Ever wished that Superman would loosen up a bit? You won't want to miss these fabulous comic parodies by Kerry Callen.
We all love superheroes, but don't you just wish that they were a little less strait-laced sometimes? Always tirelessly battling for truth and justice and standing steadfastly against evil; obviously it's nice that someone's doing it, but you wouldn't want to get stuck in a lift with any of them.
It's a thought that's clearly occurred to comic artist Kerry Callen, and in response he's created a series of web comics entitled Super Antics, in which classic DC superheroes show off their childish sides to fantastic effect.
Oh, Superman.
And so if you've ever felt that Superman is just a bit too much of a goody-two-shoes, you're in for a treat here as he makes idiotic mix-ups, acts like a dick and plays stupid pranks on Batman, The Flash and anyone else who provokes his ire, including a loudmouthed kid who feels the need to make the obvious joke about him wearing his underpants on the outside.
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It's what we've all wanted him to do
You can't beat a good custard pie gag
Wonder Woman gets the chance to be a dick, too
It's all shamefully funny, and the best thing about Super Antics, we reckon, is how Callen has absolutely nailed the look of Golden Age DC comics in his series, from the art style and colours through to the fact that you can make out stuff printed on the other side of the page, just as you would with pocket-money comics printed on the cheapest possible paper.
This is how it really happened. True story.
You can find Callen's Super Antics – as well as lots more artwork inspired by classic comics – over on his blog, but someone's thoughtfully collected all 10 of them (as well as a whole bunch of extra comics also poking fun at the good old days of comic art) on Imgur. We particularly love the one that pinpoints the moment in the 1980s when Batman suddenly went from knockabout hero to the vengeance-driven Dark Knight; find it here.
Jim McCauley is a writer, performer and cat-wrangler who started writing professionally way back in 1995 on PC Format magazine, and has been covering technology-related subjects ever since, whether it's hardware, software or videogames. A chance call in 2005 led to Jim taking charge of Computer Arts' website and developing an interest in the world of graphic design, and eventually led to a move over to the freshly-launched Creative Bloq in 2012. Jim now works as a freelance writer for sites including Creative Bloq, T3 and PetsRadar, specialising in design, technology, wellness and cats, while doing the occasional pantomime and street performance in Bath and designing posters for a local drama group on the side.
