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by Jeffrey
Super hero media is everywhere now. Everything’s a something-verse. We went from the era of the origin story to the era of shoveling in as many hero movies as possible, not even stopping to think if they’re super enough. They’re just taking the same rotating cast of characters and swapping in a new actor when they get stale.
Looking deep into the dark recesses of comic book history, I realized they used to try out a LOT of different, weird and fresh ideas. As you’re about to see some of these are pretty horrible, but they’re at least original. Let's start off with the coolest one.
Typeface
Typeface is a deep-cut Marvel character from the early 2000s. A grumpy, sign-making war vet who snaps after losing his family (and I guess losing his job at a sign shop was the final straw?) and becomes a vigilante with giant letters painted on his face. He starts off fighting Spider-Man but ends up on the good side, using punctuation-themed weapons (yep, really) and fighting for justice. He’s weird, tragic, and kinda awesome in a “who thought this up?” way.
Red Bee
The Red Bee is a legit Golden Age superhero from the 1940s who fought crime, AND nazis wiith the help of trained bees, including one special bee named MICHAEL that he kept in his belt buckle. He wore a red-and-yellow striped costume with puffy sleeves and fought using a mix of fists, insects, and sheer enthusiasm. Nobody took him seriously (even back then), and he faded into obscurity, only to resurface decades later as a kind of ironic cult favorite. Gotta love a Belt Bee named Michael.
Matter-Eater Lad
Matter-Eater Lad is a guy from the planet Bismoll (sans Pepto), where everyone evolved the ability to eat literally anything. Metal, concrete, weapons, whatever. So naturally, he joined the Legion of Super Heroes in the future as their go-to guy for chewing through the competition. He’s actually saved the day more than once by gnawing on dangerous tech, but let’s be real, he’s mostly remembered as “that dude who eats stuff.”
Bouncing boy
Bouncing Boy is exactly what he sounds like; a dude who inflates into a giant rubbery ball and bounces around to fight crime. His powers kicked in after he accidentally drank an experimental super-plastic formula (thinking it was soda, obviously). He’s part of the Legion of Super-Heroes and somehow manages to be both comic relief and genuinely heroic.
Stone boy
Stone Boy is a member of the Legion of Substitute Heroes (how’s that for confidence in your character design?) whose power is turning into solid stone… but the catch is, he can’t move while he’s in that form. So basically, he becomes a statue. A heavy, durable, completely useless statue. He originally got rejected from the main Legion for obvious reasons, but over time, he proved himself kind of useful for stealth missions and tripping bad guys. It’s a weird power, but hey, in the right situation, being a living rock can come in handy. Sort of.
Arm Fall Off Boy
Arm-Fall-Off-Boy is a superhero whose entire deal is that he can detach his own arms and use them as blunt weapons. That’s it. He just pops them off and starts swinging. He auditioned for the Legion of Super-Heroes, but shocker, they passed. Over the years he’s become a cult favorite for how hilariously bad his power is, though DC later tried to give him a little more depth (and a real name: Floyd Belkin). Still, he’ll always be best known as the guy who literally fights with his own arms. Iconic, in a totally useless way.
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Some of these characters have seen brief mentions in somewhat recent hero media. But if I was going to bring anyone back. I think it'd be Michael the Belt Bee.
Who are some heroes time has forgotten that you'd like to see make a resurgance?