment of Comic Book Greatness! (tm!):



Bitchin'!

See you Monday!

4 comments:

Zocktastic said...

Now now, Adam. Let's not come down too hard on folks broadcasting their attacks by calling them out by name. After all, it's a grand tradition in the Land of the Rising Sun. Case in point...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwLg4tYvg0k

(It's safe for work, everybody, don't worry.)

Now tell that was any less cool for broadcasting it with all those names? If not even cooler!

Drooooo-oooool!

Anonymous said...

Speaking of Kite-man. There was an issue of Batman in the 1980s where DC finally revealed his real name and it was...wait for it...Charles Brown. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite_Man

Unca Jeffy said...

I remember as a child avoiding Charlton Comics at all costs. Even to an innocent babe I could tell they were bargain basement leftovers (imagine my dismay to know now that Ditko and others were filling SOME of their pages with magic) that even the occasional Gold Key comic would beat out for my 15 cents.

Now 30 some years later you have tapped a comedic motherlode of great cheese from this mouldering drek.

More power to ya!!

Hidden unintentional treasures! Great stuff.

Tony Isabella said...

It was Hawkman #4 (second series) wherein some demented writer revealed that the Kite-Man's real name was Charles Brown.