Select-ive Appeal: Michael Kupperman Q&A
The comedic genius takes on Marvel in ALL SELECT COMICS 70TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1
Posted Jun 18, 2009 12:00 am
Updated Jun 24, 2009 9:52 am
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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If it had been me,I would have brought back MARVEX's creator BOLO[Daring Mystery Comics#3(4/1940)] and revealed that that High-Tech Headband he wore gave him the SAME ABILITIES AS an OVOID( ability to download his mind(plus those of his people Marvex killed ) into CLONE BODIES.I would also AMALGAMATE BOLO with BRAINIAC and the LEADER.I would have had BOLO recapture MARVEX and UP GRADE him( ...
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If it had been me,I would have brought back MARVEX's creator BOLO[Daring Mystery Comics#3(4/1940)] and revealed that that High-Tech Headband he wore gave him the SAME ABILITIES AS an OVOID( ability to download his mind(plus those of his people Marvex killed ) into CLONE BODIES.I would also AMALGAMATE BOLO with BRAINIAC and the LEADER.I would have had BOLO recapture MARVEX and UP GRADE him( getting rid of that WEAKNESS he didn't have in Daring Mystery Comics#3,otherwise the explosion that brought him to Earth would have killed him ) and setting him on Humanity until someone( Clara Crandall or a Golden Age Hero ) stopped him.
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If it had been me,I would have brought back MARVEX's creator BOLO[Daring Mystery Comics#3(4/1940)] and revealed that that High-Tech Headband he wore gave him the SAME ABILITIES AS an OVOID( ability to download his mind(plus those of his people Marvex killed ) into CLONE BODIES.I would also AMALGAMATE BOLO with BRAINIAC and the LEADER.I would have had BOLO recapture MARVEX and UP GRADE him( ...
View More
If it had been me,I would have brought back MARVEX's creator BOLO[Daring Mystery Comics#3(4/1940)] and revealed that that High-Tech Headband he wore gave him the SAME ABILITIES AS an OVOID( ability to download his mind(plus those of his people Marvex killed ) into CLONE BODIES.I would also AMALGAMATE BOLO with BRAINIAC and the LEADER.I would have had BOLO recapture MARVEX and UP GRADE him( getting rid of that WEAKNESS he didn't have in Daring Mystery Comics#3,otherwise the explosion that brought him to Earth would have killed him ) and setting him on Humanity until someone( Clara Crandall or a Golden Age Hero ) stopped him.
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If you do decide to MAKE MARVEX ANATOMICALLY CORRECT instead of having his SUPER-POWERS be in his "Robot-Body(Armour )" like STRYKER he could be like the RED KNIGHT[ http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/r/redknight.htm ][ http://www.toonopedia.com/r-knight.htm ] who HAS SUPER-POWERS and WEARS PROTECTIVE ARMOUR.
If you do decide to MAKE MARVEX ANATOMICALLY CORRECT instead of having his SUPER-POWERS be in his "Robot-Body(Armour )" like STRYKE he could be like the RED KNIGHT[ http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/r/redknight.htm ][ http://www.toonopedia.com/r-knight.htm ] who HAS SUPER-POWERS and WEARS PROTECTIVE ARMOUR.
When I read the MARVEX story in DARING MYSTERY COMICS#3(4/1940) he came off looking like SUPERMAN.In this story he was doing SUPERMAN like things( back when SUPERMAN only had SUPER-STRENGTH,SUPER-SPEED,LEAPING ABILITY and DURABILITY ).MARVEX THE SUPER-ROBOT of SUPER FABRI-STEEL and SUPERMAN THE MAN OF STEEL. Before I forget it's on PAGE 1 of DARING MYSTERY COMICS#3(4/1940) that MARVEX LOOKS ...
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When I read the MARVEX story in DARING MYSTERY COMICS#3(4/1940) he came off looking like SUPERMAN.In this story he was doing SUPERMAN like things( back when SUPERMAN only had SUPER-STRENGTH,SUPER-SPEED,LEAPING ABILITY and DURABILITY ).MARVEX THE SUPER-ROBOT of SUPER FABRI-STEEL and SUPERMAN THE MAN OF STEEL. Before I forget it's on PAGE 1 of DARING MYSTERY COMICS#3(4/1940) that MARVEX LOOKS LIKE A YOUNG WILLIAM SHATNER.
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