The League of Regrettable Superheroes – Super Coffee Table Book for the Capes and Cowls Set

Jumping off from Morris’ long-running blog Gone & Forgotten, The League of Regrettable Superheroes (acronymized going forward as TLORS) takes a humorous yet affectionate look at more than 100 of the largely failed and almost utterly screwball characters from comic history’s past. Through 100 entries (occasionally covering multiple heroes), Morris considers such offbeat characters as Bee-Man, Bozo the Iron Man, Doctor Hormone, and Zippo. None of those sound familiar? Well, to all but the veteran or most dedicated comic bin-diving enthusiasts, the existence of many of the crusaders covered in this text will undoubtedly be a revelation. I’ve been reading comics for almost all my life and I’d certainly never heard of The Ferret or Holo-Man. Whether you recognize them or not, it’s immensely enjoyable strolling through comics’ history, and gazing at the might’ve-beens and never-in-a-million-yearses.

Going into TLORS, one might be concerned that this affair will be a mean-spirited tome. The use of the term “Regrettable” in the title might lead one to think that but I really did mean it when I said that Morris’ look into these characters is affectionate. Even with the loopiest do-gooders, he gives credit where credit is due and there is always a good-natured playfulness to the prose. In fact, Morris notes in his introduction that none of the characters featured here are “inherently bad” and that every character has at least the “potential to be great.” That said, some of the regrettability of TLORS’ subjects has less to do with their inherent worth or initial success. Marvel’s Rom, Spaceknight gets a nod and while his origin as a cheap plastic toy with almost no inherent backstory is undeniably odd, I have to believe that at least some of his status as “regrettable” is due to the licensing issues which prevent his roughly 75-issue run from being reprinted. Also, Marvel’s Squirrel-Girl is enjoying some success in her own title at time of TLOR‘s release. Still, she is undeniably quirky and basically disappeared from comics for a decade after her initial appearances.

I got a blast out of reading this book and I highly recommend it. It even seems that it’s available for e-reader. So, don’t be a Killjoy or a Bozo. Be a Brain Boy and Zippo right out to pick up your copy even if you have to brave a hail of Gunfire. It’s the Captain Truth that this book is very nearly a Miracle, Man. It’s certainly not a Nightmare and reading it won’t make you Sleepy. ConGOrilla right now! Okay… they can’t all be winners but you get the idea.