Mad About DC

#1D

Dan Panosian Foil Variant

Release:	Apr 01, 2026
Cover:	Jun 2026

Creators

Writer	The Usual Gang Of Comic Book Creators Who Needed The Extra Money
Artist	The Usual Gang Of Comic Book Creators Who Needed The Extra Money
Cover Artist	Dan Panosian

Is–Is that a new Robin?

I’ve been meaning to write this one for a while, but I know no one has been meaning to read it, so I’ve held off.

Anyway, here I am now, writing it. And what is it I’m writing about? Well, why don’t we ask Chip Zdarsky, the brains (“brains”) behind the whole thing.

Of course, Chip had more to say than what we got in the video above, so we also got an editorial message in the comic itself.

As you can see, it’s a comic poking not-always gentle and not-always loving fun at not only the characters on the pages of comics from DC, but the creators who make them, and also the fans who read those pages, and it’s the latter two that this comic is really for, as it’s not something that will land as well with people whose familiarity with the characters and the industry is limited.

That’s actually a big part of the reason I have put off writing this for so long. I feel like I should say something about it, but I’m not sure what there is for me to say, given that it’s even more of a niche work with a niche audience than everything else I write about here.

Most Unbaggings are, believe it or not, intended to reach a broader audience, letting people know that “Hey, this comic is out there, and this is what it’s like and why you might be interested in checking it out.”

I don’t know that I can do that with this one, because while much of it is very funny, most of the humor is built on in-jokes that I’m not sure will land with anyone else.

On the other hand, it sold well enough that it’s getting – or maybe has already gotten – a second printing, so clearly, it did land with a lot of people.

Beyond that, another reason I write these posts is for my own sake; I feel compelled to let people know that I thought a comic was good or at least worth discussing and why. Further a lot of talented people did good work, and that deserves recognition.

If nothing else, that trailer from Chip is good for a laugh no matter who you are…

With that out of the way, I suppose the only thing to do is talk about some of the parts of this comic that were most interesting to me.

Like I said, while much of the comic was devoted to making fun of characters like Superman and Batman, there were plenty of gags that focused on the industry, like this bit from “The Official MAD Look At Comic Book (Brain) Anatomy!” written by Rainbow Rowell and illustrated by Chip, which created a bit of discourse online:

And, of course, readers got their heads examined as well.

As is to be expected from MAD, there was plenty of social commentary to be found within the comic.

One of the standouts for me was a panel from “Humanity is the REAL Kryptonite,” from writer Gerry Duggan, artist Tony Moore, and letterer Pat Brousseau, which gets in some meta commentary about creators, fandom, the industry, and the world at large while examining some of Superman’s issues.

The personal kind. Not the issues of his comics. Though those get talked about, too.

Anyway, this was the panel that stood out the most.

Some additional commentary – and some more focus on Power Girl’s cleavage window – showed up in “A MAD Look at Fan Casting” from Kagan McCleod.

For pure silliness, my absolute favorite part of the book was a panel in the Wonder Woman story from writer Joannie Starer, artist Joe Quinones, and letterer Dave Sharpe.

The story provides a comedic look at the origin and history of the Amazing Amazon that provided this laugh out loud moment.

The “dirt baby” gag gets repeated a few times throughout the story, but that initial moment is what got me.

Obviously, it wouldn’t be possible – or at least advisable – to put out a humor comic without poking the bear that is online trickster goddess Gail Simone.

She did not disappoint, and it’s especially amusing to me to revisit her entry – with Colleen Doran and Lucas Gattoni – given that as of this writing I’m reading a Teen Titans omnibus. (It’s the Bronze Age rather than Silver, but that’s really just a reflection of when the stories were published more than any real shift in their Silver Age spirit)

You also can’t put out something with the MAD branding and not include work from the living legend that is Sergio Aragones.

Those are just a few of the standouts, but the comic is packed with much, much more than I could possibly cover here.

And because it was something from DC, there was, naturally, so. Much. Batman.

We were also treated to DCfied MAD fixtures like “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions” and, of course, a Fold-In on the back cover.

Overall, it’s a lot of fun if you’re in the target audience, though I don’t mean to suggest that it would be impossible for newbies or non-fans to find some laughs. There are some solid hits on popular culture at large and the current political and social landscape that would at least get a rueful chuckle out of anyone.

It’s a well-curated collection from Chip, who was pretty much the only person who could have pulled something like this off, with great work from everyone involved.

And with that, I’ll close out with some more of my favorite bits…which includes some more focus on Power Girl’s cleavage window…