Major Bummer
Writer/Artist: John Arcudi, Doug Mahnke, and Tom Nguyen
Publisher: DC, 15 issues originally at $2.50ea
Major Bummer was a DC series that ran from ‘97-‘98 that was unfortunately canceled at only fifteen issues due to low sales. In that small amount of time though creators John Arcudi, Doug Mahnke, and Tom Nguyen made one of the most worthwhile contributions to mainstream comics in the 90's and the title developed a cult following. Sadly there are still a ton of people who have just never heard about the series, and putting together a complete set can still be a little tricky although not too costly.
Major Bummer stars Louis Martin, a slacker with no real goals in life and who really doesn’t care about anyone besides himself. Due to the incompetence of a pair of alien college students that were doing their thesis on super-heroes in Earth culture, Lou Martin receives fantastic powers that were in fact meant for a Martin Louis. Now incredibly strong, built like a tank, mostly invulnerable, and gifted with superhuman intelligence (although he’s too lazy to use it), Lou spends most of his time trying to keep down a job and avoiding the other experimental guinea pigs that were also gifted with special abilities.
Part of the great appeal of the series are all the other characters or villains. Lou is hounded by wannabe heroes such as the nerdy Gecko and the aromatherapist hippie Francis, as well as horrible stalker nerds and the idiot aliens responsible for his powers. Also imbued with powers are a group of loser gangsters who are actually a little more likable than some of the heroes and are often the focus of a number of great plot points. The best of the group and possibly one of the best villains ever created is Nunzio, who often steals the entire story and is fantastically designed and emoted by Mahnke. Then you have Tyrannosaurus Reich. Really, this is one of the best comics ever.
Arcudi offers some of the best laugh out loud concepts and moments that any comic has ever given me, and his overall plotting and story ideas keep the entire run fresh. Mahnke’s pacing and flow work perfectly to help set up perfect jokes, and his ability to capture just the right facial expression at just the right moment enhances the overall story fantastically.
Major Bummer is worth the time to hunt down. Ideally you won’t have too much trouble, and there is a very good chance you will find issues in blow out bins at conventions. The original cost per issue was $2.50, so to give you an idea if a store is going to price these up at all you really shouldn’t have to pay much more than $3 a pop. I would personally be willing to pay something in the $35-45 range for a nice complete collection, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. It’s been over a decade since these were published, and although Mahnke is very popular right now with his Green Lantern exposure it might be some time before anyone thinks to reprint these.
If you like this then try: The Mask, The Tick, BPRD, Aliens: Stronghold, Aquaman (#25-39), Black Adam
Related Links: DC
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