Paro-Dee

    (Parody, 1993)
™ and © 1993 The Nate Butler Studio

Parody Press! has earned a fitting reputation for holding comics’ cliches and customs, as well as a few creators, up to the harsh light of satire. The Unfunny X-Cons and Yawn for example are replete with in-jokes and asides aimed at fans that are familiar with the source material. This title, produced in tandem with Aida-Zee Comics, is something of a departure for the publisher. Aida-Zee publishes comics with a decidedly religious view, and so the stories here have a subtextual message included with the comedy.

“The Conscientious ˆ-Men,” (pronounced as “cross-men”) while still satirizing the customary elements of the X-Men, oppose such villains as “The Secular Humaniac” and “Stomach Turner,” a Ted Turner-esque character who sports a button proclaiming that “Christianity is a religion for losers.”

Although the satire has the requisite comic tie-ins, the humor is often blunted by a heavy-handed message.

— George Haberberger
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