Bizarro World
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| Bizarro World (Htrae) | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Action Comics #263 (April 1960) |
| Created by | Otto Binder (writer) Wayne Boring (artist) |
| In story information | |
| Type | Planet |
| Notable people | Bizarro Yellow Lantern Batzarro Bizarra Bizarro-Flash |
The Bizarro World (also known as Htrae) is a fictional planet in the DC comics universe. Introduced in the early 1960s, Htrae is a cube-shaped planet, home to Bizarro and his companions, all of whom were initially Bizarro versions of Superman, Lois Lane and their children. Later, other Bizarros were created to add to the population including Wonderzarro, Bizarro Flash, "the Yellow Lantern", Bizarro-Kltpzyxm and Batzarro, the World's Worst Detective.
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[edit] Concept
In the Bizarro world of "Htrae" ("Earth" spelled backwards), society is ruled by the Bizarro Code which states "Us do opposite of all Earthly things! Us hate beauty! Us love ugliness! Is big crime to make anything perfect on Bizarro World!". In one episode, for example, a salesman is doing a brisk trade selling Bizarro bonds: "Guaranteed to lose money for you". Later, the mayor appoints Bizarro No. 1 to investigate a crime, "Because you are stupider than the entire Bizarro police force put together". This is intended and taken as a great compliment.
Originally a normal planet, it is now a cube-shaped planet since Superman when convicted of doing something perfect on the Bizarro Code Htrae, pointed out that Bizarro World was perfectly planet shaped and agreed to cube it if his sentence was commuted.
Later stories introduced Bizarro versions of Superman's supporting cast, including Bizarro-Perry White and Bizarro-Jimmy Olsen, created by using the duplicator ray on characters other than Superman and Lois Lane, as well as the children of Bizarro and Bizarro Lois. There was even a Bizarro-Justice League and Legion of Super-Heroes: the Bizarro League and the Legion of Stupor-Heroes. Bizarro-Batman sported a Futility Belt full of cigarette butts and chewed gum and other such priceless Bizarro treasures. Yellow Lantern had NO power from his powerless Ring. Bizarro-Aquaman couldn't swim. There is even a Bizarro-Marilyn Monroe, the ugliest of them all.
Despite their differences, Bizarro and Superman have teamed up on occassion. One notable example happened in Superman 379 when a strange creature appeared to be devouring Bizarros. Fearing he would end up alone (displaying uncharictaristic human emotions in doing so), Bizarro tried to steal Superman's duplicator ray. Superman convinced Bizarro he'd be better off trying to stop the monster before making any more Bizarros. The creature eventually devoured Bizarro, but Superman soon figured out that the creature was not trying to kill the Bizarros, but using their combined strength to defeat another creature which was trying to destroy Htrae. The first creature was created as part of a plan developed by none other than the Bizarro Lex Luthor, who Bizarro referred to as a "punk hero."
"Tales of the Bizarro World" became a recurring segment in Adventure Comics from 1961 to 1962. Animated Blue Kryptonite golems once erupted from the Htrae surface, bent on defeating the Bizarros and were cheered on by the Bizarro Loises.
On one occasion, Keith Giffen portrayed Htrae itself as being sentient — "Me am the Bizarro World. Planet Earth not think ... therefore, me do" — and its only sane inhabitant was the Bizarro Ambush Bug.
In the new comic books,[clarification needed] Bizarro lives in a Metropolis graveyard he calls The Graveyard of Solitude.
In the imaginary story, Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, which served as an ending to Silver Age Superman continuity, Bizarro #1 (the original Bizarro and the world's leader/greatest hero), was influenced to bad ends by the now evil Mr. Mxyzptlk. Realizing that to truly fulfil the Bizarro Code he should stop being a "imperfect perfect duplicate" of Superman and be a "perfect imperfect duplicate" of Superman. To that end, Bizarro #1 destroyed Bizarro World because if Earth existed Bizarro World should not.
