Who's This? Earth-C's Superman.
The facts: In 1982, Roy Thomas and Scott Shaw proposed the concept of Earth-C, a world of funny animals where DC's own funny animal comics (mostly from the Golden Age) would have happened. Its own Bronze Age in bloom, it is protected by funny animal superheroes led by their greatest hero, Captain Carrot. His fate essentially tied to the Zoo Crew, the preview story in New Teen Titans #16 (did they imagine Titans readers were most likely to like this?) mostly introduced him, with 20 issues following. A couple of mini-series would follow after that, the latest in 2008, plus random appearances in Teen Titans vol.3 (which ran a Whatever Happened to Captain Carrot back-up) and Convergence.
How you could have heard of him: His biggest role in the recent era is as a member of Justice Incarnate AKA Justice League of the Multiverse, introduced in Multiversity and now continuing in the pages of the Infinite Frontier event book. While you'd think the Zoo Crew would be perfect for animation, they appear in exactly ONE skit in the Robot Chicken DC Comics Special.
Example story: Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew preview insert from New Teen Titans #16 (February 1982) "This Bunny Unbound!" by Roy Thomas, Scott Shaw, Gerry Conway, Ross Andru and Bob Smith
Coming closest to a classic Captain Carrot solo adventure, the preview has Ross Andru doing Earth-1 (and Superman even out of his natural element) and Scott Shaw doing Earth-C. It's more Superman meets Captain Marvel than it is a JLA/JSA crossover, though imagine if they'd actually introduced these characters as part of the annual tradition instead. The mind races. After all, it begins with a global crisis. People all over the world have started acting like apes, and every hour, 100 more fall to this strange affliction. Superman's senses see the energy beam responsible coming from Pluto, but when he tries to fly there, he hits a strange energy barrier that sends him to Earth-C. But he doesn't know it because it also temporarily blinds him. So when he goes to the WGBS building and changes into Clark Kent, he's mystified to find the halls too small for his full stature, and his office inhabited by... a rabbit cartoonist?
Specifically, Roger Rabbit (no kidding, he'll start going by Rodney later for reasons), writer/artist of the Just'a Lotta Animals strip, which is an animal parody of the JLA (and it's real too, their adventures taking place on Earth-C-minus, as will later be revealed). Clark is shocked to realize he's on a cartoony Earth filled with anthropomorphic animals. Clark tells him his story, and admits to being Superman, hoping Rodney will be able to cope with it seeing as he writes and draws the same kind of tales. In fact, Rodney has his own superhero uniform left over from a costume party, and his Earth is ALSO being treated to de-evolving rays (dog people, turning into dogs, etc.). What he DOESN'T have is super-powers... yet. But the meteor that followed Superman to Earth-C could change that. It's infected his window sill carrot patch!
Superman heads to the U.N. (United Nature) Building from which the new and improved Roger can hear sounds of distress, but the bunny can't let the Man of Steel have all the fun. Hop, hop and away!
Under the name Captain Carrot, Roger takes the lead in stopping the animal delegates from fighting among themselves as they revert to a wild state.
Though Superman gets his licks in, Captain Carrot is the one who ends the chaos by pulling a Thumper and putting his foot down shaking the assembly to unconsciousness. But before the duo can rest, they see that five other superheroes have popped up in different places around the United Species of America!
Yep it's the future Zoo Crew. All somehow created by the same meteor pieces, even the magic-user (Alley-Kat-Abra's colors had not yet been chosen, methinks). This one's to be continued in the pages of Captain Carrot & Co.'s first issue, peeps! In which Superman finally goes to Pluto (what will Mickey Mouse think?) and a team is assembled to save two worlds from their animal impulses!
But that's it for us. More Zoo Crew when we hit the F's.
Who's Next? A winter Rogue.
Comments