Panel one. We see a planet cracking under immense pressure. Caption: Doomed Planet. Panel two shows us a husband and wife, embracing as the calamity consumes them. Caption: Desperate Scientists. In panel three, we see a spaceship scape the catastrophe that has destroyed the planet it was launched form. Caption: Last Hope. Panel four. We see a POV shot as an old couple look down upon us. Caption: Kindly Couple.
The first page of Grant Morrison’s All Star Superman gives us a concise and heartfelt summary of Superman’s origins in four panels. Morrison manages to distill Superman’s entire origin into one simple, yet utterly effective page. It’s a great beginning for the most famous superhero of them all.
From the day that Joe Schuster and Jerry Siegel put pen to paper and scratched the first etching of what would become Krypton’s last son, through “King” Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s pantheon of God-Men, to Alan Moore’s operatic epics, Superheroes have taken us through some of the most affecting, personal stories that have ever been told… and they all had to start somewhere.
There’s more than one way to become a superhero… some great, some not so great. From being bitten by radioactive bugs, hit by asteroids, inhaling experimental gasses and shot by rays from other dimensions – the catalyst for a superhero gaining their powers are varied. Some are tragic (Batman), some are profound (Watchmen’s Dr Manhattan), whereas some… well some are completely and unbelievably lame.
For every millionaire playboy orphan, for each alien Ubermensch sent to Earth, there are plenty of ridiculous reasons for superhero beginnings… some are absolutely ludicrous. Here are the 10 most ludicrous superhero origin stories of all-time.
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7 Comments
Some lovely old school contrivances on show in your examples.
I love the fact that Bouncing Boy takes the time to form a lengthy and reflective inner monologue acknowledging his mistake, all the while continuing to drink the super plastic fluid that he is describing!
Nice article. Some of the writing in these is downright silly!
There were a raft of other Superhero options for this article. A lot of Silver age comic book characters have absolutely ridiculous origins, most of which involve being hit by meteors or cosmic rays or inhaling space-gas…etc…etc.
Must admit I never knew the origin of the Flash before i read this article. That said, I wasn’t a huge fan of him to begin with. All he can do is run quickly.
Just like The Whizzer!
Haha Bouncing Boy. I’d forgot about that monstrosity. You’re right though, so easy to mix up soda with a weird serum and end up feeling “peculiar”. So easy to do.
The Flash’s origin is pretty terrible but what’s amazing is that they retold it all over again in the New 52 reboot! They still can’t come up with anything better!