After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Superman: Man of Steel miniseries rebooted Superman continuity. The editors and writers at DC Comics considered Bizarro World to be too silly and childish, so they did not reintroduce Bizarro World in the reboot. Though in Superman (vol. 2) #87, the second Post-Crisis Bizarro clone creates a "Bizarro World" which is a warehouse made to look like a surreal Metropolis. However, the Fifth-Dimensionally empowered Joker recreates Earth into the cube-shaped Bizarro-Earth, populated by various odd and bizarre inhabitants. Eventually the Joker is defeated and Earth is returned to its normal state.
A very poignant Bizarro World appeared in Adventure Comics vol. 2 #1. There Bizarro demands that a technician at a SETI like installation broadcast his diary. Having no choice, the technician looks over the diary, which retells the story of the classic cube shaped backwards Bizarro World. Superman accidentally finds himself there and, to allay people fears of him, [1] goes on a "constructive rampage." The original Bizarro, aka Bizarro #1, goes to Earth and attempts to stop Superman with the help of his friends. However, when the other Bizarros try to kill Superman, #1 stops them saying that killing is the earthly thing that they must, above all, do the opposite of. Realizing that, however strange Bizarro Word might be, its inhabitants are safer and happier than those of Earth thanks to Bizarro #1's leadership, Superman apologizes. To show his sincerity he hides a copy of the Bizarro Code where nobody will ever see it. The people hold a parade in #1's honor and with his loving wife Bizarro Lois #1 and their son, Bizarro Junior #1 at his side, Bizarro cries saying "Me am ... happiest creature in universe." When the technician finishes reading the story, he sees Bizarro is gone and, horrified, asks what if the journal is no exception to the Bizarro Code. Elsewhere, Bizarro, who has no home and has no family and is held in contempt by Superman, weeps because he is the most miserable thing in the universe.
The distinctive cube-shaped Earth of Bizarro World briefly appeared in the pages of Infinite Crisis alongside the other Earths in space. A close-up, labeled Earth-0, is seen wherein a smiling Bizarro is strangling a smiling Bizarro-Lois, with Bizarros Hawkman, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White standing alongside and laughing.
A cube-shaped planet, populated by assorted Bizarros, was discovered orbiting a blue sun by a Thanagarian patrol ship.
In Action Comics #855, Bizarro captures Jonathan Kent and takes him to the cube-shaped world, prompting Superman to follow him.
Outside mainstream DC continuity, All Star Superman #7-8 featured the return of Htrae and Bizarro, in which the sentient cubic Htrae attacked Earth until Superman interfered, unfortunately experiencing loss of his abilities due to the super-heavy gravity pull of Htrae as it retreats back to its own realm, as well as Doppler shift which replicates the effects of red sun radiation, eroding his superpowers. On this revisionist Htrae, Superman encounters Bizarro duplicates of Batman, Jor-El ("Le-Roj") and Zibarro, a perfect duplicate of Superman. There is also an imperfect duplicate of the Statue of Liberty visible in the background, although unnamed. Htrae vanishes back into the Underverse, a newly discovered dimension, at story's end.
[edit] In other media
- Bizarro World makes its first television appearance in The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, in the episode "The Bizarro Super Powers Team". It is seemingly populated by countless Bizarro-Supermen, led by the original Bizarro.
- In the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Bizarro's World", Bizarro finds the Fortress of Solitude where he interacts with Brainiac and discovers his "origin". Soon he creates his own Krypton on a section of Metropolis and uses a theater as the House of El. Later, Superman gives Bizarro his own world to protect, a moon with vegetation and a green sky showing a Saturn-like planet, and several other moons. The episode is based on the comic book Superman (vol. 2) #87. In a followup episode, "Little Big Head Man", Bizarro had populated his world with mannequins he made of boulders and twigs, and pretended to "protect" the populace. In his own "Fortress of Solitude", there are twig mannequins of his "mama" and "dada" holding a large cube-shaped boulder. Mr. Mxyzptlk appears and tricks him into returning to Earth and attacking Superman. Bizarro is eventually returned to his world with his new sidekick -- Mxyzptlk, who had been temporarily stripped of his powers.
[edit] In popular culture
The concept of "Bizarro" has been ingrained in popular culture where it has come to mean a weirdly mutilated version of anything, not confined to characters in DC Comics publications[2] and as such, so has the concept of Bizarro World.
