MegaSimpson

Of all the crap that I've collected in my 32 years, most of which has accumulated in years 20 on up, this is one of my prized possessions.




As much as I used to love the serious stuff in the comic world, I was equally as intrigued by the satirical, i.e. What The--?! , Spider-Ham, Groo the Wanderer (I will do a Sergio Aragones post - the best moustache in cartoons), etc. Most of which, with the exception of Groo weren't really all that funny. I guess I've just always had an appreciation for parody.

Don Simpson, formerly of Kitchen Sink Press created and published the first Megaton Man comic in 1984. Megaton Man aka The Man of Molecules, a parody of numerous super-hero icons including the Steel one himself, was a mild mannered, poorly disguised reporter by the name of Trent Phloog who had the uncanny ability to go Nuclear when he uttered the word "Overkill".

"Dandy Don" Simpson doin' his thing.

The best thing about Simpson's artwork is appreciation for the comic book world. He clearly loved what he was doing and in his parody showed a great deal of respect for the super-hero genre from the writing right down to his inking (of which he did both for the Megaton Man series).



I wasn't introduced to Megaton Man or Don Simpson for that matter until the 1988 when I spotted the third and final issue of "The Return of Megaton Man" limited series. I remember picking up a post card type flyer at the front desk of some random comic shop bank in TO (I think it was called Planet Earth Comics)my big brother had taken me to. I can't remember whether it was in the back of the issue or the flyer where I spotted the images of all 10 covers of the original series, but I do remember knowing immediately I had to have them.

I spent the next 11 years hunting down the collection (which had little to no monetary value), by checking every comic shop I stumbled upon. Until finally in 1999, my crusade ended with the a gift. Someone had found me the last issue I needed, #2(above) -- and then my dog Penny proceeded to destroy issues 3 and 7, which needless to say were later replaced.


Simpson was also responsible for Border Worlds, Bizarre Heroes and a 1991 6 issue adaption of King Kong.




Thank you Mr. Simpson!


Peace