By Sean T. Collins
Ever since its birth with Timely Comics 70 years ago, the Marvel Universe has been home to countless unique and unforgettable characters—and more than a few unique and
forgotten ones.
Take
Marvex the Super Robot. Debuting in April 1940's DARING MYSTERY COMICS #3, this extra-dimensional automaton created to conquer Earth rebelled against his masters and became the planet's protector. Sounds like a hero in the Mighty Marvel Manner, right? However, given his bizarre interactions with Earthlings, his goofy ways around women, and his twin penchants for tossing criminals out of windows and taking off his clothes, he's a lot more WHAT THE?! than WAR OF KINGS.
So who better to revive this disremembered droid than underground humor comics maestro Michael Kupperman? The creator of the drop-dead hilarious comic series Tales Designed to Thrizzle and mastermind of the recent Adult Swim pilot "Snake'N'Bacon" specializes in giving Golden Age comics a "Monty Python" makeover. And in the upcoming ALL SELECT COMICS 70TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1, a tribute to the Timely legacy, he'll be making his Marvex. Marvel.com caught up with him to find out how.
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Preview art by
Michael
Kupperman |
Marvel.com: Tell us a bit about Marvex, and what you'll be doing with him in your story.
Michael Kupperman: Marvex is a character from the early days of Marvel, a robot man created in the sixth dimension. His stories lack the intensity and drive of modern super hero comics; he basically wanders around and gets involved in situations, and refuses the romantic advances of young woman because, after all, he is a robot. I've continued these traditions, and tried to replicate the feverish existentialism that characterized his original adventures.
Marvel.com: How did you hook up with Marvel for this project?
Michael Kupperman: I am doing Marvex because of editor Alejandro Arbona, who came to Marvel from
Wizard Magazine. Alejandro and his Wizard cohorts have always been very supportive of [me] and my publications.
Marvel.com: Your home turf is straight-out humor comics, but your style is sort of a pastiche of Golden Age comics and pulp. Is Marvex the kind of thing you've drawn inspiration from in the past?
Michael Kupperman: Marvex is definitely the kind of thing I have taken inspiration from, although not specifically as I had never seen it before. It's comics from when there were no comics professionals, only excited amateurs.
Marvel.com: Looking at the original Marvex story, it practically reads like one of your comics already. For example, a guy comes across a giant metal man lying in the road, and his first instinct isn't to freak out, but to order the metal guy to help him tow  |
Preview art by
Michael
Kupperman |
his car. That blend of fantastical elements with mundane stuff is pretty hilarious. Is your strategy just to kick that up a notch?
Michael Kupperman: Absolutely! In all of his stories, Marvex undresses to show a woman that he can't date her. In my story, he does it twice.
Marvel.com: Are there any other Marvel characters, from the famous to the obscure that you'd like to try your hand at?
Michael Kupperman: I'd like to be allowed to use all the Marvel characters, from Nunchuk the Quibbling Man to Fantasy Squad. There have just been so many great characters and situations. Seriously, though?
Fantastic Four.
Marvel.com: What else are you working on these days? And what do you recommend Marvel fans check out if they'd like to see more of your work?
Michael Kupperman: I've just done an animated "Snake'N'Bacon" pilot, which is
on the Adult Swim web site , and more animated excitement is in the works. My comic pamphlet Tales Designed to Thrizzle is still coming out, and there's a hardcover collection coming out right now that is quite a sexy object.
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