[edit] Seinfeld
The concept of "Bizarro World" is a fundamental element in "The Bizarro Jerry", the 137th episode of American sitcom Seinfeld. In the episode, Elaine makes a new group of friends who represent inverted types of the normal Seinfeld gang. Jerry labels them a bizarro world. These characters are kind, considerate, curious about the world around them, and good citizens. Though Elaine is initially attracted to their friendly ways, she is ultimately turned off by the formality and lack of simple camaraderie which she enjoys with her old, selfish, shortsighted group. A second reason for her leaving the Bizarro group is the fact that she is "normal" Elaine. Conceivably, her Bizarro version would be ladylike.
[edit] Buffyverse
The character Cordelia Chase from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel referenced the concept on several occasions.
- In the Buffy Season 2 episode "Reptile Boy", Cordelia tells Xander Harris that his being accepted into a fraternity of rich and powerful men would only happen "in the Bizarro World."
- In the Buffy Season 3 episode "The Wish", an alternate reality is brought about by a wish made by Cordelia. After learning that the AU vampire versions of Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg are partners, Cordelia exclaims "No way! I wish us into bizarro-land, and you guys are still together?! I cannot win!"
- In the Angel Season 5 episode "You're Welcome", Cordelia awakens from a coma to discover that Spike has regained his soul and Angel is working for Wolfram & Hart. Cordelia remarks to Angel "OK, Spike's a hero, and you're CEO of Hell, Incorporated. What freakin' bizarro world did I wake up in?!"
Buffy Summers also referenced "Bizarro World" in the season 6 episode "Gone." Following an argument with her then lover Spike, Buffy walks home grumbling to herself "I don't believe this. He threw me out. Did I, like, fall into some backward dimension here? Is this Bizarro World?"
[edit] Saturday Night Live
In the early 1980s, Saturday Night Live did a series of sketches with a humorous depiction of life on Earth taking place on the Bizarro World in an opposite manner. Inhabitants of Bizarro would do things such as turn up the air conditioning to warm up and quench their thirst with glasses of sand while their earthly counterparts would use furnaces and water.
[edit] Other References
"Bizarro Land" is referred to by Captain Hero in the episode "Gay Bash" of animated series Drawn Together, as is a Bizarro Captain Hero who is never given any name except Bizarro Captain Hero. Though it is not the same place it maintains many of the same features as Bizarro World except that the speech is normal. Captain Hero in "Drawn Together" believes he was in Bizarro Land, rather than a public restroom at a bus station that sells Bizarro Land postcards, when he had a sexual encounter with his Bizarro duplicate.
In Friends Season 1 Episode "The One With Mrs.Bing", after Ross kissed Chandler's mother, Joey says: "No big deal". Ross says: "Okay" and Joey says: "In Bizarro World!!"
In "I Am Furious Yellow", an episode of the thirteenth season of The Simpsons, Comic Book Guy receives a less-than-friendly visit from Marvel Comics executive Stan Lee. As Lee exits the shop, Comic Book Guy utters, "Stan Lee insulted me! But in Bizarro World, that means he likes me!"
DC paid tribute to Bizarro World in Cartoon Network Presents issue #12. The main story had Peter Potamus and So-so visiting a version of Bizarro World, inhabited by reverse versions of other Hanna-Barbera characters, where Yogi Bear would rather clean up Jellystone Park than steal picnic baskets, Mr. Peebles doesn't want to sell Magilla Gorilla, and Wally Gator wants to stay at the zoo. This version of Bizarro World was later visited by Elroy Jetson in The Flintstones and The Jetsons #19. In both comics, the Bizarro World is shaped like a pyramid instead of a cube.
WWE Raw commentator Jerry "The King" Lawler refers to Canada as Bizarro World because Canadians will root for the bad guys (heels) if the wrestler is from Canada.
Episode 17 of Sealab 2021 features "bizarro" versions of all of the main characters that hold the crew of Sealab hostage. These bizarro counterparts include Captain Murphy with an eyepatch and Debbie DuPree with a robotic arm and pink hair.
[edit] References
- ^ This is not the first time Superman is the terror of Bizarro World. In a 1961 story, when Bizarro #1 goes to Earth and brings back a Superman doll as a souvenir, the children are terrified.
- ^ Don Markstein's Toonpedia: Bizarro
