10 Inside Jokes You Missed In Superhero Comics

3. Wolverine And Punisher Parodied In Doom Patrol

DC ComicsDC ComicsHis appearance as one of The Architects wasn't the first time Grant Morrison appeared in a comic, as he wrote himself into his stories for Animal Man, The Invisibles and Seven Soldiers. Which isn't so much an in-joke as some of the off beat, hippy, pretentious stuff that Morrison is known for, and will continue to do so long as he writes a big DC event every once in a while. Sometimes he gets bored of putting his baldy head onto the page, though, instead turning his sights on other comic characters and parodying them within the comics he pens. Which is what happened with his dadaist take on the Doom Patrol, the team of weird superheroes that inspired the X-Men. Specifically, Doom Patrol #45, which introduces a brand new character: the Beard Hunter! His MO may be unique, but a lot of other things about this guy seemed familiar. His narration took the form of a "War Journal" wherein he referred to each of his targets as punks - repeatedly, in fact - and hunts them down brutally for their perceived crimes. When we first see him he's on a rooftop, a histrionic series of thoughts going through his head, clad in a two-colour skin-tight outfit and staring at his enemy down the barrel of a gun. It's an obvious parody of Frank Castle - The Punisher of Marvel Comics - and it is hilariously spot on, from his righteous fury (which is rendered even more ridiculous when the people he's after are beard owners rather than violent criminals) to his speech patterns. That's a neat little joke, glided further by the Beard Hunter's use of the phrase "I'm the best there is at what I do", mocking the tough guy personality of Wolverine along with the Punisher's. On top of it all, Morrison gives Alan Moore a shout out in the form of a portrait hanging in the Bearded Gentleman's Club of Metropolis the grizzled anti-hero is drawn to.
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/