Thursday, June 17, 2010

Space Crazy Comics: Misfits

This story, from Outer Space #20 (downloadable at Golden Age Comics blah blah fishcakes), is pretty typical fare. At least it actually involves space (unlike some other story I could name). In fact, it takes place on Jupiter (many of these stories do).

Obviously, though, the inhabitants of this version of Jupiter are... a bit different.

Eek. Make them go away!

Anyway, apparently, they were having issues with sterility because of a big radioactive war or some such, and they made artificial clones/duplicates of themselves called duplicos.

They seem deliriously, terrifyingly happy over this fact, don't they? Maybe they're all nerds. Stupid nerds.

And they are all so. Darned. Happy.

Every now and again, there are... issues... with the process, and chief smiley scientist Sagor observes a couple of oddballs.

Here's the problem:

I love how Sagor's all "don't hurt their feelings, plz!" Seriously, it makes me laugh.

The president's pretty upset.

"They will frighten our women! They frighten me!" Ah, sexist and intolerant. Gotta love these Jovians, eh?

Sagor is told to get rid of them, but he doesn't have the heart to kill them. So...

Comic book aliens are lucky that they have such easy access to space travel that they can waste a ship on something as insipid as that.

Sagor must do some research before he can do even this in good conscience.

Fortunately, there's a recent report on a planet whose inhabitants are an improbably perfect match.

And here comes the predictable old twist:

Yeah, the horrifying duplicos look just like reasonably normal humans.

And yes, it is supposed to be a reasonably modern Earth. This story isn't saying that humans are descended from duplicos. In fact, depending on how you interpret it, these guys are probably sterile... Which makes it doubly weird that they're a man and woman, really.

And it's also just as well-they presumably wouldn't be able to interbreed with humans, so their kids would have some pretty creepy problems if they wanted kids of their own...

-Signing off.

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